Modular data storage directories for large-capacity data storage units

Claim 2

A data storage medium (20) having a directory recorded thereon and having addressable storage areas (28) for the directory and addressable storage areas (29) for storing user data to be identified by control data stored in the directory storage area, said user data being arranged in files and being logically addressable by filesnames; the improvement comprising: a first plurality of directory header control blocks (50,72) being logically linked in a linked list, each said directory header control block having first and second portions; a first plurality of directory segments sets (52,74), each set having a given plurality of directory segments for storing control data and address data, respect­ively, describing by filenames and pointing to respective ones of said files (66) by addresses of said addressable storage areas for storing user data; said first portion of each of said directory header control blocks having address pointer (59,62,63) ot respecti­ve ones of said directory segments in a respective one of said directory segment sets such that all segments in a one of said sets being pointed to by the address pointers in respective one of said directory header control block; and said second portion of each of said directory header control blocks having filesnames for said control data of one of said directory segment sets other than the directory segment set pointed to by said first portion of the same directory header control block whereby said second portions are indices to segment sets other than the segment set describes by the first portion of each respective directory header control blocks.

Claim 3

The medium set forth in claim 1, further including, in combination: said directory header control blocks in said linked list forming a singly-linked list of such control blocks wherein the linking is ascending from a first-recorded one of said directory header control blocks to a last-recorded one of said directory header control blocks and such that said control data for a predetermined one of the directory segment sets is stored in a one of said directory header control blocks logically displayed by one position in the ascending direction in said linked list from the predeter­mined one of the directory header control block which contains address pointers to said predetermined on of the directory segment sets.

Claim 4

The medium set forth in claim 2, further including, in combination : said record medium comprising a write-once read-many record medium having a plurality of data storing addressable storage areas, first ones of said storage areas being for storing said directory header control blocks, second ones of said storage areas being for storing said directory segment sets and third ones of said storage areas being for storing data defined by said directory segment sets; and said third storage areas being physically separated from said first and second storage areas and said first and second storage areas for given ones of said third storage areas being located contiguously on the record medium.

Claim 5

The medium set forth in claim 3, further including, in combination: said data storage medium comprising a rotatable data disk having a plurality of substantially-concentric addressable record tracks thereon, each of the record tracks being divided into a second plurality of identically-sized, signal-storing sectors; an outermost one of said record tracks storing an address pointer to an anchor base which contains address pointers to directory anchor pointers which in turn contain address pointers to said first plurality of directory header control blocks; a third plurality of radially-inwardmost ones of said record tracks storing signals constituting a given number of said directory segment sets; a radially-outward one of said record tracks being disposed in juxtaposition to said given segment sets for storing directory header control blocks having address pointers to said given number of directory segments; a second radially-outward one of said record tracks being disposed in juxtaposition to said first radially-outward record track storing said directory header control blocks for storing said anchor pointers including pointers to the directory header blocks in said first radially-outward one of said record tracks; a third radially-outward one of said record tracks being disposed in juxtaposition to said second radially-­outward record track being for storing said anchor base signals, including pointers to the anchor pointers stored in said second radially-outward record track and said base pointer recorded in the radially-outwardmost record track identifying said third radially-outard record track as the anchor base record track such that the directory level address indications are inversely recorded radially begin­ning at a radially-inwardmost position to a radially-outward­most position in an inverse order such that the lowest order portion of the directory is initially recorde first on the data storage medium followed by successively higher ordered portions of the directory; and the record tracks disposed intermediate said base pointer and said third radially-outward record track being for receiving data of said directory header control blocks and directory segments sets.

Claim 6

The method set forth in claim 4; further invluding, in combination: a third plurality of said record tracks being in radial juxtaposition to said third radially-outward one of said record tracks in a succession of three track groups of said directory header control blocks and directory segment sets wherein said segments sets being stored in said third plurality of additional record tracks with the associated header control blocks being recorded in a radially-outward one of the record tracks in juxtaposition to said additional set of said segment sets whereby said directory includes in a radially-outward portion of said storage disk sets of three of record tracks consisting of a third plurality of tracks storing said segment sets with an associated single radially-outermost track storing an associated directory header control block of the data on the record disk being disposed between a radially-outwardmost one of the header control blocks and the outermost one of said record tracks.

