Abstract: Embodiments of methods and systems for controlling access to information stored on memory or data storage devices are disclosed. In various embodiments, fluid-mediated modification of information or access to information is utilized. According to various embodiments, data storage devices designed for rotating access are described which include rotation-activated fluid control mechanisms.

Abstract: In an information storage apparatus, a relatively thin attachment member has a cylindrical boss section projecting from a surface thereof and a path passing through the attachment member and reaching the extreme end of the boss section and is attached to a relatively thick base member. The base member has a through hole which passes therethrough in the thickness direction thereof and into which the boss section is inserted. The attachment member is caulked to the base member by plastically deforming the boss section by causing a caulking ball whose diameter is larger than that of the path to pass therethrough in the state that the boss section is inserted into the through hole. The through hole has an escape section into which a part of the plastically deformed boss section escapes, thereby a large amount of plastic deformation of the boss section can be suppressed.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to a disk drive apparatus in which an optical disk (2) is detachably loaded, and comprises a casing (3) including a front panel (18) in which a disk insertion/withdrawal hole (19) of which length in length direction is caused to be substantially the same as the diameter of the optical disk, and a biasing member (70) for biasing plural rotational arms (61), (62) for holding the outer circumference of the optical disk therebetween in a predetermined direction in accordance with carrying position of the optical disk, wherein, between the disk insertion/withdrawal position and the disk loading position, there are provided a disk carrying mechanism (60) for performing carrying operation of the optical disk, a disk loading portion (41) to which the optical disk is loaded, a disk rotation drive mechanism (42) for optical disk, an optical pick-up (43) for performing recording and/or reproduction of information signals with respect to the optical disk, and a pick-up feed mechanism (44

Abstract: A pickup device comprises a flexible circuit member including a main circuit portion on which electric or electronic components are mounted and a sub-circuit portion connected to the main circuit portion. The pickup device further comprises a housing on which the flexible circuit member is mounted. Each of the main circuit portion and the sub-circuit portion has a single-sided structure and includes a ground portion. The sub-circuit portion is folded with respect to the main circuit portion. The flexible circuit member is mounted on the housing while the main circuit portion and the sub-circuit portion are held in an overlapping arrangement. With this arrangement, S/N ratio of electric signals can be improved while achieving cost reduction.

Abstract: An air bearing surface of a slider is described. In one embodiment, the air bearing surface comprises a center channel. The air bearing surface further comprises a plurality of side channels, wherein at least one side channel of the plurality of side channels is open to the center channel, and a plurality of pocket areas. The center channel, the plurality of side channels, and the plurality of pocket areas are configured to allow air to flow along the center channel toward the trailing edge of the ABS, such that a change in ambient pressure and a change and relative velocity of a head assembly with respect to a data storage medium of a data storage device would not significantly affect the fly height of a head assembly utilizing the ABS.

Abstract: A tolerance ring configured to improve mass eccentricity of an actuator arm assembly. The tolerance ring has a cylinder with a predetermined length between two ends, with a gap along the predetermined length of the cylinder, the gap having a first and a second edge, the cylinder having an aperture in the surface of the cylinder at the second edge.

Abstract: A tolerance ring configured to reduce torque ripple for a pivot bearing in an actuator arm assembly. The tolerance ring comprises a cylinder having a predetermined length, and a first and a second row of contacting portions arranged around the surface of the cylinder, the contacting portions of the second row are circumferentially displaced with respect to the first row by a distance greater than zero but less than the distance of the contacting portion and the spacing between adjacent contacting portions in the first row.

Abstract: A chucking apparatus in which a plurality of pawl bodies are provided in a radial direction of a hub body of a turntable such that said pawl bodies can move, a center hole of a disk is pressed by said pawl bodies to hold said disk, wherein said chucking apparatus comprises a resilient member for biasing said pawl bodies outward of said hub body, each of said pawl bodies includes a pawl portion which comes into contact with said disk, and a pawl-side stopper for limiting outward movement of the pawl bodies caused by said resilient member, said hub body includes a pawl opening through which said pawl portion can project outward, and a hub-side stopper which abuts against said pawl-side stopper, and a contact surface of a lower end of said pawl body with respect to a lower part is of an arc shape.

Abstract: A magnetic write head for perpendicular magnetic recording having a write pole with a concave trailing edge. The magnetic write pole can have a trapezoidal shape with first and second laterally opposed sides that are further apart at the trailing edge than at the leading edge. The write head may or may not include a magnetic trailing shield, and if a trailing shield is included it is separated from the trailing edge by a non-magnetic write gap layer. The concave trailing edge improves magnetic performance such as by improving the transition curvature. A method for constructing the write head includes forming a magnetic write pole by forming a mask structure over a deposited write pole material, the mask structure having an alumina hard mask and an image transfer layer such as DURAMIDE®. An alumina fill layer is then deposited and a chemical mechanical polish is performed to open up the image transfer layer.

Abstract: The present invention provides a disk apparatus reduced in size, thickness and weight, by reducing a space for carrying a disk and a space between the floating unit and the stationary frame for use in holding the floating unit in a floating state, as much as possible, with a simple structure. In the disk apparatus of the present invention, the floating unit held in a floating state in the stationary frame is so arranged that the roller arm can rotate itself, pressing a disk-shaped recording medium onto the disk guide provided on the stationary frame, to carry the disk-shaped recording medium to a desired position.

