IBM Assigned Eleven Patents

Write transducer with symmetric yoke structure
International Business Machines Corporation, Armonk, NY, has been assigned a patent (11,152,019) developed by Fontana, Robert, San Jose, CA, and Biskeborn, Robert, Hollister, CA, for a “write transducer with symmetric yoke structure.“

The abstract of the patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office states: “An apparatus, according to one embodiment, includes a write transducer having: a bottom yoke, a top yoke, a nonmagnetic write gap positioned between the top and bottom yokes, a bottom pole extending from the bottom yoke toward the write gap, and a top pole extending from the top yoke toward the write gap. A width of a media facing side of the bottom pole is about the same as a width of a media facing side of the top pole. The media facing side of the bottom pole is aligned with the media facing side of the top pole along a thickness direction. A method, according to one embodiment, includes performing bidirectional writing to a magnetic recording tape using a write transducer as described above.”

The patent application was filed on November 12, 2019 (16/681,661).

Optimized tape unmount operation
International Business Machines Corporation, Armonk, NY, has been assigned a patent (11,152,018) developed by Hasegawa, Tohru, Tokyo, Japan, Miyamura, Tsuyoshi, Yokohama, Japan, Mitsuma, Shinsuke, Tokyo, Japan, Itagaki, Hiroshi, Yokohama, Japan, Yamamoto, Noriko, and Matsui, Sosuke, Tokyo, Japan, for an “optimized tape unmount operation.“

The abstract of the patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office states: “A computer-implemented method for indexing a tape for unmounting from a tape drive. The computer-implemented method includes: receiving a request to unmount the tape from the tape drive, wherein the tape includes an index partition and a data partition, determining that an update to the tape is not reflected in any data index written in the data partition, appending a new data index at the end of the last written data file in the data partition, wherein the new data index includes information associated with the update to the tape, unthreading the tape from the tape drive, wherein unthreading the tape from the tape drive is performed at low tension writing a metadata index to an ancillary storage device, wherein the metadata index includes information associated with the update to the tape.”

The patent application was filed on October 29, 2020 (17/083,352).

Accurate skew determination for magnetic tapes experiencing effects of tape dimensional instability
International Business Machines Corporation, Armonk, NY, has been assigned a patent (11,145,323) developed by Bui, Nhan Xuan, Tucson, AZ, Furrer, Simeon, Altdorf, Switzerland, Cherubini, Giovanni, Rueschlikon, Switzerland, and Lantz, Mark Alfred, Adliswil, Switzerland, for an “accurate skew determination for magnetic tapes experiencing the effects of tape dimensional instability.“

The abstract of the patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office states: “A computer-implemented method, according to one embodiment, includes: receiving a first timestamp in response to a first servo reader detecting a stripe of a first servo burst on the magnetic tape, and receiving a second timestamp in response to a second servo reader detecting a stripe of a second servo burst on the magnetic tape. A third timestamp is received in response to the first servo reader detecting a stripe of a third servo burst on the magnetic tape, while a fourth timestamp is received in response to the second servo reader detecting a stripe of a fourth servo burst on the magnetic tape. The first, second, third, and fourth timestamps are used to determine the skew of the magnetic tape. Further still, the first and third servo bursts are in a same first servo sub-frame, while the second and fourth servo bursts are in a same second servo sub-frame.”

The patent application was filed on November 30, 2020 (17/107,578).

Robotic confirmation of column straightness
International Business Machines Corporation, Armonk, NY, has been assigned a patent (11,127,430) developed by Nave, Shawn M., Hill, Jr., Ronald Faye, and Macias, Luis Roberto, Tucson, AZ, for a “robotic confirmation of column straightness.“

The abstract of the patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office states: “A computer-implemented method includes identifying a lower calibration target of a column of an automated tape library and identifying an upper calibration target of the column. The method includes calculating at least one slot position between the upper calibration target and the lower calibration target. For at least some of the calculated slot positions, the method includes performing a check including identifying an actual slot position corresponding to the calculated slot position. The actual slot position is located by a robotic accessor. The method includes comparing the calculated slot position to the corresponding identified actual slot position and determining whether the calculated slot position is within a predefined range of the corresponding identified actual slot position. The method includes outputting a result of the determination.”

The patent application was filed on March 18, 2020 (16/823,217).

Fast locate using imitation reads on tape drives
International Business Machines Corporation, Armonk, NY, has been assigned a patent (11,106,364) developed by Abe, Atsushi, Ebina, Japan, and Masuda, Setsuko, Tokyo, Japan, for a “fast locate using imitation reads on tape drives.“

The abstract of the patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office states: “A computer-implemented method, according to one embodiment, includes: determining whether a first amount of time associated with performing a locate operation to advance a magnetic tape from a current position to a beginning of the requested data is less than a second amount of time associated with performing a number of read operations to advance the magnetic tape from the current position to the beginning of the requested data. In response to determining that the first amount of time is less than the second amount of time, a tape drive is instructed to perform the locate operation. In response to determining that the first amount of time is not less than the second amount of time, the tape drive is instructed to perform the number of read operations. The tape drive is also instructed to discard data read from the magnetic tape while performing the number of read operations.”

The patent application was filed on July 15, 2019 (16/512,237).

