WO1991002350A1 - Floppy maintenance disk for a computer disk drive - Google Patents
Floppy maintenance disk for a computer disk drive Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- WO1991002350A1 WO1991002350A1 PCT/GB1990/001163 GB9001163W WO9102350A1 WO 1991002350 A1 WO1991002350 A1 WO 1991002350A1 GB 9001163 W GB9001163 W GB 9001163W WO 9102350 A1 WO9102350 A1 WO 9102350A1
- Authority
- WO
- WIPO (PCT)
- Prior art keywords
- cleaning
- area
- program
- calibration
- heads
- Prior art date
Links
- 238000012423 maintenance Methods 0.000 title abstract description 4
- 238000004140 cleaning Methods 0.000 claims abstract description 49
- 238000012360 testing method Methods 0.000 claims abstract description 9
- 230000000694 effects Effects 0.000 claims abstract description 6
- 239000000463 material Substances 0.000 claims abstract description 6
- 238000005259 measurement Methods 0.000 claims abstract description 4
- 238000000034 method Methods 0.000 claims description 8
- 238000005108 dry cleaning Methods 0.000 claims description 5
- 230000003534 oscillatory effect Effects 0.000 claims description 2
- 239000011538 cleaning material Substances 0.000 claims 1
- 238000003780 insertion Methods 0.000 abstract description 5
- 230000037431 insertion Effects 0.000 abstract description 5
- 239000002904 solvent Substances 0.000 abstract description 3
- 239000003082 abrasive agent Substances 0.000 abstract 1
- 229920003023 plastic Polymers 0.000 description 3
- 239000004033 plastic Substances 0.000 description 3
- 239000004519 grease Substances 0.000 description 2
- 229920002799 BoPET Polymers 0.000 description 1
- 239000005041 Mylar™ Substances 0.000 description 1
- 239000002313 adhesive film Substances 0.000 description 1
- PNEYBMLMFCGWSK-UHFFFAOYSA-N aluminium oxide Inorganic materials [O-2].[O-2].[O-2].[Al+3].[Al+3] PNEYBMLMFCGWSK-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 1
- 238000007689 inspection Methods 0.000 description 1
- 229910044991 metal oxide Inorganic materials 0.000 description 1
- 150000004706 metal oxides Chemical class 0.000 description 1
- 229920000573 polyethylene Polymers 0.000 description 1
- HBMJWWWQQXIZIP-UHFFFAOYSA-N silicon carbide Chemical compound [Si+]#[C-] HBMJWWWQQXIZIP-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 1
- 229910010271 silicon carbide Inorganic materials 0.000 description 1
Classifications
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G11—INFORMATION STORAGE
- G11B—INFORMATION STORAGE BASED ON RELATIVE MOVEMENT BETWEEN RECORD CARRIER AND TRANSDUCER
- G11B5/00—Recording by magnetisation or demagnetisation of a record carrier; Reproducing by magnetic means; Record carriers therefor
- G11B5/74—Record carriers characterised by the form, e.g. sheet shaped to wrap around a drum
- G11B5/82—Disk carriers
- G11B5/825—Disk carriers flexible discs
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G11—INFORMATION STORAGE
- G11B—INFORMATION STORAGE BASED ON RELATIVE MOVEMENT BETWEEN RECORD CARRIER AND TRANSDUCER
- G11B23/00—Record carriers not specific to the method of recording or reproducing; Accessories, e.g. containers, specially adapted for co-operation with the recording or reproducing apparatus ; Intermediate mediums; Apparatus or processes specially adapted for their manufacture
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G11—INFORMATION STORAGE
- G11B—INFORMATION STORAGE BASED ON RELATIVE MOVEMENT BETWEEN RECORD CARRIER AND TRANSDUCER
- G11B27/00—Editing; Indexing; Addressing; Timing or synchronising; Monitoring; Measuring tape travel
- G11B27/36—Monitoring, i.e. supervising the progress of recording or reproducing
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G11—INFORMATION STORAGE
- G11B—INFORMATION STORAGE BASED ON RELATIVE MOVEMENT BETWEEN RECORD CARRIER AND TRANSDUCER
- G11B33/00—Constructional parts, details or accessories not provided for in the other groups of this subclass
- G11B33/10—Indicating arrangements; Warning arrangements
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G11—INFORMATION STORAGE
- G11B—INFORMATION STORAGE BASED ON RELATIVE MOVEMENT BETWEEN RECORD CARRIER AND TRANSDUCER
- G11B5/00—Recording by magnetisation or demagnetisation of a record carrier; Reproducing by magnetic means; Record carriers therefor
- G11B5/41—Cleaning of heads
Definitions
- This invention relates to floppy disks for computer disk drives.
