Abstract: A disk drive with removable cartridges that is designed for laptop and notebook sized computers which are battery powered. The drive includes a disk cartridge that upon insertion into the disk drive is split open to move an underside portion down over a disk drive spindle where the disk, having been released by the splitting of the cartridge engages the spindle for rotation. The spindle is mounted in the drive in a fixed location so that loading of disks thereon is repeatable and interchangeable and do not change with wear of a spindle elevating mechanism. The read/write heads on their actuator arms extend through an opening in the back of the cartridge formed when the cartridge is split. When ejected, the cartridge seals about the disk to prevent contamination thereof and to assure a long life in harsh environments. The cartridge may include an inner door that is opened upon cartridge insertion to provide clearance for the heads and actuator arms.

Abstract: Sealing structures are provided to prevent contamination entry into a removable disk cartridge hard disk drive. The outer end of the cartridge is fitted with a seal abutment structure, which is slightly wider and thicker than the rest of the cartridge. The seal abutment structure has a chamfered ring surface thereabout facing the inner end of the cartridge. The cartridge is inserted into the disk drive through a pair of doors that normally seal the interior of the disk drive until the chamfered ring surface engages a sealing gasket positioned about an opening to the interior of the disk drive behind the doors, so that when the disk is spun, the air centrifugally pumped can not pull dust particles in from the outside environment.

Abstract: An engagement interface between a removable cartridge containing a rigid disk for storage of data and a disk drive. The cartridge includes an opening for a hub of the disk for spinning and the disk drive has a magnetic spindle with connecting mechanism for extending the spindle into contact with the hub and retracting it out of contact. The cartridge also includes a disk immobilizer to hold the disk with its hub centered in the opening when the cartridge is outside the disk drive, and a detachable mechanical interconnection between the hub and the housing to retain the hub generally centered in the opening when the disk immobilizer is deactivated as the cartridge is inserted in the disk drive but before the spindle has engaged the hub for instances when the cartridge is inserted in the disk drive with other than a vertical orientation.