Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.

Paceco Corp.

Shiao-Hua Chen

Gregory Tran

Joseph Chang

Ed Aguilar

Woo-Sung (William) Kim

Frank Ivan Morris

Tho Pham

Pyongwon Yim

Youn Tai Kim

Hae Sung Kwon

Yongkyu Byun

Wei Min Wang

The present invention includes a flexible printed circuit bracket including a crash stop rubber and/or an air block. The air block directs the air flow from the rotating disk surface(s) away from the head gimbal assemblies to minimize positional variance of the read-write heads. The crash stop rubber contacts the crash stop stub on the actuator arm block, stopping actuator assembly swinging away from the disk. The invention includes making an actuator assembly with the invention's flexible printed circuit bracket, as well as making the hard disk drive. The invention includes both the actuator assembly and the hard disk drive as the products of these processes. The invention also includes the actuator assembly and the hard disk drive containing the invention's flexible printed circuit bracket.

Method and apparatus for flexible printed circuit bracket including crash stop and/or air block in a hard disk drive

The invention includes a method making a balanced disk pack for a hard disk drive, from a disk pack including a spindle motor rigidly coupled, and aligned by at least two open screw holes, with a disk clamp. The invention includes the resulting balanced disk packs, as well as hard disk drives built with such balanced disk packs. The invention also includes apparatus providing the means for implementing the steps of making a balanced disk pack from a disk pack. The invention includes at least one mechanical counterbalance for use in balancing the disk pack of a hard disk drive.

Method and apparatus for mechanically balancing the disk pack of a hard disk drive

The present invention includes a spindle motor with a dampened spindle motor flange, which includes a shallow groove on the disk face. The shallow groove includes a first rim, a trough, and a second rim. In use, the trough fills with a visco-elastic material compressed by a metallic ring. A disk pack assembly uses the spindle motor coupling through the dampened spindle motor flange to at least one clamped disk. The invention includes a disk pack using the spindle motor, visco-elastic material, and metallic ring, as well as hard disk drives built with these disk packs. The invention includes the method of disk pack assembly, as well as making a hard disk drive using disk pack. The manufactured disk pack and the hard disk drive are products of the invention's processes.

Damped spindle motor flange for the disk pack in a hard disk drive

A hard disk drive assembly which includes a limiter plate that is attached to an actuator arm. The limiter plate limits a movement of a flexure arm that is attached to a head. The head is coupled to a disk. The limiter plate limits the distance that the head can move away from the disk. Limiting the movement of the head may reduce the impact force associated with the head slapping the disk.

Device for limiting head movement within a hard disk drive

A single latch that can secure an actuator arm when a hard disk drive has a clockwise rotational acceleration, or a counterclockwise rotational acceleration. The latch has a first end that can engage a first latch portion of the actuator arm when the disk drive has a clockwise rotational acceleration. The same latch also has a second end that can engage a second latch portion of the actuator arm when the disk drive has a counterclockwise rotational acceleration.

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Palo Alto, CA, United States of America

Shiao-Hua Chen