Title:
AUTOMATIC STORAGE/RETRIEVAL SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR ACCESSING STORAGE CAPACITY
Document Type and Number:
Japanese Patent JP3236776
Kind Code:
B2
Abstract:
PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To ask a customer for partial payment for the storage capacity introduced to the customer by offering an amount of storage capacity larger than that desired by the customer so that the customer cannot utilize any additional capacity without permission from a provider by providing a storage system equipped with a controller which recognizes the amount of the storage capacity paid by the customer even when the actual physical capacity is larger.
SOLUTION: When a library 10 is first introduced to a certain customer, a diskette 26 is loaded on a drive 24 and read by means of a controller 20. The diskette 26 contains a present library constitution including the information on the serial number of the library 10 (or controller 20) and the permitted capacity of the library 10 paid by the customer. The controller 20 can 'recognize' the storage capacity purchased by and permitted to the customer of the entire physical capacity introduced to a storage module 14. Therefore, the controller 20 instructs an access device 18 to store a cartridge in the permitted section of the module 14.
Inventors:
Roderick Brent Wideman
Application Number:
JP6418496A
Publication Date:
December 10, 2001
Filing Date:
March 21, 1996
Export Citation:
Assignee:
INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MASCHINES CORPORATION
International Classes:
G06F3/06; G06F12/00; G11B15/68; G11B17/22; G11B27/00; (IPC1-7): G06F3/06; G06F12/00; G11B27/00
Domestic Patent References:
| JP2135523A | ||||
| JP5432233A |
Attorney, Agent or Firm:
Hiroshi Sakaguchi (1 person outside)