- floppy disks and disk drives are still used in a hard disk system for booting up new programmes.
- the floppy disk drives are very unreliable in use with regard to mechanical speed and alignment and are also subject to considerable wear and tear since, just like a cassette or video recorder, dirt from the floppy disks, and grease from internal components tends to accumulate on the sensing heads, causing data error.
- Wood cleaning uses a floppy disk of fibrous plastics (normally polythene based) material onto which a solvent is sprayed prior to insertion into the disk drive to dissolve the dirt and grease and any metal oxide build up on the heads.
- fibrous plastics normally polythene based
- Dry Cleaning uses a plastics disk which has been impregnated or overlaid with an abrasive, usually silicon carbide. Dry cleaning also has a recognised problem since, of course, the abrasive actually wears the heads down.
- calibration is required, this is presently carried out by a qualified engineer, or at least a person with skilled knowledge, using either hardware or software calibration routines. These routines will check head measurements, and alignment to see if adjustment of any mechanical parameters is required, and will also check the signal level of the heads to confirm whether or not a head clean is required.
- the object of this invention is to enable calibration and cleaning to be carried out simply and efficiently, without the need to employ skilled labour.
- a floppy disk for use in a computer disk drive comprises a cleaning area provided with an appropriate material for effecting cleaning, (eg an abrasive, polish, or wet solvent type), a calibration area containing data for checking the condition of the sensing heads of said disk drive, and a program area having a program which is operable to display a range of test-r available at said calibration area and to enable the user to select the test required, said range of tests including a measurement of signal strength to assess whether or not head cleaning is necessary, and said program enabling the cleaning area to be brought into contact with the heads for a time duration to effect cleaning.
- an appropriate material for effecting cleaning eg an abrasive, polish, or wet solvent type
- a calibration area containing data for checking the condition of the sensing heads of said disk drive
- a program area having a program which is operable to display a range of test-r available at said calibration area and to enable the user to select the test required, said range of tests including a measurement of signal strength to assess whether or
- the user can make a selection of the type of test to be effected.
- the program can also effect vibration of the sensing heads in an oscillatory manner to give an efficient cleaning action when in contact with said cleaning area.
- the invention also includes a method of calibrating and cleaning a computer disk drive.
- disk calibration is checked particularly for signal levels to a required specification. If the signal levels are low, then the user can command the heads to be cleaned still under program control. The heads are then traversed to the cleaning area (on the same disk), and go through a cleaning action for a set time. The heads are then traversed back to the calibration area where calibration data is again read by them to see if any significant improvement has been made. If the signal strength has improved by the cleaning action, the operation is repeated until no further observed improvement is noted by the computer itself. As soon as this happens, the cleaning operation is stopped.
- the floppy disk enables "intelligent" action to take place in that the heads are cleaned in an efficient manner only for as long as is necessary to remove dirt etc. Therefore, the job of routine maintenance and cleaning is carried out more simply,efficiently and speedily, than the present methods available.
- the floppy disk 1 is of plastics material such as Mylar (RTM), and is provided with the usual hub centre 2 and also with an index hole 3.
- the operating face of the disk is divided into three concentric operational areas comprising: i) an outermost software area 4 providing a program with routines for cleaning and calibration, and a display menu therefor, ii) a central software area 5 providing accurate calibration data information enabling the majority of mechanical problems associated with a floppy disk drive (eg head adjusment, quality and amplitude and rotational speed) to be displayed, and iii) an inner hardware cleaning area 6 for effecting cleaning under the control of program area 4.
- the cleaning area 6 provides an abrasive surface for . dry cleaning, eg a specifically formulated polish material which will not damage the heads such as polish grade Alumina.
- the abrasive may either be impregnated onto the surface of the disk, or overlaid via an adhesive film carrying the abrasive.
