Abstract: A gimbal, a disk drive suspension that includes the gimbal, and a related method of manufacture, wherein the gimbal is configured to be coupled to a slider having a disk drive read-write transducer. The gimbal includes one or more strut(s) having an insulating layer that includes a first surface, and a supporting layer that includes a plurality of segments and that is coupled to the insulating layer's first surface.

Abstract: An interactive game system includes a specially prepared DVD game disk with video images such as of a game show, and game data and instructions encoded within the VBI data on the disk. A game control unit receives all of the video signals recorded on from the DVD including both video images and the VBI data, extracts the VBI data, and uses the VBI data in conjunction with a plurality of handheld player inputs to allow users to select and answer game questions. The game control unit keeps track of whether the player inputs were correct or incorrect, the players' cumulative scores in accordance with their answers, and displays the players cumulative scores as video overlay on top of the recorded video images to be sent to a video display such as a standard television set.

Abstract: An additive process disk drive suspension interconnect, and method therefor is provided. The interconnect has a metal grounding layer of typically stainless steel or copper metallized stainless steel, a metal conductive layer and an insulative layer between the metal grounding layer and the conductive metal layer. A circuit component such as a slider is electrically connected to the conductive layer along a grounding path from the circuit component and the conductive layer to the metal grounding layer through an aperture in the insulative layer. For improved electrical connection a tie layer is provided through the insulative layer onto the grounding layer in bonding relation with the ground layer. A conductor is deposited onto both the conductive metal layer and the tie layer in conductive metal layer and tie layer bonding relation, and the circuit component is thus bonded to the grounding layer by the conductor.

Abstract: In a flexure assembly for a hard disk drive suspension, a structure for preventing strains introduced by solder ball bonding from affecting the pitch static attitude (PSA) and other characteristics of the flexure assembly is presented. The structure includes a flexure that features two side rails that support a gimbal tongue, with the side rails also supporting a laterally extending bridge which is attached at its two ends to the side rails. The bridge is wide enough at its central portion to accommodate the flex trace circuit bonding pads, yet narrow enough at its ends to relieve strains caused by solder ball bonding and cooling and prevent those strains from significantly affecting the PSA. The gimbal tongue is thus, to an effective extent, mechanically and thermally isolated from the solder ball bonding pads, while at the same time the bridge provides strong mechanical support for the solder ball bonding pads.

Abstract: A high stroke sensitivity microactuated disk drive suspension includes a microactuator, a laminate of first and second outer layers and a plastic inner layer that define a base portion, a spring portion and a beam portion. The base portion has proximate and distal regions coupled by a segment of an outer layer and fixed to the microactuator for relative shifting of the beam portion to the base portion. The segment has a part that is locally arcuate and readily bendable during said shifting for low resistance to shifting giving the suspension high stroke sensitivity.

Abstract: A remote controlled aircraft may include a deployable main parachute, deployable paratroopers stored in the coils of helical spring actuator and moved into deployment position by rotation of the actuator. The actuator may be operated within a storage compartment configured to fit the actuator and to maintain alignment of the paratroopers before deployment. The remote control may include individual engine boost buttons and selectable, preprogrammed engine speeds. A secondary remote controlled aircraft may also be mounted for deployment on the main aircraft. Various configurations and combinations of elements and features are disclosed and may be claimed.

Abstract: A disk drive suspension has laterally separated mount plate cooperating structure of a pair of spaced, left and right hand continued extents defining engagement structures extending into the vertical plane of the suspension hinge portion, and laterally separated beam portion cooperating structure of left and right hand continuations defining cooperating engagement structures also extending into the vertical plane of the hinge portion and overlapping the mount plate extents to block their relative vertical movement in one direction but not the other so that rotation of the beam portion relative to the mount plate is limited by this selective engagement of the cooperating structures, while the hinge portion is untrammeled by the cooperating structures and the suspension has increased torsional stiffness without an increase in suspension vertical stiffness or has a decrease in suspension vertical stiffness without a decrease in torsional stiffness.

Abstract: A suspension assembly for a hard disk drive includes at least two spring extensions that couple to a proximal portion of a load beam. These spring extensions are disposed by a vertical offset and couple to the load beam on opposite sides of a longitudinal axis of the load beam. The method for operating a disk drive apparatus includes following by a suspension assembly from a reference position to a second position a vertical movement of a rotating disk. The suspension assembly is predisposed to move from the reference position to the second position by the vertical offset. A read/write head coupled to the suspension assembly is in closer alignment to a selected track during the vertical movement in the second position than if the first and second spring extensions were disposed to be co-planar.

Abstract: A support arm for use in a disc drive suspension includes an asymmetry that creates a vertical coupling in the support arm, i.e., a slight lateral movement of the support arm distal end to which a load beam is mounted in response to vibration-induced bending of the support arm. The vertical coupling in the support arm at least partially cancels out during arm bending any vertical coupling which has been designed into the coupling between the load beam and the support arm to reduce track misregistration during flow-induced vibrations of the disc surface. In this way, track misregistration during both flow-induced vibrations and during arm bending is reduced. In a preferred embodiment the asymmetry is created by at least one of a first notch along an inside top edge of the arm, and a second notch along a bottom outside edge of the arm.

