1. A device for bending a tab that is attached to a sealed container, the device comprising:
a brace with a contact surface at a first end, the brace including an elongated axial length;
a contact member that is movable along the axial length of the brace, the contact member comprising a circumferential tapered section;
a support that is separate from each of the brace and the contact member and that extends around the brace;
lever arms that are positioned around the brace that each includes an intermediate section that is pivotally attached to the support, each of the lever arms including a first end with an angled contact surface and an opposing second end with a bearing that contacts against the tapered section of the contact member, the first and second ends being on opposing sides of the intermediate section;
the lever arms each configured to pivot about the intermediate section during movement of the contact member along the axial length of the brace between a first position with the first ends spaced radially away from the first end of the brace and a second position with the first ends in closer proximity to the first end of the brace.
2. The device of claim 1, wherein the contact member includes a central opening that receives the brace such that the contact member extends circumferentially around the brace.
3. The device of claim 1, wherein the tapered section of the contact member is at an axial end of the contact member.
4. The device of claim 1, wherein the brace includes a narrower width at the first end than at a proximal section along the axial length away from the first end, the width measured perpendicular to an axis that extends along the axial length.
5. The device of claim 1, wherein the lever arms are separate from the brace and the contact member.
6. The device of claim 1, wherein each of the angled contact surfaces includes a variable width with a tip that is narrower than a foot section, the tip being in closer proximity to the brace than the foot section.
7. The device of claim 1, wherein each of the lever arms includes a biasing member to bias the second ends of the lever arms against the tapered section of the contact member.
8. A device for bending a tab that is attached to a sealed container, the device comprising:
an elongated brace with a first end with a contact surface;
a contact member that is movable along a length of the brace, the contact member comprising a circumferential tapered section;
a support that extends around the brace;
lever arms that are pivotally attached to the support and that extend circumferentially around the brace, each of the lever arms including a pivot connection, a wedge on a first side of the pivot connection, and a bearing positioned on an opposing second side of the pivot connection;
the device being movable between a first position with the contact member at a first axial location relative to the brace and each of the lever arms at a first pivot orientation with the bearings in contact with the tapered section and the wedges located radially away from the brace, and a second position with the contact member at a different second axial location relative to the brace and each of the lever arms at a second pivot orientation with the bearings in contact with a wider location along the tapered section and the wedges located radially in closer proximity to the brace.
9. The device of claim 8, wherein the wedge is positioned at a first end of each of the lever arms.
10. The device of claim 8, wherein the contact member extends around the brace.
11. The device of claim 1, wherein the tapered section of the contact member is at an axial end of the contact member.
12. The device of claim 8, wherein the brace includes a narrower width at the first end than at a proximal section axially away from the first end.
13. The device of claim 8, wherein each of the wedges includes a tip that is narrower than a foot section.
14. The device of claim 8, wherein each of the lever arms includes a biasing member to bias a second end towards the tapered section.
15. The device of claim 8, wherein the brace and the contact member are coaxially aligned along a common axis.
16. A method of bending a tab that is attached to a sealed container, the method comprising:
contacting a brace against the tab with an end of the tab extending outward beyond the brace;
positioning lever arms circumferentially around the brace and around the tab;
while the brace is in contact with the tab, moving a tapered contact member axially along the brace and pivoting each of the plurality of lever arms with a first end of the lever arms moving radially inwardly towards the brace and a second end of the lever arms remaining in contact with the tapered contact member and moving radially outwardly away from the brace;
moving at least one wedge positioned at the first end of each of the lever arms under the end of the tab that extends outward from the brace and bending the tab while the brace remains in contact against the tab.
17. The method of claim 16, further comprising aligning the wedges at the first end of each of the lever arms axially with the end of the brace prior to moving the tapered contact member axially along the brace.
18. The method of claim 16, further comprising biasing the first end of each of the arms radially away from the brace.
19. The method of claim 16, further comprising sliding a bearing member at the second end of each of the arms along the tapered contact member while moving the at least one wedge under the end of the tab.
20. The method of claim 16, further comprising moving the tapered contact member axially along the brace and sliding bearing members at the second ends of each of the arms from a first axial position along the tapered contact member that includes a smaller width to a second axial position along the tapered contact member that includes a greater width.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A guide for guiding a magnetic data storage tape, the guide comprising:
a curved support portion for supporting a major tape surface;
at least one flange adjoining the support portion; and, at least in a region of transition between the support portion and the at least one flange:
an under coating of a tungsten carbide (WC); and
a surface coating having lower surface tension than the under coating.
2. The guide of claim 1, wh&ein the surface coating has a surface tension of not more than 40 mNm, and the under coating has a surface hardness of at least 20 GPa.
3. The guide of claim 1, wherein the surface coating has a surface tension of not more than 31 mNm, and the under coating has a surface hardness of at least 20 GPa.
4. The guide of claim 1, wherein the surface coating comprises a nitride.
5. The guide of claim 1, wherein the surface coating comprises at least one material selected from the group comprising: zirconium nitride, titanium nitride, chromium nitride, titanium aluminium nitride, silicon nitride.
6. The guide of claim 1, wherein the surface coating has lower wear resistance than the under coating.
7. The guide of claim 1, wherein, at least in the transition region, the surface coating has an average thickness of 20% or less of the average thickness of the under coating.
8. The guide of claim 1, wherein, at least in the transition region, the surface coating has an average thickness of 0.1 \u03bcm or less.
9. The guide of claim 1, wherein, at least in the transition region, the under coating has an average thickness in the range 0.5 \u03bcm to 3.0 \u03bcm.
10. The guide of claim 1, wherein the surface coating comprises magnetron sputtered zirconium nitride.
11. The guide of claim 1, wherein the guide comprises an aluminium core structure, the under coating being applied to the core structure without an intervening nickel coating.
12. The guide of claim 1, wherein the guide comprises a roller.
13. The guide of claim 1, wherein the transition region is configured to provide a force to counteract excessive lateral tape displacement, which counteractive force increases with increasingly excessive lateral tape displacement.
14. Tape drive apparatus comprising at least one tape guide, the or each tape guide comprising:
a body;
a diamond like carbon (DLC) coating applied over at least a portion of the body; and
applied over at least a portion of the DLC coating, a very thin further coating having a lower surface tension than the DLC.
15. The tape drive apparatus of claim 14, wherein the further coating has an average thickness of 0.1 \u03bcm or less.
16. The tape drive apparatus of claim 14, wherein the further coating comprises at least one material selected from the group comprising: zirconium nitride, titanium nitride, chromium nitride, titanium aluminium nitride, silicon nitride, and has an average thickness of 20% or less of the average thickness of the DLC coating.