Abstract: Embodiments of the invention provide a magnetic disk device capable of improving the shielding function for the magnetic head yet maintaining a form factor. In one embodiment, a magnetic disk device comprises a magnetic disk; a magnetic head for recording/reproducing information; a magnetic disk drive mechanism for moving magnetic head in the radial direction of the magnetic disk; a housing including a base and a cover having a nonmagnetic material; and a magnetic shielding member having a magnetic material. The housing has a cut-away portion corresponding to a range in which the magnetic head moves, and the magnetic shielding member is formed in a U-shape including an upper wall portion, a side wall portion and a bottom wall portion. The magnetic shielding member covers the range in which the magnetic head moves, and is disposed in the cut-away portion so as to form substantially the same surface as the surfaces of the upper wall, side wall and bottom wall of the housing.

Abstract: A magnetic head suspension of the present invention includes a flexure having a magnetic head mounting region, a load beam connected to the flexure and having a dimple at a portion corresponding to the magnetic head mounting region a load-bent portion generating a load for pressing a magnetic head to a magnetic disk via the load beam, and a base portion connected to a rear region of the load-bent portion. The load beam has a reinforcing structure that is symmetrical as viewed from the above based on a center longitudinal axis line, only in a center region in a longitudinal direction from a rearmost portion at the rear region to the dimple.

Abstract: An actuator for a pickup has a suspension base (500), a lens holder movable in each of a focusing direction along the optical axis of the objective lens and a tracking direction, for holding an objective lens, and six suspensions (550A-550F) each connected at ends thereof to the suspension base (500) and the lens holder. The suspensions (550A-550F) on a side of the suspension base (500) are positioned on a first virtual circle (X), and connection portions on a side of the lens holder (600) are positioned on a second virtual circle (X). Even when the lens holder turns with respect to the suspension base (500), there is generated no relative displacement in an axial direction as a whole because displacements occurring in all the suspensions (550A-550F) are the same.

Abstract: Embodiments of the invention provide a disk device capable of diminishing oscillation of a disk caused by an air flow which is created with rotation of the disk. In one embodiment, a magnetic disk device comprises a rotatable magnetic disk, a base and a top cover for housing the magnetic disk inside, a flow uniforming wall disposed along an outer periphery of the magnetic disk, and a circulation filter for collecting dust present within the device. The flow uniforming wall is positioned in opposition to the outer periphery of the magnetic disk and has a step height at a position other than the position opposed to the disk outer periphery, with an opening being formed by a gap between the step height and the top cover. This opening serves as an inlet port to admit an air flow created with rotation of the magnetic disk, and the circulation filter collects dust contained in the admitted air flow.

Abstract: Invention protects the data region of a disk surface in hard disk drive, using a facing surface containing a radial bump near an outside region radially beyond the data region. The facing surface and radial bump may belong to a disk base, a disk damper, a disk cover and/or a cover insert attached to the disk cover, as well as the hard disk drive including at least one facing surface and radial bump. The method of making the disk base, the disk cover, the cover insert for the disk cover, the disk damper, and/or the hard disk drive, as well as the products of these manufacturing processes.

Abstract: A slider body of a head slider has a medium-opposed surface opposed to a recording medium in a recording medium drive. A head element is mounted on the slider body. A charge region is established on the slider body for holding an electric charge at a local area in the medium-opposed surface of the slider body. The charge region is located at a position distanced from the head element. Capacitance is stored between the head slider and the recording medium. The capacitance serves to determine the distance between the head slider and the recording medium. In this case, electric potential concentrates at the charge region, so that electrospark concentrates at the charge region. The head element can be distanced from the electrospark. The head element can thus be prevented from destruction.

Abstract: A magnetic field sensor comprises: a magnetic field detecting element that detects magnitude of an external magnetic field based on electric resistance of the magnetic field detecting element to sense current, the electric resistance being varied in accordance with the external magnetic field; an upper shield layer that is formed to cover the magnetic field detecting element; and a protective layer that is formed above the upper shield layer with respect to a direction of stacking. The upper shield layer includes a first portion at least part of which covers a top surface of the magnetic field detecting element, and a second portion that covers the first portion, and, the first portion has a larger absolute value of magnetostriction than the second portion.

Abstract: A tolerance ring for coupling an actuator arm to a pivot bearing while maintaining mass eccentricity of the actuator arm. The tolerance ring having a substantially cylindrical base portion with a first radius about a central axis and extending a length parallel to the central axis, the cylindrical base portion has a first tab and a second tab extending along the length of the cylindrical base portion, the first tab being positioned proximate to the second tab. The tolerance ring improves mass eccentricity by radially displacing the first tab at a second radius about the axis such that a radial gap is formed between the first tab and second tab.

Abstract: In a magnetic resistance device, and a method of manufacturing the same, the magnetic resistance device includes a pinning layer, a pinned layer, a nonmagnetic layer, and a free layer stacked on one another, at least one of the pinned layer and the free layer being formed of an intermetallic compound.

Abstract: The shutter member (1) is a shutter member used in a cartridge having a case member. The case member includes a medium storage section for storing an information medium having an information layer and a window section configured to allow at least a head to be inserted. The head is used to perform a recording operation or a reproduction operation for the information layer. The shutter member (1) includes a base member (2) operable to slide along a sidewall of the case member and a plate member (3) engaged with the base member (2). The plate member (3) is operable to open/close the window section of the case member in accordance with a sliding motion of the base member (2). The base member (2) and the plate member (3) are engaged with each other such that the plate member (3) can be removed from the base member (2).