Patents by Inventor Robert L. Horn
Robert L. Horn 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).
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Patent number: 11915728Abstract: A data storage disk cartridge library system includes a rack having an array of bays, at least some housing disk media cartridges and/or media drives, and a pair of horizontal and vertical guide rails bordering each bay. A media transport robot includes fixed-position drive wheels at each corner for driving the robot along the guide rails, and pivoting guide wheels corresponding to each drive wheel for guiding the drive wheel horizontally along a horizontal guide rail and vertically along a vertical guide rail. With each guide wheel coupled with a horizontal guide rail the robot can travel horizontally on the rack, and with each guide wheel coupled with a vertical guide rail the robot can travel vertically on the rack. Electrical power can be supplied to the robot via the guide rails, and gear portions of the wheels mechanically interface with a mechanical portion of the guide rails.Type: GrantFiled: January 16, 2023Date of Patent: February 27, 2024Assignee: Western Digital Technologies, Inc.Inventor: Robert L. Horn
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Patent number: 11862203Abstract: A data storage disk cartridge library includes a media drive having a clean internal environment, a disk cartridge bay positioned adjacent to the media drive, and a disk cartridge positioned in the disk cartridge bay and having clean compartments for housing a clean disk trays supporting clean magnetic recording disk media. The media drive has a disk tray extractor including a seal plate positioned at times flush with a surrounding shroud, and a set of pins for extending through the seal plate and a disk tray and for moving to a tray locking position. The seal plate covers a disk tray faceplate to physically isolate the faceplate from the clean portion of the disk tray, the corresponding clean compartment, and the clean environment of the media drive. The shroud is configured to cover surfaces of the disk cartridge adjacent to the faceplate.Type: GrantFiled: January 10, 2023Date of Patent: January 2, 2024Assignee: Western Digital Technologies, Inc.Inventor: Robert L. Horn
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Publication number: 20230238028Abstract: A data storage disk cartridge library system includes a rack having an array of bays, at least some housing disk media cartridges and/or media drives, and a pair of horizontal and vertical guide rails bordering each bay. A media transport robot includes fixed-position drive wheels at each corner for driving the robot along the guide rails, and pivoting guide wheels corresponding to each drive wheel for guiding the drive wheel horizontally along a horizontal guide rail and vertically along a vertical guide rail. With each guide wheel coupled with a horizontal guide rail the robot can travel horizontally on the rack, and with each guide wheel coupled with a vertical guide rail the robot can travel vertically on the rack. Electrical power can be supplied to the robot via the guide rails, and gear portions of the wheels mechanically interface with a mechanical portion of the guide rails.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 16, 2023Publication date: July 27, 2023Inventor: Robert L. Horn
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Publication number: 20230238036Abstract: A data storage disk cartridge library includes a media drive having a clean internal environment, a disk cartridge bay positioned adjacent to the media drive, and a disk cartridge positioned in the disk cartridge bay and having clean compartments for housing a clean disk trays supporting clean magnetic recording disk media. The media drive has a disk tray extractor including a seal plate positioned at times flush with a surrounding shroud, and a set of pins for extending through the seal plate and a disk tray and for moving to a tray locking position. The seal plate covers a disk tray faceplate to physically isolate the faceplate from the clean portion of the disk tray, the corresponding clean compartment, and the clean environment of the media drive. The shroud is configured to cover surfaces of the disk cartridge adjacent to the faceplate.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 10, 2023Publication date: July 27, 2023Inventor: Robert L. Horn
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Patent number: 11599305Abstract: A data storage device configured to access a magnetic tape comprising a plurality of data tracks is disclosed, wherein the data storage device comprises at least one head configured to access the magnetic tape. A mapping table is generated having a predetermined number of segment entries per data track, wherein each segment entry corresponds to a data segment of the data track, each segment entry comprises a first logical address corresponding to a first logical data block stored in the corresponding data segment, and at least one of the data segments stores multiple logical data blocks. A target segment entry in the mapping table corresponding to a logical address of a read command is located, and the head is positioned at a beginning of a target data segment of a target data track corresponding to the target segment entry in order to execute the read command.Type: GrantFiled: May 11, 2021Date of Patent: March 7, 2023Assignee: Western Digital Technologies, Inc.Inventor: Robert L. Horn
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Patent number: 11557321Abstract: A data storage device configured to access a magnetic tape is disclosed, wherein the data storage device comprises at least one head configured to access the magnetic tape. A first plurality of data blocks are encoded into a first plurality of ECC sub-blocks including a first ECC sub-block, and the first plurality of ECC sub-blocks are encoded into a first ECC super-block. The first ECC sub-block is written to the magnetic tape, and a write-verify of the first ECC sub-block is executed by reading the first ECC sub-block. When the write-verify passes, a second plurality of data blocks are encoded into a second ECC super-block, and when the write-verify fails, a third plurality of data blocks and the first ECC sub-block are encoded into the second ECC super-block, wherein the second ECC super-block is written to the magnetic tape.Type: GrantFiled: December 10, 2021Date of Patent: January 17, 2023Assignee: Western Digital Technologies, Inc.Inventors: Robert L. Horn, Derrick E. Burton
