Dynamic magnetic information storage or retrieval – Automatic control of a recorder mechanism
Reexamination Certificate
2000-09-20
2002-11-12
Hudspeth, David (Department: 2651)
Dynamic magnetic information storage or retrieval
Automatic control of a recorder mechanism
C360S137000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06480350
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a hard disk drive selector mechanism that permits the easy and rapid replacement of one hard disk drive that occupies a unique logical position in a computer system with another hard disk drive. The replacement occurs while the computer system is off. The replacement occurs without removal of either hard disk drive.
2. Description of the Related Art
A modern computer is an electrically powered machine that inputs, processes, and outputs data. It consists of a central processing unit or CPU, main memory, and a real time clock. To make the computer a useful device, many peripheral components are connected to it. These peripheral components include input devices such as keyboards and mice, display devices such as video monitors and printers, and storage devices such as hard disk drives. A computer and all equipment attached to it are hardware. Collectively, these components are known as a computer system.
A computer and its peripheral components input, process, and output data by following sets of instructions stored in memory. The instructions that the computer system follow are software. A set of instructions that accomplish a specific task is called a program. Three types of programs exist; input and output systems, operating systems and applications.
There are two types or levels of input and output systems. The first is the basic input and output system or BIOS. It is a program consisting of the essential instructions that permit a computer's components to interact with each other and with some attached peripheral components. The second is peripheral component input and output systems. These programs allow the computer to communicate with any peripheral device whose input and output system was not part of the BIOS.
An operating system is a program that provides the interface between a computer user, a computer system, and a computer system's other programs, the input and output systems and applications. In this role, an operating system executes and manages all running programs, manages all data being processed by the various running application programs, and controls the use and order of use of all computer hardware. The operating system also can provide system security by being set to restrict access to itself, to applications, and to data.
An application is a program that performs a specific task such as accounting, word processing, or chess playing.
The components of a computer system communicate with each other over the computer system's bus. A bus is a common pathway between multiple devices. A computer system's bus is composed of five groups of electrical conductors. The first group carries electrical current and is a power source for some components connected to the bus. (Other components receive their power directly from the computer system's direct current power supply or from some external source such as typical 110-volt alternating current outlets). The second group of conductors carries data between components connected to the bus. The third group carries addressing information. The fourth group of conductors carries commands and command acknowledgements from one component to another. The fifth portion of the bus is the conductor that connects the real time clock to appropriate system components.
Several devices physically support the bus of a computer system. The first is the computer's motherboard. The motherboard is the main, printed electronic circuit board of a computer system. The second is a daughterboard. A daughterboard is a secondary, printed circuit board that can be added to and removed from the motherboard; it is an expansion board. The third is cabling. Keyboard, mouse, and hard disk drive connecting cables are examples. (Though some devices have become connected to the computer system bus by infrared connection, they are not a consideration in this invention).
The primary computer bus or primary computer bus segment is the portion of the bus that the central processing unit is attached to. All other segments of the bus are thought of as peripheral buses. The order of buses is logically arranged so that higher speed buses are physically closer to the central processing unit while slower buses are farther away. These peripheral buses are actually peripheral devices.
FIGS. 1
,
2
,
3
,
4
, and
5
show the bus system from the central processing unit to various internal hard disk drives in a personal computer system.
FIG. 1
, entitled Simplified Computer Bus, and tagged as
100
, is a simplified block diagram of a typical personal computer system bits. The complete, hardwired bus system is shown and represented by the large block arrow labeled System Bus, and tagged as
200
, and by the interconnecting arrow system joining all of the depicted ports or components.
The following hardware components are shown in FIG.
1
:
1) the CPU,
401
, or Central Processing Unit;
2) the main memory,
403
, and cache memory,
402
; volatile random access type memory;
3) the clock generator,
404
, or CPU clock, used to synchronize communications between computer devices;
4) the BIOS,
405
, typically a flash, read-only memory chip used to store the basic input and output software used by the computer at start-up;
and 5) the CMOS,
406
, a battery powered/backed-up complementary metal oxide semiconductor chip used to store system configuration information.
Ports are points of connection to the bus for peripheral components. The following ports are shown:
1) a keyboard port,
212
;
2) a mouse port,
210
;
3) a floppy drive connector,
208
;
4) a parallel port,
206
;
5) two USB or universal serial bus ports,
214
a
and
214
b;
and 6) two serial ports
202
a
and
202
b.
Host adapters or device controllers are the points of interface between all peripheral devices and the rest of the computer system. Host adapters also hold the memory chips that provide the computer system with the input and output systems specific for many peripheral devices. The following removable host adapters are shown:
1) a sound adapter,
601
, a device to which microphones, speakers, radio receivers, etc., are connected in order to use the audio capabilities of a computer;
2) a network adapter,
603
, a device that allows the computer to connect to computer networks;
3) a 1394 adapter,
605
, also known as Firewire, a high speed serial bus,
4) a video adapter,
501
, a device that permits the connection of a video display monitor;
5) two ATA/IDE host adapters
0
and
1
,
701
and
703
, devices that permit the connection of ATA/IDE compliant devices (the terms ATA and IDE will be defined immediately below);
and 6) a SCSI host adapter,
801
(the term SCSI will be defined immediately below).
Connected to ATA/IDE Host Adapter
0
,
701
, is ATA/IDE HDD
0
,
702
, or ATA/IDE hard disk drive,
0
. Connected to SCSI Host Adapter,
801
, is SCSI HDD
0
,
802
, or SCSI hard disk drive
0
.
ATA stands for Advanced Technology Attachment. ATA is also the use specification for this type of drive. IDE stands for Integrated Device Electronics. IDE devices are those devices that use the ATA specifications. The terms ATA and IDE are often used as synonyms. SCSI stands for Small Computer System Interface and is a type of device and a use specification.
FIG. 1
also shows an External Power Source,
901
. This is something such as standard household electric current (110-Volt alternating current, or AC). This power source provides power to the computer's Power Supply,
301
, an alternating current to direct current converter and voltage divider, and to some peripheral components such as a scanner (not shown). Power is delivered from the external power source,
901
, to the power supply,
301
, by conductor Z.
Some computer hardware components receive electrical power by way of the bus. Conductors X deliver direct current, or DC, electrical power from the Power Supply,
301
, to the bus,
200
. Some computer hardware, such as hard disk drives, receives direct current electrica
Hudspeth David
Kapadia Varsha A.
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