Abstract: To obtain the correct tape wrap angle at the head in a cassette loaded recorder, tape guiding support "outriggers" integral with the head assembly are provided. The outriggers are located on either side of the active portion of the head structure to guide the tape and to establish the tape/head wrap angle independent of the exact locations of the cassette guides. Slots separate the active head structure from each of the outriggers, presenting an edge at each side of the head to skive any air film adherent to the moving tape as it approaches the head's transducer. Additionally, the entire head and outrigger structure is fabricated from the same or mechanically similar materials and has an overall constant area profile contour which wears at a uniform rate due to tape abrasion.

Abstract: In a recorder having two inline heads, such as a record head followed by a reproduce head, it is necessary to insure adequate tape wrap angle at the transducing element of each head. Because the tape is spanned between the two inline heads, the tape leaves the apex of one head at a zero wrap angle and arrives at the apex of the second head with a zero wrap angle. The invention provides outriggers on each head assembly which guide the tape, and teaches placing each transducing element off the apex of its head assembly to maintain adequate wrap angles at the transducing elements of each inline head. The outriggers are provided with slots which skive entrapped air to prevent tape "flying" with attendant loss of contact with the transducing elements. The contours of the outriggers and the lands on which the transducing elements of each head assembly are located form constant area profiles to provide constant wear characteristics for the head assemblies.

Abstract: A magnetic record disk assembly includes a floppy disk located within a rigid case having integral case stiffeners, wiping force appliers and floppy disk stabilizers. Wipers made of fabric, cleaning material are located within the case and disk flexure creates frictional force between the wipers and the disk. Thus, the wipers clean contaminants from the disk during rotation thereof within the case. A simple, automatic, cam-actuated shutter covers a transducer access slot in the case. This shutter is restrained by a detent to prevent undesired movement. A modified form of shutter has a compression spring that facilitates assembly of the shutter. A write protect device is located within the case. This device includes a piece that is mounted to rotate through an arc of 180.degree. in a plane perpendicular to a side surface of the case for opening and closing a sensing aperture within the case.

Abstract: A magnetic record disk assembly includes a floppy disk located within a rigid case having integral case stiffeners, wiping force appliers and floppy disk stabilizers. Wipers made of fabric, cleaning material are located within the case and disk flexure creates frictional force between the wipers and the disk. Thus, the wipers clean contaminents from the disk during rotation thereof within the case. A simple, automatic, cam-actuated shutter covers a transducer access slot in the case. This shutter is restrained by a detent to prevent undesired movement. A modified form of shutter has a compression spring that facilitates assembly of the shutter. A write protect device is located within the case. This device includes a piece that is mounted to rotate through an arc of 180.degree. in a plane perpendicular to a side surface of the case for opening and closing a sensing aperture within the case.

Abstract: A flexible magnetic recording media, such as disks or magnetic tape, having a non-magnetic layer intermediate the substrate and magnetic recording layers providing improved durability of the magnetic recording layer including a binder comprised of non-magnetic particles of .alpha.Fe.sub.2 O.sub.3 with similar physical properties as those of the magnetic recording layer (.gamma.Fe.sub.2 O.sub.3 or Co-.gamma.Fe.sub.2 O.sub.3) and a reservoir of lubricant.

Abstract: A process for forming a magnetic recording member composed of a substrate, a magnetic film, and a protective layer. The magnetic film is deposited on the substrate by means of DC or RF sputtering and electron beam vacuum deposition in a partial pressure of inert gas. During the final minutes of the sputter process, oxygen or carbon monoxide is injected into the vacuum chamber to form the protective layer.

Abstract: An improved magnetic flexible disk for use in data storage is provided with a stabilized locating ring about the spindle aperture thereof. The stabilized locating ring is selected from an electrically conductive material having miniscule humidital expansion characteristics at normal use temperatures. The stabilized locating ring has an inside diameter precisely equal to the outside diameter of the drive spindle on the disk drive apparatus for which the disk is designed to be utilized. The locating ring is bonded onto an existing disk which has had its central aperture punched to be slightly oversized. The improved disk is characterized by its longer usable lifetime, substantially elimination of errors in registration and increased data capacity.

