Dynamic magnetic information storage or retrieval inventions 03/07

20070070532 - Information processor and image generator: An information processor includes a rotating magnetic disk that stores therein data, an accessing unit that accesses the magnetic disk, a detecting unit that detects an abnormal state. The abnormal state is a state that a user takes an action that may cause the magnetic disk to vibrate. The information... Agent: Oblon, Spivak, Mcclelland, Maier & Neustadt, P.C.

20070070533 - Contact inspection device, and contact inspection device and method for magnetic disk device: A contact inspection method and device in which a detection element which produces a detection output according to vibration of a rotating body is mounted on the rotating body to detect contact of an object with the rotating body, more particularly a method and device suitable for evaluating mechanical characteristics... Agent: Steptoe & Johnson LLP

20070070534 - Variable threshold bipolar signal peak detector: A method and apparatus for detecting signal peaks caused by a thermal asperity event in a magnetic recording media to reduce data reading errors introduced by the thermal asperity event. A common mode voltage is determined for differential signals representing data bits read from the magnetic recording media and a... Agent: Priest & Goldstein, PLLC

20070070536 - Apparatus and method for controlling common mode voltage of a disk drive write head: An apparatus and method for controlling the common mode voltage across a data storage device write head. The write current is supplied by a first plurality of parallel current sources each independently activated to limit the common mode voltage generated across the write head. A plurality of parallel resistive elements... Agent: Priest & Goldstein, PLLC

20070070537 - Information playback system using information storage medium: According to one embodiment, there is provided a data processing method. The method includes reading management information indicative of a playback and display procedure, acquiring a content from a certain storage position at a timing determined based on the management information, and performing playback and display of the content at... Agent: Oblon, Spivak, Mcclelland, Maier & Neustadt, P.C.

20070070535 - Storage system and component replacement processing method thereof: A storage system is constructed by a hierarchy of a primary storage device and a secondary storage device. A storage system has a hierarchy of a primary storage device, secondary storage devices and a storage processor, an emulator device for emulating an identifier of a maintenance target unit. The emulator... Agent: Armstrong, Kratz, Quintos, Hanson & Brooks, LLP

20070070538 - Read write (rw) head position control for self servo writing process: The present invention provides a method of generating magnetic reference patterns on a disk or other magnetic media. This involves writing a first magnetic reference pattern to the disk with a servo writer. The disk may then be transferred to a hard disk drive. Control circuitry within the hard disk... Agent: Garlick Harrison & Markison

20070070539 - Method and apparatus for controlling motor rotation in hard disk drive: A method and apparatus for controlling a rotation of a motor in a disk drive. The method includes: performing spin-up when the disk drive is operating and determining whether a disk rotation speed is less than predetermined target constant revolutions per minute (RPM); rotating a disk at predetermined low RPM... Agent: Staas & Halsey LLP

20070070540 - Disk drive and control method thereof: Embodiments of the present invention provide a disk drive capable of reducing, by means of simple control, vibrations applied to the drive and vibrations occurring in the drive, and a control method for controlling the disk drive. In one embodiment, a servo system comprises a sensor unit for detecting vibrations,... Agent: Townsend And Townsend And Crew LLP

20070070541 - Magnetic recording disk having a transition zone: A disk drive having a magnetic recording disk with a transition zone is described. A surface texture of the transition zone induces the head to fly at a greater height than when operating over a data zone, while transitioning the head to a landing zone to park.... Agent: Daniel E. Ovanezian Blakely, Sokoloff, Taylor & Zafman LLP

20070070542 - Disk control apparatus, disk control method, and computer product: A disk control apparatus controls a disk driving unit that performs read/write of data with a head. A vibration detecting unit detects a vibration of the disk driving unit. A disk control unit controls the disk driving unit based on the detected vibration.... Agent: Patrick G. Burns, Esq. Greer, Burns & Crain, Ltd.

20070070543 - Lapping method and station to achieve tight dimension controls for both read and write elements of magnetic recording heads and magnetic storage device formed thereby: A station for performing a lapping method to achieve tight dimension controls for both read and write elements of magnetic recording heads is disclosed. A recording head having a read head stripe height and a write head throat height is lapped using a plurality of lapping forces. At least one... Agent: David W. Lynch Chambliss, Bahner & Stophel

20070070544 - Magnetic recording head including main magnetic pole layer, return path layer, and coil layer: A magnetic recording head is provided. The magnetic recording head comprises a main magnetic pole layer, a return path layer, and a coil layer. A facing surface faces a recording medium. A yoke layer is formed between the main magnetic pole layer and the return path layer. An extending front... Agent: Brinks Hofer Gilson & Lione

20070070545 - Servo track having periodic frames of tone field and embedded synchronization marks: Methods and systems for sensing a position of a transducer head with respect to a storage medium. One method includes generating a read signal from a servo track stored on a magnetic storage medium. The servo track includes servo frames of magnetic flux transitions forming detectable servo marks, the servo... Agent: Morrison & Foerster LLP

20070070546 - Data storing medium and hard disk drive having the same: A data storing medium and a hard disk drive (HDD) having the data storing medium. The data storing medium includes a recording zone where data is recorded and/or reproduced, and a non-recording zone disposed outside the recording zone to overlap with an end of a ramp at which a slider... Agent: Stanzione & Kim, LLP

20070070549 - Magnetic recording disk having a transition zone: A disk drive having a magnetic recording disk with a transition zone is described. A surface texture of the transition zone induces the head to fly at a greater height than when operating over a data zone, while transitioning the head to a landing zone to park.... Agent: Daniel E. Ovanezian Blakely, Sokoloff, Taylor & Zafman LLP

20070070547 - Magnetic recording media and magnetic recording device: According to one embodiment, a magnetic recording media includes a magnetic recording layer formed on a substrate, in which recording tracks and servo areas are prescribed as patterns of protrusions and recesses formed on the magnetic recording layer so that thin film portions of the magnetic recording layer are formed... Agent: Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman, LLP

20070070548 - Stamper for magnetic recording media, method of manufacturing magnetic recording media using the same, and method of manufacturing stamper for magnetic recording media: According to one embodiment, a stamper for a magnetic recording media has patterns of protrusions and recesses to manufacture a discrete track recording type magnetic recording media having servo areas including an address portion, a preamble portion and a burst portion, and data areas including a recording track portion, the... Agent: Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman, LLP

20070070550 - Magnetic disk apparatus and method of controlling the same: A disk apparatus including: a head slider for being floated above a disk; a record/reproduction element provided at the head slider for recording and/or reproducing information on and/or from the disk; a displacer for shifting the record/reproduction element to approach closer to, or retreat farther away from, the disk; and... Agent: Antonelli, Terry, Stout & Kraus, LLP

20070070551 - Disk driving apparatus: A disk drive includes a rotatable disk, a read/write head, a head actuator for moving the head, a suspension for connecting the head and the actuator, and a housing for accommodating the disk, the head, the actuator and the suspension. The suspension is provided with a tab, and the housing... Agent: Patrick G. Burns, Esq. Greer, Burns & Crain, Ltd.

