Abstract: A cartridge body of a disc cartridge stores an optical disc kept rotatable, and includes a disc inlet/outlet port for taking in and out the optical disc. A lid member is mounted on the cartridge body to be movable between a closed position wherein the lid member closes the disc inlet/outlet port and an opened position wherein the lid member opens the disc inlet/outlet port. The lid member has a through hole extending in a direction perpendicular to the moving direction of the lid member. A detect pin projecting from the cartridge body and is inserted into the through hole of the lid member in the closed position. The detect pin is removable from the cartridge body by opening movement of the lid member so as to indicate that the lid member has been opened.

Abstract: A disk storage drive is provided with a brushless drive motor having a stator with a winding. An external rotor housing including a permanent magnet coaxially surrounds the stator and is spaced therefrom by a substantially cylindrical air gap. A hub is provided that is concentric to the rotor housing and is connected to the rotor housing for rotation therewith. A bearing above the stator rotatably supports an upper end of the rotor housing on a stationary shaft and a bearing below the stator braces the open end of the rotor housing by a ring element having substantially the same heat expansion characteristics as the rotor housing.

Abstract: A forced flow of cooling air through a computer housing is created during operation of a specially designed CD ROM drive operatively disposed in the housing. The drive has a bladed carrying structure which supports a compact disc and is rotationally driven with the supported disc. Driven rotation of the bladed carrying structure creates the forced flow of cooling air within the housing without requiring additional space for a separate cooling fan therein. In two illustrated embodiments of the bladed carrying structure the created cooling air flow is generally parallel to the rotational axis of the compact disc, and in a third embodiment of the bladed carrying structure the created cooling air flow is generally transverse to the rotational axis.

Abstract: A rotary of a head drum assembly for a VCT in which the structure thereof is simple, thereby facilitating the manufacture thereof, and which can prevent cross-talk of the video signals by forming magnetic conjunctions only between corresponding rotor and stator coils. The rotary transformer comprises a transformer stator having a stator body which is mounted on a lower drum of the head drum assembly and has at least two stator channels formed on a surface thereof, and stator coils respectively wound and attached in the stator channels, and a transformer rotor having rotor bodies which are mounted on an upper drum of the head drum assembly and have recesses formed on opposite surfaces thereof, and rotor coils respectively wound on the rotor bodies, the rotor bodies being substantially I-shaped and being disposed spaced apart from the stator channels by a distance, the rotor coils being electrically connected to magnetic heads respectively.

Abstract: The present invention is applied to a device for driving optical component parts, such as an objective lens, in accordance with displacement of a disk. A mobile body, on which the optical component parts are mounted, is supported by at least two plate springs that are not parallel with the disk, in such a manner that the mobile body can be driven in a focusing direction and a tracking direction. The plate springs can have an electric wiring function so that no wires extend from the mobile body.

Abstract: A disc changing device for a compact disc player including a tray box containing a plurality of stacked trays, the tray box being mounted in a body of the compact disc player such that it is vertically movable, and a door member mounted to the player body such that it is forwardly ejected out of the player body and rearwardly inserted into the interior of the player body by a drive power from a motor along with a selected one of the trays to carry out a disc change. The tray box is disposed at a position corresponding to a front portion of the door member completely inserted into the player body. A movable member is disposed on the door member such that it is slidable to move a selected one of the trays between the front portion of the door member and a deck of the compact disc player disposed rearwardly of the door member.

