Patents by Inventor Hector F. Gonzalez

Hector F. Gonzalez 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).

  • Magnetic tape recording head cleaning apparatus
    Patent number: 5859755
    Abstract: The present invention provides an apparatus using dry cleaning techniques for cleaning a read/write head of the contact transducing type such as found on computer data backup tape drive systems. The apparatus includes a housing enclosing a supply reel holding a supply of cleaning tape, a takeup reel for holding used or soiled cleaning tape, and a gear train for transmitting rotary power at a reduced rotational speed from an external power source such as the tape drive capstan to the takeup reel. The gear train includes a plurality of gears that constitute a gear reduction system such that the cleaning tape can be driven past the head at an effective cleaning speed which is substantially less than the normal read/write speed of the tape drive. The apparatus further includes a movable shutter mechanism for blocking one of a pair of light paths between a light emitter and a light sensor forming part of the tape drive system, thereby providing a unique signal to the tape drive.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 27, 1997
    Date of Patent: January 12, 1999
    Assignees: Geneva Group of Companies, International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Edward E. Griffin, Jeffrey S. Thiessen, Hector F. Gonzalez, Edwin W. Hazzard, Stephen A. Nunn
  • Magnetic tape recording head cleaning apparatus
    Patent number: 5748418
    Abstract: The present invention provides an apparatus using dry cleaning techniques for cleaning a read/write head of the contact transducing type such as found on computer data backup tape drive systems. The apparatus includes a housing enclosing a supply reel holding a supply of cleaning tape, a takeup reel for holding used or soiled cleaning tape, and a gear train for transmitting rotary power at a reduced rotational speed from an external power source such as the tape drive capstan to the takeup reel. The gear train includes a plurality of gears that constitute a gear reduction system such that the cleaning tape can be driven past the head at an effective cleaning speed which is substantially less than the normal read/write speed of the tape drive. The apparatus further includes a movable shutter mechanism for blocking one of a pair of light paths between a light emitter and a light sensor forming part of the tape drive system, thereby providing a unique signal to the tape drive.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 1995
    Date of Patent: May 5, 1998
    Assignee: Geneva Group of Companies, Inc.
    Inventors: Edward E. Griffin, Jeffrey S. Thiessen, Hector F. Gonzalez, Edwin W. Hazzard, Stephen A. Nunn
  • Universal cassette cartridge
    Patent number: 5703742
    Abstract: A tape driving cleaning cartridge having a housing with recognition openings, a slide mechanism slidably movable to cover one recognition opening while leaving the other open. The slide mechanism is manually movable between the two positions. If additional recognition openings are employed, multiple slide mechanisms may be used.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 1996
    Date of Patent: December 30, 1997
    Assignee: Geneva Group of Companies, Inc.
    Inventors: Jeffrey S. Thiessen, John M. Enga, Hector F. Gonzalez
  • Magnetic tape recording head cleaning apparatus
    Patent number: 5541794
    Abstract: The present invention provides an apparatus using dry cleaning techniques for cleaning a read/write head of the contact transducing type such as found on computer data backup tape drive systems. The apparatus includes a housing enclosing a supply reel holding a supply of cleaning tape, a takeup reel for holding used or soiled cleaning tape, and a gear train for transmitting rotary power at a reduced rotational speed from an external power source such as the tape drive capstan to the takeup reel. The gear train includes a plurality of gears that constitute a gear reduction system such that the cleaning tape can be driven past the head at an effective cleaning speed which is substantially less than the normal read/write speed of the tape drive. The apparatus further includes a movable shutter mechanism for blocking one of a pair of light paths between a light emitter and a light sensor forming part of the tape drive system, thereby providing a unique signal to the tape drive.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 25, 1993
    Date of Patent: July 30, 1996
    Inventors: Edward E. Griffen, Jeffrey S. Thiessen, Hector F. Gonzalez, Edwin W. Hazzard, Stephen A. Nunn