Patents Examined by David Davis
  • Modular system with multi-drives and multi-magazines for storing data
    Patent number: 6983469
    Abstract: A modular data storage system is disclosed. The data storage system comprises at least one module housing. Each housing has a front chamber and a rear chamber running parallel to a front side of the module housing and extending across a width of the module housing. An open shaft is arranged between the front chamber and the rear chamber. The shaft extends across the width of the module housing. The front chamber is adapted to receive at least two storage modules adapted to hold storage media, and the rear chamber is adapted to receive at least one function module for the data storage media. At least one transfer unit is arranged in the shaft. The transfer unit has a vertically traveling elevator and a carriage adapted to travel on the elevator between the front chamber and the rear chamber. The carriage has a grip mechanism for the data storage media.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 20, 2002
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2006
    Assignee: BDT Buro-und Datentechnik GmbH & CO KG
    Inventor: Friedhelm Steinhilber
  • Auto-loading disk player
    Patent number: 6978467
    Abstract: A disk player is provided which is capable of being automatically loaded with and playing one of a plurality of types of disks when the disk is inserted in the disk player. A driver moves the receiving module from an opened position to a closed position in response to either the detection signal from disk detector or the command signal from a switch.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 13, 2000
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2005
    Assignee: Pioneer Corporation
    Inventors: Yoshimitsu Fukushima, Hiroyuki Watanabe
  • Cartridge having a recording mode switching member
    Patent number: 6977797
    Abstract: Possibility/impossibility of recording onto a recording medium accommodated in a cartridge is switched by moving a plug for preventing accidental deletion of information recorded on the recording medium along a bottom plate of a lower case. A projecting portion is formed at the plug. A flexible pin projects from an upper case so as to form a detent structure together with the projecting portion. At the time of joining together the upper and lower cases, even when the plug is positioned between a position which express possibility of recording and a position which express impossibility of recording, as the upper and lower cases are joined together, the pin relatively slides along an inclined surface formed at a top end of the projecting portion, and the plug moves to the position which makes recording possible. In this way, assemblability is good.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 11, 2003
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2005
    Assignee: Fuji Photo Film Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Wataru Iino
  • Attaching and detaching mechanism
    Patent number: 6971112
    Abstract: Coupling between a unit main body and a front panel is detachably carried out by catching means and coupling means. The coupling means comprise slide means 33 provided with a slide plate 24 which slides with respect to a bracket hardware 24 embedded in the unit main body, and holding means 28 provided at a front face of the slide plate 24 and for holding the front pane!.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 29, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 29, 2005
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Katsuyuki Inoue, Shigeo Hiramoto
  • Attaching and detaching mechanism
    Patent number: 6971113
    Abstract: Coupling between a unit main body and a front panel is detachably carried out by catching means and coupling means. The coupling means comprise slide means 33 provided with a slide plate 24 which slides with respect to a bracket hardware 24 embedded in the unit main body, and holding means 28 provided at a front face of the slide plate 24 and for holding the front panel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 29, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 29, 2005
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Katsuyuki Inoue, Shigeo Hiramoto
  • Magnetic recording head
    Patent number: 6967823
    Abstract: A magnetic recording head includes an upper shield layer, a lower shield layer, a magnetoresistive film interposed between the upper shield layer and the lower shield layer, and a pair of leads electrically coupled to the magnetoresistive film, in which a pair of side shield layers constituted by portions of the upper shield layer is formed on both sides of the magnetoresistive film, and a spacing between each side shield layer and the magnetoresistive film is formed to be narrower than twice of a spacing between the upper shield layer and the lower shield layer, thereby a side reading amount can be made smaller than a conventional side reading value determined from the spacing between the upper and lower shield layers and a magnetic spacing between the head and a medium.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 4, 2003
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2005
    Assignee: Hitachi Global Storage Technologies Japan, Ltd.
