Abstract: One embodiment of the present invention is a method for writing data on a number of sectors of a track of a disk drive that includes: (a) sending a signal to write data on a first sector of the track; (b) receiving a write data default; (c) sending a signal to write data on another sector of the track after skipping a predetermined number of sectors; (d) waiting for the first sector to be in position again; and (e) sending a signal to retry to write data on the first sector if a predetermined number of retries to write data on the track has not been exceeded.

Abstract: A disk drive contains at least one sector that is protected from erasure, such as an erasure that may occur during reformatting. The sector(s) is used to store information related to one or more tests that may be performed on the disk drive and/or on other devices of a computer system in which the disk drive is located. This information may be used to facilitate a subsequent evaluation of the disk drive and/or computer system.

Abstract: A magnetic memory is composed of a ring-shaped magnetic layer having a notch formed by partially cutting out the periphery thereof in circular arc shape.

Abstract: A videocassette has a display portion for displaying recorded contents. The display portion is formed with a display device. The display device has a conductive layer, a PDLC (polymer-dispersed liquid crystal) film, and a protective layer. The display device can repeatedly record and erase visible information.

Abstract: A single pole perpendicular write head is provided comprising an inductive write head pole structure comprising a layered structure alternating a plurality of ferromagnetic layers with a plurality of antiparallel coupling layers to form an antiparallel coupled ferromagnetic stack. The antiparallel coupling of the ferromagnetic layers when the head is not writing forms a flux closed magnetic configuration of the write pole resulting in reduction or elimination of stray remanence fields at the pole tip region that may cause unwanted data erasure at the disk surface.

Abstract: An apparatus comprising a transmission/reception device for transmitting/receiving data and command signals from a transmission line, a recording/reproducing device for recording data received from the transmission/reception device on a recording medium during reception and for transmitting data reproduced from the recording medium to the transmission/reception device during transmission, an operation device for generating an operation signal for determining the operation of the recording/reproducing device, a control device for controlling the recording/reproducing device in accordance with the command signals or the operation signal, and a switching signal generation device for outputting a switching signal for determining whether the operation signal is valid or invalid to the control device.

Abstract: A head suspension assembly 4 has an arm 17 supported so as to rotate, an elastically flexible suspension 16 having one end which is fixed to an end of the arm and the other end has a magnetic head 2 mounted thereon, and a signal transmission line 18 fixed on the suspension and the arm which connects the magnetic head with a main FPC.

Abstract: Track thinning at an IN point of consecutive recording is prevented by doing a head-track one-edge coincidence tracking by using a head of a larger width than the track width. ATF control means (15) makes a control during reproduction of pre-roll of consecutive recording according to a pilot signal out of the reproduction output from heads (1a, 1c) so that centers of the heads (1a, 1c) may scan the center line of the track. A positioning signal (6g) during the control and a phase of HSW are detected by a detecting circuit (16), and a desired phase having a predetermined advanced amount is set by a desired phase setting means (18) and stored in a storage unit (19). After this, a tracking method switching control unit (23) switches the tracking method into another by which a control unit (20) controls the difference in phase between the positioning signal (6g) and the HSW to a desired value stored in the storage unit (19).

Abstract: A magnetic disk apparatus includes a requesting unit for requesting the magnetic disk apparatus to re-set a value of specification information capable of determining performance of the magnetic disk apparatus in combination with either identification result or flag information; a performance unit for causing the magnetic disk apparatus which receives the request to re-set the own specification; a detecting unit for detecting an internal condition of the disk apparatus; a processing unit for processing the detection result; a conversion unit for converting the internal condition of the magnetic disk apparatus into states of a numeral value, a figure, a color, and a sound in combination with the process result, and for notifying the converted condition to a user; and a battery.

Abstract: The present invention features a magnetic read head having an IC component provided within or adjacent to the head case. No low-level, analog signals, which are generally highly susceptible to electrical noise, leave the head structure. Power and ground signals are provided to the hybrid head. Digitized data corresponding to encoded information upon the magnetic stripe on a credit card, ID badge, or similar article is provided at output terminals. Decoding is performed by an ASIC or similar device located at the read head. A data strobe signal and/or a magnetic medium detected signal may also be provided by the read head.

