Patent US5706472A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US5706472A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Method for manipulating disk partitions
Assignee: Wells Fargo Business Credit Inc
•
Filing: 1995-11-07
•
Granted: 1998-01-06
•
Expires: 2015-11-07
Abstract
Abstract A method allows non-destructive manipulation of disk partitions defined by an IBM-compatible partition table. The disk partitions may be located on one or more disks attached to one or more disk drives. Each partition has an associated file system type. An interrupted manipulation may be resumed at a point in the progress of the manipulation near the point of interruption. Available manipulations include verifying the integrity of a partition's file system structures; displaying information about a partition; moving a partition to a different location; resizing a partition; and resizing the file system clusters. The resizing steps are illustrated with particular reference to file systems which use a file allocation table. The details required to perform these manipulations are attended to by an implementing program that requires only general direction from a user. Thus, the present invention provides a method that allows users who are unfamiliar with technical intricacies to easily manipulate IBM-compatible disk partitions, including extended partitions and logical partitions.
Inventors
- 👤 Eric J. Ruff
- 👤 Robert S. Raymond
- 👤 Scot Llewelyn
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-28 19:58
CPC Classifications
G; G06; G06F; G06F3/00; G06F3/06; G06F3/0601; G06F3/0602; G06F3/0604; G06F3/0607; G06F3/0614; G06F3/0619; G06F3/0628; G06F3/0638; G06F3/0643; G06F3/0644; G06F3/0668; G06F3/0671; G06F3/0673; G06F3/0674; G06F3/0676
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 58
Claim 1
Independent Claim
114 words
A computer-implemented method for manipulating disk partitions, comprising the steps of: selecting an IBM-compatible partition located on a disk, the partition having a left edge and a right edge, the disk attached to a disk drive communicating with a source of electric power, the disk having at least one platter having a plurality of substantially concentric tracks, each track having a plurality of sectors arranged substantially in end-to-end fashion; modifying the selected partition to produce a modified partition by resizing the clusters in the selected partition to produce a modified partition having a different cluster size than the selected partition without destroying user data; and locking the selected partition prior to said modifying step.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
114 words
A computer-implemented method for manipulating disk partitions, comprising the steps of: selecting an IBM-compatible partition located on a disk, the partition having a left edge and a right edge, the disk attached to a disk drive communicating with a source of electric power, the disk having at least one platter having a plurality of substantially concentric tracks, each track having a plurality of sectors arranged substantially in end-to-end fashion; modifying the selected partition to produce a modified partition by resizing the clusters in the selected partition to produce a modified partition having a different cluster size than the selected partition without destroying user data; and locking the selected partition prior to said modifying step.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
110 words
A computer-implemented method for manipulating disk partitions, comprising the steps of: selecting an IBM-compatible partition located on a disk, the partition having a left edge and a right edge, the disk attached to a disk drive communicating with a source of electric power, the disk having at least one platter having a plurality of substantially concentric tracks, each track having a plurality of sectors arranged substantially in end-to-end fashion; modifying the selected partition to produce a modified partition by resizing the clusters in the selected partition to produce a modified partition having a different cluster size than the selected partition without destroying user data; and rebooting after said modifying step.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
110 words
A computer-implemented method for manipulating disk partitions, comprising the steps of: selecting an IBM-compatible partition located on a disk, the partition having a left edge and a right edge, the disk attached to a disk drive communicating with a source of electric power, the disk having at least one platter having a plurality of substantially concentric tracks, each track having a plurality of sectors arranged substantially in end-to-end fashion; modifying the selected partition to produce a modified partition by resizing the clusters in the selected partition to produce a modified partition having a different cluster size than the selected partition without destroying user data; and rebooting after said modifying step.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
128 words
A computer-implemented method for manipulating disk partitions, comprising the steps of: selecting an IBM-compatible partition located on a disk, the partition having a left edge and a right edge, the disk attached to a disk drive communicating with a source of electric power, the disk having at least one platter having a plurality of substantially concentric tracks, each track having a plurality of sectors arranged substantially in end-to-end fashion; and modifying the selected partition to produce a modified partition by resizing the clusters in the selected partition to produce a modified partition having a different cluster size than the selected partition without destroying user data, wherein said modifying step comprises the step of converting cluster numbers of the selected partition to corresponding cluster numbers of the modified partition.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
128 words
A computer-implemented method for manipulating disk partitions, comprising the steps of: selecting an IBM-compatible partition located on a disk, the partition having a left edge and a right edge, the disk attached to a disk drive communicating with a source of electric power, the disk having at least one platter having a plurality of substantially concentric tracks, each track having a plurality of sectors arranged substantially in end-to-end fashion; and modifying the selected partition to produce a modified partition by resizing the clusters in the selected partition to produce a modified partition having a different cluster size than the selected partition without destroying user data, wherein said modifying step comprises the step of converting cluster numbers of the selected partition to corresponding cluster numbers of the modified partition.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
116 words
A computer-implemented method for manipulating disk partitions, comprising of: selecting an IBM-compatible partition located on a disk, the partition having a left edge and a right edge, the disk attached to a disk drive communicating with a source of electric power, the disk having at least one platter having a plurality of substantially concentric tracks, each track having a plurality of sectors arranged substantially in end-to-end fashion; and modifying the selected partition to produce a modified partition by resizing the clusters in the selected partition to produce a modified partition having a different cluster size than the selected partition without destroying user data, wherein said selecting step comprises selecting a logical partition from the partition table.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
116 words
A computer-implemented method for manipulating disk partitions, comprising of: selecting an IBM-compatible partition located on a disk, the partition having a left edge and a right edge, the disk attached to a disk drive communicating with a source of electric power, the disk having at least one platter having a plurality of substantially concentric tracks, each track having a plurality of sectors arranged substantially in end-to-end fashion; and modifying the selected partition to produce a modified partition by resizing the clusters in the selected partition to produce a modified partition having a different cluster size than the selected partition without destroying user data, wherein said selecting step comprises selecting a logical partition from the partition table.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
118 words
A computer-implemented method for manipulating disk partitions, comprising the steps of: selecting an IBM-compatible partition located on a disk, the partition having a left edge and a right edge, the disk attached to a disk drive communicating with a source of electric power, the disk having at least one platter having a plurality of substantially concentric tracks, each track having a plurality of sectors arranged substantially in end-to-end fashion; and modifying the selected partition to produce a modified partition by resizing the clusters in the selected partition to produce a modified partition having a different cluster size than the selected partition without destroying user data, wherein said selecting step comprises selecting an extended partition from the partition table.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
118 words
A computer-implemented method for manipulating disk partitions, comprising the steps of: selecting an IBM-compatible partition located on a disk, the partition having a left edge and a right edge, the disk attached to a disk drive communicating with a source of electric power, the disk having at least one platter having a plurality of substantially concentric tracks, each track having a plurality of sectors arranged substantially in end-to-end fashion; and modifying the selected partition to produce a modified partition by resizing the clusters in the selected partition to produce a modified partition having a different cluster size than the selected partition without destroying user data, wherein said selecting step comprises selecting an extended partition from the partition table.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
107 words
A computer-implemented method for manipulating disk partitions, comprising the steps of: selecting an IBM-compatible partition located on a disk, the partition having a left edge and a right edge, the disk attached to a disk drive communicating with a source of electric power, the disk having at least one platter having a plurality of substantially concentric tracks, each track having a plurality of sectors arranged substantially in end-to-end fashion; and modifying the selected partition to produce a modified partition by resizing the root directory in the selected partition to produce a modified partition having a different root directory size than the selected partition without destroying user data.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
107 words
A computer-implemented method for manipulating disk partitions, comprising the steps of: selecting an IBM-compatible partition located on a disk, the partition having a left edge and a right edge, the disk attached to a disk drive communicating with a source of electric power, the disk having at least one platter having a plurality of substantially concentric tracks, each track having a plurality of sectors arranged substantially in end-to-end fashion; and modifying the selected partition to produce a modified partition by resizing the root directory in the selected partition to produce a modified partition having a different root directory size than the selected partition without destroying user data.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
134 words
A computer-readable storage medium having a configuration that represents data and instructions which cause a processor to perform a method for manipulating disk partitions, the method comprising the computer-implemented steps of: selecting an IBM-compatible partition located on a disk, the partition having a left edge and a right edge, the disk attached to a disk drive communicating with a source of electric power, the disk having at least one platter having a plurality of substantially concentric tracks, each track having a plurality of sectors arranged substantially in end-to-end fashion; modifying the selected partition to produce a modified partition by resizing the clusters in the selected partition to produce a modified partition having a different cluster size than the selected partition without destroying user data; and locking the selected partition prior to the modifying step.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
134 words
A computer-readable storage medium having a configuration that represents data and instructions which cause a processor to perform a method for manipulating disk partitions, the method comprising the computer-implemented steps of: selecting an IBM-compatible partition located on a disk, the partition having a left edge and a right edge, the disk attached to a disk drive communicating with a source of electric power, the disk having at least one platter having a plurality of substantially concentric tracks, each track having a plurality of sectors arranged substantially in end-to-end fashion; modifying the selected partition to produce a modified partition by resizing the clusters in the selected partition to produce a modified partition having a different cluster size than the selected partition without destroying user data; and locking the selected partition prior to the modifying step.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
130 words
A computer-readable storage medium having a configuration that represents data and instructions which cause a processor to perform a method for manipulating disk partitions, the method comprising the computer-implemented steps of: selecting an IBM-compatible partition located on a disk, the partition having a left edge and a right edge, the disk attached to a disk drive communicating with a source of electric power, the disk having at least one platter having a plurality of substantially concentric tracks, each track having a plurality of sectors arranged substantially in end-to-end fashion; modifying the selected partition to produce a modified partition by resizing the clusters in the selected partition to produce a modified partition having a different cluster size than the selected partition without destroying user data; and rebooting after the modifying step.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
130 words
A computer-readable storage medium having a configuration that represents data and instructions which cause a processor to perform a method for manipulating disk partitions, the method comprising the computer-implemented steps of: selecting an IBM-compatible partition located on a disk, the partition having a left edge and a right edge, the disk attached to a disk drive communicating with a source of electric power, the disk having at least one platter having a plurality of substantially concentric tracks, each track having a plurality of sectors arranged substantially in end-to-end fashion; modifying the selected partition to produce a modified partition by resizing the clusters in the selected partition to produce a modified partition having a different cluster size than the selected partition without destroying user data; and rebooting after the modifying step.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
148 words
A computer-readable storage medium having a configuration that represents data and instructions which cause a processor to perform a method for manipulating disk partitions, the method comprising the computer-implemented steps of: selecting an IBM-compatible partition located on a disk, the partition having a left edge and a right edge, the disk attached to a disk drive communicating with a source of electric power, the disk having at least one platter having a plurality of substantially concentric tracks, each track having a plurality of sectors arranged substantially in end-to-end fashion; and modifying the selected partition to produce a modified partition by resizing the clusters in the selected partition to produce a modified partition having a different cluster size than the selected partition without destroying user data, wherein the modifying step comprises the step of converting cluster numbers of the selected partition to corresponding cluster numbers of the modified partition.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
148 words
A computer-readable storage medium having a configuration that represents data and instructions which cause a processor to perform a method for manipulating disk partitions, the method comprising the computer-implemented steps of: selecting an IBM-compatible partition located on a disk, the partition having a left edge and a right edge, the disk attached to a disk drive communicating with a source of electric power, the disk having at least one platter having a plurality of substantially concentric tracks, each track having a plurality of sectors arranged substantially in end-to-end fashion; and modifying the selected partition to produce a modified partition by resizing the clusters in the selected partition to produce a modified partition having a different cluster size than the selected partition without destroying user data, wherein the modifying step comprises the step of converting cluster numbers of the selected partition to corresponding cluster numbers of the modified partition.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
138 words
A computer-readable storage medium having a configuration that represents data and instructions which cause a processor to perform a method for manipulating disk partitions, the method comprising the computer-implemented steps of: selecting an IBM-compatible partition located on a disk, the partition having a left edge and a right edge, the disk attached to a disk drive communicating with a source of electric power, the disk having at least one platter having a plurality of substantially concentric tracks, each track having a plurality of sectors arranged substantially in end-to-end fashion; and modifying the selected partition to produce a modified partition by resizing the clusters in the selected partition to produce a modified partition having a different cluster size than the selected partition without destroying user data, wherein the selecting step comprises selecting a logical partition from the partition table.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
138 words
