Patents Examined by Alfonso Garcia
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Patent number: 5227937Abstract: A flexural pantographic mount for use in a helical scan magnetic tape transport employing a closed loop servo system having a specified frequency bandwidth is disclosed. The mount includes a fixed body and a moveable body such as a magnetic transducing head assembly. First and second parallel spaced apart elongated flexible yet similar leaves have opposite ends, opposite edges and uniform thickness. The leaves are of similar material. One set of the opposite ends of the leaves are connected to the fixed body, the other set of opposite ends being connected to the moveable body. The leaves, when the moveable body assembly is subjected to a force having a component F perpendicular to the planes of the leaves, is flexed into an "S" shape with the moveable assembly undergoing a deflection D. Each leaf exhibits its primary mode stiffness K equal to the ratio F/D.Type: GrantFiled: March 14, 1991Date of Patent: July 13, 1993Assignee: Ampex CorporationInventors: Steven L. Magnusson, Bradley D. Blackwood
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Patent number: 5225954Abstract: A tape cassette comprises a housing and a pair of reels mounted for rotation in the housing. A recording tape is wound on the reels and extends therebetween for transport from one of the reels to the other. The housing is formed with an opening through which a transducer can gain access to the recording tape for recording or reproducing signals on or from the recording tape. Front and back lids are connected to the housing and movable between a closed position wherein the front and back lids block the opening and form a channel capable of enclosing the recording medium at a front portion of the housing and an open position wherein the front and back lids are displaced from the opening and from the recording medium. The back lid is formed to leave a pair of gaps near either end thereof capable of accommodating passage of the recording medium therethrough when the front and back lids are in the closed position.Type: GrantFiled: March 26, 1991Date of Patent: July 6, 1993Assignee: Sony CorporationInventor: Yoshio Kondo
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Patent number: 5216563Abstract: An improved reel spring structure for rotatably supporting tape reel shafts of video tape cassette, the spring comprising an elongated strip of resilient material having a flat, central portion having a pair of holes symmetrically formed therein, first inclined portions symmetrically, slopingly provided at the opposite ends of the central portion and each having a rectangular, embossed groove, second inclined portions symmetrically, slopingly provided at the outer ends of the first inclined portions, and rounded tip portions symmetrically provided at the opposite distal ends of the spring to be continued from the second inclined portions, whereby the desired tension on the tape reel shafts can be maintained by a spring having a minimal width.Type: GrantFiled: September 13, 1991Date of Patent: June 1, 1993Assignee: Youhan Electronics Co., Ltd.Inventor: Keun J. Lee
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Patent number: 5214547Abstract: A tape cassette include a housing and a pair of reels for rotation and translation in the housing so that the reels can assume either of first and second relative positions. A recording tape is wound on the reels and extends therebetween for transport from one of the reels to the other. The housing is formed with an opening through which a transducer can gain access to the recording tape for recording or reproducing signals on or from the recording tape. The reels in the first relative position conform to a first arrangement of a drive for driving the reels in rotation and afford a predetermined amount of space for accommodating a transducer within the housing for access to the recording tape and in the second relative position conform to a second arrangement of a drive for driving the reels in rotation and afford an additional amount of space for accommodating the transducer within the housing for access to the recording tape.Type: GrantFiled: March 26, 1991Date of Patent: May 25, 1993Assignee: Sony CorporationInventor: Yoshio Kondo
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Patent number: 5212605Abstract: A tape cassette ejecting and loading mechanism including a top cover, a horizontal carrier movable under the top cover, an ejecting lever supported elastically under the horizontal carrier by a spring for ejecting a tape cassette out of a cassette holder in unloading, and a locking lever mounted to a lower surface of the carrier for rotating the ejecting lever clockwise or anti-clockwise and locking or unlocking the ejecting lever in loading or unloading the cassette. In accordance with the present specifications, the tape cassette ejector includes a safety lever mounted to the middle portion of the horizontal carrier, and elastically supported by a spring to prevent the ejecting lever from rotating anti-clockwise for preventing the cassette from being ejected unintentionally in an initial loading position.Type: GrantFiled: January 30, 1991Date of Patent: May 18, 1993Assignee: Goldstar Co., Ltd.Inventors: Jong R. Lim, Jong G. Choi
