Abstract: The magnetic head disclosed has a slider which comprises a running surface where contact-sliding with respect to a magnetic recording medium occurs, and a polycrystalline silicon film which is provided on at least a portion of said running surface. The polycrystalline silicon film has a thickness of 3 to 10 nm. The running surface is formed of Al.sub.2 O.sub.3.TiC ceramic or silicon. This arrangement is effective in preventing an attraction phenomenon between the head and medium, reducing a frictional coefficient and suppressing damage to the medium.

Abstract: A disk storage has one or more disks provided with center holes. An electric motor extends coaxially through these holes and has an external rotor to the outer circumference of which the disks are secured so that they rotate with the rotor. A seal is provided for at least reducing the escape of contaminants from the motor.

Abstract: A magnetic tape head includes a body having a leading edge, a trailing edge and first and second side edges. A raised leading rail, a raised trailing rail and a raised center rail are positioned on the body and extend between the first and second side edges to form a head-to-tape interface. The raised center rail is positioned between the raised leading rail and the raised trailing rail. The raised center rail carries a transducer and has first and second longitudinal slots disposed about the transducer. The first and second slots form relieved surfaces which are recessed from the head-to-tape interface and raised from the body for reducing air bearing surface area around the transducer and causing the transducer to virtually protrude from the head-to-tape interface.

Abstract: A tape cassette housing a cassette main body unit a pair of tape reels. The cassette main body unit is made up of an upper cassette half and a lower cassette half, and a tape-shaped recording medium is placed between the tape reels. One of the cassette halves constituting the cassette main body unit has a reel unlock unit engaged by engagement members of various portions of other mechanical units excluding a tape driving unit on the recording and/or reproducing apparatus and a frame unit of a synthetic resin having an integrally formed design statement detection unit or a loading reference used for loading the tape cassette on a recording and/or reproducing apparatus. The frame unit also has, as an aperture, a portion registering with a tape reel rotation area on its bottom side, and a metallic plate integrated into the aperture for forming a portion of the tape reel rotation area on the bottom of the frame unit. The metallic plate has a pair of reel bearing holes into which is intruded the tape driving unit.

Abstract: An optical disc is disclosed having a substrate in which data can be written on or read from, such optical disc being adapted to be inserted and clamped onto a spindle in a disc drive and having a transparent cover sheet disposed over the substrate surface. The cover sheet is held at inner and outer radii so that it is positioned to have a desired spacing from the substrate to prevent contaminants from passing to the substrate surface. A plurality of air passages are formed in the optical disc to prevent the transparent cover sheet from deflecting due to pressure differences between the outside atmosphere and the air in the space between the substrate surface and the transparent cover sheet.

Abstract: A cassette holder adapted to hold a tape cassette and to lift and lower said tape cassette therein provided with an opener which is urged by a spring to turn around the axis of an opener support shaft during the lifting and lowering of the cassette holder with the lower end of the cover of the tape cassette abutting against an inclined surface of the opener. Further, an opener kicking portion at the front end of a stand fixed to a chassis abuts against the opener to turn the latter during the lifting and lowering.

Abstract: A cartridge for a magnetic disk drive has a rigid shell and a flexible door which covers an opening through which read/write heads engage the recording medium. The flexible door is guided outside of the shell to an open position as the cartridge is inserted into the drive. A projection on a flexible arm in the drive catches a hole in the flexible door to open it as the cartridge is inserted into the drive. The door which opens along the outside of the cartridge conserves space so that the recording medium can be large for a given form factor drive.

Abstract: A magnetic head is described for use in a disk drive having a disk that is rotated during operation of the disk drive and stationary when the disk drive is non-operational. The disk includes a surface containing data tracks. The magnetic head compromises a slider including a forward edge, a trailing edge and an air bearing surface. A read/write transducer is mounted at the trailing edge of the slider. The slider and transducer are mounted within the disk drive, relative to the surface of the rotating disk, to fly above the surface of the disk during rotation of the disk, for reading and writing data from and to the data tracks, and to come to rest on the surface of the disk during non-operation of the disk drive.

Abstract: A radially and axially preloaded bearing that has a very low mass and axial profile and which can be used in a actuator pivot of a direct access storage device without the need for a second bearing to counter the preload. An outer race of the bearing is split in order to form an open ring. Three balls are placed between the outer race and an inner race. Both the inner surface of the outer race and the outer surface of the inner race are formed such that two contact points exist between each ball and each race. Alternatively, the outer race is a closed toroid. The inner race is radially split to form a lower and an upper race, each being a closed toroid. In yet another alternative, the outer race is radially split into an upper outer race and a lower outer race. The inner race is a single closed toroid. A limiter is used to limit the movement of each of the balls. Alternatively, a conventional ball cage is used.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for reducing the number of wires needed between the read/write elements and the AE module. An inductive coil and a magneto-resistive element are formed on a substrate such that each includes an input signal lead and a ground return lead terminal. The ground return lead terminal of the inductive coil and the magneto-resistive element share a common ground return lead. The common ground return lead may be formed using a distinct wiring construct or by using a conductive substrate. A conductive suspension may also be formed wherein the conductive substrate is coupled to the conductive suspension. The input signal lead of the inductive coil and the magneto-resistive element may also share a common connector pad for providing signal coupling. A current flow element may be used to control the flow of current through the inductive coil and the magneto-resistive element.

