A hard disk drive includes a rotatable storage disk, with magnetic reader heads and writer heads that can be placed in park when the device is not actively reading or writing. A head assembly of reader and writer heads is positioned on a slider, which is a base substrate structure for the head assembly. A ramp is a structure designed to guide and seat a suspension arm for the head assembly when parking. An armature holding the head assembly rotates to an end position toward the ramp, allowing a tip assembly to engage with the ramp, with the head assembly kept at a clearance gap from the ramp. While in park, an opposing slider and head assembly, used for reading and writing on the opposite side of the storage disk, resides below the first slider and head assembly. In order to protect the opposing sliders from clashing with each other upon a shock event (e.g., if the device is dropped or bumped during assembly or after assembly), a separator fin extends outward from the ramp into the space between the parked sliders. Should the opposing sliders clash together, there may be chipping or damage to either of the sliders or magnetic head assemblies.
Various aspects of the present invention will now be presented in the detailed description by way of example, and not by way of limitation, with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:
The detailed description set forth below in connection with the appended drawings is intended as a description of various exemplary embodiments and is not intended to represent the only embodiments that may be practiced. The detailed description includes specific details for the purpose of providing a thorough understanding of the embodiments. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the embodiments may be practiced without these specific details. In some instances, well-known structures and components are shown in block diagram form in order to avoid obscuring the concepts of the embodiments. Acronyms and other descriptive terminology may be used merely for convenience and clarity and are not intended to limit the scope of the embodiments.
The various exemplary embodiments illustrated in the drawings may not be drawn to scale. Rather, the dimensions of the various features may be expanded or reduced for clarity. In addition, some of the drawings may be simplified for clarity. Thus, the drawings may not depict all of the components of a given apparatus.
Various embodiments will be described herein with reference to drawings that are schematic illustrations of idealized configurations. As such, variations from the shapes of the illustrations as a result of manufacturing techniques and/or tolerances, for example, are to be expected. Thus, the various embodiments presented throughout this disclosure should not be construed as limited to the particular shapes of elements illustrated and described herein but are to include deviations in shapes that result, for example, from manufacturing. By way of example, an element illustrated or described as having rounded or curved features at its edges may instead have straight edges. Thus, the elements illustrated in the drawings are schematic in nature and their shapes are not intended to illustrate the precise shape of an element and are not intended to limit the scope of the described embodiments.
The word “exemplary” is used herein to mean serving as an example, instance, or illustration. Any embodiment described herein as “exemplary” is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other embodiments. Likewise, the term “embodiment” of an apparatus or method does not require that all embodiments include the described components, structure, features, functionality, processes, advantages, benefits, or modes of operation.
As used herein, the term “about” followed by a numeric value means within engineering tolerance of the provided value.
In the following detailed description, various aspects of the present invention will be presented in the context of a ramp assembly used to park a magnetic head assembly when idle in a hard disk drive (HDD).
An aspect of an apparatus includes a ramp configured to guide and hold a magnetic head assembly in place when parked; and a separator coupled to the ramp, the separator being suspended between a top suspension load beam and a bottom suspension load beam to prevent a top magnetic head assembly from contacting a bottom magnetic head assembly during a shock event when the magnetic head assembly is parked on the ramp.
The various aspects of this disclosure are provided to enable one of ordinary skill in the art to practice the present invention. Various modifications to exemplary embodiments presented throughout this disclosure will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the concepts disclosed herein may be extended to other devices. Thus, the claims are not intended to be limited to the various aspects of this disclosure, but are to be accorded the full scope consistent with the language of the claims. All structural and functional equivalents to the various components of the exemplary embodiments described throughout this disclosure that are known or later come to be known to those of ordinary skill in the art are expressly incorporated herein by reference and are intended to be encompassed by the claims. Moreover, nothing disclosed herein is intended to be dedicated to the public regardless of whether such disclosure is explicitly recited in the claims. No claim element is to be construed under the provisions of 35 U.S.C. §112(f) unless the element is expressly recited using the phrase “means for” or, in the case of a method claim, the element is recited using the phrase “step for.”
