Redundant offset recording

Claim 2

Apparatus for recording information on a record medium, said apparatus comprising A. static information storage means for storing information to be recorded on said medium, B. recording means for receiving information from said storage means and for recording it on said medium in any one of first and second sets of one or more tracks, C. control means for operating said storage means and said recording means for delivering information from said storage means to said recording means for recordal in said first set of tracks at a first location on said record medium, and for delivering the same information to said recording means for recordal again in said second set of tracks at a second location that does not include part of said first location but which has a selected spatial relation to said first location, where each said location encompasses record medium storage area in both sets of tracks and D. reading means for reading from any one of said first and second sets of tracks information recorded on said medium; said reading means normally reading information units recorded in only one set oF said tracks, determining whether there is an error in the units of information read from said one set of tracks, and reading a unit of information from said second set of tracks in the event an error is detected in the reading of that same information unit from said first set of tracks.

Claim 3

Apparatus as defined in claim 1 A. in which said storage means stores first and second units of successively occurring information, and B. in which said control means operates said storage means and said recording means to record a first unit of information at said first location in said first set of tracks, to record said second unit of information at said second location in said first set of tracks, to record again said first unit of information at said second location in said second set of tracks, and to record again said second unit of information in said second set of tracks at a third location that does not include either of said first and second locations.

Claim 4

for operating said read-out means and said storage means normally to read successively recorded information from said first set of tracks and to store the resultant characters in said storage means,

Claim 5

for operating said read-out means and said storage means normally to read successively recorded information from said first set of tracks and to store the resultant characters in said storage means,

Claim 6

operating said memory means to store a record of characters successively received from the source in successively ordered locations of said first set thereof,

Claim 7

operating said memory means to store a record of characters successively received from the source in successively ordered locations of said first set thereof,

Claim 8

operating said memory means and said recording means to record the record of characters stored in said second set of memory locations in said second set of tracks at a first block,

Claim 9

operating said memory means and said recording means to record the record of characters stored in said second set of memory locations in said second set of tracks at a first block,

Claim 10

responding to the detection of an error condition by said error-detecting means to store blank characters in said Storage means in lieu of read-out characters and at substantially the same rate as read-out characters are normally loaded into said memory means until said memory means contains a full record of read-out and blank characters, and

Claim 11

responding to the detection of an error condition by said error-detecting means to store blank characters in said Storage means in lieu of read-out characters and at substantially the same rate as read-out characters are normally loaded into said memory means until said memory means contains a full record of read-out and blank characters, and

Claim 12

Apparatus for recording information on a recording medium, said apparatus comprising A. static information storage means for successively receiving units of information to be recorded and for storing at least any two successively received information units, B. recording means for receiving information from said storage means and for recording it on a recording medium in any one of first and second sets of one or more tracks, C. control means for operating said storage means and said recording means for storing said unit of information only once in each said set of tracks in the order in which said storage means receives it, and with each unit of information being recorded in each set of tracks at a location that does not include any part of the location at which said same unit of information is recorded in the other set of tracks, where each said location includes record medium storage area in both said sets of tracks; said control means operating said storage means and said recording means for recording each unit of information in said second set of tracks in a location which has a selected and fixed spatial relation relative to the recordal of the same unit of information in said first set of tracks and D. means for reading said information, as so recorded, from said recording medium, said means for reading including record reading apparatus for normally reading units of information from said first set of tracks in the same sequence as recorded, and for reading a unit of information from said second track in the event an error is detected in the reading of that same information unit from said first track.

Claim 13

Apparatus for recording information on a recording medium, said apparatus comprising A. static information storage means for successively receiving units of information to be recorded and for storing at least any two successively received information units, B. recording means for receiving information from said storage means and for recording it on a recording medium in any one of first and second sets of one or more tracks, C. control means for operating said storage means and said recording means for storing said unit of information only once in each said set of tracks in the order in which said storage means receives it, and with each unit of information being recorded in each set of tracks at a location that does not include any part of the location at which said same unit of information is recorded in the other set of tracks, where each said location includes record medium storage area in both said sets of tracks; said control means operating said storage means and said recording means for recording each unit of information in said second set of tracks in a location which has a selected and fixed spatial relation relative to the recordal of the same unit of information in said first set of tracks and D. means for reading said information, as so recorded, from said recording medium, said means for reading including record reading apparatus for normally reading units of information from said first set of tracks in the same sequence as recorded, and for reading a unit of information from said second track in the event an error is detected in the reading of that same information unit from said first track.

