Abstract: A trigger mechanism is provided for triggering an eject device of an electronic equipment with a front panel door. The eject device ejects a tray device, movably seated within the space of the electronic equipment, out of the electronic equipment when triggered. The trigger mechanism cooperates with the front panel door to trigger the eject device. The trigger mechanism works to trigger the eject device when a predetermined displacement of the front panel door form a normally closed position takes place. According to the invention, user can eject the tray device of the electronic equipment only by pressing the front panel door of the electronic equipment such that mistaken pressing of another functional button set on the front panel of the electronic equipment and possible cut of user's hand can be prevented.

Abstract: A disk device is comprised of a CD conveying mechanism which performs the uptake and ejection of CDs by a conveying roller 11. An MD conveying mechanism drives a clamp lever rotating mechanism which performs the refuge of the clamp lever 17 from an initial position and the return of the clamp lever 17 to an initial position by being driven by a CD loading drive motor. A CD is clamped by a clamp mechanism when the CD is loaded onto a fixed position in the device and directed to a turntable. When an MD 24 is loaded or ejected, the MD conveying mechanism drives the refuge or return of the clamp lever 17. The placement of an MD 24 on a turntable is performed by an MD placing mechanism which is driven as a result of an MD 24 being taken up to a fixed position in the device.

Abstract: The magnetoresistive device of the present invention includes: at least two magnetic layers stacked via a non-magnetic layer therebetween; and a metal reflective layer of conduction electrons formed so as to be in contact with at least one of outermost two layers of the magnetic layers. The metal reflective layer is in contact with one surface of the outermost magnetic layer which is opposite to the other surface of the outermost magnetic layer in contact with the non-magnetic layer. The metal reflective layer is likely to reflect conduction electrons while maintaining a spin direction of electrons.

Abstract: A head suspension assembly of a hard disk drive includes a rod beam coupled to an end portion of an actuator arm capable of pivoting in a direction following tracks of a disk, a slider supported at an end portion of the rod beam for reading and writing data from and on the disk, a micro actuator including first and second magnetic members installed at the rod beam and the slider, respectively, and being moved by an electromagnetic force between the magnetic members to allow the slider to minutely move with respect to the rod beam, and a connection device for elastically connecting the first magnetic member and the second magnetic member.

Abstract: A transport mechanism for an optical disc cartridge capable of discharging an optical disc cartridge to a predetermined position by making a transport roller in pressure contact with the optical disc cartridge even if the cartridge is erroneously inserted. A guide arm is rotatively mounted which projects into an optical disc cartridge transport path between the transport roller and a disc insertion port. If the optical disc cartridge is inserted in a normal orientation, the guide arm is rotated by the optical disc cartridge to rotate the arm in the clockwise direction to allow the optical disc cartridge to be inserted, whereas if the optical disc cartridge is inserted in an orientation rotated by 90° from the normal orientation, the transport roller is made in pressure contact with the side wall of the optical disc cartridge.

Abstract: The permeability of one of the first and second shield layers in a read head is greater than the permeability of the other of the first and second shield layers for providing a net image current field HIM which can be employed for counterbalancing other fields acting on a free layer structure in a spin valve sensor such as a sense current field HI in either a top or bottom single spin valve sensor or a net ferromagnetic coupling field HFC alone or in combination with a demagnetizing field HD in a dual spin valve sensor. Preferred high permeability materials are nickel iron or nickel iron alloys excluding cobalt and low permeability materials are cobalt based.

Abstract: A magnetic recording cartridge has a housing enclosure with two tape reels rotatably mounted in the housing enclosure, and a magnetic data recording tape wound on the reels for winding and unwinding between the two reels in a tape transport direction, the tape having a width perpendicular to the tape transport direction of at least approximately 2.5 inches. The housing enclosure has two reel access openings respectively disposed in registration with the reels, allowing external access to the reels by a drive for rotating the reels, and a tape access opening allowing external access to the tape for engagement with a data transfer head also carried by the drive. Because of the significantly increased width of the tape, the tape has a surface area available for data recording which is approximately ten times greater than that of conventional tapes.

