Patent ID: 8199440

Claim:
A transducer positioning apparatus that supports a read/write head of a data storage machine, the transducer positioning apparatus comprising: a base that includes a linear drive motor and a stationary track; a support frame to which the read/write head is secured, the support frame is reciprocally driven by the linear drive motor relative to the base, the support frame including a movable track; a magnetic coupling between the base and the support frame that resists movement of the frame other than the reciprocal movement of the support frame relative to the base along an axis, the magnetic coupling including: a magnet having a magnetic flux field; a ball disposed in the magnetic flux field; and a magnetically attracted member disposed in the magnetic flux field, wherein the magnet, the ball and the member are held together by the magnetic flux field, and wherein the magnetic flux field biases the read/write head against rotation about the axis while permitting the magnet and the member to move relative to each other along the axis with the ball rolling between the stationary track and the movable track.