AUTOMATED DATA LIBRARY SYSTEM INCLUDING A FLAT PLANE MEMORY

• US 3,872,445 A
• Filed: 05/11/1973
• Issued: 03/18/1975
• Est. Priority Date: 05/11/1973
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: General Signal Corporation (SPX Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Edmund M. Pease
• Inventors: Pease, Edmund M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Zache, Raulfe B.
• Application Number:
  US05/359,534
• Time in Patent Office: 676 Days
• Field of Search: 340/172.5,173LM,174.1R 178/6.6A 179/1.2MD 353/25 350/DIG.1
• US Class Current: 700/90
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/002 Programmed access in sequence to a plurality of record carriers or indexed parts, e.g. tracks, thereof, e.g. for editing; transfer of record carriers from magazine G11B15/68, G11B17/10; G11B17/22
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 7/0033 with cards or other card-like flat carriers, e.g. flat sheets of optical film
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 7/08505 Methods for track change, selection or preliminary positioning by moving the head
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 7/14 specially adapted to record on, or to reproduce from, more than one track simultaneously
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 9/10 using electron beam; Record carriers therefor G11B9/08 takes precedence see provisional also G11B11/03
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 13/048 using other optical storage elements

Abstract

An automated data library system including the storage of information in at least one central location and for retrieving the stored information in accordance with requests for particular stored information from a plurality of terminals, including interconnecting the terminals with the central location of stored information and transmitting requests for particular stored information at the central location and for transmitting retrieved information in accordance with the requests back to the terminals. The information is stored at a plurality of fixed locations in a plane and with the area of the plane of a particular size to provide the particular information at particular locations within the area of the plane, and including at least one sensor for retrieving the information stored at the pluralities of fixed locations in the plane. A number of X-Y positioners complementing the number of sensors are provided to provide movement of the sensors to the plurality of fixed locations in the plane. The movement of the X-Y positioner coupled to at least the one sensor is controlled in accordance with requests for particular stored information at particular locations to retrieve the particular stored information at the particular locations for transmission back to the terminals.

Claims

1. An automated data library system including the storage of information in at least one central location and for retrieving the stored information in accordance with requests for particular stored information from a plurality of terminals, including first means including a plurality of terminals, a transmission medium connected to a central location of stored information, means connected to the terminals and the said medium for transmitting requests for particular stored information at the central location and receiving information from the central location in accordance with the requests, second means located at said central location for storing information at a plurality of fixed location in a stationary plane and with the area of the plane memory of a particular size to provide the particular information at particular locations within the area of the plane and with the plane memory maintained stationary from before requests for particular stored information until after the retrieval of stored information in response to those particular requests, third means including at least one seNsor for retrieving the information stored at the pluralities of fixed locations in the stationary plane memory, fourth means providing a number of X-Y positioners complementing the number of sensors included in the third means and with the X-Y positioners coupled to the sensors to provide movement of the sensors along a plane parallel to the plane of the plane memory to the plurality of fixed locations in the stationary plane memory, and fifth means coupled to the first means and the fourth means to control the fourth means to provide X-Y movement of at least the one sensor in accordance with requests for particular stored information at particular locations to retrieve the particular stored information at the particular locations for transmission back to the terminals.

2. The automated data library system of claim 1 wherein the second means includes means for storing information in optical form with a reduction in size from the information in normal size.

3. The automated data library system of claim 1 wherein the second means includes means for storing information arranged along rows and columns.

4. The automated data library system of claim 1 wherein the second means includes material which is recorded on by the exposure of the material to energy radiation and subsequently developed.

5. The automated data library system of claim 1 wherein the second means includes material which is recorded on by the exposure of the material to energy radiation and with the material being self developing.

6. The automated data library system of claim 1 wherein the second means includes material which is recorded on by exposure to optical energy and subsequently developed.

7. The automated data library system of claim 1 wherein the second means includes self-developing material which is recorded on by exposure to optical energy.

8. The automated data library system of claim 1 wherein the second means includes material recorded on by exposure to an electron beam and subsequently developed.

9. The automated data library system of claim 1 wherein the second means includes self-developing material which is recorded on by exposure to an electron beam.

10. The automated data library system of claim 1 wherein the second means is subdivided into a plurality of physically separated areas to provide for the recorded information in individual ones of the pluralities of areas being replaced without affecting the recorded information in the other areas.

11. The automated data library system of claim 1 wherein the second means may include additional recorded information outside the area of the plane memory and means for moving this additional information to inside the area of the plane memory to provide access by the sensors to this additional information.

12. The automated data library system of claim 1 wherein the second means includes means for storing information recorded in a plurality of layers within the area of the plane memory and wherein the sensors include means to retrieve the information recorded in the plurality of layers.

13. The automated data library system of claim 1 wherein the second means includes means for storing information on both sides of the area of the plane memory and with sensors positioned on both sides to retrieve the information.

14. The automated data library system of claim 1 wherein the second means includes means for storing information on rotatable sections with the information recorded on more than one side of each section.

15. The automated data library system of claim 1 wherein the information is recorded as reduced optical images and wherein the sensors include means to magnify the reduced images and scan the magnified images.

16. The automated data library system of claim 1 wherein the sensor includes means for scanning the information with a beam of energy to reproduce the information by the transmission of the beam of energy through the second means to vary the characteristics of the beam of energy in accordance with the recorded information.

17. The automated data library system of claim 1 wherein the third means includes multiple sensors for retrieving the information recorded at a plurality of particular locations.