Abstract: A tray ejection apparatus for a disk drive which comprises a casing, a tray adapted to be movable into and out of said casing, a lead screw mounted for rotation on said tray, a pickup unit operatively engaged with said lead screw, driving means operatively connected to said lead screw for rotating said lead screw which in turn moves the pickup unit back and forth along said lead screw, a tray stopper extending from the casing, an ejection lever rotationally installed at the tray and in biased engagement with said tray stopper, and an ejection gear operatively engaged with said lead screw for rotation therewith, wherein upon the inputting of an ejection signal, the advance of the pickup unit is discontinued whereby the ejection gear engages the ejection lever, freeing it from the tray stopper and releasing the tray from the casing.

Abstract: A novel ramp loading scheme minimizes wear and friction between the rubbing surfaces (typically the flexure and the ramp surface) where both the ramp assembly and the actuator arm are coated with a hard, low-friction fluoropolymer compound. Tests conducted with this coating-on-coating scheme demonstrated that, after multiple load/unload cycles, the coefficient of friction along the rubbing surfaces was low and did not change appreciably. To minimize flying debris, if any, from contacting sensitive disc drive parts, a lubricant is coated on the stationary part (i.e., the ramp assembly).

Abstract: A read track width defining layer is employed for defining first and second side edges of a read sensor. The read track width defining layer preferably remains in the head to planarize the read head at first and second hard bias and lead layers so as to overcome a problem of write gap curvature in an accompanying write head. The read track width defining layer is defined by a subtractive process about a bilayer photoresist layer. The subtractive process is selective to the read track width defining layer over a read sensor material layer therebelow. Ion milling is then employed for defining first and second side edges of a read sensor layer employing the read track width defining layer as a mask. First and second hard bias and lead layers are then deposited which make contiguous junctions with the first and second side edges of each of the read sensor and read track width defining layers. The photoresist is then removed and the remainder of the read head is completed.

Abstract: When data is reproduced by an apparatus which is different from an apparatus used for recording the data, the fluctuation of edge positions of the reproducing data increases, making reproduction incompatible, and the present invention solves this problem.

Abstract: A CD Card for packaging card like information and digital information in the basic dimensions (length and width) of a business, credit or collectors card. The CD Card is made up of one, two, or three major components. The first component is a small compact disc with dimensions small enough to be contained within the typical dimensions (length and width) of a business card, credit card, or collectors card. The second component is a container shaped like a business, credit, or collectors card in length and width, but with a depth large enough to hold the small compact disc and adaptor (if required) discussed subsequently. The third component is an adaptor designed to position the small compact disc of the first and third embodiments of the present invention correctly in standard CD drives. A second embodiment of the small compact disc may not require an adaptor or case.

Abstract: A method for forming a transducing head first requires the deposition of a bottom shield, a bottom thick gap, a bottom thin gap, a sensor, a first flux guide, a top thin gap, a top thick gap, and a top shield. After each of the layers is deposited, an air bearing portion of both the top and bottom thick gaps is removed, such that a length of the air bearing portion of the top thick gap is substantially equal to a length of the air bearing portion of the bottom thick gap. Next, an air bearing shield is deposited over the air bearing surface, the air bearing shield being in contact with the top and bottom shields, the top and bottom thick gaps, the top and bottom thin gaps, and the flux guide. Finally, the air bearing surface of the transducing head is planarized, resulting in the top and bottom thin gaps and the first flux guide each being exposed at the air bearing surface.

Abstract: A thin film magnetic head that reduces the coil resistance of the coil layer formed between core layers is formed by increasing the conductor width at a fixed ratio from the inner to the outer side of the coil layer in the conductor width of each turn. The conductor width on the front side with respect to a base end portion of an upper core layer is smaller than the conductor width on the rear side with respect to the base end portion, whereby it is possible to reduce the coil resistance value of the entire coil layer. Further, using a change in conductor width, it is possible to increase the magnetic efficiency of the magnetic head compared to conventional magnetic heads.