Abstract: A head suspension assembly couples a baseplate to a rotatable load through a planar triangular piezo microactuator for effecting hingeless rotation of the load. The microactuator expands, responsive to an excitation voltage, with greater magnitude in one direction than in another direction normal to the first direction, resulting in an angular movement of the hypotenuse thereby rotating the load. The upper surface of the microactuator is grounded to a bottom surface of the baseplate or load beam to position the microactuator lead connection surface closest to the load to facilitate trace routing. A load beam grounding surface may be raised to accommodate the microactuator and fix the lead connection surface on a common plane with the unraised surface to further minimize trace routing and provide access for bonding the trace to the load beam.

Abstract: A disk drive suspension and method with a low profile limiter structure located within the vertical extent of the slider, the tongue free and any gap provided by the limiter structure so as to not increase the overall vertical extent of the suspension. The limiter structure has a tab separated on three sides from the suspension beam portion and extending from the beam portion locus toward the suspension tongue portion free end. The tab has a projecting shoulder spaced at a gap from the beam portion. The tongue free end outer terminus has an opening that interfits with the tab in tab shoulder engaging relation to block free end movement away from the locus beyond that permitted by the gap.

Abstract: A curling structure for use in mechanical swimming creatures and the like includes a series of jointed segments pivotally connected together, with cross members pivotally connected between non-adjacent segments. Each cross member has its first end pivotally connected to a given segment above the pivot point connecting that segment to an adjacent segment, and its second end connected to a non-adjacent segment below the pivot point which connects that non-adjacent segment to the next segment. The result is that as one segment pivots about the joint connecting it to an adjacent segment, the cross members cause all of the segments to curl in a single direction.

Abstract: Shock performance and stiffness of hard disk drive lifters are enhanced by extending one or more portions of a load beam in a dimension normal to the load beam plane. A load beam in a high shock suspension system comprises a planar body having transverse members extending between longitudinal rails. One embodiment comprises a lifter integral to the load beam, extending distally, and comprising a rib having a conic cross section and a lifting tab having upward curving edges. Another embodiment comprises rails having edges bending upward at 90 degrees, separated by a first width at a proximal end of the body, and tapering to a second width at a distal end of the body. A narrow lifter having upward curving edges is displaced between the rails, and extends distally from the body. Stiffeners extend from the rails and connect to an intermediate point on the lifter.

Abstract: A remote control paintball gun system is disclosed which may include a hopper for containing paintballs of different densities, a paint ball gun barrel associated for receiving paintballs, a motorized, wheeled chassis, a cartridge mounted along a side of the gun barrel for powering the gun barrel and a remote control for controlling motion, transfer of the paint balls from the hopper to the gun barrel, and firing of a paintball. The remote control may include a control for selectively transferring a paintball in accordance with the paintball's density, from the first or second plurality of paintballs, to the gun barrel and may control elevation of the gun barrel. A method of playing paintball may include players who carry and fire hand held paintball guns to hit other players and one or more self propelled paintball gun for remote control operation.

Abstract: A disk drive suspension has a doubly increased dimple contact force through separate, differential deflections of the flexure frame toward the load beam so as to carry the flexure tongue having dimple engagement with the load beam closer to the beam, and thus have greater dimple contact force without adverse PSA alteration. Doubly deflecting the outrigger struts of the flexure toward the supporting load beam in differential relation with a greater deflection and local strut displacement in a first location and a lesser deflection and local strut displacement in a second location on the initially deflected portion of the frame outriggers provides increased dimple contact force.

Abstract: Method and apparatus in which a disk drive suspension flexure tongue supports a slider. A flexure frame attached to a suspension supports the tongue in dimple engagement with the suspension. Spaced, separate biasing structures on the frame act oppositely on the tongue for a net increase in tongue dimple contact force.

Abstract: Two pairs of parallel substantial-cut or scored lines extend the length of a card stock sheet and short through-cut lines extend between each of the pairs to define two columns of business card blanks on the sheet. The sheet is passed through a laser or ink jet printer, printing the desired identifying or other indicia on the blanks. The blanks are then separated along the substantial-cut and through-cut lines and the waste sheet portions at the ends, sides, and between the columns are disposed of. The business cards separate cleanly along the substantial-cut lines, superior to the microperforated business card separation lines. Even with the substantial-cut and full-cut lines, the card stock sheets have enough integrity to reliably pass through the printer without breaking apart.

Abstract: Two pairs of parallel substantial-cut or scored lines extend the length of a card stock sheet and short through-cut lines extend between each of the pairs to define two columns of business card blanks on the sheet. The sheet is passed through a laser or ink jet printer or copier, printing the desired identifying or other indicia on the blanks. The blanks are then separated along the substantial-cut and through-cut lines and the waste sheet portions at the ends, sides, and between the columns are disposed of. The business cards separate cleanly along the substantial-cut lines, superior to the microperforated business card separation lines. Even with the substantial-cut and full-cut lines, the card stock sheets have enough integrity to reliably pass through the printer without breaking apart. To make for a cleaner break (or business card edge) along the substantial-cut lines, the substantial-cut lines can be made by scoring cutting part way into the sheet on both opposing sheet faces.