Abstract: A breather filter unit for a magnetic disk drive including a base and a cover fixed to the base, the cover having a vent. The breather filter unit includes a casing fixed to an inner surface of the cover, the casing having a vent inlet communicating with the vent of the cover and a vent outlet communicating with an inside of the magnetic disk drive, and a first filter contained in the casing at a position adjacent to the vent inlet, the first filter being formed from a plurality of fibers extending in a direction substantially parallel to that of an air flow from the vent inlet to the vent outlet. The breather filter unit further includes a second filter bonded to the casing so as to cover the vent outlet, and an activated carbon layer contained in the casing at a position between the first filter and the second filter.

Abstract: A high reluctance magnetic head is disclosed.According to the invention, the concentrators are separated from the pole pieces by an amagnetic layer incorporating more particularly a conductive layer.The application is directed to magnetic recording.

Abstract: A disk cartridge has a shutter. The shutter is slidably mounted on a shell body through a slider made of synthetic resin. The shutter has a plurality of pin-insertion holes on its mating surface. The slider has a plurality of connecting pins inserted into the pin-insertion holes, on its mating surface mating with the mating surface of the shutter. The connecting pins are formed at distal ends thereof with heads having larger diameters and support the shutter between the heads and the mating surface of the slider. The heads of the connecting pins are provided by plastic-deforming the distal ends of the connecting pins.

Abstract: A magnetic head in which a pair of magnetic core halves each having a winding slot for placing a coil are abutted and unified to each other by thin magnetic metal films interposed in-between, and in which a magnetic gap is formed between abutting surfaces of the magnetic core halves. A bend is formed in the winding slot for bending the thin magnetic metal film at an acute angle when seen in cross-section. The magnetic head has a structure for prohibiting peeling of the thin magnetic metal film.

Abstract: A rotary transformer comprises a rotor and a stator transformers. The rotor transformer has at least one first annular groove formed on a flat surface thereof and at least one first flexible printed circuit board ("FPCB") each of which is provided with a first annular portion and a first terminal portion on which a first circuit pattern is printed, the first annular portion being inserted into the first groove. The stator transformer has at least one second annular groove formed on a flat surface thereof, the second groove corresponding to the first groove of the rotor transformer, and at least one second FPCB each of which is provided with a second annular portion and a second terminal portion on which a second circuit pattern is printed, the second annular portion being inserted into the second groove.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a hard disc which prevents alien bodies and rust from falling onto hard discs and securely holds the hard discs in parallel alignment. In a first basic structure of the hard disc spacer, the hard disc spacer is made of a metal and coated with a hard metal coating layer. In a second basic structure thereof, the hard disc spacer is made of a metal and coated with a ceramic coating layer. In a third basic structure thereof, the hard disc spacer is made of glass. In a first basic structure of the hard disc clamp, the hard disc clamp is made of a metal and coated with a hard metal coating layer. And in a second basic structure thereof, the hard disc clamp is made of a metal and coated with a ceramic coating layer.

Abstract: Disclosed is a data recording disk file having multiple actuators mounted on a common pivot axis, one of the actuators having fewer arms and lower inertia characteristics than the other. A servo system separately drives each of the actuators for seek repositioning, the lower inertia actuator having a higher performance than the other. A controller selectively records one type of data on the data surfaces associated with the lower inertia actuator, and records all other data on the other data surfaces, thereby providing a disk drive with increased performance appropriate to the data stored on the surfaces associated with the lower inertia actuator. A removable locking pin may be provided which extends through corresponding holes in each of the actuators for maintaining the actuators precisely positioned with respect to each other so that servo information may be written on each of the surfaces in a single process.

Abstract: A combination is disclosed of a magnetic record carrier and an apparatus for recording a digital information signal in a track on the record carrier. The apparatus includes an input terminal for receiving the digital information signal, an encoding unit for encoding the digital information signal so as to obtain a digital channel signal suitable for recording, and a writing unit for writing the digital channel signal in the track on the record carrier. The writing unit includes at least one write head having a specific gap width. The apparatus is adapted to write the digital channel signal in the record carrier with a bit-length which is smaller than 0.25 .mu.m, and the record carrier has an oblique easy-axis angle between 30.degree. and 42.degree. with regard to the longitudinal direction of the track and in a plane perpendicular to the record carrier.

Abstract: A direct access storage device (DASD) includes a plurality of motion limiters and/or a continuous motion limiter projecting from at least one of the base and cover, each motion limiter having faces disposed in close proximity to and confronting opposite surfaces of a data storage disk adjacent a peripheral portion of the disk that does not contain data. Preferably, the motion limiters are disposed at several points about the periphery of the disk, and may be incorporated in a load/unload ramp and/or side rails of the DASD. The faces of the motion limiters are disposed relative to the disk so that when the DASD is subjected to an acceleration, the disk contacts at least one of the faces only at the peripheral portion of the disk, outside the data zone. Accordingly, the motion limiters prevent data zone and spindle bearing damage when the DASD is dropped.

Abstract: A data cartridge drive including a front panel having a laterally elongated, substantially rectangular cartridge insert opening from which a data cartridge is inserted; and a laterally elongated, substantially rectangular lid pivotably mounted through a pair of pivotal shafts to an upper inside surface of the front panel, for openably closing the cartridge insert opening from inside of the front panel. A pair of stepped portions are formed at laterally opposite upper corner portions of the cartridge insert opening. A pair of stepped portions are formed at laterally opposite upper corner portions of the lid so as to be opposed to the pair of stepped portions of the cartridge insert opening. The lid is pivotably mounted through the pair of pivot shafts to the front panel at the pair of stepped portions of the cartridge insert opening and the pair of stepped portions of the lid.