Patents Examined by Henok Heyi
  • Patent number: 8400376
    Abstract: Provided is a voltage selection circuit for outputting a potential selected from a plurality of input potentials, the voltage selection circuit capable of selectively outputting a first high-level potential being a highest potential, a second high-level potential, or a third high-level potential being a lowest potential from an output terminal thereof. The voltage selection circuit includes a first switching circuit that supplies the first high-level potential to the output terminal, a second switching circuit that supplies the second high-level potential to the output terminal, and a third switching circuit that supplies the third high-level potential to the output terminal. The first switching circuit includes a high-voltage transistor and a level shifter connected to a gate terminal of the high-voltage transistor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 5, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2013
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Hidetoshi Saito
  • Patent number: 8395973
    Abstract: Incident light can be efficiently converted into near-field light whose spot size is small. A waveguide 10 includes: a metallic member 11 made of a metallic material; and a dielectric member 12 made of a dielectric material. The metallic member 11 includes a first interface 16 and a second interface 18 so as to sandwich the dielectric member 12. The first interface and the second interface are provided so that an inter-interface distance therebetween may decrease from ends 16c and 18c to ends 16d and 18d. The first interface 16 and the second interface 18 have flections P16 and P18, respectively.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 16, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2013
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Tazuko Kitazawa, Noboru Iwata
  • Patent number: 8395971
    Abstract: A heat-assisted magnetic recording head includes a slider, an edge-emitting laser diode fixed to the slider, and an external mirror provided outside the slider. The slider includes a magnetic pole, a waveguide, a near-field light generating element, and a substrate. The substrate has a top surface facing toward the magnetic pole, the near-field light generating element and the waveguide. The slider has a top surface that lies above the top surface of the substrate, at an end of the slider farther from the top surface of the substrate. The laser diode includes: an active layer; an emitting end face that lies at an end in a direction parallel to the plane of the active layer and includes an emission part for emitting laser light; and a bottom surface that lies at an end in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the active layer. The laser diode is arranged so that the bottom surface faces the top surface of the slider.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 15, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2013
    Assignee: Headway Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Yoshitaka Sasaki, Hiroyuki Ito, Shigeki Tanemura, Hironori Araki
  • Patent number: 8395972
    Abstract: A thermally assisted magnetic head is formed by performing a head forming process, a mounting part forming process and a light source mounting process in that order. In the head forming process, a planned area is secured on a light source placing surface of a slider substrate, then a magnetic head part is formed on a head area other than the planned area and a spacer for securing a mounting space for the laser diode is formed on the planned area. In the mounting part forming process, a light source mounting part is formed by removing the spacer. In the light source mounting process, a laser diode is mounted on the light source mounting part formed by the mounting part forming step.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2013
    Assignees: Headway Technologies, Inc., TDK Corporation
    Inventors: Yoshitaka Sasaki, Hiroyuki Ito, Atsushi Iijima
  • Patent number: 8391122
    Abstract: According to the present invention, there is provided a method of providing a WORM storage system, the method including a sector-append capability. The method includes receiving data to be written to a WORM storage system. In addition, the method includes identifying a target sector at which the data is to be written. Also, the method includes determining if the received data can be added to the target sector. Moreover, the method includes adding the received data to the target sector if it is determined that the received data can be added to the target sector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2013
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Windsor Wee Sun Hsu, Lan Huang, Michael A. Ko, Shauchi Ong
  • Patent number: 8391106
    Abstract: A heat-assisted magnetic recording head includes a slider, and an edge-emitting laser diode that emits polarized light of TM mode. The laser diode is arranged so that its bottom surface faces the top surface of the slider. An electrode of the laser diode closer to the active layer is bonded to a conductive layer of the slider, whereby the laser diode is fixed to the slider. As viewed from above the laser diode, the bottom surface of the electrode of the laser diode includes a first area that a light propagation path of the laser diode overlies, and a second area other than the first area. The top surface of the conductive layer is in contact not with the first area but with the second area of the bottom surface of the electrode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 3, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2013
    Assignee: TDK Corporation
    Inventors: Koji Shimazawa, Yasuhiro Ito, Yuji Kakinuma, Daisuke Miyauchi, Kosuke Tanaka
  • Patent number: 8385158
    Abstract: A method and system for fabricating an energy assisted magnetic recording (EAMR) transducer is described. The EAMR transducer has an air-bearing surface (ABS) and a waveguide. The method includes providing a planarized near field transducer (NFT) for the waveguide and forming a sloped surface on the planarized NFT. The sloped surface has a front edge separated from the ABS by a distance. The method and system also include providing a write pole on the sloped surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 6, 2009
    Date of Patent: February 26, 2013
    Assignee: Western Digital (Fremont), LLC
    Inventors: Yufeng Hu, Ut Tran
  • Patent number: 8385163
    Abstract: A system for optical disc storage, writing and reading including a housing holding at least two optical disc racks and a plurality of read/write drives that may be positioned in line with the storage rack. A track spans the racks, (e.g., a parallel track is positioned between two racks). A shuttle mounted on the track allows transfer of discs from the racks to drives. The shuttle may allow for disc pass through, disc rotation, or have other structures for disc transport.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 6, 2010
    Date of Patent: February 26, 2013
    Assignee: Hitachi-LG Data Storage, Inc.
