Abstract: Both a magnetic recording width and a magnetic reproduction width of a magnetic head are equal to or larger than a combined width of a track width of tracks and double an off-track width of the magnetic head with respect to tracks on a magnetic recording medium during recording and reproduction of recording data, and are equal to or smaller than a width produced by subtracting double the off-track width during recording and reproduction from a combined width of the track width and double a groove width of grooves on the magnetic recording medium.

Abstract: A disc drive suspension has a base portion including a baseplate and a plate member, a load beam, a pair of hinge members, and a flexure with conductors. The flexure passes through a gap between the hinge members and ranges over the load beam and the base portion. A thin-walled portion is formed by partial etching on that region of a front end portion of the plate member of the base portion which faces the flexure. A thin-walled portion is also formed by partial etching on that region of a rear end portion of the load beam which faces the flexure.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are provided for adjusting recession of an element, such as a pole tip, in a transducer structure formed in a plurality of thin film layers on an edge of a slider. A pre-stressed structure is formed as part of the plurality of thin film layers on the edge of the slider. The pre-stressed structure has a level of material stress. The recession is measured relative to a bearing surface of the slider, and then the level of material stress is adjusted as a function of the measured to effect a corresponding change in the recession.

Abstract: A buffering mechanism in which the contact area between an object to be housed and an elastic member interposed between the object to be housed and a housing member for housing the object is to be increased, while the elastic member is to have a sufficient thickness in at least two mutually perpendicular buffering directions. To this end, a buffering mechanism 10 is provided in which an object to be housed 12 is bufferably accommodated in a housing member 11. The object to be housed 12 includes at least three shaft units 13 extending in a direction substantially perpendicular to the direction of thickness of the object. An elastic member 14 is formed of an elastic material and provided with a cylindrically-shaped shaft accommodating opening 14a. The shaft unit is introduced into the shaft accommodating opening of the elastic member. At least a portion of the outer lateral surface of the elastic member is contacted with the housing member.

Abstract: A disk drive includes a base member, a spindle motor installed on the base member to rotate a disk for data storage, an actuator installed on the base member to move a read/write head to a predetermined position on the disk, a cover member assembled to an upper portion of the base member, and a noise reducing apparatus. The noise reducing apparatus includes a groove formed on an outer surface of the cover member to a predetermined depth, a plurality of through holes formed on a bottom surface of the groove, a sound-absorbing member accommodated in the groove to absorb noise generated from the inside of the disk drive, and a cover plate attached to the outer surface of the cover member to cover the sound-absorbing member.

Abstract: A data storage device for recording to and reading from magnetic thread includes a head assembly having an opening through which the magnetic thread passes. Transducing elements are positioned around the inner surface of the opening and interact with longitudinally-extending parallel tracks formatted around the surface of the magnetic thread. If the number of tracks is greater than the number of transducing elements, the transducing elements may be rotatable about the magnetic thread to position the transducing elements to interact with other tracks. The head assembly may open to aid positioning the magnetic thread within the opening in the head assembly during loading. If desired, multiple head assemblies may be placed in the thread path to improve data throughput. The magnetic thread may be formed with a non-circular cross-section and the opening in the head assembly may have a corresponding cross-section to reduce twisting of the magnetic thread as it passes through the opening.

Abstract: A disk device including a frame body having an outer wall, a recording disk located for rotation inside the frame body, a recording and reproducing head, and an actuator for driving the head for recording and reproducing information on and from the disk. The actuator includes a voice coil motor including a pair of yokes opposed to each other with a predetermined distance therebetween, a movable coil wound to be movable between the yokes, and a permanent magnet attached to at least one of the yokes to add a magnetic field to the movable coil, wherein a portion of the outer wall of the frame body includes a first one of the yokes, and the frame body includes an open side opposite a side where the disk is located and an inside portion including screwing margins and screws for attaching the first yoke to the open side.

Abstract: A read/write head for use in a perpendicular magnetic recording head in a data storage system. The read/write head includes a write section that is comprised of a first pole layer, a second pole layer, a third pole layer, and a shield layer. The third pole layer defines a write pole tip, and the third pole layer and the shield layer are separated from each other to define a write gap therebetween. At least part of the shield layer has a generally uniform width, and wherein the write pole tip defines a track width that is substantially equal to the uniform width of the shield layer. According to one embodiment the entire shield layer has a generally uniform width that is substantially equal to the track width. According to another embodiment, the shield layer includes a lower section and an upper section, wherein the lower section has a generally uniform width along its entire length, and wherein the upper section is wider than the lower section.

Abstract: A magnetic head device includes a slider including a thin-film element for writing and/or reading and a support for supporting the slider, the slider being bonded to a joint surface of the support at least partially with a conductive resin. A method for making the magnetic head device includes the steps of (a) applying the conductive resin at least onto a portion of an insulating layer formed on the joint surface of the support, (b) bonding the slider to the joint surface of the support with the conductive resin, and (c) causing dielectric breakdown in the insulating layer lying under the conductive resin before step (b) at the latest.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to a miniature hard disc drive having a metal base plate, an actuator assembly wherein the actuator assembly comprises a plurality of bearings, a shaft, and a housing; a spindle motor assembly comprising a stator with conductors, a shaft, a plurality of bearings, and a rotor; and a monolithic body of phase change material unitizing said actuator assembly housing and stator to the base plate. Methods of developing and constructing the hard disc drive are also disclosed.

