Patent US5079657A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
← Back to Patent Explorer
US5079657A Expired / Lapsed US ⏱️ 0.0 years remaining

Textured air bearing surface

Assignee: NGK Insulators Ltd
•
Filing: 1990-02-15
•
Granted: 1992-01-07
•
Expires: 2010-02-15
📄 Original PDF 🌐 Google Patents 🔄 Sync Now

Abstract

Abstract The present invention discloses texturing of the slider air bearing surfaces of the magnetic heads in disk drives to reduce stiction that retards take-off and displaces critical lubricant in a magnetic head system. One embodiment of the present invention utilizes nonuniform etching of chemically identical components of a ferrite slider material due solely to random crystal orientation relative to the exposed surface. Another embodiment of the present invention utilizes a photoresist of a type used in making printed circuit boards, to form a pattern. Subseqeuntly, the surface may be etched to form the antistiction properties. A variety of controlled and reproducible patterns as well as a controlled depth of pattern may be utilized.

Inventors

  • 👤 Michael I. Aronoff
  • 👤 Michael McNeil

Bibliographic Details

Application Number —
Jurisdiction US
Data Source google_patents
Last Synchronized 2026-11-07 07:09
CPC Classifications
G; G11; G11B; G11B21/00; G11B21/16; G11B21/20; G11B21/21; G11B5/00; G11B5/48; G11B5/58; G11B5/60; G11B5/6005; G11B33/00; G11B33/14; G11B5/84