- the invention provides a method for checking calibration and for cleaning which is particularly suitable for the office environment. Without operating programs, calibration data and a cleaning area on the same disk in accordance with this invention, many repeated disk insertions are required for present methods of cleaning before the user can ascertain any improvement in the sensing heads, and these insertions additonally take time as the disk drive invariably has to be reset. Finally, the abrasive action for cleaning can be for more than is necessary in present dry cleaning methods whereas in accordance with the present invention, cleaning is restricted to a minimum, thereby reducing wear and prolonging the useful life of the sensing heads.
Landscapes
- Manufacturing Of Magnetic Record Carriers (AREA)
Abstract
The maintenance disk (1) is intended to overcome problems arising from the need to clean the sensing heads of the disk drive regularly, whether using wet solvents where residue can remain in the drive and effect future insertions of a programmed disk, or dry abrasives which wear down the heads. The disk is characterised by a cleaning area (6) provided with an appropriate material for effecting cleaning, a calibration area (5) containing data for checking the condition of the sensing heads of said disk drive, and a program area (4) having a program which is operable to display a range of tests available at said calibration area and to enable the user to select the test required, said range of tests including a measurement of signal strength to assess whether or not head cleaning is necessary, and said program enabling the cleaning area to be brought into contact with the heads for a time duration to effect cleaning. Thus, the invention enables 'intelligent' cleaning to take place in a simple and efficient manner using a single floppy disc.
Description
FLOPPY MAINTENANCE DISK FOR A COMPUTER DISK DRIVE
This invention relates to floppy disks for computer disk drives.
For most business and commercial applications, it is usual to use a hard disk system for storing information. However, floppy disks and disk drives are still used in a hard disk system for booting up new programmes. The floppy disk drives are very unreliable in use with regard to mechanical speed and alignment and are also subject to considerable wear and tear since, just like a cassette or video recorder, dirt from the floppy disks, and grease from internal components tends to accumulate on the sensing heads, causing data error.
Because of this, regular cleaning and routine inspection of the heads is desirable. Up to now this has been carried out as follows :-
(1) CLEANING
It is common practice for the user to clean the heads regularly using a head cleaning kit available from most retail outlets. There are two methods of cleaning:-
"Wet cleaning" uses a floppy disk of fibrous plastics (normally polythene based) material onto which a solvent is sprayed prior to insertion into the disk drive to dissolve the dirt and grease and any metal oxide build up on the heads.
Wet cleaning has a recognised problem, since residue from the cleaning operation can remain in the drive for sometime and effect future insertions of a programmed floppy
- --- - di sk .
"Dry Cleaning" uses a plastics disk which has been impregnated or overlaid with an abrasive, usually silicon carbide. Dry cleaning also has a recognised problem since, of course, the abrasive actually wears the heads down.
It will be appreciated that neither cleaning method will show up a calibration problem, such as head misalignment and, of course, it is not possible to check whether any errors in running a program is due to a dirty, or misaligned head, or both. Therefore, from time to time it is necessary to carry out a calibration check on the heads.
(2) CALIBRATION
If calibration is required, this is presently carried out by a qualified engineer, or at least a person with skilled knowledge, using either hardware or software calibration routines. These routines will check head measurements, and alignment to see if adjustment of any mechanical parameters is required, and will also check the signal level of the heads to confirm whether or not a head clean is required.
The object of this invention is to enable calibration and cleaning to be carried out simply and efficiently, without the need to employ skilled labour.
According to this invention a floppy disk for use in a computer disk drive comprises a cleaning area provided with an appropriate material for effecting cleaning, (eg an abrasive, polish, or wet solvent type), a calibration area containing data for checking the condition of the sensing
heads of said disk drive, and a program area having a program which is operable to display a range of test-r available at said calibration area and to enable the user to select the test required, said range of tests including a measurement of signal strength to assess whether or not head cleaning is necessary, and said program enabling the cleaning area to be brought into contact with the heads for a time duration to effect cleaning.
Thus, in accordance with the invention, from the computer screen, the user can make a selection of the type of test to be effected. In accordance with a prefered feature of the invention, the program can also effect vibration of the sensing heads in an oscillatory manner to give an efficient cleaning action when in contact with said cleaning area.
