Toshiba Assigned Fourteen Patents

Magnetic disk drive and write control
Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba, Minato-Ku, Tokyo, Japan, has been assigned a patent (9,240,198) developed by Hara, Takeyori, Kawasaki Kanagawa, Japan, for a “magnetic disk drive and write control method.”

The abstract of the patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office states: ”According to one embodiment, a magnetic disk drive includes a disk including a plurality of servo areas for detecting a positioning error, a head to write and to read data, and a processor. The processor detects a current positioning error of the head on the disk, while writing data to tracks of the disk so as to partially overlap with each other, calculates a predicted positioning error in a next servo area, determinates write inhibit, based on comparison between the current positioning error and a first threshold value, sets the first threshold value to a smaller value being used as the first threshold value to determinate the write inhibit in the next servo area.“

The patent application was filed on April 15, 2015 (14/687,096).

Magnetic disk device
Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba, Minato-Ku, Tokyo, Japan, has been assigned a patent (9,239,683) developed by Yamamoto, Michio, Inagi, Japan, Kuribayashi, Tetsuo, Yokohama, Japan, Tashiro, Masami, Komae, Japan, Inoue, Kenji, Kamakura, Japan, Kakuya, Takumi, Ebina, Japan, Kanno, Hironori, Fussa, Japan, and Yorimitsu, Keiichi, Yokohama, Japan, for a “magnetic disk device.”

The abstract of the patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office states: ”According to one embodiment, there is provided a magnetic disk device including a magnetic disk, a storage unit, and a control unit. The magnetic disk includes a recording region. The storage unit is configured to store a value according to number of accesses to each of a plurality of regions obtained by dividing of the recording region of the magnetic disk in association with each of the plurality of regions. The control unit is configured to count a value according to the number of accesses to each of a plurality of regions in a count step unit that is a value determined according to an elapsed time from occurrence of a specific situation and is a value counted per unit access, and to update the value stored in the storage unit.“

The patent application was filed on March 12, 2014 (14/207,022).

Disk storage and method for managing storage area
Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba, Minato-Ku, Tokyo, Japan, has been assigned a patent (9,177,597) developed by Takeda, Shingo, and Kawana, Naoaki, Yokohama, Japan, for a “disk storage apparatus and method for managing storage area.”

The abstract of the patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office states: ”According to one embodiment, a disk storage apparatus includes a disk having a storage area, a storage device storing management information, and a controller. The storage area includes a plurality of areas. The management information includes information indicative of a use priority or rank of each of the areas. The information indicative of the use priority or rank is set based on a quality index relating to a read operation or a write operation. The controller selects an area which is high in the use priority or rank and is usable, by referring to the management information, and executes the write operation on the selected area.“

The patent application was filed on September 10, 2013 (14/022,596).

Magnetic disk and off-tracking detection
Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba, Minato-Ku, Tokyo, Japan, has been assigned a patent (9,177,582) developed by Kawabe, Takayuki, Sagamihara Kanagawa, Japan, and Kanegae, Masahide, Fujisawa Kanagawa, Japan, for a “magnetic disk apparatus and off-tracking detection method.”

The abstract of the patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office states: ”In a disk apparatus, media include first and second surfaces having first and second servo patterns which are read at different timings by first and second heads. A controller controls the first head based on a first demodulated position obtained by demodulating the first servo pattern and a target position. The controller calculates a first estimated demodulated position from the demodulated position and a first demodulated velocity based on the first servo patterns, calculates a second estimated demodulated position from the first demodulated position and a second demodulated velocity based on the second servo patterns, and stops writing operation of the first head in accordance with one of the first and second estimated demodulated positions exceeding a threshold.“

The patent application was filed on April 23, 2015 (14/694,422).

Magnetic disc drive and recovering recorded data
Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba, Minato-Ku, Tokyo, Japan, has been assigned a patent (9,164,684) developed by Ishii, Koji, Fujisawa, Japan, for a “magnetic disc drive and method of recovering recorded data.”

