Syquest Technology, Inc.

Xerox Corporation

Drivetec, Inc.

Iomega Corporation

Shugart Associates, Inc.

Sjoberg Industries, Inc.

Herbert E Thompson

Albert J Guerini

Syed H Iftikar

Teong-Hoe Kay

Dominic Mercurio

Donald L Rolph

Bin-Lun Ho

Gilbert D Springer

David A Brown

Donald J Massaro

Duane C Meulners

Duane G Wallace, Jr

A removable cartridge for a disk drive where the cartridge has a housing, a disk contained within the housing and a mechanism for reducing the rattling of the disk when the cartridge is not inside the disk drive and for permitting the free rotation of the disk when the cartridge is inside the disk drive. The rattle-reduction mechanism includes an inclined surface defined in the housing and a member having a first portion and a second portion. The interaction between the second portion of the member and the inclined surface of the housing may cause the first portion of the member to move into and out of contact with the hub. The contact between the first portion and the hub reduces the tendency of the disk to rattle. In one example embodiment, the cartridge has a housing with cartridge nut threads and a cartridge screw with cartridge screw threads. In this embodiment, interaction between the cartridge nut and the cartridge screw threads may cause a portion of the cartridge screw to move into and out of contact with a flange of the hub. A structure in the disk drive causes the cartridge screw to rotate in a manner such that the interaction between the cartridge screw threads and cartridge nut threads causes the cartridge screw to move away from and no longer contact the hub.

Rattle reduction mechanism in a removable cartridge for a disk drive

A cartridge adapted to be inserted into a disk drive where the disk drive includes a read/write head and a finger for engaging the cartridge. The cartridge includes a housing defining a cartridge door port and a door control port, a rotatable media within the housing, a door that rotates about a pivot point between a closed position and an open position, a portion of the door blocking access to the rotatable media through the cartridge door port when the door is closed, and a door opening link having a first end and a second end, the first end being coupled to the door closer to the pivot point of the door than to the portion of the door that blocks the cartridge door port, the second end being movable between a closed location and an open location. The door is in the closed position when the second end of the door opening link is in the closed location, and the door is in the open position when the second end of the door opening link is in the open location. The door control port is adapted to permit the finger of the disk drive to extend through the door control port and push the second end of the door opening link from the closed location to the open location as the cartridge is inserted into the drive.

Rotatable door and door opening mechanism for a cartridge

A disk drive (30) conforms to the 1.8 inch form factor through of use of, for example, a removable cartridge (200) which has a disk (220) mounted on the hub (226) which hub (226) is manipulatable by a multifunction handle (58) of the disk drive (30), allowing the hub (226) to be seated on the spindle motor nose (56) of the disk drive (30). The multifunction handle (58) of the drive (30) provides for a compact, high capacity design by performing cartridge hub seating operations, cartridge ejection operations, head arm assembly unlocking operations, and handle locking and unlocking operations to ensure proper operation of the disk drive (30). The disk drive (30) includes an inventive ramp (66) design which allows the head arm assembly (64) to be initially received within the cartridge (200) as the cartridge (200) is inserted into its final registration position in the disk drive receiving mechanism (53) and to be more tangent with respect to the disk (220).

Removable cartridge disk drive with a compact mechanism for engaging the

A removable cartridge (200) for a disk drive (30) which has a 1.8 inch form factor, has multifunction features which allow for high data storage capacity at a reduced size. The cartridge (200) includes a cartridge screw (206) which engages the cartridge nut (221) defined in the cartridge housing base (204) for allowing the disk (220) in the cartridge (200) to be positioned relative to the cartridge housing base (204) in order to successfully engage the spindle motor nose (56) of a disk drive (30). The cartridge screw (206) additionally prevents the disk (220) from rattling within the cartridge (200) whether the cartridge (200) is removed from the disk drive (30). The cartridge (200) further includes a multiplicity of projections (212), (214), (214), tang (208) and rails (216) which contact the drive (30) to perform the functions of proper reception and registration of the cartridge (200) in the cartridge receiving mechanism (53) of the disk drive (30) and proper operation of the cartridge (200) as the cartridge (200) is manipulated by the disk drive (30).

Removable cartridge which may be mounted to a disk drive spindle motor

A removable cartridge disk drive includes a removable cartridge adapted to be received by a disk drive having a base plate and right and left guide walls. The cartridge inserts into the drive at an angle with the aid of a movable slider attached to one of the guide walls. Once inserted, the cartridge is locked in and held. During operation, a rotary actuator arm with adjustable angular orientation loads one or more read/write heads off of a fixed ramp onto the surface of a data storage disk contained inside the cartridge. After read/write operations are finished, the head is unloaded onto the fixed ramp and the cartridge is ejected from the drive at an angle.

