Abstract: A PZT microactuator such as for a hard disk drive has a restraining layer bonded on its side that is opposite the side on which the PZT is mounted. The restraining layer comprises a stiff and resilient material such as stainless steel. The restraining layer can cover most or all of the top of the PZT, with an electrical connection being made to the PZT where it is not covered by the restraining layer. The restraining layer reduces bending of the PZT as mounted and hence increases effective stroke length, or reverses the sign of the bending which increases the effective stroke length of the PZT even further. The restraining layer can be one or more active layers of PZT material that act in the opposite direction as the main PZT layer. The restraining layer(s) may be thinner than the main PZT layer.

Abstract: A PZT microactuator such as for a hard disk drive has a restraining layer bonded on its side that is opposite the side on which the PZT is mounted. The restraining layer comprises a stiff and resilient material such as stainless steel. The restraining layer can cover most or all of the top of the PZT, with an electrical connection being made to the PZT where it is not covered by the restraining layer. The restraining layer reduces bending of the PZT as mounted and hence increases effective stroke length, or reverses the sign of the bending which increases the effective stroke length of the PZT even further. The restraining layer can be one or more active layers of PZT material that act in the opposite direction as the main PZT layer. The restraining layer(s) may be thinner than the main PZT layer.

Abstract: A PZT microactuator such as for a hard disk drive has a restraining layer bonded on its side that is opposite the side on which the PZT is mounted. The restraining layer comprises a stiff and resilient material such as stainless steel. The restraining layer can cover most or all of the top of the PZT, with an electrical connection being made to the PZT where it is not covered by the restraining layer. The restraining layer reduces bending of the PZT as mounted and hence increases effective stroke length, or reverses the sign of the bending which increases the effective stroke length of the PZT even further. The restraining layer can be one or more active layers of PZT material that act in the opposite direction as the main PZT layer. The restraining layer(s) may be thinner than the main PZT layer.

Abstract: A PZT microactuator such as for a hard disk drive has a restraining layer bonded on its side that is opposite the side on which the PZT is mounted. The restraining layer comprises a stiff and resilient material such as stainless steel. The restraining layer can cover most or all of the top of the PZT, with an electrical connection being made to the PZT where it is not covered by the restraining layer. The restraining layer reduces bending of the PZT as mounted and hence increases effective stroke length, or reverses the sign of the bending which increases the effective stroke length of the PZT even further. The restraining layer can be one or more active layers of PZT material that act in the opposite direction as the main PZT layer. The restraining layer(s) may be thinner than the main PZT layer.

Abstract: A PZT microactuator such as for a hard disk drive has a restraining layer bonded on its side that is opposite the side on which the PZT is mounted. The restraining layer comprises a stiff and resilient material such as stainless steel. The restraining layer can cover most or all of the top of the PZT, with an electrical connection being made to the PZT where it is not covered by the restraining layer. The restraining layer reduces bending of the PZT as mounted and hence increases effective stroke length, or reverses the sign of the bending which increases the effective stroke length of the PZT even further. The restraining layer can be one or more active layers of PZT material that act in the opposite direction as the main PZT layer. The restraining layer(s) may be thinner than the main PZT layer.

Abstract: A PZT microactuator such as for a hard disk drive has a restraining layer bonded on its side that is opposite the side on which the PZT is mounted. The restraining layer comprises a stiff and resilient material such as stainless steel. The restraining layer can cover most or all of the top of the PZT, with an electrical connection being made to the PZT where it is not covered by the restraining layer. The restraining layer reduces bending of the PZT as mounted and hence increases effective stroke length, or reverses the sign of the bending which increases the effective stroke length of the PZT even further. The restraining layer can be one or more active layers of PZT material that act in the opposite direction as the main PZT layer. The restraining layer(s) may be thinner than the main PZT layer.

Abstract: A secure processing facility has a plurality of workstations, with associated computers to provide data to, and/or receive data from, the workstations. The computers are provided with a visual display unit, and display machine-readable data codes on the display. The computers are provided with a scanner to read the machine-readable data codes on the display of another of the computers. The computers have no other connection to receive or transmit machine readable data. A method of operating the facility includes processing a workpiece at a first workstation. A display of the computer of the first workstation displays a data code containing data related to the processing of the workpiece. The scanner of the computer associated with a second workstation scans the data code. The workpiece is transferred from the first workstation to the second workstation. The workpiece is processed at the second workstation.

Abstract: A computer system comprises a first region including a base image in the form of machine readable code stored on a non-volatile storage medium, a second region including a machine image in the form of machine readable code stored on a non-volatile storage medium, and a deduplicator. The second region machine image comprises a base part sufficiently similar to the base image for deduplication, and a part special to the second region machine image. The first region base image and the second region machine image are deduplicated by the deduplicator. The second region special part is encrypted by full disk encryption using a key not available to the first region. Methods of, and computer programs for, implementing such a system are described.

Abstract: A host computer cloud has a processor and supports a virtual machine. An agent under control of a user is in communication with the cloud over a network. A key management server is in communication with the cloud over a network. The cloud stores the virtual machine in the form of a virtual encrypted disk on a non-volatile storage medium. When commanded by the agent, the cloud requests a disk-wrapping key from the key management server and decrypts the encrypted disk using the disk-wrapping key.

Abstract: A method of fabricating a flexible circuit interconnect comprising a conductive pattern on a flexible substrate comprising layers of different components having different coefficients of thermal expansion, including exposing the flexible substrate sequentially to different temperature regimes tending to differentially expand the flexible circuit components, dimensionally stabilizing the flexible substrate with an added stainless steel layer only during said exposing to different temperature regimes, and removing stainless steel of the added layer from the flexible circuit after exposing the flexible circuit.

Abstract: A display includes a support on which a sign is hung depending downwardly. The support has a vertically elongated rod on which it is supported that is guided vertically through two guides that are vertically spaced from one another to permit the rod to slide up and down on the guides. Adjacent the lower guide, a locking mechanism is provided including a slot. At the lower end of the rod, a handle is provided that also includes structure allowing it to be interlocked with the slot of the locking mechanism to hold the vertically elongated rod and display in its uppermost position. The handle may be unhooked from the locking mechanism with the vertically elongated rod being pivoted about its axis of elongation, whereupon the rod with the display attached are lowered together. In the lowermost position of the display, the display may be changed or even cleaned.

Abstract: A method of scalable audio compression includes bitplane coding of frequency-domain transform coefficients, where newly-significant coefficient locations within the current bitplane are identified using runlength codes. Reordering coefficients prior to bitplane coding such that same-frequency coefficients are clustered together has the effect of increasing coding efficiency. The invention is applicable to both full-bandwidth and layered bitplane coding.