Abstract: A magnetic head assembly useful as a write head is formed with a ferrite substrate, having a recessed channel on one surface in which a conductive coil is deposited, and a ferrite closure having a planar surface that is joined to the substrate surface to establish a transducing gap and to enclose the recessed coil. In operation, pulsed write current is applied to the write head and a significant reduction in Joule heating is realized. A low resistance substrate is employed to provide a high saturation flux density.

Abstract: A magnetic head assembly includes a ferrite core sandwiched between two ceramic layers. Alumina films are deposited by sputtering on the sides of the ferrite core and on the ceramic layers in one structure, and on the ferrite core only in another structure, which are then bonded to form an integral head assembly. Slots to provide flying height control are formed in the air bearing surface of the ceramic layers. The process of making the assembly includes the steps of sputter etching the ferrite and ceramic prior to the deposition of the alumina.

Abstract: Signal peaks are identified by measuring the slopes on each side of a signal peak. Each slope measurement is linearized to ascertain a slope angle. Both linearized portions and slope angles are compared to find an intersection of the linearized portions. Such intersection identifies the location of a single peak. The measurement method is particularly useful for detection of peaks in signals with low signal to noise ratios. A programmed digital computer may be used in the measurement method.

Abstract: Write windings are deposited on a ferrite half yoke mounted on a titanium body, and magnetoresistive elements are deposited on another ferrite half yoke mounted on another titanium body. A center section comprising a sandwich of silver-copper shielding material between two ferrite sheets has glass-filled slots cut on one side thereof. The center shield is placed between the write and read sides with the write windings placed between pairs of glass-filled slots and with the magnetoresistive elements in contact with the opposite surface of the center shield. The write windings and the magnetoresistive elements are connected to connector blocks prior to final assembly, and the write and read sides and the center section are pressured together by bolts through two end pieces, forming a vise-like structure.

Abstract: A magnetic transducer exhibiting the magnetoresistive (MR) effect is made by depositing at least two thin film layers. An MR film placed in electrical contact with a higher resistivity layer is magnetically biased by a portion of the MR sense current shunted through the nonmagnetic layer.

Abstract: A rotating head magnetic tape transport wherein a helical wrap of flexible magnetic tape is formed about a stationary tubular mandrel and a rotatable headwheel which carries a slotted head of generally spherical flying contour.This rotating head includes a generally spherical surface profile to insure that the head flies with close microinch adjacency to a length of magnetic recording tape. The head's spherical profile includes two parallel airflow slots which extend in the direction of head movement. A uniform, stable, hydrodynamic air film is developed over a relatively large area, generally centered on the head's transducing gap.

Abstract: Parallelism between the track on magnetic tape and the path of the rotating head is dynamically adjusted and maintained by adjusting one or both of the entry or exit guides guiding the tape as it helically wraps a mandrel. The mandrel has two halves that flank the rotating head so that as the tape wraps the mandrel, the rotating head traverses the tape at an oblique angle. Skew error is represented by a lack of parallelism between the track on the tape and the path of the rotating head across the tape. The skew error may be corrected by laterally shifting either the entry or exit tape edge guide without distorting the track over a limited lateral range of movement by the guides. The entry and exit edge guides are continuouscompliant air-bearing guides. Similarly, the mandrel that supports the tape adjacent the rotating head is also air bearing.

Abstract: A magnetoresistive (MR) layer is placed offcenter the distance between two shields to enhance self-biasing. Information is carried on a magnetizable medium as recorded magnetic areas. The shields are spaced apart by a distance on the order of and less than the shortest recorded wavelength for which the head is meant to be used. The MR element and the shields have their edges nearest the medium in a common plane perpendicular to the vertical component of a signal from the recorded area. An additional shunt bias layer may be provided immediately adjacent and coextensive the MR element, and the head may serve one or many tracks.