System for applying a tag to a frame based on certain characteristics of the frame and transferring the frame as a function of the tag

• US 6,286,061 B1
• Filed: 06/02/1998
• Issued: 09/04/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 06/02/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hanger Solutions, LLC (IP Investments Group LLC)
• Original Assignee: Philips Electronics North America Corporation (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Ross, Kevin
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Thomas
• Assistant Examiner(s): ELAMIN, ABDELMONIEM I
• Application Number:
  US09/090,005
• Time in Patent Office: 1,190 Days
• Field of Search: 710/33, 709/206, 709/238
• US Class Current: 710/33
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/10527 Audio or video recording; Data buffering arrangements G11B20/12 - G11B20/18 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2020/1062 Data buffering arrangements, e.g. recording or playback buffers

Abstract

Methods and arrangements are provided to significantly reduce the processing burden in a data storage device and streamline the transfer of frames of data from the storage device to an external device, by taking into account certain known or otherwise determinable characteristics about the data recorded on the storage medium and selectively applying tag data to each frame of data. The tag data is then used to determine the disposition of each frame of data, and what actions if any are required to process the frame of data within the storage device. Since this “tagging”, which can be logical or physical, can occur at an early stage in the circuitry of the storage device, the amount of subsequent processing is significantly reduced. Consequently, the latency associated with the storage device is also reduced. The various embodiments of the present invention can be used for a variety of data storage devices including, but not limited to, optical disc drives, magnetic drives and tapes, and similar data storage devices.

Claims

1. A decoder for use in transferring data from a data storage medium to external device, the data storage medium having at least one data track comprising a plurality of frames of data recorded thereon, the decoder comprising:

an input arrangement configured to receive at least one frame of data, determine certain characteristics about the frame of data, apply a tag data to the frame of data based on at least one characteristic about the frame of data, and output a tagged frame of data;

a frame managing arrangement coupled to the input arrangement and configured to receive the tagged frame of data from the input arrangement, store the tagged frame of data, and subsequently output the tagged frame of data; and

an output arrangement coupled to the frame managing arrangement and configured to receive the tagged frame of data from the frame managing arrangement and provide the tagged frame of data to an external device as a function of the tag data within the tagged frame of data.

2. The decoder as recited in claim 1, wherein the tag data is selected from at least one of a group of tags comprising a send tag, a skip tag, a pause tag, and a stop tag.

3. The decoder as recited in claim 2, wherein the input arrangement is further configured to apply a send tag to the frame of data when the at least one characteristic identifies that the frame of data is selected from at least one of a group of frames of data comprising a main area frame from a once-written track, a main area frame from a fixed-length packet-written track, a main area frame from a variable-length packet-written track, and a valid link area frame from a variable-length packet-written track.

4. The decoder as recited in claim 2, wherein the input arrangement is further configured to apply a skip tag to the frame of data when the at least one characteristic identifies that the frame of data is a link area frame from a fixed-length packet-written track.

5. The decoder as recited in claim 2, wherein the input arrangement is further configured to apply a pause tag to the frame of data when the at least one characteristic identifies that the frame of data is a link area frame from a variable-length packet-written track.

6. The decoder as recited in claim 2, wherein the input arrangement is further configured to apply a stop tag to the frame of data when the at least one characteristic identifies that the frame of data is not a valid frame of data.

7. The decoder as recited in claim 2, wherein the input arrangement is further configured to apply a pause tag to the frame of data when the at least one characteristic identifies that the frame of data is not selected from at least one of a group of frames of data comprising a main area frame from a once-written track, a main area frame from a fixed-length packet-written track, a main area frame from a variable-length packet-written track, a link area frame from a fixed-length packet-written track, and a link area frame from a variable-length packet-written track.

8. The decoder as recited in claim 2, wherein the output arrangement is further configured to provide the tagged frame of data to an external device only if the tag data associated with the tagged frame is the send tag.

9. The decoder as recited in claim 1, wherein the frame of data comprises a plurality of fields including a first field having data therein, and the input arrangement is further configured to modify the data within the first field to create the tag data.

10. The decoder as recited in claim 1, wherein the input arrangement is further configured to apply a send tag to the frame of data when the at least one characteristic identifies that the frame of data is selected from at least one of a group of frames of data comprising a main area frame from a once-written track, a main area frame from a fixed-length packet-written track, a main area frame from a variable-length packet-written track, and a valid link area frame from a variable-length packet-written track.

