Patents by Inventor Richard Kroeker

Richard Kroeker 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).

  • Method and system for pre-contact detection and active damping of air bearing vibrations in a hard disk drive
    Patent number: 7660068
    Abstract: In a method of pre-contact detection and active damping of air bearing vibrations in a hard disk drive, a slider is isolated from ground. The slider is then capacitively coupled with a hard disk of the hard disk drive via a thermal fly-height control (TFC) heating element. An alternating current (AC) signal is applied to the slider via the TFC heating element to control the amplitude of the slider.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 18, 2008
    Date of Patent: February 9, 2010
    Assignee: Hitachi Global Storage Technologies Netherlands B.V.
    Inventors: Peter M. Baumgart, John T. Contreras, Luiz Franca-Neto, Bernhard E. Knigge, Richard Kroeker, Gurinder P. Singh
  • Low permittivity lubricant for magnetic disk drive systems
    Publication number: 20050068667
    Abstract: An improved disk drive system that employs a lubricant with improved charge control is provided. The disk drive system is comprised of a rotatably mounted magnetic disk. A rotor is coupled to the disk and rotatably retained by a stator. A bearing is formed that serves as an interface between the stator and the rotor. A motor coupled to the rotor rotates the magnetic disk via the rotor. Located in the bearing is a lubricant having a low relative electrical permittivity.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 26, 2003
    Publication date: March 31, 2005
    Inventors: John Burns, Ta-Chang Fu, Andrew Hanlon, Charles Hignite, Thomas Karis, Richard Kroeker, Stanley Wong