Abstract: A transducing head for perpendicularly writing data to a magnetic medium having a recording layer and a soft magnetic underlayer comprises a perpendicular write transducer for writing data into the recording layer and a DC magnetic writer having legs in spaced relation to generate a magnetic field along tracks of the magnetic medium. The magnetic field writes a DC magnetic effect longitudinally into the soft magnetic underlayer, thereby reducing noise due to the operation of the perpendicular write transducer.

Abstract: A magnetic recording system includes a magnetic recording medium including a magnetic layer, the magnetic layer being composed of magnetic grains, and a magnetic head including a recording unit and a reproducing unit. An orientation of an axis of easy magnetization of the magnetic grains is three-dimensionally distributed. An average angle between a direction of an axis of easy magnetization of each of the magnetic grains and a surface of the magnetic recording medium is within a range of 20° to 30°. A squareness ratio Mr/Ms of a remanent magnetization Mr of the magnetic recording medium to a saturation magnetization Ms of the magnetic recording medium is equal to 0.5 or more and is equal to 0.6 or less. A recording density of information which is recorded onto the magnetic recording medium is equal to 360 kfci or more.

Abstract: A storage medium disabling method and storage medium disabling apparatus renders a disposing optical disc unusable. The disposing optical disc has a data area on which data is recorded and a read-in area on which TOC information is recorded. The storage medium disabling method and storage medium disabling apparatus causes an irreversible change on a predetermined portion including a part of the read-in area to destroy continuity of TOC information, thereby rendering the optical disc unusable without a failure.

Abstract: A method of recording information bits in a magnetic storage medium, the method comprising positioning a first conductor adjacent to a magnetic recording medium, the conductor having a width and a length, wherein a distance between the first conductor and the magnetic recording medium is less than or equal to the width and the length, and passing a first current through the conductor of sufficient magnitude to produce a magnetic field in the magnetic medium greater than one Tesla and having a magnetic field gradient in a cross track direction and a down track direction greater than 100 Oe/nm over a bit dimension. The thickness of the first conductor can be less than or equal to the distance between the first conductor and the magnetic recording medium. The current density in the conductor can be greater than 109 ampere/cm2, and the length of the conductor can be less than 100 nm. The current can be applied as one or more pulses in a predetermined clock cycle time.

Abstract: A hard disk drive (HDD) comprising an additional application-specific component for receiving and executing application-specific instructions. Standard ATA or SCSI hard disk drives comprise, at a minimum, a housing, rotating disk platters containing data, magnetic heads to read and write data to the rotating disks, and a controller circuit for operating the rotation of the disk and read/write functions of the magnetic heads. An additional component is added to this standard list of components, the additional component being capable of receiving application-specific instructions via a standard network connection and executing these application-specific instructions on the data contained on the rotating disks. The application-specific component may be in the form of an add-on board which couples to the controller circuit or, alternatively, in the form of an application-specific chip which mates with a socket provided on the controller circuit.

Abstract: A portable data storage device has a wireless data communications function. A CPU of the device writes data transmitted by a radio wave from a communications object device to a data storage medium. At the time of writing, the CPU generates transfer control information including a range of the transmitted data and identification information of the communications object device. When a wave reception state of the device has become poor, the CPU stops the writing to the data storage medium. When communications connection has been resumed, the CPU performs control to continue the writing from a point where the writing was stopped, on the basis of the transfer control information.

Abstract: A system for modeling air bearing designs for heads of a data storage system The modeling system includes user definable surface contours for mask surfaces. The system generates integrated surface functions for the mask surfaces based upon the user defined mask surface contours. The system includes a user definable depth dimension for the mask surface functions and the integrated mask surface functions and dimension parameter for the mask surfaces are compiled to simulate a modeled air bearing structure for performance analysis and evaluation. The integrated mask surface functions are used to define the multiple mask tiers for slider fabrication.

Abstract: A method for protecting the original information in a disc includes a visual CPU disposed or arranged before the disc, for allowing users to enter into the visual CPU before entering into the disc, and for allowing the users to operate the disc without the operating system of the disc. The original information in the disc may be copied or stored into a spare area as stored information, which may then be copied over the original information before entering into the disc, particularly after the information in the disc has been damaged by various kinds of computer viruses.

