Abstract: The pickup device is used in a drive device of an optical disc and is opposed to the optical disc to irradiate a light beam from a light source onto an information recording surface of the optical disc. The pickup device has the actuator including the objective lens for condensing a light beam on the information recording surface of the optical disc, and irradiation of a light beam on the optical disc is controlled by moving the objective lens. Further, the pickup device has the optical system for directing a light beam, which is emitted from the light source, to a position below the objective lens. The optical system is placed at the same height level as the actuator. Therefore, as compared with the case where the optical system is provided below the actuator, the whole pickup can be smaller in thickness, and it is possible to provide a pickup device suitable for a thin drive device.

Abstract: A portable information processing apparatus having a disk drive device and being reduced in size and weight is presented. This portable information processing apparatus comprises a disk drive device, a disk cover, a keyboard, and a casing main body. The disk cover can be opened and closed from the casing, and the disk drive device allows part of the disk recording medium to advance beneath the keyboard when the disk recording medium is loaded into the disk drive device.

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 self aligned magnetoresistive sensor having a narrow and well defined track width and method of manufacture thereof.

Abstract: To simplify incidental operations relating to setting of an earth plate for discharging static electricity of a disk drive for driving an optical disk, reduce the processing cost accompanying assembling of a bezel, and improve the versatility of the disk drive so that the bezel can be manufactured with a simple configuration at a low cost in order to set the bezel to the front end face of the disk drive through post-mount processing, and moreover to make it possible to supply a disk drive to unspecified users at a stable quality without lacking in specifications required to a disk tray for keeping a desired performance. In the case of a disk drive for loading or unloading a disk tray 1 to which a recording medium is set by moving the disk tray 1 forward or backward in a chassis case 10, an earth plate 9 for discharging static electricity generated at a bezel portion 8 is set so as to cover an essential portion of the front end face of the disk tray 1 at the disk tray 1 side.

Abstract: Reduction of the free layer thickness in GMR devices is desirable in order to meet higher signal requirements, besides improving the GMR ratio itself. However, thinning of the free layer reduces the GMR ratio and leads to poor thermal stability. This problem has been overcome by making AP2 from an inverse GMR material and by changing the free layer from a single uniform layer to a ferromagnetic layer AFM (antiferromagnetically) coupled to a layer of inverse GMR material. Examples of alloys that may be used for the inverse GMR materials include FeCr, NiFeCr, NiCr, CoCr, CoFeCr, and CoFeV. Additionally, the ruthenium layer normally used to effect antiferromagnetic coupling can be replaced by a layer of chromium. A process to manufacture the structure is also described.

Abstract: A disc cartridge according to the present invention includes a cartridge body and a shutter. The cartridge body includes a disc storage portion, a chucking opening and a head opening. The disc storage portion has a disc window and a bottom and stores a disc, having first and second sides, therein so that the disc is rotatable in the disc storage portion and that the first side of the disc is exposed. The shutter is supported to, and movable with respect to, the cartridge body so as to expose or cover at least the head opening.

Abstract: The invention provides a magnetic tape cartridge library apparatus wherein the space can be utilized effectively to allow accommodation of an increased number of tape cartridges. The magnetic tape cartridge library apparatus includes a cartridge magazine for removably accommodating a plurality of magnetic tape cartridges in a plurality of stages in a vertical direction therein, a magnetic tape deck for reading or writing data from or onto a magnetic tape cartridge loaded therein, a hand apparatus disposed on the front side of the magnetic tape deck, and a magazine feeding mechanism for feeding the cartridge magazine forwardly or rearwardly on one of the left and right sides of the hand apparatus. The hand apparatus is operable to insert or take out a magnetic tape cartridge into or from the cartridge magazine and transport the magnetic tape cartridge between the cartridge magazine and the magnetic tape deck.

Abstract: Coupling between a unit main body and a front panel is detachably carried out by catching means and coupling means. The coupling means comprise slide means 33 provided with a slide plate 24 which slides with respect to a bracket hardware 24 embedded in the unit main body, and holding means 28 provided at a front face of the slide plate 24 and for holding the front panel.

Abstract: The thin-film magnetic head of the present invention is provided with an antiferromagnetic layer, a pinned layer whose direction of magnetization is fixed by exchange-coupling with the antiferromagnetic layer, a free layer whose direction of magnetization varies according to external magnetic field, an intermediate layer disposed between the pinned layer and free layer, and a pair of electrode layers for supplying a sense current in a layer thickness direction of the free layer. One electrode layer is connected to the pinned layer. Due to this configuration, a sense current flows through the free layer, the intermediate layer, and the pinned layer, but basically does not flow through the antiferromagnetic layer. As a consequence, the antiferromagnetic layer does not contribute to total resistance of the magnetoresistance element, allowing a high magnetoresistance ratio to be obtained.