Disk drive for receiving a removable cartridge and method of inserting

Removable cartridge disk drive

Cartridge with a 1.8 inch form factor for a removable cartridge disk

A removable cartridge 200 for a disk drive 30 which has a 1.8 inch form factor, has multifunction features which allow for high data storage capacity at a reduced size. The cartridge 200 includes a cartridge screw 206 which engages the cartridge nut 221 defined in the cartridge housing base 204 for allowing the disk 220 in the cartridge 200 to be positioned relative to the cartridge housing base 204 in order to successfully engage the spindle motor nose 56 of a disk drive 30. The cartridge screw 206 additionally prevents the disk 220 from rattling within the cartridge 200 whether the cartridge 200 is removed from the disk drive 30. The cartridge 200 further includes a multiplicity of projections 212, 214, 214, tang 208 and rails 216 which contact the drive 30 to perform the functions of proper reception and registration of the cartridge 200 in the cartridge receiving mechanism 53 of the disk drive 30 and proper operation of the cartridge 200 as the cartridge 200 is manipulated by the disk drive 30.

Removable cartridge for a disk drive with a 1.8 inch form factor

A disk drive 30 conforms to the 1.8 inch form factor through of use of, for example, a removable cartridge 200 which has a disk 220 mounted on the hub 226 which hub 226 is manipulatable by a multifunction handle 58 of the disk drive 30, allowing the hub 226 to be seated on the spindle motor nose 56 of the disk drive 30. The multifunction handle 58 of the drive 30 provides for a compact, high capacity design by performing cartridge hub seating operations, cartridge ejection operations, head arm assembly unlocking operations, and handle locking and unlocking operations to ensure proper operation of the disk drive 30. The disk drive 30 includes an inventive ramp 66 design which allows the head arm assembly 64 to be initially received within the cartridge 200 as the cartridge 200 is inserted into its final registration position in the disk drive receiving mechanism 53 and to be more tangent with respect to the disk 220.

Removable cartridge disk drive with a 1.8 inch form factor

Recirculation hot water system including a fluid delivery system used to supply potable water throughout a home or other facility, having a hot water supply pipe, a cold water supply/return pipe, a hot water heater, a pump, a manifold, a control system, a hot water and cold water faucet or valve, and a demand site (typically a sink or wash basin). The manifold further includes a thermostatic actuator and a check valve. The control means further includes a sending unit, installed in close proximity to the demand site, and a receiving unit, installed in close proximity to the heater. Command signals are transferred, from the sending unit to the receiving unit, via modulated signals that pass through the AC power lines that are used to distribute power throughout the home or facility. The main potable water supply is bifurcated into the hot water and cold water supply pipes with the heater installed in the hot water supply pipe upstream of the manifold, and the pump installed between the heater and the manifold and in close proximity to the heater. The hot and cold water supply pipes are in fluid communication with separate inlets to the manifold. An outlet from the manifold is in fluid communication with a cold water valve, while another outlet from the manifold is in fluid communication with a hot water valve. The manifold is internally ported such that the hot and cold water supply pipes are in fluid communication with each other.

Recirculation hot water system

An integrated read/write transducer and flexure support structure is provided for use with rotating magnetic media such as a hard disc drive. The integrated structure includes at least one magnetic pole structure integral with a unitary sheet of flexible magnetic material from which the flexure support is formed. A second magnetic pole is supported on the structure, together with conductive coils, to form an electromagnetic transducer. The integrated structure includes an air-bearing surface mounted for parallel motion with respect to adjacent magnetic media. A pattern of positive-pressure air-bearing rails and negative-pressure recesses provides an aerodynamically stable configuration designed to fly at a height of approximately 5 microinches above the moving magnetic media. Conductors and interconnect pads are provided on the magnetic sheet material substrate. The overall transducer and flexure support, including an external stiffener attached to the backside of the air-bearing surface, has a mass of less than about 15 milligrams.

Integrated read/write heads, flexure assembly and air-bearing structure

A disc drive 20 includes a tray assembly 34 for positively seating and locking a cartridge 21 onto a spindle motor 82. The drive 20 includes heads 108, 110 mounted on a radial arm voice coil actuator assembly 112 and appropriate mechanisms including the arm control assembly 126 and the ratchet 124 and pawl projection 170 to ensure that the heads 108, 110 are properly loaded onto the disc 90 and that the cartridge 21 insertion and ejection process does not cause damage to the heads 108, 110 or the disc 90 contained in the cartridge 21. Further the drive 20 includes controls such as the cartridge load lever 32 and the release button 30 which are not exposed and cannot be accidentally tripped during data transfer operations.

Removable cartridge disc drive with radial arm voice coil actuator

A removable cartridge 20 for a disc drive includes a door 34 which is movable from a locked closed position to an open position by a shutter lever of the disc drive.

Growing community of inventors

Los Gatos, CA, United States of America

Herbert E Thompson