Patent ID: 6118626
Filing Date: 2000-09-12
Classification: G11B

Abstract:
A support for a sheetform magnetic media having a characteristic stiffness and thickness, that travels forward along a machine dimension from a forward upstream direction to a forward downstream direction, said support comprising:a. a head, having a signal exchange surface that comprises:i. a signal exchange site;ii. a forward upstream corner upstream of said signal exchange site; andiii a forward upstream signal exchange surface, defined by an upstream main signal exchange surface curve, located along said machine dimension between said upstream corner and said signal exchange site, which signal exchange surface meets said upstream corner at a main slope discontinuity and has an upstream main tangent .tau..sub.main at said main slope discontinuity;b. a forward upstream media guide, spaced upstream from said upstream corner; andc. said upstream media guide being located relative to said upstream corner and said upstream corner being sufficiently sharp and said upstream main tangent being oriented such that, a sheetform media that is contacting said media guide and is moving forward under tension follows a path such that:i. a portion of said media contacts said upstream corner;ii. a portion of said media that is downstream and adjacent to said upstream corner contacting portion, is spaced away from said signal exchange surface adjacent to and downstream from said main slope discontinuity, forming a hollow bump between said media and said signal exchange surface; andiii. a portion of said media downstream from and adjacent said hollow bump contacts said signal exchange surface along the full extent from said bump to and including said signal exchange site.