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. 06, 2001
Filed:
Feb. 17, 1998
Terence Hayden West, Aptos, CA (US);
Seagate Technology LLC, Scotts Valley, CA (US);
Abstract
An improved locking system for securing the actuator of a disc drive at a park position. The locking system includes a rotatable lock mechanism that is normally biased to a lock position. When the actuator is moved to the park position, a cooperative lock feature on the moving portion of the actuator interacts with a pawl feature on the rotatable lock mechanism to momentarily overcome the biasing force. When the lock feature on the moving portion of the actuator moves beyond the pawl feature, the bias force acts to return the rotatable lock mechanism to its locked position with the pawl feature engaging a cooperative surface on the lock feature to lock the actuator at the park position against a lightly compressed compliant limit stop and to maintain the actuator at the park position in the presence of applied mechanical shocks. The locking system also includes a voice coil motor element, responsive to electronic control circuitry, which is used to controllably overcome the biasing force on the movable lock element and release the actuator for normal operational interaction with the discs.