Patents Examined by A. J. Heinz
  • Patent number: 8116041
    Abstract: An FPC holding mechanism of an actuator assembly of a hard disk drive (HDD) includes an FPC holder protruding from an arm-mold of the actuator assembly, and an FPC clip mounted to the FPC holder so as to be rotatable. The FPC holder defines a guide groove into which the FPC is inserted and a first side support plate facing one side surface of the FPC. The FPC clip includes a second side support plate juxtaposed with the first side support plate and facing the other side surface of the FPC, and at least two clip arms extending in a horizontal direction over upper and lower edges of the FPC, respectively. At least one of the clip arms has a hook hooked onto the first side support plate. The FPC holding mechanism thus prevents a portion of the FPC from moving in vertical and horizontal directions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 29, 2008
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2012
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Min-pyo Hong, Byoung-gyou Choi, No-yeol Park
  • Patent number: 8116035
    Abstract: The invention provides a magnetic recording medium, and a magnetic recording and reproducing apparatus. The magnetic recording medium includes a substrate 11, an under layer 12 formed on the substrate 11, a magnetic recording layer 13 formed on the under layer 12, and a protective layer 14 formed on the magnetic recording layer 13. The magnetic recording layer 13 is composed of a primary recording layer 14 and a secondary recording layer 15 which are mutually exchange-coupled. The primary recording layer 14 has magnetic grains and a nonmagnetic material that surrounds the magnetic grains, and has a perpendicular magnetic anisotropy. The secondary recording layer 15 is made of a material having a negative crystal magnetic anisotropy and its easy plane of the magnetization is a plane of the medium.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 9, 2006
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2012
    Assignees: Tohoku University, Showa Denko K.K., Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Migaku Takahashi, Masahiro Oka, Akira Kikitsu
  • Patent number: 8081394
    Abstract: An information recording apparatus has a plurality of fine particles forming an array on a plane in close proximity of each other, each of the plural particles including a ferromagnetic metal, a light-emitting device for exciting a near-field light, and a photo-electric conversion element for detecting a near-field light traveled along the fine particles. Summary information may be recorded for plural information recording parts.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2011
    Assignees: Ricoh Company, Ltd., Tohoku University
    Inventors: Migaku Takahashi, Masakiyo Tsunoda, Shin Saito, Tomoyuki Ogawa, Itaru Fujimura, Shigeyoshi Misawa, Toshiyuki Kawasaki
  • Patent number: 8077434
    Abstract: A method and system for providing a magnetic transducer having an air-bearing surface (ABS) are described. The magnetic transducer includes a base layer, a perpendicular magnetic recording (PMR) pole on the base layer, an additional pole, a write shield, a write gap between the PMR pole and a portion of the write shield, and coil(s) that energize at least the additional pole. The base layer includes a first portion proximate to the ABS and a second portion recessed from the ABS. The first portion is nonmagnetic, while the second portion is magnetic. The PMR pole has a first front portion proximate to the ABS. The additional pole has a second front portion recessed from the ABS. At least a portion of the additional pole resides between the PMR pole and write shield. At least a portion of the write gap resides on the front portion of the PMR pole.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 2007
    Date of Patent: December 13, 2011
    Assignee: Western Digital (Fremont), LLC
    Inventors: Yong Shen, Lei Larry Zhang, Yingjian Chen, Ut Tran
  • Patent number: 8064170
    Abstract: A novel method and device to align a flexure tail of a head gimbal assembly (HGA) to a flex cable of a head stack assembly (HSA) is disclosed. An alignment pin is passed through a first alignment hole in the flex cable, and a second alignment hole in the flexure tail. The second alignment hole is disposed in a region of the flexure tail that lies in a flexure tail plane that is approximately parallel to the flex cable plane adjacent the first alignment hole. A novel head gimbal assembly (HGA) has a flexure tail that includes a first bend line. The flexure tail is bent out-of-plane about the first bend line to create a residual bend angle in the range 10° to 80°. The first alignment tab is abutted against a first guide surface of an alignment fixture.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 2, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2011
    Assignee: Western Digital Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: Tzong-Shii Pan
  • Patent number: 8045289
