Patents Examined by Brian E. Miller
  • Method and system for synchronization and remote control of controlling units
    Patent number: 10637681
    Abstract: Systems and methods for controlling devices, including controller and actuators are disclosed. Actuators may be devices where remote control of the device or devices is convenient, such as lights, window shades, fans and similar items. In one method, controllers are adapted to send commands from a first controller to an actuator and to a second controller, and from the second controller to the actuator and to the first controller, where the controllers store a state of the actuator as a result of the actuator executing the command.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 16, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 28, 2020
    Assignee: Silicon Laboratories Inc.
    Inventor: Anders T. Brandt
  • Control device for a domestic appliance system
    Patent number: 10629066
    Abstract: A control device (130) for controlling a domestic appliance system (100) comprises: a first remote controllable device (110), a second remote controllable device (120) and a remote control (150). The remote control typically comprises a pointing detection unit (140) configured for identifying a remote controllable device (110, 120) at which the remote control is pointing (156, 156?). The remote control is configured for commanding a read in response to a user input commanding a copy while the user points the remote control at the first device and the remote control is configured for commanding a write in response to a user input commanding a paste while the user points the remote control at the second device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 21, 2020
    Assignee: Koninklijke Philips N.V.
    Inventors: Sandor Hurbertus Florentius Gordijn, Navin Hemchand Natoewal, Hendricus Theodorus Gerardus Maria Penning De Vries
  • Magnetic recording head and magnetic recording and reproducing device comprising the same
    Patent number: 10614839
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, a magnetic recording head includes a main magnetic pole which applies a recording magnetic field to a magnetic recording medium, an auxiliary magnetic pole which faces the main magnetic pole across a recording gap, a first magnetic bypass layer which is provided in a recording gap in a track direction, and a second magnetic bypass layer which is provided in the recording gap in the track direction and is arranged at a distance from the first magnetic bypass layer in a track width direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 7, 2020
    Assignees: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba, Toshiba Electronic Devices & Storage Corporation
    Inventor: Yusuke Tomoda
  • Disc gripper for storage discs
    Patent number: 10600441
    Abstract: An apparatus includes a motor configured to drive a driving element within a housing. A pivoting element on a shaft is connected to the housing. The pivoting element is connected to a moveable jaw device and configured to force the moveable jaw device at any given moment towards or away from a face of a storage disc, as the pivoting element pivots about a first axis. A fixed jaw device is connected to the housing. The moveable jaw device and the fixed jaw device form a gripper device configured to clamp a particular portion of opposite first and second surfaces of a storage disc.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 7, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 24, 2020
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: David J. Altknecht, Donald S. Bethune, William M. Dyer
  • Multi-actuator interconnector
    Patent number: 10593358
    Abstract: A data storage device includes a first actuator and a second actuator rotatable around a common axis. The data storage device further includes a first electrical connector configured to communicate electrical signals to and from the first actuator via a first flexible circuit. The data storage device further includes a second electrical connector separate from but in a stacked arrangement with the first electrical connector. The second electrical connector is configured to communicate electrical signals to and from the second actuator via a second flexible circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 17, 2020
    Assignee: Seagate Technology LLC
    Inventors: Maxwell Reese Kraus, Roger A. Resh, Andrew R. Motzko, Michael Allen Mewes
  • Systems and methods for providing awareness of emergency vehicles
    Patent number: 10584518
    Abstract: An automatic alarm system for a vehicle includes a sensor adapted to detect electromagnetic data, a computer system, and an automatic alarm mechanism. The computer system receives data from the sensor. A computer process analyzes the data from the sensor to determine whether a pattern from the electromagnetic data has been detected, accesses a library of known patterns of electromagnetic data emitted by emergency vehicles, and compares the pattern of electromagnetic data detected by the sensor with the known patterns of electromagnetic data emitted by emergency vehicles that are stored in the library. The automatic alarm mechanism activates in response to the processor determining that the comparison matches a known pattern of electromagnetic data for an emergency vehicle resulting in the computer processor sending a first signal to activate an alarm.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 10, 2020
    Assignee: STATE FARM MUTUAL AUTOMOBILE INSURANCE COMPANY
    Inventors: Leo Chan, Kristopher Keith Gaudin, Roxane Lyons, William J. Leise, John A. Nepomuceno, Rajiv C. Shah, Edward P. Matesevac, III, Jennifer Criswell Kellett, Steven C. Cielocha, Jeremy Myers, Matthew S. Megyese, Jennifer L. Crawford
  • High passive stiffness and low active pressure air bearing feature
    Patent number: 10586563
    Abstract: Active pressure in the air bearing surface of a slider in the region of the transducer is reduced by introducing two channels in the center pad of the advanced air bearing along each side of the centerline and spaced apart from the transducer. This configuration moves the high pressure region away from the transducer zone at the trailing edge of the slider.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 22, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 10, 2020
