The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Mar. 24, 1998
Filed:
Apr. 10, 1997
Peter Everett Brooks, Rochester, MN (US);
Gerald Daniel Malagrino, Jr, Rochester, MN (US);
Jeffrey Eric Mason, Rochester, MN (US);
Western Digital Corporation, Irvine, CA (US);
Abstract
A head disk assembly ('HDA') comprises an enclosure including a base and a pivot bearing cartridge having a shaft and a outer shell rotatable about the shaft. The outer shell has a cylindrical surface. The shaft is affixed to the base at a predetermined location. The enclosure has an internal volume with a limited height above the predetermined location. The cartridge has an elongated portion in the volume, the elongated portion having a height approximately equal to the limited height. The HDA further comprises a plurality of rotating disks, each having at least one recording surface. The HDA further comprises an arm stack comprising a plurality of arms, and a plurality of head gimbal assemblies. Each arm has a stacking portion and a cantilever portion. Each head gimbal assembly has one end attached to the cantilever portion of a respective arm and has an opposite end positioned adjacent a recording surface. Each stacking portion includes a first spring element and a second spring element, the spring elements being positioned to define a generally C-shaped bearing surface, the first spring element including a first compression-receiving surface and the second spring element including a second compression-receiving surface, each C-shaped bearing surface contacting a portion of the cylindrical surface. The HDA further comprises an overmolded coil assembly that includes a coil portion and an arcuate wall portion, the coil portion projecting perpendicularly from the wall portion and the wall portion including a first compression-supplying surface and second compression-supplying surface. The arcuate wall portion compressively locks the plurality of arms to the cartridge with each of a plurality of spaced-apart portions of the first compression-supplying surface compressively abutting the first compression-receiving surface of each arm in the arm stack, and each of a plurality of spaced-apart portions of the second compression-supplying surface compressively abutting the second compression-receiving surface of each arm in the arm stack. The arcuate wall portion has a height approximately equal to the height of the elongated portion of the cartridge, and the height of the arm stack is approximately equal to the limited height.