Patent JPS6041272A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
Patent US5369532A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US5369532A
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Method and apparatus for managing data on rewritable media to define read/write operational status
Assignee: Storage Technology Corp
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Filing: 1992-06-09
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Granted: 1994-11-29
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Expires: 2012-06-09
Abstract
Abstract Control software and hardware in the tape drive control unit creates and manages a header segment at the beginning of the magnetic tape. This header segment includes an administrative information section that contains data relating to the magnetic tape itself. The administrative information includes read/write status information such as the write protect status of the magnetic tape that enables the tape drive control unit to manage the data records written onto the magnetic tape without reference to any other source of administrative data. In addition, each data record written on the magnetic tape includes a header which denotes the read/write status of the data record.
Inventors
- 👤 William C. Dodt
- 👤 Jerry L. Donze
- 👤 Terry R. Gottehrer
- 👤 Ronald W. Korngiebel
- 👤 Donald F. McCarthy
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-09 18:55
CPC Classifications
G; G06; G06F; G06F3/00; G06F3/06; G06F3/0601; G11; G11B; G11B15/00; G11B15/02; G11B15/04; G11B20/00; G11B20/10; G11B20/12; G11B20/1201; G11B20/1207; G11B20/1209; G11B20/18; G11B20/1833; G11B20/1879; G11B27/00; G11B27/10; G11B27/102; G11B27/107; G11B27/19; G11B27/28; G11B27/30; G11B27/3027; G11B27/32; G11B27/322; G11B27/323; G11B27/327; G11B27/328; G06F3/0668; G06F3/0671; G06F3/0673; G06F3/0682; G11B20/1211; G11B2220/00; G11B2220/90
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 36
Claim 1
Independent Claim
130 words
In a drive element that reads and writes data records received from a host computer on rewritable serial media, apparatus operationally independent of said host computer for maintaining administrative data on said rewritable serial media, comprising: means for writing raid administrative data in a predefined segment of said rewritable serial media, independent of said host computer including data indicative of a rewritable serial media read/write status; means for writing media read/write mode defining data into said administrative data to indicate an operational mode required of said drive element to read/write data on said rewritable serial media; and means for inserting media file safe status data into a header of each said data record written on to said rewritable serial media to indicate whether said rewritable serial media is write protected.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
130 words
In a drive element that reads and writes data records received from a host computer on rewritable serial media, apparatus operationally independent of said host computer for maintaining administrative data on said rewritable serial media, comprising: means for writing raid administrative data in a predefined segment of said rewritable serial media, independent of said host computer including data indicative of a rewritable serial media read/write status; means for writing media read/write mode defining data into said administrative data to indicate an operational mode required of said drive element to read/write data on said rewritable serial media; and means for inserting media file safe status data into a header of each said data record written on to said rewritable serial media to indicate whether said rewritable serial media is write protected.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
37 words
The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said administrative data writing means includes: means for segmenting said rewritable serial media into a first segment for storing said administrative data and a second segment for storing said data records.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
62 words
The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising: means for inserting data record location information for a selected data record into said administrative data and writing said administrative data corresponding to said selected data record substantially concurrently with said selected data record on to said rewritable serial media, to identify a physical location of said selected data record on said rewritable serial media.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
65 words
The apparatus of claim 3 wherein said data record location inserting means includes: means for inserting a data record sequence number indicative of the relative position of a selected data record in said stream of data records into said administrative data, and writing said administrative data corresponding to said selected data record substantially concurrently with said selected data record on to said rewritable serial media.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
60 words
The apparatus of claim 4 wherein said data record location inserting means includes: producing a set of administrative data for each data record successively written on to said rewritable serial media where each successively written set of administrative data contains a data record sequence number greater than said data record sequence number in a previously written set of administrative data.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
62 words
The apparatus of claim 3 further comprising: means, responsive to the presence of said media file safe status data on said rewritable serial media indicative of a media write protect status, for disabling said drive element from writing data records on to said rewritable serial media except past a last previously written data record as defined by said data record location information.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
56 words
The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising: means for inserting into a header, prepended to each of said data records substantially concurrently with writing each of said data records on to said rewritable serial media, data record read/write mode defining information to indicate an operational mode required of said drive element to read/write said data records.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
32 words
The apparatus of claim 7 further comprising: means for inserting data record file safe data into said data record read/write mode defining information to indicate whether said data record is write protected.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
67 words
The apparatus of claim 8 further comprising: means, responsive to the absence of said media read/write mode defining data and the presence of data record file safe data indicative of a data record write protect status, for disabling said drive element from writing data records on to said rewritable serial media except past a last previously written data record as defined by said data record location information.
