The five companies that have endorsed TRAVAN technology to date -- 3M, Sony Recording Media, Hewlett-Packard's Colorado Memory Systems Division, Conner Peripherals and Iomega Corporation -- said they plan to apply to the Quarter-Inch Cartridge Drive Standards organization (QIC) to ratify the new technology. Additional manufacturers are expected to join the initial group. A proposal on the recording formats and TRAVAN cartridge specifications will be presented to QIC on Monday, December 12.

The companies plan to work with the QIC organization to develop a migration path that incorporates the TRAVAN cartridge and the resulting drive recording formats. The initial points along the migration path will include a modified version of QIC-80, 3010 and 3020 recording formats that accept the new cartridge.

The native (uncompressed) storage capacity of the new TRAVAN modified QIC-80 drive/cartridge is expected to be 400 MB (current minicartridge capacity is 125 MB). Native storage capacity of the new modified 3010 drive/cartridge is expected to be 800 MB (current minicartridge capacity is 340 MB), while the capacity of the new modified 3020 drive/cartridge is expected to be 1.6 GB (current minicartridge capacity is 670 MB).

TRAVAN technology optimizes available space in a 3.5-inch drive housing. Mechanical changes will allow the drive to use the previous-size minicartridge, QIC-Wide and TRAVAN cartridge interchangeably. The new cartridge will contain at least 750 feet of .315-inch media. The initial TRAVAN cartridge offerings will require no changes in media formulation, and will utilize existing drive electronics and available head technology.

TRAVAN technology features a unique drive/cartridge interface patent application filed by 3M. When issued, the patent may be licensed to interested drive manufacturers by 3M.

End User Benefits
"In the interest of providing end users higher capacity and compatibility, the data cartridge media industry has recently migrated from minicartridge technology to QIC-Wide and now to the TRAVAN platform," said Michael J. Stevens, business development director, 3M Data Storage Tape Technology Division, St. Paul. "TRAVAN technology is good news for end users and the industry as a whole. Users will benefit from rapid introduction of high-performance tape products, while enabling the industry to better support rapidly growing hard disk capacities and emerging software applications like HSM on the desktop."

"TRAVAN technology represents a significant milestone," said John Boose, general manager of Hewlett Packard's Colorado Memory Systems division, Loveland, Colo. "When the technology comes to market in the first half of 1995, users will be assured of the availability of affordable, high-capacity minicartridge solutions for the foreseeable future. The TRAVAN platform allows minicartridges to stay ahead of rapidly increasing hard disk capacities. It also satisfies the critical need for users to capitalize on their large investments in QIC technology through backward-read compatibility."

Among other significant benefits TRAVAN technology will ensure drive-to-drive interchange with all previous cartridges and the new technology, said Ken Campbell, senior vice president and general manager, Tape Products Group for Conner Peripherals, Costa Mesa, Calif.

"The TRAVAN platform enables drive makers to take advantage of their existing electronics to gain a capacity multiplier," Campbell said. "We're very excited about the future of a 3.5-inch drive utilizing the new technology, and users should be, too. They can now count on both leading-edge capacity and a clear-cut path to the future."

TRAVAN technology will accept conventional minicartridges, QIC-Wide and TRAVAN cartridges, according to Dr. Stephen Baker, director, Sony Recording Media Lab, Boulder, Colo. "Sony sees this as an excellent opportunity to work toward a common goal," Baker said. "Certainly, TRAVAN technology offers an extension on the migration path recently advanced by QIC-Wide."

"We are excited about the benefits that this new technology promises our customers," said Tony Radman, senior vice president, Sales and Marketing, Iomega Corp., Roy, Utah. "With the TRAVAN technology, we can continue to offer low cost backup solutions that match our customers' hard disk capacities."

The companies plan further work on development of the TRAVAN drive technology and recording formats.

TRAVAN is a trademark of 3M.
QIC-Wide is a trademark of Sony.

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