Video strip file and system

Claim 2

A data processing system for processing selected magnetic tape strips from a storage file therefor, said data processing system comprising: at least one elongated storage file box having a plurality of elongated slits formed therein; said slits being disposed in spaced apart parallel relationship; each of said slits providing a closed passageway having first and second ends opening outwardly from said file into oppositely disposed ends of said file box; a plurality of magnetic tape strips each of which is normally stored in an associated one of said slits; tubular conduit means disposed externally of said file box for coupling the first end of each said slit to the second end thereof, thereby to provide a closed passageway between the ends of said slit; said tubular conduit means including two discrete strip diverter mechanisms, one of which is located adjacent to each end of said storage file box, one said strip diverter mechanism being located at one end of said box and binary actuated to selectively direct an addressed strip out of its associated storage slit for movement through said closed passageway toward said transducer means, and the other of said strip diverter mechanisms being located at the other end of said box and binary actuated to selectively direct an addressed strip through said passageway and back into its associated storage slit after said strip has passed said transducer means; transducer means disposed externally of said file box and in communication with said tubular conduit means; an air drive means applicable to said slits for exertion of a force upon each tape strip located in said storage file box to float said strip continuously from one end of the other of said slit, through said conduit means and past said transducer means; and a braking means disposed between the input and output ends of the file box to control air flow adjacent the strip during its return to an associated slit in the file box for enabling said air driven strip to stop in its file box slit without producing any wear and tear upon said strip.

Claim 3

A data processing system for processing selected magnetic tape strips from a storage file therefor, said data processing system comprising: at least one elongated storage file box having a plurality of elongated slits formed therein; said slits being disposed in spaced apart parallel relationship; each of said slits providing a closed passageway having first and second ends opening outwardly from said file into oppositely disposed ends of said file box; a plurality of magnetic tape strips each of which is normally stored in an associated one of said slits; tubular conduit means disposed externally of said file box for coupling the first end of each said slit to the second end thereof, thereby to provide a closed passageway between the ends of said slit; said tubular conduit means including two discrete strip diverter mechanisms, one of which is located adjacent to each end of said storage file box, one said strip diverter mechanism being located at one end of said box and binary actuated to selectively direct an addressed strip out of its associated storage slit for movement through said closed passageway toward said transducer means, and the other of said strip diverter mechanisms being located at the other end of said box and binary actuated to selectively direct an addressed strip through said passageway and back into its associated storage slit after said strip has passed said transducer means; transducer means disposed externally of said file box and in communication with said tubular conduit means; an air drive means applicable to said slits for exertion of a force upon each tape strip located in said storage fiLe box to float said strip continuously from one end to the other of said slit, through said conduit means and past said transducer means; said file box including a braking means disposed between its input and output ends, which braking means comprises successively an air vent section, an air choke section, a vacuum pad section and a strip deceleration section, said sections providing control of air adjacent said strip during its return to an associated slit in the file box, to enable said air driven strip to stop with its front end located in the deceleration section.

Claim 4

A data processing system for processing selected magnetic tape strips from a storage file therefor, said data processing system comprising: at least one elongated storage file box having a plurality of elongated slits formed therein; said slits being disposed in spaced apart parallel relationship; each of said slits providing a closed passageway having first and second ends opening outwardly from said file into oppositely disposed ends of said file box; a plurality of magnetic tape strips each of which is normally stored in an associated one of said slits; tubular conduit means disposed externally of said file box for coupling the first end of each said slit to the second end thereof, thereby to provide a closed passageway between the ends of said slit; said tubular conduit means including two discrete strip diverter mechanisms, one of which is located adjacent to each end of said storage file box, one said strip diverter mechanism being located at one end of said box and binary actuated to selectively direct an addressed strip out of its associated storage slit for movement through said closed passageway toward said transducer means, and the other of said strip diverter mechanisms being located at the other end of said box and binary actuated to selectively direct an addressed strip through said passageway and back into its associated storage slit after said strip has passed said transducer means; transducer means disposed externally of said file box and in communication with said tubular conduit means; an air drive means applicable to said slits for exertion of a force upon each tape strip located in said storage fiLe box to float said strip continuously from one end to the other of said slit, through said conduit means and past said transducer means; said file box including a braking means disposed between its input and output ends, which braking means comprises successively an air vent section, an air choke section, a vacuum pad section and a strip deceleration section, said sections providing control of air adjacent said strip during its return to an associated slit in the file box, to enable said air driven strip to stop with its front end located in the deceleration section.

