Methods for recording and reproducing information

A method for recording and reproducing information comprising:

• (a) magnetically recording data at a multitude of recording locations on a recording surface at predetermined positions relative to electro-optically scannable deformations of said surface, including recording at least a portion of said data on the same surface and at the same locations as selected of said deformations;
• (b) effecting controlled relative motion between said deformations and said select recording locations of said recording surface and an apparatus having a magnetic reproduction transducer and an electro-optical scanner;
• (c) scanning selected of said surface deformations along two intersecting tracks of the recording surface with said electro-optical scanner during said relative motion to generate first electrical signals;
• and
• (d) employing said first electrical signals to select any of the recording locations and to cause said magnetic transducer to scan said selected recording location to generate second electrical signals representing data magnetically recorded there.

A method for recording information comprising:

• (a) employing a record member having a substrate, a layer containing deformable magnetic recording material, and deformations of the recording material at select positions of said layer, which deformations define a plurality of electro-optically scannable codes, each code being indicative of a select recording location along one of a plurality of recording tracks;
• (b) electro-optically scanning said codes and generating first electrical signals;
• (c) reproducing selected data from a memory as second electrical signals;
• (d) employing said first signals to magnetically record said second electrical signals at selected of said select recording locations;
• (e) later effecting controlled relative motion between said deformations and an apparatus having a magnetic transducer and an electro-optical scanner;
• (f) scanning selected of said deformations positioned along two intersecting locator tracks of said record member with said electro-optical scanner during said relative motion to generate third electrical signals;
• (g) employing said third electrical signals to cause said magnetic transducer to locate a selected recording location along any of said recording tracks;
• and
• (h) scanning said selected recording location with said magnetic transducer to reproduce second electrical signals recorded thereat.

A method for recording and reproducing information comprising:

• (a) magnetically recording data at select recording locations along a recording track located on a recording surface at predetermined positions relative to electro-optically scannable deformations of the surface positioned along two intersecting locator tracks of the recording surface;
• (b) electro-optically scanning the deformations of the recording surface along the intersecting locator tracks and generating first electrical signals;
• (c) employing the first electrical signals to identify a recording location along any of the recording tracks;
• and
• (d) magnetically scanning the identified recording location to generate second electrical signals representing data magnetically recorded at the identified recording location.