Dynamic magnetic information storage or retrieval – Record transport with head stationary during transducing – Disk record
Reexamination Certificate
1999-01-15
2001-08-21
Heinz, A. J. (Department: 2754)
Dynamic magnetic information storage or retrieval
Record transport with head stationary during transducing
Disk record
Reexamination Certificate
active
06278573
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a floppy disk drive device or a disk drive, particularly to a disk drive for driving a FD (Floppy Disk) having a recording medium of a high memory density or a high memory capacity.
In the prior art, a conventional floppy disk drive is used for magnetically writing and reading information to/from a floppy disk. Such a disk drive comprises a casing or housing having a bottom plate and a front opening and defining an inner room or a floppy disk containing space. The floppy disk is loaded and unloaded into the inner room through the front opening. The information is magnetically written/read to/from the floppy disk by a magnetic writing/reading assembly and a drive unit both disposed in the inner room.
A conventional floppy disk comprises an outer container having a shuttered window and the magnetic recording medium contained therein. For reading/writing information to the floppy disk, the magnetic recording medium is partially exposed in the shuttered window of the outer container by opening the shutter and is brought into contact with a magnetic head of the magnetic writing/reading assembly.
In order to avoid unfortunate invasion of dust into the outer container through the opened window of the outer container to contaminate the magnetic recording medium, the floppy disk is provided with a liner and a lifter disposed in the outer container. The liner is pressed onto a surface of the magnetic recording medium by the lifter to prevent dust from contaminate the surface of the magnetic recording medium.
Recently, a new floppy disk has been proposed and become used which has a magnetic recording medium having a memory capacity higher than the conventional floppy disk.
The magnetic recording medium of the conventional or ordinary floppy disk usually has a conventional or ordinary memory capacity of 1-2 Mega bytes and that of the new floppy disk has a memory capacity, of about 128 Mega bytes or more, higher than the ordinary memory capacity. The floppy disk having the ordinary memory capacity and that having the higher memory capacity will be referred to as a ordinary floppy disk and a high capacity floppy disk, respectively, hereinafter.
The high capacity floppy disk is driven at a rotation speed higher than the ordinary floppy disk for magnetically writing and reading information. Therefore, with the high capacity floppy disk, it is desired not to use the lifter that's used in the case of the ordinary floppy disk. This is because the use of the lifter requires the increased torque for a driving motor of drive unit which drives the high capacity floppy disk at the high speed.
In addition, if dust or small rubbish invades into the outer container, it is difficult to remove and is readily adhered the surface of the magnetic medium and therefore the magnetic head, resulting in a problem where it is difficult to write and read information to/from the high capacity floppy disk.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide a disk drive for a high capacity floppy disk which can avoid dust from invading into the floppy disk without use of a lifter during the operation for driving the floppy disk.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a disk drive for use in writing and reading to/from a high capacity floppy disk which is capable of preventing invasion of dust from outside into the disk drive.
The present invention is applicable to a disk drive for a floppy disk of a high memory capacity, the floppy disk comprising an outer container and a recording medium of a high memory capacity contained therein. According to the present invention, the disk drive comprises: a housing defining an inner room therein and having a front end opening connecting with the inner room for allowing the floppy disk to be loaded into and unloaded from the inner room therethrough. The housing has a bottom plate defining a bottom of the inner room. The bottom plate has a front end portion formed with ventilation holes for allowing air to pass therethrough from the inner room to the underside of the bottom plate. The bottom plate further has a through-hole through which an electric cable extends between the inner room and the underside of the bottom plate. An printed circuit board is mounted on the housing but under the bottom plate and connected witht he electric cable. A drive unit is mounted to the bottom plate and has a driving portion disposed in the inner room on the bottom plate for operatively connecting with and driving the floppy disk loaded into the inner room. A read/write head assembly is disposed in the inner room to be able to operatively engage with the recording medium for reading/writing data into and from the recording medium. A closure element is disposed to close the through-hole for blocking air flow through the through-hole but allowing the electric cable to extend through the through-hole.
Further, the present invention can provide a disk drive device for reading/writing information into a floppy disk having a magnetic recording medium of a high memory capacity. The disk drive device comprises: a casing defining a floppy disk containing space and having a front end opening for allowing the floppy disk to be loaded into and unloaded from the floppy disk containing space therethrough. The casing has at least one exhaust port adjacent the front end opening for expelling dust or small rubbish outside. The casing further has gaps for causing air flows therethrough. A magnetic writing/reading assembly is disposed in the floppy disk containing space for writing and reading information to/from the magnetic recording medium of the floppy disk loaded in the floppy disk containing space. Sealing elements are mounted to the casing to close the gaps for blocking the air flows through the gaps.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5898537 (1999-04-01), Oizumi
patent: 6091572 (2000-07-01), Cox
Okano Yoshihiro
Tangi Yoshinori
Uwabo Tsuneo
Yoneyama Eiichi
Frishauf, Holtz Goodman, Langer & Chick, P.C.
Heinz A. J.
Mitsumi Electric Co. Ltd.
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