Abstract: A disk drive apparatus which eliminates the eject button on a front bezel and eliminates the opening for the eject button is provided. A tray carries a recording medium, and is movable between an eject position in which the recording medium in the tray is ejected and a disk loading position in which the recording medium is positioned inside the disk drive apparatus for reading operations. The tray is moved toward the eject position by a moving mechanism. The tray is maintained in the disk loading position by an engaging member engaging with the tray. An engagement of the tray is released by pressing the tray in a disk loading direction from the eject position to the disk loading position.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a record optimizer system which functions to adjust a height of a phonograph record which maximizes fidelity reception from a turntable tone arm with a mounted cartridge. The system comprises a measuring spindle which is removably attachable to a measuring base platter of a measuring base. The system further comprises a center label cut out optimizing disc which is positioned upon the measuring base platter or a standard optimizing disc. The standard optimizing disc is positioned upon the measuring base platter. The measuring spindle post is positioned within an opening of the standard optimizing disc platter. The system further comprises a weight disc removably positioned on top of the phonograph record which is positioned on top of the standard optimizing disc. The system further comprises a tuning disc set which is positioned between the standard optimizing disc and the phonograph record.

Abstract: A noise suppression system for use in a disk drive. The system isolates the interface between the disk drive cover and the moving parts of the disk drive to attenuate acoustic energy introduced by the moving parts and also dissipates some of the unwanted acoustic energy in viscoelastic damping layers. An outer plate made of a rigid layer covered with a viscoelastic damping layer is disposed over an inner cover in which is provided an open region surrounding the pivot axis of the head-stack assembly (HSA) or, alternatively, surrounding both the pivot axis and the spindle axis of the disk assembly. A rigid interface member is fixed to the pivot journal or, alternatively, to both the pivot journal and the spindle journal within the open region. The outer plate is fitted to the periphery of the inner cover so that the viscoelastic damping layer abuts a flexible sealing member fitted over the interface member and inner cover around the open region.

Abstract: A disk reproducing apparatus comprise a main body of a stock portion in which a plurality of disks are stored in a laminar form, the body being arranged within a casing un-removably from the casing under a normal use state, and a drawer having a disk mount portion on which a single disk is disposed and mounted to the casing in such a manner as to be drawn out from/inserted into the casing of between a first position on an outside of the casing and a second position within the casing under a state where the disk is disposed on the mount portion, so that the disk on the mount of the drawer is delivered to the stock portion.

Abstract: An improved magnetic head is disclosed for stable pole tip to tape contact pressure despite head wear and tape tension variations. A magnetic head which contacts the magnetic tape comprises a ferromagnetic body. A recess is provided in this ferromagnetic body. A ferromagnetic core has pole tips which are located in the recess and which are arranged for contact with the magnetic tape. A non-magnetic material is arranged along each side of the magnetic core pole tips in the recess. Relative hardnesses of the ferromagnetic body, ferromagnetic core pole tips, and nonmagnetic material are chosen so that as the tape wears away on contact surfaces of the magnetic core pole tips, non-magnetic material, and ferromagnetic body, the core pole tips protrude relative to adjacent portions of the ferromagnetic body and the non-magnetic material so that the tape rides on the protruding pole tips of the core.

Abstract: A head gimbal assembly includes a gimbal having a first strut and a second strut and a crossmember connected generally between the first and second struts. A gimbal bond tongue has a first end connected to the crossmember and a second end extending from the crossmember. The first and second struts are generally parallel to one another and define a suspension axis. The first end of the gimbal bond tongue is offset from the suspension axis along the crossmember. A slider is coupled to the gimbal bond tongue and a transducer is coupled to the slider.

Abstract: A linear-type tape transport includes a pair of air bearings on each side of a transducer when viewed in reference to the tape transport direction. Each air bearing includes a housing and a bear member formed of a porous material. The housing and the bearing member form a plenum connectable to a pressurized air source such that air flow through the porous material creates an air cushion to support a tape medium during transport. The porous material is preferably a ceramic that is between two and fifty percent open. The bearing member has a datum face with the bearing surface thereof being planar and at a small obtuse angle to the datum face thereby to automatically urge an edge of the tape against the datum face. The housing is preferably U-shaped in cross-section with an arcuate bottom and parallel sidewalls.