Claim 5

A data processing system for processing selected magnetic tape strips from a storage file therefor, said data processing system comprising: at least one elongated storage file box having a plurality of elongated slits formed therein; said slits being disposed in spaced apart parallel relationship; each of said slits providing a closed passageway having first and second ends opening outwardly from said file into oppositely disposed ends of said file box; a plurality of magnetic tape strips each of which is normally stored in an associated one of said slits; tubular conduit means disposed externally of said file box for coupling the first end of each said slit to the second end thereof, thereby to provide a closed passageway between the ends of said slit; said tubular conduit means including two discrete strip diverter mechanisms, one of which is located adjacent to each end of said storage file box, one said strip diverter mechanism being located at one end of said box and binary actuated to selectively direct an addressed strip out of its associated storage slit for movement through said closed passageway toward said transducer means, and the other of said strip diverter mechanisms being located at the other end of said box and binary actuated to selectively direct an addressed strip through said passageway and back into its associated storage slit after said strip has passed said transducer means; transducer means disposed externally of said file box and in communication with said tubular conduit means; an air drive means applicable to said slits for exertion of a force upon each tape strip located in said storage file box to float said strip continuously from one end to the other of said slit, through said conduit means and past said transducer means; said tubular conduit means including a series of longitudinally spaced apart pairs of diametrically opposed inlet passageways, with alternate pairs of exhausting ports located between each pair of inlet passageways and the next pair of inlet passageways; said air drive means providing a source of fan driven air entering the tubular conduit means through said inlet passageways to provide a substantially uniform flow of air throughout said tubular conduit means.

Claim 6

A data processing system for processing selected magnetic tape strips from a storage file therefor, said data processing system comprising: at least one elongated storage file box having a plurality of elongated slits formed therein; said slits being disposed in spaced apart parallel relationship; each of said slits providing a closed passageway having first and second ends opening outwardly from said file into oppositely disposed ends of said file box; a plurality of magnetic tape strips each of which is normally stored in an associated one of said slits; tubular conduit means disposed externally of said file box for coupling the first end of each said slit to the second end thereof, thereby to provide a closed passageway between the ends of said slit; said tubular conduit means including two discrete strip diverter mechanisms, one of which is located adjacent to each end of said storage file box, one said strip diverter mechanism being located at one end of said box and binary actuated to selectively direct an addressed strip out of its associated storage slit for movement through said closed passageway toward said transducer means, and the other of said strip diverter mechanisms being located at the other end of said box and binary actuated to selectively direct an addressed strip through said passageway and back into its associated storage slit after said strip has passed said transducer means; transducer means disposed externally of said file box and in communication with said tubular conduit means; an air drive means applicable to said slits for exertion of a force upon each tape strip located in said storage file box to float said strip continuously from one end to the other of said slit, through said conduit means and past said transducer means; said tubular conduit means including a series of longitudinally spaced apart pairs of diametrically opposed inlet passageways, with alternate pairs of exhausting ports located between each pair of inlet passageways and the next pair of inlet passageways; said air drive means providing a source of fan driven air entering the tubular conduit means through said inlet passageways to provide a substantially uniform flow of air throughout said tubular conduit means.