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Patent number: 5210665Abstract: A magnetic recording/reproduction apparatus including a motor for rotating a magnetic recording medium such as a floppy disk. The motor has a rotating shaft, a pivot bearing member for supporting the rotating shaft in a thrust direction; a dynamic pressure type radial fluid bearing for rotatably supporting the rotating shaft through a lubricant inside its sleeve, a stator attached to the radial fluid bearing, coils provided on the stator; a rotor fixed to the rotating shaft, and a magnet attached to the rotor. The rotor may have a flange-like engagement portion capable of engaging with a stopper portion formed in a predetermined position to prevent the rotating shaft from coming off the bearing. Preferably, the pivot bearing member is formed of a material having a Vickers hardness of 1200 or higher and is fixed to the sleeve by caulking, the ratio of the diameter of the rotating shaft and the length of the radial fluid bearing in the thrust direction is 1:0.Type: GrantFiled: March 11, 1991Date of Patent: May 11, 1993Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.Inventor: Hiroshi Nishizawa
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Patent number: 5208722Abstract: A tower unit for a personal computer wherein the tower unit is a generally rectangular box having a generally rectangular interior chassis. The interior chassis includes a first set of interiorly extending mounting flanges and tabs which are positioned and aligned on opposing chassis walls to mount one or more drives at an upwardly facing angle in order to allow the user visual and manual access to the drives for ease of operation. A similar combination of interiorly directed tabs and flanges are formed in the opposing side walls of the frame near the bottom of the tower unit chassis in order to mount a plurality of hard disk drives in horizontal positions. The frame includes a front frame panel which combines with the front bezel to provide a gripping area which cooperates with another gripping area formed in the rear bezel to allow the tower unit to be easily moved about.Type: GrantFiled: April 13, 1992Date of Patent: May 4, 1993Assignee: Compaq Computer CorporationInventors: Dean Ryan, Charles R. Lewis, George R. Daniels, Donald E. Moore, James F. Babb
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Patent number: 5208716Abstract: Magnetoresistant magnetic reading head and process for producing the same. The head comprises a magnetoresistant strip beneath a magnetic spacer. This strip is obtained by etching using the spacer partly as a mask. Therefore, the magnetoresistant element is self-aligned with respect to the spacer and is buried beneath it. Such a device finds particular application in magnetic recording and reading.Type: GrantFiled: November 16, 1990Date of Patent: May 4, 1993Assignee: Commissariat a l'Energie AtomiqueInventor: Jean-Pierre Lazzari
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Magnetic-tape-cassette apparatus comprising a deck for magnetic-tape cassettes (reversing mechanism)
Patent number: 5198943Abstract: A magnetic tape cassette apparatus includes a switching lever which carries a drive wheel and is pivotable about a spindle between two play positions in which the drive wheel engages a respective reel disc. The switching lever is pivotable into a fast winding position between said play positions in which said drive wheel is disengaged from said reel discs and which upon a movement of said spindle engages an intermediate wheel, which intermediate wheel in turn drives a fast forward winding wheel and a fast reverse winding wheel which are selectively engageable with said reel discs for fast winding said reel discs. The fast forward winding wheel and the fast reverse winding wheel are mounted on respective second and third switching levers coupled to said first switching lever. Control slides control the position of the switching levers and the engagement of the fast winding wheels with the reel discs.Type: GrantFiled: November 15, 1990Date of Patent: March 30, 1993Assignee: U.S. Philips CorporationInventors: Norbert Kunze, Georg Weber -
