Asymmetrical Rail Arrangement Patents (Class 360/236.9)
  • Patent number: 8681455
    Abstract: A slider includes a leading edge, a trailing edge, a transducer adjacent to the trailing edge, and an air bearing surface. The air bearing surface includes a forward pad, a rearward pad, and a center rail pad feature disposed along a longitudinal axis of the slider. The center rail pad feature includes a first shallow recess finger and a second shallow recess finger diverging from the longitudinal axis toward the trailing edge.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 2, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 25, 2014
    Assignee: Seagate Technology LLC
    Inventors: Anil Junuthula Reddy, Manuel Charles Anaya Dufresne
  • Patent number: 7929250
    Abstract: A head slider and a hard disk drive (HDD) including the head slider, the head slider including an air bearing surface (ABS) protruding from a disk facing surface of the head slider toward the disk, a shallow recess (SR) retreated behind the ABS, and a cavity recess (CR) retreated behind the ABS and the SR.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 19, 2011
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Tae-sik Kang, Hyo-june Ahn
  • Patent number: 7164557
    Abstract: An air bearing burnish slider burnishes very small asperities and cleans the loose particles that adhere to the magnetic recording media. The slider applies a controllable contact force to effectively burnish disk asperities or partially attached particles. In addition, the slider cleans the loose particles effectively while flying in a stable fashion. In a low pitch design, diagonal rails push particles away from the disk surface and trailing edge pads contact the disk at lower linear velocities. Rail pads retain loose contamination and debris in their pockets and burnish asperities. Another design provides a milder burnish force and flies in a high pitch configuration. The trailing edge pads provide stable contacts and the rails help in sweeping away debris. In both designs, the contact forces can be controlled by adjusting linear velocities. A step taper at the leading edge provides a pitch-producing lift force.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 23, 2004
    Date of Patent: January 16, 2007
    Assignee: Hitachi Global Storage Technologies Netherlands BV
    Inventors: Parul Agrawal, Hang Fai Ngo, Charles Lee, Li-Chung Lee, Ullal Vasant Nayak, Stephen Olson, Robert N. Payne, Christopher Ramm
  • Patent number: 7159228
    Abstract: A converter that records or reproduces information to or from a recording medium while making a movement relative to the recording medium is mounted on a slider. The slider has at least a pair of openings on a side face thereof, and airflow generated by the movement relative to the recording medium flows in via one of the paired openings, passes in a vicinity of a surface of the converter other than a surface thereof facing the recording medium, and thereafter flows out via the other one of the paired openings. With this, the ability to cool the converter is improved.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 2002
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2007
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Osamu Mizuno, Yutaka Murakami, Tohru Nakamura
  • Patent number: 6882504
    Abstract: A slider for a data head including a dynamically imbalanced slider landing integrated pad interface (SLIP interface) forming a predicted tipped interface. For contact starts and stops the SLIP interface supports the slider so that the slider tips toward the predicted tipped interface. The predicted tipped interface includes a tribological surface to provide desired stiction control at the tipped interface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 20, 2001
    Date of Patent: April 19, 2005
    Assignee: Seagate Technology LLC
    Inventors: Zine-Eddine Boutaghou, Jing Gui
  • Patent number: 6647612
    Abstract: A method is disclosed for constructing an ultra-low-flying-height slider for carrying a transducing head in a disc drive system including a rotatable disc. The method comprises removing material from an air bearing surface of the slider to create a channel at a likely location of contact with the rotatable disc and filling the channel with a low-friction, high-wear-resistance material. The channel is filled such that the air bearing surface is configured the same as the air bearing surface configuration prior to removing material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 5, 2001
    Date of Patent: November 18, 2003
    Assignee: Seagate Technology LLC
    Inventors: Zine-Eddine Boutaghou, Jorge Vicente Hanchi, Andreas Argyros Polycarpou, Thomas Roy Pitchford, Anthony Pascal Sannino
  • Patent number: 6646831
    Abstract: An air bearing slider for supporting a transducer over a moving recording medium and a method for fabricating such an air bearing slider. The air bearing slider lifts off the recording medium with a predetermined take-off velocity when the recording medium begins to move. The air bearing slider has a first etched region that has a first etch depth and a second etched region that has a second etch depth. The etch depth ratio of the first etch depth to the second etch depth provides a pad-type air bearing slider with a take-off velocity ratio that is greater than or equal to 100%. The etch depth ratio of the first etch depth to the second etch depth provides a rail-type air bearing slider with a take-off velocity ratio that is greater than or equal to approximately 70%.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 22, 2000
    Date of Patent: November 11, 2003
    Assignee: Matsushita Kotobuki Electronics Peripherals of America, Inc.
