Magnetic head slider with orifice

Claim 2

A magnetic head assembly for cooperating in transducing relation with a magnetic medium comprising: a slider having an air-bearing surface and an orifice therethrough defining an aperture in said air-bearing surface so as to create a pressure differential within the orifice between said air-bearing surface and the other surface of said slider, said other surface being exposed to an ambient pressure, whereby particles disposed in the vicinity of said aperture near said air-bearing surface are forced through said orifice and out of said slider; a magnetic transducer; and resilient means for mounting said transducer to said slider, said resilient means being unitary and having one end suspended within said orifice near said air-bearing surface of said slider and having the other end bonded to said other surface, and for suspending said transducer within said orifice and for providing relative movement between said transducer and said slider so that said transducer is maintained in substantially constant contact with the magnetic medium in response to surface variations thereof.

Claim 3

The magnetic head assembly set forth in claim 1, wherein said resilient means has a transducer mounting aperture disposed near said one end, said transducer being mounted therein and disposed below said air-bearing surface of said slider.

Claim 4

The magnetic head assembly set forth in claim 2, wherein said other end of said resilient means comprises two legs extending angularly outwardly, each of said legs being bonded at the respective outer ends to said other surface of said slider at points disposed laterally outward of the outer lateral edges of said orifice so as to prevent movement of said transducer in a plane parallel to said air-bearing surface.

Claim 5

In a magnetic head assembly operable to transfer information to and from a moving magnetic surface of a magnetic medium wherein said assembly includes a transducer having a magnetic core member adapted to contact said magnetic surface, an improved means for mounting said core member in contact with said magnetic surface so as to minimize the effect of contaminants from said magnetic surface or said core generated as a result of the relative movement therebetween, said improved mounting means comprising; a single air-bearing slider element having a first surface positionable in gliding relationship to said magnetic surface; means for biasing said element toward said medium to maintain said surfaces in gliding relationship a predetermined distance apart; a portion of said slider element defining an orifice extending completely through said element from said first surface to an opposite surface, the aperture of said orifice in the first surface being disposed in a region of above-ambient air pressure resulting from said air-bearing and the other aperture of said orifice being disposed in said opposite surface in a region of lower pressure, and a second biasing means connected between said core and said opposite surface to bias the distal end of said core into contact with said medium so as to maintain a relatively constant pressure therebetween independently of any minor variations in the distance between said air-bearing surface and said magnetic surface, said second biasing means including means positioning said core member freely in said orifice with the distal end thereof exTending a predetermined distance beyond the plane defined by said air-bearing surface whereby wear particles from either said core member or said magnetic surface generated as a result of sliding contact therebetween during operation are automatically removed from said medium through said orifice as a result of the pressure differential existing at opposite ends thereof.

Claim 6

In a magnetic head assembly operable to transfer information to and from a moving magnetic surface of a magnetic medium wherein said assembly includes a transducer having a magnetic core member adapted to contact said magnetic surface, an improved means for mounting said core member in contact with said magnetic surface so as to minimize the effect of contaminants from said magnetic surface or said core generated as a result of the relative movement therebetween, said improved mounting means comprising; a single air-bearing slider element having a first surface positionable in gliding relationship to said magnetic surface; means for biasing said element toward said medium to maintain said surfaces in gliding relationship a predetermined distance apart; a portion of said slider element defining an orifice extending completely through said element from said first surface to an opposite surface, the aperture of said orifice in the first surface being disposed in a region of above-ambient air pressure resulting from said air-bearing and the other aperture of said orifice being disposed in said opposite surface in a region of lower pressure, and a second biasing means connected between said core and said opposite surface to bias the distal end of said core into contact with said medium so as to maintain a relatively constant pressure therebetween independently of any minor variations in the distance between said air-bearing surface and said magnetic surface, said second biasing means including means positioning said core member freely in said orifice with the distal end thereof exTending a predetermined distance beyond the plane defined by said air-bearing surface whereby wear particles from either said core member or said magnetic surface generated as a result of sliding contact therebetween during operation are automatically removed from said medium through said orifice as a result of the pressure differential existing at opposite ends thereof.