Claim 7

The medium set forth in claim 3, further including, in combination: each of said directory segments including a numeri­cal indication of a number of versions of data stored in said data storing tracks of the data storage disk, each version of a given filename file being updated or changed copy of such filename file; each version having a numerical count indicative of age of that version beginning with number "N" for current version, number"N-1" for the next older version, etc,; and each of said directory segments containing address pointers to all of said versions stored on the data storage disk with the address pointers associated with version "N" being disposed in the latest-recorded third plurality of record tracks be scanned before any other version with the version being serially disposed along the record track such that the oldest version is scanned last and such that each updated version of the filename file includes a chronolo­gical history of the updating in the respective directory segments.

Claim 8

The medium set forth in claim 3, further including, in combination: each said directory segment including definintions of the stored filename file in a linked list of record numbers identifying separate ones of the records that are stored on the disk in contiguous ones of said sectors; each said sector being capable of storing a prede­termined integral number of said records, if any record storing sector storing a single record then such sector is defined as storing said predeterminded integral number of said records with the number of a first record allocated to any such sector divided by said prdetermined integral number; and each said extent definition identifying a first record number defining the beginning of the extent with the associated sector number storing said first record and a length indication of the number of contiguous sectors storing records of said filename file such that the table defining the data storage locations in said data storing medium are defined by first sector numbers and first record numbers with the length indication of each contiguous storage area of said data storage tracks such that fragment­ation of the data storage and the data storing tracks is reflected by the extent definitions.

Claim 9

The medium set forth in claim 3, further including, in combination: each of said sectors capable of storing an integral number of records at a given filename firl, each filename file having a numerical designation of records in ascending order, each sector which stores at least one record of such filename file is indicated as storing said fixed number of record of said filename file; each said directory segment including with such filename file a numerical indication of the number of updates or versions of said filename file stored on said record medium; each said directory segment including storing a number identifying a physical sector which is storing each of said records in such filename file in linked list by record number and wherein said linked list for each of said versions includes a first record number of a given sector number storing any one or more of said filename file records plus a length indicator indicating the number of contiguous sectors and records allocatable for storage in such conti­guous sectors, there being one entry in the linked list for each such contiguous extent; and said version indication in each of said record sectors being arranged such that the last-recorded one of said versions being scannable first.

Claim 10

The medium set forth in claim 3, further wherein said filename file consists of a plurality of sequentially-­enumerated records each of said data storage sectors capable of storing a first integral number of said records, the number of records assigned to each of said data storing sectors being said first integral number irrespective of the number records actually stored.

Claim 11

The medium set forth in claim 9, further including said data storing sectors residing in ones of said data storing tracks that are positioned immediately-radally-­inwardly adjacent to said radially-outwardmost ones of said record tracks respectively storing said directory header control block, directory segment sets anchor base and anchor pointers.

Claim 12

The medium set forth in claim 1, wherein said medium being a write-once record medium including a direct ory storing filenames for identifying corresponding informa­tion containing files stored in said record medium and storing first address pointers respectively associated with the filenames for pointing to the storage locations of the respective files stored in the record medium as identified by the filenames, characterized in that: a first plurality of segment modules in the direct­ory storing all of the filenames and associated respective address pointers of data stored in said data storage medium; a second plurality, less than the first plurality, of header modules in the directory, each said header module storing filenames and associated respective address pointers to a given number of said segment modules as first set of said segment modules, said given number being less than said first plurality, each of the header modules stored address pointers pointing to respective sets of different ones of the segment modules; and a filename index in each of the header modules for identifying files indentified and pointed to by a second one of said sets of said segment modules other than the segment modules identified and pointed to by the header module such that a directory scan for filenames may be limited to scanning said filename index in the header modules.

Claim 13

The medium set forth in claim 11, wherein said record medium consists of a write-once read-many optical data storage disk having a plurality of substantially-­concentric record tracks for storing digital signals repre­sentative of user data, second ones of said record tracks storing said user data, said second ones of said record tracks being radially-outward of first ones of said record tracks storing said directory with said directory represen­ting a chronological history of recording of said user data, further including, in combination: identifications of said filenames respectively; and each said filename index in the respective header modules indexing segment modules in the directories recorded immediately before the recording of each such header module containing the index such that each header module index immediately precedes the segment modules identified by the header modules recorded immediately precedes the header module containing the index.

