Abstract: Slider including at least one pad including shape memory alloy layer with titanium oxide contact layer. When slider contacts disk surface, pad(s) undergoes solid-to-solid phase change from the first to second phase, absorbing energy and possibly deforming. When contact is removed, the pad recovers its shape as shape metal alloy undergoes a reverse solid-to-solid phase change. A shape memory alloy of elements refers to any molecular or crystalline combination which is a solid possessing the shape memory property of at least two solid phases in the operating and storage conditions of a hard disk drive. A head gimbal assembly including the slider, head stack assembly including at least one head gimbal assembly, and the hard disk drive including the head stack assembly. Manufacturing methods for the slider, the head gimbal assembly, the head stack assembly, and the hard disk drive, as well as the products of these manufacturing processes.

Abstract: Slider used to access data on rotating disk in hard disk drive, including heating element as vertical micro-actuator coupled to deformation region including read-write head and to expansion chamber, plate thermally coupled to heat sink. Slider further includes vertical control signal stimulating heating element coupled to film to alter vertical position, and expansion chamber, plate, and heat sink minimizing thermal pole tip protrusion. Flexure finger including micro-actuator assembly for coupling to slider, and possibly providing vertical control signal to heating element. Head gimbal assembly including flexure finger coupled to the slider. A head stack assembly including at least one of the head gimbal assemblies coupled to a head stack. Hard disk drive including head stack assembly. The invention includes manufacturing the slider, the head gimbal assembly, the head stack assembly, and the hard disk drive, as well as these items as products of the invention's manufacturing processes.

Abstract: An improved and distinctive servo-controller scheme resulting in an overall improvement in PES performance, particularly when applied to hard disk drives employing the invention's TMR reduction mechanisms. The servo-controllers trade off gain in the disk vibration frequency range, in favor of, increased rejection of low frequency disturbances. This leads to the lowest PES statistics, when applied to hard disk drives with the TMR reduction mechanisms of the invention. Improved head gimbal assemblies reducing TMR (Track Mis-Registration) in a hard disk drive are provided. These head gimbal assemblies are as mechanically simple as contemporary head gimbal assemblies, support parallel flying sliders over flat disk surfaces, and reduce TMR induced by disk vibration. They are easier to build, more reliable, and cost less to make, than other known approaches at comparable track densities and rotational rates.

Abstract: This invention includes a method providing at least two boot environments with only one hard disk drive, by using at least two disk surfaces within the hard disk drive. The invention includes the hard disk drives implementing the method. The hard disk drive may include more than two disk surfaces and support more than two boot environments. The invention includes making the hard disk drive, and the product of that process. The invention includes computer systems including at least one of these hard disk drives. The invention also includes removable storage systems which include at least one hard disk drive, and which may communicate via a wireline and/or wireless physical transport with a computer system.

Abstract: A system for authenticating data of interest includes a digest locator engine capable to locate a first and a second digest result in a data file, including a set of data; a first digest creator capable to create, using a first digest function, a first digest of the set of data, the first digest function being identical to a digest function used to create the first digest result; a second digest creator capable to create, using a second digest function that is incompatible with the first digest function, a second digest of the set of data, the second digest function being identical to a second digest function used to create the second digest result; and a digest comparator engine, communicatively coupled to the digest locator, first digest creator and the second digest creator, capable to compare the first and second created digests with the first and second located digest results respectively.

Abstract: A hoist is powered by a separate power unit. The hoist unit includes: a motor, a mounting connector, a spool, webbing, auto cut-off and a first portion of a mating electrical connector. The control unit includes a hollow pole, a hook, a second portion of the mating electrical connector, a control switch, electrical circuitry and a battery pack.

Abstract: A transmitting and receiving device, in which the received signal which is produced by the receiving device has only a small amount of crosstalk. This object is achieved by providing a transmitting and receiving device having a transmitting device for producing a transmission signal, a receiving device for producing a received signal, and a compensation device which is connected to the transmitting device and to the receiving device and which at least reduces any crosstalk which is produced by the transmitting device in the receiving device.

Abstract: A performance manager and method for managing the performance of a computer system based on a system model that includes measured entities representing the operational characteristics of the system components and relationships among the measured entities. The performance manager includes data producers for interacting with the interface agents of the components, an engine for exchanging information with the data producers and the system model, and an interaction model for determining relevant measured entities in the system model. The system model and interaction model are maintained in a repository where data might be accessed via an access interface. Incoming performance data is analyzed by an analyzer in the background to detect trends and relationships among the entities. An operator might review the relevant entities and apply controls to selected entities to manage the overall system performance as well as to resolve problems affecting the performance of the components in the system.

Abstract: A VM based hosting architecture system in which finer grain control in optimizing multiple workloads across multiple servers is provided. The system includes a plurality of servers to be utilized by multiple workloads. In addition, the system includes a plurality of virtual machines (VMs) at each of the plurality of servers, wherein the plurality of VMs at each of the plurality of servers each serve a different one of the multiple workloads. Moreover, the system includes resource management logic to distribute server resources to each of the plurality of VMs according to predicted resource needs of each of the multiple workloads. Each of the multiple workloads are distributed across the plurality of servers, wherein fractions of each of the multiple workloads are handled by the plurality of VMs. The distribution of multiple workloads over multiple servers has the effect of achieving a finer grain control in optimizing workloads across the plurality of servers.

Abstract: A slider with an intake heater near front edge heating air passing between air bearing surface and rotating disk surface to reduce change in flying height caused by water condensation. Method of operating the slider. Head gimbals assembly including slider. Head stack assembly including at least one HGA. Operating hard disk drive by receiving temperature and humidity reading to determine heater control and asserting heater control to stimulate intake heater to heat air. Embedded processor directing hard disk drive at least partly implementing operations. Embedded circuit including embedded processor. A hard disk drive including temperature, humidity sensors, embedded circuit and head stack assembly. Manufacturing methods for slider, head gimbals assembly, head stack assembly, embedded processor, embedded circuit and hard disk drive, and these items as products of their manufacturing processes.

