Abstract: The present invention provides an HDD performance enhancement system that utilizes excess disk capacity as cache memory to enhance the I/O performance of the drive. The cache memory is distributed throughout the disk, for example in alternating tracks, sectors dedicated to serving as cache, or other distributed cache track segments or segment groups. Distributing the cache throughout the disk reduces the physical distance of the I/O head to the closest available cache location. The system minimizes the write seek time by storing write data in the closest available cache location. High utilization data blocks are stored in multiple cache location locations to reduce read seek time for high utilization data. The cached data is eventually written to permanent memory and cleared from the cache during idle or low data storage utilization periods.

Abstract: An apparatus is described that is configured to control operations in a hybrid hard disk drive. In an implementation, the apparatus includes a hybrid flash storage processor connected to the host interface that is configured to communicatively couple a flash storage component and to a hard disk integrated circuit chip. The integrated circuit chip includes a read/write channel device configured to communicatively couple to a hard disk drive assembly and a hard disk drive controller operatively coupled to the read/write channel device. The hard disk drive controller is configured to operate the read/write channel device to store and to retrieve data on the hard disk drive assembly. The flash storage processor is configured to furnish a command to the integrated circuit chip when the command represents an instruction for accessing the hard disk drive assembly and is configured to access the flash storage component when the command represents an instruction for accessing the flash storage component.

Abstract: The present invention provides an HDD performance enhancement system that utilizes excess disk capacity as cache memory to enhance the I/O performance of the drive. The cache memory is distributed throughout the disk, for example in alternating tracks, sectors dedicated to serving as cache, or other distributed cache track segments or segment groups. Distributing the cache throughout the disk reduces the physical distance of the I/O head to the closest available cache location. The system minimizes the write seek time by storing write data in the closest available cache location. High utilization data blocks are stored in multiple cache location locations to reduce read seek time for high utilization data. The cached data is eventually written to permanent memory and cleared from the cache during idle or low data storage utilization periods.

Abstract: A method of encrypting data is provided that uses a medium key retrieved from a storage medium. The medium key is combined with another key to generate a combination key. Content is encrypted according to the combination key and written to the storage medium.

Abstract: A method of encrypting data is provided that uses a medium key retrieved from a storage medium. The medium key is combined with another key to generate a combination key. Content is encrypted according to the combination key and written to the storage medium.

Abstract: An optical medium uses a single structure or format (such as identical materials, layers and the like) for both a region for holding mastered data and a writeable area. In one aspect, a writeable region of a medium with mastered content is used in connection with paying, collecting or accounting for usage or royalties for proprietary intellectual property embodied in or associated with the content. In one embodiment, the (preferably write-once) writeable area can be used for storing later-written information such as annotations, highlighting, reordering, remixing, modifications, supplements, collections, additions, bookmarks, cross references, hypertext or hyperlinks and the like. Preferably, annotations and similar materials can be associated, by the user, with particular portions or content of the mastered data.

Abstract: A file system for accessing information on digital storage media is provided by a storage device controller embedded within the storage device. The storage device controller includes an interface component to receive a packet having a file system command. A command decode component in the storage device controller decodes the file system command, and an interface response structure component creates a strategy for performing the file system command. The storage device controller generates an identifier for a file system object and accesses the file system object using the file system object's identifier. A host system coupled to the storage device receives a storage device access request from an application program and generates a command to perform on the file system object based on the storage device access request. The host system uses the identifier to indicate the file system object to be accessed.

Abstract: A data storage disk includes a writeable area that allows a user to write data, wherein the data files are written from the outside diameter towards the inside diameter of the writeable area, while file system information is written from the inside diameter towards the outside diameter of the writeable area. This optimizes the use of the writeable area, whether a large number of small data files or a small number of large data files are being stored. To further optimize the use of the writeable area, information may be stored in two or more different error correction code (ECC) block sizes. Thus, information, such as the file system attributes and linking sectors, which contains few bytes may be stored in the smaller ECC block size, while the data may be stored in the larger ECC block size. The data storage disk, may also include a mastered content area.

Abstract: A method is provided for enabling locked data stored on a storage medium and accessing it through a data storage engine contained within or connected to a host device. A user selects all or part of the data stored on the storage medium to enable. The host device then connects to a server over a network and completes a transaction. The transaction can be any requirement specified by the supplier of the data selected by the user. Once the transaction is complete, the data storage engine connects to the same or a separate server through the host device and receives a piece of information, known as the content key, necessary to decrypt, read, or otherwise make sense of the data selected by the user. The content key may be, for example, part of a decryption key. The content key is combined with other information stored on the storage medium. The combined information is then used to access the data selected by the user.

Abstract: An optical medium uses a single structure or format (such as identical materials, layers and the like) for both a region for holding mastered data and a writeable area. In one aspect, a writeable region of a medium with mastered content is used in connection with paying, collecting or accounting for usage or royalties for proprietary intellectual property embodied in or associated with the content. In one embodiment, the (preferably write-once) writeable area can be used for storing later-written information such as annotations, highlighting, reordering, remixing, modifications, supplements, collections, additions, bookmarks, cross references, hypertext or hyperlinks and the like. Preferably, annotations and similar materials can be associated, by the user, with particular portions or content of the mastered data.

Abstract: A disk drive system has a closed loop servo control system which is specially tuned for optimal deceleration during performance of a track access operation. The servo control system is returned in response to a track jump signal to perform a track jump operation at a lesser deceleration and thereby reduce low frequency acoustic noise produced by physical vibrations of the disk drive system. The returning of the servo control system is advantageously achieved by reducing the gain-bandwidth product of the closed loop within the servo control system.

Abstract: A circuit for accurately detecting the number of tracks crossed by a reading head during motion thereof across a record medium uses a state machine operation to detect track crossing transitions and to suppress the effect of noise. The head produces a signal which assumes one of four unique states in sequence as successive tracks are crossed. The circuit detects a valid track crossing when a generated next state is the correct next state for a present state indicated by the signal.