    Abstract: A tape cartridge includes a housing and a tape reel that is rotatable about an axis of rotation. The tape reel is adapted to cooperably engage a reel drive member of a data transfer apparatus that, in use, applies a drive torque to the tape reel to rotate the tape reel about the axis of rotation. The cooperable engagement of the tape reel and reel drive member is such as to secure the tape reel to the reel drive member to at least substantially prevent tipping of the tape reel with respect to the reel drive member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 25, 2011
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: Philip Turner, James West, Mark Digby Teucher, Andrew Mark Fernihough, Mark Dillon
  • Patent number: 8045295
    Abstract: Method and apparatus are presented for electrically coupling a slider to ground. In one embodiment, a bonding pad is provided on a side of the slider body separate from the bonding pad(s) used for read/write signals. This separate bonding pad is electrically coupled within the slider body to components that are to be coupled to ground. A separate conductor provided on the suspension (e.g., a trace, a flex circuit, etc.) may be electrically coupled to the separate bonding pad via gold ball bonding. The conductor is also coupled to ground in the hard-disk drive device (e.g., via the preamplifier). The use of the separated bonding pad and trace may negate the need to use a conductive adhesive to electrically ground the slider via its attachment to the tongue of a slider.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 25, 2011
    Assignee: SAE Magnetics (HK) Ltd.
    Inventors: Yen Fu, Ellis T. Cha, Po-Kang Wang, Hong Tian, Manuel Hernandez, Yaw-Shing Tang, Ben Hu
  • Patent number: 8035927
    Abstract: An extraordinary magnetoresistive sensor (EMR sensor) having a lead structure that is self aligned with a magnetic shunt structure. To form an EMR sensor according to an embodiment of the invention, a plurality of layers are deposited to form quantum well structure such as a two dimensional electron gas structure (2DEG). A first mask structure is deposited having two openings, and a material removal process is performed to remove portions of the sensor material from areas exposed by the openings. The distance between the two openings in the first mask defines a distance between a set of leads and the shunt structure. A non-magnetic metal is then deposited. A second mask structure is then formed to define shape of the leads.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 28, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 11, 2011
    Assignee: Hitachi Global Storage Technologies Netherlands B.V.
    Inventors: Thomas Dudley Boone, Jr., Liesl Folks, Robert E. Fontana, Jr., Bruce Alvin Gurney, Jordan Asher Katine, Sergio Nicoletti
  • Patent number: 8035926
    Abstract: A system for adjusting misalignment between a read/write head and a flexible data storage media is provided. The system includes a head carriage assembly, a linear assembly that includes a pivot member pivotably supporting the head carriage assembly, and a magnetic assembly coupled to the head carriage assembly. Current is applied to the magnetic assembly for dynamically positioning the head carriage assembly relative to a direction of media movement across the head carriage assembly. A first current is applied to the magnetic assembly for track following of media moving across the head carriage assembly. A second current is applied to the magnetic assembly for dynamically rotationally positioning the head carriage assembly to compensate for skew of flexible media moving across the head carriage assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 1, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 11, 2011
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventor: David Howard Flores Harper
  • Patent number: 8035925
    Abstract: An actuator latch system of an HDD retains a swing arm in place when the magnetic head of the HDD is parked and includes a rotatable latch lever having a hook that absorbs shock when engaging the swing arm. A rear end of the swing arm has a corner portion. The hook has first and second portions with a third portion extending there between Inner surfaces of the first through third portions delimit a slot. The inlet of the slot has a width less than the corner portion. The inner surface of the first portion of the hook contacts a first surface of the rear end of the swing arm, and the inner surface of the second portion of the hook contacts a second surface of the rear end of the swing arm, when a shock rotates the swing arm while the magnetic head is parked.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 29, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 11, 2011
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Do-wan Kim, Ki-tag Jeong, Woo-cheol Jeong
  • Patent number: 8031439
