All The Claims

1. A method of manufacturing of a hard-disk drive using a bulk eraser for erasing recorded information on a magnetic-recording disk, said method comprising:
providing a bulk eraser having a gap consisting of at least a first portion providing a depth and a second portion providing a height, the bulk eraser producing magnetic-flux density in the second portion of a gap sufficient to erase recorded information from a portion of said magnetic-recording disk, a hard-disk drive having an enclosure, a disk-stack having at least one magnetic-recording disk rotatably mounted on a spindle, and a drive motor having a rotor attached to said spindle for rotating said magnetic-recording disk inside said enclosure;
configuring a plurality of magnets and a structure of said bulk eraser such that magnetic-flux density is oriented substantially parallel to a central plane in said second portion of said gap and in a substantially radial direction of said portion of said magnetic-recording disk when said hard-disk drive is inserted into said second portion of said gap;
rotating said magnetic-recording disk in said hard-disk drive;
inserting said hard-disk drive into said second portion of said gap of said bulk eraser such that a plane of said magnetic-recording disk of said hard-disk drive is oriented substantially parallel to said central plane in said second portion of said gap such that magnetic-flux density is oriented in said substantially radial direction of said portion of said magnetic-recording disk;
erasing recorded information from said portion of said magnetic-recording disk in said hard-disk drive located in said second portion of said gap; and
removing said hard-disk drive from said second portion of said gap.
2. The method recited in claim 1, said method further comprising:
configuring pole pieces of said structure and pole-tip portions of said pole pieces such that magnetic-flux density in said second portion of said gap is oriented substantially parallel to a central flux-propagation direction in said second portion of said gap.
3. The method recited in claim 2, wherein said inserting said hard-disk drive into said second portion of said gap of said bulk eraser further comprises:
orienting said magnetic-recording disk in said hard-disk drive such that a radial direction of said portion of said magnetic-recording disk is oriented substantially parallel to said central flux-propagation direction in said second portion of said gap.
4. The method recited in claim 1, wherein inserting said hard-disk drive into said second portion of said gap further comprises inserting said hard-disk drive into said second portion of said gap with an insertion speed that is sufficient to assure complete erasure of recorded information on said magnetic-recording disk in said hard-disk drive.
5. The method recited in claim 4, wherein an insertion speed into said gap is less than or equal to 1 centimeter per second.
6. The method recited in claim 1, wherein removing said hard-disk drive from said second portion of said gap further comprises removing said hard-disk drive from said second portion of said gap with a removal speed that is sufficient to assure complete erasure of recorded information on said magnetic-recording disk in said hard-disk drive.
7. The method recited in claim 6, wherein said removal speed from said gap is less than or equal to 1 centimeter per second.
8. The method recited in claim 1, wherein rotating said magnetic-recording disk in said hard-disk drive further comprises rotating said magnetic-recording disk in said hard-disk drive with said drive motor at a rotation speed that is sufficient to assure complete erasure of recorded information on said magnetic-recording disk in said hard-disk drive without stalling said drive motor.
9. The method recited in claim 8, wherein said rotation speed of said magnetic-recording disk is less than or equal to 2 Hertz.
10. The method recited in claim 8, wherein rotating said magnetic-recording disk in said hard-disk drive with said drive motor further comprises providing a low speed drive-motor-driver circuit on-board in said hard-disk drive to provide power to said drive motor to rotate said magnetic-recording disk at a slow speed to prevent stalling of said drive motor.
11. The method recited in claim 10, wherein rotating said magnetic-recording disk in said hard-disk drive with said drive motor further comprises providing power to said low speed drive-motor-driver circuit on-board in said hard-disk drive.
12. The method recited in claim 11, wherein providing power to said low speed drive-motor-driver circuit on-board in said hard-disk drive further comprises attaching a cable and connector, attached to an external power supply, to said hard-disk drive.
13. The method recited in claim 1, said method further comprising:
providing said second portion of said gap with sufficient clearance to accommodate said hard-disk drive upon inserting and removing said hard-disk drive from said second portion of said gap.
14. The method recited in claim 13, wherein said clearance of said second portion of said gap is less than or equal to about 2.6 centimeters.
