Information recording by article orientation

Claim 2

An information recording medium comprising in combination: magnetizable anisotropic particles; a plurality of spaced first matrices having said particles located therein and having a first state in which said particles are maintained stationary and being transformable into a second state in which said particles are mobile; and means including a solid second matrix containing said first matrices for maintaining said first matrices in position while said first matrices are in said First state and while said first matrices are in said second state.

Claim 3

An information recording medium as claimed in claim 1, wherein: substantially each of said first matrices contains more than one of said particles.

Claim 4

An information recording medium as claimed in claim 1, wherein: said particles are anisotropic single-domain particles.

Claim 5

An information recording medium as claimed in claim 1, wherein: said particles are spherical, uniaxially anisotropic particles.

Claim 6

An information recording medium as claimed in claim 1, wherein: said particles are of a material selected from the group consisting of hexagonal cobalt, manganese bismuthide (MnBi), and Co5 R, wherein R is a rare-earth metal.

Claim 7

An information recording medium as claimed in claim 1, wherein: said anisotropic particles are in an oriented state.

Claim 8

An information recording medium as claimed in claim 1, wherein: said anisotropic particles are in a magnetized and oriented state.

Claim 9

An information recording medium as claimed in claim 1, wherein: said first matrices comprise material being fluidizable upon thermal exposure.

Claim 10

An information recording medium as claimed in claim 1, wherein: said first matrices are photosensitive as to their transformability into said second state.

Claim 11

An information recording medium as claimed in claim 1, comprising an information record in the form of an information-wise orientation of said particles.

Claim 12

An information recording medium as claimed in claim 1, wherein: said first matrices comprise material being fluidizable upon thermal exposure; said first matrix is of a material remaining solid upon said thermal exposure; and said recording medium includes means for ex-posing said first matrices to a thermal image of said information in response to a luminous image of said information.

Claim 13

In an information recording method, the improvement comprising in combination the steps of: providing magnetizable anisotropic particles; enclosing said particles in a plurality of first matrices having a first state in which said particles are maintained substantially stationary and being transformable into a second state in which said particles are mobile; providing said first matrices with said enclosed particles in a solid second matrix for maintaining said first matrices in position while said first matrices are in said first state and while said first matrices are in said second state; transforming predetermined ones of said first matrices selected in accordance with said information to said second state; and magnetically orienting said anisotropic particles in said predetermined first matrices to provide an information record.

Claim 14

In an information recording method, the improvement comprising in combination the steps of: providing magnetizable anisotropic particles; enclosing said particles in a plurality of first matrices having a first state in which said particles are maintained substantially stationary and being transformable into a second state in which said particles are mobile; providing said first matrices with said enclosed particles in a solid second matrix for maintaining said first matrices in position while said first matrices are in said first state and while said first matrices are in said second state; transforming predetermined ones of said first matrices selected in accordance with said information to said second state; and magnetically orienting said anisotropic particles in said predetermined first matrices to provide an information record.

Claim 15

An information recording method as claimed in claim 12, wherein: said particles are provided in the form of ani-sotropic single-domain particles.

Claim 16

An information recording method as claimed in claim 12, wherein: said particles are provided in the form of spherical, uniaxially anisotropic particles.

Claim 17

An information recording method as claimed in claim 12, wherein: said particles are made of a material selected from the group consisting of hexagonal coblat, manganese bismuthide (MnBi), and Co5 R, wherein R is a rare-earth metal.

Claim 18

An information recording method as claimed in claim 12, wherein: substantially each of said first matrices is provided with more than one of said particles.

Claim 19

An information recording method as claimed in claim 12, wherein: said first matrices are made of material being fluidizable upon thermal exposure; said second matrix is made of a material re-maining solid upon said thermal exposure; and said predetermined first matrices are fluidized by exposure to a thermal image corresponding to said information.

Claim 20

An information recording method as claimed in claim 17, wherein: said predetermined first matrices are flUidized by means of a photoconductor device providing said thermal image in response to a luminous image of the information to be recorded.

Claim 21

In an information recording method, the improvement comprising in combination the steps of: providing magnetizable anisotropic particles; enclosing said particles in a plurality of first matrices having a first state in which said particles are maintained substantially stationary and being transformable into a second state in which said particles are mobile; providing said first matrices with said enclosed particles in a solid second matrix for maintaining said first matrices in position while said first matrices are in said first state and while said first matrices are in said second state; transforming said first matrices to said second state and orienting and magnetizing said anisotropic particles in said first matrices; transforming said first matrices to said first state; and transforming predetermined ones of said first matrices selected in accordance with said information to said second state whereby the anisotropic particles in said predetermined first matrices will become disoriented to display minimum net magnetic moments.

Claim 22

In an information recording method, the improvement comprising in combination the steps of: providing magnetizable anisotropic particles; enclosing said particles in a plurality of first matrices having a first state in which said particles are maintained substantially stationary and being transformable into a second state in which said particles are mobile; providing said first matrices with said enclosed particles in a solid second matrix for maintaining said first matrices in position while said first matrices are in said first state and while said first matrices are in said second state; transforming said first matrices to said second state and orienting and magnetizing said anisotropic particles in said first matrices; transforming said first matrices to said first state; and transforming predetermined ones of said first matrices selected in accordance with said information to said second state whereby the anisotropic particles in said predetermined first matrices will become disoriented to display minimum net magnetic moments.

Claim 23

An information recording method as claimed in claim 19, wherein: said particles are provided in the form of ani-sotropic single-domain particles.

Claim 24

An information recording method as claimed in claim 19, wherein: said particles are provided in the form of spherical, uniaxially anisotropic ferromagnetic particles.

Claim 25

An information recording method as claimed in claim 19, wherein: said particles are made of a material selected from the group consisting of hexagonal cobalt, manganese bismuthide (MnBi), and Co5 R, wherein R is a rare-earth metal.

Claim 26

An information recording method as claimed in claim 19, wherein: substantially each of said first matrices is provided with more than one of said particles.

Claim 27

An information recording method as claimed in claim 19, wherein: said first matrices are made of material being fluidizable upon thermal exposure; said second matrix is made of a material remain-ing solid upon said thermal exposure; and said predetermined first matrices are fluidized by exposure to a thermal image corresponding to said information.

Claim 28

An information recording method as claimed in claim 24, wherein: said predetermined first matrices are fluidized by means of a photoconductor device providing said thermal image in response to a luminous image of the information to be recorded.