20070070552 - Micro-actuator and head gimbal assembly for a disk drive device: A micro-actuator for a head gimbal assembly includes a metal frame including a bottom support adapted to be connected to a suspension of the head gimbal assembly, a top support adapted to support a slider of the head gimbal assembly, and a pair of side arms that interconnect the bottom... Agent: Nixon & Vanderhye, PC

20070070553 - Magnetoresistance effect device: A magnetoresistance effect device has a fixed ferromagnetism layer, a free ferromagnetism layer, and a barrier layer sandwiched by these ferromagnetic layers. It is constituted so that CoFeB whose amount of addition of boron B (b: atomic %) is 21%≦b≦23% may be used for the free ferromagnetism layer. In the... Agent: Buchanan, Ingersoll & Rooney PC

20070070554 - Read head: A magetoresistive (MR) read head according to one embodiment includes a shield layer with a recessed portion and a protruding portion defined by the recessed portion; a first gap layer located on top of the recessed portion of the shield layer, the first gap layer including, an upper surface substantially... Agent: Zilka-kotab, PC

20070070555 - Method and structure for contacting two adjacent gmr memory bit: A method and a structure are provided for improving the contact of two adjacent GMR memory bits. Two adjacent bit ends are connected by utilizing a single via.... Agent: Thomas, Kayden, Horstemeyer & Risley, LLP

20070070556 - Fcc-like trilayer ap2 structure for cpp gmr em improvement: A CPP-GMR spin valve having a pinned layer with an AP2/coupling/AP1 configuration is disclosed wherein the AP2 portion is a FCC-like trilayer having a composition represented by CoZFe(100-Z)/Fe(100-X)TaX/CoZFe(100-Z) or CoZFe(100-Z)/FeYCo(100-Y)/CoZFe(100-Z) where x is 3 to 30 atomic %, y is 40 to 100 atomic %, and z is 75 to... Agent: Stephen B. Ackerman

20070064324 - Discontinuous copying method and system: Digital data may be copied from a source device, or disc, to a target device, or disc, via an intermediary device, such as a hard drive. If the collective free storage space on all of the hard drive's partitions is sufficient to contain all of the contents of the source... Agent: Thomas, Kayden, Horstemeyer & Risley, LLP

20070064325 - Data storage medium with optimized servo format: A data storage medium and data storage system with improved efficiency of formatting are provided. One illustrative embodiment of the present invention pertains to a data storage medium. The data storage medium includes a first zone having servo information written with a first frequency, a second zone having servo information... Agent: David K. Lucente Seagate Technology LLC

20070064327 - Servo track having periodic frames of tone field and embedded synchronization marks: Methods and systems for sensing a position of a transducer head with respect to a storage medium. One method includes generating a read signal from a servo track stored on a magnetic storage medium. The servo track includes servo frames of magnetic flux transitions forming detectable servo marks, the servo... Agent: Morrison & Foerster LLP

20070064328 - Servo track having periodic frames of tone field and embedded synchronization marks: Methods and systems for sensing a position of a transducer head with respect to a storage medium. One method includes generating a read signal from a servo track stored on a magnetic storage medium. The servo track includes servo frames of magnetic flux transitions forming detectable servo marks, the servo... Agent: Morrison & Foerster LLP

20070064326 - Storage medium reproducing apparatus, storage medium reproducing method, and computer program product for reading information from storage medium: A storage medium reproducing apparatus includes a storage unit, a correction history storage unit, a correction history implementing unit, and a correcting unit. The storage unit includes a plurality of information storage units storing information depending on whether a charge quantity is greater than a predetermined charge quantity threshold value,... Agent: Oblon, Spivak, Mcclelland, Maier & Neustadt, P.C.

20070064329 - Storage apparatus, storage apparatus control method, and computer product: A calculating unit calculates an interval time from a detection of a servo sync mark until a detection of an adjacent servo sync mark, for all servo sync marks on a track of a disk-shaped recording medium. A measuring unit measures, based on the calculated interval time, a deviation amount... Agent: Patrick G. Burns, Esq. Greer, Burns & Crain, Ltd.

20070064332 - Hard disk drive with mechanism for controlling protrusion of head: Embodiments of the invention suppress collision between a head element section and a magnetic disk. In manufacturing a hard disk drive (HDD) according to an embodiment of the present invention, recession R is preliminarily measured for each head slider. Recession R means the amount of recession of the head element... Agent: Townsend And Townsend And Crew LLP

20070064330 - Magnetic disk unit: In a magnetic disk unit, a number of heads that is settable to a usable setting is less than a maximum number of heads providable in the magnetic disk unit. The magnetic disk unit includes a storage part to provide a buffer region that is usable as a data buffer,... Agent: Patrick G. Burns, Esq. Greer, Burns & Crain, Ltd.

20070064331 - Storage device: A storage device configured to load and unload a head against a storage medium, includes a latch mechanism configured to latch the unloaded head, a head moving mechanism configured to move the head, a measuring part configured to measure an unlatch force necessary for unlatching the head latched by the... Agent: Patrick G. Burns, Esq. Greer, Burns & Crain, Ltd.

20070064333 - Method and apparatus for adjusting static attitude of thin film magnetic head: Provided is a method for adjusting static attitude of a thin film magnetic head attached to a flexure of a head arm assembly. The method includes: previously ranking and memorizing adjustment conditions corresponding to static attitude angles of the thin film magnetic head; measuring a static attitude angle of the... Agent: Oblon, Spivak, Mcclelland, Maier & Neustadt, P.C.