    Inventors: Kazuhiro Nakamoto, Hiroyuki Hoshiya, Chiaki Ishikawa
  • Case for disk device for reproducing or recording information
    Patent number: 6964057
    Abstract: A case of a disk device includes a case body, having a bottom plate and a pair of side plates extending upright respectively from opposite side edges of the bottom plate, a lid member, provided substantially parallel to the bottom plate, and is connected to the two side plates, a box member, contained in the case body and the lid member assembled each other, and a positioning member, positioning the box member relative to the case body and the lid member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 17, 2003
    Date of Patent: November 8, 2005
    Assignee: Mitsumi Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kiyofumi Sato, Satoru Manabe, Tsuneo Uwabo
  • Refinement of spindle motor bearing gap
    Patent number: 6961214
    Abstract: A method and system is provided for achieving good dynamic performance and negligible wear to spindle motor components. In an aspect, a disc drive storage system is provided having a hydro bearing surface coating for meeting bearing gap tolerance design specifications. In an aspect, the surface coating is a non-reactive coating of diamond like carbon (DLC), applied with physical vapor deposition (PVD). In an aspect, the surface coating nullifies any taper of an opposing surface coating. In an aspect, the hydro bearing, with an applied coating, defines a uniform gap between 0.5 microns and 6 microns.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 10, 2003
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2005
    Assignee: Seagate Technology LLC
    Inventors: Mohammad Mahbubul Ameen, Raquib Uddin Khan
  • Laser welded head drum for VCR
    Patent number: 6961220
    Abstract: In a video recorder with a rotary head drum, a lower drum (1) and drum base (2) are joined together by laser welding to simplify assembly and reduce manufacturing cost.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 22, 2002
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2005
    Assignee: Thomson Licensing
    Inventors: Philippe Berthaud, Michel Perrot
  • Removable disk drive apparatus having large and small disk support lugs
    Patent number: 6959443
    Abstract: A removable disk drive apparatus can insert a smaller diameter disk into a tray of a vertical drive device, and improve the reliability of the disk supporting function. The tray, on which a plurality of concave portions for a disk for supporting disk storage media having different diameters are formed in the concentric positions, includes larger disk support lugs provided at plural points on the periphery of the concave portion for a larger diameter disk, and smaller disk support lugs provided at plural points on the periphery of the concave portion for a smaller diameter disk.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 13, 2002
    Date of Patent: October 25, 2005
    Assignee: NEC Corporation
    Inventor: Satoshi Ohgaki
  • Disk drive apparatus with inclined clamp release function
    Patent number: 6959445
    Abstract: The present invention provides a disc drive apparatus including a rotation drive mechanism for driving or rotating an optical disc, which has a disc table onto which the optical disc is to be placed, and a motor for rotating the disc table, a clamp member for clamping the optical disc jointly with the disc table, the optical disc being placed on the disc table, and a hold mechanism for rotatably holding the clamp member, which causes the clamp member to shift toward the disc table with the axis of the clamp member being substantially parallel to the axis of the disc table when the clamp member clamps the optical disc jointly with the disc table, and causes-the clamp member to shift away from the disc table with the axis of the clamp member being inclined against the axis of the disc table when the clamp member releases the clamp state of the optical disc clamped by the clamp member and the disc table.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 14, 2001
    Date of Patent: October 25, 2005
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Hajime Mizuno
  • Disc speed control device
    Patent number: 6952386
    Abstract: A disc speed control device for use in a disc player and/or recorder having a pick-up for reading/recording data. The device comprises an inner loop which regulates a determined disc rotation speed value received at its input and an outer loop which delivers this speed value depending on a frequency at which data is read by the pick-up. The present invention is particularly useful in multistandard disc drives which need to adjust to different disc speed modes, for example, constant angular velocity, or constant linear velocity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 11, 2000
    Date of Patent: October 4, 2005
    Assignee: Thomson Licensing S.A.
    Inventor: Peter Mahr
  • Tunnel magnetoresistive effective element, and a thin film magnetic head, a magnetic head device and a magnetic disk drive device using same
    Patent number: 6943998
    Abstract: A tunnel magnetoresistive effective element has a ferromagnetic tunnel effective film with a free layer, a pinned layer and a tunnel barrier layer sandwiched between the free layer and the pinned layer, a magnetic bias means, a first conductive layer, and a second conductive layer. The magnetic bias means apply a bias magnetic field to the free layer of the ferromagnetic tunnel effective film. The first conductive layer and the second conductive layer generate magnetic fields having the same direction as that of the bias magnetic field through a sense current therein to reinforce the bias magnetic field.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 3, 2001
    Date of Patent: September 13, 2005
    Assignee: TDK Corporation
    Inventors: Koji Shimazawa, Tsuyoshi Umehara, Satoru Araki
  • Disk recording or playback device and process for assembling the device in which a holding mechanism pivotally supports the frame during an oblique insertion operation
    Patent number: 6944872