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/952,611 filed on Mar. 13, 2014, which is expressly incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
5235482 | Schmitz | Aug 1993 | A |
6046889 | Berding et al. | Apr 2000 | A |
6052890 | Malagrino, Jr. et al. | Apr 2000 | A |
6055134 | Boutaghou | Apr 2000 | A |
6061206 | Foisy et al. | May 2000 | A |
6067209 | Aoyagi et al. | May 2000 | A |
6101876 | Brooks et al. | Aug 2000 | A |
6147831 | Kennedy et al. | Nov 2000 | A |
6151189 | Brooks | Nov 2000 | A |
6151197 | Larson et al. | Nov 2000 | A |
6185067 | Chamberlain | Feb 2001 | B1 |
6185074 | Wang et al. | Feb 2001 | B1 |
6208486 | Gustafson et al. | Mar 2001 | B1 |
6215616 | Phan et al. | Apr 2001 | B1 |
6272694 | Weaver et al. | Aug 2001 | B1 |
6278584 | Zhang et al. | Aug 2001 | B1 |
6288866 | Butler et al. | Sep 2001 | B1 |
6292333 | Blumentritt et al. | Sep 2001 | B1 |
6344950 | Watson et al. | Feb 2002 | B1 |
6349464 | Codilian et al. | Feb 2002 | B1 |
6388873 | Brooks et al. | May 2002 | B1 |
6417979 | Patton, III et al. | Jul 2002 | B1 |
6421208 | Oveyssi | Jul 2002 | B1 |
6441998 | Abrahamson | Aug 2002 | B1 |
6449129 | Macpherson et al. | Sep 2002 | B1 |
6462914 | Oveyssi et al. | Oct 2002 | B1 |
6466398 | Butler et al. | Oct 2002 | B1 |
6469871 | Wang | Oct 2002 | B1 |
6502300 | Casey et al. | Jan 2003 | B1 |
6519116 | Lin et al. | Feb 2003 | B1 |
6529345 | Butler et al. | Mar 2003 | B1 |
6529351 | Oveyssi et al. | Mar 2003 | B1 |
6535358 | Hauert et al. | Mar 2003 | B1 |
6545382 | Bennett | Apr 2003 | B1 |
6549381 | Watson | Apr 2003 | B1 |
6560065 | Yang et al. | May 2003 | B1 |
6571460 | Casey et al. | Jun 2003 | B1 |
6574073 | Hauert et al. | Jun 2003 | B1 |
6580574 | Codilian | Jun 2003 | B1 |
6594111 | Oveyssi et al. | Jul 2003 | B1 |
6603620 | Berding | Aug 2003 | B1 |
6618222 | Watkins et al. | Sep 2003 | B1 |
6624966 | Gustafson et al. | Sep 2003 | B1 |
6624980 | Watson et al. | Sep 2003 | B1 |
6624983 | Berding | Sep 2003 | B1 |
6628473 | Codilian et al. | Sep 2003 | B1 |
6654200 | Alexander et al. | Nov 2003 | B1 |
6657811 | Codilian | Dec 2003 | B1 |
6661597 | Hanan et al. | Dec 2003 | B1 |
6661603 | Watkins et al. | Dec 2003 | B1 |
6674600 | Codilian et al. | Jan 2004 | B1 |
6690637 | Codilian | Feb 2004 | B1 |
6693767 | Butler | Feb 2004 | B1 |
6693773 | Sassine | Feb 2004 | B1 |
6697217 | Codilian | Feb 2004 | B1 |
6698286 | Little et al. | Mar 2004 | B1 |
6700736 | Wu et al. | Mar 2004 | B1 |
6704167 | Scura et al. | Mar 2004 | B1 |
6707637 | Codilian et al. | Mar 2004 | B1 |
6707641 | Oveyssi et al. | Mar 2004 | B1 |
6710980 | Hauert et al. | Mar 2004 | B1 |
6710981 | Oveyssi et al. | Mar 2004 | B1 |
6728062 | Ou-Yang et al. | Apr 2004 | B1 |
6728063 | Gustafson et al. | Apr 2004 | B1 |
6731470 | Oveyssi | May 2004 | B1 |
6735033 | Codilian et al. | May 2004 | B1 |
6741428 | Oveyssi | May 2004 | B1 |
6751051 | Garbarino | Jun 2004 | B1 |
6754042 | Chiou et al. | Jun 2004 | B1 |
6757132 | Watson et al. | Jun 2004 | B1 |
6759784 | Gustafson et al. | Jul 2004 | B1 |
6778360 | Gillis et al. | Aug 2004 | B2 |
6781780 | Codilian | Aug 2004 | B1 |
6781787 | Codilian et al. | Aug 2004 | B1 |
6781791 | Griffin et al. | Aug 2004 | B1 |
6790066 | Klein | Sep 2004 | B1 |
6791791 | Alfred et al. | Sep 2004 | B1 |
6791801 | Oveyssi | Sep 2004 | B1 |
6795262 | Codilian et al. | Sep 2004 | B1 |
6798603 | Singh et al. | Sep 2004 | B1 |
6801389 | Berding et al. | Oct 2004 | B1 |
6801404 | Oveyssi | Oct 2004 | B1 |
6816342 | Oveyssi | Nov 2004 | B1 |
6816343 | Oveyssi | Nov 2004 | B1 |
6825622 | Ryan et al. | Nov 2004 | B1 |
6826009 | Scura et al. | Nov 2004 | B1 |
6831810 | Butler et al. | Dec 2004 | B1 |
6839199 | Alexander, Jr. et al. | Jan 2005 | B1 |
6844996 | Berding et al. | Jan 2005 | B1 |
6847504 | Bennett et al. | Jan 2005 | B1 |
6847506 | Lin et al. | Jan 2005 | B1 |
6856491 | Oveyssi | Feb 2005 | B1 |
6856492 | Oveyssi | Feb 2005 | B2 |
6862154 | Subrahmanyam et al. | Mar 2005 | B1 |
6862156 | Lin et al. | Mar 2005 | B1 |
6862176 | Codilian et al. | Mar 2005 | B1 |
6865049 | Codilian et al. | Mar 2005 | B1 |
6865055 | Ou-Yang et al. | Mar 2005 | B1 |
6867946 | Berding et al. | Mar 2005 | B1 |
6867950 | Lin | Mar 2005 | B1 |
6876514 | Little | Apr 2005 | B1 |
6879466 | Oveyssi et al. | Apr 2005 | B1 |
6888697 | Oveyssi | May 2005 | B1 |
6888698 | Berding et al. | May 2005 | B1 |
6891696 | Ou-Yang et al. | May 2005 | B1 |
6898052 | Oveyssi | May 2005 | B1 |
6900961 | Butler | May 2005 | B1 |
6906880 | Codilian | Jun 2005 | B1 |
6906897 | Oveyssi | Jun 2005 | B1 |
6908330 | Garrett et al. | Jun 2005 | B2 |
6922308 | Butler | Jul 2005 | B1 |
6930848 | Codilian et al. | Aug 2005 | B1 |
6930857 | Lin et al. | Aug 2005 | B1 |
6934126 | Berding et al. | Aug 2005 | B1 |
6937444 | Oveyssi | Aug 2005 | B1 |
6940698 | Lin et al. | Sep 2005 | B2 |
6941642 | Subrahmanyam et al. | Sep 2005 | B1 |
6947251 | Oveyssi et al. | Sep 2005 | B1 |
6950275 | Ali et al. | Sep 2005 | B1 |
6950284 | Lin | Sep 2005 | B1 |
6952318 | Ngo | Oct 2005 | B1 |
6954329 | Ojeda et al. | Oct 2005 | B1 |
6958884 | Ojeda et al. | Oct 2005 | B1 |
6958890 | Lin et al. | Oct 2005 | B1 |
6961212 | Gustafson et al. | Nov 2005 | B1 |
6961218 | Lin et al. | Nov 2005 | B1 |
6963469 | Gustafson et al. | Nov 2005 | B1 |
6965500 | Hanna et al. | Nov 2005 | B1 |
6967800 | Chen et al. | Nov 2005 | B1 |
6967804 | Codilian | Nov 2005 | B1 |
6970329 | Oveyssi et al. | Nov 2005 | B1 |
6972924 | Chen et al. | Dec 2005 | B1 |
6972926 | Codilian | Dec 2005 | B1 |
6975476 | Berding | Dec 2005 | B1 |
6979931 | Gustafson et al. | Dec 2005 | B1 |
6980391 | Haro | Dec 2005 | B1 |
6980401 | Narayanan et al. | Dec 2005 | B1 |
6982853 | Oveyssi et al. | Jan 2006 | B1 |
6989953 | Codilian | Jan 2006 | B1 |
6990727 | Butler et al. | Jan 2006 | B1 |
6996893 | Ostrander et al. | Feb 2006 | B1 |
7000309 | Klassen et al. | Feb 2006 | B1 |
7006324 | Oveyssi et al. | Feb 2006 | B1 |
7013731 | Szeremeta et al. | Mar 2006 | B1 |
7031104 | Butt et al. | Apr 2006 | B1 |
7035053 | Oveyssi et al. | Apr 2006 | B1 |
7050270 | Oveyssi et al. | May 2006 | B1 |
7057852 | Butler et al. | Jun 2006 | B1 |
7062837 | Butler | Jun 2006 | B1 |