Abstract: A disk cartridge includes a lower case having an opening formed thereon, an upper case installed at the lower case to be capable of being open and shut while pivoting, to accommodate a disk therebetween, a shutter installed at the lower case to be capable of sliding and opening and shutting the opening hole, a close covering member having an inclined surface installed at the shutter to be capable of sliding, closely contacting a non-information area disposed at an inner circumference of the disk when the shutter is closed, and being separated from the non-information area disposed at the inner circumference of the disk when the shutter is open. Thus, when the shutter is closed, introduction of dust is prevented so that the possibility of the information area of the disk being contaminated is lowered. Also, since the disk is fixed between the upper and lower cases, while the disk is carried, noise and damage can be reduced.

Abstract: A magnetic head of the present invention includes a first magnetic pole that is exposed at the air bearing surface of the magnetic head and a second magnetic pole shaping layer that is not exposed at the air bearing surface. A layer of non-magnetic material is fabricated between the air bearing surface and the shaping layer, where the non-magnetic material is also electrically conductive. The pole tip of the magnetic head is electroplated on top of the non-magnetic electrically conductive material subsequent to the fabrication of the shaping layer, and in magnetic flux communication with the shaping layer.

Abstract: A hard disk drive is provided with a transparent cover that allows the elements of the disk drive to be observed while they are in operation. The cover also can be tinted with different colors or made somewhat translucent for further differentiation. In addition, decorations and/or various patterns, such as a diffraction grating pattern, may be placed or formed on the cover, the hub, and/or the actuator to further emphasize particular aspects of the disk drive. A flashing device can also be used to accentuate the rotational motion of the disk and/or hub.

Abstract: An easily manufacturable optical disc drive that provides for accurate writing and reading of information signals to and from a disc loaded therein by maintaining the horizontal balance of its base during operation, and that provides for smooth loading and unloading of a disc. The optical disc drive includes a base formed of a single metal plate of 1.4–1.8 mm thickness. Major components of the base (i.e., a disc rotation driving mechanism, an optical pickup and a pickup feeding mechanism) are disposed on the base in such a way that the total weight of these components is nearly evenly distributed on the base. The optical pickup is adapted to move across an optical disc between its inner and outer circumferences, while the optical disc is rotated by the disc rotation driving mechanism. The base is supported by a plurality (i.e., at least three) of supporting members, each with an elastic support piece.

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 T-shaped pole tip portion of an upper pole of a write element for a magnetic disk drive is provided. One end of the pole tip portion, constituting the bottom of the “T,” forms a narrow nose segment at an air bearing surface, while a wing segment at the opposite end of the pole tip portion constitutes the cross-bar top of the “T.” A transition segment extends between the nose segment and the wing segment. A yoke portion of the upper pole includes a surface that is parallel to the air bearing surface and recessed therefrom by a P3R depth. The transition segment does not widen significantly until after the P3R depth, accordingly, the wing segment is recessed from the air bearing surface by more than the P3R depth.

Abstract: A car-mounted disc player with an elastically supported drive unit including a turntable and a pickup; a clamper-supporting member rotatably supporting a clamper; a clamp mechanism for activating the clamper-supporting member to move toward or away from the drive unit so as to clamp or unclamp a disc between the turntable and the clamper; a lock mechanism for bringing the drive unit in a locked state or an unlocked state with respect to the chassis; and a change-over mechanism for activating the clamp and lock mechanisms. During change-over operations of the change-over mechanism for activating the clamp and lock mechanisms, the change-over mechanism can be halted at a half-locked position where the drive unit is brought in the locked state while the disc is kept in a clamped state by the turntable and the clamper.

Abstract: A disk player, e.g. for a CD or DVD, generally includes a tray receiving the disk to be scanned and a so-called cam slider moved between an IN-position for purpose of scanning and an OUT-position for purpose of loading the disk. Therein the movements and the end positions of the tray and the cam slider have to be monitored for proper operation. To do this generally several switches or a special complicated switch are needed. It is an object to simplify the means for performing said monitoring operations for movements in different directions and especially to achieve this by means of a single simple switch, only. The cam slider is provided with a chamfer for moving a switch lever of the switch into a first position (a) and further is provided with a control lever including a switch actuating area for moving said switch lever into a second position (b) said control lever being pivotally mounted on the cam slider against the action of a spring.

Abstract: A head slider includes a plurality of pads formed on the front rail and at least one of the rear rails.

Abstract: A magnetic read head with reduced side reading characteristics is described. This design combines use of a current channeling layer (CCL) with stabilizing longitudinal bias layers whose magnetization direction is canted relative to that of the free layer easy axis and that of the pinned layer (of the GMR). This provides several advantages: First, the canting of the free layer at the side region results in a reduction of side reading by reducing magnetic sensitivity in that region. Second, the CCL leads to a narrow current flow profile at the side region, therefore producing a narrow track width definition. A process for making this device is described. Said process allows some of the requirements for interface cleaning associated with prior art processes to be relaxed.