Toshiba and Toshiba Electronic Devices and Storage Assigned Twenty-Three Patents

Seek scheduling in split actuator drive
Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba, Tokyo, Japan, and Toshiba Electronic Devices and Storage, Tokyo, Japan, has been assigned a patent (11,036,436) developed by Calfee, Gary W., Santa Clara, CA, Ehrlich, Richard M., Saratoga, CA, Schmidt, Thorsten, Livermore, CA, and Dunn, Eric R., Cupertino, CA, for “seek scheduling in a split actuator drive.“

The abstract of the patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office states: ”Systems and methods for scheduling the execution of disk access commands in a split-actuator hard disk drive are provided. In some embodiments, while a first actuator of the split actuator is in the process of performing a first disk access command, a victim operation, a second disk access command, an aggressor operation) is selected for and executed by a second actuator of the split actuator. The aggressor operation is selected from a queue of disk access commands for the second actuator, and is selected based on being the disk access command in the queue that can be initiated sooner than any other disk access command in the queue without disturbing the victim operation.”

The patent application was filed on September 30, 2019 (Appl. No.16/589,098).

Magnetic disk and write processing
Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba, Tokyo, Japan, and Toshiba Electronic Devices and Storage, Tokyo, Japan, has been assigned a patent (11,024,337) developed by Aoki, Takao, Kawasaki Kanagawa, Japan, for “magnetic disk device and write processing method.“

The abstract of the patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office states: ”According to one embodiment, a magnetic disk device includes a disk having a first region to which data is written by normal recording and a second region to which data is written by shingled recording, a head configured to write the data to the disk and read the data from the disk, and a controller configured to, when first data and second data is to be sequentially written to a third region of the second region, reserve a fourth region corresponding to the first data and the second data in the first region, write the first data to the fourth region, write the second data after the first data in the fourth region, and sequentially write the first data and the second data read from the fourth region to the third region.”

The patent application was filed on September 10, 2020 (Appl. No.17/017,050).

Magnetic disk and memory management
Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba, Tokyo, Japan, and Toshiba Electronic Devices and Storage, Tokyo, Japan, has been assigned a patent (11,024,336) developed by Muguruma, Naota, Yokohama Kanagawa, Japan, Yoshida, Kenji, Kamakura Kanagawa, Japan, and Takada, Kazuya, Chigasaki Kanagawa, Japan, for “magnetic disk device and memory management method of magnetic disk device.“

The abstract of the patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office states: ”According to one embodiment, a magnetic disk device includes a magnetic disk, an actuator, a nonvolatile memory, and a controller. When a first determination condition of whether a total value of an amount of data for which execution completion has not been notified in one processing thread that executes a write command, the data having not been written to the magnetic disk, and an amount of the data for which execution completion has been notified in another processing thread that executes the write command, the data having not been written to the magnetic disk, is less than or equal to a capacity of the nonvolatile memory holds, the controller notifies the host of execution completion of the write command in the one processing thread.”

The patent application was filed on September 11, 2020 (Appl. No.17/017,880).

Magnetic disk and setting recording capacity
Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba, Tokyo, Japan, and Toshiba Electronic Devices and Storage, Tokyo, Japan, has been assigned a patent (11,017,804) developed by Tomoda, Yusuke, Kawasaki Kanagawa, Japan, and Nitta, Tatsuo, Machida Tokyo, Japan, for “magnetic disk device and method of setting recording capacity.“

The abstract of the patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office states: ”According one embodiment, a magnetic disk device includes a disk including a first region and a second region to which data before written to the first region is temporarily written, a head which writes data to the disk and reads data from the disk, and a controller which selectively performs conventional magnetic recording for writing a track at an interval in a radial direction of the disk and shingled magnetic recording for writing a track so as to overlap in the radial direction, and changes a cache data capacity of data which can be written to the second region in accordance with a first write capacity of data which can be written to the first region by the shingled magnetic recording.”

The patent application was filed on September 4, 2020 (Appl. No.17/012,306).

