Abstract: A bit is provided in each Digital Video Disk memory sector header to indicate the type of information contained in the main data portion of the frame. A vector of video clips are stored on the DVD disk and the DVD drive examines the bit to determine whether to play a movie or to employ logic provided by the present invention that allows the DVD drive to determine which included video clip to play instead. The video clips may include cartoons, commercials, movie previews, etc. and the logic employed by the DVD drive allows for random or specific selections to be played at predetermined times, such as displaying a clip during the flipping process of a dual-sided DVD disk. Additionally, the method and apparatus may be applied to DVD disks to determine whether commercials are played before, after or during the movie or the movie is played commercial free.

Abstract: A library of disk media units for use in a data processing environment wherein receptacle columns hold multiple cartridges which in turn hold multiple media units comprised of caddies and recording disks. A picker system moves media into and from the drive units and receptacle columns. Drive units are also located within the receptacle columns. The caddies and cartridges are supplied with hole patterns to coact with optical sensors within the receptacle columns and thereby provide information to the library controller indicating the proper/improper operation of the picker system in positioning media units. Also, the hole pattern on the media unit enables the sensors to provide informational content about the media unit to the processor.

Abstract: A control system for dynamically regulating an operating condition of a device used with and controlled by a host computer system. The inventive system includes a sensor arrangement for detecting the desired operating condition of the device and providing a signal in response thereto. A control system dynamically regulates the operation of the device in response to commands generated by the host system and the sensor output signal to maintain the operating condition of the device within predetermined parameters. In a particular implementation, the advantageous teachings of the present invention are incorporated in an optical drive system. One or more sensors are used to detect the operating temperature of the drive and provide an analog output signal in response thereto. The signal is digitized and input to a microprocessor based control circuit.

Abstract: In an optical disk drive, upon each power on or disk receipt, a mode control is set to non-operate, i.e., no commands can be received unless a mode setting command has been received. All other commands are rejected for preventing any access to an optical disk present in the drive until after a mode setting command has been received. When a mode set command is received after a power on or after each disk receipt, the mode control is set to operate which allows receipt and execution of legal commands. The mode setting requirement forces selection of write verify or not and to turn laser off or not after a predetermined time delay after completing a last command.

Abstract: A record carrier having essentially circular tracks concentrically located around a point of rotation. The record carrier is divided into circular zones each having m tracks, where m is an integer. Each track within a zone is subdivided into n sectors, where n is an integer which is constant per zone and which increases as the zone is more remote from the point of rotation. Each sector including a header portion and a data portion. The header portions in the radial direction in each zone are in line. In each zone the condition of m*n=j*k is satisfied, where is j an integer greater than or equal to 2 and is constant for each zone, and k is an integer.

Abstract: An apparatus and method are provided for tracking the number of permanent and temporary errors, and spare sectors used as a result of the errors, on a per disk and per drive basis. During read/write operations, a determination is made as to whether the number of spares used to replace defective sectors on a disk, together with the number of spares used to replace defective sectors during formatting, exceeds a predetermined limit. This limit can be different depending upon the type of disk in use, rewritable or WORM. If the limit is exceeded, diagnostics are executed to ascertain the cause of the excess usage and appropriate corrective action, such as requesting that the disk and drive lens be cleaned, is initiated. Moreovers, an attempt can be made to recover used spare sectors on a rewritable disk.

Abstract: A data file having a plurality of data blocks is divided into one or more transfer units of data blocks. Before data storage, each transfer unit of data blocks is subjected to its own data compression cycle to create a group of compressed data blocks. The size of the data transfer unit, in bytes, is selected to facilitate addressing and retrieving individual recorded groups of compressed data blocks while providing good channel utilization and compression efficiency. Also the data transfer unit size is selected in part based upon data storage efficiency, i.e. the storage of the compressed data should fill as many addressable data storage areas as possible. Upon recording each group of compressed data bytes, an entry is made into a file directory for enabling addressing the recorded compressed data blocks.

Abstract: A data storage system has a media cartridge library subsystem. The subsystem includes a cartridge storage array which has receptacles for removably receiving cartridge holding bins. Each bin stores a plurality of cartridges in slots. The slots are arranged to open to a transport system in the subsystem such that the bins held in the receptacles constitute a storage array of cartridges. Cartridges are inserted into and removed from the subsystem either by an IO bin or station or by removing and inserting cartridge containing bins. Cartridges are assignable to affinity groups; such affinity cartridges in an affinity group are stored in affinity bins. An affinity bin cannot be removed from the subsystem until all of the affinity cartridges assigned to the bin are present. Each of the bins and cartridges have bar code labels. A battery operated bar code read is transportable by the cartridge transport means for reading the bar code labels.

Abstract: Defective sectors on an optical disk are identified during initial format and such sectors are eliminated as sectors that might possibly be reclaimed at a later date. Those sectors which are identified as defective during use of the disk are listed separately from those found defective at initial format in a secondary defect (SDL) list. After a cleaning operation, those sectors in the SDL are surface analyzed to determine whether they are now good. Further, those defective sectors in the SDL adjacent to sectors found initially defective may be eliminated as reclamation possibilities.

Abstract: Data-storing disks, preferably each disk having a single spiral track, have addressable tracks that are independent of the length of disk or spiral track revolutions. Each revolution may contain a non-integral number of addressable tracks and sectors. An optical disk is used to describe the invention. The circumferential location of the tracks and sectors precess circumferentially. A plurality of radially disposed revolution bands each contain a fixed number of the revolutions an increasing number of the addressable tracks in the radially outer more ones of the bands. It is preferred that the number of bands be 2.sup.n, where n is an integer. Each band is divided into a plurality of revolution groups, each group having a fixed number of revolutions. Each group in a band has a like number of the addressable tracks. A so-called anchor sector has one end anchored to a reference circumferential position on the disk.