20070064335 - Method for reducing off track head motion due to disk vibration in a hard disk drive through the head gimbal assembly: Improved head gimbal assemblies reducing TMR (Track Mis-Registration) in a hard disk drive are provided. These head gimbal assemblies are as mechanically simple as contemporary head gimbal assemblies, support parallel flying sliders over flat disk surfaces, and reduce TMR induced by disk vibration. They are easier to build, more reliable,... Agent: Gregory Smith & Associates

20070064334 - Random vibration and shock compensator using a disturbance observer: A data storage device adapted to compensate for physical disturbances has a storage medium, a read-write mechanism positionable relative to the storage medium, and a disturbance observer. The read-write mechanism is adapted to read and write data. The disturbance observer compensates a position of the read-write mechanism according to low-frequency... Agent: David K. Lucente Seagate Technology LLC

20070064336 - Method of adjusting magnetic head of magnetic tape recording and reproducing apparatus and magnetic tape recording and reproducing apparatus: Processing wherein a measurement signal and an erasure signal are recorded on adjacent tracks of a recordable tape 10 by one recording head HWi of n (i=1 to n) recording heads is effected on n recording heads, and measurement signals are recorded on n tracks substantially simultaneously by n recording... Agent: Robert J. Depke Lewis T. Steadman

20070064337 - Storage apparatus, storage apparatus control method, and computer product: A seek-information storing unit stores seek information including a correlation between a seek distance indicating a shift distance from a current track to a target track where a target frame for a data input/out is located and a seek time indicating a shifting time that takes for a head to... Agent: Patrick G. Burns, Esq. Greer, Burns & Crain, Ltd.

20070064338 - Rotatable tape guide with tapered flanges: A rotatable tape guide with a cylindrical barrel having a cylindrical peripheral surface; and a guide flange substantially at each outer side of the cylindrical barrel and having a frusto-conical surface. The frusto-conical surface is configured at a taper angle outward with respect to the perpendicular direction from the cylindrical... Agent: John H. Holcombe IBM Corporation,IPLaw Dept.

20070064339 - Media cartridge autoloader: A media cartridge autoloader is disclosed which includes a media cartridge picker having a turntable capable of supporting a media cartridge and rotating to change the orientation of the media cartridge. A turntable rotating mechanism configured to rotate the turntable and a media cartridge transport mechanism configured to transport the... Agent: Ladas & Parry LLP

20070064340 - Tape deflector having integrated roller: In one example a tape deflector assembly for use within a media drive is provided. The tape deflector assembly includes a tape deflector operable to selectively move and deflect a tape path away from a transducer head (e.g., to accommodate the passage of a leader and buckle mechanism thereby). The... Agent: Morrison & Foerster LLP

20070064341 - Hard disk drive: A hard disk drive (HDD) including a disk, a spindle motor to rotate the disk, the spindle motor including a spindle shaft, a plurality of magnetic circuits having cores and coils wound around the cores, the magnetic circuits being installed along a peripheral portion of the spindle shaft, a base... Agent: Stanzione & Kim, LLP

20070064342 - Magnetic element: A magnetic element includes a channel layer, a first magnetic electrode which is in contact with the channel layer, a second magnetic electrode which is in contact with the channel layer and is insulated from the first magnetic electrode, a first intermediate layer which is provided adjacent to the first... Agent: Nixon & Vanderhye, PC

20070064344 - Magnetic head with coil insulator and method for manufacturing the same: Embodiments of the invention reduce the TPR (thermal protrusion phenomenon) of a perpendicular magnetic write head caused by a coil current and a static temperature. In one embodiment, SiO2 having a low coefficient of thermal expansion and high workability is used as a coil insulator. SiO2 is arranged at a... Agent: Townsend And Townsend And Crew LLP

20070064343 - Perpendicular magnetic recording head and method of manufacturing the same: A magnetic recording head and a method of manufacturing the magnetic recording head are provided. The perpendicular magnetic recording head includes a main magnetic pole layer and a return path layer that face each other with a gap therebetween in a lamination direction. A non-magnetic insulating layer is interposed between... Agent: Brinks Hofer Gilson & Lione

20070064345 - Tuning exchange coupling in magnetic recording media: A magnetic recording medium having a substrate, a first magnetic layer and a second magnetic layer, in this order, wherein an exchange coupling in the first magnetic layer is lower than an exchange coupling in the second magnetic layer, and the first and second magnetic layers are in a film... Agent: Morrison & Foerster LLP

20070064346 - Wireless suspension design to accommodate multiple drive designs: A wireless suspension design is described that can be used in varying types of drive designs. In one embodiment, a flex circuit is provided with at least two indicia to indicate where the flex circuit is to be bent when attaching it to a head stack assembly.... Agent: Kenyon & Kenyon LLP

20070064347 - Microactuator, head gimbal assembly and hard disk drive using the same, and method of manufacturing microactuator: A microactuator includes: a base part to be joined to a flexure; a pair of arms, joined to the base part, for holding a magnetic head slider therebetween; and a PZT device, mounted on each of the arms, to be deformed in an expanding or contracting manner based on a... Agent: Greenblum & Bernstein, P.L.C

20070064348 - System, method, and apparatus for linear array of current perpendicular to the plane apertures for lap control: A nano-sized CPP aperture is precisely positioned to within a few nanometers of a slider ABS surface to maximize a signal from the disk and to prevent lapping damage to the aperture itself. A linear array of apertures is aligned perpendicular to the ABS plane. The head resistance is monitored... Agent: Bracewell & Giuliani LLP

20070064349 - Electro-magnetic storage device and method: An electro-magnetic storage device and method are disclosed. In one embodiment, a memory device includes a first magnetic material to attract a movable structure (e.g., a ferromagnetic material) when a first voltage is applied between the first magnetic material and the movable structure, and a second magnetic material to release... Agent: Raj Abhyanker, LLP C/o Portfolioip

20070064352 - Magnetoresistive (mr) elements having pinning layers formed from permanent magnetic material: Magnetoresistive (MR) elements having pinning layers formed from a permanent magnetic material are disclosed. An MR element of the invention includes a first pinning layer, a first pinned layer, a first spacer/barrier layer, a free layer, a second spacer/barrier layer, a second pinned layer, and a second pinning layer. One... Agent: Duft Bornsen & Fishman, LLP

20070064353 - Read sensor defined by lateral stack templates and method for fabrication: A method is disclosed for fabricating a read sensor for a magnetic head for a hard disk drive having a read sensor stack and two lateral stacks. The method of fabrication includes forming lateral stacks on a gap layer, surrounding a groove to form a template. The read sensor stack... Agent: Intellectual Property Law Offices

20070064350 - Magnetoresistive (mr) elements having pinned layers with canted magnetic moments: Magnetoresistive (MR) elements are disclosed that include pinned layers having canted magnetic moments. An MR element of the invention includes a first pinning layer, a first pinned layer, a first spacer/barrier layer, a free layer, a second spacer/barrier layer, a second pinned layer, and a second pinning layer. The first... Agent: Duft Bornsen & Fishman, LLP

20070064351 - Spin filter junction and method of fabricating the same: A magnetic tunnel-junction having a first electrode separated from a second electrode by a tunneling barrier is provided. The tunneling barrier is a ferromagnetic insulator that provides a spin dependent barrier energy for tunneling. The first electrode includes a ferromagnetic, electrically conductive layer. Electrons emitted from the first electrode toward... Agent: Lumen Intellectual Property Services, Inc.

