Abstract: A data storage device uses a foil disk platter with significantly reduced inertia and weight as compared to the thick aluminum or glass disk platter in a typical hard disk drive. The reduced rotating inertia of the foil disk enables faster spin-up performance which can be used to reduce decrease the power consumed by the unit. In portable appliances that use disk drive storage devices battery life can be extended significantly and the unit can be made thinner and lighter. Certain parameters of the foil disk substrate may be determined, to provide improved control of disk flutter, from a range parameter defined by RANGE = ? ? ? R 2 Et 2 where ?=foil disk substrate mass density, R=foil disk substrate radius, E=Young's modulus of foil disk substrate, and t=foil disk substrate thickness. RANGE has dimensional units of s2/in2, and the magnitude of RANGE may be between 10?6 and 3(10?4).

Abstract: A slider assembly for supporting a recording element in operative relation to a flexible moving recording medium is disclosed. The slider may have a face including air bearing surfaces positioned toward the recording medium. A recording element may be in an air bearing surface near the trailing edge of the face, wherein there is no other slider or other supporting surface on an opposite side of the recording medium. A vacuum cavity may be formed in the face for creation of sub-ambient pressure to attract the slider toward the recording medium. An air bearing surface may be provided with a transverse pressure contour (TPC) along at least one of its edges for providing flying height control, with the TPC having a step geometry. A mounting device may mount the slider in a biased manner toward the recording medium and urge the slider toward the recording medium.

Abstract: A metal foil disk offers some of the best characteristics of both the hard disk and floppy disk for digital data storage. One embodiment uses an opposed slider air bearing arrangement that provides advantages when used with a high speed metal foil disk in either a fixed or removable format. Use is made of the fact that the opposing sliders interact through their influence on the flexible disk that is sandwiched between them. Asymmetry of opposing air bearings may be created by etching the air bearing pad opposite the recording element pad to a depth sufficient that the flying height and air film stiffness of the opposing pad reach desired levels. The result is an air bearing interface with low flying height and high stiffness over the recording element opposed by a high flying height and low stiffness on the other side of the disk. This air bearing interface provides an enhanced dynamic flexibility to the metal foil disk when it is subjected to mechanical shock.

Abstract: A data storage device uses a foil disk platter with significantly reduced inertia and weight as compared to the thick aluminum or glass disk platter in a typical hard disk drive. The reduced rotating inertia of the foil disk enables faster spin-up performance which can be used to reduce decrease the power consumed by the unit. In portable appliances that use disk drive storage devices battery life can be extended significantly and the unit can be made thinner and lighter. Certain parameters of the foil disk substrate may be determined, to provide improved control of disk flutter, from a range parameter defined by RANGE = ? ? ? R 2 Et 2 where ?=foil disk substrate mass density, R=foil disk substrate radius, E=Young's modulus of foil disk substrate, and t=foil disk substrate thickness. RANGE has dimensional units of s2/in2, and the magnitude of RANGE may be between 10?6 and 3(10?4).

Abstract: A slider assembly for supporting a recording element in operative relation to a flexible moving recording medium is disclosed. The slider may have a face including air bearing surfaces positioned toward the recording medium. A recording element may be in an air bearing surface near the trailing edge of the face, wherein there is no other slider or other supporting surface on an opposite side of the recording medium. A vacuum cavity may be formed in the face for creation of sub-ambient pressure to attract the slider toward the recording medium. An air bearing surface may be provided with a transverse pressure contour (TPC) along at least one of its edges for providing flying height control, with the TPC having a step geometry. A mounting device may mount the slider in a biased manner toward the recording medium and urge the slider toward the recording medium.

Abstract: According to the invention, a data storage system is disclosed. The system may include a housing, a spindle motor, a plurality of flexible disks, a first head, a second head, a first mechanism, and a second mechanism. The spindle motor may be coupled with the housing and operably coupled with the plurality of flexible disks which may be spaced apart from each other. Both heads may be configured to engage different faces of a flexible disk, and may be aligned substantially parallel with each other. The first mechanism may be configured to move both heads along different faces of one flexible disk. The second mechanism may be configured to move both heads in a plane substantially perpendicular to that flexible disk and position them to engage another flexible disk, where at least one head includes a transducer configured to read and write information on the flexible disks.

Abstract: A metal foil disk offers some of the best characteristics of both the hard disk and floppy disk for digital data storage. One embodiment uses an opposed slider air bearing arrangement that provides advantages when used with a high speed metal foil disk in either a fixed or removable format. Use is made of the fact that the opposing sliders interact through their influence on the flexible disk that is sandwiched between them. Asymmetry of opposing air bearings may be created by etching the air bearing pad opposite the recording element pad to a depth sufficient that the flying height and air film stiffness of the opposing pad reach desired levels. The result is an air bearing interface with low flying height and high stiffness over the recording element opposed by a high flying height and low stiffness on the other side of the disk. This air bearing interface provides an enhanced dynamic flexibility to the metal foil disk when it is subjected to mechanical shock.

Abstract: The invention provides an exemplary slider arrangement for supporting read and/or write elements in operative relation to a first and a second side of a flexible moving recording medium. The slider arrangement comprises a first slider having leading edge, a trailing edge and a longitudinal axis therebetween. The first slider comprises a first longitudinal rail and a second longitudinal rail. The first and second longitudinal rails each have a face positioned toward the first side of the recording medium. A second slider is provided having an leading edge, a trailing edge and a longitudinal axis therebetween. The second slider comprises a third longitudinal rail and a fourth longitudinal rail which each have a face positioned toward the second side of the recording medium. The first and second sliders are mounted generally opposite each other with the first rail being generally opposite the third rail and the second rail being generally opposite the fourth rail.

Abstract: In one embodiment, the invention provides a thin data storage device comprising a housing that has a top and a bottom cover and a printed circuit board having electronic integrated circuits mounted thereon. A rotatable spindle is formed about a cylindrical shaft and is rotatable by rotation means. A magnet structure is rigidly mounted to a flange attached to the spindle. A stator is attached to the circuit board and comprises plates of soft magnetic material having coils wrapped on legs of the stator. At least one flexible recordable disk is non-removably mounted to the spindle. A top and a bottom recording head is arranged on both sides of the disk. A woven liner is attached to the top of the circuit board over the integrated circuits. A rotor is arranged on a second shaft at a point displaced from the first shaft. The rotor is rotatable by a second rotation means configured to allow the rotor to move relative to the disk.

Abstract: The invention provides a high-capacity, high-speed data storage device which is extremely compact, rugged and economical. In a preferred embodiment, the data storage device comprises a housing defining a sealed enclosure, a motor mounted within the housing having a rotatable spindle, a flexible disk non-removably mounted to the spindle, and a read-write head disposed within the housing over a first surface of the disk for reading or writing data thereon. By the use of a flexible disk of a material such as Mylar, the housing has an extremely small height, preferably less than 5.0 mm, and the device is economical and rugged. At the same time, high storage capacity and speed is attained by the use of a flying head which reads or records data without contacting the disk. In preferred embodiments, multiple disks and/or multiple heads may be employed for extremely large data storage capacities in ultra-compact devices.

Abstract: The invention provides an improved disk writing system capable of storing larger amounts of information than heretofore possible. The disk mechanism incorporates a dual function servomechanism which includes a voice coil motor for driving the read/write head over long distances relatively quickly, and a stepper motor for precisely positioning the read/write head once it is in the desired region.