Dell Assigned Patent

Dell Products, LP, Round Rock, TX, has been assigned a patent (9,202,516) developed by Eldin, Dina A., and Dawson, Robert C., Round Rock, TX, for a “diagnostic method and apparatus for a tape storage system.”

The abstract of the patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office states: ”A diagnostic method and system comprising writing to a tape location of a tape medium using a first tape head as the tape medium is transported in a first direction, reading from the tape location using a second tape head as the tape medium is transported in the first direction, detecting an occurrence of a tape system failure, performing a diagnostic tape operation selected from a group consisting of writing to the tape location using the second tape head as the tape medium is transported in the first direction and reading from the tape location using the first tape head as the tape medium is transported in the first direction, differentially diagnosing a tape medium failure or a tape head failure depending on whether the tape operation failure is observed in response to performing the diagnostic tape operation, and posting a corresponding error code.“

The patent application was filed on June 30, 2014 (14/320,080).