Abstract: A freezer includes a plurality of shelves in an insulated payload bay; a plurality of evaporators coupled to the payload bay with a multiplicity of coolant tubes in each evaporator, wherein each tube enters and then exits the payload bay, further comprising one or more cryogenic valves coupled to the coolant tubes; a pump to force coolant flowing through the evaporators with a pressure of at least 90 psi to supply the coolant at each evaporator with at least 20 gallons per hour of coolant; and a plurality of fans to circulate cooled air in the payload bay.

Abstract: A shipping vessel includes a cryogenic tank secured to the shipping foundation; a payload bay to receive products therein; a tube connected to the cryogenic tank and thermally coupled to the payload bay; a housing secured to the shipping foundation, said housing covering the tube and the payload bay to thermally seal the payload bay from outside environment; a controller mounted on the housing and having a sensor to determine temperature in a closed-loop and maintaining a set point within a predetermined range; and an energy storage device coupled to the controller and electronics to provide power for a predetermined shipping period.

Abstract: A freezer includes a plurality of shelves in an insulated payload bay; a plurality of evaporators coupled to the payload bay with a multiplicity of coolant tubes in each evaporator, wherein each tube enters and then exits the payload bay, further comprising one or more cryogenic valves coupled to the coolant tubes; a pump to force coolant flowing through the evaporators with a pressure of at least 90 psi to supply the coolant at each evaporator with at least 20 gallons per hour of coolant; and a plurality of fans to circulate cooled air in the payload bay.

Abstract: A hard disk drive based data archive system emulating a tape archive system includes a hot pluggable multi-drive magazine having a housing for holding a plurality of hard disk drives, each drive connected to receive power and data from the magazine in a controlled fashion, and at least one magazine receiving system for physically receiving the magazine and for thereupon providing power, data and control connections to the magazine, such that when the magazine is received within the magazine receiving system, the hard disk drives selectively receive power and data connections via the magazine and receiving system from a host computer. The magazine may be hot-disconnected from an active computing system environment and removed to an archive rack wherein each disk drive is periodically checked to ensure functionality and to provide some limited-bandwidth data retrieval functions via a network connection to the archive rack.

Abstract: A data storage system that has one or more IDE disk drives, each IDE disk drive connected to a USB to IDE controller, and the USB to IDE controllers are connected to one or more USB controllers. Within the data storage system (array), USB to IDE controllers are integrated into disk drive carriers. The logical interface presented to the storage array is strictly USB, and the insertion or removal of the drive carrier corresponds directly to USB device insertion/removal from the USB bus. Hubs can be used to associate up to 127 USB devices to a single USB controller, and multiple USB controllers may be utilized to increase overall system. Using the simple four wire interface of USB and the extend lengths of USB relative to IDE, a passive center plane design for the storage array is made possible by the present invention.

Abstract: A hard disk drive based data archive system emulating a tape archive system includes a hot pluggable multi-drive magazine having a housing for holding a plurality of hard disk drives, each drive connected to receive power and data from the magazine in a controlled fashion, and at least one magazine receiving system for physically receiving the magazine and for thereupon providing power, data and control connections to the magazine, such that when the magazine is received within the magazine receiving system, the hard disk drives selectively receive power and data connections via the magazine and receiving system from a host computer. The magazine may be hot-disconnected from an active computing system environment and removed to an archive rack wherein each disk drive is periodically checked to ensure functionality and to provide some limited-bandwidth data retrieval functions via a network connection to the archive rack.

Abstract: A low friction bearing is provided for a mass balanced rotary voice coil actuator of a disk drive including a base. The bearing comprises an upper pivot bearing assembly fixed to one of the actuator and the base and including a plurality of small bearing balls in an outer bearing race thereof, a lower pivot bearing assembly fixed to the same one of the actuator and the base and including a plurality of small bearing balls in an outer bearing race thereof, an upper main bearing ball for engaging the other of the actuator and the base and for making rolling contact against the plurality of small bearing balls of the upper pivot bearing assembly, and a lower main bearing ball for engaging the same other of the actuator and the base and for making rolling contact against the plurality of small bearing balls of the lower pivot bearing assembly.

Abstract: A fixed disk memory subsystem connects to digital signal buses and a power supply of a host computer and includes a printed circuit board forming a subsystem mounting substrate for mounting and connecting a head and disk assembly and drive electronics. The head and disk assembly includes a radially positionable head transducer for flying in close proximity to a data storage surface of at least one rotating data storage disk, an actuator for positioning the data transducer at concentric data tracks defined on the surface, and a DC brushless spindle motor for rotating the data storage disk.

Abstract: A miniature disk drive achieves storage densities of at least approximately 1700 tracks per inch per storage surface of a storage disk defining a series of radially extensive servo sectors embedded within circumferential zones of data tracks. The sectors are recorded at a constant data transfer rate while each zone has a data transfer rate adapted to disk radius. The drive includes a head and head positioner, a read preamplifier for amplifying analog signals read from, and for amplifying signals to be written to, a storage surface.

Abstract: A data transducer head mounting structure for a height compacted, low power head and disk assembly of a fixed disk data storage subsystem has an elongated load beam including a head arm attachment end region for attachment to an outward end of an actuator head arm; a leaf spring loading region; flexure attachment region for attachment of a gimbal flexure for mounting a transducer head; a dynamic loading tab formed at the outermost part of the head end region beyond the transducer head; and, a load beam region located between the leaf spring loading region and the dynamic loading tab. In one aspect of the invention a loading ramp structure is positioned adjacent to a peripheral edge of the storage disk and cooperates with the dynamic loading tab. In one independent aspect of the present invention, the load beam region includes two L-shaped flanges facing toward an adjacent data storage surface, and a trussing structure is attached to the outer surfaces of the flanges to enclose the load beam region.

