Patents Examined by George J. Letscher
  • Patent number: 6667940
    Abstract: A disk device is provided with a disk insertion/ejection means which performs insertion and ejection operations of a disk to the inside and outside the device and a displacement means which displaces said disk insertion/ejection means along a direction of disk insertion/ejection and wherein said displacement means is adapted to displace the disk insertion/ejection means in either a direction of disk insertion or disk ejection based on the operation of said disk.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 12, 2001
    Date of Patent: December 23, 2003
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Takashi Matsuda, Yasuyuki Nakanishi, Ryoto Adachi, Masahiro Ieda
  • Patent number: 6665253
    Abstract: An optical disk control mechanism comprising an electric motor, a transmission component, a limiting switch and a sliding plate. The transmission component rotates when driven by the electric motor. The transmission component includes a first timing element and a second timing element. The limiting switch has a first electrode head and a second electrode head. The first timing element makes contact with the first electrode head so that the first electrode head and the second electrode head can connect electrically when the transmission component rotates. The sliding plate has an edge. The second timing element makes contact with the edge of the sliding plate and pushes the sliding plate along as the transmission component rotates.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 14, 2001
    Date of Patent: December 16, 2003
    Assignee: Industrial Technology Research Institute
    Inventors: Yong-Song Lan, Chi-Shen Chang
  • Patent number: 6660640
    Abstract: A process for planarizing a patterned metal structure for a magnetic thin film head includes the steps of applying an encapsulation/planarizing material on a substrate, spinning the substrate in a photoresist spinner or similar machine, curing the encapsulation/planarizing layer by energetic particles such as an electron beam. The planarizing process further comprises the step of polishing the entire structure using a conventional chemical-mechanical polishing step. The curing step takes place at the substrate temperature less than 200° C., which prevents the damages of the thin film head structures such as MR and GMR sensors. This process is cheap, efficient and easy to apply.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 11, 2000
    Date of Patent: December 9, 2003
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Robert Dennis Miller, Alfred Floyd Renaldo, Willi Volksen, Howard Gordon Zolla
  • Patent number: 6661767
    Abstract: A tone arm assembly with an interchangeable tone arm tubes includes a fixed base. A support bracket is connected to the fixed base and rotatable thereon. A tone arm housing is mounted in the support bracket and rotatable therein. A separate straight tone arm tube and an S-shaped tone arm tube both have a connector at one end that is engageable with a connector on the tone arm base. The other ends of the tone arm tubes have another connector for removably attaching a cartridge thereto. The straight tone arm tube and the S-shaped tone arm tube are interchangeably connected to the tone arm housing via the respective connectors. Depending on the desired performance, on the same tone arm base, either the straight tone arm tube can be used for improved anti-skip performance or the S-shaped tone arm tube may be used for improved sound quality.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 11, 2003
    Date of Patent: December 9, 2003
    Assignee: Numark Industries, LLC
    Inventor: Robert A. Warden
  • Patent number: 6661601
    Abstract: Disclosed is a cabinet structure for a magnetic tape recorder having a rear-and-bottom structure to which a deck of the magnetic tape recorder is to be fixed. At least selected part or parts or the whole of the rear-and-bottom structure are of a sheet of metal capable of providing a shielding effect.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 1, 2001
    Date of Patent: December 9, 2003
    Assignee: Orion Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Kazuo Sasaki
  • Patent number: 6661617
    Abstract: A moving-coil magnetic microactuator is formed by using a dual silicon wafer structure and thin film technologies such as deep trench reactive ion etching, reactive ion etching, plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition and metallo-organinc chemical vapor deposition. Several bottom structures are formed from a bottom wafer, each bottom structure having a coil and wires embedded in the surface of the bottom structure. Several top structures are formed from a top wafer, each top structure having a magnet and mechanical stand-offs. The top structures are bonded to the bottom structures so that the magnet is above the embedded coil, separated by an air gap created by the mechanical stand-offs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 2000
    Date of Patent: December 9, 2003
    Assignee: Seagate Technology LLC
    Inventors: Roger Lee Hipwell, Jr., Lee Walter, Wayne Allen Bonin, Barry Dean Wissman, Zine-Eddine Boutaghou
  • Patent number: 6657822
    Abstract: A magnetic disk apparatus includes a magnetic disk, a magnetic head for writing data into and reading data from the magnetic disk, a carriage pivoted on a pivot bearing while holding the magnetic head at its one end, the pivot bearing being constituted by a cylindrical sleeve serving as a fixed axle, bearing units each having an outer race fitted to the inside of the sleeve, bearing balls, and an inner race, and a shaft having the outside fitted to the inner races of the bearing units, thus, change of a pre-load caused by a heat expansion difference between the shaft and sleeve is an axial direction is compensated with a change of a pre-load caused thereby the same is a radius direction. Hence, the weight of a pivotally movable portion of an actuator is reduced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 26, 2000