Claim 14

Apparatus according to claim 3 wherein said tracks extend on the record medium side-by-side with each other and wherein each said location includes equal-length side-by-side segments of both sets of tracks.

Claim 15

transferring the read-out of the record medium from said first set of tracks to said second set of tracks upon the detection of a read-out error condition only at a time when said memory means is full.

Claim 16

transferring the read-out of the record medium from said first set of tracks to said second set of tracks upon the detection of a read-out error condition only at a time when said memory means is full.

Claim 17

operating said memory means and said recording means to record the record of characters stored in said first set of memory locations in said first set of tracks at a block spatially associated on said medium with said first block for essentially simultaneous parallel read-out from the associated blocks, and for restoring the record of characters recorded in said first set of tracks in said second set of memory locations. D. read-out means for reading information from any of said first and second sets of tracks and producing character-identifying information signals in response thereto, E. error-detecting means for monitoring read-out signals from said read-out means to detect a read-out error condition, and F. control means for operating said read-out means normally to read successively-recorded information from said first set of tracks, and responding to the detection of an error condition by said error-detecting means to transfer the read-out of the record medium from said first set of tracks to said second set of tracks.

Claim 18

operating said memory means and said recording means to record the record of characters stored in said first set of memory locations in said first set of tracks at a block spatially associated on said medium with said first block for essentially simultaneous parallel read-out from the associated blocks, and for restoring the record of characters recorded in said first set of tracks in said second set of memory locations. D. read-out means for reading information from any of said first and second sets of tracks and producing character-identifying information signals in response thereto, E. error-detecting means for monitoring read-out signals from said read-out means to detect a read-out error condition, and F. control means for operating said read-out means normally to read successively-recorded information from said first set of tracks, and responding to the detection of an error condition by said error-detecting means to transfer the read-out of the record medium from said first set of tracks to said second set of tracks.

Claim 19

Apparatus according to claim 3 in which said means for reading further includes error-checking means for detecting an error in each information unit read from at least said first set of tracks.

Claim 20

Apparatus according to claim 3 in which said recording medium is of the type that is subjected to movement relative to said recording means and to said reading means for the transfer of information therewith in a forward direction extending along said tracks, and further characterized in that said control means operates said storage means and said recording means for recording each unit of information on the record medium in said first set of tracks at a location disposed further along said forward direction than the location at which said same unit of information is recorded in said second set of tracks.

Claim 21

Apparatus according to claim 3 in which said control means operates said storage means and said recording means for recording information simultaneously in both said sets of tracks at the same location.

Claim 22

Apparatus according to claim 3 A. in which said storage means has first and second sets of storage locations, and B. in which said controL means operates said storage means to store a newly received information unit in said first set of locations and to store a previously received information unit in said second set of locations, and, further, to record in said first set of tracks information units stored in said first set of locations, and to record in said second set of tracks information units stored in said second set of locations.

Claim 23

Apparatus for reading information from a recording medium, said apparatus comprising A. read-out means for reading information from any one of first and second sets of one or more recording medium tracks, B. information storage means for receiving read-out information from said read-out means and for storing the information, C. control means for operating said read-out means and said storage means for reading information normally from locations successively positioned along one set of tracks and for the storage thereof in said storage means, and in the event an error is detected in the information read from said one set of tracks at a first location, for transferring the read-out to at least one different location of the other set of tracks and for storing the information read therefrom in said storage means, where each said location encompasses record medium storage area in both said sets of tracks.

Claim 24

Apparatus for reading information from a recording medium, said apparatus comprising A. read-out means for reading information from any one of first and second sets of one or more recording medium tracks, B. information storage means for receiving read-out information from said read-out means and for storing the information, C. control means for operating said read-out means and said storage means for reading information normally from locations successively positioned along one set of tracks and for the storage thereof in said storage means, and in the event an error is detected in the information read from said one set of tracks at a first location, for transferring the read-out to at least one different location of the other set of tracks and for storing the information read therefrom in said storage means, where each said location encompasses record medium storage area in both said sets of tracks.

Claim 25

Record reading apparatus according to claim 9 in which said control means operates said storage means to record the information read from said other set of tracks in said one different location in place of the storage of information read from said one set of tracks at said first location.