Claim 14

The medium set forth in claim 1, wherein said medium being a write-once read-many record medium including a directory having filrnames for identifying files, each having a plurality of addressable records and being stored in a data storage device, first address pointers in said record medium directory repectively associated with the filenames for pointing to addressable data storage locations in the data storage device in which the respective files and other records as identified by the filenames are stored; characterized in that: a first plurality of directory segment modules in the directory being for storing filenames and respective first address pointers which point to the addressable data storage locations in which the records of a filename are stored; and a second plurality of directory header modules storing filenames and second address pointers for pointing to a given number of the segment modules, each of the header modules pointing to respective sets of different ones of the segment modules and a filename index in each of the header modules for identifying files identified and pointed to by a said set of said segment modules other than the segment modulrs identified and pointed to by header modules and which were recorded onto said write-once read-many record medium before said each header modules, respectively.

Claim 15

The medium set forth in claim 1, wherein said medium being a write-once read-many record medium, including a sorted directory list for records stored on the write-once record medium which has a plurality of addressable write-once read-many data storage locations; the improvement comprising, in combination: a reference point in the directory list; a plurality of file version lists within said directory list, each file version list comprising a plura­lity of sorted record entries, each entry in each version list being sorted by record number and each entry bearing a relative number indicating a logical displacement from said reference point expressed in numbers of records, which number os representative of logical relationships of said respective version list; and said plurality of versions lists being sorted in the directory list in inverse order of recording such that the latest file version recorded on the record medium is logically closest to said reference point and such that hte last-recorded verson bit is scanned before other version lists.

Claim 16

The method set forth in claim 14, wherein the record medium includes a plurality of said sorted directory lists, a subplurality of the directory list being for a smaller plurality of files, each of said subplurality of directory lists for said respective files having a different number of said file version lists within such each directory list such that the later-recorded directory list includes a one greater number of file version list than immediately-­preceding recorded directory lists for such file; and the versions in each of said directory lists beginning with a first-scanned version with successfully larger version numbers for the earlier recorded version lists and each of the version lists having a different version number in the respective directory lists for each of said files.

Claim 19

The method set forth in claim 16, further including the steps of: in said first portion fully allocating each of said sectors for either storing data representing digital signals or first directory representing digital signals whereing the directory representing digital signals identify the sectors storing the data, representing digital signals; and in said second portion storing digital signals in the sectors by assigning logical names to the signals stored in the respective sectors irrespective of the number of signals associated with the logical names.

Claim 20

The method set forth in claim 16, further including the steps of: recording said second portion as a radially-inward­most portion of said member including said alternate tracks as being the radially-inwardmost ones of said second portion and recording said first portion radially-outward of said second portion and when recording data also concurrent­ly thereto recording a directory beginning at the radially-­inwardmost track of said first portion and then proceeding radially-outwardly.

Claim 21

The method set forth in claim 18, further including the steps of: recording said second portion first, shipping the record member to a location remote from where the second portion was recorded; and then recording the first portion including record­ing signals altering the informational content of the signals recorded in said second portion.

Claim 22

The method set forth in claim 16, further including the steps of: in said first portion, recording said first directory identifying the physical location of data stored in the first portion by logical names; and in said second portion recording a second directory logically associating the respective incapable sectors to the data to be stored in the incapable sector as recorded in a sector of said predetermined ones of said tracks.

Claim 23

The method set forth in claim 20, further including the step of: logically associating said second directory to the sectors in said predetermined ones of said tracks by physical relationship of the directory entry to the physical location of the respective sectors of said prede­termined ones of said track, and recording in said second portion directory, the sector and track address of the respective incapable sector of said second portion.