    Inventors: Susumu Takagi, Peter T. Griffin, Tebor Heminway, Luciano Spiridigliozzi
  • Patent number: 6611401
    Abstract: A glide head includes two rails that run from the leading end to the trailing end of the glide head and a transverse contact rail that is orientated orthogonally to the two rails and is located at the trailing end of the glide head. The two rails may contact the transverse contact rail or one or both may not extend to the transverse contact rail. In addition, the channel region defined between the two rails and the wing, if used, may be tapered so that they merge with the bottom surface of the transverse contact rail. The transverse contact rail may extend beyond the two rails. The glide head flies with a positive pitch which causes the transverse contact rail to be the closest area on the glide head to the surface of a rotating disk being tested. Thus, the mechanical energy is greatest when the transverse contact rail contacts a defect on a disk, and thus the transverse contact rail is the active rail.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 14, 2000
    Date of Patent: August 26, 2003
    Assignee: Marburg Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Margelus A. Burga, Alexander A. Burga
  • Patent number: 6608735
    Abstract: An air bearing slider includes an asymmetric taper for control of pressurization and suction force formation. The asymmetric taper is disposed on an edge of a slider to accommodate for the speed differential across the disc radial direction, thereby improving take-off performance, reducing sensitivity to skew angle and altitude variation, and reducing the severity of impacts during ramp loading and unloading. A leading taper intersecting a leading surface and air bearing surface of the slider is asymmetric about a longitudinal, bisecting plane of the slider. In another embodiment, side taper intersecting a side surface and air bearing surface of the slider is asymmetric about a latitudinal, bisecting plane of the slider. In another embodiment, rail taper intersecting a rail recess surface and air bearing surface of the slider is asymmetric about a longitudinal, rail-bisecting plane.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 26, 2001
    Date of Patent: August 19, 2003
    Assignee: Seagate Technology LLC
    Inventors: Catalin Ioan Serpe, Weimin Qian, Mary Cynthia Hipwell
  • Patent number: 6583959
    Abstract: An improved head assembly having air bearing features for contaminant control in flexible media high contact-pressure zone. The head assembly having one or more air bearing features for improving the performance of the heads by controlling a flow of contaminants away from the head sensor and the high contact-pressure zone. The improved head assembly having air bearing features allows the head to keep contaminants out of the high contact-pressure zone proximate the head disk interface where the sensor communicates (e.g., contacts) the flexible media. The head assembly of the present invention includes a shaped slot air bearing feature formed in the rail having the sensor that directs the flow of contaminants away from the high contact-pressure zone and therefore, away from the sensor. This helps to prevent problems associated with head spacing and also damage to the head, the disk, and/or both.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 19, 2000
    Date of Patent: June 24, 2003
    Assignee: Iomega Corporation
    Inventor: David L. Hall
  • Patent number: 6529347
    Abstract: A disc drive slider includes a slider body and a rail formed on the slider body. The rail includes a bearing surface which faces a surface of a disc. A textured portion is formed on the bearing surface of the rail. Pads are deposited on the textured portions. The pads operate to reduce stiction, dynamic friction, and the likelihood of damage to the slider or the surface of the disc due to contact therebetween.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 24, 2001
    Date of Patent: March 4, 2003
    Assignee: Seagate Technology LLC
    Inventors: Mary C. Hipwell, Jason W. Riddering, Jorge V. Hanchi, Lance E. Stover, Timothy W. Stoebe, Brian W. Karr, Jianxin Zhu
  • Patent number: 6417992
    Abstract: A head assembly which can prevent an increase in the frictional force between the head and the recording medium, even if the spindle motor is rotated in the reverse direction during start-up of the disk drive. The head assembly includes a suspension having a roundedly bent portion for generating a spring load and a gimbal located on the suspension. A head slider is mounted on the gimbal. The head slider has an air bearing surface, an air inlet end, and an air outlet end. The spring load of said suspension is applied to the head slider at a load point that is offset from a center of gravity of said head slider. Preferably, the offset load point is located between the center of gravity of the head slider and its air inlet end. Additionally, the head slider preferably includes several pads extending from its air bearing surface, and the offset load point can be located at the center of gravity of the pads (as opposed to the center of gravity of the head slider in its entirety).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 21, 1999
