Hard disk drive with erasing apparatus

Claim 1

A self-contained hard disk drive unit comprising: a driveable disk carrier having a plurality of magnetic disks mounted thereon such that each of said magnetic disks is substantially parallel and spaced with respect to the next adjacent disk, said disk carrier being adapted to rotate about a central axis; a regulating device mounted adjacent the disk carrier having a plurality of carrier arms with each of said arms having a magnetic read-write head, said regulating device including means for traversing each of said read-write heads across a respective one of said plurality of disks as said disk carrier rotates; a stationary air conduction comb mounted adjacent said regulating device, said comb having a plurality of fingers with each of said plurality of fingers being aligned with and positioned before a respective carrier arm with respect to the path of travel of said rotating disk to deflect contaminants to prevent said contaminants from reaching said read-write heads; and a plurality of activatable erasing means respectively on said comb fingers adjacent said disk, said erasing means being activatable to erase said disks as said disks rotate to provide an erased and substantially contaminant free disk to said respective read-write heads as said disk rotates.