Magnetic transducer assemblies

Claim 1

AN ASSEMBLY FOR MAINTAINING A MAGNETIC RECORDING HEAD IN CLOSE HYDRODYNAMIC BEARING RELATIONSHIP TO A RECORD SURFACE DURING RELATIVE MOTION BETWEEN SAID HEAD AND SAID RECORD SURFACE COMPRISING (A) A LOADING ARM HAVING ONE END ATTACHED TO A SUPPORT MEMBER AND AN OPPOSITE END FREE FOR MOVEMENT TOWARD AND AWAY FROM SAID RECORD SURFACE, (B) MEANS FOR APPLYING A FORCE TO SAID LOADING ARM FOR MAINTAINING SAID FREE END OF SAID LOADING ARM BIASED TOWARD SAID RECORD SURFACE, (C) A RECORDING HEAD UNIT HAVING A HYDRODYNAMIC BEARING SURFACE FACING SAID RECORD SURFACE AND A FIRST PIVOT BEARING SURFACE ON SAID HEAD UNIT OPPOSITE SAID HYDRODYNAMIC BEARING SURFACE, (D) A SECOND PIVOT BEARING SURFACE ON SAID LOADING ARM BEING ORIENTED TO FORM WITH SAID FIRST PIVOT BEARING SURFACE A SINGLE UNIVERSAL PIVOT ELEMENT OPERATIVE TO TRANSMIT SAID FORCE APPLIED TO SAID LOADING ARM TO SAID HEAD UNIT WHILE ALLOWING SAID HEAD UNIT TO PIVOT WITH RESPECT TO SAID LOADING ARM AS SAID HEAD UNIT FOLLOWS VARIATIONS IN SAID RECORD SURFACE, (E) AND A FLAT SPRING ELEMENT FIXEDLY ATTACHED AT ONE END TO SAID HEAD UNIT AND FIXEDLY ATTACHED AT ONE OTHER END TO SAID LOADING ARM, THAT PORTION OF SAID FLAT SPRING ELEMENT ADJACENT THE AREA OVER WHICH SAID FLAT SPRING ELEMENT IS ATTACHED TO SAID HEAD UNIT LYING IN A PLANE SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL TO SAID HYDRODYNAMIC BEARING SURFACE AND INTERSECTING THE AREAOF CONTACT BETWEEN SAID FIRST AND SECOND PIVOT BEARIN SURFACES TO RESTRAIN SAID HEAD UNIT FROM ROTATION ABOUT AN AXIS THROUGH SAID SINGLE UNIVERSAL PIVOT ELEMENT PERPENDICULAR TO SAID RECORD SURFACE.