Abstract: A removable storage cartridge includes an air transport unit for processing airflow while the cartridge is installed in a disk drive, with the air transport unit recirculating air without interfering with the rotation of a storage disk in the cartridge or interfering with the movement of a read/write head actuator into close proximity with the storage medium on the disk.

Abstract: An apparatus includes a removable cartridge having an information storage medium, and having a housing with the information storage medium movably supported therein. The housing is configured so that, if electrostatic charge is present on an exterior surface of the housing, the information storage medium will be substantially free of induced charge.

Abstract: A storage medium is provided having a relatively large number of relatively small servo sectors. The storage medium includes a plurality of tracks. Each track includes a plurality of data sectors and a plurality of servo sectors. Each servo sector includes a plurality of servo marks and a synchronization gap. A plurality of first servo sectors includes a synchronization gap having a first length and a plurality of second servo sectors includes a synchronization gap having a second length. The first length is different from the second length, whereby, an unsynchronized reading device may recognize the longer synchronization gap and synchronize to the servo sector and a synchronized reading device may remain synchronized by recognizing the shorter synchronization gap.

Abstract: An apparatus has an information storage medium with an information storage surface, and structure operable to effect relative movement of the head and surface within a first zone while maintaining the head adjacent the surface and while using the head to effect at least one of reading information from and writing information to the surface. A head cleaning section includes a cleaning part engageable with the head when the head is in a second zone where the head is spaced from the surface, the structure being operable to effect relative movement of the engaged head and cleaning part in a manner which includes a component of movement that is representative of an applied force subject to a damping influence.

Abstract: An apparatus and method of reading and writing data from and to a data storage device is provided. One method of practicing the present invention comprises placing, or leaving an unused track, row or column adjacent to a medium track containing apparatus information. Another method of practicing the present invention comprises placing, or leaving an unused track, row or column adjacent to both sides of the medium track containing the apparatus information.

Abstract: The invention embeds an emulation module in removable media, for use in replicating an operating environment on a laptop or other remote machines. The emulation module prompts the user to capture environmental settings on an originating machine, such as display settings, network settings, input/output, applications, working data files and other parameters on a removable media. The user may then insert the removable media in a compatible reader attached to the laptop or other secondary or host machine, and upon activation of the emulation module reproduce the screen display, applications, data files and other resources on the host machine. When the user is finished working on the host machine, the emulation module may restore the settings of the operating environment on that machine to their preexisting state. Working data may be synchronized between the originating and host machines.

Abstract: A system and method of extending the position error signal for a disk drive storage system using two digital-to-analog converters in a summing junction, including a typical A-B signal and a track error signal scaled to match a gain of the A-B signal. A track error is calculated. The track error is output to a second digital-to-analog converter. The A-B signal is inverted according to the least significant bit of the grey code of a disk track being read. The inverted A-B signal is output to a first digital-to-analog converter. The inverted A-B signal and the track error are combined using a summer to generate a combined signal. The combined signal is used to generate an extended position error signal.

Abstract: A system for exchanging digital data among a plurality of hand-held computer devices. Digital signals are written by a first hand-held device to a mini-cartridge that mini-cartridge is inter-operable among a class of hand-held devices, each of which is equipped with a mini-disk drive. A common digital data format is employed to further facilitate exchange of data between devices.

Abstract: An apparatus includes a unit that uses a head with spaced read and write portions to write and read information to and from an information storage medium. According to one feature, a desired position for the write element is converted into a position for the read element as a function of a polynomial. According to another feature, the unit uses the head to write and read back selected information in order to determine compensation information, the receiving unit subsequently effecting writing of information with the head as a function of the compensation information. On a more specific level, the unit can removably receive a cartridge that contains the information storage medium.

Abstract: A head stack assembly is provided for interfacing with a flexible medium of a disk. The head stack assembly includes a first head and a second head located substantially adjacent to the first head wherein the flexible medium may be disposed between the first head and the second head. The first head and the second head are substantially parallel to each other and disposed at a static roll angle ?a and a static roll angle ?b, respectively, from the flexible medium to impart a curvature to the flexible medium of a disk. The curvature reduces out-of-plane vibrations of the flexible medium and thereby enhances the electrical communicative signal between the flexible medium and the first and the second heads.