    Date of Patent: December 2, 2003
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Gentaro Nakamura, Nobuyuki Okunaga, Toshihisa Okazaki, Isao Kobayashi, Toshihiro Arisaka
  • Patent number: 6657948
    Abstract: An optical information recording medium includes a transparent substrate, a thin film layer formed on said transparent substrate and having a recording film, a thin film protecting film formed on said thin film layer, and a substrate protecting film formed on said transparent substrates. A neutral plane of deformation caused by a temperature change of the optical information recording medium is present within the thin film layer. Consequently, it has become possible to provide an optical information recording medium which can prevent deformation (warpage) caused by temperature and humidity changes and be readily manufactured.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 2000
    Date of Patent: December 2, 2003
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hideharu Tajima, Nobuyuki Takamori
  • Patent number: 6657945
    Abstract: A forced flow of cooling air through a computer housing is created during operation of a specially designed data storage disc drive structure operatively disposed in the housing. The drive, which is illustratively a CD ROM drive, has a bladed carrying structure which supports a compact disc and is rotationally driven with the supported disc. Driven rotation of the bladed carrying structure creates the forced flow of cooling air within the housing without requiring additional space for a separate cooling fan therein. In two illustrated embodiments of the bladed carrying structure the created cooling air flow is generally parallel to the rotational axis of the compact disc, and in a third embodiment of the bladed carrying structure the created cooling air flow is generally transverse to the rotational axis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 2002
    Date of Patent: December 2, 2003
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventor: Vu T. Nguyen
  • Patent number: 6657816
    Abstract: A thin film read/write head with a high performance inductive write section that demonstrates good physical pole tip geometry control and is simple and economical to process. The head delineates an air bearing surface, and includes a pedestal formed on a read section. The pedestal includes a back edge that defines a zero throat level which lies in a plane substantially parallel to the air bearing surface. A pole layer is formed over, and separated from the pedestal to define a write gap therebetween. The pole layer includes an angled edge so that a top yoke can be stitched therealong to the pole layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 3, 2001
    Date of Patent: December 2, 2003
    Inventors: Ronald A. Barr, Alguo Feng
  • Patent number: 6657813
    Abstract: To make a soft magnetic underlayer of a double layered perpendicular magnetic recording medium thinner than heretofore while avoiding saturation. Assuming that Tb1 is the thickness of the soft magnetic underlayer of the double layered perpendicular magnetic recording medium, BS2 the saturation flux density of the same, Tm the thickness of a magnetic recording head's main pole 1 along a track direction in the vicinity of its floating surface, TWW the track width of the same, and BS1 the saturation flux density of the same, then Tb1<(BS1×Tm×TWW)/2(BS2×(Tm+TWW)) is satisfied.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 20, 2001
    Date of Patent: December 2, 2003
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Yasutaka Nishida, Hisashi Takano, Masafumi Mochizuki
  • Patent number: 6657814
    Abstract: A transducing head (740) for a magnetic tape recorder comprises a first magnetic pole (744) and a second magnetic pole (742) positioned to form a gap therebetween. The first magnetic pole (744) has a first magnetic pole width H3 along the gap and the second magnetic pole (744) has a second magnetic pole width H1 along the gap. The first magnetic pole width H3 and the second magnetic pole width H1 are formed to satisfy the relation H1<H3<3T<H2, wherein H2 is a physical tape contact width of the transducing head and 3T is a width of three adjacent recorded tracks traversed by the head.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 17, 2001
    Date of Patent: December 2, 2003
    Assignee: Exabyte Corporation
    Inventors: Steven L. Magnusson, Wolfgang Nichtl-Pecher
  • Patent number: 6654334
    Abstract: In a disk unit for recording and reproducing information to and from a disk-like recording medium, a disk loading device includes a slot into which a disk-like recording medium is inserted; a retaining member that retains the disk-like recording medium inserted from the slot; a moving member that moves the retaining member so as to retract the disk-like recording medium in a disk insert direction during insertion and expel the disk-like recording medium in a disk eject direction during ejection; a drive mechanism that drives the moving member in the insert direction and the eject direction; and a manual drive member that, when pressed, slidingly engages the drive mechanism and drives the drive mechanism in the eject direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 28, 2000
    Date of Patent: November 25, 2003
    Assignee: Teac Corporation
    Inventors: Norio Yamashita, Mitsunobu Sato, Ryou Yoshitomi
  • Patent number: 6654204