Abstract: A disc recording/reproducing apparatus for recording/reproducing multi-channel data simultaneously on a recording medium, the apparatus including channel buffers for recording/reproducing corresponding to the multi-channels, and a recording/reproducing controller for, if there is a channel buffer is filled with data to be recorded among the allocated channel buffers for recording, reading data from the channel buffer to record the data on the allocated continuous space, and if there is an empty channel buffer among the allocated channel buffers for reproducing, writing data read from the recording medium to the empty channel buffer. In the apparatus, the size of the continuous space on the recording medium, the size of the channel buffers for recording, and the size of the channel buffers for reproducing are allocated based on recording/reproducing speed information of a channel in which recording/reproducing is required according to a recording/reproducing request.

Abstract: An information storage device (10, 510, 610, 710) includes a cradle (12, 512, 612, 712) which can removably receive a cartridge (11, 411, 511, 611, 711). The cartridge contains a rotatably supported disk (91, 326-327), and a pivotal actuator arm (101) which supports a read/write head (107, 331-334) for movement adjacent the disk. A coil (117) on the arm interacts with an external magnetic field to effect pivotal movement of the arm. The cartridge may contain a spin motor (92) for effecting rotation of a disk. A preamplifier (111) and an electrostatic discharge buffer (112) are provided for the head. A read-only memory (186) contains characteristic information about the cartridge, and an hour meter (191) contains information about the cumulative amount of time that the cartridge has been used. A connector (71) is provided to electrically couple external circuitry to electrical components within the cartridge.

Abstract: An apparatus for controlling data read/write between a hard disk and a hard disk controller is disclosed. The hard disk includes a disk for storing data, multiple read/write heads for reading or writing data onto the disk in accordance with a read request or write request from a requesting device, a non-volatile memory for storing control data in relation to reading data from the disk or writing data to the disk, and a controller for sending the control data to the requesting device in response to a read request or a write request from the requesting device before reading data or writing data.

Abstract: A master information carrier for magnetic transfer has a concentric irregularity pattern representing information to be transferred to a disc-like magnetic recording medium. The top surface of the protruding portions of the irregularity pattern is formed of magnetic material.

Abstract: A magnetic recording system includes a patterned medium comprised of land areas and trough areas, a write element which writes the data to the patterned medium, and a read element which reads the data from the patterned medium and servo information from the troughs. The land areas store data and the trough areas inhibit storage of data. The read element is wider than the write element.

Abstract: There is provided a magnetic tape apparatus which can easily and rapidly restore data and has improved availability. The magnetic tape apparatus includes a plurality of magnetic tape drives, and a control unit for reading and writing information from/in the magnetic tape drives by commands from a host computer. The control unit has a function for storing the same data in the plurality of magnetic tape drives while duplicating the data. The control unit includes a positioning unit for, when the duplicated data is read from one magnetic tape drive to complete the read, performing positioning such that a read position of another magnetic tape drive in which the same data is stored is advanced by a length corresponding to an amount of data read from one magnetic tape drive, and a read continuing unit for continuing read of data from the other magnetic tape drive when data is unsuccessfully read from one magnetic tape drive.

Abstract: In a hard disk unit, encrypted content data is stored in two hard disks by a storage read processing unit. A license required to decrypt the encrypted content data is stored in a secure data storage region of a memory unit. The memory unit is formed by a semiconductor device, and can be accessed independent of the hard disk units.

Abstract: A magnetic recording and reproducing system is disclosed, which comprises recording a signal on a magnetic recording medium comprising a support having thereon a magnetic layer containing a ferromagnetic powder and a binder, by an inductive head and reproducing the signal by a magneto resistance head, wherein:

Abstract: A usage-limit is associated with each copy of copy-protected material. A conforming playback device determines how much usage has been made of the copy, and only plays the copy-protected material if the usage is within the associated usage-limit of the copy. In a preferred embodiment of this invention, the providing source of the copy contains a total-usage-measure that is allocated among each of the provided copies of the copy-protected material, thereby allowing for more than one copy of the copy-protected material to be produced, or “checked-out” from the providing source. When a copy of the copy-protected material is subsequently returned, or “checked-in” to the providing source, the usage allocation associated with this copy is returned to the total-usage-value. In this manner, if a particular copy of the copy-protected material is lost, damaged, or misplaced, the loss of value to the purchaser is merely a reduction in the available total-usage.

