IBM Assigned Eleven Patents

Characterization of nonlinearity in servo patterns
International Business Machines Corporation, Armonk, NY, has been assigned a patent (10,657,997) developed by Judd, Kevin B., Tucson, AZ, Furrer, Simeon, Altdorf, Switzerland, Pantazi, Angeliki, Thalwil, Switzerland, and Lantz, Mark A., Adliswil, Switzerland, for a “characterization of nonlinearity in servo patterns.“

The abstract of the patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office states: ”A method according to one embodiment includes applying a static head skew to a magnetic tape head, positioning the first reader at a first y-position relative to a servo pattern in a servo band, and measuring y-positions of the second reader relative to the servo pattern in the servo band while the first reader is at the first y-position. A y-position value is calculated for the second reader based on the measured y-positions. The following process is repeated several times: moving the first reader to a next y-position, measuring y-positions of the second reader while the first reader is at the next y-position, and calculating a y-position value of the second reader based on the measured y-position of the second reader. A unique nonlinearity value of the servo pattern in the servo band is calculated for each of the calculated y-position values of the second reader.”

The patent application was filed on April 29, 2019 (16/398,030).

Tape head module having recessed portion(s) and air aperture(s)
International Business Machines Corporation, Armonk, NY, has been assigned a patent (10,657,989) developed by Biskeborn, Robert G., Hollister, CA, and Lo, Calvin S., Saratoga, CA, for “tape head module having recessed portion(s) and air aperture(s) for providing an air bearing between a tape and the module.“

The abstract of the patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office states: ”In one general embodiment, an apparatus includes a module having a tape bearing surface, and an array of transducers extending along the tape bearing surface. The module has an aperture extending therethrough from the tape bearing surface to an opposing side of the module for permitting passage of air therethrough to the tape bearing surface. In another general embodiment, a method includes adhering a closure to a thin film layer formed on a substrate. The thin film layer has an array of transducers extending therealong. The closure has a channel therein which forms an aperture when the closure is coupled to the thin film layer. A tape bearing surface is formed along the substrate, closure and thin film layer. A recessed portion is formed in the tape bearing surface. An opening of the aperture is present in the recessed portion upon forming the recessed portion.”

The patent application was filed on December 18, 2018 (16/224,664).

Tape drive library integrated memory deduplication
International Business Machines Corporation, Armonk, NY, has been assigned a patent (10,656,860) developed by Asmussen, Ole, Henstedt-Ulzburg, Germany, Beiderbeck, Robert, Wassenberg, Germany, Rueger, Erik, Ockenheim, Germany, and Schafer, Markus, Heiligenmoschel, Germany, for a “tape drive library integrated memory deduplication.“

The abstract of the patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office states: ”A method and system for improving tape drive memory storage is provided. The method includes receiving, by a storage tape drive hardware device, a data stream. Duplicate data chunks of the data stream are identified and deleted such that a group of data chunks remain in a non-volatile memory device (NVS2) of the storage tape drive. The group of data chunks is written to a data storage tape cartridge. Pointers are generated and stored within the data storage tape cartridge. The pointers are associated with a location within an NVS1 for storing de-duplication hashes identifying each data chunk of the group of data chunks stored within data storage tape cartridge. The de-duplication hashes are written from the NVS1 to a manager non-volatile memory device (MNVS) of a storage tape drive hardware library system. The MNVS is updated.”

The patent application was filed on February 8, 2019 (16/271,271).

Tape damage detection
International Business Machines Corporation, Armonk, NY, has been assigned a patent (10,650,853) 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 February 28, 2019 (16/289,389).

Apparatus having recessed TMR read sensor structures for robust head-tape interface
International Business Machines Corporation, Armonk, NY, has been assigned a patent (10,650,846) developed by Biskeborn, Robert G., Hollister, CA, and Lo, Calvin S., Saratoga, CA, for an “apparatus having recessed TMR read sensor structures for robust head-tape 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 and a plurality of tunnel valve read transducers arranged in an array extending along the tape bearing surface of the module. Each of the tunnel valve read transducers includes a sensor structure having a free layer, a tunnel barrier layer, and a reference layer. At least some of the sensor structures are recessed from a plane extending along the tape bearing surface. An at least partially polycrystalline coating is positioned on a media facing side of the recessed sensor structures.”

The patent application was filed on December 11, 2017 (15/838,191).

Selecting wrap angle for inducing tape tenting above transducer
International Business Machines Corporation, Armonk, NY, has been assigned a patent (10,643,654) developed by Biskeborn, Robert G., Hollister, CA, Czarnecki, W. Stanley, Palo Alto, CA, and Lo, Calvin S., Saratoga, CA, for “methods for selecting wrap angle for inducing tape tenting above transducer.“

The abstract of the patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office states: ”A method according to one embodiment includes running a magnetic recording tape over a tape bearing surface of a module having at least one edge, detecting signals from the tape at differing wrap angles for estimating a height of tenting of the tape above a transducer at each of the wrap angles, and selecting a wrap angle to provide about a predefined height of tenting of the tape above the transducer. A resulting tent of the moving magnetic recording tape extends from the edge of the module closest thereto to a minima with a tent apex therebetween, where the minima is at a first point of closest approach of the moving magnetic recording tape to the tape bearing surface of the module nearest the tent apex.”

