Patent ID: 6985328

Claim:
A tape cartridge autoloader sized to fit within a full height one and three-quarter inch form factor, comprising: a U-shaped track centrally located in the tape cartridge autoloader; a tape drive having a tape cartridge aperture for inserting/extracting a plurality of tape cartridges, one at a time; a plurality of respective spaced positions for storing the plurality of tape cartridges, wherein the plurality of respective spaced positions and the tape drive are horizontally positioned in a U-shape corresponding to and around the U-shaped track with the tape drive being centrally located at the rear of the U-shaped track; a means for transporting a predetermined one of the plurality of tape cartridges between one of the plurality of respective spaced positions and the tape drive; and wherein as the transport means travels along the U-shaped track, the means for transport is aligned with one of the tape drive and the plurality of respective spaced positions.