Eastman-kodak Company

John C MacDonald, Ii

Rodney D Wagner

A stabilizer is shown with a special leading edge for enhancing the magnetic interface between a magnetic head and a rapidly moving pliable magnetic disk. The stabilizer includes a stabilizing block with an opening through which the head protrudes for engagement with the disk. A flat, circumferential air bearing surface surrounds the opening adjacent the disk for generating coupling forces that deform the disk out of its nominal plane and into intimate contact with a transducing gap on the head. The leading edge of the stabilizer has a generally arcuate surface that abruptly meets the air bearing surface at a non-tangential transition. The transition appears to the disk as a fulcrum, imparting a torque to the disk that contributes to the coupling forces and ensures 'capture', that is, interface, even with disks having troublesome irregularities such as warps.

Stabilizer device having an edge configuration for stabilizing the

A flexible magnetic disk is rotated at a relatively high speed to cause the disk to revolve substantially in a plane. A pair of elongate guides for the disk are mounted in a converging relation, which permits the guides to reside substantially along respective radii of the rotated disk. The guides penetrate the plane of the rotated disk substantially along the two radii, and therefore will deflect successive radial sectors of the disk from the plane as each of the sectors is rotated across a radially tapered space between the guides. A magnetic record and/or playback head is positioned to urge at least a portion of a radial sector of the disk, deflected from the plane, towards the tapered space to effect a reverse deflection of the portion in the vicinity of the head. Thus the reverse-deflected portion is substantially conformed with the radially directed forces along the rotated disk, thereby assuring an intimate and stable head-to-disk relation.

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Rochester, NY, United States of America

John C MacDonald, Ii