US 5,443,415 A · Burnishing apparatus for flexible magnetic disks and method therefor

Abstract

A computer diskette burnishing machine that consists of two burnishing units adapted to operate on the magnetic medium of a conventional computer disk through the upper and lower read/write head access windows in the disk's protective shell. The assembled diskette is positioned on a lower burnishing unit that comprises a supporting plate having the same mechanical characteristics of a corresponding computer disk drive, including an electric motor equipped with a spindle/hub interface and shell registration pins. While the disk rotates, the burnishing units polish the disk's upper and lower surfaces by means of upper and lower abrasive tapes fed by a system of supply and take-up reels. The lower burnishing unit includes a resilient roller backing up the lower abrasive tape and disposed radially with respect to the plane of the disk. The upper burnishing unit consists of a spring-loaded resilient roller backing up the upper abrasive tape and disposed radially in parallel to the lower roller. The upper roller is supported by a spring-loaded mechanism that ensures a preset constant force against the disk when brought to press against it. Both upper and lower units are slidably mounted on a vertical slide and driven by a cam mechanism for cyclical vertical motion between burnishing steps. The cam mechanism is also used for moving disks sequentially into a working position, for opening the disk shutter prior to burnishing, and for removing polished disks.

Claims30

Dependent claims

A machine for the sequential burnishing of a plurality of assembled computer diskettes, each diskette consisting of a magnetic disk enclosed in a protective shell, said disk having a center hub for engagement with a driving mechanism in a computer disk drive and said shell having an access window for engagement of a side of the disk by a read/write head, comprising:

(a) a burnishing assembly comprising a spindle plate adapted to engage the hub of the disk;
an abrasive tape disposed in alignment with said access window after engagement of the hub by the spindle plate;
and a burnishing roller aligned with said tape and access window and adapted to alternately assume a working position, wherein the roller urges the tape through the access window against the disk to cause the burnishing thereof, and an idle position, wherein the roller is withdrawn from the disk;
(b) means for alternately causing the burnishing roller to assume said working position for a first predetermined period of time while the disk is engaged by the spindle plate and to assume said idle position for a second predetermined period of time at the end of said first period of time;
(c) means for spinning said spindle plate during said first predetermined period of time;
and
(d) means for sequentially feeding an unprocessed diskette through said burnishing assembly for engagement with the spindle plate when said burnishing roller is in the idle position and for contemporaneously removing a last-processed diskette from the burnishing assembly.

4 more elements

A machine for the sequential burnishing of a plurality of assembled computer diskettes, each diskette consisting of a magnetic disk enclosed in a protective shell, said disk having a center hub for engagement with a driving mechanism in a computer disk drive and said shell having two opposite access windows for engagement of opposite sides of the disk by read/write heads, comprising:

(a) a lower burnishing unit comprising a spindle plate adapted to engage the hub of the disk;
a lower abrasive tape disposed in alignment with one of said access windows after engagement of the hub by the spindle plate;
and a lower burnishing roller aligned with said lower tape and one access window and adapted to alternately assume a working position, wherein the lower burnishing roller urges the lower tape through the one access window against one of said opposite sides of the disk to cause the burnishing thereof, and an idle position, wherein the lower burnishing roller is withdrawn from the disk;
(b) an upper burnishing unit comprising an upper abrasive tape disposed in alignment with the other of said access windows after engagement of the hub by the spindle plate;
and an upper burnishing roller aligned with said upper tape and other access window and adapted to alternately assume a working position, wherein the upper burnishing roller urges the upper tape through the other access window against the other of said opposite sides of the disk to cause the burnishing thereof, and an idle position, wherein the upper burnishing roller is withdrawn from the disk;
(c) means for alternately causing the upper and lower burnishing rollers to concurrently assume said working positions for a first predetermined period of time when the disk is engaged by the spindle plate and to assume said idle positions for a second predetermined period of time at the end of said first period of time;
(d) means for spinning said spindle plate during said first predetermined period of time;
and
(e) means for sequentially feeding an unprocessed diskette through the upper and lower burnishing units for engagement with the spindle plate when said upper and lower burnishing rollers are in the idle positions and for contemporaneously removing a last-processed diskette from the burnishing units.

6 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Burnishing apparatus for flexible magnetic disks and method therefor

Life of this patent

Burnishing apparatus for flexible magnetic disks and method therefor

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims30