International Business Machines Corporation

Randy J Bornhorst

Douglas W Johnson

Jeffrey Fred Boigenzahn

Richard Edward Lagergren

Zine-Eddine Boutaghou

Jerome Thomas Coffey

James M Rigotti

Todd Phillip Fracek

Marvin A Schlimmer

Bryan W Bicknese

John Beck

Dale E Goodman

Michael N Zell

Arlen John Bowen

Donald J Smith

A Direct Access Storage Device (DASD), either magnetic or optical, wherein the chamber which encloses the disk, actuator and electrical connections is sealed from the outside conditions by disposing a seal or gasket about a connector which is surface mounted on a flex cable and disposing the connector in a passage through the base of the DASD. The flex cable is disposed adjacent the inner surface of the cover, and a tail portion of the flex cable is folded to an orientation to position the tail so that it may be attached to an actuator or similar mechanism within the DASD. The tail is maintained in its proper orientation once inserted into a slot formed into the base member. The slot side walls constrain the tail without the need to have the tail fixedly attached to the base member at any point and thereby easing assembly, disassembly, rework and/or repair of the DASD. Compressive forces exerted on the flex cable by the cover and cover screws effectively ground the flex cable through a grounding tab engaged with the base. Further, the compressive forces exerted by the cover against the flex cable, gasket, and base member insure an effective seal of the internal chamber of the DASD from the exterior conditions.

Direct access storage device with improved reliability flex cable

A disk drive or direct access storage device (DASD) of the type having multiple disks and multiple actuator arms, both the disks and the actuator arms assembled in a stacked manner, advantageously assembled with the locating surface or flange of the actuator disposed on the opposite side of the stacked actuator arms from the side of the disk stack having the locating surface or flange for the disk hub. This opposite flange design results in a substantial reduction in the effects of tolerance buildup and therefore permits the design of the disk drive equal in all other respects to a conventional same side flange arrangement, but permitting additional disks, lower height, less tightly defined tolerances on components or the use of cheaper manufacturing techniques and technologies for recording data.

Direct access storage device with opposing actuator and spindle flanges

A resilient and compliant shock rail is provided on the sides of the bottom cover for a PCMCIA standard Direct Access Storage Device. The shock rails, being of a resilient and easily deformable material, lengthen the impact time and attenuates the shock forces exerted on the DASD, thereby bringing the deceleration forces to acceptable levels. The shock rail may be further provided with low friction surfaces by bonding thin metal plates to the top and bottom surfaces of the shock rails to ease insertion and withdrawal of the PCMCIA DASD. The shock rail is provided with reinforcing members to insure that the keying scheme required for proper insertion is effective.

Compliant rail for shock protection of a PCMCIA DASD

A clamp for securing one or more data storage disks to a hub is formed as a slightly frusto-conical shaped annulus of resilient material with inwardly and upwardly extending lobes that are displaced radially outward during installation about a hub. Clamping force is derived from the compression of the lobes which are captured by the hub and the twisting of the annulus from the frusto-conical configuration to a substantially radial orientation. The clamp is formed of a material that is softer than the disk to cause the clamp to be compliant and conform to the disk irregularities and thereby avoid compromising disk flatness. The clamp component material composition is also modified to achieve a coefficient of linear expansion that is identical to the disk. The outer periphery of the clamp presents an interrupted flange that permits a tool to engage the clamp, perform the assembly about the hub and be disengaged using automated equipment.

Resilient compliant clamp for data storage disk drives

A flexible magnetic recording disk is nonremovably enclosed in a rigid jacket. A wall of the rigid jacket includes a movable wall-piece which operates as a disk cleaning member. The disk is clamped to a spindle/collet drive assembly while the disk cleaning member is spaced from the adjacent surface of the disk. Only after clamping has been accomplished is the disk subjected to the friction force of the cleaning member.

Magnetic recording disk cartridge

The burnishing tool has a plurality of holes in the planar surface which engages the flexible magnetic disk. Each hole contains a burnishing blade positioned at 45.degree. to the direction of motion. A manifold connects each hole to a vacuum pump which draws air into the holes causing the flexible magnetic disk to fly against the planar surface. The vacuum also removes the debris from the burnishing tool.

Growing community of inventors

Rochester, MN, United States of America

Randy J Bornhorst