Abstract: A removable disk drive apparatus can insert a smaller diameter disk into a tray of a vertical drive device, and improve the reliability of the disk supporting function. The tray, on which a plurality of concave portions for a disk for supporting disk storage media having different diameters are formed in the concentric positions, includes larger disk support lugs provided at plural points on the periphery of the concave portion for a larger diameter disk, and smaller disk support lugs provided at plural points on the periphery of the concave portion for a smaller diameter disk.

Abstract: A method for producing an optical recording medium of the present invention including a first laminating step, a second transferring step, a third detaching step, and a fourth forming step. The first step includes laminating a substrate and a transfer stamper with an uncured ultraviolet-curable resin interposed therebetween. The transfer stamper has recesses/projections that provide information to be transferred. The second step includes transferring the information to be transferred of the transfer stamper onto a surface of the ultraviolet-curable resin. The third step includes detaching the transfer stamper from the ultraviolet-curable resin at an interface therebetween after the ultraviolet-curable resin is cured. The fourth step includes forming a thin film layer on the information-transferred surface of the ultraviolet-curable resin. The thin film layer includes either a recording film or a reflection film.

Abstract: An optical disk drive having a turntable for carrying an optical disk with a clamping plate made of a magnetic material having a clamping area. A magnet is included for attracting to a turntable side the clamping plate of the optical disk placed on the turntable in a noncontact state. A motor is included for rotating the turntable with the optical disk placed thereon, wherein an attraction force of the magnet attracting the clamping plate is a value by which bending of the optical disk accompanied with the attraction of the clamping plate becomes within a permissible error range. A recording and reproducing apparatus may also incorporate the optical disk drive.

Abstract: A portable canister for upgrading, converting, or servicing an automated data storage library includes an assembly with cartridge cells. The portable canister is mounted within a data storage drive compartment, and/or another slot within the automated data storage library. The storage capacity of the library may be increased by adding portable storage canisters. When occupying a data storage drive slot, the portable storage canister may be removed and replaced with a data storage drive. Dual accessor library expansion may be simplified by using the portable canister as a test canister in the service bay of the library. Any library frame or storage module may become the service bay simply by inserting a test canister into the frame or storage module. This eliminates the need to shut down the library and reconfigure the frames to relocate the service bay.

Abstract: A write pole for a magnetic recording head, such as a perpendicular magnetic recording head, includes a first magnetic layer comprising a material having a first saturation magnetic moment and a second magnetic layer adjacent the first magnetic layer wherein the second magnetic layer comprises a material having a second saturation magnetic moment that is greater than the first saturation magnetic moment. The write pole also comprises a non-magnetic layer between a portion of the first magnetic layer and the second magnetic layer. The non-magnetic layer may be formed between the first magnetic layer and the second magnetic layer adjacent an air-bearing surface of the recording head. A disc drive storage system having a recording head with means for reducing skew sensitivity of the recording head is also disclosed.

Abstract: When a disk size selecting lever turns in a direction shown by an arrow A with an operation of ejecting a disk, its pushing surface pushes corner portion of a first slider rack in a state where it can not move, toward a direction shown by an arrow C. When the disk is completely ejected, the disk size selecting lever is returned in a direction shown by an arrow B by urging force of a coil spring and at the same time the first slider rack is forcibly returned to an original position by urging force of a coil spring.

Abstract: A head flexure assembly having a flexure with a built in microactuator is disclosed. The flexure is divided into four portions: a base plate portion for attaching the flexure to an actuator arm; a load beam portion for suspending a transducing head; a parallelogram portion connecting the load beam portion and the base plate portion and allowing for the translational movement of the load beam portion with respect to the base plate portion; and a driving frame portion. The parallelogram portion has two substantially parallel members that attach the base plate portion to the load beam portion. The parallel members limit the movement of the load beam portion relative to the base plate portion to translational movement. The driving frame portion has piezoelectric element that in response to a control signal produces a force, orthogonal to the flexure's longitudinal axis, between the base plate portion and the load beam portion.

Abstract: An e-mail processing application executable on a computer station having a video display unit (VDU) searches a received e-mail for one or more words, phrases, and addresses for comparison with stored words, phrases and addresses in a stored table, and upon finding a match in the stored table, inserts one or more of words, phrases, or addresses associated in the stored table with the words, phrases or addresses from the received e-mail in any reply to the received e-mail. In a preferred embodiment a “send to” address in a received e-mail triggers automatically one or both of a particular “from” and “reply to” address in any response to the received e-mail. In an alternative embodiment, a “send to” address in a received e-mail, as a result of a table look-up, automatically prepares and sends a new e-mail identical to the received e-mail except for a new “send to” address retrieved from the stored table.

Abstract: A glass substrate for a magnetic disk contains a transition metal. The substrate, which is subjected to formation of zone texturing by irradiating the substrate with a laser beam, has a high mechanical strength even if it is not chemically strengthened. The glass substrate contains a transition metal element and has a transmittance of 10% of less for light in a wavelength range of 300 to 2000 nm. The surface roughness of an information recording surface portion thereof is 2.0 nm or less. In addition to a transition metal element, the glass substrate may include a rare earth metal element.

