Texas Instruments Corporation

Alan H Rittman

Sheldon H Brown

William David Autery

Robert L Fletcher

Richard D VanLandingham

Nelson H Chapman

An information storage system has a magnetic head transducer for reading and/or writing information on a flexible magnetic recording disc. The head has an upper recording/playback surface with a one inch radius of curvature along its major axis and a one half inch radius of curvature along its minor axis for providing optimum contact between the head and disc while at the same time minimizing wear. The head is affixed to a ramp member having an inclined surface sloping away from the upper recording/playback surface of the head for lifting the disc up and over the head as the head and ramp member are moved radially toward the center of the disc, thereby preventing the disc from being damaged by collision with the head and eliminating the need for a solenoid or the like to move the head vertically with respect to the disc. The disc is disposed between upper and lower interior major surfaces of a protective cartridge, the upper major surface having four hump-shaped members affixed thereto for providing biasing pressure to hold the disc in intimate contact with the head. In one embodiment the cartridge further includes a recess on an exterior surface thereof and a WRITE PROTECT switch, having manually settable first and second switch positions, mounted in the recess. The switch includes a slideable button which projects toward the mouth of the recess for mating with and depressing a spring-loaded mechanical member located in the information storage system to open an electrical circuit in the information storage system when the switch is in the second position and the cartridge is inserted in the system. The opening of the circuit generates a WRITE PROTECT signal to prevent information stored on the disc from being erased. Alternatively, when the cartridge switch is shifted to the first position, the spring-loaded member is not depressed, thereby maintaining a closed electrical circuit so that the WRITE PROTECT signal is not generated.

System for recording information on a flexible information storage media

A system and method for removing debris and other contaminants from a magnetic head transducer including a head cleaning cartridge containing a flexible sheet of abrasive material for cleaning and polishing the head transducer. The cartridge has a recess in an external surface thereof to distinguish it from a normal recording cartridge. The system includes a sensor member such as a switch for mating with the cartridge recess and indicating that a head cleaning cartridge, rather than a recording cartridge, has been inserted into the system. The system is responsive to a indication from the sensor member that a head cleaning cartridge has been inserted for rotating the abrasive sheet and moving the head transducer back and forth across the abrasive sheet for a predetermined period of time, thereby cleaning and polishing the head transducer.

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Garland, TX, United States of America

Alan H Rittman