IBM Assigned Ten Patents

Tape drive with tape surface inspection unit
International Business Machines Corporation (IBM), Armonk, NY, has been assigned a patent (10,109,313) developed by Asmussen, Ole, Henstedt-Ulzburg, Germany, Beiderbeck, Robert, Wassenberg, Germany, Rueger, Erik, Ockenheim, Germany, and Schafer, Markus, Heiligenmoschel, Germany, for a “tape drive system with tape surface inspection unit.“

The abstract of the patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office states: “A tape drive system for ensuring tape data integrity by tape surface inspection, the tape drive system being configured for reading and writing data from/to a magnetic tape, is provided. The tape drive system includes a laser inspection unit comprising a sender and a receiver integrated into the tape drive system, wherein the laser inspection unit configured for recognizing a tape defect by scanning the magnetic tape when the tape drive system is in operation. The tape drive system includes a read/write head configured for acting together with the laser inspection unit as sensors for providing sensor data during a read/write operation of the tape drive system, a communication link between the sensors and a controller unit for exchanging sensor data. The controller is configured for evaluating sensor data and for triggering predefined actions based on the respective evaluation results such that the tape data integrity is ensured.”

The patent application was filed on September 14, 2017 (15/704,187).

Tape head having sub-ambient channel
International Business Machines Corporation (IBM), Armonk, NY, has been assigned a patent (10,109,310) developed by Biskeborn, Robert G., Hollister, CA, and Lo, Calvin S., Saratoga, CA, for a “tape head having sub-ambient channel and methods of manufacture.“

The abstract of the patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office states: “An apparatus according to one embodiment includes a module having a tape bearing surface, an array of magnetic transducers, and a channel in the tape bearing surface. The channel has a longitudinal axis oriented about parallel to a longitudinal axis of the array of magnetic transducers for inducing tenting of a moving magnetic recording tape above the array of magnetic transducers. A method according to one embodiment includes forming a channel in a tape bearing surface of a module. The channel is formed to have a longitudinal axis about parallel to a longitudinal axis of an array of magnetic transducers. The channel is formed proximate to the array of magnetic transducers for inducing tenting of a moving magnetic recording tape above the array of magnetic transducers.”

The patent application was filed on March 23, 2017 (15/467,906).

Balanced delay and resolution for high density servo
International Business Machines Corporation (IBM), Armonk, NY, has been assigned a patent (10,102,873) developed by Bui, Nhan X., Tucson, AZ, Cherubini, Giovanni, Rueschlikon, Switzerland, Furrer, Simeon, Altdorf, Switzerland, and Lantz, Mark A., Adliswil, Switzerland, for “balanced delay and resolution for high density servo systems.“

The abstract of the patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office states: “A tape drive-implemented method, according to another embodiment, includes: determining a length of a window of a servo pattern to use for calculating a lateral position estimate, determining a number of the windows of the servo pattern to use for calculating a lateral position value, receiving signals corresponding to each of the number of the windows of the servo pattern from a single servo channel, calculating a lateral position estimate for each of the number of the windows of the servo pattern, calculating the lateral position value by using the lateral position estimates, and using the lateral position value to control a tape head actuator. Other systems, methods, and computer program products are described in additional embodiments.”

The patent application was filed on February 22, 2017 (15/439,790).

Optimized data placement for individual file accesses
on deduplication-enabled sequential storage
International Business Machines Corporation (IBM), Armonk, NY, has been assigned a patent (10,101,916) developed by Constantinescu, Mihail C., San Jose, CA, Gharaibeh, Abdullah, Vancouver, Canada, Lu, Maohua, San Jose, CA, Pease, David A., Redwood Estates, CA, and Sharma, Anurag, Mountain View, CA, for an “optimized data placement for individual file accesses on deduplication-enabled sequential storage systems.“

The abstract of the patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office states: “Data deduplication for data storage tapes includes intercepting tape control commands for a single data storage tape. The intercepted tape control commands are modified by adding processing logic and parameters for placement of deduplicated file data on the single data storage tape. Deduplication metadata is written to a metadata portion of the single data storage tape. The deduplicated file data is written to a data portion of the single data storage tape based on the placement to increase read throughput for a deduplicated set of individual files and to reduce an average number of per-file gaps on the single data storage tape without re-duplicating deduplicated data for meeting optimization of individual file accesses.”

The patent application was filed on October 29, 2015 (14/927,151).

Writing files to storage medium
International Business Machines Corporation (IBM), Armonk, NY, has been assigned a patent (10,078,466) developed by Hasegawa, Tohru, Tokyo, Japan, Iwanaga, Masayuki, Urayasu, Japan, and Oishi, Yutaka, Kanagawa, Japan, for “writing files to a storage medium.“

The abstract of the patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office states: “A method for writing a plurality of files includes receiving data of the plurality of files requested to be written to a tape from an application of a host, dividing a group of the received plurality of files into segments with specified sizes, and writing a series of the plurality of respective segments of the group of the plurality of files in sequence in a specified order, the respective segments having the specified sizes, wherein when writing the segments in the specified order, a left end portion of the tape is positioned and respective top segments of the files are first collectively written thereto.”