Abstract: A system and method are provided wherein digital data representing content and associated license rights may copied to a storage medium, such as a removable storage medium, whereby the serial number of the copied-to storage medium is integrated into the licensing scheme utilized to secure the digital content. As a result, the digital content is pre-authenticated and bound to the copied-to storage medium, obviating the need to access a network or other location for access to the protected content.

Abstract: An information storage device (10) includes a cartridge (14) removably inserted into a cradle (13) that has a drive module (18) releasably coupled to an interface module (17). The interface module can be operatively coupled by a cable (12) to a remote system. Communications through the cable conform to an industry-standard protocol. The storage device can receive power from either the cable or an external power source (31). The interface module can detect a change in the source of its operating power during normal system operation, and ensure that this is reported through the cable.

Abstract: An optical disk (10) includes several tracks (21-23, 121-125) that each include a series of optical data elements (29, 39). Each optical data element includes several reflective surfaces (31-34, 41-44) with respective different orientations that represent stored information. A detection system (210) directs a beam from a laser (217) onto successive optical data elements. The multiple reflective surfaces of each optical data element produce multiple reflected sub-beams that are imaged onto respective portions of a detector (219, 501, 541). The position of each sub-beam on the corresponding portion of the detector is determined, to thereby identify the orientation of the corresponding reflective surface and thus the stored information represented by that surface.

Abstract: The magnetic recording unit is enclosed with a case body (15, 16). A cartridge insertion slot (18) for inserting a cartridge housing a disk, which is a recording medium, is formed at the rear end of the case body (15, 16), and a frame plate (19) is disposed inside the case body. A first concave section and a second concave section are formed on this frame plate (19) by drawing processing, a disk drive motor (5) is mounted using the first concave section, and a head drive motor (16) for driving the record/playback head body (17) for the disk is mounted using the second concave section.

Abstract: A data file mirroring application that monitors data files stored in a source directory for archiving on high capacity media. The mirroring application archives the data files to the high capacity removable media in accordance with user configured settings, and without user intervention. The data files may be archived based on a time period elapsing or a data file being revised and saved. The application may identify the high capacity media in accordance with a unique identifier of the high capacity media.

Abstract: A system for exchanging digital data among a plurality of hand-held computer devices. Digital signals are written by a first hand-held device to a mini-cartridge that mini-cartridge is inter-operable among a class of hand-held device, each of which is equipped with a mini disk drive. A common digital data format is employed to further facilitate exchange of data between devices.

Abstract: An information storage device (10, 510, 610, 710, 810) includes a cradle (12, 512, 612, 712, 812) which can removably receive a cartridge (11, 411, 511, 611, 711) that contains a rotatable hard disk (91, 326-327). A read/write head (107, 331-334) is supported for movement adjacent the disk by a pivotal actuator arm (101). The cradle controls alignment of the head with the disk using feedback servo tracking. Calibration parameters used to perform this tracking, such as servo information or read channel information, may be stored in a special track (414) which is on the disk, and which may be a read-only track. The special track stores a plurality of sets of calibration parameters, each corresponding to a respective combination of a cradle and an environmental characteristic such as temperature.

Abstract: An information storage device (10) includes a cartridge (14) removably inserted into a cradle (13) that has a drive module (18) releasably coupled to an interface module (17). A drive electronics circuit (71) in the drive module is coupled to a hard disk drive mechanism (56) in the cartridge, and is coupled through a bus switch (131) and a bus (122) to a bridge circuit (111) in the interface module. An auxiliary circuit (76) in the drive module is coupled to the bus, is controlled by the bridge circuit, operates the bus switch, and handles considerations relating to removability of the cartridge. The interface module is one of several interchangable interface modules which each have a different bridge circuit to interface the bus to a respective different communication protocol.

Abstract: A disk drive device includes a protective case having an upper case and a lower case. The disk drive device has a form such that the disk drive device can be inserted into and removed from a PCMCIA port of a computer. The disk drive device has an output connector located at one end of the protective case so that the input/output connector can connect with a PCMCIA connector of the computer when the disk drive device is inserted in the PCMCIA port. Information from the computer can thus be stored on the disk drive device, or information from the disk drive device can be read into the computer.