Abstract: A disc playing apparatus is disclosed, which is simple, small in size and can be manufactured at a low cost of manufacture. In this disc playing apparatus, a first chassis with left and right movable guides and a second chassis with a disc drive and a playing unit are linked together such that they can be brought toward and away from each other. The movable guides are separated from a disc when the two chassis are brought toward each other, and are brought to a position to engage with the disc when the two chassis are brought away from each other. A selective close/away holding mechanism holds the two chassis in a close-to-each-other state or an away-from-each-other state. The two chassis are brought toward each other when the disc is inserted while pushing the selective close/away holding mechanism. The disc is pushed by the mechanism when the two chassis are brought away from each other by an eject lever.

Abstract: A coil encircling the ferrite core of a magnetic head attached to a slider used in a hard disk drive is formed using two mating chips. A first chip having layered wires and bonding bumps is inserted in the winding window between the ferrite core and the body of the slider. A second chip having layered wires, bonding bumps and a groove straddling the ferrite core is disposed outside the winding window and mates with the first chip. Bonding bumps, comprising low-melting solder, are heat bonded to form a continuous coil.

Abstract: A magnetoresistive (MR) head includes an MR film that has a bottom edge to be positioned adjacent to a magnetic medium, a first side with a first outside edge, and a second side with a second outside edge. The first outside edge extends in a direction that forms an obtuse angle with the bottom edge. A first lead layer is electrically connected to the magnetoresistive film at the first outside edge, and a second lead layer is electrically connected to the magnetoresistive film at the second outside edge. Because of the orientation of the first outside edge of the MR film, magnetic flux from the magnetic medium is more likely to propagate through the MR film without being impeded by the first outside edge, and thus the read sensitivity profile of the MR head is improved.

Abstract: In a cartridge loading mechanism, a carrier is arranged on the upper side of a cartridge holder for storing a cartridge having a recording medium. A loading base is arranged on an upper side of this carrier. This cartridge holder and the carrier are attached to a swinging cam. Further, this swinging cam is swingably attached to the loading base. The cartridge holder is vertically moved in association with a horizontal movement of the carrier. The cartridge holder is reciprocated between an inserting/discharging position of the cartridge and a chucking position of a spindle motor. Thus, the body of a drive unit can be made thin while dustproof performance is secured.

Abstract: A device for loading and unloading a tape cassette includes a cam disc rotatably supported to a chassis and at least one guide route disposed thereon and extending from near the rotating axis of the cam disc to the periphery thereof so as to be topologically shifted in the rotating direction, and a swinging arm pivoted to the chassis and having a cam follow pin received in the guide route. The tape cassette is transported together with the cassette holder from an inlet port to the tape deck and vice versa. A shift member is adapted to retractively guide the cassette holder by cooperating with the swinging arm.

Abstract: A magnetic recording/reproducing apparatus with a drum positioning mechanism is provided. The drum positioning mechanism performs track correction to rotate a tape guide drum about a given axis of rotation according to a travel speed of a magnetic tape to orient a head path of magnetic heads at a given angle relative to a lead member which guides movement of a lower edge of the magnetic tape wrapped about the tape guide drum so that the head path coincides with tracks recorded on the magnetic tape correctly. The drum positioning mechanism also performs lead correction to rotate the lead member through a given angle relative to a drum base to eliminate a shift of the lower edge of the magnetic tape from the lead caused by the track correction so that the lower edge of the magnetic tape follows the lead completely. The magnetic recording/reproducing apparatus may also be employed in a recording mode.

Abstract: An optic disk drive includes an outer casing inside of which an inner casing is received to define two side channels between side walls of the outer casing and opposite sides of the inner casing. A disk holding arm is pivoted to and extends above the inner casing to define a spacing therebetween for receiving therein a disk tray which supports an optic disk thereon. The disk tray has two side flanges, each having a step-like configuration, slidably receivable within the side channels between a retracted position and an ejected position. The vibration absorbing device includes a C-shaped resilient member fixed to each of the side walls of the outer casing and having a contact segment extending into the side channel to contact and form a resilient engagement with the step of the disk tray when the disk tray is at the retracted position.