Patent number: 5198948Abstract: A servo head in a disk file data storage system includes at least one shield which acts to block radiation emanating from a nearby data head and thus reduce noise induced in the servo head. The shield is located on either side of an essentially flat conducting coil in a servo transducer, or a data transducer or both. The shield may be either a single layer of material or multiple layers.Type: GrantFiled: December 5, 1990Date of Patent: March 30, 1993Assignee: Seagate Technology, Inc.Inventors: Lance E. Stover, Beat G. Keel, John Bortins, Gerald L. Weispfenning
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Patent number: 5196976Abstract: A horizontal magnetic reading head for a perpendicular recording on a magnetic tape.A magnetic layer (50,51,52) is interrupted by two spacers arranged symmetrically with respect to the plane of a monopole (56). A U-shaped magnetoresistant element is constituted by two ribbons (34,35) parallel to the monopole and respectively located in the two spacers of the magnetic layer. The two ribbons are joined by a magnetoresistant bridge (36). Optionally, the head can have a conductor coil so that it could write in addition to read.Type: GrantFiled: November 16, 1990Date of Patent: March 23, 1993Assignee: Commissariat a l'Energie AtomiqueInventor: Jean-Pierre Lazzari
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Patent number: 5193038Abstract: An MR head includes two substantially identical MR elements, separated by a thin film non-magnetic electrically conductive spacer. A current applied to the MR head splits into two respective substantially equal currents that flow in the same direction through the substantially identical MR elements, to provide mutual bias and to serve as sense currents for detecting change in element resistance. The MR elements are biased to operate in a magnetically unsaturated mode. This results in a "bootstrapping" of short wavelength signals that effectively amplifies the reproduced signal over a broad region of the signal spectrum when the linear spacing between the MR elements is in the range of from one half to one times the half-wavelength of signals recorded on a magnetic recording medium.Type: GrantFiled: December 5, 1991Date of Patent: March 9, 1993Assignee: Eastman Kodak CompanyInventor: Neil Smith
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Patent number: 5189585Abstract: A 3.5 inch floppy disk is provided with a nonwoven microfiber positioned between the thin magnetic disk and the rigid shell. The liner is fixed to the inside surface of the shell, and has a disk head slot cut out corresponding to the location of the disk head opening in the shell. A specified fiber orientation in the liner's nonwoven material provides it with more tensile strength in a longitudinal direction than in a lateral direction. Cutting the disk head slot in the lateral direction reduces the fiber protrusion and loose cuttings at the edges, and thereby reduces bit errors.Type: GrantFiled: June 18, 1990Date of Patent: February 23, 1993Assignee: AWA Engineering Co., Ltd.Inventor: Toyohide Kubo
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Patent number: 5189577Abstract: A magnetic disk apparatus has a base member and a cover mounted on the base member to form an enclosure having at least six magnetic disks rotatably supported therein. First and second transducers are included for writing information on and reading information from upper and lower surfaces of adjacent ones of the magnetic disks. The transducers are supported by leaf springs in close proximity to both surfaces of adjacent ones of the magnetic disks. The leaf springs extend in a radial direction with respect to the magnetic disks and are supported on one end by a plurality of head arms. The leaf springs are arranged substantially within the same plane parallel to the magnetic disks so they do not overlie one another. A voice coil motor is provided for moving the head arms in order to position the transducer pairs in predetermined positions. A circuit board is included for controlling the magnetic disk apparatus.Type: GrantFiled: March 13, 1991Date of Patent: February 23, 1993Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.Inventors: Hiroshi Nishida, Tatsuya Ishigaki, Atsushi Ito, Yoshinobu Kudou, Hiroshi Katou, Kousuke Fujii
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Patent number: 5189574Abstract: A magnetic or optical disk apparatus having a flexible disk rotated at high speed and head sliders for reading and writing information on the disk, floating from both sides of the disk. The disk apparatus is also provided with straightening plates for keeping air flow in the radial direction of the disk as a laminar flow to surely prevent the disk from being vibrated at the time when the disk is rotated at high speed. As the result, positions of the head sliders relative to the disk can be surely and accurately maintained to provide heads with excellent recording and reproducing characteristics. Mass storage and high speed access can be thus achieved without damaging the flexible disk and the disk apparatus can be smaller-sized with lighter weight and lower cost.Type: GrantFiled: November 3, 1989Date of Patent: February 23, 1993Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha ToshibaInventors: Makoto Imamura, Kazushi Tanimoto, Yoichiro Tanaka, Yoshiaki Sonobe, Katsuyoshi Kitagawa
