Abstract: A printer includes a housing which has a user access surface. Attached to the housing is a printer which includes a paper path. The printer also includes a paper input tray and a paper output tray. Both the paper trays are accessible from the user access surface. The user access surface also has an access panel within the user access surface. The paper path is positioned within the housing so that it is accessible through the access panel. The printer cartridges which contain the material used to make an image on the paper, such as a toner cartridge for use with a laser printer or one or more ink wells for use with an ink jet printer, are also positioned within the housing of the printer so as to be near the user access surface. The printer cartridges are accessible through the access panel. Optionally, the printer cartridges could also be accessed through a special panel in the user access surface.

Abstract: A phase modulated servo method and apparatus are provided for use in a disk file. The disk file includes at least one disk mounted for rotation about an axis and the disk has at least one disk surface for storing data. At a predefined location of the disk surface a series of servo tracks of a predetermined high gain servo pattern are written. The predetermined high gain servo pattern includes 360° phase difference information within each data cylinder. The servo tracks are detected for identifying servo phase information.

Abstract: Disclosed is a disk drive for storing data which includes disks and an actuator mounted on a frame or first housing part. A second housing part, when joined with the first housing part, forms a disk enclosure. The disk enclosure includes rails which have openings therein for mounting the disk drive to the user frame of a computer system. Deformable inserts are placed into the openings in the rails and screws are passed through openings in the frame of the computer system and into the inserts in the openings in the rails of the disk drive. The inserts are more forgiving and result in less distortion than in a mounting system in which the screws are passed directly into tapped holes in the rails of the disk drive. The inserts also electrically insulate the disk drive from the user frame of the computer system.

Abstract: In the present invention, a disk storage apparatus 1 is previously given acceleration current Ia and acceleration time Ta which is supplied to an actuator 6 for releasing the actuator from a permanent magnet 12, and deceleration current Id and deceleration time Td which is supplied to the actuator 6 for stopping the released actuator 6 at a data zone on a disk. When power-on operation, the actuator is driven according to the previously stored acceleration current, acceleration time, deceleration current, and deceleration time to be released from the permanent magnet lock.

Abstract: A zoned sequential track format is shown and described which reduces the number of head switches during disk drive read/write operations. A band of selected tracks that form a data recording zone or a portion of such a zone are organized into an odd number of track sequences with each sequence being resident on a single disk surface. In the embodiment of a drive with an even number of data surfaces, the tracks within the band on one surface are partitioned to form two track sequences. This can readily be accomplished using 2-cylinder skipping to have each sequence contain alternate tracks across the band. By having each track sequence accessed during a generally radial passage of the transducer over the band, the odd number of track sequences causes the transducers to be adjacent the next successive band when the last track sequence of the current band has been accessed. Incrementing between bands is effected by an access between tracks on the same data surface.

Abstract: A capacitor discharge retract system is provided for small disk drives wherein the small spindle size is incapable of generating enough electrical energy to enable conventional actuator retraction and the form factor is too small to accommodate capacitors of sufficient size to enable a conventional capacitive discharge system. A capacitive discharge retract technique is enabled using an elevated voltage, significantly above the disk drive supply voltage, to allow smaller capacitive storage elements to perform the function. The effectiveness of the system is further enhanced in those environments where a source of the required elevated voltage can be found already resident in the device circuitry where it was generated to support another function.

Abstract: The inside wall of a head/disk enclosure is given a surface broad enough to adsorb and release easily a large amount of water vapor. In a first embodiment, the inside surface is treated by anodic oxidation using oxalic acid. In a second embodiment, the inside surface is treated with sodium carbonate and sodium chromate. In a third embodiment, the surface was etched with acid. The water adsorption capability acts as a buffer to is prevent extremes of relative humidity within the enclosure.