15. The method recited in claim 1, said method further comprising:
providing a fixture for rapidly and reproducibly aligning said hard-disk drive in said second portion of said gap.
16. The method recited in claim 15, wherein said fixture limits a stroke length upon inserting said hard-disk drive into said second portion of said gap such that said magnetic-flux density produced by said plurality of magnets and said structure is configured to erase recorded information from said portion of said magnetic-recording disk disposed in said second portion of said gap without degrading magnetization of a drive-motor magnet in said drive motor disposed in a third portion of said gap.
17. The method recited in claim 1, said method further comprising:
disposing two magnets of said plurality of magnets with opposing polarity across a first portion of said gap;
adjusting a separation between said two magnets of said plurality of magnets in said first portion of said gap such that said first portion of said gap has sufficient clearance to accommodate said hard-disk drive upon inserting and removing said hard-disk drive from said second portion of said gap and said magnetic-flux density produced by said plurality of magnets and said structure is sufficient to erase recorded information from a plurality of magnetic-recording disks of said disk-stack when said hard-disk drive is inserted into said second portion of said gap.
18. A method of reworking a hard-disk drive in manufacturing said hard-disk drive using a bulk eraser for erasing a servo pattern on a magnetic-recording disk, said method comprising:
providing a bulk eraser having a gap consisting of at least a first portion providing a depth and a second portion providing a height, the bulk eraser producing magnetic-flux density in the second portion of a gap sufficient to erase a first servo pattern from a portion of said magnetic-recording disk, a hard-disk drive having an enclosure, a disk-stack having at least one magnetic-recording disk rotatably mounted on a spindle, and a drive motor having a rotor attached to said spindle for rotating said magnetic-recording disk inside said enclosure;
configuring a plurality of magnets and a structure of said bulk eraser such that magnetic-flux density is oriented substantially parallel to a central plane in said second portion of said gap and in a substantially radial direction of the portion of said magnetic-recording disk when said hard-disk drive is inserted into said second portion of said gap;
rotating said magnetic-recording disk in said hard-disk drive;
inserting said hard-disk drive into said second portion of said gap of said bulk eraser such that a plane of said magnetic-recording disk of said hard-disk drive is oriented substantially parallel to said central plane in said second portion of said gap such that magnetic-flux density is oriented in said substantially radial direction of said portion of said magnetic-recording disk;
erasing said first servo pattern from said portion of said magnetic-recording disk in said hard-disk drive located in said second portion of said gap; and
removing said hard-disk drive from said second portion of said gap.
19. The method recited in claim 18, said method further comprising:
writing a second servo pattern on said magnetic-recording disk in said hard-disk drive to replace said first servo pattern.
20. A method of preserving security of recorded information in a hard-disk drive in a computer system using a bulk eraser, said method comprising:
removing said hard-disk drive from said computer system;
providing a bulk eraser having a gap consisting of at least a first portion providing a depth and a second portion providing a height, the bulk eraser producing magnetic-flux density in the second portion of a gap sufficient to erase recorded information from a portion of said magnetic-recording disk, a hard-disk drive having an enclosure, a disk-stack having at least one magnetic-recording disk rotatably mounted on a spindle, and a drive motor having a rotor attached to said spindle for rotating said magnetic-recording disk inside said enclosure;
configuring a plurality of magnets and a structure of said bulk eraser such that magnetic-flux density is oriented substantially parallel to a central plane in said second portion of said gap and in a substantially radial direction of the portion of said magnetic-recording disk when said hard-disk drive is inserted into said second portion of said gap;
rotating said magnetic-recording disk in said hard-disk drive;
inserting said hard-disk drive into said second portion of said gap of said bulk eraser such that a plane of said magnetic-recording disk of said hard-disk drive is oriented substantially parallel to said central plane in said second portion of said gap such that magnetic-flux density is oriented in said substantially radial direction of said portion of said magnetic-recording disk;
erasing recorded information from said portion of said magnetic-recording disk in said hard-disk drive located in said second portion of said gap; and
removing said hard-disk drive from said second portion of said gap.