    Date of Patent: July 9, 2002
    Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
    Inventors: Masaharu Sugimoto, Masaki Kameyama, Takeshi Ohwe
  • Patent number: 6396662
    Abstract: A magnetic head has a first magnetic head unit for recording and reproducing information to and from a first flexible rotating recording medium; a second magnetic head unit for recording and reproducing information to and from a second flexible rotating recording medium having a coercive force lower than a coercive force of the first flexible rotating recording medium; and a slider supporting the first and second magnetic head units, the slider having a central groove separating a first air bearing surface at which the first magnetic head unit is provided and a second air bearing surface at which the second magnetic head unit is provided, the slider generating an elevating force from an air flow generated in a space between the first and second air bearing surfaces and the flexible rotating recording medium, the first air bearing surface having a width on a leading edge side thereof perpendicular to a direction of approach of the flexible rotating recording medium and a width on a trailing edge side thereof d
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 8, 2000
    Date of Patent: May 28, 2002
    Assignee: Mitsumi Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Tomohiko Osaka, Norikazu Kudo
  • Patent number: 6388839
    Abstract: This invention relates to a magnetic head device and a disk drive, which are suitable for application to a mass-storage floppy disk drive. A first and second rails are provided on the disk side in projected form on a slider of each of magnetic head elements 20 so as to extend in a tangential direction R of a track of the disk and be parallel with each other. A head chip for recording and reproducing data in a state of being in contact with a recording surface of the disk and in a standard recording density is provided substantially in the central position of the first rail. Another head chip for recording and reproducing data in a state of being levitated from the recording surface of the disk and in a high recording density is provided in a position on the rear side of the second rail 26b with respect to the tangential direction R of the track. A width of the first rail of each magnetic head element is narrower than a width of the second rail thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 22, 2001
    Date of Patent: May 14, 2002
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Yutaka Souda, Hiraku Akiho, Wataru Ito
  • Publication number: 20010038513
    Abstract: This invention relates to a magnetic head device and a disk drive, which are suitable for application to a mass-storage floppy disk drive or the like. A first and a second rails are provided on the disk side in projected form on a slider of each of magnetic head elements 20 so as to extend in a tangential direction R of a track of the disk and be parallel with each other. A head chip for recording and reproducing data in a state of being in contact with a recording surface of the disk and in a standard recording density is provided substantially in the central position of the first rail. Another head chip for recording and reproducing data in a state of being levitated from the recording surface of the disk and in a high recording density is provided in a position on the rear side of the second rail 26b with respect to the tangential direction R of the track. A width of the first rail of each magnetic head element is narrower than a width of the second rail thereof.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 22, 2001
    Publication date: November 8, 2001
    Applicant: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yutaka Souda, Hiraku Akiho, Wataru Ito
  • Patent number: 6304419
    Abstract: This invention relates to a magnetic head device and a disk drive, which are suitable for application to a mass-storage floppy disk drive or the like. A first and a second rail are provided on the disk side in projected form on a slider of each of magnetic head elements 20 so as to extend in a tangential direction R of a track of the disk and be parallel with each other. A head chip for recording and reproducing data in a state of being in contact with a recording surface of the disk and in a standard recording density is provided substantially in the central position of the first rail. Another head chip for recording and reproducing data in a state of being levitated from the recording surface of the disk and in a high recording density is provided in a position on the rear side of the second rail 26b with respect to the tangential direction R of the track. A width of the first rail of each magnetic head element is narrower than a width of the second rail thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 11, 1999