Claim 11
Independent Claim
45 words
The apparatus of claim I further comprising: means for inserting media retry status data into said media read/write mode defining data to indicate whether said drive element must read/write said data records on said rewritable serial media without rewriting data records found to contain errors.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
46 words
The apparatus of claim 10 further comprising: means, responsive to the presence of said media retry status data on said rewritable serial media indicative of a media no-retry status, for writing data records on said rewritable serial media without rewriting data records found to contain errors.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
47 words
The apparatus of claim 7 further comprising: means for inserting data record retry status data into said data record read/write mode defining information to indicate whether said drive element must read/write said data record on said rewritable serial media without rewriting data records found to contain errors.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
46 words
The apparatus of claim 12 further comprising: means, responsive to the absence of said media read/write mode defining data and the presence of said data record retry status data, for writing data records on said rewritable serial media without rewriting data records found to contain errors.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
38 words
The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising: means for inserting media ECC scan group data into said media read/write mode defining data to indicate whether said drive element must write ECC scan groups on said rewritable serial media.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
60 words
The apparatus of claim 14 further comprising: means, responsive to the presence of said media scan group data on said rewritable serial media indicative of an ECC enabled state, for writing ECC data on said rewritable serial media following a predetermined number of data records written on said rewritable serial media and calculated over said predetermined number of data records.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
40 words
The apparatus of claim 7 further comprising: means for inserting data record ECC scan group data into said data record read/write mode defining information to indicate whether said drive element must write ECC scan groups on said rewritable serial media.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
61 words
The apparatus of claim 16 further comprising: means, responsive to the absence of said media read/write mode defining data and the presence of said data record ECC scan group data, for writing ECC data on said rewritable serial media following a predetermined number of data records written on said rewritable serial media and calculated over said predetermined number of data records.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
129 words
In a drive element that reads and writes data records, received from a host computer on rewritable serial media, a method for providing, operationally independent of said host computer administrative data on said rewritable serial media, comprising the steps of: writing said administrative data in a predefined segment of said rewritable serial media, independent of said host computer including data indicative of a rewritable serial media read/write status; and writing media read/write mode defining data into said administrative data to indicate an operational mode required of said drive element to read/write data on said rewritable serial media; and inserting media file safe status data into a header of each said data record written on to said rewriteable serial media to indicate whether said rewritable serial media is write protected.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
129 words
In a drive element that reads and writes data records, received from a host computer on rewritable serial media, a method for providing, operationally independent of said host computer administrative data on said rewritable serial media, comprising the steps of: writing said administrative data in a predefined segment of said rewritable serial media, independent of said host computer including data indicative of a rewritable serial media read/write status; and writing media read/write mode defining data into said administrative data to indicate an operational mode required of said drive element to read/write data on said rewritable serial media; and inserting media file safe status data into a header of each said data record written on to said rewriteable serial media to indicate whether said rewritable serial media is write protected.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
37 words
The method of claim 18 wherein said step of writing said administrative data includes: segmenting said rewritable serial media into a first segment for storing said administrative data and a second segment for storing said data records.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
63 words
The method of claim 21 further comprising the step of: inserting data record location information for a selected data record into said administrative data and writing said administrative data corresponding to said selected data record substantially concurrently with said selected data record on to said rewritable serial media, to identify a physical location of said selected data record on said rewritable serial media.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
64 words
The method of claim 20 wherein said step of data record location inserting includes: inserting a data record sequence number indicative of the relative position of a selected data record in said stream of data records into said administrative data, and writing said administrative data corresponding to said selected data record substantially concurrently with said selected data record on to said rewritable serial media.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
61 words
The method of claim 21 wherein said step of data record location inserting includes: producing a set of administrative data for each data record successively written on to said rewritable serial media where each successively written set of administrative data contains a data record sequence number greater than said data record sequence number in a previously written set of administrative data.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
64 words
The method of claim 20 further comprising the step of: disabling, in response to the presence of said media file safe status data on said rewritable serial media indicative of a media write protect status, said drive element from writing data records on to said rewritable serial media except past a last previously written data record as defined by said data record location information.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
54 words
The method of claim 18 further comprising: inserting into It header, prepended to each of said data records substantially concurrently with writing each of said data records on to said rewritable serial media, data record read/write mode defining information to indicate an operational mode required of said drive element to read/write said data records.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
33 words
The method of claim 24 further comprising the step of: inserting data record file safe data into said data record read/write mode defining information to indicate whether said data record is write protected.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
69 words
The method of claim 25 further comprising the step of: disabling, in response to the absence of said media read/write mode defining data and the presence of data record file safe data indicative of a data record write protect status, said drive element from writing data records on to said rewritable serial media except past a last previously written data record as defined by said data record location information.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
46 words
The method of claim 18 further comprising the step of: inserting media retry status data into said media read/write mode defining data to indicate whether said drive element must read/write said data records on said rewritable serial media without rewriting data records found to contain errors.
Claim 30
Dependent Claim
48 words
The method of claim 27 further comprising the step of: writing, in response to the presence of said media retry status data on said rewritable serial media indicative of a media no-retry status, data records on said rewritable serial media without rewriting data records found to contain errors.
Claim 31
Dependent Claim
48 words
The method of claim 24 further comprising the step of: inserting data record retry status data into said data record read/write mode defining information to indicate whether said drive element must read/write said data record on said rewritable serial media without rewriting data records found to contain errors.
Claim 32
Dependent Claim
48 words
The method of claim 29 further comprising the step of: writing, in response to the absence of said media read/write mode defining data and the presence of said data record retry status data, data records on said rewritable serial media without rewriting data records found to contain errors.
Claim 33
Dependent Claim
39 words
The method of claim 18 further comprising the step of: inserting media ECC scan group data into said media read/write mode defining data to indicate whether said drive element must write ECC scan groups on said rewritable serial media.
Claim 34
Dependent Claim
62 words
The method of claim 31 further comprising the step of: writing, in response to the presence of said media scan group data on said rewritable serial media indicative of an ECC enable state, ECC data on said rewritable serial media following a predetermined number of data records written on said rewritable serial media and calculated over said predetermined number of data records.
Claim 35
Dependent Claim
41 words
The method of claim 24 further comprising the step of: inserting data record ECC scan group data into said data record read/write mode defining information to indicate whether said drive element must write ECC scan groups on said rewritable serial media.
Claim 36
Dependent Claim
63 words
The method of claim 33 further comprising the step of: writing, in response to the absence of said media read/write mode defining data and the presence of said data record ECC scan group data, ECC data on said rewritable serial media following a predetermined number of data records written on said rewritable serial media and calculated over said predetermined number of data records.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1997-11-28 | 1998-05-30 | 1998-11-29 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2001-11-28 | 2002-05-30 | 2002-11-29 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2005-11-28 | 2006-05-30 | 2006-11-29 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |