Storage Technology Corporation

Quantum Corporation

Digital Equipment Corporation

Storage Technology Coproration

Joe Kent Jurneke

Matthew P Wojciechowski

Brahim Lekmine

Donald L Millican

Turguy Goker

Clark M Janssen

Douglas A Gunther

Donovan M Janssen

Scott M Rockwell

James P Peng

Lawrence G Neumann

Lynn C Jacobs

Arnold C Scheer

A tape media cartridge includes a cartridge housing having a standard form factor, a cartridge reel that is coupled to and retained within the cartridge and a tape media. The tape media can be selectively wound onto the cartridge reel between a fully wound state, a partially wound state and an unwound state. The tape media forms a media hollow cylinder having a media outer diameter and a media inner diameter that varies depending upon the state of the tape media. When the tape media is in the fully wound state, the tape media has a ratio of the media outer diameter to media inner diameter of at least approximately 95:43. The cartridge housing can include a side wall having a wall center and wall edge, the side wall having a side wall thickness that gradually increases from the side wall center to the side wall edge.

Magnetic tape media cartridge with increased tape media capacity

A tape drive includes a first tape head, a first actuator assembly, a second tape head, a second actuator assembly, and a controller. The first tape head includes two first servo elements that each read one of two servo tracks, and a first read/write element that one of reads data from and writes data to a first data track. The first tape head is positionable at a first base head rotation angle. The first actuator assembly selectively rotates the first tape head from the first base head rotation angle to a first adjusted head rotation angle. The second tape head includes two second servo elements that each read one of the two servo tracks, and a second read/write element that one of reads data from and writes data to the first data track. The second tape head is positionable at a second base head rotation angle. The second actuator assembly selectively rotates the second tape head from the second base head rotation angle to a second adjusted head rotation angle. The controller independently controls the selective rotation of the first tape head and the second tape head based solely on servo information.

Total dimensional stability compensation system and method for magnetic tape drive

A tape library having a robot zone and a robot on the robot zone, movable in the robot zone of the tape rack in at least a first direction and a second direction. A tape drive, which has an opening to receive cartridges, is positioned so that the robot nears the tape drive when the robot moves in a second direction. A width of the tape drive is wider than a width of the robot zone. This tape drive design is called the 'Sideways Format Path for 19&#x2033; Rack Libraries.' It is achieved by using unique dimensions for a new tape drive that uses blind spaces existing in tape libraries unreachable by the robot to provide a bigger space to design longer tape paths, resulting in higher cartridge density with longer tape path without requiring bigger overall library dimensions for a library of tape cartridges.

Large form factor extended tape path magnetic tape storage device

A tape drive for use with a magnetic tape including two spaced apart servo tracks and a first data track includes a tape head, an actuator assembly, and a controller. The tape head includes two spaced apart servo elements that are each configured to read one of the two servo tracks, and a first read/write element that is configured to one of read data from and write data to the first data track. The tape head is positionable at a base head rotation angle relative to transverse to the length of the magnetic tape. The actuator assembly is configured to selectively rotate the tape head relative to the magnetic tape. The controller controls the actuator assembly to selectively rotate the tape head relative to the magnetic tape from the base head rotation angle to an adjusted head rotation angle that is different than the base head rotation angle based solely on servo information from the two servo elements reading the two servo tracks.

The present invention is directed to an archival data storage system. The archival data storage system includes write once and read many (WORM) capability, data redundancy, error correction, and access control. The combination of these capabilities enable the archival storage system to be secure, error proof, and reliable. Additionally, to provide fast data access time, solid state storage devices are used in place of conventional tape drive. Solid state storage devices such as, for example, flash memory devices are fast, versatile and reliable.

Data storage system

A method and associated apparatus for reduction of data loss errors in computer data tape transport applications. In tape transport devices with moveable read heads (i.e. auto-tracking read/playback heads), by sensing telemetry information regarding tape movement and alignment of a position on the tape medium before the position on the tape encounters the moveable head. Prior systems provided for such sensing only as the tape was read by the moveable head such that compensation could be made only for subsequent read operation. By sensing the telemetry data in advance of the tape encountering the moveable head, the head may be adjusted in time to encounter the misaligned tape medium compensating for the misalignment. Similarly, telemetry data relating to the speed of the tape motion as sensed by a channel reading a predetermined recorded sequence of bits permits compensation for both erroneous tape speed and tape medium stretch or contraction.

