International Business Machines Corporation

Other

David P McReynolds

Edwin Ralph Childers

Raymond Yardy

Alan A Fennema

Edward M Engler

Timothy S Gardner

Henry E Aviles

Koichiro Nanke

Syed T Shafaat

Hiroshi Matsushita

Kevin J Reardon

Tetsuya Kokubo

Stephen M Ward

Thomas J Schmitt

A blind system for regulating light entering a window frame of a window. The blind system includes a support bar affixed to an interior top portion of the window frame, a plurality of prism shaped slat members connected to and extending from the support bar and a device for selectively pivoting the slat members to both change an angle at which the light passes through the slat members and change an amount of light permitted to enter the room through the slat members. The slat members are able to refract light passing through the window and thereby redirect light passing therethrough. The slat members are connected to extend either vertically or horizontally from the support bar. A device for adjusting a height of the slat members above a bottom side of the window frame is provided when the slat members extend horizontally. The slat members are also able to pivot within a 180&deg; range of rotation. A device is also provided for regulating the height of the horizontal slat members or regulating the extension of the vertical slat members across the width of the window frame.

Blind system for windows

Library apparatus for holding a plurality of disk cartridges wherein the library housing contains a slot for alignment with the entry slot of a disk drive. The cartridges are stacked upon an inner case within the housing and the case is driven vertically to align individual disk cartridges with the slot. A push/pull mechanism within the housing pushes the selected cartridge through the slot into the disk drive and pulls it back into the library when finished. A specially designed cartridge has a handle for interaction with the push/pull mechanism. A pseudo-spindle device is attached to the drive to enable the use of minimal-dimension cartridges in order to increase the number of disks that can be stacked within a given space in the library.

Optical disk library including optical disk media with non-standard thin

The invention is an optical disk drive which controls mechanical feedback to a focus servo actuator by shifting the phase of the feedback along its path back to the servo an additional 180 degrees to eliminate the degradation of the phase margin and prevent servo instability. The phase shift may be induced at any practical location along the feedback path. The phase shift is preferably induced by creating a slit or opening in the base of the optical disk drive. The opening must be positioned properly, shaped appropriately, and large enough to create a new base resonant frequency which prevents the opposite sides thereof from vibrating in phase. Alternatively, the phase shift may be induced by altering other components in the feedback path. For example, the phase shift can be induced by modifying the spindle motor assembly to create a new spindle resonant frequency.

Phase shifting feedback control in an optical disk drive

A recording/playback apparatus in which movable datum pins are held in a base casting. Upon insertion of a cartridge into a holding tray, within the apparatus, the pins are released to move into datum holes in the cartridge when the holes are positioned directly above the pins. The cartridge is then lowered onto the drive spindle and positioned on surfaces of the base casting. During the load cycle, the cartridge is allowed to move relative to the holding tray while continuing to be held in place relative to the base casting by the datum pins.

System for locating and holding a cartridge

The invention is a cleaning cartridge which includes a housing and a tube for injecting a compressed gas therethrough and into specific areas of an optical disk drive. The tube is removably connectable at one end to a compressed gas supply, and is aimed at the other end to direct gas exiting therefrom at both the objective lens, beam-directing prism or mirror, or other internal optical disk drive components when the cartridge is seated in the drive. Upon insertion of the cleaning cartridge into the optical disk drive in the usual manner for any optical disk cartridge, gas is released from the compressed gas source, through the tube, and into the optical disk drive. The use of such a cleaning cartridge provides for easy, effective cleaning of any internal optical disk drive component without the abrasion and potential inconveniences associated with mechanical brushing, wiping, or other techniques.

Optical disk drive cleaner cartridge

An optical disk recorder, or other apparatus, use a rotary actuator for supporting a work tool, such as an objective lens which is pivotable or rotatable without a pivot pin. Rotation causing or tracking coils on the rotary actuator are disposed adjacent to permanent magnets to selectively effect rotation of the rotary actuator about the pivot pin. A bias electrical current is supplied to these coils to generate magnetic fields which are in opposite rotational senses; such fields force the rotary actuator against the pin in such a manner that the point of contact between the rotary actuator and the pin follows the rotation of the actuator about the pin.

Growing community of inventors

Tucson, AZ, United States of America

David P McReynolds