US 4,291,353 AGranted

System and method for cleaning a magnetic head transducer

AssigneeTexas Instruments Incorporated

InventorsRobert L. Fletcher, Richard D. VanLandingham, Sheldon H. Brown, Alan H. Rittman

Life of this patent

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Abstract

A system and method for removing debris and other contaminants from a magnetic head transducer including a head cleaning cartridge containing a flexible sheet of abrasive material for cleaning and polishing the head transducer. The cartridge has a recess in an external surface thereof to distinguish it from a normal recording cartridge. The system includes a sensor member such as a switch for mating with the cartridge recess and indicating that a head cleaning cartridge, rather than a recording cartridge, has been inserted into the system. The system is responsive to a indication from the sensor member that a head cleaning cartridge has been inserted for rotating the abrasive sheet and moving the head transducer back and forth across the abrasive sheet for a predetermined period of time, thereby cleaning and polishing the head transducer.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A system for reading and/or writing information on a sheet of flexible information storage media, said system comprising:

(a) a sheet of flexible information storage media having opposite major surfaces, at least one of said major surfaces for recording information thereon;
(b) a recording cartridge in the form of a rigid envelope containing said media therein, said cartridge having a first opening for providing access to said media to impart rotational motion thereto and a second opening for providing access to said media for reading and/or writing information thereon;
(c) rotational means extending through said first opening for engaging said media and imparting said rotational motion thereo;
(d) a magnetic head transducer positioned in registration with said second opening for reading and/or writing information on a recording surface of said media;
and
(e) an apparatus for cleaning said head transducer to remove debris and other contaminants therefrom, said apparatus comprising:
(i) a portable head cleaning cartridge in the form of a rigid envelope defining an internal chamber which contains a sheet of flexible abrasive material therein, said head cleaning cartridge for replacing said recording cartridge and said media when said head transducer is to be cleaned, said head cleaning cartridge having a first opening for permitting access to said sheet of abrasive material by said rotational means for imparting rotational motion thereto and a second opening for said head transducer to contact said abrasive material when said head cleaning cartridge is inserted into the system, said cartridge having a recess formed on an external surface thereof;
(ii) sensor means having a sensor member for mating with said recess when a head cleaning cartridge is inserted into the system to indicate that a head cleaning cartridge and not a recording cartridge has been inserted;
and
(iii) means for moving said head transducer back and forth across the surface of said abrasive material for a predetermined period while the sheet of abrasive material is being rotated, thereby removing debris and other contaminants from the head tranducer.

7 more elements

A method of cleaning debris and other contaminants from a recording surface of a magnetic head transducer in an information storage system, comprising the steps of:

(a) providing a head cleaning cartridge in the form of a rigid envelope defining an internal chamber which contains a sheet of abrasive material therein, said cartridge having an opening for permitting access to said abrasive material for said head transducer to contact said abrasive material when said cartridge is inserted in the information storage system, said cartridge having a recess formed on an external surface thereof;
(b) providing sensor means having a sensor member for mating with said recess when said head cleaning cartridge is inserted into the system to indicate that said head cleaning cartridge has been inserted;
(c) inserting said cartridge into said information storage system so that the recording surface of said head transducer is in facing relationship with said sheet of abrasive material and the recess is in mating engagement with said sensor member, said sensor means for generating an electrical signal indicating that said head cleaning cartridge has been inserted into said system;
and
(d) rotating said sheet of abrasive material and moving said head transducer periodically back and forth across said sheet for a predetermined period of time in response to said electrical signal, so that said abrasive material removes debris and other contaminants from said head transducer.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 06/045,141Filed 4 Jun 1979
Granted: 22 Sep 1981
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification4 codes

G11B 23/505
Reconditioning of record carriers; Cleaning of record carriers ; Carrying-off electrostatic charges: of disk carriers
G11B 5/41
Recording by magnetisation or demagnetisation of a record carrier; Reproducing by magnetic means; Record carriers therefor: cleaning of heads
G11B 23/033
Containers for flat record carriers: for flexible discs
G11B
Information storage based on relative movement between record carrier and transducer