    Abstract: A mechanism deck provided with a turntable for rotating a disk and movable upward or downward as coupled to a slide member comprises a subchassis having the turntable mounted thereon, and a frame fitting to the slide member and supporting the subchassis. The chassis is provided with a holding mechanism for upwardly or downwardly pivotally movably supporting the frame as fitted to the slide member through a space between the clamp support plate and the chassis. The frame is provided with a pin projecting outward therefrom and supported by the holding mechanism for restraining the frame from backlashing upward or downward, and the projecting pin has a projection for preventing the frame from backlashing laterally.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 17, 2002
    Date of Patent: September 13, 2005
    Assignee: Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Masahiro Moriyama, Yasuo Yanase, Tadashi Inoue
  • Disk insertion, biasing and alignment apparatus
    Patent number: 6941564
    Abstract: A disk insertion position setting device that can be compactly arranged. First and second sliding members 31 and 32, with disk contacting parts 39 and 41, are provided in a manner enabling sliding in directions that intersect a central line O of a disk insertion direction F. Sliding members 31 and 32 are urged by a spring 33 in directions in which disk contacting parts 39 and 41 approach central line O. A rotating member 34 is disposed in a rotatable manner between sliding members 31 and 32. By means of rotating member 34, the sliding of sliding members 31 and 32 in synchronization in mutually opposite directions is allowed and the sliding of just one of either sliding member 31 or 32 alone is restricted. A compact arrangement is realized by the use of sliding members 31 and 32 that slide in directions that intersect central line O.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2003
    Date of Patent: September 6, 2005
    Assignee: Shinwa Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Mitsuhiro Shimozaki
  • Spindle mortor for optical disk drive having a stator with upper tracks at different heights
    Patent number: 6931652
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a spindle motor employed for a disk player. The spindle motor comprises: a deck plate; a shaft rotatably disposed on the deck plate; a stator having a core wound with coils which is disposed on the outer peripheral surface of the shaft and generates a magnetic force; a magnet which is provided at the upper part of the stator and generates a magnetic force; a cap type rotor which is coupled to the upper end of the shaft integrally with the shaft so as to be located at the upper part of the pulling magnet and the stator and is provided on the upper part with a track having a different height from another; a magnet which is disposed on the inner peripheral surface of the rotor so that it can be opposed to the core of the stator with an air gap therebetween; and a turntable which is disposed on the upper surface of the rotor integrally with the rotor and mounts a disk.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 11, 2003
    Date of Patent: August 16, 2005
    Assignee: Samsung Electro-Mechanics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Chil Sung Lee, Tae Heon Kim
  • Disk drive disk with landing zone having textured and untextured regions
    Patent number: 6927941
    Abstract: A disk storage medium and a disk drive which reduce friction during landing of the head/slider is described. The minimum fly height area of the head/slider is positioned over a texture free portion of the landing zone on the disk surface landing. In a preferred embodiment, the landing zone of a magnetic disk is a laser texture zone comprising a great number of bumps and is positioned during landing adjacent an area other than the minimum fly height area of the head/slider. The area facing the minimum fly height area of a head/slider has no bumps, i.e. is a bump free zone.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 1998
    Date of Patent: August 9, 2005
    Assignee: Hitachi Global Storage Technologies Netherlands BV
    Inventors: Hidetsugu Tanaka, Yoshio Yamamoto, Yoshinao Harada, Takao Chikazawa
  • Disc ejection device
    Patent number: 6922837
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a disc ejection device of a disc drive to urgently eject a tray for holding a disc from the housing of the disc drive. The disc ejection device includes a first bar, a second bar, and a first protrusion. The first bar and the second bar are rotatably connected with the tray respectively. One end of the first bar sticks out of the panel of the disc drive, and the other end of the first bar is located touching against one end of the second bar. The second bar has a first latch located touching against the first protrusion which is connected with the housing. A user may move the stick-out end of the first bar to eject the tray.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 18, 2003
    Date of Patent: July 26, 2005
    Assignee: BenQ Corporation
    Inventor: Yen-Jen Chang
  • Magnetic disk device with firmly fixed yokes
    Patent number: 6912105
    Abstract: The present invention provides a magnetic disk device which firmly fixes the yokes of a rotary actuator between a base and a cover. The yoke can be made compact and the movable range of the rotary actuator can be wide. An attaching screw attaches a first yoke to a base and fixing screws passing through the second yoke and the first yoke from a cover are screwed to the base.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 2, 1998
    Date of Patent: June 28, 2005
    Assignee: Hitachi Global Storage Technologies, Netherlands B.V.
    Inventors: Akira Morita, Shingo Tsuda, Yoshitaka Kakizaki
  • Perpendicular recording head with trackwidth defined by plating thickness
    Patent number: 6898053
    Abstract: A perpendicular recording head for use with magnetic recording media includes an unusually thin main pole. The main pole is made by depositing magnetically permeable material on a nonmagnetic substrate. The main pole is then magnetically coupled with an opposing pole so that the deposited magnetically permeable material is oriented parallel to the recording head's direction of travel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 2000
    Date of Patent: May 24, 2005
    Assignee: Seagate Technology LLC
    Inventors: Sakhrat Khizroev, Dmitri Litvinov, Bill Crue, Nurul Amin, Robert Earl Rottmayer