Magnetic-tape drive and magnetic-tape head compatible with multiple tape formats

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Quick Facts

Patent No.: US 9,142,224
App. No.: 13/124,646
Granted: Sep 22, 2015
Kind: B2

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Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention are directed to the design and implementation of backward-compatible magnetic tape drives ( 102 ) that are read/write compatible with a current magnetic-tape format ( 1820 ) as well as one or more previous magnetic-tape formats ( 1802 and 1804 ). Embodiments of the present invention include read/write tape-head configurations ( 1902, 1904, 1906, 1908 - 1923, 1930, 1932, 1934, 2102 ) and corresponding magnetic-tape-drive-component features ( 518 ) that allow a magnetic-tape drive to read and write magnetic tapes formatted according to different formats.

Claims (75)

1. A magnetic-tape head used in an electromechanical tape-access component within a magnetic-tape drive, the magnetic-tape head comprising:

a substrate; and

a column including a set of servo elements, a set of single-format tape-head element pairs, and a set of multi-format tape-head element pairs, fabricated on an active portion of the substrate,

wherein the set of servo elements consists of a first servo element and a second servo element, wherein the set of servo elements includes all servo elements of the magnetic-tape head,

wherein the first servo element is disposed at a first end of the column,

wherein the second servo element is disposed at a second end of the column,

wherein the first end and the second end of the column are aligned along an axis perpendicular to the direction of travel of a magnetic tape within the magnetic-tape drive,

wherein the set of single-format tape-head element pairs consists of sixteen single-format tape-head element pairs,

wherein the set of multi-format tape-head element pairs consists of sixteen multi-format tape-head element pairs,

wherein the set of single-format tape-head element pairs are regularly and alternatively interleaved with the set of multi-format tape-head element pairs,

wherein the set of single-format tape-head element pairs and the set of multi-format tape-head element pairs are disposed in the column between the first servo element and the second servo element.

2. The magnetic-tape head of claim 1 wherein the set of single-format tape-head element pairs is compatible with a first magnetic tape formatted according to a first magnetic-tape format which specifies sixteen data bands interleaved between two servo bands.

3. The magnetic-tape head of claim 1 , wherein:

the set of single-format tape-head element pairs includes all single-format tape-head element pairs of the magnetic-tape head; and

the set of multi-format tape-head element pairs includes all multi-format tape-head element pairs of the magnetic-tape head.

4. The magnetic-tape head of claim 1 , wherein the second servo element is to access a lower servo band, and the first servo element is to access an upper servo band.

5. The magnetic-tape head of claim 1 , wherein each single-format tape-head element pair of the set of single-format tape-head element pairs includes a read tape-head element and a write tape-head element.

6. The magnetic-tape head of claim 1 wherein the set of multi-format tape-head element pairs is compatible with the first magnetic tape formatted according to the first magnetic-tape format and with a second magnetic tape formatted according to a second magnetic-tape format, wherein the second magnetic-tape format specifies thirty-two data bands interleaved between two servo bands.

7. The magnetic-tape head of claim 1 , wherein each multi-format tape-head element pair of the set of multi-format tape-head element pairs includes a read tape-head element and a write tape-head element.

8. The magnetic-tape head of claim 1 , the magnetic-tape drive comprising:

mechanical components for loading a magnetic-tape cartridge, extracting a magnetic tape from the cartridge and positioning the magnetic tape relative to guide rollers and an electromechanical tape-access component;

electrical components that include a processor, formatter, electronic memory, a pre-amplifier bank, and a servo controller; and

the magnetic-tape head subcomponent of the electromechanical tape-access component.

9. The magnetic-tape head of claim 1 , wherein the electrical components of the magnetic-tape drive identify a format type of a loaded magnetic tape and control the electromechanical tape-access component to access data tracks of data bands of the loaded magnetic tape according to the identified format type.

10. A method comprising:

providing a multi-magnetic-tape-format-compatible magnetic-tape drive that includes:

electrical components that include a processor, formatter, electronic memory, a pre-amplifier bank, and a servo controller, and

a magnetic-tape head subcomponent of the electromechanical tape-access component comprising:

a substrate, and