    Abstract: A single reel with magnetic tape wound thereon is housed in a case. A restraining member, for restricting rotation of the reel by moving toward or away from the reel, is urged in a restraining direction by an urging member. The pushing-up portions of a releasing member are inserted into the through holes bored in the reel gear of the reel 2 so that the lower ends can abut a driving gear. The releasing member moves the restraining member in a releasing direction by moving according to the chucking operation of drive-side rotation drive means. In this manner, reel-rotation restraining means allows rotation of the reel when being used and restricts the rotation when not being used. In this construction, each of the through holes is bored between the tooth edges of the reel gear so that the releasing member can perform a reliable releasing operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 18, 2002
    Date of Patent: November 25, 2003
    Assignee: Fuji Photo Film Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kiyoo Morita, Daisuke Takahashi, Hideaki Shiga, Seiji Tsuyuki, Yusuke Ishihara
  • Patent number: 6650601
    Abstract: Disclosed is a hard disk drive picking device and method for transferring a disk drive from one of a plurality of storage bins in a library to a destination wherein the disk drive may be electrically interconnected to a computer. The picking device includes a backplane adapted to provide power or I/O interconnections between the disk drive and the destination during transfer of the disk drive.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 2001
    Date of Patent: November 18, 2003
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Robert G. Emberty, Craig Klein, Daniel J. Winarski
  • Patent number: 6650513
    Abstract: The invention is a magnetic device that includes a ferromagnetic/antiferromagnetic (F/AF) structure wherein the ferromagnetic layer is perpendicularly exchange biased by the antiferromagnetic layer. The invention has application to perpendicular magnetic recording disks and magnetic tunnel junction devices used as read heads for disk drives and memory cells in magnetic memory arrays.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 29, 2001
    Date of Patent: November 18, 2003
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Eric Edward Fullerton, Stefan Maat, Stuart Stephen Papworth Parkin, Kentaro Takano
  • Patent number: 6650508
    Abstract: There is disclosed an information storage apparatus in which movement of a carriage is smooth, and precision of a recording reproduction position is high. Both a gravity center G of a carriage 120, and an application point H at which a slider 126 receives a force exist inside a triangle T whose respective vertexes are formed by a first support member 122 and second support members 123, 124.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 26, 2001
    Date of Patent: November 18, 2003
    Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
    Inventor: Hiroki Kobayashi
  • Patent number: 6646832
    Abstract: A disk drive (22) for load/unload applications having an actuator arm (32), a slider (34) and a suspension membrane (48) which attaches the slider (34) to the actuator arm (32). The slider (34) includes a leading edge (50), a trailing edge (52), a number of pads (80, 82) and a cavity (60), which creates a region of sub-ambient pressure (61), including a negative pressure center (62). A load point (64) is formed where the suspension membrane (48) attaches to the slider (34). The negative pressure center (62) is positioned towards the trailing edge (52) relative to the load point (64), such that when upward force (96) is applied to the slider (34) at the load point (64), a moment (98) is produced which raises the leading edge (50), allowing increased air flow into the cavity (60), which diminishes the sub-ambient pressure (61), and allows the arm (34) to be raised without damaging the suspension membrane (48).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 29, 2001
    Date of Patent: November 11, 2003
    Inventors: Manuel Anaya-Dufresne, Pablo G. Levi
  • Patent number: 6646827
    Abstract: A perpendicular magnetic recording head includes a write pole designed to reduce or eliminate problems caused by stray magnetic fields. By positioning a write coil close to the air bearing surface of the recording head, and controlling the geometry of the write pole, the necessity of a return pole to provide a closed magnetic flux path through the write pole and the magnetic recording media is eliminated. The use of an open magnetic path produced by a single write pole reduces or eliminates problems caused by stray magnetic fields which, in conventional perpendicular magnetic recording head designs, travel through the soft magnetic underlayer of the recording media and enter the recording head through the return pole.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 10, 2001
    Date of Patent: November 11, 2003
    Assignee: Seagate Technology LLC
    Inventors: Sakhrat Khizroev, Dmitri Litvinov, Billy Crue
  • Patent number: 6643252
    Abstract: A chucking apparatus 1 includes a chuck disk 11 and a chuck arm 17. The disk 11 is a disk lockable with a turn table 3. The arm 17 has an opening 33 through which the chuck disk 11 is insertable, and a holding part 31 where the disk 11 is rotatably arranged, plural first hooks 35 projecting inwardly radially from an edge of the opening 33, and a second hook 37 provided at the edge of the opening 33 for preventing the disk 11 in the part 31 from escaping outward. The hooks 35 allow insertion of the disk 11 in the part 31 and support the disk 11 in the part 31. The second hook 37 is shaped to have rigidity against a force received when the disk 11 tends to escape from the holding part than that against a force received when the disk 11 is mounted.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 21, 2001
    Date of Patent: November 4, 2003
    Assignee: Funai Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Teruaki Sogawa, Takayuki Murakami, Hideki Kume