Patent · US Expired

Virtual robot for a multimedia automated cartridge library system

US5164909A · kind A · utility

69Cited by
6References
31Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateNov 21, 1990
Grant dateNov 17, 1992
Priority date
Expiry dateNov 21, 2010

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG11B2220/90
  • WIPO fieldAudio-visual technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

The automated library system stores and retrieves media cartridges for an associated plurality of media drives. Within this system, a virtual robot is implemented to create multiple virtual media libraries within the single automated cartridge library system. This capability enables the use of a plurality of types of media within the single automated cartridge library and a corresponding plurality of drive elements within the library. Thus, each drive element has associated therewith a number of object storage locations within the library which contain media of a form and content that matches the drive element. The automated cartridge library system manages the correspondence between object storage location, media type, designated drive element in an automated manner such that the single library appears to the user as multiple independent libraries. This enables the user to transition to another media on an incremental basis, since a single drive element can be added to the library and associated media added as needed without displacing the embedded base of installed robotic media handling equipment or requiring significant modification to this equipment. Furthermore, the automated…

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.