Maxtor Corporation

Conner Peripherals, Inc.

Seagate Technology Incorporated

H Ross Chessman

James H Morehouse

John H Blagaila

F Eugene Dion

Thomas L Andrews

Terry G Johnson

David M Furay

Andrew A Lucas

Mark A Swenson

Aaron MacPherson

David H Furay

Richard K Schaefer

A disk drive with load beam damping is disclosed. Multiple disks are provided on a spindle for storage of information thereon. A rigid actuator arm block is disposed radially beyond a perimeter of these disks. Flexible load beams with read/write heads thereon extend from the actuator arm block into the space between adjacently disposed disks to read/write information from/to these disks. At least one damper is disposed between each of the load beam pairs to reduce load beam vibrations for the disk drive. Preferably these dampers also serve to further structurally interconnect the noted load beam pairs. Load beam damping may also be provided for those load beams which provide access to the extreme read/write surfaces of the disk stack, as well as for disk drives which utilize a single disk.

Disk drive with viscoelastic damper disposed between adjacent load beams

A disk drive apparatus is disclosed for primary use with portable, laptop or other information storage systems. The disk drive apparatus includes one or more about 2.5 inch hard disks. The disk drive apparatus also has electronics, including hardware and software, for detecting a lapse of first and second predetermined time intervals since a last disk access. The disk drive apparatus also includes power conservation means which power down a first portion of disk drive components after a first predetermined time interval has elapsed and for powering down a second portion of disk drive components after a second predetermined time interval has elapsed.

Disk drive apparatus with power conservation capability

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 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.

Apparatus and method for reducing disk distortion

Disk drive apparatus with cam and follower for unloading heads

Growing community of inventors

Erie, CO, United States of America

H Ross Chessman