Patent ID: 7752351
Filing Date: 2010-07-06
Classification: G11B

Abstract:
1. A method for protecting a storage device during a high-gravity event, the method comprising: receiving a hold-emergency (HOLDE) primitive from a host link controller via a serial data stream indicating the occurrence of a high-gravity event, wherein the HOLDE primitive comprises a set of control characters and is interleaved with data transmitted over the serial data stream, and wherein the host link controller halts transmission of data over the serial data stream after transmitting the HOLDE primitive; signaling an actuator controller in the storage device to enter a protected state in preparation for the high-gravity event in response to receiving the HOLDE primitive by removing a read/write head from a storage medium in the storage device; transmitting a HOLDA primitive over the serial data stream to acknowledge receipt of the HOLDE primitive; determining when the actuator controller should exit from the protected state based on whether one or more additional HOLDE primitives are received from the host link controller via the serial data stream, wherein each of the one or more additional HOLDE primitives indicates that the high-gravity event is ongoing; and signaling the actuator to exit the protective state upon determining that no additional HOLDE primitives are being received from the host link controller via the serial data stream.