JPH011189A - media storage - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] This bulletin contains application data before electronic filing, so abstract data is not recorded.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a storage for cartridge-type recording media, and particularly to its structure.

[Conventional technology]

Conventionally, when the media to be stored in this type of storage is an optical disk cartridge or a magnetic tape cartridge, the data on the media cannot be confirmed directly with the naked eye, so a part of the cartridge exterior is used to display information such as what the data on the media is. Care was taken to make it easier to search for media at a later date by attaching a label with the information written on it.

[Problem that the invention seeks to solve]

When the number of media to be stored in the above-mentioned media storage increases, the task of visually searching for their location becomes troublesome and requires a lot of time. For example, labels that indicate data content must be considered and corrected so that the content with a unified meaning is written concisely, and it is also necessary to organize and arrange them in alphabetical or alphabetical order. . As the number of media continues to increase, it becomes necessary to increase storage space and rearrange the media. An automatic media storage with a media handler has a controller called a volume manager that stores the location of media on a magnetic disk or the like and controls the handler to eject the required media in response to an external media ejection request. However, if the cartridge falls off the fence due to an impact such as an earthquake, it is difficult to accurately return the cartridge to its original cell. There were drawbacks such as not being able to do so.

An object of the present invention is to provide a media storage that solves the above problems.

[Means for solving problems]

The present invention provides a media storage for storing cartridge-type recording media in a plurality of compartmentalized storage cells, which includes an IC memory unit provided on a part of the exterior of the cartridge-type recording medium and storing a volume label, etc.; and a control means for searching and managing the presence/absence of the cartridge-type recording medium and the contents recorded in the IC memory section for each storage. This is a unique media storage.

〔Example〕 Next, the present invention will be explained with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a three-dimensional diagram showing one embodiment of the present invention.

In FIG. 1, 1 is a media storage shelf, and 2 is each storage cell of the storage shelf that stores cartridge media.

The storage cell 2 contains an IC attached to the cartridge medium 6.
Contact 3 for coupling with memory 7 (see Figure 2)
has. Each contact 3 is connected via a pass line 4 to a volume manager 5 as a control means. It is assumed that the volume manager 5 has a function similar to that of a personal computer. The medium 6 to be stored is a cartridge type with a uniform exterior shape, and currently includes video tapes, cassette tapes, some magnetic tapes for information exchange, and some optical disks, and is connected to a part of the outer wall of the cartridge. It has an IC memory 7 having terminals. For those which do not have an IC memory 7 in the existing state, it is also possible to unify and use what is generally known as an IC card attached to a cartridge.

The IC memory 7 records the contents of the cartridge medium, for example, in the case of a videotape, the title of the recorded image, etc. in a standardized format.

This IC memory 7 is electrically connected to the volume manager 5 through the pass line 4 through the contact 3 of the storage cell 2, and serves as an external memory for the volume manager 5.

Assume that the cartridge medium 6 is randomly stored in the storage cell 2 on the storage shelf without paying particular attention to the attributes of the contents of the medium.

In the case of the medium storage of the present invention, stored media can be searched by the following method. That is, if the desired medium is available, the requester first inputs the volume name into the volume manager 5 and issues a search request. The volume manager 5 sequentially accesses the contacts 3 of each cell 2 via the path line 4. The IC memory 7 of the cartridge medium 6 is connected to the pass line 4 by the contact 3 of the storage cell 2.
Since the accessed contact 3 is connected to
If the C memory 7 is connected, its contents can be read. It determines whether the content matches the search request, searches for the target medium, and reports it to the requester. As in this example, each cell 2 of the storage shelf 1 is treated as an external memory of the volume manager 5. Depending on how Volume Manager 5's software is assembled, it is possible to perform not only volume name searches, but also a variety of applications such as map management of where empty space is, management of media entry and exit, and security management such as unauthorized removal. It is possible. In addition, even if a cartridge stored in cell 2 falls out due to an earthquake or the system power is accidentally turned off, the storage map is stored on a magnetic disk, etc. for secondary management. Since there is no need to check the contents of all media and create a map again, unlike conventional systems that perform recovery operations, recovery work can be performed quickly.

Although the present invention can be applied to storage management in various ways, the present invention provides the hardware and does not specify the software such as the management method. Further, the volume manager 5 may be of a stand-alone type operated by an operator using a keyboard, or may be operated online from another computer.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As explained above, according to the present invention, users who have a large amount of storage media can accurately manage the media.

Moreover, it is possible to provide a media storage that can be quickly carried out.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a three-dimensional diagram showing the configuration of an embodiment of the invention, and FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the connection relationship between an IC memory and contacts in an embodiment of the invention. 1...Storage shelf 2...Storage cell 3...
Contact 4... Pass line 5... Volume manager 6... Cartridge medium 7...
・IC memory

Claims (1)

[Claims] (1) In a media storage that stores cartridge-type recording media in a plurality of compartmentalized storage cells, an IC memory section that stores a volume label, etc., provided on a part of the exterior of the cartridge-type recording medium, and the IC memory and a control means for searching and managing the presence/absence of the cartridge-type recording medium and the contents recorded in the IC memory section for each storage. Features media storage.