Iomega Corporation

Carl F Nicklos

David E Jones

Mark S Thayne

Thomas J Angellotti

John C Briggs

Ralph Lee Sonderegger

Yiping Ma

Nicholas Brawne

Paul R Johnson

Allen T Bracken

Robert S Patterson

Richard F Leavitt

Stephanie Seaman

Michael R Lyon

Norio Fujikawa

Jay Allen Muse

Edward L Rich

David W Griffith

Todd L Graves

Clark C Bruderer

Dominic D'Andrea

Carl E Ellis

Doug Mayne

Mark Ciesko

Ross W Bishop

Reed J Moody

Harold Lin Woods

Lawrence D Clayton

Peter Shay

G Kenneth Smithborne

Camera

Storage device enclosure

A disk drive of the type that receives a removable disk cartridge containing a disk-shaped storage medium, includes an actuator for carrying a pair of opposed read/write heads into engagement with respective opposite surfaces of the disk-shaped storage medium, and a pair of opposed projections disposed adjacent the read/write heads when they are in a retracted position. The opposed projections have opposed angled surfaces that deflect and capture the edge of the disk-shaped storage medium during cartridge insertion to prevent the edge of the storage medium from damaging the read/write heads. The opposed projections are preferably formed as part of a load ramp member that is snap-fit to another structure within the disk drive to facilitate assembly of the disk drive.

Disk drive load ramp for protecting the actuator heads

An improved disk drive includes an improved operating system, an improved eject system, an improved head retract system and an improved motor loading system. In a preferred embodiment of the operating system it includes a motor, an eject crank, a head crank and an actuator. The output of the motor can be selectively controlled by the actuator to power either the eject crank or the head crank. Powering the head crank, causes the disk drive heads to move, and powering the eject crank causes a disk cartridge to be ejected from the disk drive. The motor loading system may have a disk drive motor having a threaded exterior and a member extending from the exterior to interface with the eject system. Additionally, this motor loading system may include an aperture in the chassis of the disk drive that has a threaded ring running around the circumference of the aperture and a spring extending from the threaded ring. The disk drive motor can be inserted into the aperture in the chassis with the member depressing the spring. The disk drive motor can then be rotated to mate the threads of the disk drive motor with the threaded ring. When rotated, the slotted member releases the spring. The spring prevents rotation of the disk drive motor past a predetermined point and thereby prevents the motor from becoming dislodged from the chassis. When inserted into the disk drive, the motor can be moved between a loaded and an unloaded position.

Motor loading system for a disk drive

Disclosed is a disk drive having a linear actuator for carrying read/write heads into engagement with a recording medium. The heads are mounted on a carriage assembly along with a voice coil motor for driving the carriage assembly into and out of engagement of the heads with the medium. The carriage assembly slides linearly on a central guide track. A flexure is provided for the central guide track for linear movement by the carriage assembly so that initial linear movement of the carriage assembly is by flexing the flexure and further, larger linear movement of the carriage assembly is by sliding along the guide track. In one form of the invention the central guide track is suspended at the front end by a flexure and at the rear end by a bearing. In another form of the invention the central guide track is suspended at each end by a flexure. The flexure has an attaching mechanism for attaching the flexure to the central guide track so that the flexure pivots freely on the central guide track. This eliminates the likelihood of bending of the central guide track and improves the ability of the system to reject 1f and 2f run out and therefore, track following.

Flexured mounting system for friction reduction and friction

A linear actuator for carrying a pair of read/write heads into engagement with a surface of a recording medium includes a carriage assembly. The carriage assembly may have a load beam upon which the read/write heads are mounted. A lift wing that is integrally formed with the actuator preferable extends transverse to a longitudinal axis of the actuator. Preferably, the lift wing extends from the sides of the actuator and not the end of the actuator where the read/write heads are preferably mounted. The integral lift wing may have a first portion that extends from one side of the actuator, and a second portion that extends from the other side of the actuator. Preferably, the lift wing does not have a portion which extends beneath or over the width of the load beam portion of the actuator. This lift wing preferably interfaces with a load ramp of the disk drive to position the read/write heads proximal to the surface of the recording medium.

Integral lift wing for a disk drive actuator

Eject system for ejecting a disk cartridge from a disk drive

Disk drive with a rotatably mounted disk drive motor

Computer data storage device

A linear actuator carries read/write heads into engagement with a removable cartridge having a recording disk. The magnetic heads are mounted on a carriage which moves linearly on a central guide track. The carriage moves linearly on front and rear bearings which move on a central guide track as the magnetic motor is energized. The rear bearing is elongated in the direction perpendicular to the plane of the disk to allow movement of the carriage transverse to the direction of travel. This compensates for planar misalignment of the plane of the recording disk with respect to the axis of the central track.

Elongated rear bearing for linear actuator

A disk drive includes a slide member that moves in tandem with a disk cartridge from a first position to a second position upon insertion of the disk cartridge into the disk drive. The slide member has at least one flexure having a projection formed thereon. The slide plate is biased in a direction opposite the direction of insertion of the removable disk cartridge by a spring. As the disk is inserted into the disk drive and the slide plate moves, the flexure travels along an inclined cam slot within a rotating member of said disk drive to the projections through cutouts in the chassis of the disk drive apparatus into engagement with reference holes in the disk cartridge to locate the cartridge in the appropriate location.

Apparatus for receiving a removable disk cartridge

Memory device

A shutter lever for opening the shutter of a removable disk cartridge upon insertion of the cartridge into a disk drive, has a pre-positioning feature that pre-positions the lever to ensure accurate engagement of the lever with the shutter of the disk cartridge, despite variations in the initial location of the lever that may arise, for example, due to varying tolerances on the lever stop and/or its pivot point.

Self positioning lever for opening the shutter of a removable disk

There is disclosed a disk drive having a linear actuator for carrying read/write heads into engagement with a recording medium. The heads are mounted on a carriage assembly along with a voice coil motor for driving the carriage assembly into and out of engagement of the heads with the medium. The carriage assembly slides linearly on a central guide track. A flexible mounting suspension is provided for the central guide track for linear movement by the carriage assembly so that initial linear movement of the carriage assembly is by flexing the suspension and further, larger linear movement of the carriage assembly is by sliding along the guide track. In one form of the invention the central guide track is suspended at the front end by a flexure and at the rear end by a bearing. In another form of the invention the central guide track is suspended at each end by a flexure.

Door for a computer disk drive

Growing community of inventors

Ogden, UT, United States of America

Carl F Nicklos