    Assignee: Seagate Technology LLC
    Inventors: HaiFeng Zhang, Abhik Rakshit
  • Multichannel tape head module having thermal device for controlling span between transducers
    Patent number: 10580438
    Abstract: In one embodiment, an apparatus includes a module having an array of transducers and a heating element positioned proximate to the array of transducers. The heating element has opposite ends and a center portion therebetween, where the heating element is configured to produce more heat per unit length along the opposite ends than in the center portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 18, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 3, 2020
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Robert G. Biskeborn, Hugo E. Rothuizen
  • Disc storage cassettes comprising index features
    Patent number: 10580451
    Abstract: A disc cassette includes a curved portion. The curved portion includes multiple ribs that define multiple disc slots. The disc slots are configured to hold multiple discs that are spaced apart by the ribs. The disc cassette further includes multiple index features positioned on an inside edge of the curved portion. The index features are configured to allow alignment of a kicker device of a disc retrieval unit (DRU) to a disc of the disc cassette to lift the disc into a disc gripper device without disturbing one or more other discs of the disc cassette that are adjacent to the disc.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 3, 2020
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: David J. Altknecht, Donald S. Bethune, William M. Dyer, A. David Erpelding, Steven R. Hetzler, Drew B. Lawson, Daniel F. Smith
  • Storage device and method for controlling rotation speed of fan of storage device
    Patent number: 10575435
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a storage device and a method of controlling a rotation speed of a fan of the storage device. The storage device comprises: a housing comprising an opening; a fan arranged at an end of the housing opposed to the opening; a tray comprising a plurality of partitions arranged in rows and being operable to be drawn out of or inserted into the housing via the opening in a longitudinal direction of the housing; a plurality of tray position detectors respectively arranged on the plurality of partitions and configured to detect a relative position of the tray with respect to the housing; and a controller adapted to adjust a rotation speed of the fan according to the relative position detected by the tray position detector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 15, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 25, 2020
    Assignee: Dell Products L.P.
    Inventors: Haifang Zhai, Hendry Xiaoping Wu, Yujie Zhou, David Dong
  • Assemblies and devices with a metal base, a metal cover, and a friction stir weld, precursors thereof, and related friction stir welding methods
    Patent number: 10566032
    Abstract: Described are devices and assemblies (e.g., precursors to a devices) that include a friction stir weld or a joint useful for forming a friction stir weld, the devices containing two metal components that form the joint at which the friction stir weld can be produced, as well as methods for producing a devices, assembly, joints, or friction stir weld as described.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 18, 2020
    Assignee: SEAGATE TECHNOLOGY LLC
    Inventors: Jerome Thomas Coffey, Samuel Edward Severson, Jeffrey L. Bruce, Emily Ann Chesnut
  • Provision of on premise ambient service method and apparatus
    Patent number: 10558722
    Abstract: Ambient service apparatuses and methods associated with providing ambient service in a premise are disclosed herein. In embodiments, an apparatus for providing on premise ambient service may be provided. The apparatus may include a profile engine to interact with a cloud ambient service provider to receive at least one of a profile of a user of a premise or a profile of one or more visitors of the premise, wherein the profiles are associated with the provision of ambient service to a visitor of the premise on behalf of the user. The apparatus may further include a management module coupled to the profile engine to interact with one or more peripherals at the premise to provide ambient service to one or more visitors of the premise, on behalf of the user, based at least in part on the user or visitor profile. Other embodiments may be disclosed or claimed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 11, 2020
    Assignee: Intel Corporation
    Inventors: Usman Sarwar, Anil Kumar
  • Near-field transducer (NFT) for a heat assisted magnetic recording (HAMR) device
    Patent number: 10553241
    Abstract: A method and system provides a near-field transducer (NFT) for a heat assisted magnetic recording (HAMR) transducer. The method and system include forming the disk of the NFT and forming the pin of the NFT. The disk is formed from a first material. The pin is formed from a second material different from the first material. The pin contacts the disk. At least a portion of the pin is between the disk and an air-bearing surface (ABS) location.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 2, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2020
    Assignee: WESTERN DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
    Inventors: Kris Vossough, Xiaokai Zhang, Armen Kirakosian, Jinwen Wang, Tsung Yuan Chen, Yufeng Hu
  • Method and system for selecting and moving a single disc in an optical disc library
    Patent number: 10546608
    Abstract: One embodiment provides a system comprising a motor and a disc selector mechanism. The disc selector mechanism is coupled to a bottom of a guide cage and maintained in a space below the cage. The disc selector mechanism comprises a shaft, transmission components, and a slide assembly that is laterally slidable along the shaft in response to the motor driving the transmission components. The slide assembly comprises a slide coupled to the shaft, a pivot bar coupled to the slide, and pick blades pivotally coupled to the pivot bar. A linear motion of the slide assembly along the shaft drives a linear translation of the pivot bar. The linear translation drives a pick blade of the slide assembly to move towards a side of the cage and out of the space and to pivot to a raised position to contact and lift a disc upwards into a disc gripper device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 4, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 28, 2020
