Abstract: The present invention is directed towards air-bearing sliders that are used in disk drives. The invention involves pitching a slider so that the leading portion of the slider is closer to the disk than the trailing portion of the slider. The negative pitch reduces the sensitivity of the slider to ambient air pressure, radial position, and to data accessing over the disk. When used in combination with a reverse-flow disk drive, negatively pitched sliders facilitate the routing of traces to the head.

Abstract: The present invention is directed towards air-bearing sliders that are used in disk drives. The invention involves pitching a slider so that the leading portion of the slider is closer to the disk than the trailing portion of the slider. The negative pitch reduces the sensitivity of the slider to ambient air pressure, radial position, and to data accessing over the disk. When used in combination with a reverse-flow disk drive, negatively pitched sliders facilitate the routing of traces to the head.

Abstract: The present invention is directed towards air-bearing sliders that are used in disk drives. The invention involves pitching a slider so that the leading portion of the slider is closer to the disk than the trailing portion of the slider. The negative pitch reduces the sensitivity of the slider to ambient air pressure, radial position, and to data accessing over the disk. When used in combination with a reverse-flow disk drive, negatively pitched sliders facilitate the routing of traces to the head.

Abstract: The present invention is directed towards a suspension for use with heads that are positioned upstream of the actuator arm in a disk drive. The suspension includes a motion limiter to limit displacement both away from the load beam and towards the flexure proximal end. The suspension also includes traces with connections located on the proximal end of the gimbaled region of the flexure for making electrical contact with a head on a slider.

Abstract: The present invention is directed towards a disk drive that comprises at least one head carrying assembly that includes an actuator arm, a suspension attached to the actuator arm, and a head carried by the suspension. Each head is positioned upstream of its actuator arm. This reversed-flow orientation reduces head vibration and disk power requirements.

Abstract: The present invention is directed towards a disk drive that comprises at least one head carrying assembly that includes an actuator arm, a suspension attached to the actuator arm, and a head carried by the suspension. Each head is positioned upstream of its actuator arm. This reversed-flow orientation reduces head vibration and disk power requirements.

Abstract: The present invention is directed towards air-bearing sliders that are used in disk drives. The invention involves pitching a slider so that the leading portion of the slider is closer to the disk than the trailing portion of the slider. The negative pitch reduces the sensitivity of the slider to ambient air pressure, radial position, and to data accessing over the disk. When used in combination with a reverse-flow disk drive, negatively pitched sliders facilitate the routing of traces to the head.

Abstract: The present invention is directed towards a disk drive that comprises at least one head carrying assembly that includes an actuator arm, a suspension attached to the actuator arm, and a head carried by the suspension. Each head is positioned upstream of its actuator arm. This reversed-flow orientation reduces head vibration and disk power requirements.

Abstract: An active control mechanism and method for stabilizing a servo-controlled actuator system such as an actuator system in a data recording disk drive by compensating the vibrational modes of the actuator's arm assembly. The control mechanism has a sensing arrangement which can include one or more individual sensors attached to the actuator at locations where they generate signals in phase with the vibrational modes, and especially with all the major vibrational modes, of the arm assembly. A control mechanism derives from the signals an adjustment signal consisting of three corrective terms--a stiffening correction, an active damping correction and an inertia reduction correction--and the adjustment signal is used in the feedback control loop to stabilize the actuator system.

Abstract: A glide sensor suspension assembly for supporting a glide sensor having a slider and a sensor element. The suspension assembly comprises a load beam support member having a load dome projection at one end thereof, and a flexure member having first and second sections, the first section fixedly attached to the load beam support member, and the second section comprising a gimbal flexure section having the slider affixed thereon supported by the load dome projection of the load beam support member. Integrated electrical leads are formed on the flexure member, the electrical leads having output connections at the first section and are connected at the second section to the sensor element, so that the sensor element is electrically connected to the output connections.

Abstract: A thermal drop-on-demand ink jet print head in which conductor electrodes are formed on opposed surfaces of a print head substrate and extend to the edge of the substrate. An array of heater elements is formed on the edge of the substrate in electrical contact with the conductor electrodes. A nozzle plate is mounted with a nozzle aligned with each heater element, and a manifold is positioned to provide ink to the space between the nozzle plate and the edge of the substrate so that a drop of ink can be ejected from the nozzle each time the associated heater element is energized with a data pulse applied to a selected one of the conductor electrodes.