The abstract of the patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office states: ”According to one embodiment, a magnetic disk drive includes a read/write channel configured to process a read/write signal with respect to a magnetic disk, a data refresh module configured to perform a rewrite for refreshing recorded data on the magnetic disk, a data capture module configured to capture read data in the read/write channel, a timing determination module configured to determine power shutdown timing during the rewriting from the read data, and a data recovery module configured to recover the read data by dividing the read data into two items based on the power shutdown timing, shifting timing of one item of the read data, and combining the shifted data with the other item of the read data.“

The patent application was filed on June 27, 2014 (14/318,078).

Magnetic recording head having narrow write gap,
and disk device provided with the same
Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba, Minato-Ku, Tokyo, Japan, has been assigned a patent (9,142,228) developed by Fujita, Norihito, Shirotori, Satoshi, Sugimura, Shinobu, Kanagawa, Japan, and Funayama, Tomomi, Tokyo, Japan, for a “magnetic recording head having narrow write gap, and disk device provided with the same.”

The abstract of the patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office states: ”A recording head of a disk device includes a main magnetic pole, a write shield which faces the main magnetic pole with a write gap interposed therebetween, a coil configured to generate a magnetic field in the main magnetic pole, and a spin torque oscillator which is arranged in the write gap. The spin torque oscillator includes an intermediate layer formed on the main magnetic pole, a field generation layer formed on the intermediate layer, a spin injection layer, and an interface magnetic layer. The field generation layer and the spin injection layer are arranged in parallel to each other in the direction which intersects with the gap length direction of the write gap, and the spin injection layer is electrically connected with the write shield.“

The patent application was filed on February 6, 2014 (14/174,711).

Shift register type magnetic memory
Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba, Minato-Ku, Tokyo, Japan, has been assigned a patent (9,129,679) developed by Fukuzumi, Yoshiaki, Yokohama, Japan, and Aochi, Hideaki, Kawasaki, Japan, for a “shift register type magnetic memory.”

The abstract of the patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office states: ”A shift register type magnetic memory according to an embodiment includes: a magnetic nanowire, a magnetic material chain provided in close vicinity to the magnetic nanowire, the magnetic material chain including a plurality of disk-shaped ferromagnetic films arranged along a direction in which the magnetic nanowire extends, a magnetization rotation drive unit configured to rotate and drive magnetization of the plurality of ferromagnetic films, a writing unit configured to write magnetic information into the magnetic nanowire, and a reading unit configured to read magnetic information from the magnetic nanowire.“

The patent application was filed on January 25, 2013 (13/750,085).

Magnetic disk drive and controlling data rewrite
Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba, Minato-Ku, Tokyo, Japan, has been assigned a patent (9,129,658) developed by Yamamoto, Michio, Inagi, Japan, for a “magnetic disk drive and method for controlling data rewrite.”

The abstract of the patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office states: ”According to one embodiment, a controller in a magnetic disk drive manages the influence, on a first track on a disk, of data writes to tracks within outer and inner adjacent track ranges, using first and second counters associated with the first track. The first and second counters are indicative of the numbers of data writes to tracks within the outer and inner adjacent track ranges, respectively. Based on the values of the first and second counters, the controller reads data from the first track, and rewrites the read data to the first track.“

The patent application was filed on July 21, 2014 (14/336,241).

Laser controller for heat-assisted magnetic recording device
Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba, Minato-Ku, Tokyo, Japan, has been assigned a patent (9,093,085) developed by Isokawa, Hiroshi, Yokohama, Japan, for a “laser controller for heat-assisted magnetic recording device.”

The abstract of the patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office states: ”According to one embodiment, there is provided a magnetic disk device including a light source, a light irradiation element, and a controller. The light irradiation element is configured to receive light from the light source to irradiate light onto a magnetic disk. The controller is configured to switch between a first control and a second control according to a pulse width of data to be written onto the magnetic disk. The first control keeps an output of the light source at a first value. The second control makes the output of the light source change periodically between the first value and a second value lower than the first value.“

The patent application was filed on July 21, 2014 (14/336,610).

Disk storage
Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba, Minato-Ku, Tokyo, Japan, has been assigned a patent (9,087,551) developed by Kojima, Shuichi, Kodaira, Japan, for a “disk storage apparatus and write method.”

