Abstract: A removable cartridge for a disk drive where the cartridge has a housing, a disk contained within the housing and a mechanism for reducing the rattling of the disk when the cartridge is not inside the disk drive and for permitting the free rotation of the disk when the cartridge is inside the disk drive. The rattle-reduction mechanism includes an inclined surface defined in the housing and a member having a first portion and a second portion. The interaction between the second portion of the member and the inclined surface of the housing may cause the first portion of the member to move into and out of contact with the hub. The contact between the first portion and the hub reduces the tendency of the disk to rattle. In one example embodiment, the cartridge has a housing with cartridge nut threads and a cartridge screw with cartridge screw threads.

Abstract: A cartridge adapted to be inserted into a disk drive where the disk drive includes a read/write head and a finger for engaging the cartridge. The cartridge includes a housing defining a cartridge door port and a door control port, a rotatable media within the housing, a door that rotates about a pivot point between a closed position and an open position, a portion of the door blocking access to the rotatable media through the cartridge door port when the door is closed, and a door opening link having a first end and a second end, the first end being coupled to the door closer to the pivot point of the door than to the portion of the door that blocks the cartridge door port, the second end being movable between a closed location and an open location. The door is in the closed position when the second end of the door opening link is in the closed location, and the door is in the open position when the second end of the door opening link is in the open location.

Abstract: A disk drive (30) conforms to the 1.8 inch form factor through of use of, for example, a removable cartridge (200) which has a disk (220) mounted on the hub (226) which hub (226) is manipulatable by a multifunction handle (58) of the disk drive (30), allowing the hub (226) to be seated on the spindle motor nose (56) of the disk drive (30). The multifunction handle (58) of the drive (30) provides for a compact, high capacity design by performing cartridge hub seating operations, cartridge ejection operations, head arm assembly unlocking operations, and handle locking and unlocking operations to ensure proper operation of the disk drive (30). The disk drive (30) includes an inventive ramp (66) design which allows the head arm assembly (64) to be initially received within the cartridge (200) as the cartridge (200) is inserted into its final registration position in the disk drive receiving mechanism (53) and to be more tangent with respect to the disk (220).

Abstract: A removable cartridge disk drive includes a removable cartridge adapted to be received by a disk drive having a base plate and right and left guide walls. The cartridge inserts into the drive at an angle with the aid of a movable slider attached to one of the guide walls. Once inserted, the cartridge is locked in and held. During operation, a rotary actuator arm with adjustable angular orientation loads one or more read/write heads off of a fixed ramp onto the surface of a data storage disk contained inside the cartridge. After read/write operations are finished, the head is unloaded onto the fixed ramp and the cartridge is ejected from the drive at an angle.

Abstract: A disk drive 30 conforms to the 1.8 inch form factor through of use of, for example, a removable cartridge 200 which has a disk 220 mounted on the hub 226 which hub 226 is manipulatable by a multifunction handle 58 of the disk drive 30, allowing the hub 226 to be seated on the spindle motor nose 56 of the disk drive 30. The multifunction handle 58 of the drive 30 provides for a compact, high capacity design by performing cartridge hub seating operations, cartridge ejection operations, head arm assembly unlocking operations, and handle locking and unlocking operations to ensure proper operation of the disk drive 30. The disk drive 30 includes an inventive ramp 66 design which allows the head arm assembly 64 to be initially received within the cartridge 200 as the cartridge 200 is inserted into its final registration position in the disk drive receiving mechanism 53 and to be more tangent with respect to the disk 220.