# US 2014/0192433 A1 · Tape cleaner drive arrangement for a tape library > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2014/0192433 A1 - Document ID: US20140192433A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 14/207,025 - Filed: 2014-03-12 - Published: 2014-07-10 - Earliest claimed: 2012-06-14 - Assignees: Spectra Logic Corporation - Applicants: Spectra Logic Corporation - Inventors: Nathan Christopher Thompson; Matthew Thomas Starr - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20140192433A1 ## CPC - G11B 23/502: {of tape carriers} - G11B 15/68: Automatic cassette changing arrangements; {automatic tape changing arrangements} - G11B: INFORMATION STORAGE BASED ON RELATIVE MOVEMENT BETWEEN RECORD CARRIER AND TRANSDUCER (recording measured values in a way that does not require playback through a transducer G01D9/00; recording or playback apparatus using mechanically marked tape, e.g. punched paper tape, or using unit records, e.g. punched or magnetically marked cards G06K; transferring data from one type of record carrier to another G06K1/18; circuits for coupling output of reproducer to radio receiver H04B1/20; gramophone pick-ups or like acoustic electromechanical transducers or circuits therefor H04R) ## Abstract A tape cartridge library that is equipped with a cleaning device is described. The tape cartridge library essentially includes a plurality of tape cartridges each possessing recording tape media. A plurality of tape drives that read and write data to and from each of the tape cartridges. A tape cleaning drive incapable of transferring data to and from the recording tape media which is independent of the tape drives, the tape cleaning drive disposed entirely within the tape cartridge library. The tape cleaning drive automatically receives one of the tape cartridges and cleans its respective recording tape medium when a predetermined reason for cleaning the tape cartridge is justified. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method comprising: providing a tape cartridge library possessing: a plurality of tape cartridges each containing a recording tape medium, a plurality of data transfer drives arranged to perform storage operations with the recording tape medium, at least one tape cleaning drive that is incapable of performing storage operations with the recording tape medium wherein the tape cleaning drive is entirely confined within the tape cartridge library; receiving a load instruction to load a first tape cartridge in a first data transfer drive; loading the first tape cartridge in the first data transfer drive; performing the storage operations to first recording tape medium from the first tape cartridge via the first data transfer drive; cleaning the first recording tape medium via the tape cleaning drive based when error detections of data retained on the first recording tape medium reaches a predetermined error limit. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein the tape cartridge library further possesses a counting device comprising a counter; incrementing the counter with each of the load events with the first tape cartridge when loaded in one of the plurality of data transfer drives; cleaning the first recording tape medium after a fixed number of load events is reached regardless of the error detections; and resetting the counter to start over after cleaning the first tape recording medium. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 cleaning the first tape cartridge when the first tape cartridge is first introduced to the tape cartridge library prior to the performing step. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein a record of cleaning the first recording tape medium is retained in a medium auxiliary memory device possessed by the first tape cartridge. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 further comprising triggering an action to clean all other tape cartridges in proximity to the first data cartridge when the error detections of data retained on the first recording tape medium reaches the predetermined error limit. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The method of claim 5 wherein the proximity is the tape cartridges in a same magazine. ### Claim 7 (depends on 5) The method of claim 5 wherein the proximity is the tape cartridges in a same library cabinet. ### Claim 8 (depends on 5) The method of claim 5 wherein the proximal tape cartridges are from a shelf area in the tape cartridge library that the first tape cartridge as from immediately prior to the reading operation. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein the predetermined error limit is set by a user of data. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 further comprising alerting a user of data indicating that the first tape cartridge is targeted to be cleaned. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 transmitting a report to a user of data accounting for all of the tape cartridges that have been cleaned. ### Claim 12 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2 transmitting a report to a user of data wherein the report comprising a schedule of the tape cartridges that are going to be cleaned. ### Claim 13 A method comprising: providing a tape cartridge library possessing: a plurality of tape cartridges each containing a recording tape medium, a plurality of data transfer drives arranged to perform storage operations with the recording tape medium, at least one tape cleaning drive that is incapable of performing storage operations with the recording tape medium wherein the tape cleaning drive is entirely confined within the tape cartridge library; receiving a load instruction to load a first tape cartridge in a first data transfer drive; loading the first tape cartridge in the first data transfer drive; reading data retained on the first recording tape medium from the first tape cartridge via the first data transfer drive; determining that an excessive number of read errors occurred when reading the data; automatically loading the first tape cartridge in the at least one tape cleaning drive based on the determining step; cleaning the first recording tape medium via the tape cleaning drive. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The method of claim 13 wherein the tape cartridge library further possesses a counting device comprising a counter; incrementing the counter with each of the load events with the first tape cartridge when loaded in one of the plurality of data transfer drives; cleaning the first recording tape medium after a fixed number of load events is reached prior to the determining step; and resetting the counter to start over after cleaning the first tape recording medium. ### Claim 15 (depends on 13) The method of claim 13 cleaning the first tape cartridge when the first tape cartridge is first introduced to the tape cartridge library prior to the performing step. ### Claim 16 (depends on 13) The method of claim 13 wherein a record of cleaning the first recording tape medium is retained in a medium auxiliary memory device possessed by the first tape cartridge. ### Claim 17 (depends on 13) The method of claim 13 further comprising triggering an action to clean all other tape cartridges in proximity to the first data cartridge when the error detections of data retained on the first recording tape medium reaches the predetermined error limit. ### Claim 18 (depends on 13) The method of claim 13 wherein the excessive number of read errors is a limit set by a user of data. ### Claim 19 A method comprising: providing a tape cartridge library possessing: a plurality of tape cartridges each containing a recording tape medium, a plurality of data transfer drives arranged to perform storage operations with the recording tape medium, at least one tape cleaning drive that is incapable of performing storage operations with the recording tape medium wherein the tape cleaning drive is entirely confined within the tape cartridge library; receiving a load instruction to load a first tape cartridge in a first data transfer drive; loading the first tape cartridge in the first data transfer drive; performing the storage operations to first recording tape medium from the first tape cartridge via the first data transfer drive; cleaning the first recording tape medium via the tape cleaning drive if a predetermined threshold of errors are reached when reading data from the first recording tape medium while performing the storage operations. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) The method of claim 19 wherein the tape cartridge library further possesses a counting device comprising a counter; incrementing the counter with each of the load events with the first tape cartridge when loaded in one of the plurality of data transfer drives; cleaning the first recording tape medium after a fixed number of load events is reached; and resetting the counter to start over after cleaning the first tape recording medium.