Dcard, Inc.

International Business Machines Corporation

Syquest Technology, Inc.

Datapoint Corporation

Francis K King

Jeffrey F Liu

Donald John Wanek

Charles C Hanson

Shand-Ling Mao

Gary Lee Dix

Robin Charles Jahnke

Ranvir Koshal

Ronald J Maurine

Jon Jay Schmidt

This invention discloses a data card that has a plurality of data arcs and also a linear data track, e.g., a magnetic or optical data strip, disposed on a flat data storage medium. The data card may be employed as a credit card or ID card with conventional magnetic strip for storing conventional data operable with conventional card reader. The data arc segments may be employed to store additional information for authenticating cardholder's personal biometrics information to prevent credit card or ID card frauds. In one embodiment, the data tracks further include at least one full circle data track provided with data for conveniently determining a central position of the data card in a data drive system. The data stored in the full circle data track can also be conveniently used to obtain a measurement of average signal amplitude to calibrate the signal measurements from the data card. The dynamic head loading and unloading configuration and a card insertion lock.

Data access device using rotational head to access data stored in data strips and data arc segments or data circles

The invention pertains to an improvement for a tracking and focusing servo and defect management circuit that controls the tracking and focusing of an optical head on an optical media in an apparatus for reproducing a data, sound or image recorded on the optical media. The invention characterizes by the provision of a circuit for managing modulation of an RF signal from the optical pickup head caused when the optical pickup head encounters a non-continuous track in segment arrangement or a very long extended defect such as a extended flaw in the disc resulted discontinuous track segment thereon, and an adjusting circuit which manages the loop gain of the tracking servo circuit per the track arrangement of defect detection and a tracking profile, whereby the responsiveness of the optical pickup head is improved and track skipping prevented or recovered.

Optical disk tracking servo circuit enabled to compensate for non-continuous track segments or prolonged defect

This invention discloses an optical memory strip and a data card that has at least an optical memory strip as a cutoff piece bonding and attaching to the data card for storing data accessible with an optical read/write head. The data card can further includes at least a magnetic data track for storing data accessible with a magnetic data read/write head. In another data card of this invention, it further includes a semiconductor data storage card for storing data that is accessible by using a semiconductor chip data read/write device.

Layer structure and method of manufacture for optical memory strip (OMS)

This invention discloses a flat data storage medium that includes a plurality of substantially parallel data arc-segments. The data arcs further include at least one full circle data track provided for obtaining a measurement of an average amplitude of data signals over the full circle data track for calibrating a pickup head implemented for reading data from the data arc-segments. This invention further discloses a data storage system for accessing data stored in a data storage medium. The data storage system includes dynamic head loading/unloading system that includes a handle for pushing a linkage connected to the handle for loading and unloading the data storage medium to an engaged and disengaged positions relative to a pickup head for accessing data disposed on the data storage medium. The dynamic head loading/unloading system further includes a locking mechanism for automatically locking the data storage medium inside the data storage system when the linkage is disposed at an engaged-position. The dynamic head loading/unloading system further includes a data-storage medium orientation-selection for cooperating and adapting the data storage medium inside the data storage system only when the data storage medium is inserted into the data storage system in a predefined orientation.

Data card with a full circular track for alignment and amplitude calibration

This invention discloses a data access system for access data stored on a flat medium. The data access system includes a pickup head rotating over the flat medium. The data access system further includes at least one stepping motor for discretely moving the flat medium substantially along at least one lateral direction perpendicular to a rotational axis of the pickup head. The data access system further includes a closed loop control mechanism for controlling the stepping motor for allowing the pickup head to read data from a servo segment on the flat medium. The controller further includes an open loop control mechanism for rotating the pickup head for reading data from and writing data to a data segment disposed right next to the servo segment on the flat medium.

Data access device implemented with open and closed control loops to access data stored in discrete stepwise segments

This invention discloses a magnetic servo writer. The magnetic servo writer includes a magnetic pickup head for rotationally moving over and writing servo data in a magnetic flat data-storage medium. The magnetic servo writer further includes a clock head for providing clock signals to the pickup head and to write clock signals in the clock disk. The magnetic servo writer further includes a control circuit for controlling the magnetic pickup head for writing the servo data on the magnetic flat data-storage medium. The magnetic servo writer further includes a servo pattern layout circuit for controlling the magnetic pickup head for writing the servo data on the magnetic flat data-storage medium with predefined servo patterns. The magnetic servo writer further includes a derived index control circuit for deriving indices from a fixed index provided on the magnetic flat data-storage medium. The magnetic servo writer further includes a fixed index and clock track circuit for providing a fix index and a clock signal for controlling the magnetic pickup head for writing the servo data on the magnetic flat data-storage medium. The magnetic servo writer further includes a head move circuit for controlling a movement of the magnetic pickup head for writing the servo data on the magnetic flat data-storage medium. The magnetic servo writer further includes a medium movement circuit for controlling a linear movement of the magnetic flat data-storage medium for writing the servo data on the magnetic flat data-storage medium.

Magnetic data card servo writer

This invention is a data storage system for accessing data stored in a data storage medium. The data storage system includes a motor-head assembly controlled to activate a vertical movement for loading and unloading at least a pickup head supported thereon to access the data medium in the data storage medium. For a specific data-storage system configuration, the motor-head assembly further includes a rotating motor for rotating the pickup head when the pickup head is loaded onto the data storage medium. In another system configuration, the data storage system implemented with a motor to move the data storage medium in at least one linear direction or for rotating the data storage medium. The motor-head assembly further includes a vertical-position locking hook for automatically pulling away the pickup head from the data storage media when the motor-head assembly is unloaded from the data storage medium. The vertical-position locking linkage further automatically unlock the pickup head in an unconstrained compliance state next to the data storage medium when the motor-head assembly is loaded to the data storage medium.

