Patent ID: 7403350

Claim:
A servo detector for magnetic tape, said magnetic tape having at least one timing based servo track extending in the longitudinal direction of said magnetic tape and comprising laterally extending transitions at least some of which transitions have differing slants with respect to said lateral and longitudinal directions; comprising: a plurality of servo sensors laterally displaced over a distance less than the transverse width of said timing based servo track laterally extending transitions, said servo sensors configured to sense said laterally extending transitions; servo detection logic configured to detect the relative timings of said laterally extending transitions sensed by said plurality of laterally displaced servo sensors as said magnetic tape is moved in said longitudinal direction; and logic configured to determine from said relative timings of said sensed transitions for at least one known set of laterally extending transitions having differing slants by said plurality of laterally displaced servo sensors, information regarding the relationship between said plurality of servo sensors and said magnetic tape.