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Tape marks recorded in user data blocks having identifications of the recorded tape marks

  • US 5,414,570 A
  • Filed: 07/28/1993
  • Issued: 05/09/1995
  • Est. Priority Date: 06/28/1989
  • Status: Expired due to Term
First Claim
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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;

  • 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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