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Publication number: 20220366938Abstract: A data storage device configured to access a magnetic tape is disclosed, wherein the data storage device comprises at least one head configured to access the magnetic tape. A first plurality of data blocks are encoded into a first plurality of ECC sub-blocks including a first ECC sub-block, and the first plurality of ECC sub-blocks are encoded into a first ECC super-block. The first ECC sub-block is written to the magnetic tape, and a write-verify of the first ECC sub-block is executed by reading the first ECC sub-block. When the write-verify passes, a second plurality of data blocks are encoded into a second ECC super-block, and when the write-verify fails, a third plurality of data blocks and the first ECC sub-block are encoded into the second ECC super-block, wherein the second ECC super-block is written to the magnetic tape.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 10, 2021Publication date: November 17, 2022Applicant: Western Digital Technologies, Inc.Inventors: Robert L. HORN, Derrick E. BURTON
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Publication number: 20220365715Abstract: A data storage device configured to access a magnetic tape comprising a plurality of data tracks is disclosed, wherein the data storage device comprises at least one head configured to access the magnetic tape. A mapping table is generated having a predetermined number of segment entries per data track, wherein each segment entry corresponds to a data segment of the data track, each segment entry comprises a first logical address corresponding to a first logical data block stored in the corresponding data segment, and at least one of the data segments stores multiple logical data blocks. A target segment entry in the mapping table corresponding to a logical address of a read command is located, and the head is positioned at a beginning of a target data segment of a target data track corresponding to the target segment entry in order to execute the read command.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 11, 2021Publication date: November 17, 2022Inventor: Robert L. Horn
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Patent number: 11211094Abstract: A data storage device configured to access a magnetic tape is disclosed, wherein the data storage device comprises at least one head configured to access the magnetic tape. A first plurality of data blocks are encoded into a first plurality of ECC sub-blocks including a first ECC sub-block, and the first plurality of ECC sub-blocks are encoded into a first ECC super-block. The first ECC sub-block is written to the magnetic tape, and a write-verify of the first ECC sub-block is executed by reading the first ECC sub-block. When the write-verify passes, a second plurality of data blocks are encoded into a second ECC super-block, and when the write-verify fails, a third plurality of data blocks and the first ECC sub-block are encoded into the second ECC super-block, wherein the second ECC super-block is written to the magnetic tape.Type: GrantFiled: May 11, 2021Date of Patent: December 28, 2021Assignee: WESTERN DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES, INC.Inventors: Robert L. Horn, Derrick E. Burton
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Patent number: 10740242Abstract: Data is received from a sensing device of a plurality of sensing devices in communication with a device for storage in at least one memory of the device. A first cache memory or a second cache memory of the device is selected for caching the received data based at least in part on the sensing device sending the data. According to another aspect, data is received from a sensing device for storage in at least one memory of a device. It is determined whether to cache the received data based on at least one of the sensing device sending the data and information related to the received data. A cache memory is selected from among a plurality of cache memories of the device for caching the received data based at least in part on the sensing device sending the data.Type: GrantFiled: June 27, 2018Date of Patent: August 11, 2020Assignee: Western Digital Technologies, Inc.Inventor: Robert L. Horn
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Patent number: 10372344Abstract: A collective latency indicator is determined that is associated with a latency in retrieving multiple erasure coded shards generated from an erasure coding on initial data. The collective latency indicator is compared to a latency limit, and a number of erasure coded shards to retrieve is adjusted based on the comparison of the collective latency indicator to the latency limit.Type: GrantFiled: December 8, 2016Date of Patent: August 6, 2019Assignee: Western Digital Technologies, Inc.Inventors: James N. Malina, Robert L. Horn, Kent Anderson, James C. Alexander, Albert H. Chen
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Patent number: 10374634Abstract: An individual latency indicator is determined for each Data Storage Device (DSD) or memory portion of a DSD storing one or more erasure coded shards generated from an erasure coding on initial data. Each individual latency indicator is associated with a latency in retrieving an erasure coded shard stored in a respective DSD or memory portion. At least one collective latency indicator is determined using determined individual latency indicators, with the at least one collective latency indicator being associated with a latency in retrieving multiple erasure coded shards. The at least one collective latency indicator is compared to a latency limit, and a subset of erasure coded shards is selected to retrieve based on the comparison of the at least one collective latency indicator to the latency limit.Type: GrantFiled: December 8, 2016Date of Patent: August 6, 2019Assignee: Western Digital Technologies, Inc.Inventors: James N. Malina, Robert L. Horn, Kent Anderson, James C. Alexander, Albert H. Chen
