Erase drive system and methods of erasure for tape data cartridge

Abstract

The present disclosure relates generally to writing and reading data from a magnetic tape storage media and, more particularly, to a secure erasure system for the eradication of the data contained in the data tracks of a tape media such that substantially all of the data can be erased while leaving the servo bands substantially unaltered or within specification. A data tape cartridge erased with such a system can then be reused in a secure data storage environment with complete confidence that any data from a previous usage is not subject to discovery.

1 .- 10 . (canceled) 
     
     
         11 . A data erase head comprising:
 an erase element having a substantially equal or slightly greater magnetic width than a magnetic width of a data band of a magnetic tape media to be erased such that the erase element can substantially fully erase one data band of the tape media in each traverse of the tape media from one end of the tape to the other end of the tape while substantially preserving servo information in servo bands of the tape media, adjacent to the data bands.   
     
     
         12 . The data erase head of  claim 11 , wherein the erase element comprises an erase gap array. 
     
     
         13 . The data erase head of  claim 12 , wherein the erase gap array provides multiple erase exposures of the tape media in a single pass of the tape media. 
     
     
         14 . The data erase head of  claim 11 , wherein the erase element comprises termination patterns on its edges adjacent the servo bands. 
     
     
         15 . (canceled) 
     
     
         16 . The data erase head of  claim 11 , comprising N/2 erase elements for N data bands of the magnetic media. 
     
     
         17 .- 29 . (canceled) 
     
     
         30 . A method of erasing data from a data band of magnetic tape media, comprising:
 providing an erase element having a substantially equal or slightly greater magnetic width than a magnetic width of a data band of a magnetic tape media to be erased; and   substantially fully erasing one data band of the tape media with the erase element in each traverse of the tape media from one end of the tape to the other end of the tape while substantially preserving servo information in servo bands of the tape media, adjacent to the data bands.   
     
     
         31 . (canceled) 
     
     
         32 . A method of erasing data from a data band of magnetic tape media, comprising:
 providing an erase element having a smaller magnetic width than a magnetic width of a data band of a magnetic tape media to be erased;   positioning the erase element along one edge of the data band and erasing a portion of data tracks less than all of the data tracks of the data band in one pass of the tape media from one end the tape to the other end of the tape;   positioning the erase element along the opposite edge of the data band and erasing the remaining portion of the data tracks in a second pass of the tape media from one end the tape to the other end of the tape; and   substantially preserving servo information in servo bands of the tape media, adjacent to the data band.   
     
     
         33 .- 34 . (canceled)