Abstract: A technique for indicating the progress or end of information processing without the need for the user to view the screen. An information processor (1) which instructs a sound reproducer (9) reproduce music, comprising an information processing unit (2) for processing information, a designation recording unit (3, 4) for recording the designation of music data selected on the basis of the progress of information processing, and a control unit (2) for judging the progress of the information processing and commanding the sound reproducer (9) to reproduce the selected music data.

Abstract: A timing recovery unit detects a phase offset and a frequency offset from a head area of reproduction data and initially corrects them. Therefore, the timing recovery unit stores data in which a head reproduction signal has been made to be discrete by a fixed clock into a buffer. A phase offset detector detects the phase offset from the data head area in parallel with the operation for writing the data into the buffer. At the same time, a frequency offset detector detects the frequency offset from the data head area in parallel with the operation for writing the data into the buffer. A correction value of the detected phase offset and a correction value of the detected frequency offset are initially set into a digital PLL. After that, while the data is read out from the buffer, a frequency lead-in and a phase lead-in are executed in the head area.

Abstract: An assembleable recording and playback device for assembly and cooperative engagement in combination with a display unit for gifts such as vase providing a more personalized presentation for flowers and gifts from givers to receiving parties. The device features a plurality of recording and playback units which cooperatively engage with a plurality of different functional and ornamental display units such as vases and gift boxes. From a remote location, a person may call and record a personal message which is placed on the appropriate recording and playing device which is then cooperatively engaged with the appropriate ornamental display unit such as a vase. The assembled device can then be delivered with flowers or their gift anywhere in the world on the same day it is ordered with the personal message which plays when a drawer is opened.

Abstract: An information recording system includes a storage medium, such as a magnetic or an optical medium, that is formed to have a plurality of adjacent tracks. Each track includes a plurality of storage elements that are arranged substantially along the track in a regular manner. A head disposed in proximity to the storage medium and has a width that spans at least two adjacent tracks. The storage elements are further arranged substantially along first and second axes, such that the first and second axes are substantially perpendicular to each other and are each substantially oriented 45° from an along-track direction associated with a track. The head reads and/or writes information from at least two adjacent tracks spanned by the head.

Abstract: A data storage device performs a re-read of data prior to a read inhibit for data recovery and validation. When misregistration of read/write heads occurs, as indicated by a sampled servo position, data read from a track of the data storage device is withheld from a host until a subsequent sampled servo position is verified to be within a read limit width of the track. Data blocks preceding the servo position that caused the posting of the read inhibit are re-read, once the read inhibit is cleared. If the read inhibit is not present following the re-read of the data, this re-read data can be released to the host.

Abstract: An integrated data storage control system provides, in a single integrated circuit, RDC, servo logic, ATA interface, microprocessor, and other formerly discrete components in one highly integrated system design. The integrated circuit is rendered using a single integrated circuit technology type (e.g., digital CMOS) for all components. Analog and digital circuits are combined in such a way as to eliminate or reduce noise or interference in digital circuits from analog circuit components. Individual elements may have their outputs and inputs MUXed together such that individual elements can be selectively switched (during testing modes) such that the integrated circuit emulates or behaves in the same or similar manner as one of the prior art components. The present invention may be applied to magnetic hard disk drives (HDDs) or other types of storage devices such as floppy disk controllers, optical disk drives (e.g., CD-ROMs and the like), tape drives, and other data storage devices.

Abstract: A disk-cloning method and system is provided for cloning computer data from a source disk to a target disk. This disk-cloning method and system can be utilized, for example, in the computer assembly line to clone a preselected set of software programs to the main hard disk of each computer unit, or as a backup to a hard disk. This disk-cloning method and system is characterized in that the source data are read from the source disk and written onto the target disk in a sector-by-sector manner rather than in a file-by-file manner as the prior art. This feature allows the cloning procedure to be more efficiently carried out than the prior art. Moreover, it allows the disk-cloning procedure to be performed without having to make modifications to the existing FDT (File Directory Table) and FAT (File Allocation Table) on the target disk, thus ensuring the system security of the target disk. This disk-cloning method and system is therefore more reliable and efficient to use than the prior art.

