Data in motion storage and method

Abstract

A data storage system is disclosed that includes a recirculating loop storing data in motion. The data may be carried by a signal via the loop including one or more satellites or other vessels that return, for example by reflection or regeneration, the signals through the loop. The loop may also include a waveguide, for example an optical fiber, or an optical cavity. Signal multiplexing may be used to increase the contained data. The signal may be amplified at each roundtrip and sometimes a portion of the signal may be regenerated.

1 - 4 . (canceled) 
     
     
         5 . A data storage system comprising:
 a recirculating loop configured to maintain the signal carrying data in motion and including a waveguide and a waveguide coupler;   the waveguide coupler configured to couple the signal carrying the data into the waveguide; and   a signal conditioner configured to condition the signal conveyed through the waveguide.   
     
     
         6 . The system of  claim 5 , wherein the waveguide comprises optical fiber. 
     
     
         7 . The system of  claim 5 , further comprising a signal generator configured to transmit the signal to the waveguide coupler, wherein the signal generated by the signal generator is an electromagnetic signal. 
     
     
         8 . (canceled) 
     
     
         9 . The system of  claim 5 , wherein the recirculating loop comprises the signal conditioner, and the signal conditioner comprises a signal amplifier configured to amplify at least a portion of the signal each time the signal passes through the signal conditioner. 
     
     
         10 . The system of  claim 5 , further comprising:
 a data management system configured to manage data in the data storage system and configured to receive a request from outside the data storage system to at least one of delete, write and update a block of data in the data,   wherein the recirculating loop comprises an eraser configured to erase, based on information received from the data management system, a first portion of the signal, the first portion carrying the data block, the data block being less than an entirety of the data.   
     
     
         11 . (canceled) 
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 5 , further comprising a signal generator configured to transmit the signal to the waveguide coupler, wherein the signal carrying the data generated by the signal generator is a signal multiplexed by a propagation-direction multiplexer configured to transmit a first portion of the signal through the recirculating loop in a first direction and to transmit a second portion of the signal through the recirculating loop in a second direction different from the first direction. 
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 5 , the system comprising a signal regenerator,
 wherein the signal conditioner is a signal amplifier configured to amplify at least some of the signal,   wherein, the signal regenerator is configured to regenerate, at a first timing, only a first portion of the signal, the first portion of the signal being less than an entirety of the signal, and   to regenerate, at a second timing after the first timing, only a second portion of the signal, the second portion of the signal being less than an entirety of the signal.   
     
     
         14 - 15 . (canceled) 
     
     
         16 . The system of  claim 5 , further comprising:
 a controller configured to receive, at a first time, a first request from outside the data storage system to perform a first operation, the first operation comprising one of a read operation, a write operation, and a delete operation for a first block of data of the data, and to receive, at a second time after the first time, a second request from outside the data storage system to perform a second operation, the second operation comprising one of the read operation, the write operation, and the delete operation for a second block of data of the data,   wherein the system performs the first operation after performing the second operation.   
     
     
         17 . (canceled) 
     
     
         18 . The system of  claim 13 , the system comprising a data integrity determiner configured to determine data integrity only of the first portion when the signal regenerator regenerates the first portion, and to determine data integrity only of the second portion when the signal regenerator regenerates the second portion. 
     
     
         19 . (canceled) 
     
     
         20 . The system of  claim 5 , wherein the recirculating loop further comprises a signal filter configured to impose signal loss on the signal in dependence, in a non-linear manner, on signal intensity of the signal. 
     
     
         21 . (canceled) 
     
     
         22 . The system of  claim 5 , wherein the recirculating loop further comprises a signal filter configured to provide signal loss to a first portion of the signal, the first portion of the signal having a signal intensity greater than a second portion of the signal. 
     
     
         23 . The system of  claim 5 , wherein the recirculating loop further comprises a signal filter configured to provide signal loss to a first portion of the signal and to a second portion of the signal, the first portion having a signal intensity greater than the second portion,
 wherein the signal loss provided to the first portion is greater than a roundtrip gain, and the signal loss provided to the second portion is less than the roundtrip gain.   
     
     
         24 . The system of  claim 5 , wherein the recirculating loop further comprises a signal filter comprising a material with a first index of refraction, the signal filter configured to provide a signal loss to a first portion of the signal with a signal intensity below a first value, and to change the index of refraction of the material so as to provide a signal loss to a second portion of the signal with a second intensity higher than the first value. 
     
     
         25 . The system of  claim 5 , wherein the waveguide coupler comprises a first coupler and a second coupler, the first coupler configured to couple only a first portion of the signal, and the second coupler configured to couple only a second portion of the signal other than the first portion,
 wherein the first and second portions are multiplexed in the signal as part of a first multiplexing scheme.   
     
     
         26 . (canceled) 
     
     
         27 . The system of  claim 5 , wherein the waveguide coupler comprises a signal in-coupler configured to transmit the signal into the waveguide, and a signal out-coupler configured to remove signal from the waveguide,
 wherein the signal in-coupler is positioned at the recirculating loop remote from the signal out-coupler.   
     
     
         28 . The system of  claim 5 , further comprising:
 a signal generator configured to transmit the signal to the waveguide coupler,   wherein the signal generator is configured to generate a multiplexed electromagnetic signal as the signal, the multiplexed electromagnetic signal comprising a first set of multiplexed electromagnetic signals, such that a first multiplexed signal of the first set carries data other than a second multiplexed signal of the first set,   wherein each signal of the first set of multiplexed electromagnetic signals comprises a second set of multiplexed electromagnetic signals generated using a multiplexing scheme different from the multiplexing scheme used to generate the first set of multiplexed electromagnetic signals.   
     
     
         29 . (canceled) 
     
     
         30 . The system of  claim 5 , further comprising:
 a signal generator configured to transmit the signal to the waveguide coupler,   wherein the signal generator is configured to generate a code division multiplexed signal as the signal, the code division multiplexed signal comprising a first set of multiplexed signals such that a first multiplexed signal of the first set carries data other than a second multiplexed signal of the first set.   
     
     
         31 . The system of  claim 5 , further comprising:
 a signal generator configured to transmit the signal to the waveguide coupler,   wherein the signal generator is configured to generate an orbital angular momentum division multiplexed signal as the signal, the orbital angular momentum division multiplexed signal comprising a first set of multiplexed signals such that a first multiplexed signal of the first set carries data other than a second multiplexed signal of the first set.   
     
     
         32 . The system of  claim 5 , further comprising:
 a signal generator configured to transmit the signal to the waveguide coupler,   wherein the signal generator is configured to generate a space division multiplexed signal as the signal, the space division multiplexed signal comprising a first set of multiplexed signals such that a first multiplexed signal of the first set carries data other than a second multiplexed signal of the first set.   
     
     
         33 . The system of  claim 5 , further comprising:
 a signal generator configured to transmit the signal to the waveguide coupler,   wherein the signal generator is configured to generate a polarization division multiplexed signal as the signal, the polarization division multiplexed signal comprising a first set of multiplexed signals such that a first multiplexed signal of the first set carries data other than a second multiplexed signal of the first set.   
     
     
         34 - 79 . (canceled)