20070058277 - Storage media having areas for storing data for correcting servo information errors: A storage medium includes tracks extending in a circumferential direction, user data areas formed on the tracks for storing user data, and servo frames corresponding to the user data areas and extending in a radial direction for storing servo data. Data correcting areas corresponding to the servo frames and extending... Agent: Greer, Burns & Crain

20070058278 - Head actuator design for a low profile tape drive: A head actuator design for a low profile tape drive is configured with a damping system for a head suspension system having flexure springs to accommodate a half-high form factor. The damping system employs hall sensors, for example, mounted on the head carriage that moves with the head carriage to... Agent: Law Office Of Mark J. Spolyar

20070058279 - Staggered spin-up disable mechanism: According to one embodiment, a system is disclosed. The system includes one or more storage devices, a host bus adapter (HBA) and a bridging device coupled between the one or more storage device and the HBA. The bridging device includes a register having bits corresponding to each of the one... Agent: Blakely Sokoloff Taylor & Zafman

20070058280 - Disk drive with heater for slider and control method thereof: Embodiments of the invention allow a heater to reduce the clearance between a head element section and the magnetic section while reducing the risk of collision between the head element section and the magnetic disk during load/unload. In one embodiment, an HDD judges whether a heater is ON or OFF... Agent: Townsend And Townsend And Crew LLP

20070058281 - Disk drive with position detection: Embodiments of the invention provide a disk drive capable of writing information on data tracks even more positively when a shingle write method is adopted. In one embodiment, the disk drive is characterized in that, when information is to be written on a plurality of adjacent data tracks on a... Agent: Townsend And Townsend And Crew LLP

20070058290 - Magnetic tape cartridge: A magnetic tape cartridge is provided including a case which is formed by an upper half and a lower half which are combined together, a reel to which a magnetic tape is wound, being rotatably contained in the case, a labeling side which is provided in an outer surface of... Agent: Sughrue Mion, PLLC

20070058282 - Media cartridge autoloader: A media cartridge autoloader is disclosed that includes a mail slot, a media cartridge storage section, a media drive into which a media cartridge is loaded, and a media cartridge picker for moving the media cartridge between two or more of the mail slot, the media drive and the cartridge... Agent: Ladas & Parry LLP

20070058283 - Media cartridge autoloader: There is disclosed a media cartridge autoloader. The media cartridge autoloader includes at least one mail slot through which a media cartridge is inserted and ejected, at least one media drive into which the media cartridge is loaded, at least one media cartridge storage section that stores the media cartridge,... Agent: Ladas & Parry LLP

20070058284 - Media cartridge autoloader: A media cartridge autoloader is disclosed which includes a main module including a media cartridge picker that pulls in a media cartridge via a mail slot and ejects the media cartridge via the mail slot. A media drive selectively receives the media cartridge. First and second media cartridge transport magazines... Agent: Ladas & Parry LLP

20070058285 - Media cartridge autoloader: A media cartridge autoloader including a mis-loading inhibitor is disclosed. The mis-loading inhibitor prevents media cartridge transport magazines each containing media cartridges whose recording systems are different from being mis-loaded and includes mis-loading inhibitor members secured to a frame and lid members attached to the media cartridge transport magazines. The... Agent: Eugene Lieberstein Anderson Kill & Olick, P.C.

20070058286 - Media cartridge autoloader: A media cartridge autoloader that transfers a media cartridge between a movable media cartridge container and a media drive is disclosed. The media cartridge autoloader includes a movable belt that is positioned around a pulley, the belt moving the media cartridge container; a coupling member that couples the media cartridge... Agent: Anderson Kill & Olick, P.C.

20070058287 - Media cartridge autoloader: The present invention discloses a media cartridge autoloader for transporting a media cartridge container to a predetermined media cartridge retrieval position, retrieving a media cartridge stored in the media cartridge container from an opening of the media cartridge container, and reading and/or writing data from or to the media cartridge.... Agent: Anderson Kill & Olick, P.C.

20070058288 - Media cartridge autoloader: A media cartridge autoloader for use with a media cartridge is disclosed. The media cartridge autoloader includes a media drive that receives the media cartridge, and a media cartridge transport magazine that moves the media cartridge relative to the media drive. The media cartridge transport magazine includes a rotatable pulley,... Agent: Anderson Kill & Olick, P.C.

20070058289 - Media cartridge autoloader: A media cartridge autoloader including a media cartridge holding mechanism by which one of media cartridges whose sizes are different is selectively inserted into a media cartridge container is disclosed. When a media cartridge container is used for a media cartridge, a recess formed at an inserting side upper face... Agent: Anderson, Kill & Olick, P.C.

20070058291 - Spindle motor, recording and reproducing apparatus having the same, and method of manufacturing the spindle motor: A spindle motor 1 rotatably drives recording discs 81, and includes a base plate 2, a stator 5, a rotor hub 31, a yoke 33, a rotor magnet 34, and a hydrodynamic bearing 4. The rotor hub 31 includes a disc support cylindrical portion 35 for supporting the recording discs... Agent: Wenderoth, Lind & Ponack L.L.P.

