US 7,321,478 B2
Data transfer apparatus head cleaning
John Mark Mackelden, Bristol (United Kingdom); Nigel Ronald Evans, Bristol (United Kingdom); and Andrew Malcolm George Clarke, Bristol (United Kingdom)
Assigned to Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P., Houston, Tex. (US)
Filed on Feb. 23, 2006, as Appl. No. 11/359,500.
Claims priority of application No. 0508026.2 (GB), filed on Apr. 21, 2005.
Prior Publication US 2006/0238911 A1, Oct. 26, 2006
Int. Cl. G11B 19/02 (2006.01); G11B 27/36 (2006.01)
U.S. Cl. 360—69  [360/31] 14 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A data transfer apparatus, comprising:
at least one transducer head configured to transfer data between a data transfer apparatus and a data medium;
a plurality of head-cleaning processes;
a head-cleaning medium to be used in a selected head-cleaning process; and
an indicator corresponding to a quality of required cleanliness;
wherein the data transfer apparatus is configured to:
monitor at least one data transfer performance characteristic of the transducer head;
select one of the plurality of head cleaning processes based on the monitored data transfer performance characteristics; and
clean the transducer head using the selected head-cleaning process.