Texturing of a storage cell for reduced friction retention of a data storage cartridge

• US 9,039,486 B2
• Filed: 09/07/2012
• Issued: 05/26/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/07/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Boday, Dylan J., Green, Andrew S., Nave, Shawn M.
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, GEORGE BINH MINH
• Application Number:
  US13/606,812
• Publication Number:
  US 20140069250A1
• Time in Patent Office: 991 Days
• Field of Search: 451/540, 451/557, 451/558, 451/28, 151/01, 151/04, 15/94, 152/10
• US Class Current: 451/28
• CPC Class Codes: B24D 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other groups of this subclass
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 15/68 Automatic cassette changing arrangements; automatic tape changing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 23/049 Cassettes for special applications not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 83/02 Other than completely through work thickness

Abstract

Described are embodiments of an invention for a method and a tool to produce a textured surface on the retention tab of a storage cell. The tool has a form that fits within the storage cell. The form has a hard material with a hard surface with contacts a surface of the retention tab within the storage cell. The movement of the hard surface across the surface of the retention tab produces a textured surface on the retention tab. The textured interface between a notch of a data storage cartridge and a retention tab of a storage cell provides a consistent and low friction force that retains the data storage cartridge within the cell but allows the accessor to easily remove the data storage cartridge when needed.

Claims

1. A tool for texturing comprising:

a form that fits in a storage cell,

said form having a notch configured to receive a retention tab therein when said form is inserted in said storage cell;

said form having a hard material having a least one hard surface which contacts a surface of said retention tab within said storage cell as said form is inserted in said storage cell; and

wherein

a movement of said hard surface across said surface of said retention tab producing a textured surface on said surface of said retention tab.

2. The tool of claim 1, wherein said hard material is comprised of a material that is harder than a material of said surface of said retention tab.

3. The tool of claim 1, wherein said hard material comprises one of steel, an abrasive filler, an abrasive oxide or any combination thereof.

4. The tool of claim 1, wherein said hard material is affixed to said form by at least one of molding, welding, ultrasonic welding, and over molding.

5. The tool of claim 1, wherein an outer periphery of said form has a form factor of a data storage cartridge stored in said storage cell.

6. The tool of claim 1, wherein said form includes a top that extends from a front of the form to a back of the form, a bottom that extends from the front of the form to the back of the form, and two sides that extend between the top and bottom from the front of the form to the back of the form, wherein a width of the top and bottom as measured between the two sides is greater than a width of the two sides as measured between the top and bottom, and wherein at least one side of said form includes said hard surface.

7. The tool of claim 6, wherein at least one side of said form includes said notch.

8. The tool of claim 1, further comprising a handle.

18. The tool of claim 1, wherein the form has a form factor of a tape cartridge.

9. A method of texturing a storage cell comprising:

inserting a texturing tool into a storage cell, thereby depressing a retention tab in the storage cell out of a path of the texturing tool,

wherein said texturing tool has a hard material having a least one hard surface;

contacting a surface of said retention tab of said storage cell with said at least one hard surface of said texturing tool; and

removing said texturing tool from said storage cell, wherein said removal causing said at least one hard surface in contact with said retention tab to produce a textured surface on said surface of said retention tab.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein said step of inserting said texturing tool is performed by a human.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein said hard material of inserted texturing tool is comprised of a material that is harder than a material of said surface of said retention tab.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein an outer periphery of said texturing tool has a form factor of a data storage cartridge stored in said storage cell.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein said texturing tool includes a top that extends from a front of the tool to a back of the tool, a bottom that extends from the front of the tool to the back of the tool, and two sides that extend between the top and bottom from the front of the tool to the back of the tool, wherein a width of the top and bottom as measured between the two sides is greater than a width of the two sides as measured between the top and bottom, and wherein at least one side of said tool includes said hard surface.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein said tool includes a notch and said hard surface is adjacent said notch;

and wherein the retention tab enters the notch when the texturing tool is inserted into the storage cell for retaining the tool in the storage cell.

16. The method of claim 9, wherein said texturing tool further comprises a handle.

17. The method of claim 9, wherein said storage cell is a data storage cartridge storage cell and wherein producing texture on said retention tab decreases the force necessary for removing a data storage cartridge from said data storage cell.

19. The method of claim 9, wherein the tool has a form factor of a tape cartridge.

10. A method of texturing a storage cell comprising:

inserting a texturing tool into a storage cell,

wherein said texturing tool has a hard material having a least one hard surface;

contacting a surface of a retention tab of said storage cell with said at least one hard surface of said texturing tool; and

removing said texturing tool from said storage cell, wherein said removal causing said at least one hard surface in contact with said retention tab to produce a textured surface on said surface of retention tab,

wherein said step of inserting said texturing tool is performed by a library accessor.