System and Method to Display Information on a Data Storage Cartridge

• US 20080218901A1
• Filed: 03/31/2008
• Published: 09/11/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Klein, Craig Anthony, Haustein, Nils, Winarski, Daniel James
• Application Number:
  US12/059,545
• Publication Number:
  US 20080218901A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 360/90
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 23/107 using one reel or core, one end of the record carrier coming out of the magazine or cassette

Abstract

A method and a system are provided for displaying information on a data storage cartridge. The data storage cartridge includes a driver circuit coupled to a display and a cartridge memory. The driver circuit activates the display on the data storage cartridge. In response to the activation of the display on the data storage cartridge the driver circuit obtains information from the cartridge memory of the data storage cartridge. The driver circuit displays at least a portion of the information obtained from the cartridge memory on the display of the data storage cartridge. In one embodiment the data storage cartridge is a tape cartridge.

Claims

1. A method of displaying information on a tape cartridge comprising:

activating a display on said tape cartridge;

obtaining information from a cartridge memory within said tape cartridge in response to said activation of said display on said tape cartridge; and

displaying on a display on said tape cartridge at least a portion of said information obtained from said cartridge memory.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said activating comprises detecting a control has been engaged at a first time.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said control is one of a switch, a button, a toggle, a knob, or a lever.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein said control is a button and said button is a four-way button.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising powering on said display.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said display is an OLED display.

7. The method of claim 2, further comprising determining at a second time if said control is engaged, and in response to determining said control is not engaged, powering off said display, wherein said second time is greater than a predetermined time threshold time after said first time.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein said predetermined threshold time is determined by said user.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein obtaining information further comprises reading data from said cartridge memory.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein in response to said determining that said cartridge memory does not contain said data, displaying a message indicating said data is not available.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein said information is at least one of manufacturing information of said tape cartridge, a serial number of said tape cartridge, a date of a last write to said tape cartridge, a time of a last write to said tape cartridge, a date of a last read to said tape cartridge, a time of a last read to said tape cartridge, a user name, system name, or application name of a last write to said tape cartridge, a user name, system name or application name of a last read of said tape cartridge, data set names of data stored on said tape cartridge, a directory index or table of data stored on said tape cartridge, file names of data stored on said tape cartridge, error history of data stored on said tape cartridge, a backup status of data stored on said tape cartridge, an application format of data stored on said tape cartridge, and an archive status of data stored on said tape cartridge.

12. A tape cartridge comprising:

a display;

a cartridge memory;

a driver circuit coupled to said display and said cartridge memory, wherein said driver circuit is configured to;

activate said display on said tape cartridge;

obtain information from said cartridge memory of said tape cartridge in response to said activation of said display on said tape cartridge; and

display at least a portion of said information obtained from said cartridge memory on said display of said tape cartridge.

13. The tape cartridge of claim 12, further comprising a control coupled to said driver circuit, wherein said driver circuit is configured to perform said activation by detecting said control has been engaged at a first time.

14. The tape cartridge of claim 13, wherein said control is one of a switch, a button, a toggle, a knob, or a lever.

15. The tape cartridge of claim 14, wherein said control is a button and said button is a four-way button.

16. The tape cartridge of claim 12, wherein said driver circuit is further configured to power on said display.

17. The tape cartridge of claim 12, wherein said display is an OLED display.

18. The tape cartridge of claim 13, wherein said driver circuit is further configured to determine if said control is engaged at a second time, and in response to determining said control is not engaged said driver circuit is configured to power off said display, wherein said second time is greater than a predetermined time threshold time after said first time.

19. The tape cartridge of claim 18, wherein said predetermined threshold time is determined by said user.

20. The tape cartridge of claim 12, wherein said driver circuit is configured to obtain information by reading data from said cartridge memory.

21. The tape cartridge of claim 20, wherein said driver circuit is configured to display information comprising a message indicating said data is not available in response to determining that said cartridge memory does not contain said data.

22. The tape cartridge of claim 12, wherein said information is at least one of manufacturing information of said tape cartridge, a serial number of said tape cartridge, a date of a last write to said tape cartridge, a time of a last write to said tape cartridge, a date of a last read to said tape cartridge, a time of a last read to said tape cartridge, a user name, system name, or application name of a last write to said tape cartridge, a user name, system name or application name of a last read of said tape cartridge, data set names of data stored on said tape cartridge, a directory index or table of data stored on said tape cartridge, file names of data stored on said tape cartridge, error history of data stored on said tape cartridge, a backup status of data stored on said tape cartridge, an application format of data stored on said tape cartridge, and an archive status of data stored on said tape cartridge.

23. The tape cartridge of claim 12, further comprising a battery.

24. A data cartridge comprising:

a display;

a cartridge memory;

a driver circuit coupled to said display and said cartridge memory, wherein said driver circuit is configured to;

activate said display on said data cartridge;

obtain information from said cartridge memory of said data cartridge in response to said activation of said display on said data cartridge; and

display at least a portion of said information obtained from said cartridge memory on said display of said data cartridge.