Claims Analysis

Total Claims: 23
Claim 1
Independent Claim 103 words
A head core slider for a drive which rotates a magnetic disk in a primary direction, comprising: a slider body including an air bearing portion, wherein said air bearing portion defines a sliding surface which extends in the rotating direction of said magnetic disk, said sliding surface during use periodically contacting said magnetic disk; and wherein a series of recesses are formed in said air bearing portion so as to form a controlled and reproducible pattern extending substantially over said sliding surface in the rotating direction of said magnetic disk for reducing stiction between said slider body and said magnetic disk during contact.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim 103 words
A head core slider for a drive which rotates a magnetic disk in a primary direction, comprising: a slider body including an air bearing portion, wherein said air bearing portion defines a sliding surface which extends in the rotating direction of said magnetic disk, said sliding surface during use periodically contacting said magnetic disk; and wherein a series of recesses are formed in said air bearing portion so as to form a controlled and reproducible pattern extending substantially over said sliding surface in the rotating direction of said magnetic disk for reducing stiction between said slider body and said magnetic disk during contact.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim 101 words
A head core slider for a drive which rotates a magnetic disk in a primary direction, comprising: a slider body including an air bearing portion, wherein said air bearing portion defines a sliding surface having edges which extend in the rotating direction of said magnetic disk, said sliding surface periodically contacting said magnetic disk; and wherein a series of recesses are formed in said air bearing portion so as to form a controlled and reproducible pattern extending substantially over said sliding surface in the rotating direction of said magnetic disk consisting of continuous boundaries connecting said edges of said sliding surface.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim 101 words
A head core slider for a drive which rotates a magnetic disk in a primary direction, comprising: a slider body including an air bearing portion, wherein said air bearing portion defines a sliding surface having edges which extend in the rotating direction of said magnetic disk, said sliding surface periodically contacting said magnetic disk; and wherein a series of recesses are formed in said air bearing portion so as to form a controlled and reproducible pattern extending substantially over said sliding surface in the rotating direction of said magnetic disk consisting of continuous boundaries connecting said edges of said sliding surface.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim 21 words
A head core slider for a drive as defined in claim 2, wherein said pattern includes continuous boundaries of varying sizes.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim 41 words
A head core slider for a drive as defined in claim 2, wherein said continuous boundaries have a height variation relative to an average plane of said sliding surface, said height variation lying within a range of 1 to 10 microinches.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim 24 words
A head core slider for a drive as defined in claim 2, wherein said continuous boundaries vary in different regions of said sliding surface.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim 99 words
A head core slider for a drive which rotates a magnetic disk in a primary direction, comprising: a slider body including an air bearing portion, wherein said air bearing portion defines a sliding surface which extends in the rotating direction of said magnetic disk, said sliding surface during use, periodically contacting said magnetic disk; and wherein a series of recesses are formed in said air bearing portion so as to form a controlled and reproducible pattern extending substantially over said sliding surface in the rotating direction of said magnetic disk consisting of closed geometric forms of a single shape.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim 99 words
A head core slider for a drive which rotates a magnetic disk in a primary direction, comprising: a slider body including an air bearing portion, wherein said air bearing portion defines a sliding surface which extends in the rotating direction of said magnetic disk, said sliding surface during use, periodically contacting said magnetic disk; and wherein a series of recesses are formed in said air bearing portion so as to form a controlled and reproducible pattern extending substantially over said sliding surface in the rotating direction of said magnetic disk consisting of closed geometric forms of a single shape.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim 22 words
A head core slider for a drive as defined in claim 6, wherein said pattern includes closed geometric forms of varying sizes.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim 41 words
A head core slider for a drive as defined in claim 6, wherein said closed geometric forms have height variations relative to an average plane of said sliding surface, said height variation lying within a range of 1 to 10 microinches.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim 24 words
A head core slider for a drive as defined in claim 6 wherein said closed geometric forms vary in different regions of said surface.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim 96 words
A head core slider for a drive which rotates a magnetic disk in a primary direction, comprising: a slider body including an air bearing portion, wherein said air bearing portion defines a sliding surface which extends in the rotating direction of said magnetic disk, said sliding surface periodically contacting said magnetic disk; and wherein a series of recesses are formed in said air bearing portion so as to form a controlled and reproducible pattern extending substantially over said sliding surface in the rotating direction of said magnetic disk consisting of closed geometric forms of different shapes.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim 96 words
A head core slider for a drive which rotates a magnetic disk in a primary direction, comprising: a slider body including an air bearing portion, wherein said air bearing portion defines a sliding surface which extends in the rotating direction of said magnetic disk, said sliding surface periodically contacting said magnetic disk; and wherein a series of recesses are formed in said air bearing portion so as to form a controlled and reproducible pattern extending substantially over said sliding surface in the rotating direction of said magnetic disk consisting of closed geometric forms of different shapes.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim 22 words
A head core slider for a drive as defined in claim 10, wherein said pattern includes closed geometric forms of varying sizes.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim 42 words
A head core slider for a drive as defined in claim 10, wherein said closed geometric forms have height variations relative to an average plane of said sliding surface, said height variation lying within a range of from 1 to 10 microinches.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim 24 words
A head core slider for a drive as defined in claim 10, wherein said closed geometric forms vary in different regions of said surface.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim 88 words
A head core slider for a drive for a magnetic disk, comprising: a slider body including an air bearing portion, wherein said air bearing portion defines a sliding surface, said sliding surface during use periodically contacting said magnetic disk; and wherein a series of recesses are formed in said air bearing portion so as to form a controlled and reproducible pattern, said recesses having a height variation relative to an average plane of said sliding surface, said height variation being within the range of 1 to 10 microinches.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim 88 words
A head core slider for a drive for a magnetic disk, comprising: a slider body including an air bearing portion, wherein said air bearing portion defines a sliding surface, said sliding surface during use periodically contacting said magnetic disk; and wherein a series of recesses are formed in said air bearing portion so as to form a controlled and reproducible pattern, said recesses having a height variation relative to an average plane of said sliding surface, said height variation being within the range of 1 to 10 microinches.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim 19 words
The head core slider of claim 14, wherein said pattern consists of closed geometric forms of a single shape.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim 18 words
The head core slider of claim 14, wherein said pattern consists of closed geometric forms of different shapes.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim 99 words
A head core slider for a drive for a magnetic disk, comprising: a slider body including an air bearing portion, wherein said air bearing portion defines a sliding surface having edges, said sliding surface periodically contacting said magnetic disk; and wherein a series of recesses are formed in said air bearing portion so as to form a controlled and reproducible pattern consisting of continuous boundaries connecting said edges of said sliding surface, said recesses having a height variation relative to an average plane of said sliding surface, said height variation being within the range of 1 to 10 microinches.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim 99 words
A head core slider for a drive for a magnetic disk, comprising: a slider body including an air bearing portion, wherein said air bearing portion defines a sliding surface having edges, said sliding surface periodically contacting said magnetic disk; and wherein a series of recesses are formed in said air bearing portion so as to form a controlled and reproducible pattern consisting of continuous boundaries connecting said edges of said sliding surface, said recesses having a height variation relative to an average plane of said sliding surface, said height variation being within the range of 1 to 10 microinches.

References Cited (Backward Citations)

JPS5423517A Cited
JPS55139625A Cited
JPS56107363A Cited
US4549238A Cited
US4530021A Cited
JPS59227065A Cited
US4529659A Cited
US4589036A Cited

USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows

Annuity Stage Window Opens Payment Deadline Surcharge Period Until Estimated Fee Status
3.5 Years (Year 4) 1995-01-06 1995-07-08 1996-01-07 $2000.00 Window Closed / Lapsed
7.5 Years (Year 8) 1999-01-06 1999-07-08 2000-01-07 $3760.00 Window Closed / Lapsed
11.5 Years (Year 12) 2003-01-06 2003-07-08 2004-01-07 $7700.00 Window Closed / Lapsed

Assigned Categories & Tags

No categories assigned to this patent yet.

Assign Category Tag