EP0284445A1 — Disk storage and retrieval device

Claim 1

Independent Claim 154 words

A disk storage and retrieval device comprising: a housing having an opening through which a disk cartridge is inserted into or taken out of the interior of said housing; a recording and reproducing means disposed in said housing for recording and reproducing information on the disk cartridge, said recording and reproducing means having an opening through which a disk cartridge is supplied to or discharged from the interior of said recording and reproducing means; a stocker disposed in said housing at a location above said recording and reproducing means for storing a multitude of disk cartridges, said stocker having a plurality of horizontal shelf plates on which cartridges are received, said shelf plates being vertically disposed at equal intervals; and a cartridge transport means in said housing for transporting a disk cartridge between the opening in said housing and said stocker and between said stocker and the opening in said recording and reproducing means.

Claim 2

Dependent Claim 154 words

A disk storage and retrieval device comprising: a housing having an opening through which a disk cartridge is inserted into or taken out of the interior of said housing; a recording and reproducing means disposed in said housing for recording and reproducing information on the disk cartridge, said recording and reproducing means having an opening through which a disk cartridge is supplied to or discharged from the interior of said recording and reproducing means; a stocker disposed in said housing at a location above said recording and reproducing means for storing a multitude of disk cartridges, said stocker having a plurality of horizontal shelf plates on which cartridges are received, said shelf plates being vertically disposed at equal intervals; and a cartridge transport means in said housing for transporting a disk cartridge between the opening in said housing and said stocker and between said stocker and the opening in said recording and reproducing means.

Claim 3

Dependent Claim 85 words

A disk storage and retrieval device according to claim 1, wherein the vertical distance between the widthwise center of the opening in said housing and the widthwise center of the uppermost one of said shelf plates and the vertical distance between the widthwise center of the lowermost one of said shelf plates and the widthwise center of the opening in said recording and reproducing means are equal to m (m = an integer) times the vertical distance between the adjacent ones of said shelf plates.

Claim 4

Dependent Claim 26 words

A disk storage and retrieval device according to cla... wherein said disk transport means includes a drive means vertically moving a cartridge in a stepwise fashion.

Claim 5

Dependent Claim 26 words

A disk storage and retrieval device according to cla... wherein said disk transport means includes a drive means vertically moving a cartridge in a stepwise fashion.

Claim 6

Dependent Claim 17 words

A disk storage and retrieval device accodrding to 3, wherein said drive means comprises a stepping motor.

Claim 7

Dependent Claim 17 words

A disk storage and retrieval device accodrding to 3, wherein said drive means comprises a stepping motor.

Claim 8

Dependent Claim 213 words

A disk storage and retrieval device comprising; a housing; a plurality of recording and reproducing means dis... in said housing for recording and reproducing information o... disk cartridge, each of said recording and reproducing having an opening through which a disk cartridge is suppli... or discharged from the interior of said recording and reprod... means; and a plurality of stockers disposed in said housing location above said recording and reproducing means for storing a multitude of disk cartridges, a pair of vertical guide rails vertically disposed in said housing; a horizontal guide rail mounted on said vertical ... rails for vertical movement therealong; a first drive means for driving said horizontal ... rail vertically along said vertical guide rails; a carrier supported on said horizontal guide rail so ... to be movable therealong in the horizontal direction transporting a disk cartridge from said stockers to recording and reproducing means or vice versa; a second drive means mounted on said horizontal g... rail so as to be vertically movable therewith along said vert... guide rails for moving said carrier horizontally along said horizontal guide rail; and a cartridge handling means attached to said carrier for transporting a cartridge between said carrier and said stockers and between said carrier and said recording and reproducing means.

Claim 9

Dependent Claim 213 words

A disk storage and retrieval device comprising; a housing; a plurality of recording and reproducing means dis... in said housing for recording and reproducing information o... disk cartridge, each of said recording and reproducing having an opening through which a disk cartridge is suppli... or discharged from the interior of said recording and reprod... means; and a plurality of stockers disposed in said housing location above said recording and reproducing means for storing a multitude of disk cartridges, a pair of vertical guide rails vertically disposed in said housing; a horizontal guide rail mounted on said vertical ... rails for vertical movement therealong; a first drive means for driving said horizontal ... rail vertically along said vertical guide rails; a carrier supported on said horizontal guide rail so ... to be movable therealong in the horizontal direction transporting a disk cartridge from said stockers to recording and reproducing means or vice versa; a second drive means mounted on said horizontal g... rail so as to be vertically movable therewith along said vert... guide rails for moving said carrier horizontally along said horizontal guide rail; and a cartridge handling means attached to said carrier for transporting a cartridge between said carrier and said stockers and between said carrier and said recording and reproducing means.

Claim 10

Dependent Claim 44 words

A disk storage and retrieval device according to claim 5, wherein each of said stockers has an open front surface which faces said carrier, said open front surface and said openings in said recording and reproducing means being disposed on a common vertical plane.

Claim 11

Dependent Claim 55 words

A disk storage and retrieval device according to claim 5, wherein said housing has an inspection window through which the interior of said housing can be inspected, and tool-insertion opening means through which a working tool can be inserted into said housing for returning a displaced cartridge to its normal storage position in said stockers.

Claim 12

Dependent Claim 42 words

A disk storage and retrieval device according to claim 7, wherein said inspection window is formed through the top portion of said housing, and said tool-insertion opening means comprises a pair of openings formed through the opposite side portions of said housing.