11. The decoder as claimed in claim 1, wherein the input arrangement is further configured to apply a skip tag to the frame of data when the at least one characteristic identifies that the frame of data is a link area frame from a fixed length packet-written track, or to apply a pause tag to the frame of data when the at least one characteristic identifies that the frame of data is a link area frame from a variable-length packet-written track, or to apply a stop tag to the frame of data when the at least one characteristic identifies that the frame of data is not a valid frame of data.

12. The decoder as recited in claim 1, wherein the output arrangement is further configured to provide the tagged frame of data to an external device only if the tag data associated with the tagged frame is the send tag.

13. A storage device for use in a computer system, the storage device comprising:

a servo assembly;

a storage medium mounted on the servo assembly and having at least one track of data recorded thereon, wherein the track of data comprises a plurality of frames of data;

a read assembly operatively configured to read at least a portion of the track of data and output a read signal;

a data engine coupled to the read assembly and configured to receive the read signal and output at least one frame of data based on at least a portion of the read signal;

an input arrangement coupled to the data engine and configured to receive the frame of data, determine certain characteristics about the frame of data, apply a tag data to the frame of data based on at least one characteristic about the frame of data, and output a tagged frame of data;

a frame managing arrangement coupled to the input arrangement and configured to receive the tagged frame of data from the input arrangement, store the tagged frame of data, and subsequently output the tagged frame of data; and

an output arrangement coupled to the frame managing arrangement and configured to receive the tagged frame of data from the frame managing arrangement and provide the tagged frame of data to an external device as a function of the tag data within the tagged frame of data.

14. A method for use in transferring data from a data storage medium to an external device, the method comprising:

reading at least one frame of data from a data storage medium having at least one data track comprising a plurality of frames of data;

determining certain characteristics about the frame of data;

applying a tag data to the frame of data based on at least one characteristic about the frame of data; and

providing the tagged frame of data to an external device as a function of the tag data within the tagged frame of data.

15. The method as recited in claim 14, wherein the step of applying the tag data to the frame of data further comprises selecting the tag data from at least one of a group of tags comprising a send tag, a skip tag, a pause tag, and a stop tag.

16. The method as recited in claim 15, wherein the step of applying the tag data to the frame of data further comprises applying the send tag to the frame of data when the at least one characteristic identifies that the frame of data is selected from at least one of a group of frames of data comprising a main area frame from a once-written track, a main area frame from a fixed-length packet-written track, a main area frame from a variable-length packet-written track, and a valid link area frame from a variable-length packet-written track.

17. The method as recited in claim 15, wherein the step of applying the tag data to the frame of data further comprises applying a skip tag to the frame of data when the at least one characteristic identifies that the frame of data is a link area frame from a fixed-length packet-written track or a slip frame.

18. The method as recited in claim 15, wherein the step of applying the tag data to the frame of data further comprises applying a pause tag to the frame of data when the at least one characteristic identifies that the frame of data is a link area frame from a variable-length packet-written track.

19. The method as recited in claim 15, wherein the step of applying the tag data to the frame of data further comprises applying a stop tag to the frame of data when the at least one characteristic identifies that the frame of data is not a valid frame of data.

20. The method as recited in claim 15, wherein the step of applying the tag data to the frame of data further comprises applying a pause tag to the frame of data when the at least one characteristic identifies that the frame of data is not selected from at least one of a group of frames of data comprising a main area frame from a once-written track, a main area frame from a fixed-length packet-written track, a main area frame from a variable-length packet-written track, a link area frame from a fixed-length packet-written track, and a link area frame from a variable-length packet-written track.

21. The method as recited in claim 15, wherein the step of providing the tagged frame of data to an external device further comprises providing the tagged frame of data to the external device only if the tag data associated with the tagged frame is the send tag.

22. The method as recited in claim 14, wherein the step of applying the tag data to the frame of data further comprises modifying data within the frame of data to create the tag data.

23. The method as recited in claim 14, wherein the step of determining certain characteristics about the frame of data further comprises reading data from selected portions of the data storage medium to determine if the frame of data is selected from at least one of a group of frames of data comprising a main area frame from a once-written track, a main area frame from a fixed-length packet-written track, a main area frame from a variable-length packet-written track, a link area frame from a fixed-length packet-written track, and a link area frame from a variable-length packet-written track.