The patent application was filed on June 18, 2019 (16/445,076).

Selecting wrap angle for inducing tape tenting above transducer
International Business Machines Corporation, Armonk, NY, has been assigned a patent (10,643,653) developed by Biskeborn, Robert G., Hollister, CA, Czarnecki, W. Stanley, Palo Alto, CA, and Lo, Calvin S., Saratoga, CA, for “methods for selecting wrap angle for inducing tape tenting above transducer.“

The abstract of the patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office states: ”In one embodiment, a method includes determining a distance from a to an edge closest thereto and selecting a wrap angle based on the determined distance for inducing tenting of a moving magnetic recording tape in a region above the transducer whereby a resulting tent of the moving tape extends from the edge closest thereto to a minima with a tent apex therebetween. In response to a determination to move the tape over the tape bearing surface, the method includes moving the tape over the tape bearing surface, and checking for changes in the tenting characteristics. In response to determining changes are present, the method includes sequentially selecting a different wrap angle based on the determined distance for inducing a desired tenting characteristic, and checking for changes in the tenting characteristics. Moreover, the method includes selecting a final wrap angle in response to determining no significant changes are present.”

The patent application was filed on June 18, 2019 (16/445,069).

Write procedure using estimated best setting in first run
International Business Machines Corporation, Armonk, NY, has been assigned a patent (10,635,314) developed by Karp, James M., Tucson, AZ, Katagiri, Takashi, Yokohama, Japan, Mori, Yuhko, Kanagawa, Japan, and Oishi, Yutaka, Tokyo, Japan, for a “write procedure using estimated best setting in first run.“

The abstract of the patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office states: ”A computer program product for implementing write procedures using an estimated best setting in a first run, the computer program product comprising a computer readable storage medium having program instructions executable by a tape drive to cause the tape drive to perform a method comprising: receiving, at the tape drive, a request for a write operation to be performed in the tape drive, determining, by the tape drive, a capacity margin ratio of the tape drive, determining an optimum a write procedure based at least in part on the capacity margin ratio, and invoking the optimum write procedure in response to determining the optimum write procedure. The optimum write procedure is selected from the group consisting of: a backhitch write procedure, a same wrap backhitchless flush (SWBF) write procedure, and a recursively accumulating backhitchless flush (RABF) write procedure.”

The patent application was filed on August 18, 2017 (15/681,194).

Tape drive system with tape surface inspection unit
International Business Machines Corporation, Armonk, NY, has been assigned a patent (10,622,016) 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, 2018 (16/131,440).

Concurrent logging of data layers within tape storage device
International Business Machines Corporation, Armonk, NY, has been assigned a patent (10,621,065) developed by Nylander-Hill, Pamela R., Tucson, AZ, for a “concurrent logging of data layers within a tape storage device.“

The abstract of the patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office states: ”Concurrent standard/high resolution logging of critical performance metrics and functional data for various functional areas including servo system, dataflow, channel, read/write, speed matching, and error recovery is achieved by segregating one or more rows of the tape map array for the purpose of logging only high resolution data. As performance data is logged to the standard resolution tape map by wrap and regional offset down tape, the reserved high resolution row logs data sequentially in the order it was processed on magnetic tape and not by its position on magnetic tape. The high-resolution performance data is concurrently logged with normal-resolution performance data as a supporting view with more detailed tape processing data should the normal-resolution performance data have inconclusive or insufficient content. High-resolution storage is structured for shorter regional logging or per-dataset logging of critical performance metrics and functional data, referred to herein as performance data.”

The patent application was filed on December 5, 2017 (15/832,200).

Reclamation of storage medium
International Business Machines Corporation, Armonk, NY, has been assigned a patent (10,620,838) developed by Hasegawa, Tohru, Koto-ku, Japan, Iwanaga, Masayuki, Urayasu, Japan, and Oishi, Yutaka, Kawasaki, Japan, for a “reclamation of storage medium.“

The abstract of the patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office states: ”Software for reclaiming a storage medium. The software determines that a first storage medium storing data in a linear tape file system (LTFS) format meets a predetermined condition indicating that the first storage medium should be reclaimed. Responsive to reading requested data from the first storage medium, and responsive to determining that the first storage medium meets the predetermined condition, the software writes the requested data to a second storage medium in the LTFS format. Subsequent to writing the requested data to the second storage medium, the software reconciles the first storage medium to delete expired data. Subsequent to reconciling the first storage medium, the software explicitly reclaims remaining data on the first storage medium to the second storage medium in the LTFS format.”

The patent application was filed on May 10, 2018 (15/976,257).