Claim 13

Dependent Claim 40 words

A disk storage and retrieval device according to claim 7, wherein said inspection window is formed in the top portion of said housing, and said tool-insertion opening means comprises a single opening formed through one side portion of said housing.

Claim 14

Dependent Claim 49 words

A disk storage and retrieval device according to claim 8, wherein each of said tool-insertion openings is closed by a pair of covers each of which has a vertical slit formed therethrough for tool insertion, said covers being attached to the inside and outside surfaces of said housing, respectively.

Claim 15

Dependent Claim 46 words

A disk storage and retrieval device according to claim 9, wherein said tool-insertion opening is closed by a pair of covers each of which has a slit formed therethrough for tool insertion, said covers being attached to the inside and outside surfaces of said housing, respectively.

Claim 16

Dependent Claim 61 words

A disk storage and retrieval device according to claim 5, further comprising a cartridge sensor which senses whether or not the cartridges stored in said stockers are displaced from their normal storage positions in said stockers, said cartridge sensor being operable to stop said first and second drive means when any of the cartridges is displaced from its normal storage position.

Claim 17

Dependent Claim 73 words

A disk storage and retrieval device according to calim 12, wherein said cartridge sensor comprises a light emitter adapted to radiate a light beam in the vertical direction so that the light beam can vertically pass near the rear edges of the cartridges stored in said stockers, and a light receiver disposed so as to receive the light beam from said light emitter when it is not interrupted by any of the cartridges.

Claim 18

Dependent Claim 73 words

A disk storage and retrieval device according to calim 12, wherein said cartridge sensor comprises a light emitter adapted to radiate a light beam in the vertical direction so that the light beam can vertically pass near the rear edges of the cartridges stored in said stockers, and a light receiver disposed so as to receive the light beam from said light emitter when it is not interrupted by any of the cartridges.

Claim 19

Dependent Claim 18 words

A disk storage and retrieval device according to claim 12, wherein said cartridge sensor comprises limit switch means.

Claim 20

Dependent Claim 59 words

A disk storage and retrieval device according to claim 14, wherein said limit switch means comprises a plurality of first limit switches adapted to sense the front edge of a cartridge when it is stored in its normal position in said stockers, and a plurality of second limit switches adapted to sense one of side edges of the cartridge.

Claim 21

Dependent Claim 36 words

A disk storage and retrieval device according to claim 5, further comprising detent means for resiliently holding the cartridges stored in said stockers so as to prevent any inadvertent displacement thereof from their normal storage positions.

Claim 22

Dependent Claim 78 words

A disk storage and retrieval device according to claim 16, wherein said detent means comprises a pair of engagement recesses formed in the opposite side edges of a cartridge, and a plurality of pairs of resilient engagement projections formed on the opposite side inner surfaces of said stockers near the respective shelf plates, said engagement projections being resiliently fitted into the corresponding engagement recesses in the cartridges which are received in their normal storage positions in said stockers.

Claim 23

Dependent Claim 33 words

A disk storage and retrieval device accodrding to claim 5, wherein each of said shelf plates has a tapered guide surface formed on at least one of the upper and lower surfaces thereof.

Claim 24

Dependent Claim 66 words

A disk storage and retrieval device according to claim 5, wherein each of said stockers has a pair of opposite side panels. and said shelf plates comprise a plurality of racks which are formed on the opposite side panels of each stocker by appropriately cutting the side panels to form a plurality of vertically spaced cut portions and bending the cut portions inwardly of each stocker.

Claim 25

Dependent Claim 94 words

A disk storage and retrieval device comprising: a housing; a recording and reproducing means disposed in said housing for recording and reproducing information on a disk cartridge; and a stocker rotatably disposed in said housing above said recording and reproducing means for storing a multitude of disk cartridges, said stocker having a plurality of horizontal shelf plates which are vertically disposed at equal intervals and fixedly secured to a vertically extending rotary shaft for rotation therewith, each of said shelf plates having a plurality of storage areas for receiving a plurality of disk cartridges.

Claim 26

Dependent Claim 94 words

A disk storage and retrieval device comprising: a housing; a recording and reproducing means disposed in said housing for recording and reproducing information on a disk cartridge; and a stocker rotatably disposed in said housing above said recording and reproducing means for storing a multitude of disk cartridges, said stocker having a plurality of horizontal shelf plates which are vertically disposed at equal intervals and fixedly secured to a vertically extending rotary shaft for rotation therewith, each of said shelf plates having a plurality of storage areas for receiving a plurality of disk cartridges.

Claim 27

Dependent Claim 63 words

A disk storage and retrieval device according to claim 20, wherein the storage areas of each shelf plate include a frontside storage area disposed at the front side of said stocker, and a backside storage area disposed at the back side of said stocker, said shelf plates being rotatable around said rotary shaft in a stepwise fashion at an angle of 180 degrees.

Claim 28

Dependent Claim 77 words

A disk storage and retrieval device according to claim 20, wherein the storage areas of each shelf plate include a frontside storage area disposed at the front side of said stocker, a backside storage area disposed at the back side of said stocker, and a pair of side storage areas disposed at the opposite sides of said stocker, said shelf plates being rotatable around said rotary shaft in a stepwise fashion at an angle of 90 degrees.

Disk storage and retrieval device

Abstract

Inventors

Bibliographic Details

Claims Analysis

References Cited (Backward Citations)

USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows

Assigned Categories & Tags

Assign Category Tag