Method and apparatus for making a drive compatible with a removable cartridge

• US 6,717,762 B1
• Filed: 06/09/2000
• Issued: 04/06/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/09/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Emc IP Holding Company LLC (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Iomega Corporation (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Bauck, Randall C., Greenhalgh, David S., Wilke, Thomas A., Bracken, Allen T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hudspeth, David
• Assistant Examiner(s): SLAVITT, MITCHELL R
• Application Number:
  US09/590,511
• Time in Patent Office: 1,397 Days
• Field of Search: 360/75, 360/710, 360/711
• US Class Current: 360/75
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 17/04 Feeding or guiding single record carrier to or from transducer unit guiding during transducing operation G11B17/34
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 23/03 Containers for flat record carriers
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 25/043 using rotating discs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 33/1493 Electro-Magnetic Interference [EMI] or Radio Frequency Interference [RFI] shielding; grounding of static charges

Abstract

An information storage device includes a cradle which can removably receive a cartridge that contains a rotatable hard disk. A read/write head is supported for movement adjacent the disk by a pivotal actuator arm. The cradle controls alignment of the head with the disk using feedback servo tracking. Servo parameters needed by the cradle to perform this tracking may be stored in a special wide track which is on the disk, and which may be a read-only track. Alternatively, the track may store updated firmware that can be loaded into the cradle. One approach to reading this special wide track is to effect servo tracking using default servo parameters. A different approach is to bias the actuator arm against a mechanical stop.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

an information storage cartridge which includes;

a port, an information storage medium, and structure operable to transfer information between said port and said information storage medium, said information storage medium storing a first program; and

a receiving unit which can removably receive said cartridge, which has a port that operatively cooperates with said port of said cartridge when said cartridge is received in said receiving unit, and which has structure that can communicate with said structure in said cartridge through said ports when said cartridge is received in said receiving unit, said structure in said receiving unit including a memory which stores a second program, and including a processor which can execute the program stored in said memory, said structure in said receiving unit having an operational mode which, when said cartridge is removably received in said receiving unit, facilitates an upgrade of said receiving unit that includes reading said first program through said ports from said information storage medium in said cartridge and storing said first program in said memory in place of said second program, wherein said receiving unit is capable of full operational interaction with a predetermined type of cartridge in response to execution by said processor of said first program, and incapable of full operational interaction with said predetermined type of cartridge in response to execution by said processor of said second program.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein said cartridge having said first program stored therein is a further type of cartridge which is different from said predetermined type; and

wherein said receiving unit, in response to execution by said processor of said second program, is capable of full operational interaction with said cartridge of said further type.

3. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said cartridge having said first program stored therein is cartridge of said predetermined type.

4. An apparatus according to claim 3,

wherein said information storage medium includes a rotatably supported disk having an information storage surface with a plurality of concentric circular tracks, said first program being stored in a predetermined one of said tracks;

wherein said structure in said cartridge includes a head electorally coupled to said port of said cartridge and supported for movement approximately radially of said disk while remaining adjacent to said surface thereon, said head being operable to effect at least one of reading information from and writing information to said storage medium;

wherein during execution of said second program said receiving unit has the capability to interact though said head with said predetermined one of said tracks and lacks the capability to interact through said head with other said tacks; and

wherein during execution of said first program said receiving unit has the capability to interact through said head with said predetermined one of said tracks and with other said tracks.

5. An apparatus according to claim 4,

wherein said cartridge includes a mechanical arrangement capable of aligning said head with said predetermined one of said tracks without feedback tracking control of said head;

and

wherein said cartridge carries out alignment of said head with other said tracks through feedback tracking control of said head.

6. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said memory is an electrically reprogrammable read only memory.

7. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said first program is routed from said information storage medium to said memory without being transferred to and from a location external to said receiving unit and said cartridge.

8. An apparatus according to claim 1,

including a host system which is operatively coupled to said receiving unit;

and

wherein said first program is transferred from said information storage medium in said cartridge through said receiving unit to said host system during a first phase of said upgrade, and is thereafter transferred from said host system to said memory during a second phase of said upgrade.

9. A method comprising the steps of:

providing an information storage cartridge which includes a port, an information storage medium, and structure for transferring information between said port and said information storage medium;

storing a first program in said information storage medium;

providing a receiving unit which can removably receive said cartridge, which has a port that operatively cooperates with said port of said cartridge when said cartridge is received in said receiving unit, and which can communicate with said cartridge through said ports when said cartridge is received in said receiving unit;

storing a second program in a memory provided in said receiving unit;

providing a processor which can execute the program stored in said memory;

effecting an upgrade during an operational mode when said cartridge is removably received in said receiving unit, said effecting of said upgrade including the steps of reading said first program through said ports from said information storage medium in said cartridge, and storing said first program in said memory in place of said second program; and

causing said receiving unit to be capable of full operational interaction with a predetermined type of cartridge in response to execution by said processor of said first program, and incapable of full operational interaction with said predetermined type of cartridge in response to execution by said processor of said second program.

10. A method according to claim 9, including the steps of:

selecting said cartridge storing said first program to be a further type of cartridge which is different from said predetermined type; and

causing said receiving unit, in response to execution by said processor of said second program, to be capable of full operational interaction with said cartridge of said further type.

11. A method according to claim 9, including the step of selecting said cartridge which stores said first program to be a cartridge of said predetermined type.

12. A method according to claim 11, including the steps of:

configuring said information storage medium to include a rotatably supported disk having an information storage surface with a plurality of concentric circular tracks, said first program being stored in a predetermined one of said tracks;

supporting a head for movement approximately radially of said disk while remaining adjacent to said surface thereon, said head being operable to effect at least one of reading information from and writing information to said storage medium;

causing said receiving unit, during execution of said second program, to have the capability to interact through said head with said predetermined one of said tracks and lack the capability to interact through said with other said tracks; and

causing said receiving unit to have, during execution of said first program, the capability to interact to through said head with said predetermined one of said tracks and with other said tracks.

13. A method according to claim 11, including the steps of:

providing within said cartridge a mechanical arrangement capable of aligning said head with said predetermined one of said tracks without feedback tracking control of said head; and

causing said cartridge to carry out alignment of said head with other said tracks through feedback tracking control of said head.

14. A method according to claim 9, including the step of selecting as said memory an electrically reprogrammable read only memory.

15. A method according to claim 9, including the step of routing said first program from said information storage medium to said memory without transferring said first program to and from a location external to said receiving unit and said cartridge.

16. A method according to claim 9, including the steps of:

providing a host system which is operatively coupled to said receiving unit;

transferring said first program from said information storage medium in said cartridge through said receiving unit to said host system during a first phase of said upgrade; and

thereafter transferring said first program from said host system to said memory during a second phase of said upgrade.