Patent ID: 7002763

Claim:
A magnetic tape cartridge, comprising: a cartridge housing; and a magnetic tape media housed within said cartridge housing, said magnetic tape media having servo information comprising: a plurality of separate servo bands comprising at least one pattern of detectable transitions positioned longitudinally along said magnetic tape media, at least one of which detectable transitions is non-parallel to another detectable transition in said pattern; and said separate servo bands positioned laterally across said magnetic tape media; and said patterns of said separate servo bands are laterally aligned, and at least one of said patterns of a separate said servo band having at least one differentiating characteristic with respect to at least one of said laterally aligned patterns of another of said separate servo bands; wherein said laterally aligned patterns of said servo information comprise a plurality of gaps between said detectable transitions; and wherein said at least one differentiating characteristic comprises variations in said gaps of said laterally aligned patterns of said separate servo bands, said variations in said gaps comprise at least one expanded gap offset by at least one narrowed gap in a pattern, such that said laterally aligned separate patterns of said separate servo bands maintain said lateral alignment; and wherein said detectable transitions of a pattern of said servo information are arranged with at least one of said detectable transitions in one orientation, and at least one detectable transition in a non-parallel orientation with respect to said one orientation, having at least one first gap therebetween, and said laterally aligned patterns comprise at least a second gap between said pattern and a sequentially adjacent pattern; and wherein said differentiating characteristic comprises an expanded one of said at least one first gap and said second gap, and a narrowed one of said second gap and said at least one first gap, such that said laterally aligned separate patterns of said separate servo bands maintain said lateral alignment.