A computer-readable storage medium having a configuration that represents data and instructions which cause a processor to perform a method for manipulating disk partitions, the method comprising the computer-implemented steps of: selecting an IBM-compatible partition located on a disk, the partition having a left edge and a right edge, the disk attached to a disk drive communicating with a source of electric power, the disk having at least one platter having a plurality of substantially concentric tracks, each track having a plurality of sectors arranged substantially in end-to-end fashion; and modifying the selected partition to produce a modified partition by resizing the clusters in the selected partition to produce a modified partition having a different cluster size than the selected partition without destroying user data, wherein the selecting step comprises selecting a logical partition from the partition table.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
138 words
A computer-readable storage medium having a configuration that represents data and instructions which cause a processor to perform a method for manipulating disk partitions, the method comprising the computer-implemented steps of: selecting an IBM-compatible partition located on a disk, the partition having a left edge and a right edge, the disk attached to a disk drive communicating with a source of electric power, the disk having at least one platter having a plurality of substantially concentric tracks, each track having a plurality of sectors arranged substantially in end-to-end fashion; and modifying the selected partition to produce a modified partition by resizing the clusters in the selected partition to produce a modified partition having a different cluster size than the selected partition without destroying user data, wherein the selecting step comprises selecting an extended partition from the partition table.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
138 words
A computer-readable storage medium having a configuration that represents data and instructions which cause a processor to perform a method for manipulating disk partitions, the method comprising the computer-implemented steps of: selecting an IBM-compatible partition located on a disk, the partition having a left edge and a right edge, the disk attached to a disk drive communicating with a source of electric power, the disk having at least one platter having a plurality of substantially concentric tracks, each track having a plurality of sectors arranged substantially in end-to-end fashion; and modifying the selected partition to produce a modified partition by resizing the clusters in the selected partition to produce a modified partition having a different cluster size than the selected partition without destroying user data, wherein the selecting step comprises selecting an extended partition from the partition table.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
127 words
A computer-readable storage medium having a configuration that represents data and instructions which cause a processor to perform a method for manipulating disk partitions, the method comprising the computer-implemented steps of: selecting an IBM-compatible partition located on a disk, the partition having a left edge and a right edge, the disk attached to a disk drive communicating with a source of electric power, the disk having at least one platter having a plurality of substantially concentric tracks, each track having a plurality of sectors arranged substantially in end-to-end fashion; and modifying the selected partition to produce a modified partition by resizing the root directory in the selected partition to produce a modified partition having a different root directory size than the selected partition without destroying user data.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
127 words
A computer-readable storage medium having a configuration that represents data and instructions which cause a processor to perform a method for manipulating disk partitions, the method comprising the computer-implemented steps of: selecting an IBM-compatible partition located on a disk, the partition having a left edge and a right edge, the disk attached to a disk drive communicating with a source of electric power, the disk having at least one platter having a plurality of substantially concentric tracks, each track having a plurality of sectors arranged substantially in end-to-end fashion; and modifying the selected partition to produce a modified partition by resizing the root directory in the selected partition to produce a modified partition having a different root directory size than the selected partition without destroying user data.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
118 words
A computer-implemented method for manipulating disk partitions, comprising the steps of: selecting an IBM-compatible partition located on a disk, the partition having a left edge and a right edge, the disk attached to a disk drive communicating with a source of electric power, the disk having at least one platter having a plurality of substantially concentric tracks, each track having a plurality of sectors arranged substantially in end-to-end fashion; and modifying the selected partition to produce a modified partition by resizing the clusters in the selected partition to produce a modified partition having a different cluster size than the selected partition without destroying user data, wherein said modifying step comprises the step of adjusting a file system structure.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
118 words
A computer-implemented method for manipulating disk partitions, comprising the steps of: selecting an IBM-compatible partition located on a disk, the partition having a left edge and a right edge, the disk attached to a disk drive communicating with a source of electric power, the disk having at least one platter having a plurality of substantially concentric tracks, each track having a plurality of sectors arranged substantially in end-to-end fashion; and modifying the selected partition to produce a modified partition by resizing the clusters in the selected partition to produce a modified partition having a different cluster size than the selected partition without destroying user data, wherein said modifying step comprises the step of adjusting a file system structure.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
