Magnetic head support apparatus for a two-sided floppy disk drive

Claim 1

A support apparatus which maintains contact of first and second magnetic heads of a disk drive with a two-sided floppy disk having undulations in its planar surface, said apparatus comprising: a carriage having front and rear portions and movable in a radial direction with respect to said two-sided floppy disk; an arm rotatably supported by said rear portion of said carriage for rotating between a first position in which a front portion of said arm is remote from said first portion of said carriage and a second position in which said front portion of said arm is in the vicinity of said front portion of said carriage; an arm support means for engaging a portion of said arm when said arm is in said second position, thereby preventing rotation of said arm past said second position; means for applying a torque to said arm in order to bias said arm in said second position and against said arm support means; a first magnetic head supported by said carriage in said front portion thereof; a second magnetic head supported by said rotating arm at said front portion thereof and facing said first magnetic head when said arm is in said second position; means for supporting said first and second magnetic heads on said carriage and arm, respectively, so as to enable said first and second magnetic heads to move in a direction normal to said planar surface of said two-sided floppy disk in response to said undulations in order that said first and second magnetic heads maintain continuous contact with the surface of said two-sided floppy disk; and said means for supporting said first and second magnetic heads including a first means for supporting said first magnetic head having a lesser stiffness than a second means for supporting said second magnetic head.