Western Digital Technologies Assigned Patent

Western Digital Technologies, Inc., San Jose, CA, has been assigned a patent (12249350) developed by Okada; Keiichi, Yokohama, Japan, Hamaguchi; Takehiko, Fujisawa, Japan, and Sakagami; Akira, Kanagawa, Japan, for “methods for improving track density in dual-reel removable tape devices and fixed tape devices.“

The abstract of the patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office states: “The present disclosure generally relates to a tape drive comprising a tape wound around first and second tape reels and a tape head module configured to write data to and read data from the tape. The tape drive is configured to equalize the amount of time the tape spends stored in a first state and a second state when being stored long term, or when in a preservation phase, to minimize the effects of creep and tape dimensional stability. In the first state, a majority of the tape is wound around the first tape reel. In the second state, the majority of the tape is wound around the second tape reel. The tape drive is configured to move the tape between the first and second states: (1) upon being triggered by the timer, or (2) based on the tape head module being utilized to determine a position error signal.”

The patent application was filed on 2023-08-03 (18/229775).