Mark R Watson
Plumbers at 69 Ave, Westminster, CO

6826020, Nov 30, 2004

Aug 20, 2001

09/933996

Larry E. Daby - Erie CO
Mark Lee Watson - Louisville CO

Storage Technology Corporation - Louisville CO

G11B 539

360317, 360316

A two bump magnetic head for writing and reading information to a tape includes a merged-pole read/write element structure with inverted write elements. Each inverted write element includes top and bottom write poles. The write poles are fabricated such that the longitudinal dimension of the bottom write pole is smaller than the longitudinal dimension of the top write pole in a zero throat region. This results in an “inverted” structure. An upper portion of the bottom write pole is milled in at least the zero throat region early in fabrication to produce a precise width adjoining a write gap. The trimmed upper portion of bottom write pole results in an improved write geometry that produces tightly defined tracks.

2011001, Jan 20, 2011

Jul 7, 2010

12/831441

Dwayne A. Edling - Longmont CO, US
Mark L. Watson - Louisville CO, US
Michael J. Cornwell - San Jose CA, US

ORACLE INTERNATIONAL CORPORATION - Redwood City CA

G06F 7/00, G06F 12/00, G06F 12/14

700214, 711103, 711E12001, 711E12091

A data storage system for use with a plurality of tape cartridges is provided. Each tape cartridge includes a length of tape media and an amount of flash memory. The data storage system includes a tape cartridge library having a plurality of storage cells. Each storage cell is configured to store a tape cartridge. The tape cartridge library further includes a plurality of tape drives. Each tape drive is configured to access a tape cartridge when the tape cartridge is received in the tape drive. The system further includes a robotic tape mover and a flash memory access mechanism. The robotic tape mover moves tape cartridges between the plurality of storage cells and the plurality of tape drives. The flash memory access mechanism is configured in the tape cartridge library to access the flash memory of a tape cartridge when the tape cartridge is in the tape cartridge library.

7352540, Apr 1, 2008

Dec 20, 2004

11/017170

Mark Lee Watson - Louisville CO, US
Francis Campos - Louisville CO, US
April Lynn Alstrin - Boulder CO, US

Storage Technology Corporation - Louisville CO

G11B 5/39, G11B 5/31

360321

A giant magneto-resistive (GMR) transducer for reading data signals magnetically recorded on tape includes a GMR sensor and a separation structure formed on a front edge of the GMR sensor. The GMR sensor reads data signals magnetically recorded on a tape located at a head-tape interface. The separation structure physically separates the GMR sensor from the head-tape interface. The separation structure includes at least one film formed of at least one of non-magnetic and ferromagnetic materials such that the separation structure isolates the GMR sensor from physical contact with the tape at the head-tape interface while maintaining the ability of the GMR sensor to read data signals magnetically recorded on the tape even though the GMR sensor is physically separated from the tape at the head-tape interface. The separation structure may include an under-layer film and an isolation film. The GMR transducer is fabricated by a series of fabrication steps.

7660069, Feb 9, 2010

Apr 29, 2008

12/111382

Steven G. Trabert - Boulder CO, US
Mark L. Watson - Louisville CO, US

Sun Microsystems, Inc. - Santa Clara CA

G11B 5/584

360 7713, 360 31

In an embodiment, a method is provided for improving signal and transducer alignment in a magnetic tape drive. The method includes writing a first track and a second track to a tape. Each track has an associated track characteristic, which may include fundamental frequency and test binary pattern, among other characteristics. The tracks are adjacent and substantially parallel to one another, and each track has a differing track characteristic value. Each track is read at multiple tracking positions to collect values corresponding to each position. An optimal offset is determined based on the collected values and the corresponding tracking positions. In another embodiment, a magnetic tape drive includes a data reader, a data writer, a processor, and a computer readable medium. The medium has stored instructions, executable by the processor, for carrying out the described method.

2010028, Nov 4, 2010

Apr 30, 2009

12/433307

Dwayne A. Edling - Longmont CO, US
Mark L. Watson - Louisville CO, US

SUN MICROSYSTEMS, INC. - Santa Clara CA

G06F 7/00, G06F 12/00, G06F 12/14

700214, 711103, 711E12001, 711E12091

A data storage system for use with a plurality of tape cartridges is provided. Each tape cartridge includes a length of tape media and an amount of flash memory. The data storage system includes a tape cartridge library having a plurality of storage cells. Each storage cell is configured to store a tape cartridge. The tape cartridge library further includes a plurality of tape drives. Each tape drive is configured to access a tape cartridge when the tape cartridge is received in the tape drive. The system further includes a robotic tape mover and a flash memory access mechanism. The robotic tape mover moves tape cartridges between the plurality of storage cells and the plurality of tape drives. The flash memory access mechanism is configured in the tape cartridge library to access the flash memory of a tape cartridge when the tape cartridge is in the tape cartridge library.