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. An in-laid athletic floor, comprising:
a plurality of main floor sections each comprising a top surface, a bottom surface, and a plurality of side edges, wherein said bottom surface of said main floor sections are disposed in an overlying relation to an undersurface,
said plurality of main floor sections comprising an at least partially resilient rubber athletic floor material,
a plurality of insert floor sections each comprising a top surface, a bottom surface, and a plurality of side edges, wherein at least one of said side edges of said plurality of insert floor sections is disposed in an abutting relation to an adjacently disposed one of said plurality of main floor sections and said top surface of said insert floor sections and said top surface of said main floor sections collectively define an athletic floor,
said plurality of insert floor sections comprising said at least partially resilient rubber athletic floor material, and
wherein said plurality of insert floor sections are positioned to define athletic game markings for said athletic floor.
2. The in-laid athletic floor as recited in claim 1 wherein said top surface of said plurality of insert floor sections comprise a different color than said top surface of said plurality of main floor sections.
3. The in-laid athletic floor as recited in claim 1 wherein said athletic floor comprises a running track, and wherein said plurality of insert floor sections are structured and disposed to represent a plurality of track lines defining track lanes.
4. The in-laid athletic floor as recited in claim 3 wherein at least some of said plurality of insert floor sections are structured and disposed to represent a plurality of track lane numbers.
5. The in-laid athletic floor as recited in claim 4 wherein at least some of said plurality of insert floor sections are further structured and disposed to represent a plurality of track and field markings.
6. The in-laid athletic floor as recited in claim 5 wherein said plurality of insert floor sections are positioned between said plurality of main floor sections to define athletic game markings corresponding to a plurality of different athletic areas.
7. The in-laid athletic floor surface as recited in claim 6 wherein said top surfaces of said insert floor sections corresponding to different ones of said different athletic areas comprise a different color.
8. The in-laid athletic floor surface as recited in claim 1 wherein said resilient rubber athletic floor material comprises a vulcanized prefabricated rubber material.
9. A method for installing an in-laid athletic floor, the method comprising:
disposing a first floor member in an overlying relation to an undersurface, the first floor member comprising an at least partially resilient rubber athletic floor material,
positioning a portion of the first floor member, if necessary, to cover the undersurface defining an athletic area,
cutting the first floor member and removing cut-out portions of the first floor member to define a plurality of main floor sections and a plurality of cut-out openings, each of the main floor sections comprising a top surface, a bottom surface, and a plurality of side edges, and
inserting a plurality of cooperatively sized insert floor sections into the plurality of cut-out openings, the plurality of insert floor sections comprising an at least partially resilient rubber athletic surface material, and wherein the plurality of insert floor sections are structured to define athletic game lines for the in-laid athletic floor.
10. The method as recited in claim 9 further comprising defining a top surface of the plurality of main floor sections as comprising a different color than a top surface of the plurality of insert floor sections.
11. The method as recited in claim 10 further comprising defining the top surface of each of the plurality of main floor sections as comprising a common color.
12. The method as recited in claim 11 further comprising defining the in-laid athletic floor as comprising a running track, and wherein the plurality of insert floor sections represent a plurality of track lines defining a plurality of track lanes.
13. The method as recited in claim 12 further comprising defining the plurality of insert floor sections as representing a plurality of track and field markings.
14. The method as recited in claim 13 further comprising defining at least some of the plurality of insert floor sections as representing a plurality of track lane numbers.
15. The method as recited in claim 9 further comprising positioning the plurality of insert floor sections to define athletic game lines corresponding to a plurality of different athletic areas on a common athletic surface.
16. The method as recited in claim 15 wherein the plurality of insert floor sections corresponding to different athletic areas comprise different colors.
17. The method as recited in claim 9 further comprising defining the at least partially resilient rubber athletic floor material as comprising vulcanized prefabricated rubber material.

1. A hexagonal type barium titanate powder comprising barium titanate as a main component shown by a generic formula of (Ba1-\u03b1M\u03b1)A(Ti1-\u03b2Mn\u03b2)BO3 and having a hexagonal structure wherein:
an effective ionic radius of 12-coordinated \u201cM\u201d is \u221220% or more to +20% or less with respect to an effective ionic radius of 12-coordinated Ba2+, and
said A, B, \u03b1, and \u03b2 satisfy:
1.000<(AB)\u22661.040,
0\u2266\u03b1\u22660.0025, and
0.03\u2266\u03b2\u22660.2.