20070058292 - Spindle motor assembly useable in a hard disk drive: A spindle motor assembly usable with a hard disk drive includes at least one data storage disk, a spindle motor to drive the disk, the spindle motor having a hub on which the data storage disk is fixed, and a clamp member to fix the data storage disk to the... Agent: Stanzione & Kim, LLP

20070058293 - Magnetic write head having a self aligned, steep shoulder pole structure and method of manufacture thereof: A magnetic write head and method of manufacture thereof that has a first pole structure having a notched structure configured with a steep shoulder portion and a narrow vertical notch portion extending from the top of the steep shoulder portion. The write head also includes a second pole structure (P2)... Agent: Zilka-kotab, PC

20070058294 - Soft magnetic film, recording head using the same, method of manufacturing soft magnetic film, and method of manufacturing recording head: A soft magnetic film is provided. The soft magnetic film includes a saturated magnetic flux density of at least 2.39 T, in which only N and O are added as impurity elements to a CoFe plating film. A magnetic recording head is also provided. The recording head comprising a lower... Agent: Brinks Hofer Gilson & Lione

20070058295 - Ufd on a ring: The present invention discloses devices and methods for packaging a memory component, such as a UFD (i.e. a USB flash disk), as a ring, enabling the user to carry the UFD on his/her body. The present invention teaches a finger ring that has a UFD cover attached to the ring... Agent: Dr. Mark Friedman Ltd. C/o Bill Polkinghorn

20070058296 - Magnetic head slider with flying height control: Embodiments of the invention provide a slider structure able to lower a flying height compensation ratio caused by a projecting deformation of an air bearing surface of a slider by a flying height control mechanism and afford a change in flying height with a low control power. In one embodiment,... Agent: Townsend And Townsend And Crew LLP

20070058297 - Magnetic head slider: A magnetic head slider comprises a slider body comprising a base portion made of an altic material and an element-forming portion, made of alumina, having formed thereon magnetic conversion elements. Slider-flying rails protruding beyond the surface of the slider body are provided. A first protection film is formed on the... Agent: Armstrong, Kratz, Quintos, Hanson & Brooks, LLP

20070058298 - Actuator assembly: An actuator assembly according to one embodiment includes an inner effective annular magnet polarized radially, an outer effective annular magnet polarized radially, and a coil positioned between the inner and outer magnet structures. The magnet structures may be continuous magnets or constructed of multiple magnets. The coil may be a... Agent: Zilka-kotab, PC

20070058299 - Base member and hard disk drive having the same: A base member and a hard disk drive (HDD) having the base member. The base member includes a plate portion on which a head stack assembly (HSA) is pivotably mounted to record data in a disk or to read data recorded in the disk, and a crash stop portion which... Agent: Stanzione & Kim, LLP

20070058300 - Magnetoresistive stack with enhanced pinned layer: A magnetoresistive stack includes a free layer, a separating layer, a pinned layer, and a magnetic stabilizer in close proximity to the pinned layer such that such that the magnetic stabilizer enhances the stability of the magnetization direction of the pinned layer.... Agent: Kinney & Lange, P.A.

20070058301 - Magneto-resistance element and thin film magnetic head with improved heat reliability: A magneto-resistance element according to the present invention has a pinned layer whose magnetization direction is fixed; a free layer whose magnetization direction varies in accordance with an external magnetic field; and a nonmagnetic spacer layer that is arranged between the pinned layer and the free layer, at least the... Agent: Fitch, Even, Tabin & Flannery

20070058302 - Tunnel junction element: To provide a tunnel junction device having a high MR ratio even at room temperature, a tunneling film as a nonmagnetic layer of three-layer structure of LaMnO3/SrTiO3/LaMnO3 is arranged between a ferromagnetic metal material La0.6Sr0.4MnO3 (12) and a ferromagnetic metal film material La0.6Sr0.4MnO3 (14). The tunneling film comprises two unit... Agent: Oblon, Spivak, Mcclelland, Maier & Neustadt, P.C.

20070053091 - System and method for writing data to magnetic tape: A system and method for writing data to a magnetic tape that may provide improved data writing and throughput is provided. First data accumulated in the buffer is written to a temporary recording area on the tape. The first data is then written to a normal recording area on the... Agent: International Business Machines Corporation

20070053092 - Preamplifier for use in data storage devices: A preamplifier that includes an input configured to receive a preamplifier control signal and a fault detection circuit configured to monitor the preamplifier control signal received at the input is provided. The fault detection circuit is further configured to identify a fault condition triggered by an improper temperature control signal... Agent: Westman, Champlin & Kelly P.a. Suite 1400 - International Centre

20070053093 - Track defect map for a disk drive data storage system: A method and apparatus for storing a disk drive media defect table or list. Defect table entries for a subject disk track are stored on the subject track and retrieved for determining defective sectors only when the subject track is accessed for a data read or write operation.... Agent: Beusse Brownlee Wolter Mora & Maire, P.a.

20070053094 - Magnetic disk drive with error correction: Embodiments of the present invention provide a magnetic disk drive in which the error correction capability of ECC is improved without sacrificing the storage capacity. In one embodiment, a data track adopts a format structure in which no data-to-data gap area is formed in data sectors. When one of the... Agent: Townsend And Townsend And Crew LLP

20070053095 - Bias calculation, bias compensation, and bias table editing methods for hdd, recording media storing computer programs for executing the same, and hdd using the same: In a hard disk drive (HDD), biases are measured across all zones of a disk, and nonlinear bias components are extracted. Upon a change in operational condition of the HDD, biases are measured at two reference positions on the disk so as to estimate a corresponding change in a linear... Agent: Volentine Francos, & Whitt Pllc

20070053096 - Hard disk drive, method for parking magnetic head of hard disk drive, and computer readable recording medium recording the method: A hard disk drive which includes a voice coil motor driving portion which supplies drive current to a voice coil motor, and a controller which compares a supply voltage supplied to predetermined chips installed on a printed circuit board with a parking reference voltage previously set to a voltage higher... Agent: Staas & Halsey LLP

20070053098 - Controller with fractional position algorithm: One illustrative embodiment of the present invention pertains to a device. The device is configured to evaluate a Gray code value and to provide compensation for error in the Gray code value. Another illustrative embodiment of the present invention pertains to a method. The method includes comparing Gray code information... Agent: David K. Lucente Seagate Technology Llc

20070053097 - Method and circuit for compensating slow-varying runout of disk storage system: A method and a circuit for compensating a slow-varying runout of a disk storage system are provided. First, generate a basic runout compensation signal (BRC signal) and according to a position signal extracted from the pickup head output generate a runout error signal (RE signal). Afterwards, when corresponding to a... Agent: Jianq Chyun Intellectual Property Office

20070053099 - Method and system for head position control in embedded disk drive controllers: A position error calculator for an embedded disk controller including a burst selector that selects a burst pair based on a burst pair format. The burst pair format includes at least a first burst pair format that includes x bursts and a second burst pair format that includes y bursts... Agent: Harness, Dickey & Pierce P.L.C

