Micro Computer Systems, Inc.

Xebec, Inc.

James S Toreson

Paul A Gilovich

B Arlen Young

Stephen R Cowen

Joseph Y Chen

Jeffrey G Lessner

David S Cochran

A process for determining the center of data disk tracks. The transducer head is positioned to one side of a track. The head repeatedly reads the track and microsteps across the track. The number of microsteps taken at the position on each side of the center of the track where a certain number of error correction code errors occur, are designated as boundaries of that track. The center of the track is then calculated as being half-way between the boundaries. By using the microstep off-sets for the centers of two tracks on a data disk, a correction factor can be calculated to compensate for thermal expansion of the data disk.

Process for determining data disk track centers

An interconnection assembly permits a Winchester-type rigid magnetic disk storage unit, inclusive of the disk drive mechanism, to be plug-in removable from a systems unit or an add-on peripheral data storage subsystems unit of a personal computer system.

Electrical connector retaining assembly for facilitating removable

Magnetic tape apparatus is disclosed herein and comprises a drum, structure for supporting and rotating the drum, at least one transducer extending past the surface of the drum adapted to rotate with the drum and move parallel to the axis of the drum and a leader for presenting the tape to the drum. The apparatus includes a take-up reel and structure for receiving and driving a supply reel. A leader is provided which extends from the take-up reel to the inserted supply reel to engage and thread the tape over the drum to the take-up reel.

Magnetic tape apparatus having means for leading magnetic tape from a

A magnetic tape apparatus is disclosed in which the tape is held stationary on the surface of a drum while the drum is rotated at a high velocity, thereby providing an air bearing for supporting the tape adjacent a rotating recording head. The tape is spaced from the drum because of an air bearing. To minimize the gap between drum and tape, grooves or notches are formed in the transducer head to cause the tape to cup or deflect down toward the head in the area of the transducer. The transducer heads in a multiple transducer arrangement are especially mounted on a parallelogram-shaped brace arrangement to eliminate undesirable lateral deflection of the heads during recording.

Vented magnetic tape read head

A tape apparatus for recording and reproducing on a magnetic tape longitudinally disposed blocks of parallel multiple tracks of predetermined length. The apparatus includes a rotating drum and means for presenting predetermined lengths of tape to said drum. The rotating drum supports the tape upon a self-generating air bearing. Magnetic heads extend through the drum to rotate with the drum and cooperate with the tape to record and reproduce longitudinal tracks on the tape. The heads are movable longitudinally along the drum to record a plurality of adjacent longitudinal tracks. The tape is maintained under predetermined tension to maintain a constant air cushion between the tape and drum.

Magnetic tape apparatus

A magnetic tape apparatus is disclosed herein and comprises a drum, means for supporting and rotating the drum, at least one transducer extending past the surface of said drum adapted to rotate therewith in a given plane, and means for presenting tape to said drum with its longitudinal axis parallel to said plane. Means are also provided adjacent the transducer for venting air from the air cushion between the rotating drum and the tape at the region of the transducer to bring the tape closer to the face of the transducer and at least one groove formed on the face of the transducer is used for venting air from the cushion between the transducer and tape.

An interchangeable magnetic bubble memory device having first and second interchangeable memory bubbles, each of the modules including a magnetic bubble memory having at least one major loop or non-recirculating track, each major loop or track including a plurality of minor loops for storing magnetic bubbles. There are no more than n defective minor loop locations indicated by an error map. A detector produces data signals indicating the presence or absence of magnetic bubbles in the minor loops and a microprocessor provides control signals for controlling the transfer of the data signals between the data memory and the microprocessor. A driver is included and is responsive to the enable control signals from the microprocessor for transferring, replicating, generating and/or destroying the bubbles with low power consumption. A control store is provided for storing error map instructions for encoding the error map such that the modules can be interchanged regardless of the locations of the defective minor loops in each of the modules.

Growing community of inventors

Mountain View, CA, United States of America

James S Toreson