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Re: [ARSCLIST] Do these tapes need to be baked or not?

Jim, Thanks for pointing this out. Pretty interesting. I think Ampex
knew better than to enforce the patent to fix the problem they created
in the first place, but hopefully nobody will license the patent before
it expires and try to enforce it.

Now for the patent attorneys on the list--since they've patented a
process, not a device, I don't see how anybody could ever make money
from it, unless you sell a device expressly for this purpose. Say I buy
a food dehydrator, a lab oven, a convection oven (or even a hair dryer
like some people have used), since these devices are not intended for
or manufactured for heating tapes, the manufacturer doesn't license the
Ampex's technology. So can they sue an end user for using a device for
other than its intended purpose if that purpose infringes a patent?

The patent also answers some of the questions that are often raised
about how long the Ampex engineers thought tapes should be baked for.

David Seubert

On Monday, December 13, 2004, at 10:00 PM, James Lindner wrote:

It is also interesting that no one ever mentions that tape baking is
patented. Funny how every one seems to ignore that little tiny issue -
like
it never happened. Fortunately for everyone Ampex never decided to do
anything - but if someone ever either wakes up or buys the patent -
watch
out - it could get very ugly.

Don't believe me?
http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-
Parser?Sect1=PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&p=1&u=/net
ahtml/search-
bool.html&r=2&f=G&l=50&co1=AND&d=ptxt&s1=ampex.ASNM.&s2=heating
&OS=AN/ampex+AND+heating&RS=AN/ampex+AND+heating

Patent #5,236,790

jim

*
        Jim Lindner
*
        Media Matters, LLC
*
        Email: jim@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
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        Address: 500 West 37th Street, 1st FL
        New York, N.Y. 10018
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        eFax (646) 349-4475
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        Mobile: (917) 945-2662
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        www.media-matters.net


-----Original Message-----
From: Association for Recorded Sound Discussion List
[mailto:ARSCLIST@xxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Peter@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sent: Monday, December 13, 2004 5:48 PM
To: ARSCLIST@xxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Re: [ARSCLIST] Do these tapes need to be baked or not?

I've always found this article rather encouraging concerning people's
ingenuity.  Here I am with multi-thousand dollar scientific ovens to
"bake"
tapes and someone is out there with a food processing unit that costs
under
$100.  When reading the article I have, however, always wondered why he
flips the tapes periodically.  Does this serve some purpose no one
else has
discovered or has the author simply gotten carried away with the "food
processor" theme?

There is one piece of erroneous information in the article but the
author
still comes up with the right way of handling the tape, even if for the
wrong reason: tape does expand when it is heated but, contrary to the
article, this does not make it loose on the reel.  The primary
expansion
vector when you heat tape is thickness, not length.  This is the
reason you
need a smooth pack before baking (if possible).  When heated, the tape
thickens, tightens the pack and can cause wound-in wrinkles and
deformation
to get worse.

Peter Brothers
President
SPECS BROS., LLC
(201) 440-6589
www.specsbros.com

Restoration and Disaster Recovery Service Since 1983

On 2004.12.12 16:25 Dick Spottswood wrote:
If I'd knowed you was comin', I'd have baked a tape, baked a 
tape, baked
a

tape...
Dick

http://www.tangible-technology.com/tape/baking1.html

Probably the definitive article on the subject.  Plus, it's title
goes well with the previous post.


Eddie Ciletti's piece covers all the issues I'm aware of. I only
wish he had
put the warning

DO *NOT* BAKE ACETATE TAPES!

at the beginning of his piece.

Salutations, David Lewiston
The Lewiston Archive, Recordings and Documentation of the World's
Traditional Music



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