Dynamic magnetic information storage or retrieval – Record medium – In container
Reexamination Certificate
2000-02-18
2001-06-26
Miller, Brian E. (Department: 2652)
Dynamic magnetic information storage or retrieval
Record medium
In container
Reexamination Certificate
active
06252740
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to data storage drives and more particularly, to a removable cartridge for magnetic disk drives.
Magnetic disk drives which write and read digital data from flexible magnetic disks have been extensively used. “Floppy disk drives” have been extensively used for small, so-called microcomputer systems, for word-processing applications and the like. The flexible disk cartridge includes a relatively thin, flexible jacket which is inserted into the floppy disk drive.
Rigid disk drives, such as the IBM 3350, usually have a fixed rigid magnetic media. The magnetic heads do not contact the magnetic surface, but ride on a thin film of air. Because of this, and other features, these disk drives are capable of extremely precise and high speed operation. This type of disk drive is commonly referred to as a “Winchester” drive. Rigid disks enclosed in a rigid, removable cartridge, or shell have also been used. U.S. Pat. No. 4,864,452- Thompson, et al is an example of such a drive.
“Bernoulli” disk drives having performance characteristics similar to that of Winchester drives, but with removable cartridges, have been developed. A flexible magnetic disk is enclosed in a rigid box which is normally completely closed. U.S. Pat. No. 4,400,748- Bauck, et al and related patents to the common assignee show such drives using Bernoulli stabilized flexible disks. U.S. Pat. No. 4,901,173- Jones et al and related patents to a common assignee, show improvements which relate to so-called “half heights” drives.
The catridges for these drives have a door which closes the cartridge when it is removed from the drive. This prevents debris from contaminating the magnetic recording medium when the cartridge is not in the drive. When the cartridge is inserted into the drive, this door slides to an open position to provide access for the magnetic recording heads to engage the recording medium.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,216,558- Griffith, et al shows a drive for a rigid cartridge in which the cartridge door slides to an open position inside of the cartridge. In the aforementioned Thompson, et al patent, the door also slides to an open position inside the cartridge. In these drives, and in the cartridges used therein, space is at a premium. The cartridge has a narrow width into which the door must fit. This width is constrained by the relative size of the disk drive form factor. Also, the size of the disk relative to size of the casing severely limits the amount of room which is available inside the cartridge. It is desirable to have the disk occupy as much space within the cartridge as possible. This provides the maximum data storage capacity for a given drive form factor.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a cartridge with a sliding door which optimizes the amount of space available for the recording medium for a given form factor drive.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with the present invention, a thin, flexible door slides in narrow parallel tracks in the two halves of the cartridge shell. The door travels in tracks which guide the door outside of the cartridge parallel to the side of the cartridge when it is inserted into the drive. This exposes the disks in the cartridge to read/write head access.
A small projection on the end of a flexible arm catches the cartridge door, which is initially in its closed position, and pulls it out and along side the cartridge into the open position as the cartridge is inserted into the drive. The flexible arm insures that the projection will catch the cartridge door no matter where the cartridge is located in the drive opening. Special curved surfaces around the small projection control its penetration into a groove along the cartridge side.
The narrow space constraint into which the door must fit is caused by the relative size of the drive form factor and the disk size in the cartridge. Because the door slides outside of the cartridge, space inside of the cartridge is conserved.
The foregoing and other features, advantages and objects of the invention will be better understood from the following more detailed description and appended claims.
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“Disk release mechanism for magnetic disk cartridge,”IBM Tehcnical Disclosure Bulletin, 1979, 2499-2500.
Bracken Allen T.
Griffith David W.
Jones David E.
Rich Edward L.
Sumner Wayne A.
Iomega Corporation
Miller Brian E.
Woodcock Washburn Kurtz Mackiewicz & Norris LLP
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