Disk drive with actuator assemblies
Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba, Tokyo, Japan, and Toshiba Electronic Devices and Storage, Tokyo, Japan, has been assigned a patent (11,017,803) developed by Yoshikawa, Norio, Yokohama Kanagawa, Japan, and Okamoto, Makoto, Kodaira Tokyo, Japan, for a “disk drive with actuator assemblies.“

The abstract of the patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office states: ”According to one embodiment, a disk drive includes a first actuator assembly, and a second actuator assembly. In the first actuator assembly, arms each includes a slit provided at a side face of the arm, the slit expending from an extending end of the arm to a first actuator block. The slit is provided such that a central line of the slit in its width direction is offset in position from a central line of the arm in its thickness direction in a direction further away from a boundary plane between the first and second actuator assemblies. The arm have a first inclined face and a second inclined face formed at an open end portion of the slit, the first and second inclined face each inclining in a direction in which an open width of the slit widens.”

The patent application was filed on August 12, 2020 (Appl. No.16/991,710).

Magnetic disk and control of servo write
Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba, Tokyo, Japan, and Toshiba Electronic Devices and Storage, Tokyo, Japan, has been assigned a patent (11,011,199) developed by Sudo, Daisuke, Yokohama Kanagawa, Japan, and Hara, Takeyori, Kawasaki Kanagawa, Japan, for “magnetic disk device and control method of servo write.“

The abstract of the patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office states: ”According to one embodiment, a magnetic disk device including a disk, a head, and a controller configured to, when writing a first servo sector, a second servo sector, and a third servo sector in the order described according to a second route varying in a radial direction of the disk with respect to a first route, adjust first timing used to write the second servo sector next to the first servo sector, and adjust second timing used to write the third servo sector next to the second servo sector.”

The patent application was filed on January 27, 2020 (Appl. No.16/752,969).

Magnetic disk and method for adjusting write data
Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba, Tokyo, Japan, and Toshiba Electronic Devices and Storage, Tokyo, Japan, has been assigned a patent (11,004,468) developed by Maeto, Nobuhiro, Yokohama, Japan, and Tomoda, Yusuke, Kawasaki Kanagawa, Japan, for “magnetic disk device and method for adjusting write data.“

The abstract of the patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office states: ”According to one embodiment, a magnetic disk device includes a disk, a head which writes data to the disk and reads data from the disk, and a controller which increases a first recording density of data to be written to a first sector having a first overwrite in the first sector and reduces a second recording density of data to be written to a second sector having a second overwrite different from the first overwrite, on a first track of the disk.”

The patent application was filed on March 4, 2020 (Appl. No.16/808,429).

Information processing apparatus with switching circuit on power supply for disk
Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba, Tokyo, Japan, and Toshiba Electronic Devices and Storage, Tokyo, Japan, has been assigned a patent (10,997,999) developed by Sudo, Daisuke, Yokohama Kanagawa, Japan, and Isokawa, Hiroshi, Kanagawa, Japan, for an “information processing apparatus with switching circuit on power supply for 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 disk device including a head, a disk, a first motor, and a first circuit. The disk has a recording surface. The first motor causes the head to seek along the recording surface. The first circuit can switch between a first state and a second state. The first state is a state where a current path of the first motor is electrically cut off from a first electricity storage unit. The second state is a state where the current path of the first motor is electrically connected to the first electricity storage unit.”

The patent application was filed on April 3, 2020 (Appl. No.16/839,549).

Hard disk having dual micro-actuators on carriage arms
Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba, Tokyo, Japan, and Toshiba Electronic Devices and Storage, Tokyo, Japan, has been assigned a patent (10,984,827) developed by Miyamoto, Koichiro, Oozeki, Kenichiro, Yokohama Kanagawa, Japan, and Chen, Yu, Sagamihara Kanagawa, Japan, for a “hard disk drive having dual micro-actuators on carriage arms.“

The abstract of the patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office states: ”According to one embodiment, there is provided a hard disk drive including a first recording surface, a second recording surface, a first magnetic head, a first actuator and a second actuator that move the first magnetic head, a second magnetic head, a third actuator and a fourth actuator that move the second magnetic head, a fifth actuator that moves the second actuator and the fourth actuator, a drive circuit that implements at least one of a first mode in which the second actuator and the fourth actuator operate differently from each other or a second mode in which the first and third actuators operate differently from each other, and a controller that controls the drive circuit.”

The patent application was filed on February 21, 2020 (Appl. No.16/797,321).

