US 7,440,226 B2Granted

Cartridge loading devices

AssigneeHewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.

InventorsPhilip Turner, Mark Dillon, Andrew Mark Fernihough

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Abstract

A cartridge loading device for magnetic tape cartridges comprises a first member 12, a second member 14, a guide arrangement 30, 32, 36, 38 for guiding movement of the second member relative to the first member from a first position to a second position and a locking system 80, 82, 84 for locking the second member in the first position. A second sized opening is sized to receive second sized magnetic tape cartridges having a predetermined height that is greater than the height of the first sized magnetic tape cartridges. The locking system is arranged to lock the second member in its first position and is actuable by insertion of a second sized cartridge into the first sized opening to release the second member to permit movement from the first position to the second position.

Claims17

Dependent claims

A cartridge loading device for magnetic tape cartridges, said device comprising a first member, a second member, a guide arrangement for guiding movement of said second member relative to said first member from a first position to a second position and a locking system for locking said second member in said first position, said first and second members cooperating when in said first position to define a first sized opening having a height sized to receive first sized magnetic tape cartridges having a predetermined height and, when in said second position, cooperating to define a second sized opening having a height that is greater than the height of said first sized opening, said second sized opening being sized to receive second sized magnetic tape cartridges having a predetermined height that is greater than the height of said first sized magnetic tape cartridges and said locking system being arranged to lock said second member in said first position and being actuable by insertion of a second sized cartridge into said first sized opening to release said second member to permit movement from said first position to said second position, wherein:

said locking system comprises a movable locking member carried by one of said first and second members and having a locking position in which it engages a formation carried by the other one of said first and second members;
and
said locking system comprises an actuating member for receiving a force applied by said insertion of a second sized cartridge into said first sized opening and applying said force to said locking member to cause said locking member to move to a release position so as to provide said release of the second member.

A cartridge loading device for magnetic tapes comprising housing means defining a housing for magnetic tape cartridges that can expand from a first size to a second size and locking means for locking said housing means in a locked condition in which said housing is said first size, said first size having a first height and said second size having a second height, said second height being greater than said first height, said sizes being selected such that said housing can receive magnetic tape cartridges of two different predetermined sizes for loading into a digital data storage device and said locking means being actuable by insertion of a second sized cartridge into said housing to release said housing means from said locked condition to permit expansion of said housing from said first size to said second size, wherein:

said housing means comprises a first housing portion and a second housing portion, relative movement between said housing portions provides said expansion from said first size to said second size, and said locking means comprises a first engaging means carried by said first housing portion and a second engaging means carried by said second housing portion, said first engaging means engaging said second engaging means to lock said housing means in said locked condition;
and
said locking means further comprises actuating means engageable by said second sized cartridge inserted into said housing for transmitting a force generated by said insertion of said cartridge to one of said first and second engaging means for moving said one of said first and second engaging means out of engagement with the other one of said first and second engaging means to release said housing means from said locked condition.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.