Importance

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Abstract

An easily installed inter-row transfer unit is disclosed employing a movable cartridge bin assembly suspended via linkage from a pair of bearing blocks, wherein the resulting bin assembly carriage travels horizontally along a support housing extending between front-to-back arrangements of rows of library systems, to enable expansion of the library systems into very large mass storage systems. The pair of bearing blocks of the bin assembly carriage are spread or closed to respectively raise or lower the bin assembly from or into a respective library system. Thus, vertical as well as horizontal motions of the bearing blocks are controlled by a motor/cable drum drive device secured to the support housing. In a preferred embodiment, a trapdoor mechanism and a cooperating roller support mechanism are used to enable reversing the direction of horizontal translation of the bin assembly carriage with a single motor/cable drum drive device. Various other embodiments and modifications are illustrated.

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First Claim