Iomega Corporation

Doug Mayne

Norio Fujikawa

Jay Allen Muse

Brian R Schick

Fred Charles Thomas, Iii

Allen T Bracken

Carl F Nicklos

Stephanie Seaman

Dominic D'Andrea

Mark Ciesko

Dave Jones

A disk drive has a cartridge eject mechanism for ejecting the cartridge from the drive. An impedance lever is added to the eject mechanism to prevent cartridge ejection when the read/write heads of the drive are reading or writing data. The impedance lever has an impedance projection, a rotation spring and an actuator follower projection which interacts with the sliding lever of the eject mechanism to prevent untimely ejection of the disk cartridge.

Slider impedance mechanism to prevent cartridge ejection during operation

A belt clip for attaching a device to a user includes a back plate having first and second wing portions which include flanges for engaging with the exterior surface of an electronic device. The first and second wing portions are coupled together by an integrated biasing portion that allows the first and second wing portions to be forced together when the flanges are gripping the electronic device and apart when it is desired to remove the electronic device from the belt clip. The wing portions each include integrally formed cam members that engage with a cam hole formed in a clip member. As the clip member is rotated relative to the back plate, the cam members and thus the wing portions are brought together to grasp the electronic device. The clip member is then retained relative to the back plate with a locking feature.

Camming belt clip

Storage device enclosure

A disk insertion and ejection mechanism for use in a mini disk drive. The insertion and ejection mechanism operates by using cooperating cammed surfaces on a mini-cartridge and a movable sled within the mini disk drive. The cams operate to keep the mini-cartridge raised above the drive spindle during cartridge insertion. When the mini-cartridge is fully inserted into the drive, the cams in the drive mate with cam openings on the disk and the cartridge can move down onto the spindle. Additionally, wedges in the drive and wedge cut-outs on the cartridge cooperate to lock a cartridge into the drive during insertion. During cartridge ejection, the cams within the drive cooperate with the cammed surfaces in the cartridge to raise the cartridge above the spindle. At that moment, the cartridge is forced from the drive.

Data storage drive and cartridge having alignment openings for cartridge

Growing community of inventors

Ogden, UT, United States of America

Doug Mayne