Reading non-standard tapes on tape drives
US5268802A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | May 28, 1991 |
| Grant date | Dec 7, 1993 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | May 28, 2011 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG06F3/0682
- WIPO fieldAudio-visual technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A magnetic tape drive has firmware which has been modified so that the drive will read both standard format tapes and non-standard format tapes. Non-standard tapes are detected by an absence of reference bursts in the load zone of the tape. The head is moved to successive tracks toward the edge of the tape until no data is read. This identifies the track near the edge of the tape. Then, the head is preset to a track which is a known distance from the edge of the tape. Reading of non-standard tapes is accomplished by disabling the index pulse generator in the intervals between data segments. The performance of a SKIP COMMAND is made possible by counting the transitions of data to no data during the intervals between data segments. The identification of different types of non-standard formats is made by determining the length of the data segments.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.