Claim 24

The method set forth in claim 16, further including the steps of: recording said second portion first beginning at a predetermined radially-inward one of said record tracks and extending radially-outward to a middle one of said record tracks; selecting a predetermined number of said record tracks radially inward of said second portion data storing tracks as said predetermined ones of said tracks and selec­ting a record track intermediate said predetermined ones of said tracks and said data storing tracks of said second portion to store a directory of said predetermined ones of said tracks for identifying which of the data storing sectors of the second portion of said incapable data sectors from storing the data destined for said incapable second portion sector in a sector of the predetermined ones of said tracks having a predetermined physical relationship to the sector of said intermediate one record track; and recording in said first portion beginning at a radially-outward one of said track and proceeding radially inwardly in a sequential manner and substantially simulta­neously recording the data in said first portion, in said first portion recording said directory for pointing to the data being recorded beginning at a record track immediately-­radially outward of said second portion and proceeding radially outwardly in a sequential manner; and recording in a radially-outward track of said record member, the physical locations of said second por­tions and the location of a radial-inwardmost track of said first portion directory.

Claim 25

The method set forth in claim 22, further including the steps of: recording said second portion in predetermined ones of said sectore such that a computer program external to said record medium can access the data stored in the second portion by addressing physical location of the signals on the disk; and recording in said first portion so any computer program exterior to said record medium can access the data stored in the first portion through logically addressing using the first directory recorded in said first portion.

Claim 26

The method set forth in claim 16, wherein the data storage unit having a continuous address space bounded by first and second addresses and respectively representing data storage areas of said data storage unit addressably accessible by addresses in said address space; the steps of: repeatedly receiving records fo diverse data for storage in the data storage unit, storing said receiving data in said data storage area and proceeding sequentially at successively addressed data storage area; each time any of said receive records of data are stored in said data storage areas, creating a record direc­tory entry having an identification of the received and just-stored records of data and an address pointer identi­fying the data storage area in which said received and just-stored records of data are store; dividing said directory entry into header and segment portions, said header portion being an index to said segment portions, respectively, and including storing said identificaton and address of said segment portion, said segment portion being said identification of the said received and stored records of data and said address point­ers; storing said created record directory entries respectively in data storage areas of said data storage unit beginnig at said second address and storing successively created ones of said entries respectively at successive addressed ones of said data storage areas beginning at said second address and proceeding sequentially toward said first address; and storing said segment portion of each said directory entry in a given data storage area and storing said header portion in a data storage area having an address for a data storage area further from said second address data storage areas than said given data storage area.

Claim 27

The method set forth in claim 24, further including the steps of: identifying groups of said records of data as filename sets; creating a one of said record directory entries for each of said filename sets with each of said created direc­tory entries including address data for all of said records in said identified filename sets, respectively; changing a one of said records in a one of said identified filename sets; and creating a second record directory entry for the respective filename set including address data of said one record directory entry for said one identified filename set of all records not changed and address data for said changed one of said records; and recording in said created second record directory entry that said created second directory entry is a current version of the said data set.

Claim 28

The method set forth in claim 25, further including the steps of: receiving a first plurality of changes to a corres­ponding first plurality of records stored in said data storage unit and storing said received changed records as set forth in claim 24 without deleting any recorded records of data in the data storage unit; creating a second plurality of non-delete record entries using the ultimate step of claim 11 for changes to records in a corresponding second plurality of said identi­fied groups corresponding to said plurality of changes; and recording all of said directory segment entries for said filename in a newly-recorded segment portion including recording an indication of the chronology of said changes in said segment.

Claim 29

The method set forth in claim 26, wherein the method is performed in a data storage unit having a rota­table record storage disk with a data receiving surface means having a plurality of concentric-substantially-circular addressable record tracks and addressable data storage sectors in the data receiving surface means and having a radially-outwardmost and radially-inwardmost record portions, including the steps of: identifying a one of said tracks in each of said record portions, respectively, by said first and second addresses; comparing the address used for last storing a record of data with the address used for last storing a created non-delete record directory entry, when said compa­rison indicates a predetermined address closeness of said compared addresse, indicating that the data receiving surface means is filled, otherwise continuing storing any received records of data; and when indicating said data receiving surface means an index to said created non-delete record directory entries having the identifications of said filename sets associated with the address of the last created ones of the record directory entries, respectively.

