Data cartridge caddy presence sensing method and apparatus

• US 5,993,045 A
• Filed: 05/09/1997
• Issued: 11/30/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 05/09/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Company (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Schmidtke, Gregg S., Dauner, Daniel R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Terrell, William E.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Park, Wonki K.
• Application Number:
  US08/853,542
• Time in Patent Office: 935 Days
• Field of Search: 700/478.02, 700/478.03, 700/478.06, 700/478.01, 700/478.04, 700/478.05, 414/273, 414/274, 414/275, 360/92, 369/34, 369/36, 369/24
• US Class Current: 700/214
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 15/6825 Details of magazines, e.g. removable, adapted for cassettes of different sizes

Abstract

A data cartridge caddy presence sensing system within an autochanger storage rack is disclosed. The data cartridge caddy of the present invention has at least one optical interrupt flag at a predetermined position on the data cartridge caddy. When the data cartridge caddy is fully installed within the autochanger storage rack, the optical interrupt flag lines-up with and trips optical interrupt flags on the autochanger storage rack. The picker of the autochanger will not attempt to remove data cartridges from caddy positions that are empty. The present invention may also include optical interrupt flags and sensors on the data cartridges and corresponding optical interrupt sensors at corresponding predetermined locations on the autochanger storage rack or a bar-code reader and bar-code labels on the data cartridges. In such an embodiment, the autochanger picker will not attempt to remove data cartridges that are known to not be present within the data cartridge caddy and will not attempt to install a data cartridge in a slot in the data cartridge caddy that already has a data cartridge in it.

Claims

1. In an autochanger storage rack, a data cartridge caddy presence system for determining whether a removable data cartridge caddy is installed within a data carridge caddy position within said autochanger storage rack, said data cartridge caddy presence system comprising:

at least one optical interrupt flag at a predetermined location on said removable data cartridge caddy;

at least one optical interrupt sensor at a predetermined location on said autochanger storage rack, said at least one optical interrupt sensor being positioned on said autochanger storage rack in such a manner that when said removable data cartridge caddy is fully installed within a data cartridge caddy position within said autochanger storage rack, said at least one optical interrupt flag on said removable data cartridge caddy trips said at least one optical sensor on said autochanger storage rack, said autochanger storage rack having a picker for removing a data cartridge from a data cartridge caddy, said picker being configured so as to not attempt to remove a data cartridge from a data cartridge caddy that is not present in said autochanger storage rack.

2. The data cartridge caddy presence system according to claim 1, further comprising means for said autochanger to optically determine whether data cartridge positions within a present data cartridge caddy within said autochanger storage rack have a data carridge therein.

3. The data cartridge caddy presence system according to claim 1, wherein said at least one optical interrupt sensor at a predetermined location on said autochanger storage rack is stationary.