20070053100 - Base for data storage device with parallelism mounting features: An apparatus and associated method for making a base for a data storage device. The base has a plurality of raised pads defining coplanar supporting surfaces. The surfaces are adapted for supportingly engaging intermittent portions of a component supported by the base so that the base clearingly disengages other portions... Agent: Fellers, Snider, Blankenship, Bailey & Tippens

20070053101 - Data recording apparatus:

20070053102 - Magnetic write head having a first magnetic pole with a self aligned stepped notch: A magnetic write head and method of manufacture thereof that has a first pole structure having a step notched first pole structure. The step notched structure includes a bottom notched portion that is wider than the second notched portion formed thereover. The upper, or narrower, notched portion has a width... Agent: Zilka-kotab, Pc

20070053103 - Data storage device with heater, and control method therefor involving different control modes: Embodiments of the invention reduce a possibility that a head will collide with a medium when the clearance between the head and the medium is adjusted by using a medium, and sufficiently reduce the clearance even at an initial stage of accessing a data area. In one embodiment, a hard... Agent: Townsend And Townsend And Crew LLP

20070053104 - Data storage device with heater, and control method therefor with timing control: Embodiments of the invention reduce a possibility that a head will collide with a medium when the clearance between the head and the medium is adjusted by using a medium, and sufficiently reduce the clearance even at an initial stage of accessing a data area. In one embodiment, a hard... Agent: Townsend And Townsend And Crew LLP

20070053105 - Tape guide roller with zoned non-smooth surface: A tape guide roller comprises a cylindrical barrel with a cylindrical peripheral surface parallel to a central axis; the cylindrical peripheral surface comprising smooth cylindrical surface zones alternating in the circumferential direction about the cylindrical peripheral surface with non-smooth cylindrical surface zones. The non-smooth cylindrical surface zones may comprise a... Agent: John H. Holcombe Ibm Corporation, Ip Law Dept.

20070053106 - Perpendicular magnetic recording medium: A perpendicular magnetic recording medium 10 adapted to be mounted in a perpendicular magnetic recording type hard disk drive and including a disk-shaped disk base 12, a soft magnetic layer 14 formed on the disk base 12, and a perpendicular magnetic recording layer 16 formed on the soft magnetic layer... Agent: Sughrue Mion, Pllc

20070053107 - Substrate for magnetic recording medium, magnetic recording medium, and magnetic recording apparatus: It is possible to improve the recording and reproducing S/N ratio, the reproduction signal intensity, and the degree of high density recording. There are provided a plurality of recording tracks formed on a substrate, each recording track being formed of a magnetic material, and non-recording sections formed on the substrate,... Agent: Nixon & Vanderhye, Pc

20070053108 - Glide head for magnetic disk: Disclosed is a glide head for a magnetic disk that has a high sensitivity for efficiently transmitting a vibration due to a defect of a magnetic disk to piezoelectric element and the like and has high abrasion resistance and a long service life. The glide head is resiliently held at... Agent: Sughrue Mion, Pllc

20070053109 - Magnetic recording and reproducing apparatus with circuit board attachment device: Embodiments of the invention provide a magnetic recording and reproducing apparatus that allows a mounting space for an electric signal wiring to be sufficiently secured relative to a circuit board and the circuit board to be secured stably to the case. In one embodiment, a case having a built-in head... Agent: Townsend And Townsend And Crew LLP

20070053110 - Actuator assembly: An actuator assembly includes a first housing portion and a second housing portion coupled to the first housing portion, which together define a housing having an interior. A beam, preferably of one-piece construction, extends from the interior of the housing to the exterior of the housing. A coil, pole piece,... Agent: Zilka-kotab, Pc

20070053111 - Helical gear actuator for tape drive systems: An actuator includes a leadscrew and a helical gear engaging the leadscrew, the helical gear having journals extending from opposite ends thereof. A carriage operatively engages the journals. A relative rotation between the leadscrew and the helical gear creates a relative movement between the carriage and the leadscrew in a... Agent: Zilka-kotab, Pc

20070053114 - Tmr element having a tunnel barrier which includes crystalline portions and non-crystalline portions: A magneto-resistive element has a lower layer, a tunnel barrier layer, and an upper layer. The lower layer, the tunnel barrier layer, and the upper layer are disposed adjacent to each other and are stacked in this order. A magnetization direction of either of the lower layer and the upper... Agent: Mcginn Intellectual Property Law Group, Pllc

20070053112 - Tunnel barriers based on alkaline earth oxides: Magnetic tunnel junctions are disclosed that include ferromagnetic (or ferrimagnetic) materials and a bilayer tunnel barrier structure that includes a layer of alkaline earth oxide. The bilayer also includes a layer of crystalline material, such as MgO or Mg—ZnO. If MgO is used, then it is preferably (100) oriented. The... Agent: Daniel E. Johnson Ibm Corporation, Almaden Research Center

20070053113 - Tunnel barriers based on rare earth element oxides: Magnetic tunnel junctions are disclosed that include ferromagnetic (or ferrimagnetic) materials and a bilayer tunnel barrier structure that includes a layer of a rare earth oxide. The bilayer also includes a layer of crystalline material, such as MgO or Mg—ZnO. If MgO is used, then it is preferably (100) oriented.... Agent: Daniel E. Johnson Ibm Corporation, Almaden Research Center

20070047120 - Dibit extraction: A novel means for performing dibit extraction is presented. Any one of an unequalized signal dibit, equalized signal dibit, or noise dibit can be extracted. Instead of using the correlation properties of a PN (Pseudo-Noise) sequence to approximate a PN deconvolution sequence, the use of the actual deconvolution sequence (i.e.,... Agent: Garlick Harrison & Markison

20070047121 - Read channel apparatus for asynchronous sampling and synchronous equalization: A read channel and method using that read channel are disclosed. The read channel comprises an analog to digital converter which asynchronously samples at a fixed rate an analog signal formed by reading a data track, where that data track was written to a data storage medium at a symbol... Agent: Dale F. Regelman

20070047125 - Hard disk recorder: When recording the picture data or voice data on the hard disk, the encrypted data is generated through the encryption process with the serial number as the key based on the file system, and the encrypted data is recorded on the hard disk. When powered on, the encrypted data is... Agent: Morgan Lewis & Bockius LLP

