Data storage card having a non-magnetic substrate and data surface region and method for using same

• US 6,857,569 B1
• Filed: 09/15/2000
• Issued: 02/22/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 04/24/1989
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Ultracard, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Ultracard, Inc.
• Inventors: Smith, Malcolm G. Sr., Mann, Donald C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Frech, Karl D.
• Assistant Examiner(s): TAYLOR, APRIL ALICIA
• Application Number:
  US09/663,659
• Time in Patent Office: 1,621 Days
• Field of Search: 235/449, 235/475, 235/477, 235/486, 235/493, 235/439, 235/487
• US Class Current: 235/449
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/084 sensing magnetic material by relative movement detecting flux changes without altering its magnetised state
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 21/02 Driving or moving of heads
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 25/04 using flat record carriers, e.g. disc, card
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 25/046 using stationary discs, or cards provided with a circular recording area driving heads relatively to stationary record carriers for mechanical transducing G11B3/40; automatic feed mechanism producing a transducing traverse of the head across stationary disk tracks G11B21/043
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 5/00 Recording by magnetisation or demagnetisation of a record carrier; Reproducing by magnetic means; Record carriers therefor G11B11/00 and G11B13/00 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 5/54 with provision for moving the head into or out of its operative position or across tracks
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 7/0033 with cards or other card-like flat carriers, e.g. flat sheets of optical film

Abstract

A data storage card includes a glass substrate having first and second edges. A data storage surface region is located on the glass substrate between the first and second edges. The data surface region includes a magnetic storage medium having at least one layer of high density, high coercivity magnetic material for storing magnetic signals. The data storage card may include a relatively hard, abradeable protective coating formed on the magnetic material layer. The protective coating has a thickness between a maximum thickness which would materially attenuate magnetic signals passing between the magnetic material layer and a transducer of a read device, and a minimum thickness enabling said protective coating to be abraded by usage in an ambient natural atmosphere operating environment for removing therefrom a known quantity of the protective coating.

Claims

1. A data unit comprising:

a data card comprising

a non-magnetic substrate and a magnetic material layer for storing signals in a plurality of parallel linear data tracks;

a data card reader comprising

a data head reciprocally movable along a first linear path that is parallel to the plurality of parallel linear data tracks when the plurality of parallel linear data tracks are respectively positioned for signal communication with the data head.

2. The data unit of claim 1, wherein the data card reader further comprises a cleaning roller for cleaning the data card.

3. The data unit of claim 1, wherein the data card reader further comprises a means for cleaning the data card.

4. The data unit of claim 1, wherein the data card reader further comprises a data card cleaner.

5. The data unit of claim 1, wherein the data head contacts the data card during the signal communication.

6. The data unit of claim 1, wherein said magnetic material layer comprises a thin film layer of high density, high coercivity magnetic material.

7. The data unit of claim 6, wherein the data card further comprises an abradeable protective coating over the magnetic material layer.

8. The data unit of claim 7, wherein said protective coating comprises at least two layers, wherein one of said layers includes a magnetically permeable, magnetically saturable material and another of said layers is a non-magnetic friction reducing layer formed over the magnetically permeable, magnetically saturable material.

9. The data unit of claim 8, wherein the data card further comprises a non-magnetic material layer positioned between the protective coating and said at least one magnetic material layer, said magnetically permeable, magnetically saturable material being responsive through said non-magnetic layer to produce a magnetic image field.

10. The data unit of claim 7, wherein said protective coating comprises a magnetically permeable, magnetically saturable material.

11. The data unit of claim 10, wherein the data card further comprises a non-magnetic material layer positioned between the protective coating and said at least one magnetic material layer, said magnetically permeable, magnetically saturable material being responsive through said non-magnetic layer to produce a magnetic image field.

12. The data unit of claim 7, wherein the data card reader further comprises a data card cleaner.

13. The data unit of claim 1, wherein the data head is a flying head.

14. A data unit for communicating signals with a data card including magnetic material for storing signals, said data unit comprising:

a support that secures the data card during said communicating of the signals; and

a data head operable to communicate the signals with the magnetic material,

wherein a first relative movement of the data head and the magnetic material causes the data head to be positioned over a first linear data track in the magnetic material, so that said signals can be communicated between the data head and the first linear data track during a first linear movement of the data head parallel to the first linear data track, and

wherein a subsequent second relative movement of the data head and the magnetic material causes the data head to be positioned over a second linear data track in the magnetic material, the second linear data track being parallel to the first linear data track, so that said signals can be communicated between the data head and the second linear data track during a second linear movement of the data head parallel to the second linear data track.

15. The data unit of claim 14, wherein said magnetic material comprises a thin film layer of high density, high coercivity magnetic material.

16. The data unit of claim 15, wherein the data card further comprises a protective coating over the magnetic material.

17. The data unit of claim 15, wherein said protective coating comprises at least two layers, wherein one of said layers includes a magnetically permeable, magnetically saturable material and another of said layers is a non-magnetic friction reducing layer formed over the magnetically permeable, magnetically saturable material.

18. The data unit of claim 17, wherein the data card further comprises a non-magnetic material layer positioned between the protective coating and said magnetic material, said magnetically permeable, magnetically saturable material being responsive through said non-magnetic layer to produce a magnetic image field.

19. The data unit of claim 15, wherein said protective coating comprises a magnetically permeable, magnetically saturable material.

20. The data unit of claim 19, wherein the data card further comprises a non-magnetic material layer positioned between the protective coating and said magnetic material, said magnetically permeable, magnetically saturable material being responsive through said non-magnetic layer to produce a magnetic image field.