Method for irreversibly write-securing a magnetic storage cartridge
AssigneeIomega Corporation
InventorsRafael Bar, Daniel Alfonsi
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A data cartridge and method for providing a write-securable storage medium that inhibits writing. The medium comprises a write-secure-type indicator in a predefined location that indicates the medium is of a type that is susceptible to write securing. Additionally, the medium comprises a write-secure-complete indicator in a predetermined zone of the disk that is not accessible to a user. When the write-secure-complete indicator is set by a host device, the setting is irreversible and consequently the data on the medium is protected, and additional writing onto any part of the medium is permanently prevented.
Claims20
In a system comprising a data storage device of the type that stores digital information on a data storage medium and a host device coupled to the data storage device for accessing the digital information, a method for permanently write-securing the data storage medium, comprising the steps of:
- providing a write-secure-complete indicator in a predetermined location of the medium that is readable and writeable by the data storage device and not directly accessible to the host device;
- writing data to the medium only when the write-secure-complete indicator indicates that the medium is not write secured;
- and
- setting the write-secure-complete indicator upon command from the host device to the storage device such that, once set, the write-secure complete indicator cannot be changed by the storage device or the host device.
A data storage cartridge comprising:
- a storage medium having a plurality of concentric tracks to and from which information is written and read;
- a write-secure-type indicator set to indicate that the storage medium is a write secure storage medium and that reading and writing onto the storage medium is allowed in a first predefined location thereon;
- and
- in a second predefined location on said storage medium, a write-secure-complete indicator that, when set by a user, indicates that the storage medium is now write-secure, said write-secure-complete indicator not being resettable.
The disk as described in 13 wherein said first predefined location of said write-secure-type indicator and said write-secure-complete indicator is in any area of the storage medium not directly accessible to a host device.
A data storage cartridge comprising:
- a storage medium having a plurality of concentric tracks to and from which information is written and read;
- a write-secure-type indicator set to indicate that the storage medium is a write secure storage medium and that reading and writing onto the storage medium is allowed in a first predefined location thereon;
- and
- in a second predefined location on said storage medium, a write-secure-complete indicator that, when set by a user, indicates that the storage medium is now write-secure, said write-secure-complete indicator not being resettable;
- an outer shell, wherein said storage medium is rotatably disposed within said outer shell and providing read/write access to said storage medium;
- and
- a shutter rotatably disposed on said outer shell and providing read/write access to said storage medium.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.