20070047124 - Magnetic head tester using magnetic disk with pre-written servo: A method for operating a head testing apparatus (spin stand) using a mounted hard disk that has had its servo track information pre-written in an external servo-writing apparatus rather than in the testing apparatus itself. This insures more accurate servo-track writing and renders the testing operation more efficient. The problem... Agent: Stephen B. Ackerman

20070047123 - Magnetic head, tape drive system, and method: A system such as a tape head having multiple read devices, where the read devices have less than or equal to half the width of the write devices or data tracks. The read devices are aligned adjacent to one another in the track width direction. Data tracks and guide bands... Agent: Zilka-kotab, PC

20070047122 - Tape head having write devices and narrower read devices: A magnetic head, such as a tape head, according to one embodiment includes an array of data writers for writing to multiple data tracks on a magnetic medium, a width of the array being defined between the data writers positioned farthest apart. An erase writer having a width at least... Agent: Zilka-kotab, PC

20070047126 - Information recording apparatus, information recording method and computer program: An information recording apparatus for performing data recording processing includes: a data storage portion holding write data on a disk; an apparatus control portion for managing the data storage portion and controlling data recording processing; and a disk recording control portion obtaining data held in the data storage portion and... Agent: Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner LLP

20070047127 - Dynamically adapting a read channel equalizer: Provided is a read channel incorporated in a storage device to process signals read from a storage medium. The read channel includes an equalizer equalizing input read signals to produce equalizer output signals. A detector senses an adjusted equalizer output signal to determine an output value comprising data represented by... Agent: Konrad Raynes & Victor, LLP. Attn: Ibm37

20070047128 - Data erasing device using permanent magnet: A data erasing device that erases data recorded on a magnetic disk, by a magnetic field generated in a horizontal direction by magnets, in order to prevent leakage of the data recorded on the magnetic disk of a magnetic disk device to be abandoned. The data erasing device includes a... Agent: Staas & Halsey LLP

20070047129 - System and method for correcting for head tilt in hdd: Tilt between a head stack and its associated disk stack in a hard disk drive (HDD) is measured by determining the deviation of a target head from its expected position (based on the position of the current head) each time electrical contact is switched from the current head to a... Agent: Hitachi Global Storage Technologies, Inc.

20070047130 - Structure to prevent deformation of magnetic disk device housing: Embodiments of the invention provide a magnetic disk unit in which there has been adopted a structure fixing a base and a top plate and preventing a deformation by a bimetal effect. In one embodiment, the magnetic disk unit includes a magnetic disk; a head drive mechanism in which is... Agent: Townsend And Townsend And Crew LLP

20070047132 - Method and apparatus for writing servo information: According to one embodiment, a servo write method for writing servo information to a disk medium used in a disk drive is disclosed. In the procedure of the servo write method, first servo information is spirally written to a disk medium in a clean room before the disk medium is... Agent: Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman, LLP

20070047131 - System and method for deconvolution of multiple data tracks: A system and method for reading a magnetic medium having a data band thereon, the data band comprising a plurality of simultaneously written data tracks and at least one alignment band. The system in one embodiment includes a plurality of adjacent readers for simultaneously reading the data tracks. At least... Agent: Zilka-kotab, PC

20070047133 - Method of compensating for microjog error due to repeatable run-out: A process for continually compensating for the microjog error resulting from RRO. Typically, the 1F RRO is the most significant, but the method could be applied to the microjog error caused by RRO of other frequencies. The process continually determines an instantaneous microjog error based on the RRO and adjusts... Agent: Procopio, Cory, Hargreaves & Savitch LLP

20070047134 - Off track write protection for data storage device: Embodiments of the invention prevent offtrack write that will be caused due to a head vibration in a storage device. In one embodiment, a hard disk drive (HDD) judges approval/disapproval of write of user data to a magnetic disk by using a read signal for user data in addition to... Agent: Townsend And Townsend And Crew LLP

20070047135 - Media cartridge autoloader: A media cartridge autoloader is disclosed that includes a main module having a rotation transmission path forming device and one or more media cartridge transport magazines. The rotation transmission path forming device can include a drive shaft unit, a drive shaft unit shifting mechanism, and a magazine drive motor module.... Agent: Ladas & Parry LLP

20070047136 - Ground post in data storage device: In general, the invention is directed to apparatus that provides one or more low-impedance paths to ground in a data storage device, such as a disc drive, through one or more conductive posts. When a shield, circuit board and base of the data storage device are fastened to one another,... Agent: Shumaker & Sieffert, P. A.

20070047138 - Cover member with air guiding portion and hard disk drive including the cover member: A cover member including an air guiding portion and an HDD including the cover member are provided. The HDD includes: a housing including a base member and a cover member; a spindle motor installed on the base member; a data storage disk mounted on the spindle motor; and an actuator... Agent: Sughrue Mion, PLLC

20070047137 - Particle extracting device of hard disk drive and hard disk drive including the same: A particle extracting device and a hard disk drive including the device are provided. The particle extracting device includes a cover member of the hard disk drive; and an air guiding member disposed on a bottom surface of the cover member and facing a disk, so as to form a... Agent: Sughrue Mion, PLLC

20070047139 - Hard disk and spindle motor assembly: A spindle motor assembly includes a spindle motor having a shaft and a hub that rotates on the shaft, and a hard disk having a data storage medium mounted in the form of a whole disk, and a fastener attached to the center of a bottom surface of the disk-shaped... Agent: Volentine Francos, & Whitt PLLC

20070047140 - Electroplated multiple layer soft magnetic materials with high magnetic moment: The present invention relates to a magnetic structure for writing. The magnetic structure includes a non-magnetic layer, a first magnetic layer electroplated adjacent the non-magnetic layer, a second magnetic layer electroplated adjacent the first magnetic layer, and a third magnetic layer electroplated adjacent the second magnetic layer. The first magnetic... Agent: Seagate Technology LLC

20070047142 - Flat profile tape head: A magnetic head according to one embodiment includes a first module having a flat profile tape bearing surface, a second module having a flat profile tape bearing surface, and a third module having a flat profile tape bearing surface. The third module is positioned on an opposite side of the... Agent: Zilka-kotab, PC

20070047141 - Magnetic head with planar outrigger: A magnetic head includes a substrate having a first tape bearing surface and a second (outrigger) tape bearing surface, preferably with a slot therebetween. A plurality of elements (readers and/or writers) are coupled to the substrate and positioned towards the first tape bearing surface. The first and second tape bearing... Agent: Zilka-kotab, PC

20070047143 - Magnetic head slider having contacted portion at air outflow end side: A magnetic head slider is provided. The magnetic head slider has a leading-side protrusion surface and a protruding magnetic element surrounding surface disposed at a surface of a slider opposing a disc. A first flow path that has the form of a groove is disposed between the magnetic element surrounding... Agent: Brinks Hofer Gilson & Lione

20070047144 - Magnetic head slider and suspension for magnetic head: A head gimbal assembly for a hard disk drive includes a head slider having a head element part which performs reading and/or writing of data to/from a magnetic disc and a suspension on which the head slider is mounted. Bonding pads formed on the head slider are formed on a... Agent: Hitachi Global Storage Technologies, Inc.

