Facebook Assigned Four Patents

Increasing longevity of archival tape
Facebook, Inc., Menlo Park, CA, has been assigned a patent (10,860,428) developed by Adrian, Jason David, San Jose, CA, for “apparatus, system, and method for increasing the longevity of archival tape.“

The abstract of the patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office states: ”A computer-implemented method for increasing the longevity of archival tape may include suspending, by a scheduling computing system, an initiation of a read/write process for an archival tape. The method may also include reading a tape status stored on a status tag embedded on a cartridge of the archival tape. In addition, the method may include deducing, by the scheduling computing system, a health status of the archival tape from the tape status. Furthermore, the method may include adjusting, by the scheduling computing system, a read/write policy of the archival tape based on the health status. Finally, the method may include completing the read/write process of the archival tape based on the adjusted read/write policy. Various other methods, systems, and computer-readable media are also disclosed.”

The patent application was filed on December 24, 2017 (15/853,812).

Adaptive-rate error correction layer for tape storage
Facebook, Inc., Menlo Park, CA, has been assigned a patent (10,854,239) developed by Cai, Yu, Czarnecki, Wlodzimierz Stanley, Palo Alto, CA, and Mah, John, Westminster, CO, for an “adaptive-rate error correction layer for tape storage.“

The abstract of the patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office states: ”Data set groups are determined, wherein each data set group includes a plurality of data sets and each data set includes error-correcting information for content user data of the data set. One or more versions of data set group level error-correcting information for each data set group are calculated. The data set groups on stored a tape storage media. After the data set groups are stored, an amount of storage available on one or more regions of the tape storage media associated with one or more tape edges is identified. An instruction is provided to store at least a partial amount of the calculated one or more versions of data set group level error-correcting information for the data set groups able to be stored in the amount of storage available on the one or more regions of the tape storage media associated with the one or more tape edges.”

The patent application was filed on July 31, 2019 (16/528,442).

Low-vibration cooling of storage drives
Facebook, Inc., Menlo Park, CA, has been assigned a patent (10,765,036) developed by Adrian, Jason David, San Jose, CA, and Cousineau, Austin Joel, Menlo Park, CA, for “systems and devices for low-vibration cooling of storage drives.“

The abstract of the patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office states: ”A disclosed apparatus may include a storage drawer chassis having thermally-conductive barriers, with the thermally-conductive barriers defining storage bays adapted to receive storage drives. The apparatus may further include a coolant manifold, an inlet mechanism adapted to receive coolant into the coolant manifold of the storage drawer chassis, and an outlet mechanism adapted to permit coolant to exit the storage drawer chassis for thermal processing. The coolant manifold may be disposed in the storage drawer chassis to distribute coolant among a plurality of coolant channels extending within the thermally-conductive barriers to cool the storage drives. Other related systems, devices and methods are disclosed.”

The patent application was filed on December 22, 2017 (15/853,278).

Removeable drive-plane
Facebook, Inc., Menlo Park, CA, has been assigned a patent (10,736,228) developed by Kho, Chuankeat, and Adrian, Jason David, San Jose, CA, for “removeable drive-plane apparatus, system, and method.“

The abstract of the patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office states: ”A removeable drive-plane board may include (1) keyhole openings that are configured to interlock with keyhole fasteners of a retaining member of a storage-system chassis, (2) storage-drive connectors, (3) a storage-system module connector, and (4) electrical interconnects that electrically couple the storage-drive connectors to the storage-system module connector. In some examples, the keyhole fasteners of the retaining member may be oriented downward relative to the storage-system chassis. Various other removeable drive-plane apparatus, systems, and methods are also disclosed.”

The patent application was filed on August 31, 2017 (15/693,362).