# US 8,542,561 B1 · Method and apparatus for reading a storage medium > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 8,542,561 B1 - Document ID: US8542561B1 - Status: Granted - Kind: B1 - Application number: 13/648,444 - Filed: 2012-10-10 - Granted: 2013-09-24 - Earliest claimed: 2011-10-12 - Assignees: Marvell International Ltd. - Applicants: Marvell International Ltd. - Inventors: Mats Oberg - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US8542561B1 ## CPC - G11B 7/005: Reproducing (G11B7/0065 takes precedence) - G11B 19/044: {by using a data buffer} - 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 Aspects of the disclosure provide a method. The method includes receiving regional quality information of a region on a storage medium, and adjusting a fill level threshold of a buffer based on the regional quality information. The fill level threshold is used to trigger filling the buffer with data read from the region. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method, comprising: scanning a storage medium to determine regional quality information when a fill level of a buffer is above a fill level threshold, the fill level threshold being used to trigger filling the buffer with data read from a region of the storage medium; receiving the regional quality information of the region; and adjusting the fill level threshold of the buffer based on the regional quality information. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: storing quality indicators in association with regions of the storage medium. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, further comprising: storing a quality indicator in association with a region based on a previous access to the region of the storage medium. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The method of claim 3, wherein storing the quality indicator based on the previous access to the region of the storage medium further comprises: storing the quality indicator when the previous access to the region is not successful. ### Claim 5 (depends on 3) The method of claim 3, wherein storing the quality indicator based on the previous access to the region of the storage medium further comprises: storing the quality indicator when an error rate of the previous access to the region is higher than an error rate threshold. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein adjusting the fill level threshold based on the regional quality information further comprises: using a higher fill level threshold when the regional quality information is indicative of a defined error rate in the region; and using a lower fill level threshold when the regional quality information is not indicative of the defined error rate in the region. ### Claim 7 A method, comprising: scanning a storage medium to determine regional quality information and reading data from a region on the storage medium when a fill level of a buffer is above a fill level threshold, the fill level threshold being used to trigger filling the buffer with the data; adjusting the fill level threshold of the buffer based on the regional quality information; storing the data in a temporary memory space; and moving the data from the temporary memory space into the buffer when the region becomes a target reading region. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The method of claim 7, wherein reading the data from the region on the storage medium prior to the region being the target reading region when the fill level of the buffer is above the fill level threshold further comprises: reading the data from the region when the region is indicated as being problematic to access. ### Claim 9 A circuit, comprising: a memory having a portion being allocated as a buffer to buffer data read from a storage medium, and to provide the data to a host device; and a controller circuit configured to cause a scan of the storage medium when a fill level of the buffer is above a fill level threshold to determine regional quality information of a region on the storage medium, the fill level threshold being used to trigger filling the buffer with the data read from the region, and receive the regional quality information, and adjust the fill level threshold based on the regional quality information. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The circuit of claim 9, wherein the memory is configured to store quality indicators in association with regions of the storage medium. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The circuit of claim 10, wherein the memory is configured to store a quality indicator in association with the region based on a previous access to the region. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The circuit of claim 11, wherein the memory is configured to store the quality indicator when the previous access to the region is not successful. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) The circuit of claim 11, wherein the memory is configured to store the quality indicator when an error rate of the previous access to the region is higher than an error rate threshold. ### Claim 14 (depends on 9) The circuit of claim 9, wherein the controller circuit is configured to use a higher fill level threshold when the regional quality information is indicative of a defined error rate in the region, and uses a lower fill level threshold when the regional quality information is not indicative of the defined error rate in the region. ### Claim 15 (depends on 9) A medium drive having the circuit of claim 9, comprising: a read unit configured to read data from the storage medium and provide the data to the circuit.