Dynamic magnetic information storage or retrieval – General recording or reproducing – Recording-or erasing-prevention
Reexamination Certificate
1999-07-30
2001-04-03
Sniezek, Andrew L. (Department: 2651)
Dynamic magnetic information storage or retrieval
General recording or reproducing
Recording-or erasing-prevention
C360S069000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06212026
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a data storage apparatus, such as a magnetic disk apparatus, loaded in a personal computer or the like.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a conventional magnetic recording apparatus incorporating a hard disk, loaded in an information equipment (e.g., a personal computer), data is protected by means of changing a file attribute (whether data can be read or written) or using a password, and a cartridge of the magnetic recording apparatus cannot be locked for the purpose of protection. Recently, however, a magnetic disk apparatus, in which a read/write operation can be prohibited by means of a lockable switch, is proposed (e.g., Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 54-53509). Such a data storage apparatus with a lockable switch is applied to a desk-top apparatus but cannot be applied to a portable apparatus with a cartridge incorporating a memory medium.
In the conventional apparatus, to provide vibration resistance or impact resistance while a magnetic disk is being operating, a controllable frequency range of a magnetic head positioning control system is widened to increase the gain in a low frequency range. Alternatively, the magnetic head positioning controller is designed so that an open loop has a sufficient gain with respect to a frequency component corresponding to an external vibration applied to the magnetic disk or that a settling function has a sufficient suppression ratio with respect to a frequency component corresponding to an external vibration applied to the magnetic disk. In this case, servo information consisting of patterns repeated in a predetermined frequency on a part of the sector on a track which is called a servo sector is previously over the inner and outer peripheries of the magnetic desk. The servo information is read out by the magnetic head, so that the control for resisting impact is performed. For this reason, in the magnetic head positioning control system, data is sampled in a sampling period determined by the number of servo sectors and the rotating speed of the disk. Therefore, the controllable frequency range of the magnetic head positioning control system is limited by the sampling frequency. As a result, the magnetic disk apparatus cannot have a sufficient impact resistance. In order to provide a sufficient impact resistance, an acceleration sensor is arranged in a magnetic disk apparatus so that an impact applied to the magnetic disk apparatus during the operation of the disk apparatus is detected by the acceleration sensor, thereby prohibiting data from being written into a disk surface in accordance with the degree of the acceleration detected by the acceleration sensor. There is also a method of compensating an influence of impact or acceleration applied to the magnetic disk by feed-forward using an output from the acceleration sensor.
Recently, information equipment, i.e., a personal computer, has become more and more compact and light. In addition, a data storage apparatus itself, such as a magnetic disk apparatus, has become compact and highly integrated, and removable from a personal computer, a facsimile apparatus or a telephone set. Under the circumstances, the importance of security of recorded data has been increasing. To protect data, a password has been provided for recorded data, for example, a file of software. However, the password may easily be decoded by an unauthorized person or broken by a computer virus or the like.
The conventional method for obtaining a vibration resistance or impact resistance is to compensate an influence of vibration or impact in a magnetic disk operating time (while the magnetic disk apparatus is operating), and not that in a magnetic disk non-operating time (while the magnetic disk apparatus is not operating). Further, to increase the impact resistance in the magnetic disk non-operating time, mechanical measures have been taken: for example, to keep the magnetic head unloaded so as not to be brought into contact with the disk surface or to increase the latch force of a VCM (voice coil motor). Since the impact resistant performance of the magnetic disk apparatus in a disk non-operating time depends on mechanical factors as described above, it is necessary to increase mechanical impact resistance of the magnetic disk in order to increase the impact resistance performance of the magnetic disk apparatus in a disk non-operating time. However, it is very difficult and expensive to increase the impact resistance of the magnetic disk apparatus by means of mechanical factors.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide a secured data storage apparatus, such as portable magnetic disk apparatus, which can prevent data stored therein from being leaked, stolen or broken by an unauthorized person.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a data storage apparatus, in which an operation of reading data therefrom or writing data therein is restricted by not only software means but also hardware means, so that data is reliably protected and the probability of breakage of data or leakage of a secret is reduced.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide an impact resistant apparatus, which can reduce an influence of an external impact applied thereto, in a magnetic disk non-operating time, on a magnetic disk apparatus.
According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a data storage apparatus comprising: a cartridge which is attachable to and detachable from an information equipment main body and incorporates a data recording medium or recording element; data reading and writing inhibiting means for inhibiting data from being written in or read from the data storage medium or recording element; and operating means for detecting that the cartridge is detached from the information equipment main body and causing the data reading and writing inhibiting means to operate in response to a detection result.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a data storage apparatus attachable to and detachable from information equipment, comprising: a rotary driving mechanism for rotating a magnetic disk storing positioning data for positioning a magnetic head; a moving mechanism for moving the magnetic head in radial directions of the magnetic disk based on a positioning control signal; a secondary battery, incorporated in the data storage apparatus, for supplying power to the data storage apparatus; acceleration detecting means for detecting an acceleration externally applied to the data storage apparatus, when the data storage apparatus is not operating; supplying means for supplying the power of the secondary battery to the data storage apparatus in response to a result of acceleration detection by means of the acceleration detecting means; and charging means for charging the secondary battery when the data storage means is operating.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a portable data storage apparatus, comprising: a cartridge which is attachable to and detachable from information equipment and incorporates a data recording medium or recording element; an impact sensor, incorporated in the cartridge, for detecting an impact applied to the cartridge; and a device having a function of providing a warning that the data storage apparatus has received a great impact, when the impact detected by the impact sensor is greater than a preset value.
According to the present invention, a device which can be electrically connected to or disconnected from, for example, a data reproducing and inputting apparatus, is mounted in a removable and portable cartridge incorporating a recording medium. When the cartridge is removed from the data inputting and reproducing apparatus, the electrical connection is automatically cutoff and locked. The electrical connection cannot be restored so as to permit reading/writing of data, until the lock is released by means of a key. With this structure, change of data re
Ohmi Takao
Sekimura Masayuki
Taguchi Tomoko
Takakura Shinji
Yamada Takehito
Finnegan Henderson Farabow Garrett & Dunner L.L.P.
Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
Sniezek Andrew L.
LandOfFree
Data storage apparatus having an impact detecting mechanism does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Data storage apparatus having an impact detecting mechanism, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Data storage apparatus having an impact detecting mechanism will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2542193