Iomega Corporation

Clark C Bruderer

Gregory M Allen

David A Thompson

David G Braithwaite

Yiping Ma

Mark S Thayne

David M Ginosar

David E Jones

Allen T Bracken

Carl F Nicklos

Edward L Rich

Harold Lin Woods

A method of inhibiting inadvertent and unauthorized writing and reading of information to and from a storage medium comprises the steps of (a) writing a first code in a predetermined location on the storage medium, the first code being indicative of a first protection mode of the storage medium; (b) receiving a command to change the protection mode of the storage medium from the first protection mode to a second protection mode; and, in response to the command, (c) writing in the predetermined location on the storage medium, in place of the first code, a second code indicative of the second protection mode. A protection mode can inhibit writing to the storage medium, both writing and reading to and from the medium, or neither. Changing of protection modes can also be password protected.

Read/write protect scheme for a disk cartridge and drive

The presence of a disk cartridge in a disk drive is detected by obtaining a measure of the load on the spindle motor of the disk drive and comparing that measure to a threshold value. The measure of load on the spindle motor may comprise (i) the time the spindle motor takes to spin-up to its full operating speed, (ii) the time the spindle motor takes to coast down to its operating speed from a first speed in excess of the operating speed, (iii) the voltage applied across the coils of the spindle motor, or (iv) the current drawn by the spindle motor.

Disk cartridge inertia detection methods and apparatus

A disk cartridge adapted for insertion into a data storage device having an insertion opening, a spindle motor positioned to engage a hub of the disk cartridge, and a cartridge receiving stop having first and second receiving projections. The disk cartridge includes an outer casing having a top surface having a substantially flat middle region and angled peripheral regions; a substantially flat bottom surface defining an opening; a back wall having a rear peripheral edge; a front wall having a front peripheral edge; and side walls that each meet the front wall to form a plurality of non-square shaped front corners. When the disk is inserted into the data storage device, a first engaging projection formed on the front wall engages the first receiving projection of the cartridge receiving stop, a second engaging projection formed on the front wall engages the second receiving projection of the cartridge receiving stop, and the hub engages the spindle motor.

Disk cartridge for use with a removable cartridge data storage drive

Methods and apparatus for detecting whether a removable cartridge disk

A disk drive for writing and reading data to and from a disk contained in a cartridge which is inserted through an opening into the disk drive comprises a motor ring rotatably mounted in the disk drive and a spindle motor for rotating the disk. The spindle motor is mounted in the motor ring such that rotation of the motor ring moves the spindle motor into and out of engagement with the hub of the disk cartridge. A position transducer provides an output signal indicative of the rotational position of the motor ring. A load/eject motor controls the rotation of the motor ring in response to the output signal from the position transducer.

Disk drive having an automatic spindle motor loading mechanism

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Farmington, UT, United States of America

Clark C Bruderer