Claims
- 1. An information storage system comprising:
- a substantially rigid rotatable storage medium having a magnetic data surface;
- means for rotating the rotatable storage medium;
- a magnetic transducer means;
- means for maintaining a film of a non-Newtonian fluid on the magnetic data surface by applying the fluid to the magnetic data surface during rotation of the storage medium, the magnetic transducer means being supported adjacent to the magnetic data surface during rotation of the storage medium, by the film of the fluid.
- 2. An information storage system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the rotatable storage medium is a rigid magnetic disk.
- 3. An information storage system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the means for maintaining applies the fluid continuously to the magnetic data surface.
- 4. An information storage system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the means for maintaining comprises a nozzle.
- 5. An information storage system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the means for maintaining comprises a wicking material.
- 6. An information storage system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the non-Newtonian fluid is a pseudoplastic fluid.
- 7. An information storage system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the non-Newtonian fluid is a plastic fluid.
- 8. An information storage system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the magnetic transducer means can be positioned at least a first radial position relative to the center of the rigid magnetic disk and a second radial position relative to the center of the rigid magnetic disk, and wherein the non-Newtonian fluid has an apparent viscosity which decreases with an increase in a shear rate to which the non-Newtonian fluid is subjected, the shear rate being determined by v/y where v is the velocity of the rigid magnetic disk with respect to the magnetic transducer means and y is the distance between the magnetic transducer means and the magnetic data surface, the apparent viscosity of the non-Newtonian fluid being inversely proportional to velocity of the rotatable storage medium with respect to the magnetic transducer means, and such that the distance between the magnetic transducer means and the magnetic data surface when the magnetic transducer means is at the first radial position is approximately equal to the distance between the magnetic transducer means and the magnetic data surface when the magnetic transducer means is at the second radial position.
- 9. An information storage system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the rigid magnetic disk rotates at a specified angular velocity and the magnetic transducer means is positioned at a selected one of a plurality of radial positions relative to the center of the rigid magnetic disk, and wherein the non-Newtonian fluid has an apparent viscosity which decreases with an increase in a shear rate to which the non-Newtonian fluid is subjected, the shear rate being determined by v/y where v is the velocity of the rigid magnetic disk with respect to the magnetic transducer means and y is the distance between the magnetic transducer means and the magnetic data surface, the apparent viscosity of the non-Newtonian fluid being inversely proportional to velocity of the rotatable storage medium with respect to the magnetic transducer means, and such that the distance between the magnetic transducer means and the magnetic data surface is relatively independent of the selected one of the plurality of radial positions relative to the center of the rigid magnetic disk for the specified angular velocity.
- 10. An information storage system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the means for rotating rotates the storage medium at greater than 150 ips.
- 11. An information storage system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the magnetic transducer is supported adjacent to the magnetic data surface by the film of the fluid at all times when the storage medium is rotating.
- 12. An information storage system comprising:
- a substantially rigid rotatable storage medium having a magnetic data surface;
- means for rotating the rotatable storage medium;
- a magnetic transducer means; and
- a non-Newtonian fluid;
- wherein the rotatable storage medium and the magnetic transducer means are immersed in the non-Newtonian fluid.
- 13. An information storage system as claimed in claim 12 wherein the non-Newtonian fluid is a pseudoplastic fluid.
- 14. An information storage system as claimed in claim 12 wherein the non-Newtonian fluid is a plastic fluid.
- 15. An information storage system as claimed in claim 12 wherein the means for rotating rotates the storage medium at greater than 150 ips.
- 16. An information storage system comprising:
- a substantially rigid rotatable storage medium having a magnetic data surface mounted on a spindle;
- a spindle rotator for rotating the spindle and mounted rotatable storage medium;
- a transducer;
- wicking material for maintaining a film of a non-Newtonian fluid on the magnetic data surface by applying the non-Newtonian fluid to the magnetic data surface during rotation of the storage medium, the magnetic transducer being supported adjacent to the magnetic data surface during rotation of the storage medium, by the film of the non-Newtonian fluid.
- 17. An information storage system as claimed in claim 16 wherein the non-Newtonian fluid is a pseudoplastic fluid.
- 18. An information storage system as claimed in claim 16 wherein the non-Newtonian fluid is a plastic fluid.
- 19. An information storage system as claimed in claim 16 wherein the spindle rotator rotates the storage medium at greater than 150 ips.
- 20. An information storage system as claimed in claim 16 wherein the magnetic transducer is supported adjacent to the magnetic data surface by the film of the fluid at all times when the storage medium is rotating.
RELATED PATENT APPLICATIONS
This application is a continuation of Ser. No. 08/123,704, filed Sep. 17, 1993, now abandoned, which is a Continuation of Ser. No. 07/966,579, filed Oct. 26, 1992, now abandoned, which is a Continuation of Ser. No. 07/810,955, filed Dec. 19, 1991, now abandoned, which is a Continuation of Ser. No. 07/453,312, filed Dec. 20, 1989, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,097,368, which is a Continuation-in-Part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 259,344, filed Oct. 17, 1988, now abandoned.
The following co-pending patent application includes subject matter relevant to this application:
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/314,999, filed Feb. 24, 1989, for "Wet Rigid Disk Drive Assembly with a Conical Spindle Bearing", now abandoned.
US Referenced Citations (2)
Number |
Name |
Date |
Kind |
4626941 |
Sawada et al. |
Dec 1986 |
|
5097368 |
Lemke et al. |
Mar 1992 |
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Continuations (4)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
123704 |
Sep 1993 |
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Parent |
966579 |
Oct 1992 |
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Parent |
810955 |
Dec 1991 |
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Parent |
453312 |
Dec 1989 |
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Continuation in Parts (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
259344 |
Oct 1988 |
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