Magnetic head supporting mechanism utilizing elongated portions of a load beam to define an opening in the load beam

A magnetic disc apparatus having a magnetic disc on which an information is recorded, a magnetic head used to at least one of record the information to said magnetic disc and reproduce the information from said magnetic disc, and a magnetic head supporting mechanism supporting said magnetic head on said magnetic disc, said magnetic head supporting mechanism comprising:

• a slider having said magnetic head mounted thereon;
• a load beam having an arm mounting portion and a pivot;
• and
• a gimbal having a mounting portion on which said slider is mounted, said gimbal having two flexible finger portions separated from said load beam and supporting said mounting portion, and a base end portion which is joined to said load beam;
• wherein said load beam has two elongation portions extending with respect to both sides of said pivot and being connected together at a position in proximity to a tip end portion of said two flexible finger portions of said gimbal so as to delimit an opening, the connection position being spaced from said pivot;
• wherein said pivot is provided on said load beam at a position closer to said arm mounting portion than the connection position of said two elongation portions to said arm mounting portion;
• and
• wherein said arm mounting portion, said pivot and said two elongation portions are made from a single thin plate.

A magnetic disc apparatus having a magnetic disc on which an information is recorded, a magnetic head used to at least one of record the information to said magnetic disc and reproduce the information from said magnetic disc, and a magnetic head supporting mechanism supporting said magnetic head on said magnetic disc, said magnetic head supporting mechanism comprising:

• a slider having said magnetic head mounted thereon;
• a load beam having an arm mounting portion and a pivot;
• and
• a gimbal having a mounting portion on which said slider is mounted, two flexible finger portions spaced from said load beam and supporting said mounting portion, and a base end portion which is joined to said load beam;
• wherein said load beam has two elongation portions extending from both sides of said pivot and connected together in proximity of a tip end portion of said two flexible finger portions so as to spaced from said pivot;
• wherein said elongation portions overlap with a tip end portion of said two flexible finger portions so that said elongation portions and said tip end portion are out of contact with each other in an overlapping region thereof except when said mounting portion undergoes rotational movement;
• and
• wherein said arm mounting portion, said pivot and said elongation portions are made from single thin plate.

A data storage apparatus comprising:

• a disc;
• a head to at least one of record and reproduce information on and from said disc;
• a slider for mounting said head, said slider having a floating surface facing to a plane of said disc;
• a gimbal having a mounting portion of said slider and a joint portion;
• and
• a load beam having a first opening therein which is completely surrounded by portions of said load beam, the mounting portion of the gimbal being visible through the first opening, said load beam having a roof portion proximate to an end of said load beam which delimits a part of the first opening , and said load beam having a pivot, at least the roof portion which delimits the first opening in said load beam being at a position closer to the end of said load beam than a position of said pivot to the end of said load beam;
• wherein said gimbal is attached to said load beam via the joint portion as two facing plates.

A data storage device having a magnetic disc for storing information, a magnetic recording head for at least recording said information on said magnetic disc, a head supporting mechanism for supporting the magnetic recording head in relation to the magnetic disc, the head supporting mechanism, comprising:

• a slider;
• a suspension load beam having a plurality of elongated portions emanating from an arm mounting portion of the suspension load beam and forming an oblong trailing end with an opening therethrough which is completely surrounded by portions of the suspension load beam for exerting a load force on the slider towards the magnetic disc, the suspension load beam including a pivot assembly with a pivot disposed with respect to the opening, the pivot being symmetrically located between the elongated portions of the elongated trailing end of the suspension load beam which are connected to as to delimit the opening so that the pivot is disposed at a position closer to the arm mounting portion than a position of a part of the connection which delimits the opening with respect to the arm mounting portion;
• a gimbal having a first end and a second end, the slider being coupled to the second end of the gimbal so as to be rotatably coupled to the pivot assembly of the suspension load beam;
• and
• a contact reduction mechanism coupled to the elongated trailing end of the suspension load beam for reducing a contact angle of the slider in relation to the magnetic disc, the contact reduction mechanism being configured to cooperate with said gimbal so as to enable contact stress reduction of the slider with respect to the magnetic disc.