Patents by Inventor Andrew A. Lucas

Andrew A. Lucas has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 8717706
    Abstract: Described herein is a balance plug for a disk drive. The balance plug includes a body defining a substantially spherical outer surface and a plurality of ribs along the spherical outer surface and defining at least three meridians along the outer surface of the sphere. The at least three meridians can reside in at least two transverse planes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 8, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 6, 2014
    Assignee: Western Digital Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Curtis S. German, Andrew A. Lucas, Brian L. Rappel
  • Patent number: 8665555
    Abstract: A disk drive includes an enclosure that has a breather port therethrough. A first labyrinth path may be disposed inside the disk drive enclosure, in fluid connection with the breather port. A second labyrinth path may be temporarily disposed outside the disk drive enclosure, in fluid connection with the breather port. An alternative gas such as helium may be allowed to bleed out through the second labyrinth path during a period of servo track writing. The second labyrinth path may be removed after servo track writing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 4, 2014
    Assignee: Western Digital Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Lionel Young, John R. Gustafson, Scott E. Watson, Dana C. Fisher, Brian L. Rappel, Andrew A. Lucas
  • Patent number: 8437101
    Abstract: Described herein is a balance plug for a disk drive. The balance plug includes a body defining a substantially spherical outer surface and a plurality of ribs along the spherical outer surface and defining at least three meridians along the outer surface of the sphere. The at least three meridians can reside in at least two transverse planes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 7, 2013
    Assignee: Western Digital Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Curtis S. German, Andrew A. Lucas, Brian L. Rappel
  • Patent number: 7733595
    Abstract: A hard disk drive, its use and production are described. A read/write disk stores digital data. A spindle motor supports the read/write disk for controlled rotation thereof. A head arrangement moves to selectively access the read/write disk in a data access mode and moves to a parked position. A dedicated input is receives a first sensor related input signal. A processing arrangement executes the data access mode by cooperatively controlling the spindle motor and the head arrangement, monitoring the sensor related input signal for a predetermined characteristic thereof, and responsive to detection of the characteristic, at least moves the head arrangement to the parked position. A hard disk drive multi-sensor group, monitoring technique and interface are described.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 6, 2006
    Date of Patent: June 8, 2010
    Inventors: Andrew A. Lucas, Lance R. Carlson, Charles Partee
  • Publication number: 20100014133
    Abstract: An article with a pair of substrates made from a thermoplastic and each having an outer edge; a holographic storage medium positioned between the substrates such that the holographic storage medium has an exposed outer edge area proximate the outer edges of the substrates; and an environmental barrier seal protecting the exposed outer edge area; wherein (1) the environmental barrier seal includes a temperature-responsive stress-relieving structure; or (2) the substrates, holographic storage medium, and environmental barrier seal have materials with compatible coefficients of thermal expansion. Also a process which forms a temperature-responsive stress-relieving structure in a portion of the environmental barrier seal for relieving such temperature induced stress.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 21, 2009
    Publication date: January 21, 2010
    Applicant: INPHASE TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
    Inventors: Peter Whiteside, Andrew A. Lucas
  • Publication number: 20030041439
    Abstract: Disclosed is a method for mounting a device such as a spindle rotation motor to a base of a disk drive such as a miniature optical disk drive. In one embodiment, the method employs a tool. More particularly, the method may include mounting the tool to the base. The tool may include first and second substantially parallel surfaces separated by a first distance. The base may include a base surface and a first raised surface, wherein the base surface and the first raised surface are contained in respective, substantially parallel planes that are separated by a second distance. The first surface of the tool may engage the first raised surface of the base when the tool is mounted to the base. The base may also include a base aperture formed through the base surface. This base aperture may be sized to receive a rotation cylinder of the rotation motor. When the rotation cylinder extends through the aperture, the rotation cylinder may engage the second surface of the tool.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 4, 2001
    Publication date: March 6, 2003
    Inventors: Stanley C. Chamberlain, Andrew A. Lucas, Brian Lee Rappel, John Earl Wilson
  • Publication number: 20030043729
    Abstract: The present invention is related to a method and apparatus for limiting movement of an actuator assembly in a data storage/retrieval system. In one embodiment of the apparatus, a base is provided on which first and second devices are mounted. The first device is rotatably mounted to the base and reads or writes data to a data storage disk. The second device operates between first and second states. In the first state, the first device is capable of movement with respect to the base. In the second state, the second device operates to inhibit movement of the first device with respect to the base. The second device may operate in the first state when the first device is reading or writing data to the data storage disk, and the second device may operate in the second state when the first device is not reading or writing data to the data storage disk. In one embodiment, second device is rotatably mounted to the base between first and second positions.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 4, 2001
    Publication date: March 6, 2003
    Applicant: DataPlay, Inc.
    Inventors: Robert D. Freeman, Christopher Banks, Joseph P. Manes, Andrew A. Lucas, Dana C. Fisher
  • Patent number: 6498704
    Abstract: A disk drive with load beam damping is disclosed. Multiple disks are provided on a spindle for storage of information thereon. A rigid actuator arm block is disposed radially beyond a perimeter of these disks. Flexible load beams with read/write heads thereon extend from the actuator arm block into the space between adjacently disposed disks to read/write information from/to these disks. At least one damper is disposed between each of the load beam pairs to reduce load beam vibrations for the disk drive. Preferably these dampers also serve to further structurally interconnect the noted load beam pairs. Load beam damping may also be provided for those load beams which provide access to the extreme read/write surfaces of the disk stack, as well as for disk drives which utilize a single disk.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 23, 2000
    Date of Patent: December 24, 2002
    Assignee: Maxtor Corporation
    Inventors: H. Ross Chessman, Andrew A. Lucas
  • Patent number: 4426251
    Abstract: A self-contained portable device for quickly and efficiently recovering a precious metal, such as gold, from bimetallically coated substrate material, such as printed circuit board connectors or tabs. The base metal to which the desired precious metal is bonded must be soluable in nitric acid and be partially exposed. The device includes a processing chamber into which the material to be processed is placed. An etching solution, having a prescribed composition that typically includes nitric acid and at least one effervescent compound, is used to dissolve away the base metal, causing a tunneling effect to free the desired precious metal. Selected agitation, coupled with the frothing action of the effervescent compound(s), greatly enhance the rate at which the precious metal is freed from the bimetallic material. Recirculation of the etching solution from a storage tank to the processing chamber, and vice versa, allows a relatively small amount of the etching solution to be used.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 1982
    Date of Patent: January 17, 1984
    Assignee: Storage Technology Corporation
    Inventors: Noble Ida, Paul E. Nelson, Peter N. Haugen, Robert L. Aho, Andrew A. Lucas