International Business Machines Corporation

Western Digital Technologies, Inc.

Hitachi Global Storage Technologies Netherlands B.v.

Other

Drew B Lawson

Steven Robert Hetzler

Daniel Felix Smith

A David Erpelding

William Marvin Dyer

Donald Stimson Bethune

David Jame Altknecht

John Stewart Best

Tzong-Shii Pan

Yih-Jen Dennis Chen

Surya Narayan Pattanaik

Darrell Dean Palmer

Yiduo Zhang

William W Childers

Martin John McCaslin

Serge Hauert

A disc cassette includes a curved portion. The curved portion includes multiple ribs that define multiple disc slots. The disc slots are configured to hold multiple discs that are spaced apart by the ribs. The disc cassette further includes multiple index features positioned on an inside edge of the curved portion. The index features are configured to allow alignment of a kicker device of a disc retrieval unit (DRU) to a disc of the disc cassette to lift the disc into a disc gripper device without disturbing one or more other discs of the disc cassette that are adjacent to the disc.

Disc storage cassettes comprising index features

A disc cassette includes a curved portion configured to hold multiple discs. The disc cassette further includes a bottom side including track connectors configured to position the disc cassette relative to one or more track portions that hold the disc cassette in place. The disc cassette is slideable along the one or more track portions.

Disc storage cassettes comprising track connectors

A disc cassette includes a curved portion configured to hold multiple discs. A platform portion abuts the curved portion. A movable bale is configured to maintain discs securely in the disc cassette except when rotated off the discs.

Disc storage cassettes comprising a movable bale

An apparatus includes a first jaw device, a second jaw device, and a disc sensor configured to sense presence of a storage disc between the first jaw device and the second jaw device. The first jaw device and the second jaw device form a gripper device configured to clamp a particular portion of a storage disc including an arc segment along an outer edge of adjacent surfaces of the storage disc.

Disc gripper for storage disc

A disc cassette includes a curved portion configured to hold multiple discs. A platform portion abuts the curved portion. A movable bale is configured to maintain discs securely in the disc cassette.

Disc storage cassettes

An apparatus includes one or more disc media cassettes configured to store multiple disc-based media. Multiple disc drives are configured to read and write data to the multiple disc-based media. A robotic delivery device is configured to transport a selected disc-based media to and from at least one disc drive of the multiple disc drives, and to transport the selected disc-based media directly to a spindle on the at least one disc drive.

High performance robotic optical storage system

An optical disc drive includes a spindle connected to an optical assembly. A disc clamp device is configured to hold an optical disc on the spindle. A contiguous opening on at least two adjacent sides in a plane of a disc mount position intersect at a common corner of the optical disc drive.

Optical disc drive

An apparatus includes a motor configured to drive a driving element within a housing. A caliper is connected to the housing and configured to force a first jaw device toward a second jaw device based on movement of the driving element. A disc sensor is configured to sense presence of a storage disc and to limit insertion travel of a storage disc between the first jaw device and the second jaw device. The first jaw device and the second jaw device form a gripper device configured to clamp a particular portion of a storage disc.

Disc gripper for storage discs

A disc cassette includes a curved portion configured to hold multiple discs and a platform portion abuts the curved portion. The platform portion and the curved portion each include multiple rib pairs configured to separate adjacent discs from touching one another, and to form a disc slot between each rib pair. Disc slots of the platform portion of the disc cassette are configured to provide a guide for disc removal from the disc cassette.

A technique for storage and retrieval of objects is provided. A holding structure is configured to hold the objects, and the objects are stored in the holding structure such that the objects can slide in and out of the holding structure. An elastic mechanism is at the back of the holding structure, and the elastic mechanism pushes the objects toward the front of the holding structure such that the objects are accessible at the front of the holding structure. A selector mechanism is positionable to push the objects that are adjacent to a selected object to be retrieved toward the back of the holding structure, and the selector mechanism exposes a portion of the selected object so that the selected object can be engaged at the exposed portion. A gripper is configured to engage the exposed portion of the selected object and pull the selected object from the holding structure.

Negative select access mechanism

A disk drive suspension assembly includes a load beam, a first hinge arm, a second hinge arm, a base plate, and a flexure that includes a head mounting surface. The base plate has a first base plate layer that includes a first base plate side and an opposing second base plate side. The first base plate side has a main base plate surface and a recessed base plate surface parallel to and offset from the main base plate surface. A first hinge arm is attached to the main base plate surface. A second hinge arm is attached to the recessed base plate surface. The first and second hinge arms are attached to the load beam. The base plate has a first thickness at the main base plate surface and a second thickness at the recessed base plate surface that is the same as the first thickness.

Disk drive suspension assembly with a hinge arm attached at a recessed surface

A flexure is provided for a HGA suspension. The flexure includes a metal base layer, a trace layer, and a dielectric layer disposed between the trace and base layers. The metal base layer includes a heat sink portion. The trace layer includes a plurality of conductive traces, each conductive trace having a curved section that terminates in a trace termination pad. The dielectric layer includes a portion that underlies the trace termination pads and overlies the heat sink portion. The base layer and the dielectric layer each also include a window. The curved section of each conductive trace extends over the window of the base layer. The curved section of each conductive trace may at least partially extend over the window of the dielectric layer.

Flexure including a heat sink and a dielectric layer under trace termination pads

A head stack assembly (HSA) is disclosed for use in a disk drive comprising a disk, wherein a merge tool is used to merge the HSA with the disk. The HSA comprises at least one actuator arm with a suspension connected to the distal end of the actuator arm. A multi-level shipping comb attached to the actuator arm comprises a finger having a first surface and a second, raised surface. During shipping of the HSA, the first surface of the finger contacts the suspension to protect against overstressing. During manufacture of the disk drive, the shipping comb is actuated so that the second surface contacts the suspension thereby bending the suspension in a vertical direction to facilitate the insertion of the merge tool.

Method of assembling a disk drive including actuating a shipping comb to bend a suspension vertically to facilitate a merge tool

A method is provided for controlling the pitch static attitude of a slider in an integrated lead suspension head gimbal assembly. The integrated lead suspension includes a load beam, a mount plate, a hinge and a flexure made out of a multi-layer material. The flexure legs and the outrigger leads are simultaneously plastically deformed to define the pitch static attitude. The flexure legs and the outrigger leads are deformed at approximately the same longitudinal location.

Method of controlling pitch static attitude of sliders on integrated lead suspensions by improved plastic deformation processing

The pitch static attitude of a slider in an integrated lead suspension head gimbal assembly of a disk drive is controlled at the manufacturing stage. The integrated lead suspension includes a load beam, a mount plate, a hinge and a flexure made out of a multi-layer material. The flexure legs and the outrigger leads are simultaneously plastically deformed to define the pitch static attitude. The flexure legs and the outrigger leads are deformed at approximately the same longitudinal location.

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Aptos, CA, United States of America

Drew B Lawson