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Patent number: 10162521Abstract: A Data Storage Device (DSD) is in communication with a plurality of sensing devices. Data is received for storage in the DSD from a sensing device of the plurality of sensing devices. The received data is associated with at least one storage hint assigned to the sensing device. A media region of the DSD is selected from a plurality of media regions for storing the received data based on the at least one storage hint and at least one characteristic of the media region.Type: GrantFiled: September 30, 2015Date of Patent: December 25, 2018Assignee: Western Digital Technologies, Inc.Inventor: Robert L. Horn
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Patent number: 10140067Abstract: A data storage device (DSD) including a first non-volatile memory (NVM) media type for storing data and a second NVM media type for storing data. Metadata is obtained related to operation of the second NVM media type. The metadata is evaluated and data stored in the first NVM media type is managed based on the evaluated metadata.Type: GrantFiled: February 24, 2014Date of Patent: November 27, 2018Assignee: Western Digital Technologies, Inc.Inventors: Robert L. Horn, Robert M. Fallone, David Norman Steffen
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Publication number: 20180307611Abstract: Data is received from a sensing device of a plurality of sensing devices in communication with a device for storage in at least one memory of the device. A first cache memory or a second cache memory of the device is selected for caching the received data based at least in part on the sensing device sending the data. According to another aspect, data is received from a sensing device for storage in at least one memory of a device. It is determined whether to cache the received data based on at least one of the sensing device sending the data and information related to the received data. A cache memory is selected from among a plurality of cache memories of the device for caching the received data based at least in part on the sensing device sending the data.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 27, 2018Publication date: October 25, 2018Inventor: Robert L. Horn
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Patent number: 10055171Abstract: Embodiments of compression and formatting of data for data storage systems are disclosed. In some embodiments, a data storage system can compress fixed sized data before storing it on a media and format obtained variable sized compressed data for storing on the media that typically has fixed size storage granularity. One or more modules compress the incoming host data and create an output stream of fixed sized storage units that contain compressed data. The storage units are stored on the media. Capacity, reliability, and performance are thereby increased.Type: GrantFiled: August 29, 2016Date of Patent: August 21, 2018Assignee: Western Digital Technologies, Inc.Inventor: Robert L. Horn
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Patent number: 10019372Abstract: Data is received from a sensing device for storage in at least one memory of a Data Storage Device. It is determined whether to cache the received data in at least one cache memory of the DSD based on at least one of the sensing device sending the data and information related to the received data.Type: GrantFiled: December 16, 2015Date of Patent: July 10, 2018Assignee: Western Digital Technologies, Inc.Inventor: Robert L. Horn
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Publication number: 20180165015Abstract: An individual latency indicator is determined for each Data Storage Device (DSD) or memory portion of a DSD storing one or more erasure coded shards generated from an erasure coding on initial data. Each individual latency indicator is associated with a latency in retrieving an erasure coded shard stored in a respective DSD or memory portion. At least one collective latency indicator is determined using determined individual latency indicators, with the at least one collective latency indicator being associated with a latency in retrieving multiple erasure coded shards. The at least one collective latency indicator is compared to a latency limit, and a subset of erasure coded shards is selected to retrieve based on the comparison of the at least one collective latency indicator to the latency limit.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 8, 2016Publication date: June 14, 2018Inventors: James N. MALINA, Robert L. HORN, Kent ANDERSON, James C. ALEXANDER, Albert H. CHEN
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Publication number: 20180165016Abstract: A collective latency indicator is determined that is associated with a latency in retrieving multiple erasure coded shards generated from an erasure coding on initial data. The collective latency indicator is compared to a latency limit, and a number of erasure coded shards to retrieve is adjusted based on the comparison of the collective latency indicator to the latency limit.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 8, 2016Publication date: June 14, 2018Inventors: James N. MALINA, Robert L. HORN, Kent ANDERSON, James C. ALEXANDER, Albert H. CHEN
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Patent number: 9898406Abstract: A disk drive is disclosed that varies its caching policy for caching data in non-volatile solid-state memory as the memory degrades. As the non-volatile memory degrades, the caching policy can be varied such that the non-volatile memory is used more as a read cache and less as a write cache. Performance improvements and slower degradation of the non-volatile memory can thereby be attained.Type: GrantFiled: February 10, 2016Date of Patent: February 20, 2018Assignee: WESTERN DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES, INC.Inventor: Robert L. Horn