Tilt rack video tape library and VCP to multiple subscriber system

• US 5,132,789 A
• Filed: 11/28/1989
• Issued: 07/21/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 01/15/1988
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Tiltrac Corporation
• Original Assignee: Tiltrac Corporation
• Inventors: Palmer, John A., Stuhler, William B., Ammon, John P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Eisenzopf, Reinhard J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Charouel, Lisa
• Application Number:
  US07/441,967
• Time in Patent Office: 966 Days
• Field of Search: 455/4, 455/5, 455/6, 358/84, 358/86, 414/268, 414/270, 414/273, 414/286, 414/276-283, 414/661, 221/88, 221/126, 221/129
• US Class Current: 725/146
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 11/165 using xyz-picker or multi-dimensional article picking arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 11/30 two or more magazines having independent delivery
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 11/62 in which the articles are stored in compartments in fixed receptacles
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/005 for the hiring of content carriers, e.g. of DVDs or CDs reverse vending for box-like objects such as videocassettes G07F7/069

Abstract

A self contained tilt rack video cassette library cabinet containing multiple VCP units with an XYZ motion tape cassette selection and delivery system to computer directed insertion in a subscriber VCP and return after play to a tilt rack library storage bin. The system includes activation means, movie selection means and a TV set at each subscriber location, an address mechanism in the system and a telephone line connection through a duplex modem to a computer having a monitor and keyboard with computer controlling XYZ carrier movement pick up of cartridges from and return to video cassette storage bins, insertion and extraction of selected video cassettes to and from subscriber dedicated video cassette players (VCP). Each VCP has an audio and video output connection to respective modulators each output connected to a combiner mixer. There is also a character-modulator loop connection, and a computer to combiner mixer address transmitter loop along with a character generator modulator loop, with the mixer output connected to address control circuits.

Claims

1. A tilt bin rack video tape cassette library for a television program transmission system feeding video to a plurality of user television sets from video cassette players comprising:

multiple tilt bin racks having a plurality of tilt cassette bins and a plurality of tilt cassette player bins for mounting of video cassette players; and

XYZ motion cassette carrier mechanism having computer connection means for video tape cassette selection and delivery under computer control directing insertion into an available video cassette player to play to a user television set and return after play to a designated tilt cassette bin; and

a video signal circuit connection means for connecting said video cassette players playing selected video tape cassettes each to a specific user television set;

wherein said plurality of tilt cassette bins and said plurality of tilt cassette player bins are tilted at substantially the same angle from high back to low front in the range of approximately forty degrees to sixty degrees so that said video tape cassettes slide down under the force of gravity toward the front of said plurality of tilt cassette bins;

each tilt cassette bin is provided with a lower front upwardly extending retaining lip from each tilt cassette bin bottom;

said each tilt cassette bin has a bottom, a top and opposite side walls; and

with the bottom of most of said plurality of tilt cassette bins being the top for the tilt cassette bin immediately there below;

said XYZ motion cassette carrier mechanism receives and holds said video tape cassette from said plurality of tilt cassette bins at substantially the same tilt angle as said plurality of tilt cassette bins and said plurality of tilt cassette player bins for optimized video tape cassette pickup from said plurality of tilt cassette bins, delivery to an available vide cassette player, pickup extraction form said video cassette player, and return to the tilt cassette bin of origin;

said XYZ motion cassette carrier mechanism is mounted for up and down Y direction movement in a carriage having vertical side rails along which said XYZ motion cassette carrier mechanism is moved, said carriage being mounted for transverse horizontal movement back and forth in the X direction form alignment with said plurality of tile cassette bins to alignment with said plurality of cassette player bins and back to alignment with said plurality of tilt cassette bins;

wherein said XYZ motion cassette carrier mechanism is provided with a video cassette pickup plate moveable back and forth in the Z direction for pickup of said video tape cassette from said plurality of tilt cassette bins;

said each tilt cassette bin bottom has opposite side form cut out sections including shortening of said tilt cassette bin retaining lip from each end;

said video cassette pickup plate having two forwardly extended opposite side projections that with forward movement of the pickup plate extend under a front edge of a selected video tape cassette and when raised through an area of said front cut out sections lift the selected video tape cassette up to clear the top of the tilted cassette bin retaining lip for the video tape cassette to slide into the XYZ motion cassette carrier mechanism.

