Magnetic disk apparatus with slider and slider supporting...

Dynamic magnetic information storage or retrieval – Head mounting – Disk record

Reexamination Certificate

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Reexamination Certificate

active

06181524

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a magnetic disk apparatus and, more particularly, to a magnetic disk apparatus suitable for achieving a small size, a large capacity and high-speed access, and a magnetic head supporting device for use in such a magnetic disk apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, it has been strongly demanded that a magnetic disk apparatus have a reduced size, an increased capacity and increased access speed while ensuring high reliability. In order to meet these demands, various proposals have been made. In particular, in order to reduce the size of a magnetic disk apparatus, the diameter of a magnetic disk has been decreased, and the spacing between stacked magnetic disks has been decreased. Among the most recent apparatuses for magnetic disks of 3.5 inches, those having a spacing of 3 mm between disks are being sold on the market. As the size of magnetic disk apparatuses has thus been reduced, the size of magnetic head supporting devices for such apparatuses has been rapidly reduced. An example of such size reduction is shown in Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication No. 2-226512. This publication discloses a method in which a slider having a magnetic head mounted thereon is directly formed on the surface of a suspension by a film forming process.
In the disclosed art, the slider and the suspension, are formed of different materials. It has been conventional that a suspension, which must have a spring structure for supporting a slider, is generally formed of a metal material while the slider, which is to contact a magnetic disk, is normally formed of an abrasion-resistant material.
As a result, in a construction wherein a slider is formed on a suspension by a film forming process, as in the above-described prior art, no consideration has been given to the bonding strength between the slider and the suspension (that is, the bonding strength between the different materials), thus involving the possibility that the slider may be separated by contacting the magnetic disk. Further, the slider may tend to be deformed due to factors such as a difference in coefficients of thermal expansion of the different materials for the slider and the suspension, thereby involving the risk of the slider flying characteristic being adversely influenced. In addition, since it is difficult in a currently practiced film forming process to achieve a surface roughness of not more than 10 nm while assuring that the flying surface of the slider is distant from the suspension by a certain slider thickness (height) required to mount the magnetic head, the slider cannot function sufficiently. Thus, it has been impossible to assure that the magnetic disk apparatus can provide high reliability.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide a magnetic disk apparatus capable of ensuring high reliability.
In one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a magnetic disk apparatus for recording information on and reproducing information from magnetic disks by means of magnetic heads, said apparatus comprising magnetic head supporting means which comprises a slider or sliders provided with said magnetic head or heads, a flexible section or sections supporting said slider or sliders, and a supporting section or sections; and drive means for driving said magnetic head supporting means; said slider or sliders, said flexible section or sections and said supporting section or sections being integrally formed from a same material.
In another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a magnetic disk apparatus for recording information on and reproducing information from magnetic disks by means of magnetic heads, said apparatus comprising magnetic head supporting means which comprises a supporting section or sections disposed to face the recording surfaces of said magnetic disks, a slider or sliders provided with said magnetic head or heads, a flexible section or sections supporting said slider or sliders; and drive means for driving said magnetic head supporting means; said slider or sliders, said flexible section or sections and said supporting section or sections being integrally formed from a same material.
In other aspect of the present invention, there is provided a magnetic head supporting device for magnetic disk apparatuses having magnetic heads for recording information on and reproducing information from magnetic disks, said device comprising a magnetic head supporting means comprising a slider or sliders provided with said magnetic head or heads, a flexible section or sections supporting said slider or sliders, and a supporting section connecting to said flexible section or sections, said slider or sliders, said flexible section or sections and said supporting section being integrally formed from a same material.
In a further aspect of the present invention, there is provided a magnetic head supporting device for magnetic disk apparatuses having magnetic heads for recording information on and reproducing information from magnetic disks, said device comprising a supporting section or sections provided to face the recording surfaces of said magnetic disks, a plurality of sliders provided on said supporting section or sections and provided with magnetic heads, and a plurality of flexible sections supporting each said slider, said sliders and said flexible sections being formed integral with said supporting section or sections.
Thus, a magnetic head supporting device can be integrally formed from a single thin plate, thereby making it possible to provide a small-sized magnetic head supporting device with a high level of precision. Accordingly, it is possible to assure high reliability of a magnetic disk apparatus.


REFERENCES:
patent: H1424 (1995-04-01), Budde
patent: 4001889 (1977-01-01), Schneider
patent: 4245267 (1981-01-01), Herman
patent: 4422115 (1983-12-01), Spash
patent: 5041932 (1991-08-01), Hamilton
patent: 5198945 (1993-03-01), Blaeser et al.
patent: 5251089 (1993-10-01), Hara
patent: 5282102 (1994-01-01), Christianson
patent: 5335126 (1994-08-01), Tokyuama et al.
patent: 5353181 (1994-10-01), Frater et al.
Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication No. 2-226512 Name: Tsukasama Tsuura, Date Sep. 1990.

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