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: David J. Altknecht, John S. Best, Donald S. Bethune, William M. Dyer
  • Magnetic write head for providing spin-torque-assisted write field enhancement
    Patent number: 10546603
    Abstract: Disclosed herein are magnetic write heads and hard disk drives comprising such magnetic write heads. A magnetic head comprises a magnetic pole, a first shield separated from the magnetic pole at an air-bearing surface (ABS) of the magnetic head, a magnetic layer disposed between the magnetic pole and the first shield, wherein the magnetic layer comprises at least of iron, cobalt, or nickel, a first non-magnetic layer disposed between the magnetic pole and the magnetic layer, and a second non-magnetic layer disposed between the magnetic layer and the first shield, wherein the magnetic layer is the only magnetic layer at the ABS that is between the main pole and the first shield that is not adjacent to the main pole or the first shield.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 13, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 28, 2020
    Assignee: Western Digital Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: James Terrence Olson, Hiroyuki Hoshiya, Alexander Goncharov, Masato Shiimoto, Mikito Sugiyama
  • Magnetic head with high-frequency oscillating element and disk device comprising the same
    Patent number: 10546600
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, a magnetic head includes a main pole, a write shield magnetic pole opposed to the main pole with a write gap, and a high-frequency oscillator provided between the main pole and the write shield magnetic pole within the write gap. The main pole includes a shield-side end surface opposing the write shield magnetic pole with the write gap and brought into contact with the high frequency oscillator. The high-frequency oscillator has a width in a cross-track direction, in an air bearing surface, greater than a width of the shield-side end surface in the cross-track direction. The high-frequency oscillator is disposed to extend over at least one end edge of the shield-side end surface in the cross-track direction to an outer side of the main pole.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 7, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 28, 2020
    Assignees: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba, Toshiba Electronic Devices & Storage Corporation
    Inventors: Gaku Koizumi, Masaya Ohtake
  • Magnetic disk device with first and second welded portions
    Patent number: 10535377
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, a magnetic disk device includes a rotatable disk-shaped recording medium, a head which processes data on the recording medium and a housing including a base accommodating the recording medium and the head and a cover including a welded portion laser-welded to the base. The welded portion includes a first welded portion welded by a first weld width and a second welded portion welded by a second weld width greater than the first weld width.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 14, 2020
    Assignees: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba, Toshiba Electronic Devices & Storage Corporation
    Inventor: Kenichiro Aoki
  • Actuator tip calibration for robotic optical storage system
    Patent number: 10529371
    Abstract: A calibration system includes a moveable arm configured for movement within an optical disc storage system. A disc kicker device includes an actuator and an actuator tip that contacts an optical disc. The disc kicker device is connected to the moveable arm. The calibration system performs a calibration operation to calibrate the actuator at the actuator tip to correct displacement error.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 29, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 7, 2020
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Daniel F. Smith, David Jame Altknecht
  • Heat-assisted magnetic recording (HAMR) read/write head with reversed read head and write head
    Patent number: 10522176
    Abstract: A heat-assisted magnetic recording (HAMR) disk drive read/write head has the write head located adjacent the trailing surface of the gas-bearing slider with the read head located adjacent the write head, which is the reversed location from conventional read/write heads. This results in reduced write head protrusion during writing which allows for a reduced minimum fly-height for the slider. For a HAMR read/write head that uses a heater to protrude the read head closer to the disk during reading, the reversed location allows for better heater efficiency and thus reduced heater power.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 15, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 31, 2019
    Assignee: Western Digital Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Wentao Yan, Neil David Knutson
  • Tape drive bearing temperature control
    Patent number: 10515663
    Abstract: A determination is made whether read/write is enabled within the tape drive storage unit. In response to determining that read/write is enabled, a determination is made whether a temperature within the tape drive storage unit exceeds a threshold value. In response to determining that the temperature within the tape drive storage unit exceeds the threshold value, a determination is made of a direction of travel of a tape media within the tape drive storage unit. In response to determining that the direction of travel is a forward direction, a first cooling device is powered on. The first cooling device lowers the temperature of a first guide roller and the tape media coming off a first tape storage reel prior to the tape media passing by a read/write head within the tape drive storage unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 17, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 24, 2019
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Nhan X. Bui, Kevin B. Judd, Randy C. Inch, Mark A. Lantz, David H. F. Harper