Reinforced tape for a data storage device
AssigneeOracle America, Inc.
InventorWilliam J. Vanderheyden
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A data storage device is disclosed with a housing sized for a tape drive. A tape reel is mounted for rotation within the housing and a guide is mounted in the housing spaced apart from the tape reel. A first end of a data tape segment is mounted to the tape reel and a second end is not mounted to the tape reel. A structural tape segment has a pair of ends mounted between the first and second ends of the data tape segment for structurally enhancing an intermediate region of the data tape segment. In another embodiment, a structurally enhanced intermediate region is advanced to a read/write region of the data storage device during storage of the device for preventing inadvertent damage to the data tape.
Claims20
A data storage device comprising:
- a housing defining a cartridge sized to cooperate with a tape drive;
- at least one tape reel mounted for rotation within the housing;
- at least one guide mounted within the housing spaced apart from the at least one tape reel;
- a data tape segment having a first end mounted to the at least one tape reel and a second end that is not mounted to the at least one tape reel;
- and
- a structural tape segment having a pair of ends that are mounted between the first and second ends of the data tape segment for structurally enhancing an intermediate region of the data tape segment;
- wherein the structural tape segment has a thickness that is generally two and a half times a thickness of the data tape segment.
A media storage cartridge comprising:
- a housing sized to cooperate with a tape drive, the housing having an access opening for access of a read/write head of the tape drive;
- a pair of tape reels mounted for rotation within the housing;
- a first data tape portion having a first end mounted to one of the pair of tape reels and a second end;
- a non-data tape portion having a thickness greater than that of the first data tape portion, the non-data tape portion having a first end mounted to the second end of the first data tape portion and a second end;
- and
- a second data tape portion having a thickness less than the thickness of the non-data tape portion, the second data tape portion having a first end mounted to the second end of the non-data tape portion and a second end mounted to the other of the pair of tape reels;
- wherein the first data tape portion, the non-data tape portion and the second data tape portion are collectively spooled upon the pair of tape reels such that the tape extends along the access opening to be accessed by the read/write head, so that the non-data tape portion can be advanced by the tape drive to extend along the access opening during storage to prevent inadvertent damage to the data tape portions during transfer of the media storage cartridge;
- and
- wherein the non-data tape portion has a bending strength fifteen times that of the first and second data tape portions.
A method for storing a data storage device comprising:
- providing a data storage device with a housing, a pair of tape reels in the housing;
- providing a tape with a structurally enhanced intermediate region between data tape regions that are each mounted to one of the pair of tape reels;
- advancing the intermediate region of the tape to a read/write region of the data storage device;
- and
- storing the data storage device for subsequent read/write access.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.