18 words
The method of claim 13, wherein said adjusting step comprises adjusting the size of a file allocation table.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
115 words
A computer-implemented method for manipulating disk partitions, comprising the steps of: selecting an IBM-compatible partition located on a disk, the partition having a left edge and a right edge, the disk attached to a disk drive communicating with a source of electric power, the disk having at least one platter having a plurality of substantially concentric tracks, each track having a plurality of sectors arranged substantially in end-to-end fashion; and modifying the selected partition to produce a modified partition by resizing the clusters in the selected partition to produce a modified partition having a different cluster size than the selected partition without destroying user data, wherein said modifying step comprises employing a data recovery method.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
115 words
A computer-implemented method for manipulating disk partitions, comprising the steps of: selecting an IBM-compatible partition located on a disk, the partition having a left edge and a right edge, the disk attached to a disk drive communicating with a source of electric power, the disk having at least one platter having a plurality of substantially concentric tracks, each track having a plurality of sectors arranged substantially in end-to-end fashion; and modifying the selected partition to produce a modified partition by resizing the clusters in the selected partition to produce a modified partition having a different cluster size than the selected partition without destroying user data, wherein said modifying step comprises employing a data recovery method.
Claim 30
Dependent Claim
71 words
The method of claim 15, wherein said data recovery method comprises the step of storing progress markers on the disk within the selected partition, the progress markers corresponding to incrementally increasing portions of said modifying step, thereby removing the need to repeat all of said modifying step if said modifying step is resumed after the disk drive's communication with the source of electric power is temporarily interrupted during said modifying step.
Claim 31
Dependent Claim
138 words
A computer-readable storage medium having a configuration that represents data and instructions which cause a processor to perform a method for manipulating disk partitions, the method comprising the computer-implemented steps of: selecting an IBM-compatible partition located on a disk, the partition having a left edge and a right edge, the disk attached to a disk drive communicating with a source of electric power, the disk having at least one platter having a plurality of substantially concentric tracks, each track having a plurality of sectors arranged substantially in end-to-end fashion; and modifying the selected partition to produce a modified partition by resizing the clusters in the selected partition to produce a modified partition having a different cluster size than the selected partition without destroying user data, wherein the modifying step comprises the step of adjusting a file system structure.
Claim 32
Dependent Claim
138 words
A computer-readable storage medium having a configuration that represents data and instructions which cause a processor to perform a method for manipulating disk partitions, the method comprising the computer-implemented steps of: selecting an IBM-compatible partition located on a disk, the partition having a left edge and a right edge, the disk attached to a disk drive communicating with a source of electric power, the disk having at least one platter having a plurality of substantially concentric tracks, each track having a plurality of sectors arranged substantially in end-to-end fashion; and modifying the selected partition to produce a modified partition by resizing the clusters in the selected partition to produce a modified partition having a different cluster size than the selected partition without destroying user data, wherein the modifying step comprises the step of adjusting a file system structure.
Claim 33
Dependent Claim
19 words
The storage medium of claim 17, wherein the adjusting step comprises adjusting the size of a file allocation table.
Claim 34
Dependent Claim
135 words
A computer-readable storage medium having a configuration that represents data and instructions which cause a processor to perform a method for manipulating disk partitions, the method comprising the computer-implemented steps of: selecting an IBM-compatible partition located on a disk, the partition having a left edge and a right edge, the disk attached to a disk drive communicating with a source of electric power, the disk having at least one platter having a plurality of substantially concentric tracks, each track having a plurality of sectors arranged substantially in end-to-end fashion; and modifying the selected partition to produce a modified partition by resizing the clusters in the selected partition to having a modified partition having a different cluster size than the selected partition without destroying user data, wherein the modifying step comprises employing a data recovery method.
Claim 35
Dependent Claim
135 words
A computer-readable storage medium having a configuration that represents data and instructions which cause a processor to perform a method for manipulating disk partitions, the method comprising the computer-implemented steps of: selecting an IBM-compatible partition located on a disk, the partition having a left edge and a right edge, the disk attached to a disk drive communicating with a source of electric power, the disk having at least one platter having a plurality of substantially concentric tracks, each track having a plurality of sectors arranged substantially in end-to-end fashion; and modifying the selected partition to produce a modified partition by resizing the clusters in the selected partition to having a modified partition having a different cluster size than the selected partition without destroying user data, wherein the modifying step comprises employing a data recovery method.
