Tape head with support bars
AssigneeQuantum Corporation
InventorsAllen G. Rumpler, James R. Remby, Ming Ho Lau
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A head for a tape drive system has a plurality of transducers formed on a substrate and protected by a cover bar, with a tie bar bonded to the cover bar. The tie bar extends along a tape-facing surface beyond the cover bar, enhancing the structural integrity of the head. Wear bars may be bonded to the substrate, cover bar and tie bar. Alternatively, the tie bar may have a notch within which the substrate and cover bar are bonded. The tie bar reduces misalignment and instability of the transducers, providing increased storage capacity and greater reliability and durability of the tape drive system.
Claims23
A device for a tape drive system, the device comprising:
- a plurality of bodies each comprising a transducer, a substrate, and a cover bar, with said transducer sandwiched between said substrate and said cover bar, and said transducer, substrate and cover bar sharing a tape-facing surface that has an elongate direction, and
- a plurality of tie bars, wherein each of said bodies has a corresponding tie bar comprising a separate member from said substrate, said corresponding tie bar being bonded to said cover bar distal to said substrate and extending along said tape-facing surface in said elongate direction further than said cover bar, whereby misalignment and instability of said transducer is reduced.
A head assembly for a tape drive system comprising:
- a plurality of structures, each structure being formed of a plurality of solid components, including a substrate, and a cover bar, with a plurality of transducers disposed between said substrate and said cover bar,
- a plurality of tie bars wherein each of said structures has a corresponding tie bar comprising a separate member from said substrate, said substrate, cover bar and transducers of each substrate and the corresponding tie bar sharing a tape-facing surface that has an elongate direction, wherein said corresponding tie bar extends along said tape-facing surface in said elongate direction further than said cover bar with said cover bar bonded to said corresponding tie bar and disposed between said corresponding tie bar and said substrate, whereby misalignment and instability of said transducers is reduced.
A system for information storage or retrieval comprising:
- a tape including a recording medium, said tape being wound on a plurality of rollers, and
- a head assembly for communicating with said medium, said head assembly comprising:
- a plurality of structures each of which includes a plurality of transducers, a substrate, and a cover bar, with said transducers being disposed between said substrate and said cover bar, and said transducers, substrate and cover bar sharing a tape-facing surface that has an elongate direction;
- and
- a plurality of tie bars, wherein each of the structures has a corresponding tie bar comprising a separate member from the substrate, each tie bar being bonded to said cover bar of the corresponding structure distal to said substrate and extending along said tape-facing surface in said elongate direction further than said cover bar, whereby misalignment and instability of said transducers relative to said tape is reduced.
A device for a tape drive system, the device comprising:
- a plurality of tape-head assemblies each comprising a body and a corresponding tie bar attached to the body,
- wherein said body comprises a transducer, a substrate, and a cover bar, with said transducer disposed between said substrate and said cover bar, and said transducer, said substrate, and said cover bar sharing a tape-facing surface that has an elongated direction,
- wherein said tie bar comprises a separate member from said substrate, said tie bar being bonded to a portion of the body to which it corresponds and extending with respect to said tape-facing surface in an elongate direction further than said cover bar, whereby misalignment and instability of said transducer is reduced, and
- wherein the corresponding tie bar is disposed laterally adjacent to the cover bar with respect to said tape-facing surface and is bonded to said cover bar.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.