Magnetic disk
Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba, Tokyo, Japan, and Toshiba Electronic Devices and Storage, Tokyo, Japan, has been assigned a patent (10,984,826) developed by Tani, Hiroshi, Kawasaki Kanagawa, Japan, and Suzuki, Hiroyuki, Kamakura Kanagawa, Japan, for a “magnetic disk device.“

The abstract of the patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office states: ”A magnetic disk device includes a magnetic disk, a first read element, a second read element, and a controller. In the magnetic disk, first servo information is written. The controller controls the servo writing of second servo information on the magnetic disk, based on the first servo information. In addition, the controller controls acquisition of the first servo information by the first read element. The controller switches a read element to be used to control the servo writing from the first read element to the second read element based on quality of the first servo information acquired by the first read element.”

The patent application was filed on February 27, 2020 (Appl. No.16/803,339).

Magnetic disk having multiple writers with writing current of different frequencies
Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba, Tokyo, Japan, and Toshiba Electronic Devices and Storage, Tokyo, Japan, has been assigned a patent (10,984,820) developed by Isokawa, Hiroshi, Kanagawa, Japan, for a “magnetic disk device having multiple writers with writing current of different frequencies.“

The abstract of the patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office states: ”According to one embodiment, a magnetic disk device includes a disk, a head including a first write head and a second write head configured to write data to the disk and a read head configured to read data from the disk, and a controller configured to write write data to a first area of the disk with the first write head and to overwrite the write data written with the first write head in the first area with the second write head.”

The patent application was filed on February 20, 2020 (Appl. No.16/796,705).

Magnetic disk having two regions of different thicknesses
Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba, Tokyo, Japan, and Toshiba Electronic Devices and Storage, Tokyo, Japan, has been assigned a patent (10,964,344) developed by Sudo, Daisuke, Yokohama Kanagawa, Japan, Sasamoto, Tatsurou, Tokyo, Japan, Hara, Takeyori, Kawasaki Kanagawa, Japan, Takeo, Akihiko, Tokyo, Japan, Chokki, Kazuo, Fujisawa Kanagawa, Japan, and Nitta, Tatsuo, Tokyo, Japan, for a “magnetic disk device having two regions of different thicknesses.“

The abstract of the patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office states: ”According to one embodiment, a magnetic disk device includes a disk including a first region and a second region different from the first region, a head that writes data on the disk and reads data from the disk, an actuator that positions the head on the disk, and a controller which positions the head by driving the actuator and writes data in the first region and the second region with the head, a skew angle of the head with respect to a circumferential direction of the disk varying within a first angle in the first region, and varying, in the second region, from a second angle larger than the first angle to a third angle larger than the first angle and the second angle.”

The patent application was filed on February 11, 2020 (Appl. No.16/787,407).

Disk device
Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba, Tokyo, Japan, and Toshiba Electronic Devices and Storage, Tokyo, Japan, has been assigned a patent (10,964,343) developed by Uehara, Manabu, Kawasaki Kanagawa, Japan, for a “disk device.“

The abstract of the patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office states: ”According to one embodiment, a disk device includes two magnetic disks opposing each other at intervals of 1.2 to 1.5 mm, and at least two suspension assemblies movable respectively between the two magnetic disks. Each of the suspension assemblies includes a base plate, a load beam extending from the base plate, a tab extending from a distal end of the load beam, a wiring member on the load beam and the base plate, including a gimbal portion, and a magnetic head on the gimbal portion, abutting on a dimple of the load beam via the gimbal portion. The ratio of a distance from a bendable location of the load beam to a center of the dimple with respect to a distance from the center of the dimple to a tip of the tab is 2.8 to 3.8.”

The patent application was filed on June 30, 2020 (Appl. No.16/916,937).

Magnetic disk and write processing
Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba, Tokyo, Japan, and Toshiba Electronic Devices and Storage, Tokyo, Japan, has been assigned a patent (10,957,345) developed by Tomoda, Yusuke, Kawasaki Kanagawa, Japan, for “magnetic disk device and write processing method.“

The abstract of the patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office states: ”According to one embodiment, a magnetic disk device includes a disk, a head including a main magnetic pole having a first end and a second end opposite to the first end in a radial direction of the disk, a write shield facing the main magnetic pole with a gap, and an assist element provided in the gap and at a position where a first distance between the first end and the assist element and a second distance between the second end and the assist element are different from each other, and a controller which controls a voltage applied to the assist element according to a shingled write direction in which a second track is overwritten on a first track.”

The patent application was filed on September 4, 2019 (Appl. No.16/560,512).

