Patents by Inventor Neil Thomas Hutchon
Neil Thomas Hutchon has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
-
Patent number: 9158634Abstract: A data writer is described comprising: a memory to store at least one amount of source data that is to be written to a data storage medium; a processor to arrange the source data into subsets and generate ECC data in respect of each subset, wherein the source data and the associated ECC data are to be written to a data storage medium via a plurality of individual data channels, and wherein the ECC data comprises at least a first degree of ECC protection having a first level of redundancy in respect of a first subset and a second degree of ECC protection having a second level of redundancy in respect of a second subset; a plurality of data writing elements, each to write data from an associated data channel, concurrently with the writing by the other data writing elements of data from respective data channels, to a data storage medium; and a controller, to control the writing by the data writing elements of the source data and the associated ECC data to the data storage medium.Type: GrantFiled: May 19, 2011Date of Patent: October 13, 2015Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.Inventors: John D. Hampton, Neil Thomas Hutchon
-
Patent number: 8667235Abstract: Data storage and retrieval methods and apparatus are provided for facilitating data de-duplication for serial-access storage media such as tape. During data storage, input data is divided into a succession of chunks and, for each chunk, a corresponding data item is written to the storage media. The data item comprises the chunk data itself where it is the first occurrence of that data, and otherwise comprises a chunk-data identifier identifying that chunk of subject data. To facilitate reconstruction of the original data on read-back from the storage media a cache (50) is used together with a database (35R), stored on the media, that includes for each duplicated chunk, the location of the corresponding chunk of subject data.Type: GrantFiled: February 11, 2010Date of Patent: March 4, 2014Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.Inventors: Christopher Williams, Gregory Trezise, Jonathan Peter Buckingham, Neil Thomas Hutchon, Darren Edward Kent, Andrew Hana, Peter Walsh, Rafel Jibry, Robert Morling
-
Publication number: 20140053015Abstract: A data writer is described comprising: a memory to store at least one amount of source data that is to be written to a data storage medium; a processor to arrange the source data into subsets and generate ECC data in respect of each subset, wherein the source data and the associated ECC data are to be written to a data storage medium via a plurality of individual data channels, and wherein the ECC data comprises at least a first degree of ECC protection having a first level of redundancy in respect of a first subset and a second degree of ECC protection having a second level of redundancy in respect of a second subset; a plurality of data writing elements, each to write data from an associated data channel, concurrently with the writing by the other data writing elements of data from respective data channels, to a data storage medium; and a controller, to control the writing by the data writing elements of the source data and the associated ECC data to the data storage medium.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 19, 2011Publication date: February 20, 2014Inventors: John D. Hampton, Neil Thomas Hutchon
-
Patent number: 8477446Abstract: A method and apparatus for writing data to a tape is disclosed. A plurality of data segments are written onto a tape simultaneously. Any data segments written to the tape that needs to be rewritten are identified. Each data segment that needs to be re-written is accumulated. The accumulated data segments are written to tape when a full set of data segments have been accumulated. The re-written data segments each have a first field in a header that designates itself and a second field in the header that designates a second re-written data segment.Type: GrantFiled: January 4, 2011Date of Patent: July 2, 2013Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.Inventors: Neil Thomas Hutchon, Jonathan Peter Buckingham
-
Patent number: 8331052Abstract: A method and apparatus for writing data to a tape is disclosed. A plurality of data tracks are written onto a tape simultaneously. Any data tracks written to the tape that needs to be rewritten are identified. Each re-write unit that contains a data track that needs to be re-written is accumulated. The accumulated rewrite units are written to tape when a full set of rewrite units have been accumulated.Type: GrantFiled: October 27, 2010Date of Patent: December 11, 2012Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.Inventors: Jonathan Peter Buckingham, Neil Thomas Hutchon
-
Publication number: 20120170147Abstract: A method and apparatus for writing data to a tape is disclosed. A plurality of data segments are written onto a tape simultaneously. Any data segments written to the tape that needs to be rewritten are identified. Each data segment that needs to be re-written is accumulated. The accumulated data segments are written to tape when a full set of data segments have been accumulated. The re-written data segments each have a first field in a header that designates itself and a second field in the header that designates a second re-written data segment.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 4, 2011Publication date: July 5, 2012Inventors: Neil Thomas Hutchon, Jonathan Peter Buckingham
-