2. The tilt bin rack video tape cassette library of claim 1, wherein said plurality of tilt cassette bins are in a first area of said multiple tilt bin racks;

and said plurality of tilt cassette player bins are in a second area of said multiple tilt bin racks.

3. The tilt bin rack video tape cassette library of claim 2, wherein said plurality of tilt cassette bins are in a plurality of vertical columns of bins;

and said plurality of tilt cassette player bins are in at least one vertical column of bins.

4. The tilt bin rack video tape cassette library of claim 3, wherein said plurality of tilt cassette player bins are both wider and higher top to bottom than said plurality of tilt cassette bins.

5. The tilt bin rack video cassette library of claim 1, wherein said XYZ motion cassette carrier mechanism includes Z direction video cassette ejection means for insertion of the video tape cassette into said video cassette player, and back into said tilt cassette bin.

6. The tilt bin rack video cassette library of claim 5, wherein said plurality of cassette player bins have opposite side walls spaced wider than the opposite side walls of said plurality of tilt cassette bins, and having bottom to top spacing greater than bottom to top spacing of said plurality of tilt cassette bins.

7. The tilt bin rack video cassette library of claim 6, wherein said plurality of tilt cassette player bins have a back wall;

vent opening means in said back wall; and

vent opening means in the bottoms and tops of said video cassette player bins;

bin openings sized and placed to receive mounting feet provided on the bottoms of said video cassette players and an upturned lip on the bottom front to retain said video cassette player if said mounting feet thereof had not entered the said bin openings.

8. The tilt bin rack video cassette library of claim 7, wherein a transverse spacing of the opposite side walls of said plurality of tilt cassette player bins is approximately twice the spacing of the opposite side walls of said plurality of tilt cassette bins;

and the top to bottom spacing of said plurality of tilt cassette player bins is generally three times the top to bottom spacing of said plurality of tilt cassette bins.

9. The tilt bin rack video cassette library of claim 5, wherein said video cassette players are modified to include cassette friction hold release means positioned for cassette cartridge friction hold release as said video tape cassette is moved toward ejection within said video cassette player.

10. The tilt bin rack video cassette library of claim 9, wherein said cassette friction hold release means includes friction hold structure;

and a downwardly angled tab mounted in said video cassette players positioned to be engaged by an opposite matingly angled tab part of said friction hold structure and thereby release said video tape cassette from friction hold as it is moved toward a release state.

11. The tilt bin rack video cassette library of claim 1, wherein said XYZ motion cassette carrier mechanism carries a pivotally mounted cassette tap down structure operated to tap a following video tape cassette down as an adjacent leading video tape cassette is being removed for bin retention of the following video tape cassette by said lower front upwardly extending retaining lip;

and drive means driving said pivotally mounted cassette tap down structure with each cycle of video tape cassette movement operation of said XYZ motion cassette carrier mechanism.

12. The tilt bin rack video cassette library of claim 11, wherein said drive means driven said pivotally mounted cassette tap down structure includes, compound lever means driving said pivotally mounted cassette tap down structure;

and compound lever engaging means on said video cassette pick up plate engaging said compound lever engaging means with each backward movement stroke of said video cassette pick up plate for driving said compound lever engaging means and said pivotally mounted cassette tap down structure in its tap down movement.

13. The tilt bin rack video cassette library of claim 12, wherein said compound lever engaging means on said video cassette pick up plate is a side projection.