Abstract: A micro-Winchester disk drive subsystem includes a data block sequencer, cache memory and interface for a host computing machine. The drive includes a base and a plurality of non-removable directly rotated disks forming data storage surfaces. A balanced rotary head transducer actuator is mounted to the base for a plurality of data transducer heads among a multiplicity of concentric data tracks formed on each data storage surface of each of the disks. The track following servo system includes a position encoder coupled between the actuator structure and the base, prerecorded data track centerline information at a radially outermost region and at a radially innermost region of each data surface, and a temperature sensor for sensing temperature of the base at the vicinity of the position encoder.

Abstract: A micro-Winchester disk drive subsystem includes a data block sequencer, cache memory and interface for a host computing machine. The drive includes a base and a plurality of non-removable directly rotated disks forming data storage surfaces. A balanced rotary head transducer actuator is mounted to the base for a plurality of data transducer heads among a multiplicity of concentric data tracks formed on each data storage surface of each of the disks. The track following servo system includes a position encoder coupled between the actuator structure and the base, prerecorded data track centerline information at a radially outermost region and at a radially innermost region of each data surface, and a temperature sensor for sensing temperature of the base at the vicinity of the position encoder.

Abstract: A modular unitary disk file subsystem is used directly with a host computer. The subsystem includes a common unitary mounting substrate for power and signal connections to the host and for supplying control and data signals back via data, address and control buses to the host computer through a direct plug-in connection without any cabling between the subsystem and the host. The substrate carries and interconnects a unitary disk store head and disk assembly, a disk store control, a disk file controller, and a data and control interface with the computer. The modular unitary plugin form factor, a single supervisory microcomputer controller and a memory containing basic input/output driver routines directly executable by the host computer allow the subsystem to be transported easily between host computers.

Abstract: The present invention is a bacteria and its use in a Microbial Enhanced Oil Recovery (MEOR) process. Any one of two newly isolated strains of bacteria are injected downhole in a petroleum reservoir to modify its profile. This bacteria has the capability to plug the zones of higher permeability within the reservoir so that a subsequent waterflood may selectively enter the oil bearing less permeable zones. The injected water is used to drive this oil to an area where it may then be recovered.

Abstract: A compact, sealed head and disk assembly for a rotating non-removable disk data storage subsystem includes a flat and thin rigid generally rectangular box housing having a length not greater than approximately 173 millimeters, a width not greater than approximately 102 millimeters and a height not greater than approximately 24.5 millimeters,; a thin spindle motor mounted within the form factor of the housing; at least one magnetic media data storage disk having a diameter of approximately 95 millimeters in the housing and mounted directly to the spindle for rotation; a limited angular displacement rotary actuator subassembly including a substantially planar limited displacement rotary actuator motor; and, a cover for closing and sealing the housing.

Abstract: A compact, sealed head and disk assembly for a rotating non-removable disk data storage subsystem includes a flat and thin rigid generally rectangular box housing; a thin spindle motor mounted within the form factor of the housing; a magnetic media data storage disk in the housing and mounted directly to the spindle for rotation; a limited angular displacement rotary actuator subassembly including a substantially planar limited displacement rotary actuator motor; and a cover for closing and sealing the housing.

Abstract: A compact polyphase optical encoder subassembly for installation in host equipment is disclosed. The subassembly includes a moveable scale; and, a unitized rotatable housing for aligning a light source, a mask and a photodetector array having at least a pair of photodetector areas symmetrically disposed about an axis of rotation of the housing and responsive to light energy from the light source in further response to relative position of the scale. The housing further includes in its preferred form a bolt having a widened head and a threaded shank for passing through an opening in a base of the host, a threaded nut engageable with the shank opposite to the head for thereby securing the bolt to the base, and a compressible washer for enabling a predetermined range of vertical compression between the head and the base as the nut is tightened on said shaft.

Abstract: A process for separating solids from hydrocarbons in a slurry of hydrocarbonaceous solids and solvent is disclosed comprising atomizing the slurry, introducing and mixing the atomized slurry and superheated steam in a stripping zone, vaporizing the hydrocarbons, and separately removing the vapors and the solids. The process is particularly useful in an oil shale recovery process.

Abstract: A self contained fixed rotating disk expansion board subsystem may be installed and connected at an expansion slot location of a host computer. The subsystem includes an enclosed head/disk assembly, and circuit elements mounted on a printed circuit board which includes a connector for connecting to the control, data and address buses of the host computer at the expansion slot location. The head/disk assembly is mounted to a mounting substrate which may be the circuit board or which may be a frame to which the circuit board is also attached. Input/output routines are preferably provided to enable the host computer to make use of the subsystem without software driver modifications in the host operating system.

Abstract: An aerodynamically released safety shipping latch for a rotating disk data storage device is disclosed. A moveable airvane means adjacent a rotating disk is deflected by airflow generated by disk rotation from an at-rest biased first position to a second position. A safety latch communicating with the airvane means releases the data transducer carriage from a landing zone position when the airvane means moves to the second position in response to airflow from disk rotation.