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Patent number: 5189580Abstract: An ultra small track width magnetic transducer and manufacturing method. The transducer has two coplanar confronting magnetic poles provided by a thin film layer of magnetic material. The thickness of the layer defines a track width. A transducing gap is etched in the magnetic layer by utilizing focused ion beam milling technology. The thusly obtained gap has a predetermined length and depth and it separates the magnetic layer into two confronting coplanar magnetic poles. A layer of non-magnetic material is deposited over the magnetic layer to fill the transducing gap. The transducing gap may be etched in a plane extending orthogonally to the plane of the magnetic core layer. Alternatively, the transducing gap plane may extend at an oblique angle to the magnetic core layer to obtain a transducing gap useful in aximuth recording/playback. A window in the magnetic layer interconnects conductor leads to form a transducer winding.Type: GrantFiled: January 18, 1991Date of Patent: February 23, 1993Assignee: Ampex CorporationInventors: Raghavan Pisharody, Beverley R. Gooch
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Patent number: 5187624Abstract: To reduce the number of parts of a floppy disk drive as well as the steps required for assembling the floppy disk drive, a shielding ring for protecting a magnetic head from the influence of an external magnetic field, and an engaged portion to be engaged with a feed screw so as to drive the magnetic head, are formed integrally with a carriage for carrying the magnetic head, for example, by press working sheet metal.Type: GrantFiled: December 30, 1991Date of Patent: February 16, 1993Assignee: Sony CorporationInventor: Tatsuhiko Shigemoto
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Patent number: 5184262Abstract: The present disclosure is relative with a recording and/or reproducing apparatus employing a tape, such as a magnetic tape, as the recording medium, and provides a mode switching mechanism for such apparatus. The mechanism includes a swing arm provided with a transmission gear selectively rotated in dependence upon the rotational drive direction of a sole reel motor, a cam gear formed with interrupted portions and cam surfaces associated with these interrupted portions and adapted for selectively switching predetermined operational modes by the cam surfaces in dependence upon its rotational angular positions, a biasing member for rotationally biasing the cam gear, and a cam gear retention member for retaining the cam gear at a predetermined angular position. The reel shaft is rotationally driven by means of the transmission gear of the swing arm by driving the reel motor in the forward direction.Type: GrantFiled: April 23, 1990Date of Patent: February 2, 1993Assignee: Sony CorporationInventors: Hisanori Watanabe, Shinji Ito
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Patent number: 5184259Abstract: A helical scan magnetic-tape apparatus (1) including at least three tape guides (2, 25, 27, 28, 29, 30, 32, 33), including a magnetic-head unit (2). The apparatus (1) co-operates with a magnetic tape (8) wound on reels (9, 10) in a cassette (44). The tape-transport path in the apparatus includes at least three path sections (35, 36, 37) in which the tape (8) is twisted through a specific angle to correct for differences in level and inclination arising as a result of the helical path of the magnetic tape (8) around the magnetic-head unit (2).Type: GrantFiled: July 19, 1991Date of Patent: February 2, 1993Assignee: U.S. Philips CorporationInventors: Johannes C. A. Muller, Norbert C. Vollmann
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Patent number: 5181153Abstract: A tape cassette which includes a cassette shell housing in which reels wound with a magnetic tape are incorporated, a depressing member for depressing an upper surface of each reel, and a reel displacing amount reducing member having its one end engaged with the depressing member, and its other end, exposed on an upper surface of the cassette shell housing through a through-hole formed in the cassette shell housing. The amount of displacement of the reels is reduced by restricting displacement of the exposed portion of the reel displacing amount reducing member.Type: GrantFiled: February 21, 1991Date of Patent: January 19, 1993Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.Inventor: Akihiro Nishimura