International Business Machines Corporation

Francis E Hauke

Harvey R Fraser, Jr

Nelson K Arter

Gerald W Baumann

Peter A Stevenson

Stephen Martin Vogel

John Walton Woods

Thomas M Fowler

Everette Ray McCully

Jesse A Weber

Robert Marion McElroy, Jr

In a helically scanned device, a length of flexible media, with transverse data tracks thereon, is positioned relative to a rotating transducer. The transducer coacts with the media to transduce data therefrom. The transducer is coupled to a piezoelectric bender. Periodically, the instantaneous position of the transducer is monitored and an error signal is generated. The error signal is used to drive the piezoelectric bender so that the transducer follows the data track.

Stripe following in a helical scan device

In a reel-to-reel longitudinally scanned tape transport or recorder, a length of media is positioned to fly in transducing relationship with a transducing head. The transducing head is mounted on a rotatable turntable rotor. The rotor includes a substantially circular member with concentric horizontal surfaces projecting in separate vertical planes. A cam shaped contour is fabricated on one of the horizontal surfaces with the transducing means positioned at the peak or crown of said cam shaped surface. There is a gradual roll off between the crown and the lowest point of the cam shaped surface. The roll off creates a converging channel which allows a sufficient volume of air to enter the interface between the media and the head and a diverging channel which allows the air to be bled off.

Longitudinal scan, cam shaped, turntable rotor for magnetic recording

A rotating head magnetic tape recording apparatus wherein a helical wrap of magnetic recording tape is formed about a cylindrical mandrel and the headwheel. The headwheel is of a larger radius than the mandrel; thus the headwheel protrudes or penetrates beyond the adjacent mandrel surfaces. This headwheel penetration operates to (1) compensate for mandrel misalignment, if any, and (2) stress the tape in the localized track coincident with the headwheel's path. A magnetic head is mounted on the headwheel to protrude or penetrate radially outward therefrom. The head includes a surface profile causing; th head to fly relative to the tape's recording surface, i.e., a thin air film surrounds the head. The combination of the protruding headwheel and the protruding head produces a stable recording platform at the tape/head interface. The headwheel produces localized tape stress coincident with the headwheel's path. The head produces a moving tent of additional localized tape stress at the tape/head interface.

Rotating head apparatus having a protruding diameter headwheel which

Various pneumatic means are shown for lifting tape locally away from a rotating head as the rotating head moves. Only the tape in the vicinity of the head is lifted. The lifting is done with minimal pneumatic force, and done only locally about the head so that recovery time for read/write operations after a lifting operation is short, Air to lift the tape can be blown from passages around the head, from passages through the head, or from passages in front of the head. Local lifting about the head is enhanced by insuring that the pneumatic air flow to lift the tape does not easily dissipate in air space between the mandrel and the head rotor.

Tape lifter

Growing community of inventors

Boulder, CO, United States of America

Francis E Hauke