Abstract: A ramp loading unit, for use in a disk drive that includes a head and a record carrier, that includes a holding part that holds a head support part apart from the record carrier. The ramp loading unit also includes a sliding part which the head support part elastically contacts. The sliding part includes a patterned sliding surface with a protruding part that has a width that can partially contact the head support part, wherein the position of the protruding part changes in the width direction of the sliding surface along the length direction of the sliding surface orthogonal to the width direction, so that a contact position of the head support part with the protruding part changes as the head support part slides on the sliding part in the length direction of the sliding surface.

Abstract: A disc drive assembly is provided including a head disc assembly, a housing having a base and a cover cooperating with one another to form a chamber in which the head disc assembly is housed, and a damper structure in operative association with the housing for dampening noise and/or vibration emanated from the head disc assembly. The damper structure includes a viscoelastic damper layer and a continuous, polymeric constraining layer intimately contacting and encasing the viscoelastic damper layer. The constraining layer has a greater stiffness and higher modulus of dynamic shearing elasticity than the viscoelastic damper layer, and is molded from a high density filler and a moldable compound that is immiscible with the viscoelastic damper layer to provide a discrete interface between the constraining layer and the viscoelastic damper layer.

Abstract: There is provided a disk drive cover. The disk drive cover includes a bottom layer including a metallic bottom layer body and a first flap formed in the bottom layer body. The first flap defines an exposed inner body edge of the bottom layer body. The disk drive cover further includes a damping layer. The disk drive cover further includes a top layer including a metallic top layer body and a second flap. The second flap is formed in the top layer body with the second flap extending into the bottom layer adjacent the first flap. The second flap defines an exposed second flap edge. The second flap edge is disposed in mechanical communication with the exposed inner body edge for electrically grounding the top and bottom layers.

Abstract: A disc cartridge reduced in size and thickness and yet exhibiting sufficient strength. The disc cartridge includes a main body unit of the cartridge including upper and lower halves in which is housed an optical disc. A tubular section is formed in one of two areas delimited by an upstanding peripheral wall section and a housing forming wall section formed on a lateral side of the lower half with the tubular section being in continuation to the upstanding peripheral wall section and the housing forming wall section. The upper half includes a tubular abutment support abutted against the tubular section with the tubular abutment support connecting to the upstanding peripheral wall section and the housing forming wall section of the upper half. The upper and lower halves are unified together to form the main body unit of the cartridge.

Abstract: After the initiation of writing, an output signal from an LPF is sampled in correspondence with a portion with a predetermined pulse width of recording data, so as to obtain a pit level. In the resultant signal, its varying portions which correspond to the multi-pulse trains of the write signal are smoothed. A controller modifies a level of a target level signal to be supplied to an APC circuit in such a manner that the pit level becomes an optimum pit level which has been obtained prior to the initiation of writing.

Abstract: A disc holder for holding at least one media storage disc during rotation includes a central hub arranged for rotation about a central axis. The hub includes resilient centering arms which are arranged to provide an outwardly directed centering force on an internal bore of a carried disc in order to center the carried disc about the axis of rotation of the hub. The arms are disposed in, and movable in, planes which are substantially perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the hub. The disc holder may be arranged for carrying a stack of axially spaced media storage discs and may include axial gripping structure for holding the stack together. The gripping structure may include a central shaft which is held in position by ball shaped clamps which are spring loaded against inclined surfaces.

Abstract: A data recording device to and from which a memory cartridge accommodating memory cards that are data recording media can be attached and detached is provided. According to the data recording device, it is possible to firmly connect the memory cards loaded in the memory slot to connectors and to thus improve stability against vibration. In the data recording device A to and from which the memory cartridge B accommodating the memory cards DM that are the data recording media can be attached and detached, the opening and closing door 2 is provided in the accommodating portion of the memory cartridge B of the data recording device A. A pressing mechanism for elastically supporting the memory cards CM loaded in the memory slot in the direction where the memory cards CM are loaded is provided in the opening and closing door 2.

Abstract: A head support mechanism includes a rigid support arm, a suspension for supporting, at its leading end section, a head slider with at least one head element, the suspension having a balance structure that can be pivoted in a direction crossing a surface of a recording medium using as a fulcrum a load support point established between the suspension and the support arm, a load generation unit for generating a load applied to the load support point for pressing the head slider toward the surface of the recording medium, a horizontal rotation bearing unit for pivotally bearing the support arm and the suspension so that the support arm and the suspension are capable of rotatively moving in a direction parallel to the surface of the recording medium, and an weight unit coupled to a trailing end section of the suspension to match the center of gravity of the suspension including the head slider with the load support point.

Abstract: The present invention is to provide an optical disk drive including a casing, a tray, a signal wire, and a conductive wire. The casing has a first electric device and a grounded conductor, and the tray has a second electric device and a base plate. The signal wire connects the first electric device and the second electric device. The conductive wire is a part of the signal wire to electrically connect the base plate and the conductor. When a user touches the tray, electrostatic charges of the user are grounded by the connection of the base plate and the conductor.

Abstract: A springing device including a moveable piece and an elastic object is provided. The moveable piece is disposed between the aperture and the tray and is able to swing. The first end of the moveable piece is pivotally connected to the internal of the casing and the pivotal connection is used as a supporting point of swinging, the second end of the moveable piece is pivotally connected to the baffler. The elastic object is connected to the moveable piece. When the tray is disposed within the optical disc drive, the elastic object sustains the moveable piece and the baffler, enabling the baffler to close the aperture. When the tray moves towards the aperture until touching the moveable piece, the moveable piece, which receives a force and swings, will apply a force onto the elastic object and move the baffler to slide, enabling the baffler to open the aperture.