18. The automated data library system of claim 1 wherein the X-Y positioners are electromagnetic drive members providing simultaneous X-Y movement relative to a grid member having an area at least as large as the area of the plane for storing information.

19. The automated data library system of claim 1 wherein the transmission medium interconnecting the terminals with the central location of stored information includes wireless transmission.

20. The automated data library system of claim 1 wherein the first means connected to the terminals includes means for decoding the particular requests and for converting such particular requests to particular locations within the area of the plane.

21. The automated data library system of claim 1 wherein the first means includes intermediate storage means for holding retrieved information and supplying to supply the retrieved information to the terminals.

22. The automated data library system of claim 1 additionally including sixth means coupled to the second means for providing the storage of information on the plane.

23. The automated data library system of claim 22 wherein the sixth means provides storage of information in situ and wherein the sixth means is coupled to the fourth means and is moved to particular locations by the fourth means.

24. An automated data library system for providing the storage of data in at least one central location and retrieving the stored data from the central location in accordance with requests for data, including first means including a stationary flat plane memory having different data stored at individual positions on the flat plane memory and with the flat plane memory maintained stationary from before particular requests for data until after the retrieval of data responsive to these particular requests, second means disposed relative to the first means including means for moving the second means along a plane parallel to the stationarily flat plane memory defined by the first means to any desired position on the first means, the second means including means for recording data on the first means or reproducing information from the first means at the desired position, third means operatively coupled to the second means for producing controlled movements of the second means to any desired position along the flat plane memory defined by the first means, fourth means operatively coupled to the third means and responsive to requests for data stored at individual positions on the first means for providing controlled operations of the third means to obtain movements of the second means along the flat plane memory defined by the first means to the individual positions on the first means, and fifth means responsive to the movement of the second means to the individual positions on the flat plane memory defined by the first means for retrieving the data stored at the individual positions.

25. The library system set forth in claim 24, including sixth means responsive to the data retrieved by the second means from the individual positions on the flat plane memory defined by the first means for processing such data.

26. The library system set forth in claim 25 wherein the fourth means includes a plurality of terminals operatively coupled to the third means and further includes data processing means removed from the terminals for introducing signals to the third means to provide the controlled operation of the third means.

27. The library system set forth in claim 26 wherein the second means is disposed in spaced but contiguous relationship to the first means and the second means includes a reluctance synchronous motor.

28. The library system set forth in claim 25, including seventh means for providinG data for recording at individual positions on the first means, eighth means operatively coupled to the third and seventh means and responsive to the data provided by the seventh means for the individual positions on the first means for providing controlled operations of the third means to obtain movements of the second means along the flat plane memory defined by the first means to the individual positions on the first means, and ninth means responsive to the movement of the second means to the individual positions on the flat plane memory defined by the first means for recording data from the seventh means at the individual positions on the first means.

29. The library system set forth in claim 28 wherein the fourth and eighth means include a plurality of terminals operatively coupled to the third means and the fourth and eighth means further include data processing means removed from the terminals for introducing signals to the third means to provide the controlled operation of the third means.

30. The library system set forth in claim 29 wherein the second means is disposed in spaced but contiguous relationship to the flat plane memory defined by the first means and the second means includes a magnetic reluctance motor operating in synchronism with signals introduced to the third means from the fourth and eighth means.

31. The library system set forth in claim 30 wherein the second means includes means for moving the second means along only a single axis of the first means.

32. The library system in claim 30 wherein the second means includes means for moving the second means simultaneously along a pair of coordinate axes of the first means.

33. An automated data library system for providing the storage of data in at least one central location and retrieving the stored data from the central location in accordance with requests for stored data, including first means including a stationary flat plane memory having different data stored at individual positions on the flat plane memory and with the flat plane memory maintained stationary from before particular requests for stored data until after the retrieval of stored data in response to those particular requests, second means disposed relative to the first means including means for moving the second means along a plane parallel to the stationary flat plane memory defined by the first means to any desired position on the first means, the second means further including means for reproducing data on the first means, third means operatively coupled to the second means for producing controlled movements of the second means to any desired position along the flat plane memory defined by the first means, fourth means operatively coupled to the third means and responsive to requests for data to be recorded at individual positions on the first means for providing controlled operations of the third means to obtain movements of the second means along the flat plane memory defined by the first means to the individual positions on the first means and fifth means responsive to the movement of the second means to the individual positions on the flat plane memory defined by the first means for supplying data to the second means for recording at the individual positions on the first means.

34. The library system set forth in claim 33, including sixth means for processing data, the sixth means being operatively coupled to the fourth means for controlling the operation of the fourth means to obtain the movement of the second means to the individual positions on the flat plane memory defined by the first means and the recording of the data by the second means on the first means at the individual positions.

35. The library system set forth in claim 34 wherein the fourth means includes a plurality of terminals operatively coupled to the third means and further includes data processing means removed from the terminals for introducing signals to the third means to provide the conTrolled operation of the third means.

36. The library system set forth in claim 35 wherein the second means is disposed in spaced but contiguous relationship to the first means and the second means includes a reluctance synchronous motor.

37. The library system set forth in claim 36 wherein the third means includes a magnetic reluctance motor for moving the second means along the flat plane memory defined by the first means along only a single coordinate axis.

38. The library system set forth in claim 37 wherein the second means includes a magnetic reluctance motor for moving the second means along the flat plane memory defined by the first means simultaneously along first and second coordinate axes.