    Abstract: The head stack assembly of a hard disk drive includes a bobbin, and a printed circuit board attached to the bobbin. The bobbin forms an end of the head stack assembly that is rotatable about an axis of a shaft. The printed circuit board has a flat conductive pattern of a plurality of traces through which current is supplied. The conductive pattern constitutes the voice coil motor of the hard disk drive. The hard disk drive has magnets disposed above and below the bobbin, respectively, to generate a magnetic field across the conductive pattern such that an electromotive force that rotates the HSA is produced when current flows through the conductive pattern. The flat conductive pattern allows the voice coil motor to be relatively thin while the magnets need to encompass only a small region making the hard disk drive compact and lightweight.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 20, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 4, 2011
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Chul-Woo Lee
  • Patent number: 8027127
    Abstract: In a balanced head gimbal assembly for improved seeking performance, a slider having a magnetic head with a set of read elements to read data and a set of write elements to write data, an air-bearing surface, and a non-air-bearing surface is coupled to a suspension. The suspension includes a loadbeam, a flexure, and a balancing weight. The loadbeam is coupled to an actuator arm. The flexure, coupled to the loadbeam, has a window through which a dimple, coupled to the loadbeam, contacts a dimple contact point. The balancing weight, coupled to the flexure, has a configuration which permits alignment of a center of mass of the head gimbal assembly with the dimple contact point.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 27, 2011
    Assignee: SAE Magnetics (HK) Ltd.
    Inventors: Qinghua Zeng, Yen Fu, Li-Yan Zhu, Chao-Hui Yang, Ellis T. Cha
  • Patent number: 8018682
    Abstract: A magnetic disk is protected by a bilayer. The bilayer is formed as an adhesion enhancing underlayer and a protective diamond-like carbon (DLC) overlayer. The underlayer is formed of an aluminum or alloyed aluminum oxynitride, having the general formula AlOxNy or MezAlOxNy where Mez symbolizes Tiz, Siz or Crz and where x, y and z can be varied within the formation process. By adjusting the values of x and y the adhesion underlayer contributes to such qualities of the protective bilayer as stress compensation, chemical and mechanical stability and low electrical conductivity. Various methods of forming the underlayer are provided, including reactive ion sputtering, plasma assisted chemical vapor deposition, pulsed laser deposition and plasma immersion ion implantation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 2, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 13, 2011
    Assignee: SAE Magnetics (HK) Ltd.
    Inventors: Shide Cheng, Zhu Feng, Ellis T. Cha
  • Patent number: 8018681
    Abstract: A method for fabricating a patterned recording medium includes providing a workpiece with a non-magnetic substrate and at least one overlying magnetic layer, laminating a thermal insulation barrier partially in a soft under layer of one of the at least one magnetic layers and forming a topographical pattern including a plurality of trenches in the soft under layer. Blocks of track triplets are formed between adjacent trenches that are magnetically and thermally insulated from other adjacent blocks of track triplets.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 8, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 13, 2011
    Assignee: Seagate Technology LLC
    Inventor: Michael Mallary
  • Patent number: 8014108
    Abstract: The invention provides a magnetoresistive device of the CPP (current perpendicular to plane) structure, comprising a magnetoresistive unit, and a first shield layer and a second shield layer which are located and formed such that the magnetoresistive unit is sandwiched between them from above and below, with a sense current applied in the stacking direction, wherein said magnetoresistive unit comprises a non-magnetic intermediate layer, and a first ferromagnetic layer and a second ferromagnetic layer stacked and formed such that said nonmagnetic intermediate layer is sandwiched between them.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 8, 2008
    Date of Patent: September 6, 2011
    Assignee: TDK Corporation
    Inventors: Koji Shimazawa, Tsutomu Chou, Daisuke Miyauchi
  • Patent number: 8009387
    Abstract: A method for forming a protective bilayer on a magnetic read/write head or magnetic disk. The bilayer is formed as an adhesion enhancing underlayer and a protective diamond-like carbon (DLC) overlayer. The underlayer is formed of an aluminum or alloyed aluminum oxynitride, having the general formula AlOxNy or MezAlOxNy where Mez symbolizes Tiz, Siz or Crz and where x, y and z can be varied within the formation process. By adjusting the values of x and y the adhesion underlayer contributes to such qualities of the protective bilayer as stress compensation, chemical and mechanical stability and low electrical conductivity. Various methods of forming the underlayer are provided, including reactive ion sputtering, plasma assisted chemical vapor deposition, pulsed laser deposition and plasma immersion ion implantation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 2, 2010
    Date of Patent: August 30, 2011
    Assignee: SAE Magnetics (HK) Ltd.