Claim 30

The method set forth in claim 27, further including the step of: selecting said data receiving surface means of said rotatable record storage disk to have write-once read-many data storage characteristics.

Claim 31

The method set forth in claim 28, further including the steps of: selecting said first address to be a one of the radially-inwardmore ones of said record tracks to be said first address; and selecting a one of said radially-outwardmore ones of said record tracks to be said second address.

Claim 32

The method set forth in claim 29, further inclu­ding the steps of: dividing said header and segment portions, respec­tively, into a plurality of single track and multiple track groups such that the headers in sai dsingle track respecti­vely identify information and control data stored in segments of said multiple track groups such that the directory consists of a plurality of multiple track plus one groups of headers and segments; and selecting said multiple track groups to be radially-­inward of the header selected one track in each of said multiple track plus one groups and always recording a cording the corresponding header. initializing the record disk to receive data by first allocating one of said multi-track groups for recei­ving signals of a first set of record segments as the radially-inwardmost ones of said record tracks denominated for receiving said directory and data signals; recording in a record track immediately-radially outward of said first recorded segment group of track directory headers with control data for identifying the control data stored in said first selected group of segments; selecting a one of said record tracks immediately-­radially outward of said directory header track for recor­ding directory anchor pointers for storing address pointers to the respective directory headers in respective ones of said header tracks; selecting a record track immediately-radially outward of said record track selected for said directory anchor pointers for storing signals as an anchor base containing address pointers to said directory anchor poin­ters; in a first of the sectors in the anchor base selected track recording an address pointer to a track for storing said directory anchor pointers and in said directory anchor pointers track recording the track address of the first header track.

Claim 33

The method set forth in claim 31, further including the steps of: substantially simultaneously to recording said data as set forth in claim 21, recording the control data there­fore in said segment groups of tracks; and whenever a segment group of tracks or ists associa­ted header track is completely filled with directory control data, then allocating the next radially-outward group of tracks for said next segment of the directory and immediately-radially-outwardly of said last-selected segment tracks as an additional a header track and continue recording the directory in the last-selected segment and directory header tracks.

Claim 34

The methods set forth in claim 32, further includin­g the steps of: during recording said data, monitoring the quality of the recording including detecting a sector for receiving certain of said data to be recorded as being incapable of storing such data; marking said incapable sector as being an incapable sector and recording the data destined for said incapable sector to be recorded in a next sequential one of said sectors and continue recording until the recording operation is complete; and in the segment identifying the just-recorded data identifying only those sectors actually receiving and storing data by associating said filename with the sectors receiving and storing such data.

Claim 35

The method set forth in claim 30, further including the step of: receiving records from a given number of digital signals therein, asssigning a fixed number of said records to be stored in any one of said given data storing sectors such that the number of records stored in each sector is an integral number, said integral number being N; as said records are recorded in the data storing area, allocaitng a sector for the records beginning with record zero and proceeding sequentially to higher numbered records, allocating the sectors for receiving the records in accordance with said fixed number of records each sector storing all records having a remainder of 1 to N-1 when the total number of records are divided by N; allocating the sectors for the one through N-1 records each time one or more of the N records are to be stored in any of said sectors; making a linked list of the recorded records wherein all contiguous sectors storing records of the same filename set are identified as a storage extent in the linked list and being identidied by a lowest number of the lowest record number and the lowest sector number of the contiguous extent together with a length indictor indicating the number of sectors allocated; and storing said linked list in one of said segment portions.

Claim 36

The method set forth in claim 34, further including the steps of: each time a one of said filename sets is updated by recording additional data in the data storing area or replacement data in the data storing area, updating said linked list and recording the previous linked list together with the updated linked list in a new line of said directory segments; and assigning version numbers to respective linked lists beginning with the last-recorded linked list as being the current version and assigning successively-higher numbered version numbers for successively earlier versions identified in of said linked list such that the latest-­recorded directory segment for the filename file stores a chronological list of all recording operations as they have occurred on the record storage disk for such filename sets.

Claim 37

The method set forth in claim 35, further including the steps of: dividing each of said directory headers into two portions; recording address pointers to associated ones of said directory segments into said first portion of each directory header; recording an index of a directory header recorded immediately preceding the recording of a current directory header in a second portion; and recording said index to include filenames up to a highest version number of each respective filename set.