The patent application was filed on November 8, 2017 (15/806,495).

Recalling files stored on tape
International Business Machines Corporation (IBM), Armonk, NY, has been assigned a patent (10,073,632) developed by Hasegawa, Tohru, Tokyo, Japan, Itagaki, Hiroshi, Yokohama, Japan, Matsui, Sosuke, Mitsuma, Shinsuke, Tokyo, Japan, Miyamura, Tsuyoshi, Yokohama, Japan, and Yamamoto, Noriko, Tokyo, Japan, for “recalling files stored on a tape.“

The abstract of the patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office states: “The time required for recalling the file is reduced when the file is written in a mounted plurality of tapes in comparison to recalling the file when written in a non-mounted plurality of tapes. In the non-mounted state, criteria does not typically exist in order to recall the written file within the plurality of tapes. Embodiments of the present invention provide systems and methods for recalling files based on criteria which considers: the mounted state of a tape, the type of tape, the type of available tape drive, the number of files included in a tape, and the location of the written file in a tape.”

The patent application was filed on October 31, 2017 (15/798,693).

Recalling files stored on tape
International Business Machines Corporation (IBM), Armonk, NY, has been assigned a patent (10,073,631) developed by Hasegawa, Tohru, Tokyo, Japan, Itagaki, Hiroshi, Yokohama, Japan, Matsui, Sosuke, Mitsuma, Shinsuke, Tokyo, Japan, Miyamura, Tsuyoshi, Yokohama, Japan, and Yamamoto, Noriko, Tokyo, Japan, for “recalling files stored on a tape.“

The abstract of the patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office states: “The time required for recalling the file is reduced when the file is written in a mounted plurality of tapes in comparison to recalling the file when written in a non-mounted plurality of tapes. In the non-mounted state, criteria does not typically exist in order to recall the written file within the plurality of tapes. Embodiments of the present invention provide systems and methods for recalling files based on criteria which considers: the mounted state of a tape, the type of tape, the type of available tape drive, the number of files included in a tape, and the location of the written file in a tape.”

The patent application was filed on October 31, 2017 (15/798,617).

Tape damage detection
International Business Machines Corporation (IBM), Armonk, NY, has been assigned a patent (10,068,599) developed by Bui, Nhan X., Inch, Randy C., Swanson, David L., Tucson, AZ, and Taketomi, Tomoko, Yamato, Japan, for a “tape damage detection.“

The abstract of the patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office states: “In one general embodiment, a method includes calculating a differential position value based on readback signals from at least two servo readers of a magnetic head reading servo tracks of a magnetic recording tape. The differential position value is compared to a previously-calculated differential position value. An action is performed in response to determining that the difference between the differential position value and the previously-calculated differential position value is in a predefined range. In another general embodiment, an apparatus includes a magnetic head having at least two servo readers, and a controller in communication with the servo readers. The controller is configured to detect a sudden change in a width of a magnetic recording tape based on a differential position value derived from relatively more current servo readback data and a second differential position value derived from relatively older servo readback data.”

The patent application was filed on July 31, 2015 (14/815,901).

Head having wrap-controlled flexible media interface
International Business Machines Corporation (IBM), Armonk, NY, has been assigned a patent (10,068,591) developed by Biskeborn, Robert G., Hollister, CA, Liang, Jason, Campbell, CA, and Lo, Calvin S., Saratoga, CA, for a “head having wrap-controlled flexible media interface.“

The abstract of the patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office states: “An apparatus according to one embodiment includes a module having a tape bearing surface, a magnetic transducer in a thin film region, and an edge closest to the transducers. A guide is positioned relative to the edge for inducing tenting of a moving magnetic recording tape above a tape tenting region of the tape bearing surface. The magnetic transducer is positioned along the tape tenting region.”

The patent application was filed on December 5, 2016 (15/369,651).

Storing meta-information on tape recording
International Business Machines Corporation (IBM), Armonk, NY, has been assigned a patent (10,067,700) developed by Hasegawa, Tohru, Tokyo, Japan, Itagaki, Hiroshi, Yokohama, Japan, Mitsuma, Shinsuke, Machida, Japan, Watanabe, Terue, and Yamamoto, Noriko, Tokyo, Japan, for “storing meta-information on tape recording systems.“

The abstract of the patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office states: “A capability to store meta-information related to file access histories on tape recording systems is provided. Base meta-information is stored on a tape. The base meta-information is meta-information that is associated with one or more files that are stored on the tape and is based, at least in part, on a tape access operation history. A first quantity of differentiated meta-information is stored on the tape at a predetermined time interval after storing the base meta-information, wherein the first quantity of differentiated meta-information is based, at least in part, on the tape access operation history and reflects a history of at least one file of the one or more files that are associated with the base meta-information.”

The patent application was filed on August 25, 2015 (14/834,715).