Abstract: A disk drive includes a head gimbal assembly that includes structure that decreases the pitch angle of the load beam, which decreases disk flutter induced track mis-registration. According to one embodiment, the disk drive includes a body portion including a bore defining a pivot axis; an actuator arm cantilevered from the body portion and a head gimbal assembly (HGA) supported at the actuator arm. The HGA includes a load beam having a first end and a second end, the first end being attached to the actuator arm, the load beam defining a load beam feature near the second end, at least a portion of the load beam feature defining an extension that is parallel to the pivot axis and that has a rectangular cross-section having a length to width aspect ratio that is greater than 1. A slider is coupled to a free end of the load beam extension, and a gimbal coupled to the second end of the load beam and to the slider.

Abstract: A secure and modular architecture for monitoring and controlling clusters of pay entertainment and gaming devices. The architecture allows flexible and secure use of state-of-the-art multimedia and Internet technologies to attract the younger player generation used to flashy and networked games. Cash or cash-less entertainment and gaming devices are supported.

Abstract: Disclosed herein are computer-implemented methods and systems for securely carrying out electronic transactions including electronic drafts, wherein payment on at least one of the drafts is contingent upon the removal of an associated contingency. The method may include steps of establishing a secure computer site accessible only by authenticated parties to the transaction and by any authenticated contingency approver. The site includes a representation of the transaction that includes a representation of each of the plurality of drafts and an option to remove any contingencies associated therewith.

Abstract: A needle is used to mark a tissue area of interest. The needle may have one or more indicators which indicate selected angular orientations relative to the needle. The indicators may also be coupled to anchors which are deployed in the tissue to anchor the needle in the tissue. The needle may be positioned to guide an excisional device to remove tissue.

Abstract: A disk drive includes a disk having a recording surface and a head stack assembly. The head stack assembly includes a body portion that includes a bore defining a pivot axis, an actuator arm cantilevered from the body portion and a head gimbal assembly supported at the actuator arm. The head gimbal assembly includes a load beam, a gimbal coupled to the load beam and a slider coupled to the gimbal, the slider including a transducer for reading and writing on the recording surface. The slider includes an air bearing surface that is configured to form a shallow recessed surface and a deep recessed surface. The air-bearing surface includes a leading air bearing region and one or more insular regions configured to reduce stiction with the disk. The shallow recessed surface is disposed between the air bearing surface and the deep recessed surface.

Abstract: A mobile host device configured to draw electrical energy from an energy storage device includes a disk drive. The disk drive includes a disk drive enclosure including a base, a spindle motor attached to the base, a disk positioned on the spindle motor, a generator and a charging circuit. The generator may be coupled to the disk drive enclosure and/or the mobile host device and generates electrical energy from the motion of the mobile host device and/or disk drive. The charging circuit is configured to charge the energy storage device using the electrical energy generated by the generator.

Abstract: A game of chance includes steps of accepting at least one of a wager and a selection of a predicted outcome of a competitive activity; randomly selecting an actual outcome of the competitive activity according to predetermined odds; accessing one of a plurality of video sequence that shows the randomly selected actual outcome of the competitive activity, and showing the accessed one of the plurality of video sequence on a display. A step may be carried out to pay a sum determined by the wager and the predetermined odds when the predicted outcome matches the randomly selected actual outcome.

Abstract: Methods and systems that enable cashless gaming dispense with the need to set up and operate a complex centrally controlled system or dispense with the need to distribute expensive smart cards. The patrons' gaming session meters (including, for example, a measure of winning and/or available credit) are distributed amongst an estate of peer networked gaming terminals.

Abstract: A secure and modular architecture for monitoring and controlling clusters of pay entertainment and gaming devices. The architecture allows flexible and secure use of state-of-the-art multimedia and Internet technologies to attract the younger player generation used to flashy and networked games. Cash or cash-less entertainment and gaming devices are supported.

Abstract: A plan is a relaxation of the production management problem with time buckets: no precise lead times, no exact continuous balance of material. A schedule considers the full production management problem with all of the details. The present invention includes methods and systems for modeling plans and schedules and methods and systems for communicating between the planning and scheduling models. Bidirectional communication may be carried out between the planning model and the scheduling model to enable, for example, the planning model to be used as a hint during scheduling and to enable a new plan to be launched in the middle of a scheduling algorithm to update the results thereof.

Abstract: A secure and modular architecture for monitoring and controlling clusters of pay entertainment and gaming devices. The architecture allows flexible and secure use of state-of-the-art multimedia and Internet technologies to attract the younger player generation used to flashy and networked games. Cash or cash-less entertainment and gaming devices are supported.

Abstract: A method for asynchronously notifying an application client of a system or data event of interest within a database includes steps of receiving a subscription to an event name from a logical agent, the event name corresponding to the event of interest, and receiving a registration from the application client, the registration including delivery information indicating at least where and how a notification concerning the event is to be delivered. The occurrence of the event is then detected within the database, whereupon the notification of the detected event is published to a data structure referenced by the event name. The delivery information is then retrieved and the published notification is formatted according to the retrieved delivery information. The formatted notification is then asynchronously delivered to the application client over a network, such as the Internet. The application client may specify a rule, the satisfaction of which is a precondition to the delivery of the notification.

Abstract: The invention concerns a method whereby after the saddle hub (3) has been placed on the pipe (2a, 2b, 2c), the open and deformable ring (4) is closed back on the pipe, the screw (5) is folded down and the screw is clamped to complete the locking of the plate (3) whereon is mounted the device (12, 29) for boring the pipe. The invention is useful for branch channel connection on a pipe (2a, 2b, 2c).

Abstract: A computer-implemented draft authentication method for use in e-commerce includes the steps of establishing partner relationships between a financial institution and a plurality of World Wide Web (Web) vendors and storing, for each of a plurality of Web customers, at least one piece of unique identifying information linked to the Web customer's financial information. Web customers executing drafts or causing drafts to be executed by the Web vendors and presented to the financial institution are authenticated by immediately encrypting at least a portion of an identification data set provided by the Web customer over the network and by successfully matching the immediately encrypted identification data set with the stored piece(s) of encrypted identifying information. The Web customer's financial information is then retrieved only by the financial institution and constraints are established based-on the retrieved information.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing disk drives that are subject to disk pack imbalance includes steps of measuring the disk pack imbalance of each drive and assigning each of the drives to one of a predetermined plurality of categories, depending upon the measured disk pack imbalance. The measured imbalance of the disk drives assigned to fewer than the predetermined plurality of categories may then be reduced. Each category may be associated with one or more customers and the drives assigned to each category may be shipped to the associated customer(s).

Abstract: A disk drive includes a disk having a recording surface, a head stack assembly that includes a body portion, an actuator arm cantilevered from the body portion and a head gimbal assembly supported at the actuator arm. The head gimbal assembly includes a suspension having a first end and a second end, the first end being attached to the actuator arm, a slider coupled to the second end of the suspension, the slider comprising a transducer for reading from and writing to the recording surface. A gimbal is coupled to the second end of the suspension and to the slider. An array of diodes is attached to the suspension to protect the transducer from electrostatic discharge or electrical overstress events.