Claim 36
Dependent Claim
72 words
The storage medium of claim 19, wherein the data recovery method comprises the step of storing progress markers on the disk within the selected partition, the progress markers corresponding to incrementally increasing portions of the modifying step, thereby removing the need to repeat all of the modifying step if the modifying step is resumed after the disk drive's communication with the source of electric power is temporarily interrupted during the modifying step.
Claim 37
Dependent Claim
119 words
A computer-implemented method for manipulating disk partitions, comprising the steps of: selecting an IBM-compatible partition located on a disk, the partition having a left edge and a right edge, the disk attached to a disk drive communicating with a source of electric power, the disk having at least one platter having a plurality of substantially concentric tracks, each track having a plurality of sectors arranged substantially in end-to-end fashion; modifying the selected partition to produce a modified partition by resizing the clusters in the selected partition to produce a modified partition having a different cluster size than the selected partition without destroying user data; and verifying the integrity and consistency of internal file system data of the selected partition.
Claim 38
Dependent Claim
119 words
A computer-implemented method for manipulating disk partitions, comprising the steps of: selecting an IBM-compatible partition located on a disk, the partition having a left edge and a right edge, the disk attached to a disk drive communicating with a source of electric power, the disk having at least one platter having a plurality of substantially concentric tracks, each track having a plurality of sectors arranged substantially in end-to-end fashion; modifying the selected partition to produce a modified partition by resizing the clusters in the selected partition to produce a modified partition having a different cluster size than the selected partition without destroying user data; and verifying the integrity and consistency of internal file system data of the selected partition.
Claim 39
Dependent Claim
13 words
The method of claim 21, wherein said verifying step precedes said modifying step.
Claim 40
Dependent Claim
29 words
The method of claim 22, further comprising the step of reverifying the integrity and consistency of the internal file system data of the selected partition after said modifying step.
Claim 41
Dependent Claim
139 words
A computer-readable storage medium having a configuration that represents data and instructions which cause a processor to perform a method for manipulating disk partitions, the method comprising the computer-implemented steps of: selecting an IBM-compatible partition located on a disk, the partition having a left edge and a right edge, the disk attached to a disk drive communicating with a source of electric power, the disk having at least one platter having a plurality of substantially concentric tracks, each track having a plurality of sectors arranged substantially in end-to-end fashion; modifying the selected partition to produce a modified partition by resizing the clusters in the selected partition to produce a modified partition having a different cluster size than the selected partition without destroying user data; and verifying the integrity and consistency of internal file system data of the selected partition.
Claim 42
Dependent Claim
139 words
A computer-readable storage medium having a configuration that represents data and instructions which cause a processor to perform a method for manipulating disk partitions, the method comprising the computer-implemented steps of: selecting an IBM-compatible partition located on a disk, the partition having a left edge and a right edge, the disk attached to a disk drive communicating with a source of electric power, the disk having at least one platter having a plurality of substantially concentric tracks, each track having a plurality of sectors arranged substantially in end-to-end fashion; modifying the selected partition to produce a modified partition by resizing the clusters in the selected partition to produce a modified partition having a different cluster size than the selected partition without destroying user data; and verifying the integrity and consistency of internal file system data of the selected partition.
Claim 43
Dependent Claim
14 words
The storage medium of claim 24, wherein the verifying step precedes the modifying step.
Claim 44
Dependent Claim
30 words
The storage medium of claim 25, further comprising the step of reverifying the integrity and consistency of the internal file system data of the selected partition after the modifying step.
Claim 45
Dependent Claim
125 words
A computer-implemented method for manipulating disk partitions, comprising the steps of: selecting an IBM-compatible partition located on a disk, the partition having a left edge and a right edge, the disk attached to a disk drive communicating with a source of electric power, the disk having at least one platter having a plurality of substantially concentric tracks, each track having a plurality of sectors arranged substantially in end-to-end fashion; modifying the selected partition to produce a modified partition by resizing the clusters in the selected partition to produce a modified partition having a different cluster size than the selected partition without destroying user data; and resizing the selected partition such that the modified partition has a different number of disk sectors than the selected partition.