Publication number: 20120105995Abstract: A method and apparatus for writing data to a tape is disclosed. A plurality of data tracks are written onto a tape simultaneously. Any data tracks written to the tape that needs to be rewritten are identified. Each re-write unit that contains a data track that needs to be re-written is accumulated. The accumulated rewrite units are written to tape when a full set of rewrite units have been accumulated.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 27, 2010Publication date: May 3, 2012Inventors: Jonathan Peter Buckingham, Neil Thomas Hutchon
-
Patent number: 8149145Abstract: A method for performing adaptive lossless data compression using a buffer memory comprises the steps of receiving a plurality of first match signals (m(0) to m(n)), each first match signal indicating whether a byte of an input sequence matches a byte in a memory location of the buffer memory. A plurality of second match signals (mD(0) to mD(n)) are generated, wherein a second match signal (mD) is a delayed version of a corresponding first match signal (m). The second match signals (mD(0) to mD(n)) are used to detect a match sequence between the data bytes received in the input sequence and the data bytes stored in the content addressable memory, and the first match signals (m(0) to m(n)) used to predict whether the match sequence continues during a subsequent byte of the input sequence.Type: GrantFiled: August 5, 2010Date of Patent: April 3, 2012Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.Inventors: Andrew Hana, Neil Thomas Hutchon
-
Publication number: 20120047328Abstract: Data storage and retrieval methods and apparatus are provided for facilitating data de-duplication for serial-access storage media such as tape. During data storage, input data is divided into a succession of chunks and, for each chunk, a corresponding data item is written to the storage media. The data item comprises the chunk data itself where it is the first occurrence of that data, and otherwise comprises a chunk-data identifier identifying that chunk of subject data. To facilitate reconstruction of the original data on read-back from the storage media a cache (50) is used together with a database (35R), stored on the media, that includes for each duplicated chunk, the location of the corresponding chunk of subject data.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 11, 2010Publication date: February 23, 2012Inventors: Christopher Williams, Gregory Trezise, Jonathan Peter Buckingham, Neil Thomas Hutchon, Darren Edward Kent, Andrew Hana, Peter Walsh, Rafel Jibry, Robert Morling
-
Publication number: 20120032823Abstract: A method for performing adaptive lossless data compression using a buffer memory comprises the steps of receiving a plurality of first match signals (m(0) to m(n)), each first match signal indicating whether a byte of an input sequence matches a byte in a memory location of the buffer memory. A plurality of second match signals (mD(0) to mD(n)) are generated, wherein a second match signal (mD) is a delayed version of a corresponding first match signal (m). The second match signals (mD(0) to mD(n)) are used to detect a match sequence between the data bytes received in the input sequence and the data bytes stored in the content addressable memory, and the first match signals (m(0) to m(n)) used to predict whether the match sequence continues during a subsequent byte of the input sequence.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 5, 2010Publication date: February 9, 2012Inventors: Andrew Hana, Neil Thomas Hutchon
-
Patent number: 7461216Abstract: A memory controller for accessing a memory module comprising a plurality of memory banks. The memory controller is operable to write copies of program data to one or more memory banks according to the size of the program data. The memory controller is additionally operable to read program data, e.g. in response to an access request, from whichever memory bank is next available for access.Type: GrantFiled: February 23, 2006Date of Patent: December 2, 2008Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.Inventors: Jorge Antonio Sved, Neil Thomas Hutchon, Anthony James C Cole
-
Patent number: 6978414Abstract: A linear tape data storage device comprises a read head and a write head; a tape transport mechanism for transporting the linear tape data storage medium across the read head and the write head, the device being operated according to a predefined tape format; a DRAM buffer memory for storing data received during a write or a read operation; and error protection means configured to protect said data from soft errors generated by said buffer memory wherein the protection means comprises means for checking parity generated within the tape format itself. In the preferred embodiment the tape format used is the Linear Tape Open (LTO) format.Type: GrantFiled: July 17, 2001Date of Patent: December 20, 2005Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.Inventors: Catharine Anne Maple, Jonathan Peter Buckingham, Neil Thomas Hutchon
-
Publication number: 20030066013Abstract: A linear tape data storage device comprises a read head and a write head; a tape transport mechanism for transporting the linear tape data storage medium across the read head and the write head, the device being operated according to a predefined tape format; a DRAM buffer memory for storing data received during a write or a read operation; and error protection means configured to protect said data from soft errors generated by said buffer memory wherein the protection means comprises means for checking parity generated within the tape format itself. In the preferred embodiment the tape format used is the Linear Tape Open (LTO) format.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 17, 2001Publication date: April 3, 2003Applicant: Hewlett-Packard CompanyInventors: Catharine Anne Maple, Jonathan Peter Buckingham, Neil Thomas Hutchon