Claim 26

Record reading apparatus according to claim 9 A. further comprising error-detecting means for monitoring signals produced in response to the read-out signals from said read-out means to detect a read-out error condition, and B. in which said control means responds to said detection of an error condition to cause said transfer of the read-out from one set of tracks to another set of tracks.

Claim 27

Record reading apparatus according to claim 11 for use with a record storing in each location a first number of information items in each of said first and second sets of tracks, and further characterized in that said control means A. clears said storage means of information items prior to initiating the reading of a location on said record means, B. operates said read-out means and said storage means normally to store in said storage means all of said first number of information items read from a set of tracks in one location, C. stores blank information items in said storage means in lieu of information items read from the record medium in response to said detection of an error condition until the sum of said blank information items and the read-out information items stored in said storage means attains said first number, and D. transfers the read-out of information from the record medium from one set of tracks to the other set of tracks only when said storage means contains a first number of information items.

Claim 28

Read-out apparatus according to claim 9 in which said recording medium is of the type that is subjected to movement relative to said read-out means for the transfer of information therewith in a forward direction extending along said tracks, and in which said read-out apparatus is for use with a record medium which stores in each location a first number of information items in each of said first and second sets of tracks, said read-out apparatus being further characterized in that said control means A. operates said read-out means and said storage means to move said record medium in said forward direction for the read-out of information from the record means, and continue to move the record medium in said forward direction in response to detection of a read-out error from within a location until the entirety of that location has been moved in said forward direction past said read-out means, and B. operates said read-out means and said storage means to transfer the read-out of information from one set of tracks to the other set of tracks upon detection of an error only during the passage by said read-out means of an interlocation space on said record medium.

Claim 29

Apparatus for recording digital information on a magnetic tape or like record medium with the recorded information being organized in records, each of which is recorded in a block of the record medium and which is spaced from a successive record by an inter-record gap, said apparatus comprising A. buffer memory means for storing first and second records of information characters successively received from an information source, with the characters of the last-received record being stored in a first set of memory locations and with the characters of the previously received record being stored in a second set of memory locations, B. recording means for receiving information from said memory means and for recording the information on said record medium in any one of first and second sets of recording tracks, each set of which has at least one track, C. control means

Claim 30

Apparatus for recording digital information on a magnetic tape or like record medium with the recorded information being organized in records, each of which is recorded in a block of the record medium and which is spaced from a successive record by an inter-record gap, said apparatus comprising A. buffer memory means for storing first and second records of information characters successively received from an information source, with the characters of the last-received record being stored in a first set of memory locations and with the characters of the previously received record being stored in a second set of memory locations, B. recording means for receiving information from said memory means and for recording the information on said record medium in any one of first and second sets of recording tracks, each set of which has at least one track, C. control means

Claim 31

Apparatus for reading digital information from a magnetic tape or like record medium having multiple-character records of information recorded therein each in a block of the record medium and which is spaced from the adjacent blocks by an inter-record gap, and having said information recorded in each of first and second sets of tracks, with each set having at least one track, said apparatus comprising A. read-out means for reading information from any one of said first and second sets of tracks and producing character-identifying information signals in response thereto, B. buffer storage means connected with said read-out means for storing a record of characters read from the record medium, C. error-detecting means for monitoring signals produced in response to the read-out signals from said read-out means to detect a read-out error condition, and D. control means

Claim 32

Apparatus for reading digital information from a magnetic tape or like record medium having multiple-character records of information recorded therein each in a block of the record medium and which is spaced from the adjacent blocks by an inter-record gap, and having said information recorded in each of first and second sets of tracks, with each set having at least one track, said apparatus comprising A. read-out means for reading information from any one of said first and second sets of tracks and producing character-identifying information signals in response thereto, B. buffer storage means connected with said read-out means for storing a record of characters read from the record medium, C. error-detecting means for monitoring signals produced in response to the read-out signals from said read-out means to detect a read-out error condition, and D. control means

Claim 33

Record reading apparatus as defined in claim 15 further characterized in that said control means operates said read-out means and said memory means successively to read a single record of information from said second set of tracks and to store the read-out characters produced in response thereto in said memory means, and to transfer the read-out of recorded information back to said first set of tracks starting with the first record immediately following the record in which the read-out error was detected.

Claim 34

Record reading apparatus as defined in claim 16 further characterized in that subsequent to reading a record from said second set of tracks, said control means operates said read-out means and said memory means to read in reverse the same record from said second set of tracks, thereby to ready the reading of successive records from the said first set of tracks.