Read/write protect scheme for a disk cartridge and drive
First Claim
1. A removable disk cartridge comprising an outer casing devoid of a mechanical write protect switch and a storage medium disposed within said outer casing, said storage medium having a code stored thereon that indicates a protection mode of said storage medium, the code being rewritable so that the protection mode of the storage medium can be changed;
- wherein said rewritable protection code is written in only a small, predefined number of tracks on said storage medium yet defines the protection mode of a comparatively larger number of data tracks in which said protection code is not written, whereby the protection mode of all of said larger number of data tracks in which said protection code is not written is definable by way of said protection code written in said small number of tracks; and
wherein said storage medium comprises one of a magnetic storage medium, a rewritable optical storage medium, and a magneto-optical storage medium.
8 Assignments
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Accused Products
Abstract
A method of inhibiting inadvertent and unauthorized writing and reading of information to and from a storage medium comprises the steps of (a) writing a first code in a predetermined location on the storage medium, the first code being indicative of a first protection mode of the storage medium; (b) receiving a command to change the protection mode of the storage medium from the first protection mode to a second protection mode; and, in response to the command, (c) writing in the predetermined location on the storage medium, in place of the first code, a second code indicative of the second protection mode. A protection mode can inhibit writing to the storage medium, both writing and reading to and from the medium, or neither. Changing of protection modes can also be password protected.
112 Citations
24 Claims
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1. A removable disk cartridge comprising an outer casing devoid of a mechanical write protect switch and a storage medium disposed within said outer casing, said storage medium having a code stored thereon that indicates a protection mode of said storage medium, the code being rewritable so that the protection mode of the storage medium can be changed;
- wherein said rewritable protection code is written in only a small, predefined number of tracks on said storage medium yet defines the protection mode of a comparatively larger number of data tracks in which said protection code is not written, whereby the protection mode of all of said larger number of data tracks in which said protection code is not written is definable by way of said protection code written in said small number of tracks; and
wherein said storage medium comprises one of a magnetic storage medium, a rewritable optical storage medium, and a magneto-optical storage medium. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
- wherein said rewritable protection code is written in only a small, predefined number of tracks on said storage medium yet defines the protection mode of a comparatively larger number of data tracks in which said protection code is not written, whereby the protection mode of all of said larger number of data tracks in which said protection code is not written is definable by way of said protection code written in said small number of tracks; and
Specification