Media element library with non-overlapping subset of media elements and non ...

US006328766B1

(12) United States Patent

Long

(io) Patent No.: (45) Date of Patent:

US 6,328,766 Bl Dec. 11,2001

(54) MEDIA ELEMENT LIBRARY WITH

NON-OVERLAPPING SUBSET OF MEDIA
ELEMENTS AND NON-OVERLAPPING
SUBSET OF MEDIA ELEMENT DRIVES
ACCESSIBLE TO FIRST HOST AND
UNACCESSIBLE TO SECOND HOST

(75) Inventor: Robert M. Long, San Diego, CA (US)

(73) Assignee: Overland Data, Inc., San Diego, CA (US)

( * ) Notice: Subject to any disclaimer, the term of this patent is extended or adjusted under 35 U.S.C. 154(b) by 0 days.

(21) Appl. No.: 09/104,406

(22) Filed: Jun. 25, 1998

Related U.S. Application Data

(63) Continuation-in-part of application No. 08/786,702, filed on Jan. 23, 1997, now abandoned.

(51) Int. CI.7 G06F 12/14; G06F 12/00;

G06F 13/00; G11B 17/22; G11B 15/00

(52) U.S. CI 718/8; 710/15; 710/17;

710/36; 710/104; 711/4; 711/111; 711/152; 711/163; 369/34; 369/36; 369/56; 360/69;

360/131; 360/134

(58) Field of Search 710/100, 129,

710/8, 9, 15, 17, 36, 104; 711/4, 111, 112, 114, 152, 163; 360/69, 92, 93, 131, 132, 134; 369/34, 36, 56, 191, 192

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0 458 567 A2 5/1991 (EP) .

0 578 918 A2 3/1993 (EP) .

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* cited by examiner

Primary Examiner—-Thomas Lee

Assistant Examiner—Nguyen Tanh Q

(74) Attorney, Agent, or Firm—Knobbe Martens Olson &

Bear

(57) ABSTRACT

A media element library defines a viral configuration different from the physical configuration of media and drives actually present in the library. A plurality of host computer systems communicate with the library as if they were communicating with a conventional library having a physical configuration identical to the virtual configuration defined by the library.

11 Claims, 8 Drawing Sheets