Importance

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Abstract

Apparatus and method are provided to increase the capacity of spiral track data storage disks while improving the reliability of access to sectors on the disk by permitting previously unusable sectors immediately following a band boundary to be reliably accessed. In accordance with the present invention, an optical drive controller is provided having a clock for generating a clock signal with a frequency of f.sub.N and a cycle slipper for generating a slipped clock signal with a frequency of f.sub.N-1 from the clock signal. The controller also includes a device for enabling the slipper when an optical head is positioned opposite a sector in a band N-1 during a seek operation to a target sector in band N, and for disabling the slipper when the optical head is positioned opposite the end of the last sector in band N-1. Thus, identification information pertaining to sectors in band N-1 is processed at a data transfer rate of f.sub.N-1 and the data transfer rate is switched to f.sub.N with only an insignificant delay, permitting the first several sectors in band N to be used. Embodiments of the present invention include the use of full-cycle slipping and half-cycle slipping.

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First Claim