Abstract: An automatic disk exchange apparatus including a drum-type disk gripper arranged vertically movably and capable of horizontally holding a disk cartridge containing for example an optical disk and selectively introducing and removing the disk cartridge through either of access openings at both sides thereof, a pair of disk storage devices each arrranged at one of the sides of the disk gripper and horizontally storing a plurality of disk cartridges, and a pair of drive units arranged in a lower part of one of the disk storage devices for effecting the recording and reproduction of information whereby the disk cartridges are transported and exchanged between the disk storage devices and the drive units and between the disk storage devices and the outside with the disk cartridges being always held horizontally.

Abstract: A disk exchanger apparatus including a disk gripper and a disk exchange mechanism capable of horizontally holding a disk cartridge and selectively introducing and removing the disk cartridge through access openings at both sides of the gripper from disk storage devices horizontally storing a plurality of disk cartridges on either side of the disk gripper, and a movable storage unit capable of storing a plurality of disk cartridges to be loaded in one of the disk storage devices through an access door whereby the disk cartridges may be transported and stored in a horizontal position and selectively transported between the storage unit and the disk storage devices.

Abstract: The present invention is concerned with an improved automatic disk exchange device which is adapted to take out a selected one of a plurality of disks housed within a disk housing device by a transport device and to introduce the disk into and attach the disk to a recording/reproducing device, where the information is recorded on the disk or reproduced from the disk, the disk now attached to the recording/reproducing device being then taken out of the recording/reproducing device so as to be again housed in the housing device. The invention permits shortening of the distance through which the disk is moved within the automatic disk exchange device and reduces the number of operations accompanying the disk movement and the disk access time.