Patent ID: 6381089
Filing Date: 2002-04-30
Classification: G11B

Abstract:
A compact tape cassette storage and accessing system comprising:a longitudinally extending frame having first and second sides and front and rear ends; first and second link chains mounted respectively on said first and second sides; sprockets for engaging said chains and driving them synchronously; a plurality of cassette carriers, said cassette carriers having a front and a rear; linkages pivotally connecting the rear of each of said cassette carriers to said chains; each of said chains extending in a closed loop from the front to the rear of said frame with an upper portion of said chain substantially parallel to a lower portion of said chain and spaced apart from said lower portion of said chain by a distance which is slightly greater than the thickness of said cassette carriers when loaded with cassettes, and said cassette carriers being mounted to said chains in two layers, an upper and a lower layer, with the upper layer moving in one direction and the lower layer moving in the opposite direction, and with each layer including a plurality of said cassette carriers; at least one cam follower mounted on and extending outwardly from the front of each of said cassette carriers; and a groove in at least one of said sides of said frame for receiving said cam follower and for guiding said cassette carriers and for tilting said carriers at the two ends of said frame to smoothly shift said cassette carriers between one of said layers of cassette carriers and the other of said layers of cassette carriers; and whereby said cassette carriers are successively brought to the front of said frame so that a cassette mounted in any of said cassette carriers may be accessed for purposes of transporting said cassette to or from a reading and/or writing device.