G11B 5/187
Structure or manufacture of the surface of the head in physical contact
Official title: Structure or manufacture of the surface of the head in physical contact with, or immediately adjacent to the recording medium; Pole pieces; Gap features (G11B5/265, {G11B5/29} , G11B5/31 take precedence)
G11B5/187 (Structure or manufacture of the surface of the head in physical contact) appears on 2,064 US grants and 1,024 published applications in this corpus.
Search patents in G11B- Granted patents
- 2,064
- Published applications
- 1,024
- Assignees
- 250
- Inventors
- 2,658
- Latest grant
- 6 Oct 2026
Filings by year
| Year | Granted patents | Published applications |
|---|---|---|
| 1976 | 8 | 0 |
| 1977 | 13 | 0 |
| 1978 | 9 | 0 |
| 1979 | 17 | 0 |
| 1980 | 13 | 0 |
| 1981 | 15 | 0 |
| 1982 | 9 | 0 |
| 1983 | 23 | 0 |
| 1984 | 13 | 0 |
| 1985 | 11 | 0 |
| 1986 | 15 | 0 |
| 1987 | 31 | 0 |
| 1988 | 32 | 0 |
| 1989 | 38 | 0 |
| 1990 | 46 | 0 |
| 1991 | 62 | 0 |
| 1992 | 54 | 0 |
| 1993 | 39 | 0 |
| 1994 | 30 | 0 |
| 1995 | 37 | 0 |
| 1996 | 37 | 0 |
| 1997 | 42 | 0 |
| 1998 | 95 | 0 |
| 1999 | 76 | 0 |
| 2000 | 56 | 0 |
| 2001 | 52 | 25 |
| 2002 | 49 | 59 |
| 2003 | 51 | 63 |
| 2004 | 70 | 68 |
| 2005 | 38 | 65 |
| 2006 | 66 | 62 |
| 2007 | 40 | 36 |
| 2008 | 47 | 27 |
| 2009 | 34 | 20 |
| 2010 | 24 | 17 |
| 2011 | 21 | 22 |
| 2012 | 24 | 21 |
| 2013 | 40 | 32 |
| 2014 | 46 | 52 |
| 2015 | 74 | 56 |
| 2016 | 75 | 52 |
| 2017 | 70 | 44 |
| 2018 | 55 | 49 |
| 2019 | 53 | 45 |
| 2020 | 78 | 41 |
| 2021 | 66 | 32 |
| 2022 | 47 | 33 |
| 2023 | 43 | 30 |
| 2024 | 34 | 36 |
| 2025 | 27 | 25 |
| 2026 | 19 | 12 |
By publication year. Applications have been published since 2001. 2026 runs to 8 Oct.
Subgroups
Granted patents
- G11B 5/23Gap features672
- G11B 5/1871Shaping or contouring of the transducing or guiding surface667
- G11B 5/255Comprising means for protection against wear312
- G11B 5/1875"composite" pole pieces, i.e. poles composed in some parts of magnetic particles222
- G11B 5/245Comprising means for controlling the reluctance of the magnetic circuit in a111
- G11B 5/193The pole pieces being ferrite or other magnetic particles96
- G11B 5/21The pole pieces being of ferrous sheet metal or other magnetic layers79
Recent patents
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- Write head designs with refill materials on a back edge of an assist device for improved write head reliability and performance6 Oct 2026US 12,755,756 B1Headway Technologies, Inc.
- Writer with patterned hot seed layer15 Sep 2026US 12,738,293 B2Headway Technologies, Inc.
- Magnetic flux guiding device with spin torque oscillator (STO) film having negative spin polarization layers in assisted writing application8 Sep 2026US 12,731,605 B2Headway Technologies, Inc.
- Perpendicular magnetic recording writer with tunable pole side bridge design11 Aug 2026US 12,706,113 B2Headway Technologies, Inc.
- Perpendicular Magnetic Recording Head Equipping A Spin Torque Oscillator Element With An Electric Current In Side Gaps9 Jul 2026US 2026/0196242 A1Headway Technologies, Inc.
- Pre-Assisting Microwave-Assisted Magnetic Recording With Spin-Torque Nano-Oscillators18 Jun 2026US 2026/0171111 A1Headway Technologies, Inc.
- Non-Contact Tape Head11 Jun 2026US 2026/0162676 A1Western Digital Technologies, Inc.
- Asymmetric Side Gap Writer Fabricated By Ion-Beam Etching (IBE) / Ion-Beam Deposition (IBD) Process For Aerial Density Capability (ADC) Improvement28 May 2026US 2026/0148749 A1Headway Technologies, Inc.
- Magnetic Recording Writer With Improved Side Shield14 May 2026US 2026/0134881 A1Headway Technologies, Inc.
Most cited
By later US patents
- Diamond-like carbon films from a hydrocarbon helium plasma262US 5,470,661 AInternational Business Machines Corporation · 1995
- Dual electrical lapping guides with common bonding pad189US 7,551,406 B1Western Digital (Fremont), LLC · 2009
- Inductive transducer with recessed leading pole layer184US 6,724,572 B1Western Digital Corporation · 2004
- Laminated carbon-containing overcoats for information storage system transducers181US 6,433,965 B1Read-Rite Corporation · 2002
- Simultaneous amplification of multiple targets174US 5,422,252 ABecton, Dickinson and Company · 1995