Plural channel error correcting methods and means using adaptive reallocation of redundant channels among groups of channels

Abstract From the Canadian patent

Abstract of the Disclosure Where data is recorded on logically independent sets of parallel channels or tracks, the correction of error of very long (infinite) length cannot be advantageously treated by conventional coding methods unlike finite length error such as single shot or burst noise. To ensure the correction of channels in error from data recovered from a multi-channel storage medium, a fixed number of channels per set are dedicated to error checking bits. In this invention more, than the usual number of channels in error in any one set are made correctable by adaptively reallocating the unused redundant channels in the other set. This is accomplished by encoding and recording in …