The invention also includes a method of calibrating and cleaning a computer disk drive. Thus, in use the invention, under program control, disk calibration is checked particularly for signal levels to a required specification. If the signal levels are low, then the user can command the heads to be cleaned still under program control. The heads are then traversed to the cleaning area (on the same disk), and go through a cleaning action for a set time. The heads are then traversed back to the calibration area where calibration data is again read by them to see if any significant improvement has been made. If the signal strength has improved by the cleaning action, the operation is repeated until no further observed improvement is noted by the computer itself. As soon as
this happens, the cleaning operation is stopped. Thus, the floppy disk enables "intelligent" action to take place in that the heads are cleaned in an efficient manner only for as long as is necessary to remove dirt etc. Therefore, the job of routine maintenance and cleaning is carried out more simply,efficiently and speedily, than the present methods available.
In order that the invention may be readily understood, one embodiment of floppy disk will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawing, which is a front view of a disk with the sleeve removed.
Referring to the drawing, the floppy disk 1 is of plastics material such as Mylar (RTM), and is provided with the usual hub centre 2 and also with an index hole 3. The operating face of the disk is divided into three concentric operational areas comprising: i) an outermost software area 4 providing a program with routines for cleaning and calibration, and a display menu therefor, ii) a central software area 5 providing accurate calibration data information enabling the majority of mechanical problems associated with a floppy disk drive (eg head adjusment, quality and amplitude and rotational speed) to be displayed, and iii) an inner hardware cleaning area 6 for effecting cleaning under the control of program area 4. In this embodiment the cleaning area 6 provides an abrasive surface for . dry cleaning, eg a specifically formulated polish material which will not damage the heads such as polish grade Alumina. The abrasive may either be impregnated onto the surface of the disk, or overlaid via an adhesive film
carrying the abrasive.
It will be appreciated from the foregoing that only a single floppy disk is required to maintain a disk drive in peak condition, and that the invention provides a method for checking calibration and for cleaning which is particularly suitable for the office environment. Without operating programs, calibration data and a cleaning area on the same disk in accordance with this invention, many repeated disk insertions are required for present methods of cleaning before the user can ascertain any improvement in the sensing heads, and these insertions additonally take time as the disk drive invariably has to be reset. Finally, the abrasive action for cleaning can be for more than is necessary in present dry cleaning methods whereas in accordance with the present invention, cleaning is restricted to a minimum, thereby reducing wear and prolonging the useful life of the sensing heads.
Claims
1. A floppy disk for use in a computer disk drive characterised by a cleaning area (6) provided with an appropriate material for effecting cleaning, a calibration area (5) containing data for checking the condition of the sensing heads of said disk drive, and a program area (4) having a program which is operable to display a range of tests available at said calibration area and to enable the user to select the test required, said range of tests including a measurement of signal strength to assess whether or not head cleaning is necessary, and said program enabling the cleaning area to be brought into contact with the heads for a time duration to effect cleaning.
2. A floppy disk according to Claim 1, further characterised by said program enabling said sensing heads to be vibrated in an oscillatory manner to provide an efficient cleaning action .
3. A floppy disk according to Claim 1 or 2, further characterised by the operating face of the disk being divided into three concentric operational areas comprising an outermost software area (4) providing said program which latter includes routines for cleaning and calibration and a display menu therefor, a central software area (5) providing a further program, which includes accurate calibration data to be displayed, and an inner hardware cleaning area (6) of appropriate cleaning material.
4. A floppy disk according to any preceding Claim, further characterised by said cleaning area being provided with an abrasive, or polish, for effecting dry cleaning.
5. A method of calibrating and cleaning a computer disk drive using a floppy disk according to any one of the preceding Claims, wherein under control from the program area (4), the sensing heads of said disk drive are checked at the calibration area (5) particularly for signals levels, if required said sensing heads are traversed to the cleaning area (6) for cleaning for a controlled time, whereafter the sensing heads are traversed back to the calibration area (5) for checking, and wherein this cycle of operations is continued under program control until no significant improvement in calibration is noted.
