Patent ID: 7206908

Claim:
A method to convert a plurality of sectors from a first sector format to a second sector format, comprising the steps of: providing an information storage and retrieval system which includes information comprising a plurality of first sectors written in a first sector format, a device controller, a data storage device, wherein said data storage device comprises an information storage medium comprising a plurality of second sectors each comprising a second sector format, a sector format conversion device, a communication link interconnecting said sector format conversion device and said device controller, wherein said sector format conversion devices is interconnected with said data storage device; providing (N) contiguous first sectors to said sector format conversion device, wherein said (N) first sectors include a beginning first sector and a first number of bytes; determining that (M) contiguous second sectors comprise at least said first number of bytes, wherein said (M) contiguous sectors comprise a beginning second sector and an ending second sector; prefetching said beginning second sector and said ending second sector; overlaying said beginning first sector onto said beginning second sector; overlaying the (i)th first sector onto part or all of the (j)th second sector; transmitting said (j)th second sector to said data storage device; writing said (j)th second sector to said information storage medium; wherein (i) is greater than or equal to 1 and less than or equal to (N), and wherein (j) is greater than or equal to 1 and less than or equal to (M).