Abstract: A magazine for data carriers, for use with a rotatable opening element, has a housing with a box-like base, the base having an open top and a cover formed by separable cover halves being disposed over the top of the base. The base has at least one receptacle therein for receiving a data carrier, such a magnetic tape cartridge. The magazine is intended for insertion in a data reader, which removes the data carrier from the magazine and inserts it in a drive for reading the data therefrom. The halves of the housing are mounted on the base for respective rotation around first and second axes parallel to a longitudinal edge of the base, and disposed inwardly of all edges of the base. A rotatable opening element is engageable with at least one of the housing halves to cause the housing halves to rotate around their respective axes, when the magazine is moved toward the opening element, to move the halves apart, over the sides of the base, to open the magazine to permit removal of a data carrier therefrom.

Abstract: A magazine containing a number of standardized magnetic tape cartridges, for loading into an automated device in which a selected cartridge can be removed from the magazine and inserted into a data reader, has a number cartridge receptacles therein formed by a number of dividers extending the width of the magazine. Each divider consists of electrically conductive polymer, and has an electrical connector at a bottom thereof which extends through a bottom of the magazine, and which engages an electrically conductive path to ground in a base element on which the magazine rests within the device, thereby providing an electrostatic discharge path for each cartridge in each receptacle. Each divider also has an element extending into the receptacle, which is engaged by the cartridge as it is being inserted into the receptacle.