Claim 38

The method set forth in claim 36, including, the additional steps of: accessing the record number for accessing predeter­mined portions of data stored under a filename set stored in said storage disk including scanning said directory header indices beginning with a radially-outwardmost one of said directory header tracks until a filename is identified that matches a requested filename; operatively connecting a random access data storage unit to said record storage medium for transferring signals therebetween; caching all data stored in the current version of said filename set inot said random access memory; and caching the corresponding directory segment in said ramdom access memory including all of the chronological history stored in said linked list such that the requested filename set and its entire directory is cached.

Claim 39

The method set forth in claim 37, further including: the step of caching the contents of the segment multi-track group into said random access memory which contains a directory for the requested filename.

Claim 40

The method set forth in claim 16, including the steps of: repeatedly receiving records of diverse data for storage in the data storage unit, each of said received records of data having an identifying name therewith, a plurality of received records sharing a common identifying filename, receiving some of said records to update predeter­ mined ones of records currently stored in the data storage unit, respectively, while others of said currently stored records are not to be updated; creating a record directory entry version for all of said received records having a common identifying file­name and which were concurrently received, including in each said created record directory entry version said common name and the addresses of the data storage area of all reocrds stored in said data storage unit having said common name whether or not such records are being updated by said concurrently received records and irrespective of time of receipt and storage of such included unchanged records; and storing in said created record directory entry version in a data storage area of said data storage unit and all of said previously recorded entry versions in the directory entry for said filename and assigning a version number to the created entry version and successively higher version number to entry versions identifying previously earlier stored records of said filename.

Claim 41

The method set forth in claim 16, including, the automatic machine-executed steps of: recording records of a file of data onto the recording medium in a plurality of extents such that each extent includes a plurality of sequential ones of the records for the file which are stored in contiguous onrs of the sectors in the record medium; during time-separated recording operations, record­ing successive ones of said extents, each recorded extent containing records for the file which are either new or updated and which have indeterminate logical relationships to other records recorded for the file on the record medium or to be recorded on the record medium inclu­ding generating new extents whenever a number of contiguous­ly recorded sectors change as a result of any record being recorded or updated by rerecording in an unused sector; and each time an extent of records is recorded on the record medium, recording a directory entry beginning at a given one of said sectors and recording definitions of each of the extents recorded on the record medium in a sorted order of the recorded records including a description and location of the records stored in the record medium being logically displaced from said given one sector a logical distance from the beginning of the file expressed in record numbers in a sorted sequence independent of a chronological time of recording on the record medium.

Claim 42

The method set forth in claim 40, further including the automatic machine-executed steps of: allocating unused ones of said sectors for receiving records of the file to be recorded, for each said allocated sector assigning a fixed-integral number of said records for recording such that the lowest numbered record in any allocated sector is equal to the difference of one less than said integral number subtracted from the product of a logical sector number and the number of records for each sector wherein the logical sector number is the highest numbered record in a given sector divided by the number of records to be allocated to a given sector; and allocating a sector when any one or more of said records to be recorded are within the logical sector to be recorded including leaving blank space in the allocated sector for records not yet recorded.

Claim 43

The method set forth in claim 41, further including the automatic machine-executed steps of: making a linked list of identifications of the stored logical sectors including grouping all of the logical sectors in each of the respective extent of records as a single entry in the linked list and indicating for each record in each of the sectors of each and every extent wether or not the record in fact contains data; and revising all of the extent entries of the linked list each time data is recorded for maintaining a continuous list of allocated sectors and their respective data contents.

Claim 44

The method set forth in claim 42, further including the automatic machine-executing steps of: recording records from a plurality of files and for each recording of the separate files generating said linked list and recording the generated linked list in seriatum onto the recording medium such that the directory entries for the respective files are interleaved; and recording the directory beginning at one address proceeding onto a second address such that the last-recorded directory entry for the respective files always identifies the latest version of that file.

Claim 45

The method set forth in claim 43, further including the automatic machine-executed steps of: each time any one of the files is updated and a new linked list is generated assigning a low version number to the last-created linked list and assigning successively-­larger version numbers to successively-earlier-created ones of said linked list and recording all of the linked lists in seriatum as a single directory entry such that in scanning the record medium the first scanned version will be the lowest numbered version of the linked list.