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2001
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Yutaka Souda, Hiraku Akiho, Wataru Ito
  • Publication number: 20010019467
    Abstract: The present invention provides a magnetic head slider including rails formed on the medium-facing surface on the magnetic disk side for generating buoyant force so that the slider flies and moves above a magnetic disk to write or read magnetic information. In the magnetic head slider, a first carbon film having corrosion resistance is provided on the surface of the rails provided on the medium-facing surface of the slider body through an adhesive layer, protrusions formed by alternately laminating an intermediate film and a second carbon film are provided on the first carbon film, and at least the outermost second carbon film of the second carbon films, which constitute each of the protrusions, has abrasion resistance.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 27, 2000
    Publication date: September 6, 2001
    Applicant: Alps Electric C., Ltd
    Inventors: Tomoo Otsuka, Hirohisa Ishihara
  • Publication number: 20010010613
    Abstract: A magnetic head slider for writing or reading magnetic information while flying above a magnetic disk, includes a slider body provided with a magnetic head core, and a rail and/or a pad for generating lift, provided on the surface facing a recording medium of the slider body. A crown is formed at least at a position on the rail selected from the group consisting of the surface facing the recording medium of the slider body, the rail, and the pad. The rail includes side-rails formed on both sides of the surface facing the recording medium of the slider body and extending from the air inflow side to the air outflow side of the slider body. A groove is provided between the side-rails. At least one protrusion is provided on each side-rail on the air inflow side and/or on each side of the groove on the air inflow side. The protrusion protrudes more toward the magnetic disk than the side-rails.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 10, 2001
    Publication date: August 2, 2001
    Applicant: Alps Electric Co., Ltd
    Inventor: Tomoo Otsuka
  • Patent number: 6239951
    Abstract: An air bearing slider has an air bearing surface with two rails separated by a cavity. The rails are nonsymmetrical about the longitudinal axis. Instead, the width of the active rail is greater at the trailing end than at the leading end, such as by having a hook portion 64 which extends inward at a sharp angle to the longitudinal axis of the slider. The wider hook portion 64 causes an increased flying height sensitivity to underlying disc/wind speed. The nonactive rail has a greater width than the non-hook portion of the active rail, so the slider exhibits slight negative roll. A vibration sensor is attached to the air bearing slider, and the air bearing slider is used in glide testing of discs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 16, 1998
    Date of Patent: May 29, 2001
    Assignee: Seagate Technology, LLC
    Inventors: Ling Wang, Zuxuan Lin, Li Li
  • Patent number: 6233119
    Abstract: A glide head using a slider with an outside active rail is described. In one embodiment, the trailing end of the outside rail extends beyond the trailing end of the inside rail. Thus, during use, the trailing end of the outside rail is closer to the surface of the magnetic disk because of the slope of the glide head's flight. Accordingly, the outside rail is the active rail. The inside rail may be wider than the outside rail to compensate for additional lift created by the greater length of the outside rail. In an alternative embodiment, the trailing end of the outside rail extends beyond the trailing end of the inside rail and there are notches located in the side edges of the rails. The notches do not extend to the forward tapered ends of the rails nor to the trailing ends of the rails. The notches provide additional stability during the slider's flight and decrease the air bearing area of the rails as needed for fly height requirements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 25, 1999
    Date of Patent: May 15, 2001
    Assignee: Marburg Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Alexander A. Burga, Margelus A. Burga
  • Patent number: 6226151
    Abstract: A magnetic recording contact slider is disclosed which allows a magneto-resistive recording element to achieve a significantly reduced physical and magnetic spacing with a rigid magnetic recording disk in a disk drive, without resulting in thermal transients caused by sensor/disk contacts. The slider utilizes a high air-bearing surface curvature to reduce the static friction between the slider and the recording disk.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 29, 1999
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2001
    Assignee: Maxtor Corporation
    Inventor: Quinn Haddock