    Inventors: Shide Cheng, Zhu Feng, Ellis T. Cha
  • Patent number: 8009389
    Abstract: An air bearing surface of a slider, which achieves low crown sensitivity is described. In one embodiment, the air bearing surface comprises a center channel and a plurality of side channels, wherein at least one side channel of the plurality of side channels is open to the center channel. The center channel and the plurality of side channels are configured to allow air to flow along the center channel toward the trailing edge of the ABS, such that there is low crown sensitivity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 2006
    Date of Patent: August 30, 2011
    Assignee: Hitachi Global Storage Technologies, Netherlands B.V.
    Inventors: Sanford A. Bolasna, Lee K. Dorius, Weidong Huang, Robert N. Payne
  • Patent number: 8000066
    Abstract: The thickness of the semiconductor layer forming a part of the spacer layer is set in the thickness range for a transitional area showing conduction performance halfway between ohmic conduction and semi-conductive conduction in relation to the junction of the semiconductor layer with the first nonmagnetic metal layer and the second nonmagnetic metal layer. This permits the specific resistance of the spacer layer to be greater than that of an ohmic conduction area, so that spin scattering and diffusion depending on a magnetized state increases, resulting in an increase in the MR ratio. The CPP-GMR device can also have a suitable area resistivity (AR) value. If the device can have a suitable area resistivity and a high MR ratio, it is then possible to obtain more stable output power in low current operation. The device is also lower in resistance than a TMR device, so that significant noise reductions are achievable.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 5, 2007
    Date of Patent: August 16, 2011
    Assignee: TDK Corporation
    Inventors: Tomohito Mizuno, Yoshihiro Tsuchiya, Kei Hirata
  • Patent number: 7986482
    Abstract: As the result of a tape stick condition of magnetic tape with respect to a tape head, the supply reel and the take-up reel apply a base tension to the magnetic tape therebetween of substantially less than a full tension that occurs when the tape is running, and one reel varies the applied tension greater than and less than the base tension by an amount less than the base tension. The variation of the applied tension comprises first applying the greater tension and in succession, second, applying the less tension, comprising a whip effect. The whip effect may be in accordance with a sine wave. The varied tension is less than the base tension to maintain positive tension.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 4, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 26, 2011
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Josephine Faith Bayang, Ernest Stewart Gale, Eiji Ogura
  • Patent number: 7983001
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a perpendicular recording magnetic head. A main magnetic pole film includes an electrode film and a plated magnetic film. The electrode film includes a Ru film and a conductive magnetic film, and the Ru film, which follows the shape of an inner wall surface of a recess formed in a first non-magnetic film, is adhered to the inner wall surface of the recess or a surface of a second non-magnetic film adhered thereto. The conductive magnetic film is adhered to a surface of the Ru film, thereby following the shape of the inner wall surface of the recess. The plated magnetic film is disposed adjacent the conductive magnetic film, thereby filling up the recess.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 15, 2007
    Date of Patent: July 19, 2011
    Assignee: TDK Corporation
    Inventors: Makoto Sato, Atsushi Yamaguchi, Masashi Sano, Shingo Miyata, Kenzo Makino