    Inventors: Ravender Goyal, Kyquang Son, Amir H. Torkaman, Jamie Nam, Kimhoe Pang, Richard Sharpe
  • Patent number: 8385157
    Abstract: A method and system for writing data to a media utilizing an energy assisted magnetic recording (EAMR) head are described. The EAMR head includes at least one laser and at least one EAMR transducer. The laser(s) provide energy. The EAMR transducer(s) are coupled with the laser. The EAMR transducer(s) are configured to direct the energy to spot(s) on the media and to write a plurality of tracks of data in a block. The method and system include writing a track of the plurality of tracks on the media within the spot(s) using the EAMR transducer and stepping a track pitch along a particular radial direction on the media. The method and system also include repeating the writing and stepping steps until the plurality of tracks for the block is written.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2009
    Date of Patent: February 26, 2013
    Assignee: Western Digital Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Eric J. Champion, Francis H. Liu, Adam F. Torabi
  • Patent number: 8379496
    Abstract: Provided are a recording device, a recording method and a program capable of recording a plurality of types of data files and reproducing, even when data recording is interrupted, data that have been recorded before the interruption. The recording device includes a recording medium control unit 170 for controlling recording and reproduction of data on a recording medium 150 including a data area in which data rows can be recorded as files and a specific area in which management information for the files can be recorded, and a recording control unit 110 for time-divisionally recording, through the recording medium control unit 170, a first data row as a first file and a second data as a second file.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 3, 2010
    Date of Patent: February 19, 2013
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Masanori Mitsuzumi, Hideaki Kobayashi
  • Patent number: 8379494
    Abstract: An apparatus includes a light source for producing a beam of light, a coupler for coupling the light into a slider waveguide, a beam expander for expanding the beam of light from the waveguide to produce an expanded beam, a collimator for collimating the expanded beam, and a focusing device for concentrating the collimated beam to a focal point. A method of delivering light to a focal point is also described.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 3, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 19, 2013
    Assignee: Seagate Technology LLC
    Inventors: Chubing Peng, Yongjun Zhao
  • Patent number: 8374060
    Abstract: A thermally-assisted magnetic recording method includes first and second steps. The first step applies heat to part of a hard disk medium and forms a moving high-temperature region in a magnetic recording layer of the hard disk medium. The high-temperature region is higher in temperature than a region therearound and has a temperature equal to or higher than the maximum coercivity vanishing temperature of a plurality of magnetic grains contained in the magnetic recording layer. At least one magnetic grain that is adjacent to the rear end of the high-temperature region in the direction of movement of the high-temperature region has a coercivity of a value other than 0. The second step applies a write magnetic field to the hard disk medium such that the write magnetic field applied to the at least one magnetic grain adjacent to the rear end of the high-temperature region is 3 kOe or smaller in magnitude.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 11, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 12, 2013
    Assignee: TDK Corporation
    Inventors: Koji Shimazawa, Tomohito Mizuno, Hiroshi Kiyono
  • Patent number: 8374059
    Abstract: A heat-assisted magnetic write head includes a magnetic pole having an end surface exposed at an air bearing surface, a waveguide extending toward the air bearing surface to propagate light, a first pair of clads made of a first dielectric material having a refractive index lower than that of the waveguide, and sandwiching the waveguide in a track width direction, and a second pair of clads made of a second dielectric material having a refractive index lower than that of the first dielectric material, and sandwiching the waveguide in a thickness direction orthogonal to the track width direction. Further, the heat-assisted magnetic write head may include, between the magnetic pole and the waveguide, a plasmon generator generating near-field light from the air bearing surface, based on light propagating through the waveguide.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 11, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 12, 2013
    Assignee: TDK Corporation
    Inventors: Takahiko Izawa, Tsutomu Chuo, Eiji Komura, Kosuke Tanaka
  • Patent number: 8374065
    Abstract: An apparatus, system, and method are disclosed for performing data library background operations. The present invention teaches one or more data storage drives capable of entering a phantom load mode and a library controller capable of initiating the phantom load mode for the data storage drives. The phantom load mode operates to hide the media status of the data storage drives from host computers during background operations involving the data storage drives. In certain embodiments, the data storage drives exit the phantom load mode as a result of a media unload request. In some embodiments, the library controller receives a media load request from a host computer during the background operation and completes the media load request upon completion of the background operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 7, 2006
