Method and apparatus for increasing density of an accumulation of tape in a closed loop tape transporter

Claim 1

In a closed loop, high-speed tape transporter of the type wherein a closed loop of recording tape is passed across a pick-up head where a signal on the loop of tape is conveyed downstream to at least one slaved duplicator, and wherein the loop of tape is conveyed from the pick-up head into a bin for accumulation and storage while a trailing length of the loop is passed across the pick-up head, and from the bin back across the pick-up heads repeatedly whereby successive replications of the signal from the loop are conveyed from the pick-up head to the slaved duplicator, the improvement which comprises an apparatus for increasing density of an accumulation of tape in the tape bin to permit greater tape capacity in the bin without damage to or tangling of the tape, said apparatus comprising: (a) vacuum supply means; and (b) a vacuum port communicating with the interior of the tape bin and operatively connected to said vacuum supply means, said vacuum port positioned to extract air from and lower the air pressure in the region of the bin occupied by the loops of accumulated tape and inside the loops of tape sufficient to cause the accumulated tape to compress into tighter loops which occupy less space in the tape bin.

Claim 5

A method of increasing the density of an accumulation of tape in a closed loop high-speed tape transporter of the type wherein a closed loop of recording tape is passed across a pick-up head where a signal on the loop of tape is conveyed downstream to at least one slaved duplicator, and wherein the loop of tape is conveyed from the pick-up head into a bin for accumulation and storage while a trailing length of the loop is passed across the pick-up head, and from the bin back across the pick-up head repeatedly whereby successive replications of the signal from the loop are conveyed from the pick-up head to the slaved duplicator, said method comprising: (a) providing vacuum supply means associated with said tape transporter; (b) providing a vacuum port operatively connected to said vacuum supply means and communicating with the interior of the tape bin; and (c) exerting a vacuum on and lowering the air pressure in the region of the bin occupied by the loops of accumulated tape and inside the loops of tape sufficient to cause the accumulated tape to collapse into tighter loops which occupy less space in the tape bin.

Claim 6

A method of increasing the density of an accumulation of tape in a closed loop high-speed tape transporter of the type wherein a closed loop of recording tape is passed across a pick-up head where a signal on the loop of tape is conveyed downstream to at least one slaved duplicator, and wherein the loop of tape is conveyed from the pick-up head into a bin for accumulation and storage while a trailing length of the loop is passed across the pick-up head, and from the bin back across the pick-up head repeatedly whereby successive replications of the signal from the loop are conveyed from the pick-up head to the slaved duplicator, said method comprising: (a) providing vacuum supply means associated with said tape transporter; (b) providing a vacuum port operatively connected to said vacuum supply means and communicating with the interior of the tape bin; and (c) exerting a vacuum on and lowering the air pressure in the region of the bin occupied by the loops of accumulated tape and inside the loops of tape sufficient to cause the accumulated tape to collapse into tighter loops which occupy less space in the tape bin.