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| GB898917415A GB8917415D0 (en) | 1989-07-29 | 1989-07-29 | Floppy maintenance disk for a computer disk drive |
| GB8917415.5 | 1989-07-29 |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| WO1991002350A1 true WO1991002350A1 (en) | 1991-02-21 |
Family
ID=10660876
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/GB1990/001163 WO1991002350A1 (en) | 1989-07-29 | 1990-07-27 | Floppy maintenance disk for a computer disk drive |
Country Status (2)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| GB (1) | GB8917415D0 (en) |
| WO (1) | WO1991002350A1 (en) |
Cited By (3)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US5373409A (en) * | 1993-03-24 | 1994-12-13 | Wu; Chun-Lung | Disk for cleaning magnetic head of disk drive |
| US5841613A (en) * | 1993-03-23 | 1998-11-24 | Minnesota Mining And Manufacturing Company | Tape cassette for cleaning VCR heads and transport components |
| US5966360A (en) * | 1993-06-03 | 1999-10-12 | Tdk Corporation | Cleaning disc cartridge |
Citations (6)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US4180840A (en) * | 1978-03-29 | 1979-12-25 | Burroughs Corporation | Cleaning disk assembly for oppositely-oriented, dual-component magnetic transducers |
| JPS5862819A (en) * | 1981-10-09 | 1983-04-14 | Fujitsu Ltd | Cleaning medium and cleaning method of floppy disk head |
| GB2137009A (en) * | 1983-03-18 | 1984-09-26 | Jensen Int Inc | Cleaning disc |
| JPS61120322A (en) * | 1984-11-15 | 1986-06-07 | Fuji Photo Film Co Ltd | Flexible disk for head cleaning |
| JPS62129930A (en) * | 1985-11-30 | 1987-06-12 | Toshiba Corp | Floppy disk |
| JPS62159320A (en) * | 1986-01-06 | 1987-07-15 | Seikosha Co Ltd | Disk for cleaning head |
-
1989
- 1989-07-29 GB GB898917415A patent/GB8917415D0/en active Pending
-
1990
- 1990-07-27 WO PCT/GB1990/001163 patent/WO1991002350A1/en unknown
Patent Citations (6)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US4180840A (en) * | 1978-03-29 | 1979-12-25 | Burroughs Corporation | Cleaning disk assembly for oppositely-oriented, dual-component magnetic transducers |
| JPS5862819A (en) * | 1981-10-09 | 1983-04-14 | Fujitsu Ltd | Cleaning medium and cleaning method of floppy disk head |
| GB2137009A (en) * | 1983-03-18 | 1984-09-26 | Jensen Int Inc | Cleaning disc |
| JPS61120322A (en) * | 1984-11-15 | 1986-06-07 | Fuji Photo Film Co Ltd | Flexible disk for head cleaning |
| JPS62129930A (en) * | 1985-11-30 | 1987-06-12 | Toshiba Corp | Floppy disk |
| JPS62159320A (en) * | 1986-01-06 | 1987-07-15 | Seikosha Co Ltd | Disk for cleaning head |
Non-Patent Citations (4)
| Title |
|---|
| PATENT ABSTRACTS OF JAPAN, Vol. 10, No. 308, (P-508); & JP,A,61 120 322 (FUJI PHOTO FILM CO LTD.) 07-06-1986. * |
| PATENT ABSTRACTS OF JAPAN, Vol. 11, No. 350, (P-637); & JP,A,62 129 930 (TOSHIBA CORP) 12-06-1987. * |
| PATENT ABSTRACTS OF JAPAN, Vol. 11, No. 395, (P-650); & JP,A,62 159 320 (SEIKOSHA CO LTD.) 15-07-1987. * |
| PATENT ABSTRACTS OF JAPAN, Vol. 7, No. 152, (P-208); & JP,A,58 062 819 (FUJITSU K.K.) 14-04-1983. * |
Cited By (4)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US5841613A (en) * | 1993-03-23 | 1998-11-24 | Minnesota Mining And Manufacturing Company | Tape cassette for cleaning VCR heads and transport components |
| US6256166B1 (en) | 1993-03-23 | 2001-07-03 | 3M Innovative Porperties Company | Tape cassette for cleaning VCR heads and transport components |
| US5373409A (en) * | 1993-03-24 | 1994-12-13 | Wu; Chun-Lung | Disk for cleaning magnetic head of disk drive |
| US5966360A (en) * | 1993-06-03 | 1999-10-12 | Tdk Corporation | Cleaning disc cartridge |
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| GB8917415D0 (en) | 1989-09-13 |
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