Tape drive with intelligent selection of wrap/track for temporarily storing flushed data
International Business Machines Corporation, Armonk, NY, has been assigned a patent (11,100,003) developed by Miyamura, Tsuyoshi, Ogura, Eiji, Yokohama, Japan, and Taketomi, Tomoko, Shinagawa-ku, Japan, for a “tape drive with intelligent selection of wrap / track for temporarily storing flushed data.“

The abstract of the patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office states: “A tape drive that can select one or more wraps from any available wraps on a tape medium for writing temporary data upon detecting a flush condition. The one or more wraps selected for writing temporary data can be selected from wraps otherwise reserved for normal writing operations. Selection of the one or more wraps for temporary writing may be based on multiple considerations, including proximity to the wrap of current data writing operations and tape medium degradation. The one or more wraps selected for writing temporary data may be selected with or without regard of their assigned read/write direction. Assigning wraps based on proximity and/or degradation can lead to certain operational advantages including reducing tape write head movement in the transverse direction and spreading tape medium wear more evenly across the surface of the tape medium.”

The patent application was filed on August 27, 2019 (16/552,114).

Fast locate using imitation reads on tape drives
International Business Machines Corporation, Armonk, NY, has been assigned a patent (11,099,738) developed by Abe, Atsushi, Ebina, Japan, and Masuda, Setsuko, Tokyo, Japan, for a “fast locate using imitation reads on tape drives.“

The abstract of the patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office states: “A computer-implemented method, according to one embodiment, includes: receiving a read request for data stored on a magnetic tape. For each portion of the requested data, an iterative process is performed. In preferred approaches, the iterative process includes: instructing a tape drive to read the portion of the requested data from the magnetic tape, and determining whether a copy of the portion of the requested data is located in a cache. In response to determining that a copy of the portion of the requested data is located in the cache, the tape drive is instructed to discard the portion of the requested data read from the magnetic tape. However, in response to determining that a copy of the portion of the requested data is not located in the cache, the portion of the requested data read from the magnetic tape is received from the tape drive.”

The patent application was filed on July 15, 2019 (16/512,232).

Fast locate using imitation reads on tape drives
International Business Machines Corporation, Armonk, NY, has been assigned a patent (11,099,737) developed by Abe, Atsushi, Ebina, Japan, and Masuda, Setsuko, Tokyo, Japan, for a “fast locate using imitation reads on tape drives.“

The abstract of the patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office states: “A computer-implemented method, according to one embodiment, includes: receiving a read request for data stored on a magnetic tape, the data having multiple portions. For each portion of the requested data determined as not being located in a cache, a determination is made as to whether performing a locate command or performing a read command a plurality of times will retrieve the portions of the requested data that are not located in the cache in a shorter amount of time. The command determined to retrieve the portions of the requested data that are not located in the cache in the shorter amount of time are issued to a tape drive. Moreover, the portions of the requested data that are not located in the cache are combined with portions of the requested data that are located in the cache. Furthermore, the combined portions are used to satisfy the read request.”

The patent application was filed on July 15, 2019 (16/512,225).

Tape drive
International Business Machines Corporation, Armonk, NY, has been assigned a patent (11,093,179) developed by Asmussen, Ole, Henstedt-Ulzburg, Germany, Beiderbeck, Robert, Wassenberg, Germany, Rueger, Erik, Ockenheim, Germany, and Schaefer, Markus M., Heiligenmoschel, Germany, for a “tape drive system.“

The abstract of the patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office states: “A tape drive system as a Network Attached Storage (NAS) device and a method for operating the tape drive system. A tape drive is connected to a native connector disposed in a wall of a housing. The native connector enables an external connection to the tape drive. A single board computer is operated in a dimension of a credit card. The single board computer includes at least one integrated communication interface selected from Wi-Fi, Ethernet, USB, and combinations thereof. Data is transferred to and from the tape drive via the at least one integrated communication interface, wherein if the at least one integrated communication interface includes Ethernet and/or USB, then a connector related to the Ethernet and/or USB is provided in a wall of the housing. The tape drive, the single board computer, the native connector and the related connector are provided in the housing.”

The patent application was filed on March 24, 2017 (15/468,228).

Tape storage including at least two tape storage apparatuses for improved writing of data to be synchronized
International Business Machines Corporation, Armonk, NY, has been assigned a patent (11,087,797) developed by Abe, Atsushi, Kanagawa-ken, Japan, Katagiri, Takashi, Oe, Motoko, Masuda, Setsuko, Yokohama, Japan, Oishi, Yutaka, Yamamoto, Noriko, Kawasaki, Japan, and Yoshimura, Katsumi, Fujisawa, Japan, for a “tape storage system including at least two tape storage apparatuses for improved writing of data to be synchronized.“

The abstract of the patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office states: “There is provided a tape recording apparatus system capable of improving writing performance and maintaining tape recording density, for a multiple data writing request accompanied by a lot of synchronization requests from a host. The system is a tape storage system including two or more tape drives each of which has a tape mounted thereon and is provided with a buffer divided in fixed-length segments, and connected to a host that sends multiple data and a synchronization request at a predetermined timing to these tape drives. This tape recording system is provided with: a tape drive connected to the host, receiving the multiple data sent from the host, and, when the segment of the buffer is accumulated and filled with data, writing the accumulated data onto a tape, and another tape drive connected to the tape drive, receiving the multiple data sent from the host via the tape drive, and dumping a predetermined number of data accumulated in the segments onto a tape at a timing of receiving the synchronization request.”

The patent application was filed on June 15, 2010 (13/376,151).

Data preservation in linear tape file systems
International Business Machines Corporation, Armonk, NY, has been assigned a patent (11,086,543) developed by Abe, Atsushi, Ebina, Japan, for a “data preservation in linear tape file systems.“

The abstract of the patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office states: “A data to write to a tape in a linear tape file system (LTFS) is received. The data is written to the tape. A forced termination of the write is received. Responsive to receiving the forced termination, a preserve metadata command is issued.”

The patent application was filed on December 3, 2019 (16/701,250).