Abstract: The invention applies to servo controllers for at least the voice coil motor of a hard disk drive. Today, many control algorithms require 80 to 90 percent of the sampling period to complete their calculation of the next control, making computation time delay no longer negligible. The invention accommodates the transport delay, such as computation time delay, into the state estimator and into the whole control system. Experimental results using a commercial hard drive, as well as simulation results, show that the invention's method effectively improves the hard disk drive control system stability by increasing the phase margin and gain margin. The invention includes the method of operating the servo-controller, as well as the apparatus implementing that method. The invention also includes hard disk drives containing servo-controllers implementing the method, and program systems residing in accessibly coupled memory to a computer within the servo controller implementing the method.

Abstract: Method calibrates an assembled hard disk drive for read head accessing rotating disk surface, by estimating non-linearity of that playback device based on two data patterns, which have a short transition-pair waveform and a long transition-pair waveform. By linearly constructing a simulated long transition-pair waveform from the short transition-pair waveform and aligning it with the long transition-pair waveform, non-linear distortion is estimated, creating the transfer curve as product of this process. The transfer curve is used to compensate the read data of a track to create the adjusted read data, which is used to decode the track being read. The adjusted read data is the product of this process. The hard disk drive including the transfer table. Second method using transfer table to create adjusted read data for track, the processor, embedded circuit and hard disk drive implementing this method. Manufacturing embedded circuit as product.

Abstract: The present invention is a clothing iron capable of lifting the iron, and thus the hot sole plate of the iron, away from a surface on which the iron rests when the iron is not in use, to reduce or prevent damage to the surface on which the iron rests. An important characteristic of the invention is that the sole plate of the iron is lifted in a direction including a vertical vector, with a plane of the sole plate remaining roughly horizontal. The elevation of the iron is accomplished through the use of an elevation mechanism including apparatus for extending at least one leg from the underside of the iron when the sensor indicates that the user's hand is not in contact with the iron.

Abstract: Devices and methods provide for ablation of cardiac tissue for treating cardiac arrhythmias such as atrial fibrillation. Although the devices and methods are often be used to ablate epicardial tissue in the vicinity of at least one pulmonary vein, various embodiments may be used to ablate other cardiac tissues in other locations on a heart. Devices generally include at least one tissue contacting member for contacting epicardial tissue and securing the ablation device to the epicardial tissue, and at least one ablation member for ablating the tissue. Various embodiments include features, such as suction apertures, which enable the device to attach to the epicardial surface with sufficient strength to allow the tissue to be stabilized via the device. For example, some embodiments may be used to stabilize a beating heart to enable a beating heart ablation procedure. Many of the devices may be introduced into a patient via minimally invasive introducer devices and the like.

Abstract: A magnetically damped inclinometer has a shaft with attached pendulum that rotates. The rotation causes an index member to rotate past one or a set of magnets or electromagnets that are connected to the load. The magnet or electromagnet may be mounted directly the load or it may be in the form of an off center ring. Another embodiment uses a spring to bias two magnets apart. A cam is attached to the shaft such that, as the pendulum and shaft rotate, a roller connected with the load or spreader bar allows the spring to push the magnets farther apart. The damped inclinometers are used to determine and provide information to respond to the initial sway of a load prior to bringing the load to a stop.

Abstract: The present invention includes a method and apparatus for collecting information for a mortgage loan originated by a loan originator for a loan customer in coordination with a loan broker. The loan originator is not the loan broker. The loan originator provides services necessary for the origination of the mortgage loan and not duplicative of services provided by the loan broker. In certain embodiments, the loan originator is at least one of the following: CPA, Financial Planner, Broker/Dealer, Stock Broker, Insurance Broker/Agent, Attorney or other financial professionals. In other embodiments, the loan originator is one of the following: a Bank, Savings and Loan, Thrift, or Credit Union.

Abstract: Slider used to access data on rotating disk in hard disk drive, including vertical micro-actuator forming piezoelectric layer perpendicular to air bearing surface and coupled to deformation region including read-write head. Slider further includes vertical control signal stimulating vertical micro-actuator to alter vertical position. The vertical control signal stimulates vertical micro-actuator to increase and decrease vertical position with potential differences of opposite sign. Flexure finger including vertical control signal path providing vertical control signal and micro-actuator assembly for coupling to slider. Head gimbal assembly including flexure finger coupled to the slider. A head stack assembly including at least one of the head gimbal assemblies coupled to a head stack. Hard disk drive including head stack assembly.

Abstract: The invention includes a yoke assembly containing a top and a bottom proximity latch magnet. The invention includes a voice coil attached to a voice coil bias steel. The crash stop includes a magnetic proximity latch created by the voice coil bias steel attracted to the top and bottom proximity latch magnets. It may also include using the magnetic proximity latch with a magnetically weakened contact latch. Experiments have shown that the combined magnetic proximity latch and the magnetically weakened contact latch require significantly less initial releasing force than the prior art crash stops, and meet rotary shock requirements. The invention includes making the actuator assembly, the voice coil motor assembly, and the CSS hard disk drive. The invention includes operating the CSS hard disk drive with at least the magnetic proximity latch.

Abstract: Hard Disk Drive (HDD) including a humidity sensor. Humidity sensor communicating with embedded circuit to provide humidity reading to alter flying height control asserted to control vertical positioning of slider above disk surface. Method operating HDD using humidity sensor and apparatus implementing method. Methods of manufacturing embedded circuit and HDD, and their products.