Abstract: A problem associated with current bottom spin valve designs is that it is difficult to avoid magnetic charge accumulation at the edge of the sensor area, making a coherent spin rotation during sensing difficult to achieve. This problem has been eliminated by introducing an exchange coupling layer between the free layer and the ferromagnetic layer that is used to achieve longitudinal bias for stabilization and by extending the free layer well beyond the sensor area. After all layers have been deposited, the read gap is formed by etching down as far as this layer. Since it is not critical exactly how much of the biasing layers (antiferromagnetic as well as ferromagnetic) are removed, the etching requirements are greatly relaxed. Whatever material remains in the gap is then oxidized thereby providing a capping layer as well as a good interface for specular reflection in the sensor region.

Abstract: According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a slider for a disk drive. The slider includes a slider body including a slider body outer surface. The slider further includes an inductive write head including main and return poles. The slider further includes a slider ground pad disposed at the slider body outer surface. The slider ground pad is disposed in electrical communication with the main and return poles for electrically grounding the main and return poles.

Abstract: Translation apparatus for moving a cartridge access device along a displacement path may comprise a first elongate gear rack aligned along the displacement path and a second elongate gear rack positioned in spaced-apart relation to the first elongate gear rack so that the second elongate gear rack is aligned along the displacement path. A first drive pinion mounted to the cartridge access device engages the first elongate gear rack. A second drive pinion mounted to the cartridge access device engages the second elongate gear rack. A pinion drive apparatus operatively associated with the first and second drive pinions rotates the first and second drive pinions to move the cartridges access device along the first and second elongate gear racks.

Abstract: A method for reducing the stable rotation speed of an automatic ball balancing system is used with an automatic ball balancing system that has a rotor that has an annular track, with at least one ball provided for rotation inside the track. First, an optimum rotation speed ws that is between the unstable critical rotation speed wc of a ball and a working rotation speed w is first determined. In the next step, the rotor is accelerated to the optimum rotation speed ws. Next, the acceleration of the rotor is reduced until the balls are stationary relative to the track, and then the rotor is accelerated to the working rotation speed w.

Abstract: A disk device having a disk loading mechanism including an elastic body retracting space which is formed by cutting away a corner portion of a support portion of a first selector lever that is positioned forward of an elastic body and is closer to a chassis, the elastic member retracting space is not so spacious as to receive a whole of the elastic body but is spacious enough for the elastic body to be displaced while being twisted to the elastic body retracting space when the elastic body is sunk under a protruding portion of the chassis.

Abstract: Handling an information plate includes receiving the information plate at a roller element, the information plate rolling over the roller element; detecting a position of the information plate using a scanning lever, the scanning lever having a scanning edge pressed against an edge of the information plate; driving a transport wheel into rotation based on the detected position of the information plate; exerting a tangential force on the edge of the information plate using the transport wheel; and transporting the information plate into a loading device, the information plate supported by the transport wheel and the roller element.

Abstract: A high magnetization, high resistivity, low corrosion and near zero magnetostriction soft adjacent layer (SAL) is provided for a magnetoresistive (MR) sensor of a read head. The MR sensor may either be an anisotropic MR (AMR) sensor or a spin valve sensor. In both sensors the SAL is CoHfNb or CoHfNbFe. The Hf is added to reduce corrosion and the Hf and Nb are balanced to provide near zero magnetostriction. The addition of Fe is an enhancer for reducing negative magnetostriction without diluting the magnetism of the alloy. Since CoHfNb has significantly higher magnetization than NiFeCr the SAL layer of CoHfNb can be thinner than the SAL of NiFeCr which results in a significantly higher resistance SAL. The higher resistance SAL equates to less shunting of the sense current through the SAL and better signal performance of the MR read head.

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: A bond pad is elevated from a slider body by a conductive post. The bond pad is disposed atop the post, which typically possesses a cross-sectional area smaller than the surface are of the bond pad. Thus, rather than having the entire surface of the bond pad in contact with the slider body, only the cross-sectional area of the conductive post is in contact therewith. Alternatively, a bond pad may be split into two electrically coupled pads: one pad used for housing a permanent bond, and a second pad used for housing a temporary bond. The pad used to house the temporary wire bond may be disposed atop a sacrificial layer. After a lapping process, the sacrificial layer may be etched away, thereby permitting the temporary pad to be removed.

Abstract: A flow-induced disturbance upon an actuator arm is reduced. A gas flow generated by a rotation of a disc is received and passed along a surface. The surface is mechanically isolated from the actuator arm. The surface redirects the received flow to include a substantial inward radial component so as to be better aligned along a leading edge of the actuator arm.

Abstract: The apparatus and methods of the present invention provide for a biaxial actuator, an optical pickup device, and an information optical processing device, in which the biaxial actuator is favorably mounted using a single structure. The mounting structure includes first fastening portions protruding from a bottom plate affixed to a substrate. Connecting portions are provided in the first fastening portions through first stress concentration points. The connecting portions are also provided in second fastening portions through second stress concentration points. A mounting portion is provided between the second fastening portions and yokes are formed on the bottom plate to establish a magnetic circuit. A fixing portion of the biaxial actuator is mounted on the mounting portion. By deforming each stress concentration point, a reference state of the objective lens can be determined at an arbitrary position.