Abstract: Error control procedures are described for an optical disk recorder. High and low criteria for each of a plurality of machine operations or functions of an optical disk recorder are described. Such functions include erasing a sector, writing data, and reading data. Each function has two sub parts, reading a sector ID and performing the function in a data field. The high and low criteria for reading the sector ID and for performing the function in the data field, are different. The high and low criteria for a ROM portion of the optical disk are different from that provided for magnetooptic portion.

Abstract: A large capacity data storing disk includes a volume table of contents (VTOC) which identifies allocated ones of data storage tracks and identification of the data contents therein, indications of unallocated data storage track and an indication of which of the data storage tracks on the large capacity disk surface are unformatted. The indications may also include indications of unallocated "erased" tracks that do not contain data residuals from previous recordings. Those unallocated tracks having such erased condition in a count key data record format (CKD) require a home address record on each of the formatted tracks. The home address record may include indications of rotational position of defects to be skipped over during the recording and readback operations. A specific embodiment of the invention using a magnetooptic record medium is described.

Abstract: Rewriteable media, such as magnetooptic record members or disk has its recording controlled such that the recording is certifiable as meeting write once read many characteristics. Controls are introduced for the entire disk for indicating that the rewriteable disk is to be used for certified or vault writing, at least in some radial zones of the disk. Recording or writing operations are limited to those addresssable areas on the certifiable rewriteable medium that have not been previously written. Each of the addressable areas of the medium, in a disk termed, sectors, have a precursor portion called a control area which indicates the status of the sector and is used for preventing overwriting or erasure as well as controlling.

Abstract: A magnetooptic recorder player provides for residual data checking and media defect checking. Media defect checking is effected by comparing the reflected light intensity of a modulated optical beam with the input data characteristics. A difference between the input data and the detected light intensities represents asperities in the record media. Residual data is checked by selectively gating MO detected signals during recording, which are intermediate the high intensity light beam pulses used for recording signals. Both the detected residual data and detected media asperities are counted for each addressable record storage area on the medium.

Abstract: A magnetooptic recorder player provides for residual data checking and media defect checking. Media defect checking is effected by comparing the reflected light intensity of a modulated optical beam with the input data characteristics. A difference between the input data and the detected light intensities represents asperities in the record media. Residual data is checked by selectively gating MO detected signals during recording, which are intermediate the high intensity light beam pulses used for recording signals. Both the detected residual data and detected media asperities are counted for each addressable record storage area on the medium.

Abstract: A large capacity data storing disk includes a volume table of contents (VTOC) which identifies allocated ones of data storage tracks and identification of the data contents therein, indications of unallocated data storage track and an indication of which of the data storage tracks on the large capacity disk surface are unformatted. The indications may also include indications of unallocated "erased" tracks that do not contain data residuals from previous recordings. Those unallocated tracks having such erased condition in a count key data record format (CKD) require a home address record on each of the formatted tracks. The home address record may include indications of rotational position of defects to be skipped over during the recording and readback operations. A specific embodiment of the invention using a magnetooptic record medium is described.

Abstract: A record disk player removably receives for rotation a record disk having an index mark as the sole circumferential position indicator. A spindle in the player has a tachometer with marks angularly displaced a distance equal to the disk storing a predetermined number of bytes on the respective record tracks. A byte counter counts byte periods and is reset by each of the tachometer marks for indicating offset of the marks from the index signal. A register stores the offset as determined by the count in the segment counter at index time. A segment counter counts tachometer pulses for indicating which of the segments are currently being scanned on the record disk. The segment count when coupled with an offset indication provides true rotational position to a byte granularity. The index pulse resets the tachometer counter to zero. The tachometer counter has a modulus equal to the number of groups of bytes (segments) in each of the record tracks.

Abstract: A data recorder, preferably of the magnetooptic type, employs a rotating record storage disk. The record storage disk has a track starting primary data storing sector circumferentially adjacent to the track starting sector or a small plurality of alternate data storing sectors which are not addressable directly by mechanisms outside of the recorder as are the primary recording sectors. Whenever a one of the primary sectors in a given track is found to be defective, then one of the alternate sectors in that same track receives data from a one of the primary storing records of sectors in the same track. A small number of alternate sectors are selected to extend circumferentially for creating an elapsed scan time over the element of sectors not less than the elapsed time required for the recorder to switch from scanning one track to scanning an adjacent one of the tracks.

Abstract: A data recorder employs a disk record having a spiral track with either magnetically or optically sensible indicia. A normal mode of operation is to repeatedly scan one turn or circumvolution of the spiral track for emulating a circularly closed track. The recorder responds to received commands from a utilization device to tailor the disk access and recovery operations to the received command based upon command parameters and current status of the disk record. Electrical circuit and programming arrangements for effecting the controls are disclosed.

Abstract: A distributed data processing system is disclosed which has truly distributed control. A plurality of bus interface units (BIU) are interconnected by the distributed system data bus (DSDB) which includes a clock line, a serial command line (CMD), a serial bus allocation line (BAL) and a two byte wide data bus. A central clock connected to the clock line which defines the message frame timing, is the only centralized "control" element in the system. Each BIU may in turn be connected to either one or several data processing units, an I/O port, or a bridge connecting to still another similar bus network.