Abstract: A head slider, usually employed in a recording disk drive, comprises a chamfered vertex defined at a corner of a polygonal bottom surface surrounded by a contour separated from a contour of an air bearing surface. Even when the chamfered vertex collides with the surface of a recording disk, a scratch or damage may be hardly generated on the surface of the recording disk, as compared with a keen vertex. The recording disk drive employing the head slider may enjoy an improved shock resistance.

Abstract: A tape transport system for positioning magnetic tape moving over a tape head is provided. The tape system includes a carrier ribbon having a width equal to the tape width. Passages through the carrier ribbon permit air, such as might otherwise trapped between the magnetic tape and the carrier ribbon, to pass through the carrier ribbon. At least one carrier ribbon guide is positioned on either side of the tape head. Each carrier ribbon guide has a channel of substantially the same width as the carrier ribbon for positioning the magnetic tape and the carrier ribbon across the tape head. A ribbon drive moves the carrier ribbon past the ribbon guides.

Abstract: A disc drive includes a disc, a voice coil motor with an arm and a beam having a first end attached to the arm and a second end including a window frame and a gimbal region. A bridge of a gimbal strut underlies the gimbal region. A flex circuit is attached to the gimbal strut. A read/write head has a preload region under the bridge and a slider surface on the disc. A microactuator has a main body and has microactuator arms bonded to the read/write head and mount arms bonded to the bridge. The microactuator has electrical contacts connected to the flex circuit. The electrical contacts are disposed between the microactuator main body and the gimbal region.

Abstract: In a pickup 5 laterally moving by being guided at its one side by a main shaft 4, an inclined piece 5a tilted frontwardly and obliquely downwardly in an opening portion 1a inside a chassis 1 is opposite to the shaft 4. A screw 6 for adjusting the tilt angle of the pickup 5 is obliquely upwardly or downwardly screwed into the inclined piece 5a, and its lower part is placed inside the pickup 5. A flange-like holding portion 6A which is integral with the lower part of this screw 6 is fitted to the opposite opening edge 1b, and the bottom surface edge 6b partially abuts against the chassis 1 top surface and the edge 6b laterally moves by sliding along the top surface when the pickup 5 laterally moves. The edge 6b slides along the top surface near the edge 1b when the pickup 5 laterally moves.

Abstract: A magneto-resistive element comprises a first electrode, a magneto-resistive layer formed on the first electrode in which resistance is changed in accordance with magnetic field, and a second electrode layer formed on the magneto-resistive layer. The magneto-resistive layer has a first magnetic layer formed on the first electrode, a non-magnetic layer formed on the first magnetic layer, and a second magnetic layer formed on the non-magnetic layer. The average surface roughness of the first electrode is equal to or smaller than 0.3 nm. Since the first electrode has such the small average surface roughness, the non-magnetic layer formed on the first electrode layer is flattened, thus, current leakage is prevented. The first electrode is made of at least one of Ta, Zr, Ti, Hf, W, Mo, Y, V, Nb, Au, Ag, Pd, and Pt which has strong bond strength. Since the first electrode has strong bond strength, exfoliation of the first electrode from the layers contacting the first electrode does not occur.

Abstract: The present invention reduces eddy current loss in magnetic layers making up a magnetic path of an induction-type magnetic transducer without preventing the passage of a magnetic flux so as to improve high frequency characteristics. A thin-film magnetic head of the invention comprises a reproducing head and a recording head. The recording head has a bottom pole layer and a top pole layer that include pole portions opposed to each other, a recording gap layer being placed between the pole portions. The recording head further has a thin-film coil located between the top and bottom pole layers, the coil being insulated from the pole layers. The top pole layer is made up of a plurality of stacked magnetic material layers, and resistance layers each placed between neighboring two of the magnetic material layers.