Disk having conventional magnetic recording region
and shingled magnetic recording region of different linear density
Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba, Tokyo, Japan, and Toshiba Electronic Devices and Storage, Tokyo, Japan, has been assigned a patent (10,957,343) developed by Tomoda, Yusuke, Kawasaki Kanagawa, Japan, for a “disk device having conventional magnetic recording region and shingled magnetic recording region of different linear density.“

The abstract of the patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office states: ”According to one embodiment, a magnetic disk device includes a disk, a head which writes data to the disk and reads data from the disk, and a controller which executes, in a first region segmented in a radial direction of the disk, at least one of conventional recording processing which writes a plurality of tracks with a space in between in the radial direction at a first linear recording density and shingled recording processing which writes a plurality of tracks on top of one another in the radial direction at a second linear recording density which is less than or equal to the first linear recording density.”

The patent application was filed on February 6, 2020 (Appl. No.16/784,065).

Actuator assembly having dual sensors for detecting the vibration on magnetic disk
Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba, Tokyo, Japan, and Toshiba Electronic Devices and Storage, Tokyo, Japan, has been assigned a patent (10,937,454) developed by Yoshikawa, Norio, Yokohama Kanagawa, Japan, for an “actuator assembly having dual sensors for detecting the vibration on magnetic disk device.“

The abstract of the patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office states: ”According to one embodiment, a magnetic disk device includes a base that includes a bottom wall and side walls standing along a circumference of the bottom wall, a housing that includes a cover facing the bottom wall and closing the base, an actuator assembly that is housed inside the housing and is rotatable around a rotation axis, a head movably supported by the actuator assembly, a control circuit board provided outside of the housing, a first sensor disposed on the control circuit board, and a second sensor disposed inside the housing.”

The patent application was filed on February 13, 2020 (Appl. No.16/789,579).

Shingled magnetic recording drive that updates media cache data in-place
Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba, Tokyo, Japan, and Toshiba Electronic Devices and Storage, Tokyo, Japan, has been assigned a patent (10,936,498) developed by Ehrlich Richard M., Saratoga, CA, and Hall Andre C., Fremont, CA, for a “shingled magnetic recording drive that updates media cache data in-place.“

The abstract of the patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office states: ”When a shingled magnetic recording (SMR) hard disk drive (HDD) receives a write command that references one or more target logical block addresses (LBAs) and determines that one or more target LBAs are included in a range of LBAs for which data are stored in a memory of the drive, additional data are written to the media cache of the SMR HDD along with the write data during the same disk access. The additional data include data that are stored in the volatile memory and are associated with one or more LBAs that are adjacent in LBA space to the target LBAs. The one or more LBAs that are adjacent in LBA space to the target LBAs may include a first group of LBAs that is adjacent to and follows the target LBAs and a second group of LBA that is adjacent to and precedes the target LBAs.”

The patent application was filed on March 12, 2018 (Appl. No.15/919,049).

Disk and method of manufacturing
Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba, Tokyo, Japan, and Toshiba Electronic Devices and Storage, Tokyo, Japan, has been assigned a patent (10,930,320) developed by Okamoto, Makoto, Kodaira Tokyo, Japan, and Sasaki, Yasutaka, Yokohama Kanagawa, Japan, for “disk device and method of manufacturing disk device.“

The abstract of the patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office states: ”According to one embodiment, a disk device includes a disk-shaped recording medium, a head which processes data on the recording medium, and a housing accommodating the recording medium and the head. The housing includes a base with a side wall, and a cover having a welded portion welded to the side wall by laser welding. The welded portion includes a first welded portion welded to a first region of the side wall and having weld beads with a first shape, and a second welded portion welded to a second region of the side wall and having welded beads with a second shape different from the first shape.”

The patent application was filed on April 28, 2020 (Appl. No.16/860,467).

Dual state actuators controlling for magnetic recording
Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba, Tokyo, Japan, and Toshiba Electronic Devices and Storage, Tokyo, Japan, has been assigned a patent (10,930,311) developed by Matsuzawa, Takuji, Kashiwa Chiba, Japan, for a “dual state actuators controlling for magnetic recording device.“

The abstract of the patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office states: ”According to one embodiment, a magnetic disk device includes a first actuator which actuates a magnetic head portion including a magnetic head, a second actuator which adjusts a position of the magnetic head on a magnetic disk in a radial direction of the magnetic disk, and a control portion which determines a second measurement signal amplitude when a second transfer function is measured in accordance with a first gain estimated value of the second actuator and an amplitude of a first measurement signal amplitude to the second actuator applied when a first transfer function is measured, which calculates a second gain estimated value of the second actuator based on the first transfer function and the second transfer function, and which updates the first gain estimated value, using the calculated second gain estimated value.”