20070047145 - Magnetic head device having slider and magnetic function unit: A magnetic head device is disclosed. The magnetic head device having a levitation attitude formed by an air stream on a surface thereof when a recording medium moves. A levitation height of a magnetic function unit can be stabilized even when air density of an operating environment is changed. In... Agent: Brinks Hofer Gilson & Lione

20070047147 - Actuator of optical pickup head with horizontal-arranged magnetic field generator and coil apparatus: An actuator of an optical pickup head with horizontal-arranged magnetic field generator and coil apparatus. The actuator includes a lens holder, a magnetic field generator and a coil apparatus. The coil apparatus is horizontally disposed at one side or two sides of the lens holder and includes a focusing coil... Agent: Birch Stewart Kolasch & Birch

20070047146 - Multi-format magnetic head: A magnetic head includes a first array of elements associated with a first data format and a second array of elements associated with a second data format, the elements being selected from a group consisting of readers, writers, and combinations thereof. The first and second arrays of elements are adjacent... Agent: Zilka-kotab, PC

20070047148 - Method for correcting a static posture of a head portion and a static posture correcting apparatus: A static posture correcting apparatus has a controller preparing a correction recipe-table, a measuring unit measuring a pitch angle and a roll angle of a head portion of a flexure of a head suspension, a laser irradiating unit irradiating laser beams on irradiation lines of a flexure of an objective... Agent: Jordan And Hamburg LLP

20070047149 - Flexible wiring board for magnetic head assembly: A flexible wiring board for a magnetic head assembly is provided. The flexible wiring board includes a wiring pattern connected to a head body at one end and to an external circuit system at the other end, an insulation protection film that protects the wiring pattern, and a base composed... Agent: Brinks Hofer Gilson & Lione

20070047150 - Actuator and hard disk drive employing the same: Provided are an actuator and a hard disk drive having the same. The actuator having a magnetic head and circularly movably mounted to move the head to a predetermined position on a disk, the actuator including: at least two arm members extending parallel to each other; a spacer interposed between... Agent: Sughrue Mion, PLLC

20070047151 - Actuator arm with arm hole to improve dynamic characteristics and actuator assembly having the same: An actuator assembly usable un a hard disk drive includes an actuator arm having an arm hole to improve dynamic characteristics. The actuator arm of the actuator assembly has an arm hole having first, second, and third extended portions, and two members positioned at both sides of the arm hole.... Agent: Stanzione & Kim, LLP

20070047152 - Magnetic field detection apparatus and method of adjusting the same: A magnetic field detection apparatus capable of changing the detection range and detection sensitivity as desired for a specific application is disclosed. A magnetoresistance effect element is applied a bias magnetic field and an external magnetic field. The bias magnetic field and the external magnetic field are generated on the... Agent: Oblon, Spivak, Mcclelland, Maier & Neustadt, P.C.

20070047154 - Cpp read sensors having constrained current paths made of lithographically-defined conductive vias and methods of making the same: Current-perpendicular-to-planes (CPP) read sensors for magnetic heads having constrained current paths made of lithographically-defined conductive vias, and methods of making the same, are disclosed. In one illustrative example, a sensor stack structure which includes an electrically conductive spacer layer is formed over a first shield layer. An insulator layer is... Agent: John J. Oskorep, Esq. One Magnificent Mile Center

20070047153 - Magnetic sensing devices having an insulator structure with a plurality of oxidized, nitrided, or oxynitrided sublayers and methods of making the same: A magnetic sensing device for use in a magnetic head includes a sensor stack structure having a sensing layer structure and an insulator structure formed adjacent the sensing layer structure. The insulator structure includes a plurality of oxidized metallic sublayers, a plurality of nitrided metallic sublayers, or a plurality of... Agent: John J. Oskorep, Esq. One Magnificent Mile Center

20070047155 - Current-perpendicular-to-the-plane (cpp) magnetoresistive sensor with antiparallel-pinned structure having selected additive elements: A current-perpendicular-to-the-plane spin-valve (CPP-SV) magnetoresistive sensor has an improved antiparallel (AP) pinned structure, i.e., a structure with first (AP1) and second (AP2) ferromagnetic layers separated by a nonmagnetic antiparallel coupling (APC) layer with the magnetization directions of AP1 and AP2 oriented substantially antiparallel. The AP2 ferromagnetic layer (the layer in... Agent: Thomas R. Berthold

20070047156 - Memory access: A magnetic logic device can comprise a generally planar first substrate for an electrical circuit and a plurality of generally planar second substrates for a magnetic circuit, formed in a stacked arrangement over the first substrate. Each said second substrate can have formed thereon a magnetic circuit and each magnetic... Agent: Mcdonnell Boehnen Hulbert & Berghoff LLP

20070047158 - Magneto-resistance effect element, magneto-resistance effect head, magneto-resistance transducer system, and magnetic storage system: A magneto-resistance effect head is provided with a lower conductive layer which is provided with a recessed portion, and a vertical bias layer is provided in the recessed portion. A free layer is provided on the lower conductive layer. On the free layer, layered in the following order are the... Agent: Whitham, Curtis & Christofferson & Cook, P.C.

20070047157 - Recording apparatus and control method: At least one exemplary embodiment is directed to a recording apparatus, which includes a sensor having a plurality of light-emitting elements and a plurality of light-receiving elements. The sensor can be configured to perform a detection operation. The detection operation includes at least two of an operation for detecting an... Agent: Canon U.s.a. Inc. Intellectual Property Division

20070047159 - Magnetoresistive spin valve sensor with tri-layer free layer: A TMR sensor, a CPP GMR sensor and a CCP CPP GMR sensor all include a tri-layered free layer that is of the form CoFe/CoFeB/NiFe, where the atom percentage of Fe can vary between 5% and 90% and the atom percentage of B can vary between 5% and 30%. The... Agent: Stephen B. Ackerman