Abstract: A data processing circuit includes a digital data source having an output carrying a sequence of digital signals. A pre-filter is coupled to the output of the digital data source. The pre-filter has a first output that carries a second sequence of digital signals and a second output that carries a third sequence of digital signals. The second sequence of digital signals is time shifted relative to the third sequence of digital signals. The circuit also includes an interpolation circuit with a first input coupled to the first output of the pre-filter and a second input coupled to the second output of the pre-filter.

Abstract: The invention includes a testing method which may be applied to at least one writer in a disk drive during the self-test phase to generate write parameters, focused on the Over Shoot Control (OSC) of the write current parameter to improve the reliability of write operations by that writer. The Minimum OSC is used for write operations in normal temperatures. The Optimum OSC is used for a first lower temperature range, preferably between essentially 15° Centigrade and essentially 5° Centigrade. The Maximum OSC is preferred below essentially 5° C. The Minimum OSC should preferably guarantee both an Adjacent Track Write (ATW) criteria, as well as guarantee a Write Induced Instability (WII) criteria. The invention includes the write parameter collection, as well as the disk drive containing the generated write parameter collection.

Abstract: This invention relates to a multi-layer lithographically fabricated device used to produce improved thin-film recording heads. It further relates to a focused particle beam system for milling a recording head pole-tip assembly without irradiating a sensitive structure, e.g. a read head, of the recording head. The invention precisely forms a pole-tip assembly by milling a second structural element without irradiating a first structural element. The invention avoids irradiating the first structural element by placing a first marker element, which can be imaged and/or damaged, in the same layer of a multi-layer lithographically fabricated device as the first structural element. The marker element has a fixed spatial relationship to the first structural element.

Abstract: A population of disk drives includes a first disk drive configuration that has a spindle motor made according to the spindle motor design and a second disk drive configuration that has a spindle motor made according to the spindle motor design. A population of spindle motors are manufactured according to a spindle motor design. Each of the spindle motors in the population of spindle motors has a track-following characteristic in a range. A first group of spindle motors that correspond to a first portion of the range are allocated to the first disk drive configuration. A second group of spindle motors that correspond to the second portion of the range are allocated either to the second disk drive configuration or to the first disk drive configuration.

Abstract: In a magnetic storage apparatus having a magnetic recording medium, a drive unit for driving this medium in a prespecified recording direction, a magnetic head assembly including a recorder section and reproduction section, a way to cause the magnetic head to move relatively with respect to the magnetic record medium, and a record/playback signal processor for performing signal inputting to the magnetic head and for effecting reproduction of an output signal from the magnetic head, the reproduction section of said magnetic head is composed of a magnetic head of the magnetoresistance effect type, while said magnetic record medium is structured including a substrate and a magnetic layer formed thereover with one or several underlayers being sandwiched therebetween, wherein at least one of hte underlayers is a specific layer that is made of amorphous or microcrystalline materials containing therein Ni as the principal or main component thereof and further containing at least one kind of element as selected from

Abstract: In one embodiment, the invention is directed toward inline lapping of magnetic tape. The lapping process is performed inline with one or more other magnetic tape manufacturing processes. In this manner, the number of times the magnetic tape is un-spooled and then re-spooled can be reduced. Consequently, the amount of handling of the individual tape pancakes can also be reduced, thus avoiding damage to the edge of the tape, or other damage associated with tape pancake handling.

Abstract: The maximum external magnetic field of a magnetic recording medium longitudinal component which is applied to a magnetic recording medium is smaller than an absolute value Hn of a magnetic field at the intersection of a straight line connecting two points of an M-H curve in the longitudinal direction of a soft magnetic backing layer and a tangent of the M-H curve. One of the two points is a point (Hs, Ms) at which magnetization saturates in the first quadrant. The other of the two points is a positive intersection (0, Mr) of the M-H curve and the ordinate. The tangent is at a negative intersection (−Hc, 0) of the M-H curve and the abscissa.

Abstract: In a digital acoustic reproducing apparatus 10 for selecting and outputting one sound information from a sound information source 11 having plural kinds of sound information with at least the number of channels or different data formats, there are provided sound information readout member 12 for reading sound information out of the sound information source 11, information acquisition member 18 for acquiring information about data formats capable of decoding by a decoder 21 to which the sound information read out is supplied or information about the number of speakers 30 to which the sound information decoded by the decoder 21 is supplied, and sound information selection member 14 for selecting sound information to be outputted to the decoder 21 based on the acquired information.