Abstract: The present invention overcomes the problems that accompany the use of ramps to load and unload transducer carrying sliders in rigid magnetic disk data storage devices. The tracks in the region where the slider loads and unloads are read and the errors recorded following each slider loading operation. One technique is to track the error increase and identify imminent device failure when the rate of error increase during a given number of the most recent slider load cycles exceeds a threshold value. In another mode, a dedicated sequence of tracks is recorded at an increased linear density to assure that read errors occur to enable a more effective comparative evaluation. This makes possible a two stage evaluation, a first threshold number of errors indicative of degrading performance which initiates lower actuator velocity to inhibit further degradation and a second threshold error quantity that indicates imminent catastrophic failure and triggers a warning to the system user.

Abstract: A redundant disk storage system having data stored on one disk and identical data on second disk, wherein the data stored on the second disk is in a different radial location determined by an offset. The offset could be such that the data on the first disk is stored near the inner circumference and the identical data is stored on the second disk near the outer circumference. Moreover, a RAM associated with each disk drive which stores the address and offset eliminates a RAM in the main disk controller.

Abstract: A zoned sequential track format is shown and described which reduces the number of head switches during disk drive read/write operations. A band of selected tracks that form a data recording zone or a portion of such a zone are organized into an odd number of track sequences with each sequence being resident on a single disk surface. In the embodiment of a drive with an even number of data surfaces, the tracks within the band on one surface are partitioned to form two track sequences. This can readily be accomplished using 2-cylinder skipping to have each sequence contain alternate tracks across the band. By having each track sequence accessed during a generally radial passage of the transducer over the band, the odd number of track sequences causes the transducers to be adjacent the next successive band when the last track sequence of the current band has been accessed. Incrementing between bands is effected by an access between tracks on the same data surface.

Abstract: Disclosed is a disk drive having at least one disk for storing data. The disk drive includes at least one transducer for reading or writing data to or from the disk. The transducer is attached to an actuator which positions the transducer with respect to the disk. The actuator includes a controllable motor which is used to move the actuator and the transducer attached thereto. The disk drive also includes a ramp for off loading the transducer or for parking the transducer off of the surface of the disk. Also disclosed is apparatus and methods for measuring and controlling the movement of the actuator and attached transducer while the transducer is coming from a position off of the ramp and onto the surface of the disk.

Abstract: A rigid disk drive spindle motor includes a bobbin carried by the motor hub which has a permanent magnet attached to the inner cylindrical surface and a laminated back iron mounted at the outer cylindrical surface. The laminated back iron may be in the form of concentric cylinders or a spiral wound strip with adjoining cylinders or convolutions secured to and electrically separated from one another by an adhesive material. In another form, the back iron may be formed as a series of washer like rings mounted on the bobbin which is a configuration similar to the laminations used in the motor stator and would permit fabrication using the same manufacturing techniques. The back iron is formed of high resistance silicon steel so that both the back iron material and the laminated structure discourage Eddy current formation. The spiral wound embodiment may also be modified by having the spiral strip periodically, axially interrupted to further reduce undesired induced currents.

Abstract: A computer-aided design system includes a method and apparatus for defining various datums with respect to a three dimensional object shown on the CAD system. The datum is labeled on the computer screen. The computer screen includes a cursor and menus for selecting a datum and various tolerance types with respect to the datum or a face related to the datum. A tolerance type and numerical value is selected for the tolerance and is also displayed on the screen. A geometric element from the CAD model or object displayed is selected to which the tolerance applies to the selected element. Data relating to the tolerance data, the geometric element, and the datum are stored within the computer. Linkage relationships are used to relate the data stored.

Abstract: A zoned sequential track format is shown and described which reduces the number of head switches during disk drive read/write operations. A band of selected tracks that form a data recording zone or a portion of such a zone are organized into an odd number of track sequences with each sequence being resident on a single disk surface. In the embodiment of a drive with an even number of data surfaces, the tracks within the band on one surface are partitioned to form two track sequences. This can readily be accomplished using 2-cylinder skipping to have each sequence contain alternate tracks across the band. By having each track sequence accessed during a generally radial passage of the transducer over the band, the odd number of track sequences causes the transducers to be adjacent the next successive band when the last track sequence of the current band has been accessed. Incrementing between bands is effected by an access between tracks on the same data surface.