    Date of Patent: February 12, 2013
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Brian Gerard Goodman, Leonard George Jesionowski
  • Patent number: 8369189
    Abstract: A TAMR (Thermal Assisted Magnetic Recording) writer has a narrow pole tip with a trailing edge magnetic shield. The narrow pole tipped write head uses the energy of laser generated edge plasmons, formed in a plasmon generating layer, to locally heat a PMR magnetic recording medium below its Curie temperature, Tc. When combined with the effects of the narrow tip, this local heating to a temperature below Tc is sufficient to create good transitions and narrow track widths in the magnetic medium. The write head is capable of writing effectively on state-of-the-art PMR recording media having Hk of 20 kOe or more.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 14, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 5, 2013
    Assignee: Headway Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Xuhui Jin, Yuchen Zhou, Kenichi Takano, Joe Smyth
  • Patent number: 8368675
    Abstract: An organic light emitting display device comprising: a data driver supplying data signals to data output lines; a scan driver supplying scan signals sequentially to scan output lines; a light emitting control line driver supplying light emitting control signals to light emitting control output lines; and a pixel unit including a plurality of pixels connected to the output lines of each driver, at least one driver having a buffer circuit disposed at each output line. Each buffer circuit comprises a transistor having a gate layer, source and drain layers and a metal layer for shielding Electro-Static Discharge (ESD), wherein the metal layer is formed over the gate layer when the gate layer is overlapped by one of the source or a drain electrodes, or the metal layer is formed to not overlap the gate layer when the gate layer is not overlapped by the source or a drain electrodes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 18, 2009
    Date of Patent: February 5, 2013
    Assignee: Samsung Display Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Dong-Wook Park, Se-Ho Kim, Jung-Keun Ahn, Han-Sung Bae, Dong-Hwi Kim, Chang-Yeop Kim, Ok-Kyung Park, Kwang-Min Kim
  • Patent number: 8355308
    Abstract: An optical recording and reading method capable of enhancing the design flexibility of recording layers of an optical recording medium and performing accurate optical recording and reading operations. A basic recording layer is arranged in a position that is in the range of 90 ?m to 110 ?m away from a light incident surface of an optical recording medium, and recording layers are arranged in parallel with the basic recording layer. At least the position information of the recording layers is recorded in one of the basic recording layer and the recording layers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 26, 2007
    Date of Patent: January 15, 2013
    Assignee: TDK Corporation
    Inventors: Hidetake Itoh, Koji Mishima, Takashi Kikukawa
  • Patent number: 8351309
    Abstract: Disclosed is a thermally assisted magnetic recording medium comprising a substrate, a plurality of underlayers formed on the substrate, and a magnetic layer which is formed on the underlayers and predominantly comprised of an alloy having a L10 structure, characterized in that at least one of the underlayers is predominantly comprised of MgO and comprises at least one kind of a metal element having a melting point of at least 2,000° C., such as Nb, Mo, Ru, Ta or W. The thermally assisted magnetic recording medium has magnetic crystal grains having uniform size in the magnetic layer, and has a narrow switching field distribution (SFD), and a magnetic recording storage provided with the thermally assisted magnetic recording medium exhibits a high SN ratio.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 23, 2011
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2013
    Assignee: Showa Denko K.K.
    Inventors: Tetsuya Kanbe, Atsushi Hashimoto, Takayuki Fukushima
  • Patent number: 8334835
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display (LCD) panel provides touch panel function. When the LCD panel is contacted, one or more internal piezoelectric elements respond to the pressure via one or more corresponding photo spacers and generate electrical signals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2009
    Date of Patent: December 18, 2012
    Assignee: Chimei Innolux Corporation
    Inventors: Hung-Ming Shen, Hung-Sheng Cho, Kun-Hsing Hsiao
  • Patent number: 8319721
    Abstract: A method is provided of controlling an illumination source for a display device which comprises a display modulator for modulating the light provided by the illumination source. The method comprises using a light sensor arrangement to generate a first signal based on an ambient light level with first illumination source drive condition, and using the light sensor arrangement to generate a second signal based on the same ambient light level but with second illumination source drive condition different to the first drive condition. The first and second signals are processed to compensate for differences in the light sensor arrangement response characteristics when operating with the first and second illumination source drive conditions thereby to derive a compensated light sensor arrangement characteristic covering both the first and second illumination source drive conditions. Ambient light levels detected using this model of the characteristic are used to control the display device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2012
    Assignee: Chimei Innolux Corporation
    Inventors: Martin John Edwards, John Richard Ayres