Patent · US Expired

Methods and apparatus for storing data and auxiliary information

US6229659A · kind A · utility

5Cited by
4References
18Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateSep 9, 1998
Grant dateMay 8, 2001
Priority date
Expiry dateSep 9, 2018

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG11B2220/913
  • WIPO fieldAudio-visual technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

Data are stored on magnetic tape along successive tracks extending obliquely across the tape, in each of several areas including a lead-in area, a data area and an end-of-data (EOD) area. Each track comprises successive blocks or fragments of data, and each fragment has a compact header containing a synchronization byte, six information bytes and two parity bytes. The information bytes include a fragment ID, an area ID sub code identifying the area in which the fragment is located, and various other sub codes relating to logical structure of the data. The inclusion of an area ID sub code and logical structure sub codes in the (compact) header of every fragment facilitates reliable searching of the data stored on the tape at high tape advance speeds.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.