Quantum Corporation

Plus Development Corporation

Richard J Blackborow

Donald C Westwood

David B Jeppson

Eric J Botto

Scott E Richmond

Claude E Camp

Peter S Hahn

Rodica Florea

Bruce R Peterson

Randolph H Graham

John Welsford Brooks

Jeffery H Appelbaum

Tim R Glassburn

Faheem Dani

Garrick Yeung

A mass storage subsystem is connectable to a host computer via a host adapter and includes a subsystem bus extending from the host adapter to at least one base unit and a removable disk drive cartridge for use with the base unit. A control signal path extends between the base unit and the removable disk drive cartridge when it is installed and connected within the base unit. The disk drive cartridge includes a housing, at least one storage disk rotatably mounted within the housing, at least one data transducer head within the housing and positionable by a head positioner at selected concentric data storage tracks defined on a storage surface of the storage disk. A bus interface circuit is provided for directly connecting to the subsystem bus when the cartridge is installed and connected within the base unit, and a cartridge controller is provided for controlling operations of the bus interface circuit and the head positioner and for communicating with the base unit via the control signal path. The base unit comprises a disk cartridge receiving structure for receiving and connecting the disk drive cartridge, a stand-in interface circuit connected to the subsystem bus means for presenting an active and 'drive not ready' disk cartridge appearance to the subsystem bus when the disk drive cartridge is not installed and connected within the base unit, and a base unit controller including a cartridge control for controlling operations of the disk cartridge receiving structure, and a stand-in interface control for communicating with the cartridge controller via the control signal path and for thereupon controlling stand-in operation of the stand-in interface circuit.

Electronic hot connection of disk drive module to computer peripheral bus

A removable and transportable hard disk subsystem is provided for use with at least one computer and includes at least one hard disk module. The module contains a shock mounted, thin and compact micro-Winchester head and disk assembly which plugs into a base housing which is installable entirely within a well of the computer nominally allotted to receive a 51/4 inch half height disk drive. The base housing includes a head positioning and data module loading/unloading portion of the subsystem control electronics and an electromechanical mechanism for automatically loading and unloading the hard disk module. The base housing provides electrical connections for operating the head and disk assembly when loaded therein. The subsystem further includes an adapter board having a host interface portion of the subsystem control electronics and connected by a cable with the control electronics portion of the base housing, the adapter board for connecting the subsystem directly to address, data and control buses of said computer to enable storage and retrieval in the loaded module of host computer data blocks.

Removable and transportable hard disk subsystem

A control system for a micro-Winchester or smaller disk file includes head position control circuitry including at least one servo loop for controlling an electromechanical head positioner relative to a rotating data storage disk, a data controller for controlling reading and writing of data blocks from and to a storage surface of the disk, an interface circuit for connecting the disk file directly to data, address and control buses of a host computer, and a single microprocessor programmed to supervise operations of the head position control circuitry, data controller and interface circuit.

Microprocessor controlled rigid disk file subsystem

An improved control system for a disk file includes head position control circuitry including at least one servo loop for controlling an electromechanical head positioner relative to a rotating data storage disk, a data controller for controlling reading and writing of data blocks from and to a storage surface of the disk, an interface circuit for connecting the disk file directly to data, address and control buses of a host computer, and a single microprocessor programmed to supervise operations of the head position control circuitry, data controller and interface circuit.

Growing community of inventors

Cupertino, CA, United States of America

Richard J Blackborow