Apparatus and method for enhancing flexible magnet disk performance

A method for treating with a conditioning fluid a flexible rotatable magnetic disk disposed in a jacket, said jacket having a read-write opening for insertion therethrough of a magnetic head during use, said method comprising the steps of:

• disposing conditioning fluid on a pad;
• rotating the disk while keeping the jacket from rotating;
• and
• placing the pad into contact with the disk through the read-write opening in the jacket.

A method for treating with a conditioning fluid a flexible rotatable magnetic disk disposed in a jacket having a read-write opening therethrough for insertion of a magnetic head for reading from or writing on said disk, said method comprising the steps of:

• orienting the disk vertically;
• disposing conditioning fluid on a pad movable into and out of contact with the disk;
• and thereafter
• rotating the disk within the jacket;
• and
• moving the pad into contact with the disk through the read-write opening.

A method for conditioning a rotatable magnetic information storing disk disposed in an envelope to clean, lubricate and de-staticize said disk, said envelope being provided with a central opening through which a means for rotating the disk may be engaged with the disk and an access opening through which a magnetic head may be inserted for reading or writing information on the disk, comprising:

• engaging the envelope with a means to prevent the envelope from rotating while the disk is rotating;
• providing fluid for conditioning the disk to a pad engagable with said disk through said access opening;
• rotating the disk;
• and
• engaging the pad with the disk through the access opening.

A method for automatically conditioning a rotatable magnetic information storing disk in an envelope to clean, lubricate and de-staticize said disk with an apparatus comprising:

• inserting said disk into said apparatus so that guides in said apparatus engage said envelope;
• and thereafter
• rotating said disk with a means provided on said apparatus which engages said disk near its center;
• and
• moving a pad on said apparatus having conditioning fluid thereon into contact with said disk.

A method for simultaneously automatically cleaning both sides of a rotatable magnetic information storing disk disposed in an envelope having a central opening through which a means for rotating the disk may be engaged with the disk and having access openings on each side of the disk opposite one another for insertion therethrough of magnetic heads for reading or writing on said disk, said method comprising:

• engaging the envelope with a means for holding it and preventing said envelope from rotating when said disk is rotated;
• providing cleaning fluid to a pad located on each side of the disk, each said pad engagable with the disk through the access opening on the respective side of the disk;
• rotating said disk;
• and
• engaging said pads provided with cleaning fluid with the disk.

A floppy disk conditioning system comprising:

• a housing for supporting and rotating a flexible disk of the type having a least one surface coated with a magnetic material for information storage and contained within a jacket having a read-write opening for insertion therethrough of a magnetic head of the type used for reading information from and writing information on said flexible disk;
• a pad coupled to the housing in a position adjacent the read-write opening of the flexible disk when supported in the housing;
• actuation means for moving the pad into contact with the disk surface through the read-write opening;
• and
• means for supplying a conditioning fluid to the pad, said pad and fluid operating to clean oxide redeposits, contaminants and the like from said surface and to lubricate and de-staticize said surface when said disk is rotated and said pad is moved into contact with the disk surface.

A method for simultaneously automatically conditioning both sides of a rotatable magnetic information storing disk to clean, lubricate and de-staticize said disk, said disk disposed in an envelope having a central opening through which a means for rotating the disk may be engaged with the disk and having access openings on each side of the disk opposite one another for insertion therethrough of magnetic heads for reading or writing on said disk, said method comprising:

• engaging the envelope with a means for holding it and preventing said envelope from rotating when said disk is rotated;
• providing conditioning fluid to a pad located on each side of the disk, each said pad engagable with the disk through the access opening on the respective side of the disk;
• rotating said disk;
• and
• engaging said pads provided with conditioning fluid with the disk.

A method for treating with a fluid containing a lubricant, a flexible rotatable magnetic disk disposed in a jacket, said jacket having a read-write opening for insertion therethrough of a magnetic head during use, said method comprising the steps of:

• disposing said fluid on a pad;
• rotating the disk while keeping the jacket from rotating;
• and
• placing the pad into contact with the disk through the read-write opening in the jacket.

A method for treating with a fluid a rotatable magnetic information storing disk disposed in an envelope, said envelope being provided with a central opening through which a means for rotating the disk may be engaged with the disk and an access opening through which a magnetic head may be inserted for reading or writing information on the disk, comprising:

• engaging the envelope with a means to prevent the envelope from rotating while the disk is rotating;
• providing fluid for treating the disk to a pad engagable with said disk through said access opening;
• rotating the disk;
• and
• engaging the pad with the disk through the access opening.

A system for treating a floppy disk disposed in an envelope with fluid, said system comprising:

• a first fluid absorbing pad;
• means for moving said first fluid absorbing pad into and out of contact with a first magnetic information storing surface of said disk through a read-write opening in the envelope;
• fluid dispensing means for providing fluid to said first fluid absorbing pad;
• and
• means for rotating said floppy disk about its center, said envelope remaining stationary while said floppy disk is rotating, so that said first magnetic information storing surface is treated with said fluid by means of contact of said surface with said first pad to which fluid is dispensed.

A system for treating a floppy disk disposed in an envelope with fluid comprising:

• a first fluid absorbing pad;
• a first pivotable plate on which said first fluid absorbing pad is mounted;
• a means of pivoting said first pivotable plate so that said first fluid absorbing pad is placed into and out of contact with a first magnetic information storing surface of said disk through a read-write opening in the envelope;
• fluid dispensing means for providing fluid to said fluid absorbing pad;
• and
• means for rotating said floppy disk about its center, said envelope remaining stationary while said floppy disk is rotating, so that said first magnetic information storing surface is treated with said fluid by means of contact of said surface with said first pad to which fluid is dispensed.

A method for treating with a fluid a flexible, rotatable magnetic disk disposed in a jacket having a read-write opening therethrough for insertion of a magnetic head for reading or writing on said disk, said. method comprising the steps of:

• engaging the jacket in a vertical orientation with a means to prevent the jacket from rotating while the disk is rotating;
• applying fluid to a pad movable into and out of contact with the disk through the read-write opening;
• permitting excess fluid provided to said pad to drip therefrom;
• rotating said disk;
• and
• moving the pad into contact with the disk through the read-write opening after said excess fluid has been permitted to drip from the pad.

An apparatus for treating with a fluid a floppy disk having a central opening and disposed in an envelope provided with openings for read/write heads comprising:

• means for securing the envelope of the floppy disk so that the disk can be rotated above its axis within the envelope with the envelope remaining stationary;
• means for rotating the floppy disk;
• at least one pad capable of containing fluid for treating a floppy disk surface;
• and
• pad disposing means for placing said at lease one pad into contact with a floppy disk through an opening for a read/write head in the envelope, said pad disposing means coupled to said means for rotating so that said pad is in contact with the floppy disk only while said disk is rotating.