7256969, Aug 14, 2007

Jun 7, 2004

10/862287

Carl Stephen Arnold - Golden CO, US
Edward Virgil Denison - Erie CO, US
Carl Anthony Helms - Lafayette CO, US
Stein Klevdal - Niwot CO, US
Kevin D. McKinstry - Arvada CO, US
Mark Lee Watson - Louisville CO, US

Storage Technology Corporation - Louisville CO

G11B 5/127

360313

A method and system are provided for implementing discrete step stabilization of AMR read sensors in tape or disk drives. In one implementation, a plurality of discrete step stabilizers and AMR read sensor elements are arranged with a rotational symmetry coupled with a plane inversion for an odd number of steps, and no inversion for an even number of steps. Preferably, the steps are oriented at 45 degrees, or approximately parallel to the desired bias direction. For relatively narrow track widths (e. g. , approximately 5 microns), the edges of the sensor element nearest the permanent magnets are especially important to stabilize. Therefore, in one implementation, an edge of a stabilizer preferably intersects the edge of the sensor element at one half of the stripe height. Also, the rising and falling edges of the stabilizers do not always have the same slope. In order to compensate for the different slopes of a stabilizer's edges, the rising and falling edges of a stabilizer's pattern are interchanged by a “stabilizer phase” transformation to produce the complement (phase conjugate) of the stabilizer pattern.

7239465, Jul 3, 2007

Jun 30, 2003

10/609514

Mark L. Watson - Louisville CO, US
Anand V. Lakshmikumaran - Denver CO, US
Jeffrey G. Villiard - Broomfield CO, US

Storage Technology Corporation - Louisville CO

G11B 5/02

360 55

A magnetic head assembly for writing multiple tracks to a tape that travels in a first direction is provided. The assembly includes a first head section for writing a first subset of the tracks, and a second head section for writing a second subset of the tracks. Furthermore, one head section is canted with respect to a plane that is transverse to the first direction, such that the head sections write two adjacent tracks at different angles with respect to the plane.

7551380, Jun 23, 2009

Sep 26, 2007

11/861960

Mark Lee Watson - Louisville CO, US
Steven Gregory Trabert - Boulder CO, US

Sun Microsystems, Inc. - Santa Clara CA

G11B 5/02, G11B 5/09

360 55, 360 48

A tape has a component of magnetization pointing out of a plane of the tape. To write a pulse of a servo pattern to the tape, the tape is passed over a write head with a conventional write gap. Current having a fixed polarity is provided to the write head. Once the current achieves a desired value, the current is no longer provided to the write head.

8014102, Sep 6, 2011

Aug 28, 2007

11/845881

Steven M. Kientz - Westminster CO, US
Mark L. Watson - Louisville CO, US

Oracle America, Inc. - Redwood City CA

G11B 15/18, G11B 23/08

360132, 360134

A data storage device has a cartridge with tape having data and landing zones. One of the landing zones is aligned with a head during stopping of advancement of the tape to minimize damage. A data storage system is provided with a data storage device with data and landing zones, a read/write head, a motor for driving the tape and a processor for identifying the landing zone locations. A method for minimizing damage to data tape conveys base film along a coating head while intermittently dispensing a magnetic layer and a rougher coating layer to form landing zones. A method for minimizing damage to data storage tape provides a cassette with tape having intermittent data and non-data regions, that is inserted into a tape drive and a read or write function is performed. The tape is advanced to align a non-data region with a head and advancement is discontinued.

7505221, Mar 17, 2009

Jan 3, 2007

11/648989

Mark L. Watson - Louisville CO, US

Sun Microsystems, Inc. - Santa Clara CA

G11B 5/09, G11B 5/265, G11B 5/584

360 53, 360121, 360129

Data tracks are written across a width of a tape by positioning a first head section across the tape and writing a first subset of data tracks onto the tape with a first plurality of write elements on the first head section. A second head section is positioned across the tape separately from the first head. A second subset of data tracks is written onto the tape with a second plurality of write elements on the second head section so that the second subset is interleaved with the first subset. A third head section is positioned across the tape separately from the first head and the second head. The first subset and second subsets are read with a plurality of read elements on the third head section to verify that data was correctly written onto the tape.