Patent ID: 6441991
Filing Date: 2002-08-27
Classification: G11B,H04N

Abstract:
A storage library for recording and retrieving information from a plurality of storage media cartridges, wherein each storage media cartridge has a label side, the storage library comprising:a housing having bottom, top, left, right, front, and back sides, wherein the front side of the housing has an opening; one row of left and right plurality of slots disposed proximate the left and right sides of the housing on the bottom side of the housing and reaching the top side of the housing for holding the storage media cartridges, wherein the left and right slots and the storage media cartridges are oriented so that each label side of the storage media cartridges is visible to an operator through the opening with the storage media cartridges positioned in a vertical posture in the slots to extend vertically from the bottom side of the housing up to the top side of the housing, wherein each of the left and right slots are accessible to the operator via the opening for the operator to access the storage media cartridges being held by the left and right slots; at least one media drive disposed proximate the back side of the housing and between the bottom and top sides of the housing, the at least one media drive being operative to receive a storage media cartridge through a port, the port of the at least one media drive facing the opening of the front side of the housing and oriented in a vertical posture to extend vertically from the bottom side of the housing up to the top side of the housing; and a robotic mechanism disposed between the one row of left and right slots, the at least one media drive, and the bottom and top sides of the housing, the robotic mechanism being operative to move the storage media cartridges between the slots and the at least one media drive, the robotic mechanism including: a first linear carriage disposed between the left and right plurality of slots, and operative to move along a path approximately perpendicular to the back side of the housing; a rotational carriage disposed on the first linear carriage, and operative to rotate between the left and right plurality of slots and the at least one media drive; and a picker assembly disposed on the rotational carriage, and operative to insert and remove at least one storage media cartridge from the left and right plurality of slots and the at least one media drive; wherein the slots, the at least one media drive, and the robotic mechanism are co-planar such that the height of the housing between the bottom and top sides of the housing is limited to the vertical height of the storage media cartridges.