Maxtor Corporation

Conner Peripherals, Inc.

Prairietek Corporation

F Eugene Dion

James H Morehouse

David M Furay

John H Blagaila

Jimmy L Woods

Scott A Shelstad

H Ross Chessman

Mark A Swenson

Aaron MacPherson

Charlie Morris

Kris Buchanan

Ken Fernalld

Jim Fahey

Richard K Schaefer

An actuator arm assembly that has a pair of spring-like fingers which extend from an actuator arm and clamp the arm to the housing of a bearing assembly. The actuator arm assembly includes a magnetic head that is mounted to a suspension beam. The suspension beam is welded to the actuator arm. After the beam is welded to the arm and the head is mounted to the beam, the actuator arm is clamped to the bearing assembly by merely pushing the arm and snapping the fingers onto the bearing housing. The actuator assembly may also have a coil support arm that supports a voice coil and has a pair of fingers which can be snapped onto the bearing assembly.

Suspension clip ring mount

The present invention provides a disk drive apparatus for use in computer systems and especially in computer systems where size and weight are of paramount concern, such as lap top computer systems. The preferred embodiment of the disk drive apparatus includes a 21/2' magnetic disk that preferably provides 20 to 40 megabytes of storage within a foot print area of approximately 2.8 inches by approximately 4.0 inches. Further, the disk drive apparatus possesses a height dimension of 0.630 inches or less. This height dimension is achieved, in part, by providing a low profile spin motor to rotate the magnetic disk. The low profile spin motor uses high energy magnets that are preferably made of a material that includes a rare earth, such as neodymium or samarium. The disk drive apparatus also employs a rotary actuator having a voice coil assembly of reduced height that is achieved by using the housing as a flux return path for magnet fields produced by the voice coil assembly. The present invention also provides an improved ambient filter that reduces the penetration of ambient water vapor into the housing of the disk drive apparatus. An improved desiccant located, at least in part, within the housing is also provided by the present invention. Additionally, the invention provides a flex circuit having a geometry that results in substantially zero torque applied to the rotary actuator. Also provided is a distributed frame apparatus that, besides connecting the housing to a printed circuit board, also provides side, top and/or bottom mounting capability and shock absorbing capability. The distributed frame also avoids the need for grounding.

Disk drive apparatus

An assembly that couples a spindle shaft to the cover of a hard disk drive. The disk drive has a cover that is attached to a baseplate. Extending from the baseplate is a spindle shaft which supports a hub and the magnetic disk of the drive unit. The spindle shaft has a plurality of protrusions which are embedded into a metal shim. The metal shim is coupled to the cover by a sheet of elastomeric material. The metal shim and elastomeric sheet secure the end of the spindle shaft to the cover of the assembly.

Apparatus for coupling a spindle shaft to a cover plate of a hard disk

The present invention provides a disk drive apparatus for use in computer systems where size and weight are of paramount concern. The disk drive apparatus includes a 2.5 inch disk that provides between 20-40 megabytes of storage within a footprint area of approximately 2.8 inches by approximately 4.0 inches. Further, the disk drive has a height of 0.630 inch or less. The height dimension is achieved, in part, by providing a low profile spin motor to rotate the disk. The low profile spin motor uses high energy magnets made of rare earth materials. The disk drive also employs a rotary actuator having a voice coil assembly of reduced height by using the housing as a flux return path for the magnetic fields produced by the voice coil motor. Also provided is a three-tiered housing that contains the disk which, when connected to a printed circuit board, produces the low profile disk drive apparatus.

Low profile disk drive apparatus incorporating a three-tiered housing

A hub assembly for a hard disk drive that incorporates O-rings that can absorb external loads applied in either an axial direction or a radial direction relative to the hub. The O-rings are compressed by an elastic retainer ring which is captured by a top annular flange of the hub.

Spin motor assembly that contains an O-ring which supports a disk in

A card sized portable hard disk drive which has a latch mechanism that locks the actuator arm when the card is detached from a computer.

Plug-in actuator latch mechanism

A filter system for a hard disk drive which has a venturi that is actuated by rotation of the magnetic disk and which pumps internal air through a recirculation filter located within the disk drive. The drive unit also has a diffusion tube, desiccant and breather filter coupled to the ambient by a breather port in the housing of the disk drive.

Air filter and circulation system for a hard disk drive

A detent mechanism for securing the magnetic head of hard disk drive above a landing zone of a magnetic disk, when power to the disk drive is terminated. The detent mechanism includes a first detent which is attached to the actuator arm and a second detent that is mounted to the housing of the disk drive unit. The detents have a pair of teeth that become locked when the actuator arm rotates above the landing zone of the disk. The detents are constructed to be flexible enough, so that the teeth may be separated when power is supplied to the drive unit and the actuator arm is rotated away from the landing zone.

Locking assembly for the actuator arm of a hard disk drive

A retainer assembly (10) comprises a retainer member (24) and a spring (36). The spring (36) works in combination with a conical surface (34) on the hub (12) and a conical surface (28) on the retainer member (24). Depending upon magnitudes of defined angles A and W, the assembly (10) resists any axial force (42) that may act to disengage the disk (14) from the hub (12). The angles A and W are variable so long as a coefficient of friction .mu. between the conical surface (34) or the conical surface (28) and the ring (36) is greater than the tangent of one half the angle W.

Growing community of inventors

Longmont, CO, United States of America

F Eugene Dion