Patent ID: 7218466

Claim:
An apparatus for performing contact printing of a magnetic transition pattern in a magnetic recording medium, comprising: (a) a stamper/imprinter including a body formed of at least one magnetic material having a high saturation magnetization B sat ≧about 0.5 Tesla and a high permeability μ≧about 5, said body including an imprinting surface adapted to be placed in intimate contact with a surface of a magnetic layer, said imprinting surface comprised of a plurality of patterned areas, each of said plurality of patterned areas includes a plurality of projections forming an image of a servo sector and which separate a plurality of areas which are not patterned, each of said plurality of areas which is not patterned corresponds to a data zone and provided with at least one of: (i) mechanical reinforcing means for preventing deformation of said body when said imprinting surface is urged into contact with said surface of said magnetic layer; and (ii) gas venting means for facilitating removal of air or other gas from between said imprinting surface and said surface of said magnetic layer when said imprinting surface is urged into contact with said surface of said magnetic layer, wherein each of said plurality of areas corresponding to said data zones which are not patterned is in the form of a projection extending to the same height as said projections forming said image of said servo sector.