Claim 7

A video strip file for storing, reading from, and writing video information upon, magnetic tape strips, said file comprising: a housing; a plurality of drawers removably mounted in said housing; said drawers each having a plurality of elongated storage file boxes removably secured thereto; each said storage box having first and second oppositely disposed ends; said boxes being disposed in parallel relationship in each drawer so that the first ends thereof are located in proximity to each other on one side of said drawer, and the second ends of the boxes are located in proximity to each other on the other side of said drawer; each said file box having a series of elongated slits formed therein and opening into said first and second ends of said box; said slits being disposed in spaced apart parallel relationship and having first and second ends corresponding respectively to the first and second ends of their associated file box; a plurality of magnetic tape strips one of which is normally stored in each associated one of the slits in said boxes; tubular conduit means externally of Each said file box and supported by said drawer for coupling the first ends of the slits of said boxes to the second ends of the slits of said boxes; said conduit means including strip diverter means for directing any one of said strips out of its slit at said first end of a storage file box and returning said one strip to the same slit at the second end of its associated storage file box; said strip diverter means comprising first and second groups of slidable strip diverting blocks; said first group of diverting blocks being located adjacent the first end of each file box and binary actuated for movement in a direction perpendicular to said strip slits to provide outwardly convergent strip diverting passageways to steer a strip toward a transducing means from said first end of said file box; said second group of diverting blocks being located adjacent the second end of each file box and binary actuated for movement in a direction parallel to the direction of movement of said first group of blocks to provide inwardly convergent strip passageways for steering the strips toward the second end of said file box after processing by said transducing means; said transducer means logistically associated with said drawer and disposed in operable communication with strips passing through said conduit means; an air drive means selectively applicable to said slits for exertion of a substantially uniform force upon any strips located in said file box slits to float one of said strips continuously from one end to the other end of said slit, through said conduit means for reading from and writing upon said strip at said transducer means; and a braking means disposed between the input and output ends of each of the file boxes to control air flow adjacent the strip during its return to an associated slit in the file box for enabling said air driven strip to stop in its file box slit without producing any wear and tear upon said strip.

Claim 8

A video strip file for storing, reading from, and writing video information upon, magnetic tape strips, said file comprising: a housing; a plurality of drawers removably mounted in said housing; said drawers each having a plurality of elongated storage file boxes removably secured thereto; each said storage box having first and second oppositely disposed ends; said boxes being disposed in parallel relationship in each drawer so that the first ends thereof are located in proximity to each other on one side of said drawer, and the second ends of the boxes are located in proximity to each other on the other side of said drawer; each said file box having a series of elongated slits formed therein and opening into said first and second ends of said box; said slits being disposed in spaced apart parallel relationship and having first and second ends corresponding respectively to the first and second ends of their associated file box; a plurality of magnetic tape strips one of which is normally stored in each associated one of the slits in said boxes; tubular conduit means externally of Each said file box and supported by said drawer for coupling the first ends of the slits of said boxes to the second ends of the slits of said boxes; said conduit means including strip diverter means for directing any one of said strips out of its slit at said first end of a storage file box and returning said one strip to the same slit at the second end of its associated storage file box; said strip diverter means comprising first and second groups of slidable strip diverting blocks; said first group of diverting blocks being located adjacent the first end of each file box and binary actuated for movement in a direction perpendicular to said strip slits to provide outwardly convergent strip diverting passageways to steer a strip toward a transducing means from said first end of said file box; said second group of diverting blocks being located adjacent the second end of each file box and binary actuated for movement in a direction parallel to the direction of movement of said first group of blocks to provide inwardly convergent strip passageways for steering the strips toward the second end of said file box after processing by said transducing means; said transducer means logistically associated with said drawer and disposed in operable communication with strips passing through said conduit means; an air drive means selectively applicable to said slits for exertion of a substantially uniform force upon any strips located in said file box slits to float one of said strips continuously from one end to the other end of said slit, through said conduit means for reading from and writing upon said strip at said transducer means; and a braking means disposed between the input and output ends of each of the file boxes to control air flow adjacent the strip during its return to an associated slit in the file box for enabling said air driven strip to stop in its file box slit without producing any wear and tear upon said strip.