Patents by Inventor Harold Lin Woods

Harold Lin Woods 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).

  • Velocity control for a disk drive actuator
    Patent number: 5666236
    Abstract: A data storage device for reading and writing information to and from a storage medium and having an actuator for moving a read/write head over a surface of the storage medium comprises an optical sensor mounted on either a surface of the data storage device or a surface of the actuator, and a gray-scale pattern provided on the other of these surfaces, opposite the optical sensor. The gray scale pattern provides an amount of reflected light at the optical sensor that varies with the position of the actuator. The optical sensor receives the reflected light and generates therefrom an output signal indicative of the position of the actuator. A control system processes the position signal output from the optical sensor for controlling the velocity of the actuator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 22, 1995
    Date of Patent: September 9, 1997
    Assignee: Iomega Corporation
    Inventors: Allen Thomas Bracken, Edward L. Rich, Harold Lin Woods, Hong Tan