2. The hexagonal type barium titanate powder as set forth in claim 1, wherein:
a ratio of said \u03b1 and said \u03b2 satisfies (\u03b1\u03b2)\u22660.40.
3. A method of producing the hexagonal type barium titanate powder as set forth in claim 2 comprising steps of:
preparing at least a raw material of barium titanate and a raw material of Mn, and
heat-treating said raw material of barium titanate and said raw material of said Mn.
4. A method of producing the hexagonal type barium titanate powder as set forth in claim 1 comprising steps of:
preparing at least a raw material of barium titanate and a raw material of Mn, and
heat-treating said raw material of barium titanate and said raw material of said Mn.
5. A dielectric ceramic composition comprising a hexagonal type barium titanate as a main component shown by a generic formula of (Ba1-\u03b1M\u03b1)A(Ti1-\u03b2Mn\u03b2)BO3 and having a hexagonal structure wherein:
an effective ionic radius of 12-coordinated \u201cM\u201d is \u221220% or more to +20% or less with respect to an effective ionic radius of 12-coordinated Ba2+, and said A, B, \u03b1, and \u03b2 satisfy:
1.000<(AB)\u22661.040,
0\u2266a\u22660.0025, and
0.03\u2266\u03b2\u22660.2, and

as subcomponents, with respect to 100 moles of the main component, 2 to 5 moles of at least one of alkaline earth oxide selected from the group consisting of MgO, CaO, and BaO in terms of respective oxides, and a total content of said alkaline earth oxides is 15 moles or less; 0.5 to 2 moles of Mn3O4 andor Cr2O3, and CuO and Al2O3 in terms of respective metal elements; 1 to 5 moles of at least one of oxides of rare earth element selected from the group consisting of Y, La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Sm, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, and Yb in terms of a total of rare earth element; and 0.1 to 1 mole of a glass component including SiO2 in terms of SiO2.
6. An electronic component comprising a dielectric layer composed of the dielectric ceramic composition as set forth in claim 5 and an internal electrode layer.

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 support post for a rockfall barrier comprising:
a base;
a first arm pivotally coupled to the base at a first hinge;
a first hinge brake for providing friction at the first hinge to provide controlled resistance against pivotal rotation of the first arm relative to the base;
a second aim pivotally coupled to the first arm at a second hinge; and
a second hinge brake for providing friction at the second hinge to provide controlled resistance against relative pivotal rotation between the first arm and the second arm.
2. The support post of claim 1 wherein the first arm is configurable at a 0\xb0-90\xb0 angle to the normal of a sloped surface and the second aim is configurable at a 0\xb0-90\xb0 angle to the normal to the sloped surface, wherein the first aim and the second arm foam a concavity facing an upslope direction.
3. The support post of claim 1 wherein the first arm is configurable at a 0\xb0-45\xb0 angle to the normal of a sloped surface and the second aim is configurable at a 0\xb0-30\xb0 angle to the normal to the sloped surface.
4. The support post of claim 3 wherein the second arm is longer than the first arm.
5. The support post of claim 4 wherein the ratio between the lengths of the second arm and the first arm ranges from about 2:1 to 4:1.
6. The support post of claim 5 wherein the first hinge brake comprises a first pair of friction plates and the second hinge brake comprises a second pair of friction plates.
7. The support post of claim 6 wherein the first and second pairs of friction plates comprise stops to prevent the support post from over-rotating in the upslope direction.
8. A rock fall barrier comprising:
a plurality of support posts, each support post comprising:
a base fixed to a sloped surface;
a first arm pivotally coupled to the base at a first hinge;
a first hinge brake for providing friction at the first hinge to provide controlled resistance against pivotal rotation of the first arm relative to the base;
a second arm pivotally coupled to the first arm at a second hinge; and
a second hinge brake for providing friction at the second hinge to provide controlled resistance against relative pivotal rotation between the first arm and the second arm; and
a deformable net spanning the plurality of support posts.
9. The rockfall barrier of claim 8 comprising at least one guy wire attached at one end to a distal end of one of the plurality of support posts and anchored at the other end to the sloped surfaced.
10. The rockfall barrier of claim 9 wherein the at least one guy wire comprises a cable brake.