Abstract: A circuit and method are presented for detecting a fault in a magneto-resistive head (18). The circuit includes a bias circuit (50) to produce a bias voltage across the head (18) and a pair of resistors (68,70) in series with the head (18) connected to the bias circuit (50) to carry a current (IVMR) from the bias circuit (50) in common with the head. A circuit (102,102′) is provided to determine a ratio of a voltage across the head (18) with respect to a voltage across the head (18) and the pair of resistors (68,70), and a circuit (104,106,104′,106′) is provided for indicating a fault if the ratio falls outside a predetermined range.

Abstract: A system and method for performing write operations in a disk drive having a write stack drive is disclosed. The disk drive has two drives, a normal drive and a write stack drive. The write stack receives a write command from an array controller and performs write stack operations to store data from the write operations of the write command. The write stack drive includes a non-volatile stack cache memory comprising tracks to store the data. A metadata file identifies the current data stored within the write stack drive. The normal drive then executes the write operations of the write command.

Abstract: A method of writing data onto magnetic thin film media commonly employed in magnetic disk drives at sub-ambient temperatures is disclosed. The method employs a thin film capacitor having a magnetoelectric element as its dielectric in a GMR read/write head to produce magnetic fields. To get the maximum magnetic field from the thin film capacitor, the thin-film capacitor is cooled via a thermoelectric cooling device present in the GMR read/write head of the magnetic disk drive. The magnetic field produced by the thermoelectrically cooled thin film capacitor structure is capable of writing data onto magnetic media with increased bit densities or coercivity.

Abstract: A disk medium includes a substrate and a designed topography of individually magnetizable features formed on the surface of the substrate. At least a portion of the disk topography is formed from an etched layer of magnetizable material deposited on the surface of the substrate. An information storing and retrieving system records information on the disk medium magnetically and reads the recorded information optically or magnetically. The information stored in the disk is of the form of bits each represented by a magnetic field established in the features. The direction of the magnetic field can be in a direction other than the bitstream direction, with the magnetic storing and retrieving system having a pair of non-parallel heads adapted to recognize this direction as representative of discrete logic levels formulating the basis of a non-binary storage system having significantly increased storage density.

Abstract: A method of recording information bits in a magnetic storage medium, the method comprising positioning a first conductor adjacent to a magnetic recording medium, the conductor having a width and a length, wherein a distance between the first conductor and the magnetic recording medium is less than or equal to the width and the length, and passing a first current through the conductor of sufficient magnitude to produce a magnetic field in the magnetic medium greater than one Tesla and having a magnetic field gradient in a cross track direction and a down track direction greater than 100 Oe/nm over a bit dimension. The thickness of the first conductor can be less than or equal to the distance between the first conductor and the magnetic recording medium. The current density in the conductor can be greater than 109 ampere/cm2, and the length of the conductor can be less than 100 nm. The current can be applied as one or more pulses in a predetermined clock cycle time.

Abstract: If a computer disk drive is stolen and later recovered, there is no way currently to know if the disk was accessed. The present invention offers a solution to the problem of detecting disk access and provides means for implementing quota and usage restrictions as well as detection schemes. The present invention teaches to use a one-way counter which counts the number of bytes written to and read from the drive. The counter itself can only be read. Operating system software can make use of the counter to provide access control and access detection.

Abstract: This invention intends to provide a storage unit capable of improving data transmission efficiency and reducing a seek time. The storage unit of this invention comprises a read/write head for carrying out read/write with respect to a recording medium, a VCM for moving the read/write head during seek operation, and a seek command executing section for outputting a VCM voltage when a seek start permission signal is inputted from a seek timing issuing section. The seek timing issuing section outputs a seek start permission signal in order to start the seek operation to the seek command executing section at a timing at which the read/write operation ends.

Abstract: A disc, such as the floppy disc, the compact disc, or either of the compact discs of the hard discs may be divided or formatted into a number of usable tracks and sectors. The other areas between the usable tracks are unformatted and unusable. An actuating or driving program may be used to actuate the recording head to process and record the unformatted or unusable areas of the disc. The actuating program may be directly introduced into the memory of the hard disc or of the computer, or may be stored in an independent working station.