Patents by Inventor Kenneth A. Haapala

Kenneth A. Haapala 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).

  • Contacting point damping method between flex circuit and pivot housing
    Patent number: 6937442
    Abstract: The present invention for a disk drive is a damping feature applied to the contact area between the flexible circuit and the pivot housing, reducing the resonance energy transferred from the flexible circuit to the pivot housing. This invention reduces the direct energy transfer from the flexible circuit to the pivot house by applying a damping feature as embodied by damping material on the flexible circuit or pivot housing at the point at which they make contact or by adding a damper to the flexible circuit re-routing tip area between the pivot housing and the flexible circuit. The damping feature absorbs the resonance energy from the flexible circuit to the damping feature material and reduces the energy transferred from the flexible circuit to the pivot housing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 20, 2002
    Date of Patent: August 30, 2005
    Assignee: Seagate Technology LLC
    Inventors: (Leon) Liyang Zhao, (Peter) Fei Wang, Kenneth A. Haapala
  • Contacting point damping method between flex circuit and pivot housing
    Publication number: 20030137776
    Abstract: The present invention for a disk drive is a damping feature applied to the contact area between the flexible circuit and the pivot housing, reducing the resonance energy transferred from the flexible circuit to the pivot housing. This invention reduces the direct energy transfer from the flexible circuit to the pivot house by applying a damping feature as embodied by damping material on the flexible circuit or pivot housing at the point at which they make contact or by adding a damper to the flexible circuit re-routing tip area between the pivot housing and the flexible circuit. The damping feature absorbs the resonance energy from the flexible circuit to the damping feature material and reduces the energy transferred from the flexible circuit to the pivot housing.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 20, 2002
    Publication date: July 24, 2003
    Inventors: Liyang Zhoa, Fei Wang, Kenneth A. Haapala