Abstract: A disk drive has at least one disk for storing data and at least one transducer for reading or writing data to or from the disk. The transducer is attached to an actuator which positions the transducer with respect to the disk. The actuator includes a controllable motor which is used to move the actuator and the transducer attached thereto. The disk drive also includes a ramp for off loading the transducer or for parking the transducer off of the surface of the disk. The disk drive includes a combination shock absorber and gasket that has locking tabs to keep the combination shock absorber and gasket in place during a shock or impact loading event. The combination shock absorber and gasket also can be provided with additional extensions to lessen shocks caused by flat drops. Elastomeric blocks or pads can be provided on the cover and the base to lessen shocks caused by flat drops.

Abstract: A coil encircling the ferrite core of a magnetic head attached to a slider used in a hard disk drive is formed using two mating chips. A first chip having layered wires and bonding bumps is inserted in the winding window between the ferrite core and the body of the slider. A second chip having layered wires, bonding bumps and a groove straddling the ferrite core is disposed outside the winding window and mates with the first chip. Bonding bumps, comprising low-melting solder, are heat bonded to form a continuous coil.

Abstract: A rigid disk drive spindle motor includes a bobbin carried by the motor hub which has a permanent magnet attached to the inner cylindrical surface and a laminated back iron mounted at the outer cylindrical surface. The laminated back iron may be in the form of concentric cylinders or a spiral wound strip with adjoining cylinders or convolutions secured to and electrically separated from one another by an adhesive material. In another form, the back iron may be formed as a series of washer like rings mounted on the bobbin which is a configuration similar to the laminations used in the motor stator and would permit fabrication using the same manufacturing techniques. The back iron is formed of high resistance silicon steel so that both the back iron material and the laminated structure discourage Eddy current formation. The spiral wound embodiment may also be modified by having the spiral strip periodically, axially interrupted to further reduce undesired induced currents.

Abstract: A rotating magnetic storage device is shown wherein the transducer and media are separated during operation by a thin film of low viscosity liquid lubricant that is recirculated from a reservoir within the head-media enclosure. Lubricant recirculation can be effected by capillary action using a wick, mechanical pumping and metering or distillation techniques. As compared to devices using air bearing separation, the transducer carrying slider has very small bearing surfaces which may be in the form of narrow rails or small depending foot elements. This enables fly heights of 2 microinches using a film of one micron thickness.

Abstract: A storage controller operates an array of parity protected data storage units as a RAID level 5. One of the storage units is a dedicated write assist unit. The assist unit is a temporary storage area for data to be written to the other units. When the array controller receives data from a host, it first writes the data to the assist unit. Because the assist unit is not parity protected and is only temporary storage, it is possible to write data to the assist unit sequentially, without first reading the data, greatly reducing response time. The array controller signals the CPU that the data has been written to storage as soon as it has been written to the assist unit. Parity in the array is updated asynchronously. In the event of system or storage unit failure, data can be recovered using the remaining storage units and/or the assist unit. The write assist unit also doubles as a spare unit.

Abstract: A disk drive has at least one disk for storing data and at least one transducer for reading or writing data to or from the disk. The transducer is attached to an actuator which positions the transducer with respect to the disk. The actuator includes a controllable motor which is used to move the actuator and the transducer attached thereto. The disk drive also includes a ramp for off loading the transducer or for parking the transducer off of the surface of the disk. The disk drive includes a combination shock absorber and gasket that has locking tabs to keep the combination shock absorber and gasket in place during a shock or impact loading event. The combination shock absorber and gasket also can be provided with additional extensions to lessen shocks caused by flat drops. Elastomeric blocks or pads can be provided on the cover and the base to lessen shocks caused by flat drops.