14. The tilt bin rack video cassette library of claim 13, wherein said compound lever engaging means includes a first lever member pivotally mounted to a second lever member in turn pivotally mounted on frame means of said XYZ motion cassette carrier mechanism;

said second lever member having a depending arm with a ramp cam surface at the bottom;

said first lever member being pivotally connected at its top to a rear end of a link member pivotally connected at a forward end thereof to said pivotally mounted cassette tap down structure for driving said pivotally mounted tap down structure in its tap down movement with each backward movement stroke of said video cassette pick up plate and said side projection of the pick up plate.

15. The tilt bin rack video cassette library of claim 14, wherein resilient tension spring means is connected between said link member and frame means of said XYZ motion cassette carrier mechanism for returning said compound lever engaging means and said pivotally mounted tap down structure to a retracted state.

16. The tilt bin rack video cassette library of claim 15, wherein said first lever member has a bottom front positioned to be engaged by a rear edge of said side projection as said video cassette pickup plate and said side projection are being moved at a downward angle away form the tilt cassette bin continued downward angled motion thereof said first lever member is pivoted about its pivotal mounting and said compound lever engaging means is driven for tap down drive of said pivotally mounted cassette tap down structure;

said ramp cam surface on the bottom of said second lever member is in position to be engaged by the rear edge of said side projection and driven upwardly with continued rearward movement of said side projection;

said bottom front is carrier upward with said ramp cam surface induced upward motion imposed on said compound lever engaging means carries said first lever member upward to a position where said first lever member bottom from clears the rear edge of said side projection permitting said resilient tension spring means to return said compound lever engaging mens to the retracted state.

17. The tilt bin rack video cassette library of claim 16, wherein with forward movement of said video cassette pick up plate and said side projection in the next cycle of operation as said side projection moves out from under the said ramp cam surface of said second lever member and then out from under the bottom of said first lever member and said compound lever engaging means is lowered into position for the next cycle of cassette tap down operation.

18. The tilt bin rack video tape cassette library for a television program transmission system feeding video to a plurality of user television sets from video cassette players comprising:

multiple tilt bin racks having a plurality of tilt cassette bins and a plurality of tilt cassette player bins for mounting of video cassette players;

an XYZ motion cassette carrier mechanism having computer connection means for video tape cassette selection and delivery under computer control directing insertion into an available video cassette player to play to a user television set and return after play to a designated tilt cassette bin; and

a video signal circuit connection means for connecting said video cassette players playing selected video tape cassettes each to a specific user television set;

wherein said plurality of tilt cassette bins and said plurality of tilt cassette player bins are tilted at substantially the same angle from high back to low front as approximately forty five degrees so that said video cassette tapes slide down under the force of gravity toward the front of said plurality of tilt cassette bins where an upturned lip on the bottom of each tilt cassette bin restrains said video tape cassette in respective bins from further movement downward.

19. The tilt bin rack video cassette library of claim 18, wherein said multiple tilt bin racks are extended with more than on area serviced by said XYZ motion cassette carrier mechanism specific to respective areas of the video tape cassette library.

20. The tilt bin rack video cassette library of claim 18, wherein said multiple tilt bin racks are enclosed within a cabinet.

21. In a television program transmission system feeding video to a plurality of user television sets, a video cassette player to television set communication system comprising:

multiple tilt cassette bin racks with a plurality of multiple tilt cassette bins each having multiple cassette carrying capacity;

a plurality of tilt cassette player bins containing a plurality of video cassette players; and

XYZ motion cassette carrier mechanism for video tape cassette selection and delivery, under computer control directing insertion into an available video cassette player to play to a user television set, and return after play to a designated tilt cassette bin;

computer control means connected to said XYZ motion cassette carrier mechanism;

video signal circuit means interconnecting said plurality of video cassette players playing selected video cassette tapes each to a specific user television set; and

a user locating program selecting means connected to said computer control means.

22. The video cassette player to television set communication system of claim 21, wherein said user location program selecting means includes telephone order entry box means connected via telephone line means to said computer control means.

23. The video cassette player to television set communication system of claim 21, wherein said user location program selecting means includes telephone voice response means connected to user location telephones also connected by telephone line means to and through a duplex modem to said computer control means.