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:
Jun. 24, 2003
Filed:
Mar. 07, 2002
Dennis L. Fox, Rochester, MN (US);
James A. Hagan, Rochester, MN (US);
John Patrick Hagen, Rochester, MN (US);
Paul Henry Hanson, Rochester, MN (US);
Theresa Marie Lewis, Oronoco, MN (US);
Janice Blue Ostrom, Mazeppa, MN (US);
Douglas Howard Piltingsrud, Eyota, MN (US);
Steven F. Starcke, Rochester, MN (US);
R. Paul Thicke, Stewartville, MN (US);
Hitachi Global Storage Technologies Netherlands B.V., Amsterdam, NL;
Abstract
An apparatus and method of reclaiming a disk substrate. The cost of reclaiming a disk substrate can be lower, and the quality higher, than making a new one from a blank. A layer of a data storage disk is stripped, e.g., by acid/oxidizing bath immersion. The stripped disk is polished in a carrier between polishing pads, with the relative velocity of the polishing pads as seen by the disk being precisely controlled so that an equal amount of stock is removed from each side. Preferably, several stripped disks are sorted into groups based on disk thickness, and disks from one of the groups are simultaneously polished in the carrier. Sorting improves stock removal uniformity from disk to disk. The polished disks are cleaned and, preferably, ordered in a cassette for stacking in a storage device based on disk thickness to more easily meet a mean center specification.