Method and apparatus for reducing data loss errors in a magnetic tape

The tape transport system acquires telemetry information pertaining to the tape medium at a position in advance of the associated tape segment passing over the movable read head. The advance telemetry information includes tape motion and position information which is used to identify both physical defects in the tape medium and misalignment of the tape medium with respect to the movable read head. The advance telemetry information are used to adjust the tape speed and the position of the movable read head with respect to the tape medium as the tape moves ahead to encounter the read head. This compensation can significantly reduce the data loss errors induced by tape speed and tape tracking errors.

Tape transport system using variable tape speed to achieve constant data

A tape threading apparatus (20) includes a tape guide arm (22) having a spring-biased elbow (32). The arm (22) is coupled for rotation with a rotatable shaft (24). The shaft is provided with a barrel cam (76, 92) for a third dimension of movement. A drive mechanism includes two gears (88, 90) that overlap to permit vertical slippage in the third dimension of movement. An arm guide cam slot (102) provides a directional orientation for movement of the arm (22) along a tape travel pathway (100).

Automatic tape guide arm with three dimensional range of motion and

A data channel monitor is provided for a data channel that converts analog signal data to binary digital bits. The monitor allows the quality of the data detected to be measured in conjunction with predetermined processing steps performed in the data channel. The channel monitor obtains channel data and uses the data to determine detection margins, which are a measure of the data quality. The detection margins are compared with an acceptable value(s). Error references are generated if a detection margin is outside an acceptable range. The data monitor also preferably includes a diagnostic capability wherein all detection margins may be stored for off-line analysis whenever the data channel is placed in diagnostic mode.

Data quality analysis in a data signal processing channel

Circuitry is provided that interconnects a plurality of MR heads on a substrate with control circuitry using a lesser number of interconnecting paths. This reduces the number of required substrate pins to which the interconnecting paths are connected. The reduced number of substrate pins is such that it enables manufacturing and processing techniques to accommodate an increased number of MR heads on a given substrate over that which would be possible with the prior art interconnecting techniques.

Control circuitry for magnetoresistive (MR) tape heads using group

A data channel is provided that includes a digital decoder that receives a dynamically determined tracking threshold value. The tracking threshold value has a voltage amplitude used by the decoder in decoding a digital voltage signal into binary data. The digital signal is generated using an analog voltage signal that represents data read from a storage medium, such as a magnetic tape or disk. The present method is able to generate appropriate tracking threshold values even during sudden changes in the voltage amplitudes associated with the digital signal. In dynamically determining tracking threshold values, an averaging method with error recovery is employed, that is independent of the particular encoding used with the stored data. For each inputted digital voltage signal that represents a binary bit, a comparison is made between it and a current accepting value. Unless the digital voltage signal is at least equal to the accepting value, it is not used in computing a new tracking threshold value. A running average value, based on a predetermined number of the most recently accepted digital voltage signal amplitudes, is determined. An updated tracking threshold value is then determined from the current average value. A feedback loop is also utilized whereby an updated accepting value is determined to be used in accepting/rejecting further signal inputs. The error recovery is employed to decrease the accepting value if a predetermined number of consecutively received digital voltage signals are rejected.

Digital decoding using dynamically determined tracking threshold values

A circuit and method for correcting peak signal shifts in analog signals representing binary data bits that avoids the need for write precompensation techniques. Three different sample values (an early, on-time, and late) are computed for the signal representing each read bit. The on-time signal value of each data bit of an n-bit sequence is used if no data corruption is detected. If a corrupted data bit is detected due to an early or late peak signal shift of an adjacent binary 1, the early or late signal value of the corrupted data bit is used rather than the on-time signal value of the corrupted bit. The corrected data bit sequence is then passed on to a utilization circuit, such as a read data detector, which uses error correcting techniques and the like to determine with precision whether each data bit is a binary 1 or a .0..

Bit shift post-compensation using sampled data prequalifier

The optimum processing of magnetically or optically recorded data to recover recorded data bits and clocking information should include apparatus to compensate for variations in media velocity during writing and reading of the media. The adaptive velocity compensation circuit accomplishes this result by sampling the media velocity and comparing the sample to a reference velocity usng a digital tachometer. The result of this comparison is used to control a variable pulsewidth single shot which adjusts the operation of a phase locked loop phase detector to match the velocity of the moving media.

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Brighton, CO, United States of America

Joe Kent Jurneke