Abstract: A magnetic writer having an air bearing surface for confronting a surface of a rotating disc is disclosed. The magnetic writer includes a bottom pole and a top pole. The top pole includes a first top pole portion and a second top pole portion connected by a top pole extension. The top pole extension, which preferably has a uniform width at the air bearing surface, orients a magnetization of the first top pole portion substantially parallel to an air bearing surface of the magnetic writer. The bottom pole includes a base pole and a notch pole. The base pole is recessed from the air bearing surface to prevent or reduce fringe erasure fields. The notch pole, which abuts the base pole and extends from the air bearing surface to at least a magnetic throat height of the magnetic writer, has a magnetization oriented perpendicular to the air bearing surface.

Abstract: A storage library includes cells supported within a frame for holding media elements. A robot assembly is operable for moving toward the cells and manipulating media elements held by the cells. The robot is containable within a module which is removably mountable to the frame to provide modular replacement and removal of the robot from the frame. The robot is contained within the module as the module is mounted to the frame and moves out from the module to move toward the cells and manipulate media elements held by the cells while the module is mounted to the frame. The module is removably dismounted out of the frame while the robot is contained within the module to provide the modular removal of the robot. The module is removably mounted into the frame while a new robot is contained within the module to provide the modular replacement of the robot.

Abstract: A cartridge loading mechanism including a carrier movable between a first position where a magnetic tape cartridge having an openable shutter and a notch is inserted into the carrier and a second position where the cartridge is mounted onto a reel motor, and a shutter opening mechanism fixed to a base of a magnetic tape drive and having an engaging portion adapted to engage the shutter of the cartridge to open the shutter. The loading mechanism further includes a leaf spring mounted on the carrier and having a hook adapted to engage the notch of the cartridge, and a driving mechanism for moving the carrier between the first position and the second position. After the hook of the leaf spring comes into engagement with the notch of the cartridge at a third position during the movement of the carrier from the first position to the second position, the engaging portion of the shutter opening mechanism starts to engage the shutter of the cartridge.

Abstract: A head stack assembly for a disk drive. The head stack assembly includes an actuator body. The actuator body includes a main body section defining a horizontal plane orthogonal to an axis of rotation. The actuator body further includes an actuator arm extending from the main body section. The actuator body further includes a flex cable guiding support extending from the main body section adjacent the actuator arm orthogonal to the horizontal plane. The head stack assembly further includes a flex cable including a substantially flat main cable body disposed in mechanical communication with the flex cable guiding support in planes orthogonal to the horizontal plane parallel to the axis of rotation.

Abstract: A recording head is a magnetic head in which ends on one side of opposed first and second magnetic cores form a recording gap, said other ends form a magnetic joint, coils insulated by an insulating material are provided between said first and second magnetic cores, magnetic fluxes of said first and second magnetic cores excited by said coils leak from said recording gap so that recording onto a recording medium is carried out. In said recording head, a distance from said end of said recording gap close to said magnetic medium to a contact point of said magnetic joint (hereinafter, yoke length) is not more than 20 ?m. A magnetic recording/reproduction apparatus has this head.

Abstract: A magnetic sensor is disclosed that is disposed between top and bottom magnetic shield layers, the sensor comprising: a nonferromagnetic layer disposed beneath the top shield layer; a magnetically soft layer disposed beneath the nonferromagnetic layer, the magnetically soft layer having a magnetization that rotates in response to an applied magnetic field; a ferromagnetic pinned layer disposed beneath the magnetically soft layer; an antiferromagnetic layer disposed beneath the ferromagnetic layer; and an aluminum-nitride seed layer disposed between the antiferromagnetic layer and the bottom shield layer. The aluminum-nitride seed layer decreases sense current shunting, increases pinning strength, increases magnetoresistance and/or increases yield.

Abstract: A method is provided for providing air-skiving edges of a tape head. A slot is created in an upper face of a substrate of a tape head. The slot includes at least one edge defining an edge of a tape bearing surface (TBS) of the tape head. The surface of the tape head is then formed and finished, such as by lapping. A grind operation is subsequently conducted to form a notch in the upper face of the substrate of the tape head. Such notch extends from the slot to an outside end of the substrate of the tape head.

Abstract: A magnetic head suspension assembly is fabricated with an integral piece which includes a load beam section, a flexure section, a rest mount section and a leaf spring section between the load beam and rear mount. A tongue extends from the load beam to the flexure and has a down-facing load dimple which contacts the non-air bearing surface of an attached air bearing slider. The flexure includes narrow thin legs adjacent to a cutout that delineates the load beam tongue. The head suspension is characterised by a high first bending mode frequency and low pitch and roll stiffness.

Abstract: A head drum assembly for a tape recorder includes a stationary drum fixed on a main base of a deck and having a through-hole formed in the bottom thereof, and a rotary drum having a magnetic head and rotatably installed on the stationary drum by a rotation shaft. A flexible printed circuit is electrically connected to rotary transformers respectively installed in the rotary drum and the stationary drum, for transmitting an information signal read by the magnetic head to a main printed circuit board (PCB). A first connector is coupled to an end of the flexible printed circuit for electrically connecting the flexible printed circuit to the main PCB. The flexible printed circuit is drawn out directly downward via the through-hole so that the first connector is electrically connected to a second connector mounted to the main PCB.

Abstract: A magnetic head suspension assembly is fabricated with an integral piece which includes a load beam section, a flexure section, a rear mount section and a leaf spring section between the load beam and rear mount. A tongue extends from the load beam to the flexure and has a down-facing load dimple which contacts the non-air bearing surface of an attached air bearing slider. The flexure includes narrow thin legs adjacent to a cutout that delineates the load beam tongue. The head suspension is characterized by a high first bending mode frequency and low pitch and roll stiffness.