Abstract: An array of resistive heater elements, each of which is connected in an electrical circuit between a common electrode and one of the control electrodes. Each of the resistive heater elements comprises a plurality of portions arranged so that a small elongated opening in provided at the middle of the heater element where no resistive material is present. Each of the resistive heater elements, when energized, has a bubble formed at each of the plurality of portions. All of the bubbles coalesce to form a single pillow-shaped bubble which causes a drop of ink to be ejected from the associated nozzle. During collapse of the bubble, the bubble collapses inwardly so that cavitational shock impacts the heater element at the opening and little or no damage to the resistive heater is produced.

Abstract: A thermal drop-on-demand ink jet print head in which thermal cross-talk problems are eliminated by providing heat shield members in the space between each of the heater elements. The heat shield members comprise metal fingers attached to either the common heater electrode or one of the control electrodes. The heat shield members enhance flow of heat into the substrate to thereby minimize thermal cross-talk among adjacent channels.

Abstract: A thermal drop-on-demand ink jet print head in which a heat delay means is provided covering a predetermined part of the resistive element. Upon connection of an electrical signal to energize the resistive element, nucleation occurs at an uncovered location on the resistive element and formation of the bubble proceeds in a direction toward the covered part of the resistive element to thereby utilize the inertial effect of the controlled bubble motion to eject a drop of ink in a more energy-efficient manner.

Abstract: A thermal drop-on-demand ink jet print head in which an array of heating means is provided on one surface of a substrate member. A common electrode provides electrical contact to the heating means, and an array of data electrodes provides electrical contact to individual ones of the heating means. An array of feed through conductors is provided which pass through to the opposite surface of the substrate member to provide electrical contact between one of the data electrodes and one of an array of conductors leading to spaced solder pads on the opposite surface of the substrate member. A nozzle plate is mounted adjacent to the substrate member with a nozzle adjacent to each of the heating means so that, upon connection of an electrical signal to one of the solder pads, the corresponding heating means is energized and a drop of ink is ejected from the adjacent nozzle.

Abstract: An ink jet drop-on-demand print head comprises a plurality of electromechanical transducers, and ink from a manifold is conveyed to the transducers. The fluid path between the transducers and the corresponding nozzle in the nozzle array comprises a resilient dual function means. The dual function means not only provides the fan-in section but also seals the fluid path in fluid tight relation without the use of any adhesive or bonding material.

Abstract: An ink jet drop-on-demand print head comprises a plurality of tubular piezoelectric transducers each having two electrodes formed by an electrically conducting coating. A housing member holds the transducers in a position which includes at least one row of transducers. A substrate includes a plurality of electrical conductors, and the substrate is positioned so that each electrical conductor is adjacent one of the electrodes. A resilient connector means is provided which is not conductive along its length but is conductive across its width, and the connector means is positioned to make contact with a selected one of the electrical conductors and only one of the electrodes of one of the transducers. In a specific embodiment, the substrate comprises a flat conductor cable, and in a second embodiment the substrate comprises a printed circuit board.

Abstract: An ink jet drop-on-demand printing system comprising an ink jet print head having an ink cavity supplied with a suitable ink. An electromechanical transducer is mounted in mechanical communication with the ink cavity, and a source of electrical signals is provided to selectively actuate the transducer to produce an ink drop of a selected size. To produce ink drops of a selected size the source of electrical signals produces one or more electrical drive signals each separated by a fixed time delay which is short with respect to the drop-on-demand drop production rate. Each electrical drive signal ejects a predetermined volume of ink and all the volumes of ink merge to form a single drop prior to the time the ink drops reach the print medium for printing.

Abstract: A drop-on-demand ink jet printing apparatus comprising a print head having an electromechanical transducer mounted in mechanical communication with the fluid in a fluid chamber within the print head. The transducer is selectively energized with a drop ejecting signal so that one drop of ink is ejected for each drop ejecting signal. In addition the transducer is energized with a series of low amplitude excitation signals which serve to maintain substantially constant dynamic ink characteristics so that quality printing is produced especially during start-up of the apparatus. The excitation pulses can be asynchronous with respect to the drop ejecting signals or synchronous but delayed with respect to the drop ejecting signals. Isolation means are provided to prevent concurrent excitation of the transducer with both a drop ejecting signal and an excitation signal.

Abstract: A drop-on-demand ink jet printing method and apparatus in which the print head has an ink cavity which is filled with ink, and which has a nozzle designed so that ink does not flow out under static conditions. An electromechanical transducer is selectively energized in response to print data signals so that, when energized by an electrical signal, the transducer produces a pressure wave in the ink cavity sufficient to eject one ink drop from the nozzle for each signal above a threshold value. The nozzle is a strongly convergent nozzle and the ink has a viscosity up to 100 centipoise. In the preferred embodiment, the nozzle is formed by anisotropic etching in a silicon substrate. An array of print heads produces a line of high-resolution printing as the print head array is moved across a print medium.