Iomega Corporation

Brian R Schick

Shane Nowell

Jay Allen Muse

Ronald F Hales

Jonathan Guerra

Allen T Bracken

Edward L Rich

Michael William Nordmeyer

Wayne A Sumner

Donald Beuch

Douglas Mayne

Carl Thomas Gucker

Fred Charles Thomas, Iii

Robert S Patterson

Barry Littlewood

Richard Tolan Brown

David E Jones

Mark S Thayne

Jonathon Guerra

Doug Mayne

Shawn Ray Isaacson

Tolan Brown

Robert Hales Lundgreen

Don Beuch

A system provides for mounting a removable media disk cartridge in a disk drive without translating the cartridge or spindle motor in a Z-axis relative to each other. The system comprises a spindle in the drive having a substantially planar top surface with an annular groove disposed and an datum ring disposed thereon. The annular groove accepts an inner ring surface of a media disk hub. The disk cartridge has a hub with an inner ring that engages the annular groove in the spindle. Additionally the hub has an outer peripheral edge that has an angled surface. During disengagement of the hub from the spindle, the hub is tilted when the cartridge shell engages the outer peripheral edge. The datum ring acts as a fulcrum while the inner ring is tilted out of the annular groove.

Method mounting a data storage cartridge that minimizes Z-axis translation

A process for assembling a disk cartridge is disclosed. The process includes the steps of snapping a top shell half of the disk cartridge over a bottom shell half of the disk cartridge; adjusting the shell halves until the shell halves are in abutment contact with each other at a weld site; and directing an energy beam at the weld site until a portion of the top shell half and a portion of the bottom shell half fuse so that the top shell half is fixed to the bottom shell half. The process is repeated for each of a plurality of weld sites located on the perimeter of the disk cartridge. A process for assembling a disk cartridge is disclosed in which an energy beam is split into a plurality of split energy beams. The plurality of split energy beams are focused on a plurality of weld sites until a portion of the top shell half and a portion of the bottom shell half fuse so that the top shell half is fixed to the bottom shell half. A disk cartridge prepared by either of the above described processes is also disclosed.

Laser weld disk cartridge

A disk cartridge has a rotary inner shell, or shutter, to permit access to a data-storage medium disposed within the shell. A driving-access opening is located in a bottom surface of the cartridge's outer shell to allow a drive mechanism to rotate the storage medium. A portion of the inner shell projects into the driving-access opening to aid in the rotational alignment of the shell. The outer shell has a wedge-shaped disk-access opening. The inner shell rotates over a predefined arc to expose the data storage medium via the disk-access opening. A liner is disposed between the inner and outer shells to reduce sliding friction between the shells.

Shutter liner for a disk cartridge

A flexible magnetic disk cassette for use in a disk drive. The cassette comprises a flexible magnetic disk disposed within a rectangular shell. The flexible magnetic disk have a center hub with an aperature for engagement with a drive spindle. The hub aperature forms an annular projection for engaging a cylindrical retaining well that is formed in the top inside portion of the shell.

Magnetic disk cartridge having a flexible disk anti-drift mechanism

A data storage system having a disk cartridge with a rotary inner shell to permit access to a medium is disclosed. The cartridge comprises a latch disposed on an edge of the cartridge for locking the cartridge in a closed position. A flexible lever in the data storage device is adapted to engage and unlock the latch during cartridge insertion. The lever having a spring portion flexes away from the cartridge as it is further inserted into the data storage device.

Side edge accessible disk cartridge shutter latch assembly

A disk cassette for use in a disk drive. The cassette employs a detent mechanism to resistively retain a shutter in a closed position. This shutter is opened by applying a force greater than the resistive force of the detent mechanism. The detent mechanism eliminates the need for a spring bias to retain the shutter in a closed position.

Apparatus for retaining a disk cartridge shutter in a closed position

A disk cartridge has a hub with an inner ring that engages an annular groove in a drive motor. The hub can be constructed of either one piece or two pieces of joined sheet metal. In either embodiment, the hub has an outer peripheral edge that has an angled surface. The hub can be attached to the medium via adhesive or mechanically by way of a retainer.

Two-piece media hub and methods of attaching same to a medium

A disk cartridge, for use in a disk drive, has a shutter for opening and closing over a disk access opening. A compression spring provides a force to bias the shutter to a closed position. The spring is coupled at one end to the shutter and follows an arcuate path substantially concentric with the disk within the cartridge.

Data cartridge having arcuate shutter spring

A disk cartridge has two shell layers encapsulating a medium. The first layer encases the disk medium. The second layer encases the first layer. Both layers have a head access opening such that rotation of one layer relative to the other layer causes the head access openings to be aligned or misaligned. When the head access openings are misaligned the cartridge is closed. When the head access openings are aligned the cartridge is open.

Method for accessing a medium within a shutter shell that encapsulates

A system is for mounting a removable media disk cartridge in a disk drive without translating the cartridge or spindle motor in a Z-axis relative to each other The system comprises a spindle in the drive having a substantially planar top surface with an annular groove disposed and an datum ring disposed thereon. The annular groove accepts an inner ring surface of a media disk hub. The disk cartridge has a hub with an inner ring that engages the annular groove in the spindle. Additionally the hub has an outer peripheral edge that has an angled surface. During disengagement of the hub from the spindle, the hub is tilted when the cartridge shell engages the outer peripheral edge. The datum ring acts as a fulcrum while the inner ring is tilted out of the annular groove.

Media hub mounting system for minimizing Z-axis during cartridge

The hub assembly of a disk cartridge has an annular groove formed in its bottom surface. The outer periphery of the annular groove undercuts the bottom surface of the hub assembly to form an annular lip around the outer periphery of the groove. A data storage device designed to receive the disk cartridge has a spindle motor with at least one latch member mounted on the upper portion of the motor via a flexure. The latch member on the spindle motor enters the annular groove on the hub assembly of the disk cartridge when the disk cartridge is inserted into the data storage device. When the spindle motor spins-up to its operating speed, the latch member moves radially outwardly on its flexure and engages the annular lip in the hub assembly, thereby preventing separation of the hub assembly from the spindle motor during rotation.

Data storage system having a cartridge hub locking mechanism

Removable computer disk cartridge

A system for inserting and ejecting a cartridge from a removable media disk drive is disclosed. The system works by pushing the cartridge into the drive until a stop is reached. Thereafter, when the pushing is ceased, the cartridge is locked into position in the disk drive. To eject the cartridge, the cartridge is again pushed into the drive until a second stop is reached. Thereafter, the cartridge is ejected form the drive.

Cartridge load and eject mechanism for a removable cartridge drive

A system for inserting and ejecting a cartridge from a removable media disk drive is disclosed. The system works by pushing the cartridge into the drive until a stop is reached. Thereafter, when the pushing is ceased, the cartridge is locked into position in the disk drive. To eject the cartridge, the cartridge is again pushed into the drive until a second stop is reached. Thereafter, the cartridge is ejected from the drive.

Growing community of inventors

Eden, UT, United States of America

Brian R Schick