The patent application was filed on January 27, 2020 (Appl. No.16/752,890).

Magnetic disk and read processing
Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba, Tokyo, Japan, and Toshiba Electronic Devices and Storage, Tokyo, Japan, has been assigned a patent (10,923,144) developed by Maeto, Nobuhiro, Kanagawa, Japan, for “magnetic disk device and read processing method.“

The abstract of the patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office states: ”According to one embodiment, a magnetic disk device includes a disk, a head including a write head that writes data to the disk, and a first read head and a second read head that read data from the disk, and a controller that, in reading a first track of a first region of the disk, positions a middle portion of the first read head and the second read head at a first track center of the first track, and in reading a second track of a second region of the disk different from the first region, positions any one of the first read head and the second read head at a second track center of the second track.”

The patent application was filed on August 28, 2019 (Appl. No.16/554,129).

Magnetic disk capable of setting recording condition using servo pattern
Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba, Tokyo, Japan, and Toshiba Electronic Devices and Storage, Tokyo, Japan, has been assigned a patent (10,916,266) developed by Tomoda, Yusuke, Hara, Takeyori, and Maeto, Nobuhiro, Kanagawa, Japan, for a “magnetic disk device capable of setting recording condition using servo pattern.“

The abstract of the patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office states: ”According to one embodiment, a magnetic disk device includes a magnetic head, a magnetic disk on which a servo pattern used to position the magnetic head when data is to be recorded by means of the magnetic head is recorded, and a control section configured to set a recording condition for each predetermined unit of the magnetic disk on the basis of the servo pattern, and carry out recording of data on the magnetic disk according to the set recording condition.”

The patent application was filed on July 12, 2019 (Appl. No.16/509,549).

Magnetic disk and write processing
Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba, Tokyo, Japan, and Toshiba Electronic Devices and Storage, Tokyo, Japan, has been assigned a patent (10,910,013) developed by Kawabe, Takayuki, Sagamihara Kanagawa, Japan, Hara, Takeyori, Kawasaki Kanagawa, Japan, and Maeto, Nobuhiro, Yokohama, Japan, for “magnetic disk device and write processing method.“

The abstract of the patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office states: ”According to one embodiment, a magnetic disk device includes a disk including a first track including a first sector, a second sector, and a first parity sector, a head, and a controller configured to, when writing a second track adjacent to the first track in the first direction, even if, in a third sector of the second track adjacent to the first sector in the first direction, a first upper limit in a second direction opposite to the first direction, continue the processing of writing data to the third sector, and if, in a fourth sector adjacent to the second sector in the first direction, a second upper limit in the second direction, stop the processing of writing data to the fourth sector.”

The patent application was filed on February 28, 2020 (Appl. No.16/804,537).

Magnetic disk and method of controlling
Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba, Tokyo, Japan, and Toshiba Electronic Devices and Storage, Tokyo, Japan, has been assigned a patent (10,910,012) developed by Kobayashi, Manabu, Kawasaki Kanagawa, Japan, and Yamazaki, Akihiro, Yokohama Kanagawa, Japan, for “magnetic disk device and method of controlling the same.“

The abstract of the patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office states: ”According to one embodiment, a first decoding circuit calculates likelihood information by executing Viterbi decoding using a parameter for normalizing a branch metric on a signal sequence read from a magnetic disk. The second decoding circuit generates a first bit data sequence by iterative decoding using the likelihood information, and executes a check using a parity check matrix on the first bit data sequence. The control circuit causes the first decoding circuit and the second decoding circuit to repeatedly execute decoding, and updates the parameter in accordance with a check result obtained every time the decoding by the first decoding circuit and the second decoding circuit is executed. An acquisition circuit acquires numerical information corresponding to the number of bit errors included in the first bit data sequence obtained when the number of times of executions of the decoding is equal to a first value.”

The patent application was filed on February 28, 2020 (Appl. No.16/804,181).