The abstract of the patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office states: ”According to one embodiment, a disk storage apparatus includes a write controller and a refresh controller. The write controller is configured to perform shingled write, writing data on a disk, using, as write units, data areas including groups of tracks. The refresh controller is configured to count the number of times the shingled write has been performed in a data area adjacent to the inner or outer circumference of a data area, in accordance with a weighting value set on the basis of a shingled write direction, and to instructs that a refresh process be performed, when the number of times counted exceeds a threshold value.“

The patent application was filed on August 30, 2012 (13/599,848).

Magnetic disk device and write command
Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba, Minato-Ku, Tokyo, Japan, has been assigned a patent (9,070,417) developed by Nagashima, Yasuyuki, Yokohama, Japan, Kitahara, Masakazu, Kunitachi, Japan, Sasaki, Kiyotaka, Kawasaki, Japan, and Umeda, Michihiko, Yokohama, Japan, for a “magnetic disk device and method for executing write command.”

The abstract of the patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office states: ”According to one embodiment, a controller of a magnetic disk device starts to receive first data specified in a first write command from a host, and starts to write the first data to a disk in accordance with the first write command. The controller reports a status for execution of the first write command to the host depending on whether or not a second capacity of data not yet written to the disk is less than or equal to a first capacity of a first free space in a nonvolatile cache. The first free space is available to save data during a first period when a backup power supply enables power to be supplied. The second capacity decreases as writing of the first data to the disk progresses.“

The patent application was filed on October 24, 2014 (14/523,145).

Magnetic disk device, head amplifier, and controlling magnetic disk device
Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba, Minato-Ku, Tokyo, Japan, has been assigned a patent (9,070,395) developed by Ishii, Koji, Fujisawa, Japan, for a “magnetic disk device, head amplifier, and controlling method of magnetic disk device.”

The abstract of the patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office states: ”According to one embodiment, there is provided a magnetic disk device including a magnetic disk, a magnetic head, a heater, and a control unit. The magnetic head reads out information recorded on the magnetic disk. The heater is configured to adjust a magnetic spacing of the magnetic head from the magnetic disk. The control unit is configured to change a bias amount of the magnetic head according to setting of current flow through the heater.“

The patent application was filed on May 28, 2014 (14/288,708).

Magnetic disk and off-track detection
Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba, Minato-Ku, Tokyo, Japan, has been assigned a patent (9,064,526) developed by Kawabe, Takayuki, and Hara, Takeyori, Kanagawa, Japan, for a “magnetic disk apparatus and off-track detection method.”

The abstract of the patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office states: ”In a disk drive apparatus, there is provided with a controller which determines a demodulated positioning error from a demodulated position and a target position, wherein the demodulated position is obtained by demodulating a servo signal readout from the disk. The controller estimates a demodulation noise amount which is included in the demodulated position on the basis of a signal quality of the servo signal, and corrects a predetermined off-track threshold with a correction value which is obtained from the estimated demodulation noise amount. A write operation of writing data on the disk is inhibited, if the demodulated positioning error exceeds the corrected off-track threshold.“

The patent application was filed on August 20, 2014 (14/464,511).

Disk device and data recording
Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba, Minato-Ku, Tokyo, Japan, has been assigned a patent (9,053,746) developed by Ogawa, Kenji, Masuyama, Hidekazu, Kanagawa, Japan, Yamamoto, Michio, Tokyo, Japan, Ohta, Katsushi, and Karakawa, Yuji, Kanagawa, Japan, for a “disk device and data recording method.”

The abstract of the patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office states: ”A disk device includes a recording medium having a plurality of recording surfaces, where each of the recording surfaces includes a system region for recording system data related to an operation of the disk device, and a controller configured to control recording of the system data in the system region. The controller is further configured to divide the system data to be recorded into a plurality of portions of divided data of the same size. The controller is further configured, after recording of a first portion of divided data in a first system region disposed on a first recording surface, to start recording a second portion of divided data in a second system region disposed on a second recording surface. The recording of the second portion of divided data is started after a switching time, during which switching from the first recording surface to the second recording surface transpires.“

The patent application was filed on February 26, 2014 (14/190,748).