Claim 46

A controller (15) for operating with an indelible record medium (17), circuit means coupling the record medium to the controller for transferring data signals therebetween for recording data signals on the record medium and for receiving data signals sensed from the record medium said record medium having a plurality of substantially-concentric record tracks; each of the record tracks having alike number of equal-sized data storing sector, a first radial porion of said record member being for receiving and recording digital signals in a series of adjacent ones of said sectors wherein sectors being incapable of recording and storing signals are skipped with data originally destined for the respective incapable sector being recorded in a next available sector in such series of adjacent sectors and a second radial portion of the optical record member having a plurality of alternate record tracks and a directory track for identi­fying which of the sectors in the second portion were incapable of storing data or identifying which of the sectors in the alternate tracks are storing data for the respective ones of said incapable sectors of said second portion; the improvement, including in combination: first means for recording and reading signals to and from said first portion including the recording of a directory using logical names to address signals stored in said series of adjacent ones of the sectors in the first portion and including readback means for reading a directory recorded in the first portion for identifying the physical location on the record member of the recorded data; and second means for addressing the sectors in the second portion and upon detecting a one of said incapable sectors of the second portion during recording the data destined for the incapable sector in a sector of said alternate tracks and recording the location of the incapable sector of the second portion in said alternate track directory track and when reading upon detecting an incapable section of the second portion scanning said alternate directory track for determining the location in the alternate data tracks of the data destined for the incapable sector of said second portion.

Claim 47

A controller (15) for operating with an indelible record medium (17), circuit means coupling the record medium to the controller for transferring data signals therebetween for recording data signals on the record medium and for receiving data signals sensed from the record medium said record medium having a plurality of substantially-concentric record tracks; each of the record tracks having alike number of equal-sized data storing sector, a first radial porion of said record member being for receiving and recording digital signals in a series of adjacent ones of said sectors wherein sectors being incapable of recording and storing signals are skipped with data originally destined for the respective incapable sector being recorded in a next available sector in such series of adjacent sectors and a second radial portion of the optical record member having a plurality of alternate record tracks and a directory track for identi­fying which of the sectors in the second portion were incapable of storing data or identifying which of the sectors in the alternate tracks are storing data for the respective ones of said incapable sectors of said second portion; the improvement, including in combination: first means for recording and reading signals to and from said first portion including the recording of a directory using logical names to address signals stored in said series of adjacent ones of the sectors in the first portion and including readback means for reading a directory recorded in the first portion for identifying the physical location on the record member of the recorded data; and second means for addressing the sectors in the second portion and upon detecting a one of said incapable sectors of the second portion during recording the data destined for the incapable sector in a sector of said alternate tracks and recording the location of the incapable sector of the second portion in said alternate track directory track and when reading upon detecting an incapable section of the second portion scanning said alternate directory track for determining the location in the alternate data tracks of the data destined for the incapable sector of said second portion.

Claim 48

The controller set forth in claim 45, wherein said first means having means for allocating an integral number of records of a file to each and every sector destined to receive such data, such that the allocation of each and every sector is filled to the utmost for the respective file; and said second means including recording means for assigning named records or files to the respective addresses in accordance with a physical identification associated with the record or file to be recorded and recording same in the sectors irrespective of filling the sector or not.

Claim 49

The controller set forth in claim 45, wherein said second means includes allocation means for selecting a radially-inewardmost ones of said record tracks for said second portion including establishing said alternate tracks as the redially-inwardmost portion of said secodn portion with said alternate directory track being radially outward of said alternate track but radially inward of the data storing sectors within said second portion; and said first means having allocation means for allocating the radially-outward portion of said record member as being said first portion and further allocating a radially-outward portion of said first portion for storing data beginning at the radially-outwardmost portion and proceeding radially inwardly towards said second portion for storing said directory entries.

Claim 50

The controller set forth in claim 45, wherein said first means includes read and write circuits for recording signals into said first portion and reading signals from said first portion; and said second means includes read-only circuits for only reading the signals stored in said second portion.