IBM Assigned Seven Patents

Ordering archived search results
International Business Machines Corporation, Armonk, NY, has been assigned a patent (11,354,359) developed by Hasegawa, Tohru, Tokyo, Japan, Uetsuki, Hiroaki, Machida, Japan, Ishikawa, Shunsuke, Shinjuku, Japan, Tominaga, Yasuyuki, Saitama, Japan, Watanabe, Kenta, Soka, Japan, and Ono, Asako, Setagaya, Japan, for “ordering archived search results.“

The abstract of the patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office states: “Embodiments are disclosed for a method for ordering search results. The method includes identifying a plurality of archived search results generated by a keyword search. The method also includes searching a plurality of indices of a plurality of corresponding tape libraries comprising a plurality of tapes storing the archived search results. The method additionally includes determining a plurality of estimated access times corresponding to the archived search results based on the indices. Further, the method includes sorting the archived search results based on the estimated access times to create a time-based order.”

The patent application was filed on December 3, 2019 (16/701,199).

Secure data erase for tape storage
International Business Machines Corporation, Armonk, NY, has been assigned a patent (11,335,364) developed by Matsui, Sosuke, Tokyo, Japan, Nohta, Takeshi, Tsukuba, Japan, Tanaka, Jun, Zama, Japan, and Tatsumi, Erina, Tokyo, Japan, for a “secure data erase for tape storage.“

The abstract of the patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office states: “In an approach, a processor determines that an inactive data area is present at end-of-tape (EOT) of a tape. A processor, responsive to determining that the inactive data area is present at EOT, securely erases the inactive data area that is present at EOT by overwriting data located at the inactive data area with different data.”

The patent application was filed on May 17, 2021 (17/321,770).

Content driven storage and retrieval of files
International Business Machines Corporation, Armonk, NY, has been assigned a patent (11,334,269) developed by Hasegawa, Tohru, Tokyo, Japan, Kikuchi, Hiroaki, Yokohama, Japan, Goto, Takuya, Ono, Asako, and Liu, Xiangning, Tokyo, Japan, for a “content driven storage and retrieval of files.“

The abstract of the patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office states: “Storage pools having categorized archival storage tapes according to content of files stored on each tape. Archiving new files into the storage pools according to content of the new files for efficient retrieval of files from storage tapes organized by category of content. Recall of multiple files from archival storage tapes to primary storage of an hierarchical storage management system is efficiently performed such that tape mounting operations are minimized.”

The patent application was filed on October 6, 2020 (17/063,751).

Magnetic recording tape fabrication method having peek substrate
International Business Machines Corporation, Armonk, NY, has been assigned a patent (11,315,596) developed by Bradshaw, Richard, Tucson, AZ, for a “magnetic recording tape fabrication method having peek substrate.“

The abstract of the patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office states: “A method for making a magnetic recording tape, in accordance with one approach, includes coupling an underlayer to a substrate, the substrate comprising a poly ether ether ketone (PEEK). A method for making a magnetic recording tape in accordance with another approach includes coupling an underlayer to a substrate via radiation-induced grafting, the substrate comprising a poly ether ether ketone (PEEK). A recording layer is coupled to the underlayer.”

The patent application was filed on September 17, 2019 (16/573,912).

Adjustable tape storage capacity
International Business Machines Corporation, Armonk, NY, has been assigned a patent (11,314,413) developed by Brettell, David A., Vail, AZ, Fisher, Alan J., Lee, Duke A., Tucson, AZ, and Nieves, Alexander, Chandler, AZ, for an “adjustable tape storage capacity.“

The abstract of the patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office states: “A tool for adjusting available physical tape storage capacities. The tool determines an initial capacity size for one or more tapes, wherein the initial capacity size is a maximum physical storage capacity provided by the one or more tapes. The tool assigns the one or more tapes to a logical cluster based, at least in part, on the initial capacity size for the one or more tapes. The tool determines an initial storage capacity for the one or more tapes, wherein the initial storage capacity is a starting logical storage capacity that is less than the maximum physical storage capacity provided by the one or more tapes. The tool determines an incremental growth threshold for the one or more tapes. Responsive to a determination that the incremental growth threshold is exceeded, the tool increments a logical storage capacity of the one or more tapes by an incremental growth assignment.”

The patent application was filed on April 12, 2016 (15/096,962).

Optimizing tape drives in tape library
International Business Machines Corporation, Armonk, NY, has been assigned a patent (11,308,989) developed by Miyamura, Tsuyoshi, Yokohama, Japan, Yamamoto, Noriko, Tokyo, Japan, Itagaki, Hiroshi, Yokohama, Japan, Hasegawa, Tohru, Tokyo, Japan, Mitsuma, Shinsuke, Machida, Japan, and Abe, Atsushi, Ebina, Japan, for “optimizing tape drives in a tape library.“

The abstract of the patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office states: “An approach for improving the tape storage media by optimizing tape drives in a tape library. Embodiments manage, by a web interface provided by a tape library, an inventory of one or more tape drives and the one or more tape media in the tape library, and record high tension discharge and distance measurement after formatting in a cartridge memory of the one or more tape media in the tape library. Further, embodiments manage the high tension discharge and the distance measurement after formatting in the cartridge memory of the one or more tape media by measuring a distance between servo bands utilizing one or more unused tape drives and one or more low frequency tape drives in the tape library, and execute a rewind at low tension using the one or more unused tape drive and the one or more low frequency tape drives.”

The patent application was filed on March 29, 2021 (17/215,404).

Event based reconcile operation for hierarchical storage management
International Business Machines Corporation, Armonk, NY, has been assigned a patent (11,308,986) developed by Araki, Hiroshi, Yokohama, Japan, Ishimoto, Takeshi, Miyoshi, Hiroyuki, Kawasaki, Japan, and Abe, Atsushi, Ebina, Japan, for “event based reconcile operation for hierarchical storage management.“

The abstract of the patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office states: “In an approach to automatically reconciling data in HSM without affecting system performance, responsive to migrating a file on a hierarchical storage system from a primary storage to one or more tape drives, one or more file migration records are recorded in a reconcile database. Responsive to the occurrence of a file event on the primary storage, the one or more file migration records in the reconcile database are updated. Responsive to receiving a command to unmount a first mounted tape on one of the one or more tape drives, a reconcile function is performed on the first mounted tape, wherein the reconcile function updates the first mounted tape with the one or more file migration records in the reconcile database.”

The patent application was filed on August 11, 2020 (16/990,190).