Positioning of a recording head for a data storage device

This invention discloses a plurality of substantially parallel data arcs disposed on a flat data storage medium. The data arcs include at least two linearly aligned servo-data fields disposed in an inner data arc and an outer data arc with an inter-arc distance. The servo data field disposed on the outer data arc is disposed with an offset from an identical radial-angle position projected from a radial center to the servo data field of the inner data arc. The offset is substantially proportional to the inter-arc distance and substantially proportional to SIN (&thgr;) where &thgr; is an angle between the identical radial-angle position and a linear-alignment direction between the two linearly aligned servo-data fields. Furthermore, the servo-data field on the outer data arc is disposed at a location with the offset from the identical radial-angle position in a direction toward a smaller radial angle projected from the radial center to the servo data field of the inner data arc.

Servo-sector arrangement over several data arcs for a rotational head data recording and retrieving system

The optical data-storage card includes an optical data-storage medium layer supported on the card. The data-storage medium layer includes a plurality of data storage tracks for storing data therein. Each of the tracks having at least an arc-segment wherein each of the data storage tracks being substantially parallel to a neighboring track.

Optical data storage card

This invention discloses a data storage drive system. The system includes a pickup head for performing data access functions connected to a secondary winding of a transformer. The transformer further includes a primary winding connected to a driver controller provided with a pre-amplifier for generating a data writing pulse. The secondary winding further having an pulse decay-constant adjustment capacitor and a pulse decay-constant adjustment inductor for adjusting a pulse decay constant for generating less than ten-percent sag for the data writing pulse whereby the writing pulse can overwrite an entire bit-length onto a data track In a preferred embodiment, the pickup head and the secondary winding are configured as a removable and replaceable module. In a preferred embodiment, the pickup head is provided with signal reading and writing head for a magnetic or optical flat data-storage medium. In another preferred embodiment, the pickup head is provided with signal reading and writing head for an optical flat data-storage medium. In another preferred embodiment, the drive system is further provided with an optical to electrical signal converter for converting optical signals retrieved from the optical flat data-storage medium to electrical signals.

Pulse shaping for a transformer coupled read/write recording device

This invention discloses an optical servo writer. The optical servo writer includes an optical pickup head for rotationally moving over and writing servo data in an optical flat data-storage medium. The optical servo writer further includes a clock head for providing clock signals to the pickup head and to write clock signals in the clock disk. The optical servo writer further includes a control circuit for controlling The optical pickup head for writing the servo data on The optical flat data-storage medium. The optical servo writer further includes a servo pattern layout circuit for controlling The optical pickup head for writing the servo data on The optical flat data-storage medium with predefined servo patterns. The optical servo writer further includes a derived index control circuit for deriving indices from a fixed index provided on The optical flat data-storage medium. The optical servo writer further includes a fixed index and clock track circuit for providing a fix index and a clock signal for controlling The optical pickup head for writing the servo data on The optical flat data-storage medium. The optical servo writer further includes a head move circuit for controlling a movement of The optical pickup head for writing the servo data on The optical flat data-storage medium. The optical servo writer further includes a medium movement circuit for controlling a linear movement of the optical flat data-storage medium for writing the servo data on the optical flat data storage medium.

Optical data card servo writer

This invention discloses an optical data access system. The optical data access system includes an optical flat data storage medium. The optical data access system further includes a data access drive system for driving an optical pickup head for performing a rotational movement over the flat data storage medium for accessing data over an arc segment on the optical flat data storage medium. And, the optical data access system further including a controller for controlling a data transfer between the data access drive system and the optical flat data storage medium. In a preferred embodiment, the optical flat data storage medium is an optical data card. In a different preferred embodiment, an optical pickup head is provided for accessing data over substantially one-half of the rotational movement.

Optical data access system with data card reader having a single rotational moving pickup head

The magnetic data-storage card includes a magnetic data-storage medium layer adhering to the card. The data-storage medium layer includes a plurality of data storage tracks for storing data therein. Each of the tracks having at least an arc-segment wherein each of the data storage tracks being substantially parallel to a neighboring track.

Magnetic data storage card

A zone servo sector format alignment scheme 41 for a disc 22 of a disc drive 20 includes the disc 22 having an outer zone 42, a middle zone 44 and an inner zone 46, each zone having a plurality of tracks 48, 50, 52. The sectors, 54, 56, 58 of each zone 42, 44, 46 includes a plurality of sectors such as sector 60 which define a servo field 62 and a data field 64. The number of sectors 56 in each of tracks 50 of the middle zone 46 is less than the number of sectors 54 on each track 48 of the outer zone 42. The number of sectors 58 on each track 52 of the inner zone 46 is less than the number of sectors 56 on each tracks 50 of the middle zone 46. Further, by maintaining the same recording frequency of the servo fields 62 across all the zones 42, 44, 46, the placing of the sectors 56, 58 in the middle and inner zones 44, 46 can be adjusted in order to provide for alignment indicia 66 which include aligned sectors across all the zones. Such alignment indicia 66 are positioned about the disc 22 and facilitate the operation of the servo control circuit 36 for facilitating head seeking.

Growing community of inventors

San Jose, CA, United States of America

Francis K King