Abstract: A drive gear (30) is rotated by a motor (28). Drive force from a loading transmission gear (36), which constantly engages the drive gear (30), is constantly transmitted to a loading mechanism (20). In a pick-up moving mechanism (24), an idler gear (33), which constantly engages the drive gear (30), engages a pick-up transmission gear (82) to transmit drive force. The movement of a first slider (101) engages and disengages the idler gear (33) and the pick-up transmission gear (82). The first slider (101) is located at a first position when a disc (D) is not loaded, and is located at a second position when the disc (D) is loaded. A loading mechanism (20) ends a loading operation by moving the first slider (101) to a second position. The transmission and switching of drive force from a single motor to the loading mechanism (20) and the pick-up moving mechanism (24) is ensured.

Abstract: A data storage system is provided. The data storage system has an enclosure with at least one disc rotating about a central axis and having a corresponding airflow. The airflow is subject to contamination by particles. A particle deposition surface is located inside the enclosure of the data storage system having a surface roughness of at least 30-microns. The particles contaminating the airflow are deposited on the particle deposition surface.

Abstract: A magnetic head contains a write magnetic head and a read magnetic head. The write magnetic head includes a lower core layer, an upper core layer arranged over the lower core layer, and a coil layer for applying a magnetic field to the lower and upper core layers. The read magnetic head includes an upper shield layer, a lower shield layer, and a reproducing device arranged between the upper shield layer and the lower shield layer. The upper shield layer has a dimension A in a direction of track width and a dimension B in a direction of height and has an aspect ratio B/A ranging from 0.6 to 1.2. The dimension A ranges from 75 ?m to 150 ?m.

Abstract: An actuator of a disk drive to move a read/write head for recording and reproducing data to a predetermined position on a disk, the actuator includes a swing arm rotatably installed inside the disk drive, a suspension coupled with a leading end portion of the swing arm and supporting a slider on which the head is mounted, and an absorption filter attached with one side of the swing arm to confront an airflow in a predetermined direction according to rotation of the disk, and to absorb foreign materials in the airflow.

Abstract: A magnetic recording device makes use of an “anchored” conductive stud which is securely attached within its surrounding insulator materials. The conductive stud is formed over a conductive layer which is coupled to or part of a read or a write head element of the magnetic recording device. The conductive stud has a top stud portion and a bottom undercut portion formed over the conductive layer. In one illustrated embodiment, the bottom undercut portion has a width that is greater than the width of the top stud portion. Since an insulator is formed around the conductive stud and over its bottom undercut portion, a secure coupling between the conductive stud and the conductive layer is provided. Preferably, the conductive layer is made of copper (Cu), the conductive stud is made of gold (Au), and the insulator is alumina (Al2O3). A seed layer may be formed between the conductive stud and the conductive layer. A method of making the conductive stud using a photolithography process is also disclosed.

Abstract: A suspension board with circuit having a conductor layer formed in the form of a fine wiring circuit by an additive process, while providing a reduced risk of damage and breaking of the conductor layer in a flying lead portion. The suspension board with circuit comprises a supporting board 2, an insulating base layer 3 formed on the supporting board 2, a conductor layer 4 formed on the insulating base layer 3, an insulating cover layer 5 formed on the conductor layer 4, and a flying lead portion 9 in which a supporting-board-side opening 13, a base-layer-side opening 14, and a cover-layer-side opening 15 are formed so that both sides of the conductor layer 4 can be exposed therefrom. A reinforcing portion 16 or 23 for reinforcing the conductor layer 4 formed continuously from at least either of the insulating base layer 3 and the insulating cover layer 5 along the longitudinal direction of the conductor layer 4 is included in the flying lead portion 9.

Abstract: A base film of a hard magnetic film containing Co as a structural element has a crystal metal base film such as a Cr film formed on the main surface of a substrate and a reactive base film (mixing layer) formed between the substrate and the crystal metal base film and having a reactive amorphous layer containing a structural element of the substrate and a structural element of the crystal metal base film. A hard magnetic film containing Co as a structural element is formed on the crystal metal base film. With the crystal metal base film such as the Cr film formed on an amorphous layer, a hard magnetic film with a bi-crystal structure can be obtained with high reproducibility. With the hard magnetic film, magnetic characteristics such as coercive force Hc, residual magnetization Mr, saturated magnetization Ms, and square ratio S can be improved without need to use a thick base film.

Abstract: A disc drive head that includes a shared pole having high magnetic anisotropy layer which locally decreases the amplitude of dynamic field excitation of the shared pole at the write operation frequency to reduce side-writing of a disc media during a write operation.

Abstract: A link writing method for a recordable or rewritable compact disk includes recording a writing interruption address and enabling a succeeding writing process after the writing interruption. Enabling a succeeding writing process includes searching the linking area and enabling a start writing signal and activating a laser power. The method can link a succeeding writing area with a previously written interrupted area with sufficient accuracy to allow the data frame to be successfully processed by error correction within the host drive. The linking area may be positioned by counting the values of the interrupted block, the interrupted data frame, and the interrupted bit count or by detecting a blank area. Other techniques for positioning the linking area include detecting an unwritten area having a length greater than a maximum or writing a characteristic pattern after an interruption.

Abstract: A program area for the normal writing of information is provided on a first side of an information recording and reproducing medium, and a label area and a program area on which information can be written are provided on the opposing second side of the medium. A bibliographic description such as the name or trademark or the like of the company who manufactured the disc is recorded in the label area using printing or the like. A recording layer of a cyanine or an azo based organic dye is provided in the program area, and an image pattern is recorded optically onto this recording layer. With such a construction, a user can form a visible pattern known as pit art on the recording layer of the program area by optically writing a desired image pattern, and as a result can readily identify and organize a plurality of information recording and reproducing media.