Maxtor Corporation

Seagate Technology Incorporated

Other

Robert Dean Turner

Edward Charles Gage

Yuhang Cheng

Huazhou Lou

Kevin Richard Heim

Martin Liam McGarry

Mark S Crowder

Peter W Kanas

Shaikh Mubassar Ali

Quinn Jay Haddock

David E Fowler

Richard Edward Martin

Peter Kevin McGeehin

Richard E Rupp

Stephen H Perlmutter

David A Olivero

Christine Green

Scott Howard Deits

Paul Stasiewicz

Paul D Mischo

William L Drake

Yue Ma

Meherab Amaria

Peter Kevin McGeenhin

Devon Dallmann

A heat-assisted magnetic recording device is disposed in a hermetically sealed enclosure. The device includes a slider comprising a reader, a writer, and an optical waveguide configured to couple light from a light source to a near-field transducer situated at or near an air bearing surface of the slider. The near-field transducer comprises an enlarged portion and a peg extending from the enlarged portion in a direction of the air bearing surface. A fill gas is provided within the enclosure. The fill gas comprises a mixture of a low-density, inert gas and at least one gas that oxidizes carbon, where the total carbon oxidizing gas concentration of the fill gas is 3-50% by volume. In certain embodiments, the fill gas comprises a hydrogen concentration sufficient to retard oxidation of the peg when the peg is at an operating temperature associated with write operations.

Oxidizing or reducing atmosphere for heat-assisted magnetic recording

An apparatus and associated method for enclosing an environment-sensitive component. An enclosure separates an interior environment inside the enclosure from an external environment outside the enclosure. The enclosure has an environmental control system that captures a contaminant from the internal environment to a filter via a first diffusion path, and captures the contaminant from the external environment to the same filter via a different second diffusion path, the diffusion paths providing substantially different flow resistances to fluids carrying the contaminants to the filter via the respective diffusion paths.

Dual diffusion path filtering

An exemplary wiper assembly for use with a concrete mixer includes a wiper element configured to span a gap between a mixer barrel and a collector, and is configured for suspendedly coupling to a support frame separate from any coupling to the mixer barrel or the collector. One or more arm members are coupled between the concrete mixer and the wiper element. The arm member includes a tensioning portion that adjusts to move an upper edge of the wiper element into contact with the mixer barrel, and an elastic portion that enables the wiper element to adjust relative to each of the collector and the mixer barrel during rotation of the mixer barrel. Thus the wiper element has limited movement independent of rotation of the mixer barrel and of vibrational movement of the collector and mixer barrel due to movement of the concrete mixer over rough terrain, for example.

Hanging concrete mixer barrel wiper

A filter assembly in the form of a laminated structure incorporates a breather filter section and a recirculation filter section. A hinge is incorporated in the laminated structure to allow the recirculation filter section to be moved relative to the breather filter section during installation of the filter assembly in a disk drive. A low permeability side of the breather filter section is disposed on the 'environment' side of a filtering media to control access to the filtering media from the environment. A high permeability side of the breather filter section is disposed on the 'drive side' of this filtering media to control access to the filtering media from within the interior of the drive.

Disk drive with flexible, integrated breather/recirculation filter elements

In some embodiments of the present invention, a disk drive includes a rotatable data storage disk, a head, and a controller. The head is configured to fly on an air cushion relative to a data recording surface of the rotating disk while writing data to the data recording surface responsive to a write command from a host device or while reading data from the data recording surface to generate a read signal responsive to a read command from the host device. The controller is configured to measure flying height of the head relative to the data recording surface of the disk in response to sensing power-up of the disk drive and/or a shut-down command from the host device. The controller may measure the flying height in response to sensing power-up of the disk drive and, subsequent to measuring the flying height, may generate a ready signal to the host computer that indicates that the disk drive has powered-up and is ready to receive read/write commands from the host computer.

Methods and disk drive that measure head flying height at power-on/off

A method is provided for protecting a head element of a computer disk drive during rework operations by applying thioropolymeric protective coating or film to the head element after the disk drive has been opened. Application of the protective coating is preferably performed utilizing a solvent-mediated deposition process. Further aspects of the invention include the application of the protective coating to the head element prior to storage of the head element or prior to shipping the head element in order to facilitate rework of the head element or other components of the disassembled disk drive.

Method for reducing corrosion of a head element during the manufacture of a disk drive

A contact type or active latch mechanism for a disk drive has at least one contacting surface coated with a soft metal. The soft metal coating helps to prevent particle generation which might otherwise occur because of repeated contact by contacting surfaces of the latch mechanism. The soft metal is applied at a thickness which enables the coating to yield and flow under the contact loads experienced. Thus, the coating compensates for the plastic stress region of the latching mechanism which must plastically deform in response to contact. The soft metal coating also provides lubrication and eliminates the need to apply a separate application of lubrication between contacting surfaces of the latch mechanism.

Coated latch mechanism for disk drive

A filter assembly for a disk drive includes an outer shell through which gases flow in and out of the disk drive. The shell includes a tubular housing that extends into the disk drive. A first filter lies secured to an end portion of the housing and filters gases circulating within the disk drive and entering into the disk drive. The housing contains a second filter that includes an adsorbent body and a third filter that extends across an opening in the housing and helps contain the second filter within the housing.

Disk drive recirculation filter assembly

The filter assembly of the present invention provides protection to a data storage disk drive assembly from contaminants, including chemical gases and particles, that either enter or exit the disk drive assembly. Incoming gases and particles pass through a label, into a hard body filter, through a diffusion filter, contact the chemical adsorbent and pass into the drive interior through a particulate filter. Outgoing gases and particles go through the apparatus in reverse. The filter assembly may be installed from the outside of the disk drive assembly at a chosen location and at any point during or after manufacturing and testing. The filter assembly is held in place by lateral extensions and an adhesive label applied to the exterior mounting surface.

Disk drive filter

Growing community of inventors

Thornton, CO, United States of America

Robert Dean Turner