STORAGE CARTRIDGE FOR USE IN STORAGE DOCK SYSTEM

• US 20140301033A1
• Filed: 04/03/2014
• Published: 10/09/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/05/2013
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Western Digital Technologies Incorporated (Western Digital Corporation)
• Original Assignee: HGST Netherlands B.V. (Western Digital Corporation)
• Inventors: Harting, John Lynn, Harrington, Timothy George II, Meehan, Thomas F., Pannu, Dilbag Singh, Crosby, Gregory, Williams, William Michael
• Application Number:
  US14/244,878
• Publication Number:
  US 20140301033A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 361/679.33
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 33/022 Cases
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 33/126 Arrangements for providing electrical connections, e.g. connectors, cables, switches
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 33/128 of the plurality of recording/reproducing devices, e.g. disk drives, onto a chassis
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49208 by assembling plural parts

Abstract

A storage cartridge and method are provided. The storage cartridge in one example includes a cartridge body including an insertion face configured to be inserted into a cartridge slot of the storage cartridge dock system, with at least one storage medium positioned within the cartridge body and configured to store digital data, a first connector portion of a first interface technology formed in the insertion face, wherein the first connector portion can be coupled to a corresponding interface connector in a cartridge slot of the storage cartridge dock system, and at least a second connector portion of a second interface technology formed in the insertion face, wherein the at least second connector portion can be coupled to an interface cable when the storage cartridge is not inserted in the storage cartridge dock system.

Claims

1. A storage cartridge configured for use in a storage cartridge dock system, comprising:

a cartridge body including an insertion face configured to be inserted into a cartridge slot of the storage cartridge dock system, with at least one storage medium positioned within the cartridge body and configured to store digital data;

a first connector portion of a first interface technology formed in the insertion face, wherein the first connector portion can be coupled to a corresponding interface connector in a cartridge slot of the storage cartridge dock system; and

at least a second connector portion of a second interface technology formed in the insertion face, wherein the at least second connector portion can be coupled to an interface cable when the storage cartridge is not inserted in the storage cartridge dock system.

2. The storage cartridge of claim 1, further comprising one or more rail slots formed in a side of the storage cartridge, with the one or more rail slots configured to receive one or more corresponding rails formed in a cartridge slot of the storage cartridge dock system.

3. The storage cartridge of claim 1, further comprising one or more rail slots formed in a side of the storage cartridge, with the one or more rail slots configured to receive one or more corresponding rails formed in a cartridge slot of the storage cartridge dock system and with the one or more corresponding rails increasing in thickness in a direction toward a rear of the cartridge slot.

4. The storage cartridge of claim 1, further comprising one or more rail slots formed in a side of the storage cartridge, with the one or more rail slots configured to receive one or more corresponding rails formed in a cartridge slot of the storage cartridge dock system, and further comprising a lock aperture located in a rail slot of the one or more rails, with the lock aperture configured to receive a locking member.

5. The storage cartridge of claim 1, with the first connector portion comprising a native-storage interface and with the at least second connector portion comprising a non-native-storage interface.

6. The storage cartridge of claim 1, with the first connector portion and the at least second connector portion comprising one or more of a SATA interface, a USB interface, a Thunderbolt™

interface, a Firewire™

interface, an Ethernet interface, or a MIDI interface.

7. The storage cartridge of claim 1, further comprising a first connector label receptacle configured to receive a first connector label and at least a second connector label receptacle configured to receive a second connector label.

8. The storage cartridge of claim 1, further comprising a substantially flat bottom surface on the storage cartridge.

9. A storage cartridge configured for use in a storage cartridge dock system, comprising:

a cartridge body including an insertion face configured to be inserted into a cartridge slot of the storage cartridge dock system, with at least one storage medium positioned within the cartridge body and configured to store digital data;

a first connector portion of a first interface technology formed in the insertion face, with the first connector portion comprising a native-storage interface, wherein the first connector portion can be coupled to a corresponding native-storage interface connector in a cartridge slot of the storage cartridge dock system; and

at least a second connector portion of a second interface technology formed in the insertion face, with the second connector portion comprising a non-native-storage interface, wherein the at least second connector portion can be coupled to an interface cable when the storage cartridge is not inserted in the storage cartridge dock system.

10. The storage cartridge of claim 9, further comprising one or more rail slots formed in a side of the storage cartridge, with the one or more rail slots configured to receive one or more corresponding rails formed in a cartridge slot of the storage cartridge dock system.

11. The storage cartridge of claim 9, further comprising one or more rail slots formed in a side of the storage cartridge, with the one or more rail slots configured to receive one or more corresponding rails formed in a cartridge slot of the storage cartridge dock system and with the one or more corresponding rails increasing in thickness in a direction toward a rear of the cartridge slot.

12. The storage cartridge of claim 9, further comprising one or more rail slots formed in a side of the storage cartridge, with the one or more rail slots configured to receive one or more corresponding rails formed in a cartridge slot of the storage cartridge dock system, and further comprising a lock aperture located in a rail slot of the one or more rails, with the lock aperture configured to receive a locking member.

13. The storage cartridge of claim 9, with the first connector portion and the at least second connector portion comprising one or more of a SATA interface, a USB interface, a Thunderbolt™

interface, a Firewire™

interface, an Ethernet interface, or a MIDI interface.

14. The storage cartridge of claim 9, further comprising a first connector label receptacle configured to receive a first connector label and at least a second connector label receptacle configured to receive a second connector label.

15. The storage cartridge of claim 9, further comprising a substantially flat bottom surface on the storage cartridge.

16. A method of forming a storage cartridge for use in a storage cartridge dock system, comprising:

forming a cartridge body including an insertion face configured to be inserted into a cartridge slot of the storage cartridge dock system, with at least one storage medium positioned within the cartridge body and configured to store digital data;

providing a first connector portion of a first interface technology in the insertion face, wherein the first connector portion can be coupled to a corresponding interface connector in a cartridge slot of the storage cartridge dock system; and

providing at least a second connector portion of a second interface technology in the insertion face, wherein the at least second connector portion can be coupled to an interface cable when the storage cartridge is not inserted in the storage cartridge dock system.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising forming one or more rail slots in a side of the storage cartridge, with the one or more rail slots configured to receive one or more corresponding rails formed in a cartridge slot of the storage cartridge dock system.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

forming one or more rail slots in a side of the storage cartridge, with the one or more rail slots configured to receive one or more corresponding rails formed in a cartridge slot of the storage cartridge dock system; and

forming a lock aperture located in a rail slot of the one or more rails, with the lock aperture configured to receive a locking member.

19. The method of claim 16, with the first connector portion comprising a native-storage interface and with the at least second connector portion comprising a non-native-storage interface.

20. The method of claim 16, with the first connector portion and the at least second connector portion comprising one or more of a SATA interface, a USB interface, a Thunderbolt™

interface, a Firewire™

interface, an Ethernet interface, or a MIDI interface.