Dynamic magnetic information storage or retrieval – Automatic control of a recorder mechanism
Patent
1997-02-07
1998-12-22
Edun, Muhammad N.
Dynamic magnetic information storage or retrieval
Automatic control of a recorder mechanism
360 721, 360134, G11B 1518
Patent
active
058525343
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
TECHNICAL FIELD
This invention relates to a tape cassette, a tape recording apparatus and a tape reproducing apparatus which are capable of easily grasping recording information recorded on a tape-shaped recording medium such as a magnetic tape, etc.
BACKGROUND ART
As a recording/reproducing apparatus capable of carrying out recording/reproduction of digital data with respect to a magnetic tape, the so-called tape streamer drive is known. Such a tape streamer drive can have gigantic (huge) recording capacity, e.g., the order of several tens--several hundreds giga bytes although depending upon the tape length of the tape cassette which is a medium used. For this reason, such a tape streamer drive is widely utilized for use in backing up data recorded on media such as hard disc, etc. of the computer body. In addition, such a tape streamer drive is suitable also in the case of storing picture data, etc. of large data size.
As a tape streamer drive as described above, there has been proposed, e.g., a tape streamer drive in which the tape cassette of the 8 mm VTR is used as a recording medium and the helical scan system by the rotary head is employed to carry out recording/reproduction of data.
In the tape streamer drive utilizing the tape cassette of the 8 mm VTR as described above, e.g., SCSI (Small Computer System Interface) is used as the input/output interface for recording/reproduction data.
At the time of recording, data delivered from, e.g., host computer are inputted through the SCSI interface. The input data are caused to be transmitted, e.g., in data group units of a predetermined fixed length, and inputted data are caused to undergo compression processing by a predetermined system as occasion demands and are temporarily stored into the buffer memory. Then, the data stored in the buffer memory are delivered with respect to the recording/reproduction system every units of a predetermined fixed length called group. Thus, recording thereof is carried out with respect to the magnetic tape of the tape cassette by the rotary head.
On the other hand, at the time of reproduction, data of the magnetic tape are read out by the rotary head and are temporarily stored into the buffer memory. Data from the buffer memory are caused to undergo expansion processing if the corresponding data are data which have been subjected to compression at the time of recording, and are then transmitted to the host computer through the SCSI interface.
In addition, partitions are formed in the data recording area on the magnetic tape, and reproduction and/or writing of data can be carried out with respect to these partitions.
Meanwhile, in the data storage system composed of the tape streamer drive and the tape cassette as described above, in order to adequately (reasonably) carry out the recording/reproduction operation with respect to the magnetic tape of the tape cassette, e.g., various position information on the magnetic tape and/or information related to past record in use, etc. with respect to the magnetic tape are required as management information, etc. that the tape streamer drive utilizes for management of the recording/reproduction operation, etc.
In view of the above, there has been proposed, e.g., an approach to provide the area for such management information at the leading position on the magnetic tape or the leading position of the partition.
At the tape streamer drive side, prior to executing the recording or reproduction operation of data with respect to the magnetic tape, access to the area of the management information is provided to read thereinto necessary management information to execute various processing operations so that the subsequent recording/reproduction operation is adequately (reasonably) carried out on the basis of the management information.
Moreover, after the recording or reproduction operation of data has been completed, in order to rewrite the content of the management information for which change is required followed by the recording/reproduction operation, access to the area of the man
Ozue Tadashi
Takayama Yoshihisa
Edun Muhammad N.
Maioli Jay H.
Sony Corporation
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