Abstract: A head assembly moving along a long side of a magnetic card, more than one magnetic head rotating in the head assembly for reading/writing data, a rotary transformer and a carriage with a card holding mechanism for keeping a card at a predefined position are provided in a card reader of the present invention. A rotating part of the rotary transformer in the head assembly receives and sends a signal to the magnetic head and a fixing part of the rotary transformer is connected to a reading/writing circuit. On the card of the present invention, which is usually rectangular, there are tracks defined by plural arcs. The arcs are on plural same-size circles whose centers are aligned on one line along the long side of the card. A magnetic card or an optical card can be used for the present invention.

Abstract: A head assembly moving along a long side of a magnetic card, more than one magnetic head rotating in the head assembly for reading/writing data, a rotary transformer and a carriage with a card holding mechanism for keeping a card at a predefined position are provided in a card reader of the present invention. A rotating part of the rotary transformer in the head assembly receives and sends a signal to the magnetic head and a fixing part of the rotary transformer is connected to a reading/writing circuit. On the card of the present invention, which is usually rectangular, there are tracks defined by plural arcs. The arcs are on plural same-size circles whose centers are aligned on one line along the long side of the card. A magnetic card or an optical card can be used for the present invention.

Abstract: In a magnetic recording device for magnetically recording Information on a magnetic recording medium by a magnetic head, the magnetic head is so oriented that the magnetic flux leaking at the head gap is at right angles with the direction of relative movement between the magnetic head and the magnetic recording medium and parallel with the surface of the magnet recording medium. The magnetic recording medium may have track portions formed of a magnetic material, and intertrack portions formed of a nonmagnetic material. The magnetic recording medium may alternatively be formed of convex track portions and concave intertrack portions.

Abstract: A magnetic disk drive. A cartridge for accommodating a magnetic recording medium also accommodates an actuator and a spindle. The spindle accommodated in the cartridge is driven by a spindle driving mechanism provided in a driving device so as to rotate the magnetic recording medium. The actuator is driven by an actuator driving mechanism provided in the driving device so as to move a magnetic head approximately in the radial direction of the magnetic recording medium. The cartridge includes a shutter mechanism which is opened so as to expose at least a part of the spindle and the actuator in such a manner as to face the actuator driving mechanism and the spindle driving mechanism, respectively, when the cartridge is mounted on the driving device and which is closed so as to enclose the spindle and the magnetic head and the actuator in the cartridge in a sealed state when the cartridge is removed from the driving device.

Abstract: In order that either a disk cartridge 3 housing a disk memory medium 2, such as a flexible magnetic sheet, which is mechanically accessible or a semiconductor cartridge 15A (or 15B) housing a semiconductor memory medium which is statically accessible without any mechanical movement is made usable in a memory device, the memory device is provided with a switching circuit 18 for switching between the disk and semiconductor memory medium control circuits 14 and 16; a discrimination circuit 17 for identifying the type of a memory medium of an inserted disk cartridge; and a device for feeding an output of the discrimination circuit 17 to the switching circuit 18 for effecting automatic switching or a selecting device 29 for controlling the switching circuit 18 according to the memory medium to be used.