Tape marks recorded in user data blocks having identifications of the recorded tape marks
First Claim
1. Data storage apparatus having data means for recording and reading data signals to and from, respectively, a record medium having a plurality of elongated tracks, said recorded data signals being arranged in addressable data blocks recorded in said elongated tracks;
- format means connected to the data means for generating a block format for each said data block including a clock synchronization portion, a data storage portion, a data-indicating control portion and an error redundancy portion and controlling the data means to format any data to be recorded into said block format for recording in said elongated tracks as data-containing data blocks;
said data means having read means for reading said data blocks from the record medium recorded in said block format for separating said data-indicating control portion and data storage portion to remove data recorded in the data storage portion from the read data block and to sense and respond to the signals in said synchronization portion, said data-indicating control portion and said error redundancy portion for processing the data contained in the data storage portion;
the improvement including, in combination;
control mark means in the format means for generating a control-mark-indicating data portion and a control-mark-indicating control portion for generating a record medium control mark indication to be recorded in said block format;
said control mark means being connected to the data means for supplying said control-mark-indicating data portion and control-mark-indicating control portion to the data means for generating a control-mark containing data block for recording on said record medium between predetermined ones of said data-containing or control-mark containing data blocks; and
said read means having control mark detecting means for examining said control portion of each data block read from the record medium for detecting if the control portion of said read data block is a control-mark-indicating control portion for sending both the read data and control portions to the format means as an indication of a detected record medium control mark and for detecting if the control portion of said read data block is a data-indicating control portion for sending both the read data and control portions to said data means as a read data-containing data block.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Information bearing signals are recorded in one of a plurality of record formats on one record medium, such as a magnetic tape, magnetic disk, optical disk, and the like. The format selected may be commanded or based upon record lengths, in bytes. When the record length equals or exceeds a predetermined number of bytes, then one record is recorded in each signal block of the record format. When the record length is less than the predetermined number, then a second format is used which inserts several of the records in one of the signal blocks. The signal block and its packets respectively contain indications of formats such that any one of several formats may be used on one record medium and in one signal block having a plurality of variable length packets. Logical indicators, such as format marks, tape marks, and the like, may separate formats used on the storage medium.
68 Citations
10 Claims
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1. Data storage apparatus having data means for recording and reading data signals to and from, respectively, a record medium having a plurality of elongated tracks, said recorded data signals being arranged in addressable data blocks recorded in said elongated tracks;
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format means connected to the data means for generating a block format for each said data block including a clock synchronization portion, a data storage portion, a data-indicating control portion and an error redundancy portion and controlling the data means to format any data to be recorded into said block format for recording in said elongated tracks as data-containing data blocks; said data means having read means for reading said data blocks from the record medium recorded in said block format for separating said data-indicating control portion and data storage portion to remove data recorded in the data storage portion from the read data block and to sense and respond to the signals in said synchronization portion, said data-indicating control portion and said error redundancy portion for processing the data contained in the data storage portion; the improvement including, in combination; control mark means in the format means for generating a control-mark-indicating data portion and a control-mark-indicating control portion for generating a record medium control mark indication to be recorded in said block format; said control mark means being connected to the data means for supplying said control-mark-indicating data portion and control-mark-indicating control portion to the data means for generating a control-mark containing data block for recording on said record medium between predetermined ones of said data-containing or control-mark containing data blocks; and said read means having control mark detecting means for examining said control portion of each data block read from the record medium for detecting if the control portion of said read data block is a control-mark-indicating control portion for sending both the read data and control portions to the format means as an indication of a detected record medium control mark and for detecting if the control portion of said read data block is a data-indicating control portion for sending both the read data and control portions to said data means as a read data-containing data block. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
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6. In a method of recording and reading data to and from a record medium having a plurality of elongated tracks, said recorded data being arranged in addressable data blocks recorded in said elongated tracks;
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the steps; formatting data to be recorded on said record medium in a block format, formatting each said data block to include a clock synchronization portion, a data storage portion, a data-indicating control portion and an error redundancy portion; recording said data blocks in said block format in said elongated tracks as data-containing ones of said data blocks; reading said recorded data-containing data blocks from the record medium for separating said control and data portions to remove the data recorded in the data portion from the read data-containing data block and to sense and respond to the signals in said synchronization portion, said control portion and said error redundancy portion for processing the data in the data portion as a separate record; in said formatting step, generating a mark data portion and a mark control portion as a record-medium control mark indication;
then generating a control-mark containing one of said data blocks having said control mark block indication in said block format including generating said synchronization portion, said mark control portion, said mark data portion and said error redundancy in said control-mark containing data block;recording said control-mark containing data block on said record medium between predetermined ones of said data-containing data blocks; and after reading, in said reading step, each said data block from said record medium, examining said control portion of each data block read from the record medium for detecting if said control portion of said read data block is said mark-indicating control portion for indicating said control mark indication and for detecting if said control portion of said read data block is said data indicating control portion for transferring data from said data storage portion into a data means. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8, 9, 10)
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Specification