Claim 46
Dependent Claim
125 words
A computer-implemented method for manipulating disk partitions, comprising the steps of: selecting an IBM-compatible partition located on a disk, the partition having a left edge and a right edge, the disk attached to a disk drive communicating with a source of electric power, the disk having at least one platter having a plurality of substantially concentric tracks, each track having a plurality of sectors arranged substantially in end-to-end fashion; modifying the selected partition to produce a modified partition by resizing the clusters in the selected partition to produce a modified partition having a different cluster size than the selected partition without destroying user data; and resizing the selected partition such that the modified partition has a different number of disk sectors than the selected partition.
Claim 47
Dependent Claim
18 words
The method of claim 27, wherein said resizing step comprises determining the maximum size of the modified partition.
Claim 48
Dependent Claim
18 words
The method of claim 27, wherein said resizing step comprises moving the left edge of the selected partition.
Claim 49
Dependent Claim
18 words
The method of claim 27, wherein said resizing step comprises moving the right edge of the selected partition.
Claim 50
Dependent Claim
18 words
The method of claim 27, wherein said resizing step comprises determining the minimum size of the modified partition.
Claim 51
Dependent Claim
26 words
The method of claim 31, wherein said resizing step further comprises identifying a safety factor for use in determining the minimum size of the modified partition.
Claim 52
Dependent Claim
145 words
A computer-readable storage medium having a configuration that represents data and instructions which cause a processor to perform a method for manipulating disk partitions, the method comprising the computer-implemented steps of: selecting an IBM-compatible partition located on a disk, the partition having a left edge and a right edge, the disk attached to a disk drive communicating with a source of electric power, the disk having at least one platter having a plurality of substantially concentric tracks, each track having a plurality of sectors arranged substantially in end-to-end fashion; modifying the selected partition to produce a modified partition by resizing the clusters in the selected partition to produce a modified partition having a different cluster size than the selected partition without destroying user data; and resizing the selected partition such that the modified partition has a different number of disk sectors than the selected partition.
Claim 53
Dependent Claim
145 words
A computer-readable storage medium having a configuration that represents data and instructions which cause a processor to perform a method for manipulating disk partitions, the method comprising the computer-implemented steps of: selecting an IBM-compatible partition located on a disk, the partition having a left edge and a right edge, the disk attached to a disk drive communicating with a source of electric power, the disk having at least one platter having a plurality of substantially concentric tracks, each track having a plurality of sectors arranged substantially in end-to-end fashion; modifying the selected partition to produce a modified partition by resizing the clusters in the selected partition to produce a modified partition having a different cluster size than the selected partition without destroying user data; and resizing the selected partition such that the modified partition has a different number of disk sectors than the selected partition.
Claim 54
Dependent Claim
19 words
The storage medium of claim 33, wherein the resizing step comprises determining the maximum size of the modified partition.
Claim 55
Dependent Claim
19 words
The storage medium of claim 33, wherein the resizing step comprises moving the left edge of the selected partition.
Claim 56
Dependent Claim
19 words
The storage medium of claim 33, wherein the resizing step comprises moving the right edge of the selected partition.
Claim 57
Dependent Claim
19 words
The storage medium of claim 33, wherein the resizing step comprises determining the minimum size of the modified partition.
Claim 58
Dependent Claim
27 words
The storage medium of claim 37, wherein the resizing step further comprises identifying a safety factor for use in determining the minimum size of the modified partition.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
US4722048A
Cited
US5062042A
Cited
US4819159A
Cited
US4994963A
Cited
US4982324A
Cited
US5313646A
Cited
US5371885A
Cited
US5363487A
Cited
US5307497A
Cited
US5166936A
Cited
US5214695A
Cited
US5136711A
Cited
US5269018A
Cited
US5359725A
Cited
US5361358A
Cited
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2001-01-05 | 2001-07-07 | 2002-01-06 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2005-01-05 | 2005-07-07 | 2006-01-06 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2009-01-05 | 2009-07-07 | 2010-01-06 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |