Fortmat for data-storing disk media wherein addressable track angular length is independent of disk revolutions

An optical disk apparatus having a spiral groove for identifying a spiral track and extending between a predetermined outer radial position and a predetermined inner radial position, said spiral track having a plurality of revolutions;

• a reference angular position on said disk, a plurality of addressable constant-capacity data-storage sectors in said spiral track,
• said spiral track being divided into a first predetermined number of bands,
• each band having given predetermined numbers of said revolutions of said spiral track, each band having a different plurality of data-storing sectors, the data-storing sectors in respective ones of said bands subtending different angles on the disk, the radially outer ones of said bands having sectors subtending smaller angles than radially inward ones of said bands,
• each of said revolutions in said bands having a non-integral number of said sectors, said sectors in the respective bands being disposed at the respective radially inward and outward ends of the bands, hereinafter termed band-end sectors, having one respective end disposed at said reference angular position and sectors in said band disposed intermediate said band-end sectors having ends not disposed at said reference annular position including predetermined ones of said intermediate sectors extending across said reference angular position.

In a disk apparatus for storing data in spaced-apart addressable entities disposed in a spiral track in said disk apparatus, a plurality of revolutions in said spiral track, each of said revolutions beginning and ending at a constant circumferential reference position on said disk apparatus;

• including, in combination:
• each of said addressable entities having an angular extent that is other than an angular extent equal to, an integral submultiple of or a integral multiple of an angular extent of any one of said revolutions;
• each of first predetermined ones of said addressable entities having an end aligned with said reference position, said first predetermined ones of said addressable entities being disposed in respective revolutions that are radially spaced apart a predetermined number of revolutions such that a linear array of said radially space-apart first predetermined one of said addressable entities is disposed along said reference position;
• and
• all of said addressable entities other than said first predetermined ones of said addressable entities being disposed on said spiral track such that either said reference position is circumferentially remote from said other addressable entities or dissects said other addressable entities.

In a disk apparatus for storing data in spaced-apart addressable entities disposed in a spiral track in said disk apparatus, a plurality of revolutions in said spiral track, each of said revolutions beginning and ending at a constant circumferential reference position on said disk apparatus;

• including, in combination:
• each of said addressable entities having an angular extend that is other than an angular extend equal to an integral submultiple of or a integral multiple of an angular extent of any one of said revolutions;
• each of first predetermined ones of said addressable entities having an end aligned with said reference position, said first predetermined ones of said addressable entities being disposed in respective revolutions that are radially spaced apart a predetermined number of revolution such that a linear array of said radially spaced-apart first predetermined ones of said addressable entities is disposed along said reference position;
• all of said addressable entities other than said first predetermined ones of said addressable entities being disposed on said spiral track such that either said reference position is circumferentially remote from said other addressable entities or dissects said other addressable entities;
• and
• said addressable entities being grouped into a plurality of contiguous radial bands, each band including a plurality of said first predetermined ones of said addressable entities, each outer radial band having addressable entities that respectively subtend smaller angles in successively outer ones of said band, said angles decreasing in size in a linear progression with radius of said bands.

In a machine-effected method of manufacturing a formatted disk to have a spiral track and a plurality of addressable entity indicia in the spiral track, each said indium for indicating an addressable entity;

• said formatted disk further to have a plurality of radially-extending bands of revolutions of said spiral track and an integral number of said indicated addressable entities in each of said bands of revolutions;
• each said addressable entity to have an angular extent other than one, integral submultiple of or integral multiple of one of said revolutions such that circumferential locations of said indicia precess with respect to said revolutions;
• including the machine-executed steps of:
• establishing an index means in a master disk writer which represents one revolution of a turntable supporting a platter which is to be a formatted disk such that each said revolution begins and ends at a predetermined circumferential position on said formatted disk;
• writing a formatted spiral track on the platter having a plurality of addressable-entity indicia representing one circumferential end of an addressable entity such that each revolution of said platter contains a non integral number of said indicated addressable entities;
• and
• every predetermined number of said revolutions recording on said platter at said index location a one of said addressable-entity indicia as a rotational positioning anchor indicium for ones of said addressable-entity indicia written that have no indicium located at said index position.

In a machine-effected method of seeking from an addressable entity to another addressable entity on a data-storing disk, said data-storing disk having a spiral track with a plurality of revolutions beginning and ending at a single circumferential reference position, each of said addressable entities having an angular extent that is not an integral relation to the angular extent of one of said revolutions, a circumferential location of said addressable entities precessing with radius with respect to said reference position;

• including the machine-executed steps of:
• independently of a number of said addressable entities disposed between a current addressable entity from which a seek to a target addressable entity is to ensue, determining a number of said revolutions disposed between said current and target addressable entity;
• modifying said number revolutions to a usable number of revolutions such that the seek will end on said spiral track such that scanning the spiral track leads to said target addressable entity;
• moving a transducer from said current addressable entity toward said target addressable entity including crossing said usable number of revolutions including counting said usable number of revolutions crossed;
• and
• after crossing said usable number of revolutions, scanning along said spiral track for finding said target addressable entity.

In a machine-effected method of operating a data-storing disk device having a data-storing disk with bands of revolutions and a transition between angularly adjacent bands consisting of first and second abutting data-storing sectors, one of the abutting sectors being in a radially inward one of the two bands and a second abutting sector being in a radially outward one of the two bands such that the frequency of operation for storing and reading data from the one abutting sector is less than the frequency of operation for storing or reading data from the second abutting sector, including the machine-executed steps of:

• reading a last one of said sectors in a first one of said bands at a first frequency of operation;
• upon completing the reading of said last one of said sectors, changing frequency of operation for reading by a predetermined frequency change;
• and
• then reading a first one of said sectors in a second one of said bands.

In apparatus for accessing addressable entities on a data-storing disk, said disk having a spiral track with a plurality of revolutions and extending between outer radial inner radial positions on the disk, positioning means in the apparatus for relatively radially moving a transducer and the disk including scanning said spiral track and seeking from a current one of said revolutions to a target one of said revolutions, signal means in operatively connected to said transducer for receiving and processing signals sensed by the transducer and for supplying signals to the transducer for recording on or erasing portions of said spiral track being scanned by said transducer, a microprocessor for controlling the apparatus and being connected to the seek means for actuating same and to said signal means for receiving and supplying signals from and thereto;

• the improvement including, in combination:
• said disk having a plurality of addressable entities respectively having angular extents that are not equal to, an integral sub-multiple or a multiple of one said revolution angular extent, entity-identifying machine-sensible indicia in each of said addressable entities;
• said microprocessor having means for actuating said positioning means to cause said transducer to scan one of said addressable entities and for monitoring the scanning including receiving signals read from said addressable entity derived from said transducer sensing said entity-identifying indicia;
• said microprocessor having entity-to-revolution conversion means responsive to said received signals derived from said entity-identifying indicia for indicating said current one of said revolutions;
• said microprocessor having means indicating a target one of said addressable entities and being connected to said entity-to-revolution conversion means for supplying said indication of said target one of said addressable entities to said entity-to-revolution converter;
• said entity-to-revolution converter means responding to said indication of said target addressable entity to generate and indicate said target revolution;
• said microprocessor having seek generation means connected to said entity-to-revolution conversion means for generating a number indicating a number of said revolutions to be counted during a radial seek movement of said transducer from said current revolution to said target revolution;
• and
• said positioning means being connected to said seek generation means for responding to said indicated number of revolutions to radially move said transducer from said current revolution to said target revolution.

In a data-storing disk apparatus for storing data in spaced-apart addressable data-storing entities, said disk apparatus having a plurality of substantially concentric radially-spaced-apart circular data-storing disk revolutions, said addressable data-storing entities being disposed in said data-storing disk revolutions, each of said data-storing revolutions beginning and ending at a constant circumferential reference position on said disk apparatus;

• including, in combination:
• each of said addressable entities having an angular extent that is other than an angular extend equal to an integral sub-multiple of or a integral multiple of an angular extent of any one of said data-storing revolutions;
• predetermined ones of said addressable entities having an end aligned with said reference position, said first predetermined ones of said addressable entities being disposed in respective revolutions that are radially spaced apart a predetermined number of revolutions such that a linear array of said radially space-apart first predetermined ones of said addressable entities is disposed along said reference position;
• all of said addressable entities other than said first predetermined ones of said addressable entities being disposed on said dish apparatus such that either said reference position is circumferentially remote from said other addressable entities or dissects said other addressable entities;
• said addressable entities being grouped into a plurality of contiguous radial bands, each band including a plurality of said first predetermined ones of said addressable entities, each outer radial band having addressable entities that respectively subtend smaller angles in successively outer ones of said bands, said angles decreasing in size in a linear progression with radius of said bands.