摘要 |
A narrow read head and a wider write head are used to store and retrieve data from a storage medium, such as a magnetic disk or tape. The wider write head is selectively positioned to record overlapping data tracks. The read head is subsequently positioned to read the non-overlapping portions of the data tracks. In one format, a read seldom data block is recorded by sequentially recording a plurality of data tracks such that each subsequent data track partially overlaps a previously written data track. In another format, pairs of data tracks are recorded by side-by-side, wherein within each pair of data tracks there is an overlapping region. In either format, the narrower read head is positioned to read the non-overlapping portions of the data tracks. Consequently, the storage capacity of the storage medium is optimized to take advantage of the narrow read head.
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