7064921 | Yang et al. | Jun 2006 | B1 |
7064922 | Alfred et al. | Jun 2006 | B1 |
7064932 | Lin et al. | Jun 2006 | B1 |
7085098 | Yang et al. | Aug 2006 | B1 |
7085108 | Oveyssi et al. | Aug 2006 | B1 |
7092216 | Chang et al. | Aug 2006 | B1 |
7092251 | Henry | Aug 2006 | B1 |
7099099 | Codilian et al. | Aug 2006 | B1 |
7113371 | Hanna et al. | Sep 2006 | B1 |
7142397 | Venk | Nov 2006 | B1 |
7145753 | Chang et al. | Dec 2006 | B1 |
RE39478 | Hatch et al. | Jan 2007 | E |
7161768 | Oveyssi | Jan 2007 | B1 |
7161769 | Chang et al. | Jan 2007 | B1 |
7180711 | Chang et al. | Feb 2007 | B1 |
7193819 | Chen et al. | Mar 2007 | B1 |
7209317 | Berding et al. | Apr 2007 | B1 |
7209319 | Watkins et al. | Apr 2007 | B1 |
D542289 | Diebel | May 2007 | S |
7212377 | Ou-Yang et al. | May 2007 | B1 |
7215513 | Chang et al. | May 2007 | B1 |
7215514 | Yang et al. | May 2007 | B1 |
7224551 | Ou-Yang et al. | May 2007 | B1 |
D543981 | Diebel | Jun 2007 | S |
7227725 | Chang et al. | Jun 2007 | B1 |
7239475 | Lin et al. | Jul 2007 | B1 |
7271978 | Santini et al. | Sep 2007 | B1 |
7274534 | Choy et al. | Sep 2007 | B1 |
7280311 | Ou-Yang et al. | Oct 2007 | B1 |
7280317 | Little et al. | Oct 2007 | B1 |
7280319 | McNab | Oct 2007 | B1 |
7292406 | Huang | Nov 2007 | B1 |
7298584 | Yamada et al. | Nov 2007 | B1 |
7327537 | Oveyssi | Feb 2008 | B1 |
7339268 | Ho et al. | Mar 2008 | B1 |
7342746 | Lin | Mar 2008 | B1 |
RE40203 | Hatch et al. | Apr 2008 | E |
7353524 | Lin et al. | Apr 2008 | B1 |
7369368 | Mohajerani | May 2008 | B1 |
7372670 | Oveyssi | May 2008 | B1 |
7375929 | Chang et al. | May 2008 | B1 |
7379266 | Ou-Yang et al. | May 2008 | B1 |
7381904 | Codilian | Jun 2008 | B1 |
7385784 | Berding et al. | Jun 2008 | B1 |
7388731 | Little et al. | Jun 2008 | B1 |
7420771 | Hanke et al. | Sep 2008 | B1 |
7434987 | Gustafson et al. | Oct 2008 | B1 |
7436625 | Chiou et al. | Oct 2008 | B1 |
7440234 | Cheng et al. | Oct 2008 | B1 |
7477488 | Zhang et al. | Jan 2009 | B1 |
7477489 | Chen et al. | Jan 2009 | B1 |
7484291 | Ostrander et al. | Feb 2009 | B1 |
7505231 | Golgolab et al. | Mar 2009 | B1 |
7529064 | Huang et al. | May 2009 | B1 |
7538981 | Pan | May 2009 | B1 |
7551402 | Hayakawa | Jun 2009 | B2 |
7561374 | Codilian et al. | Jul 2009 | B1 |
7564653 | Ohta et al. | Jul 2009 | B2 |
7567410 | Zhang et al. | Jul 2009 | B1 |
7576955 | Yang et al. | Aug 2009 | B1 |
7593181 | Tsay et al. | Sep 2009 | B1 |
7605999 | Kung et al. | Oct 2009 | B1 |
7609486 | Little | Oct 2009 | B1 |
7610672 | Liebman | Nov 2009 | B1 |
7633721 | Little et al. | Dec 2009 | B1 |
7633722 | Larson et al. | Dec 2009 | B1 |
7656609 | Berding et al. | Feb 2010 | B1 |
7660075 | Lin et al. | Feb 2010 | B1 |
7672083 | Yu et al. | Mar 2010 | B1 |
7684155 | Huang et al. | Mar 2010 | B1 |
7686555 | Larson et al. | Mar 2010 | B1 |
7709078 | Sevier et al. | May 2010 | B1 |
7715149 | Liebman et al. | May 2010 | B1 |
7729091 | Huang et al. | Jun 2010 | B1 |
7751145 | Lin et al. | Jul 2010 | B1 |
7751151 | Son | Jul 2010 | B2 |
7768745 | Okada et al. | Aug 2010 | B2 |
7826177 | Zhang et al. | Nov 2010 | B1 |
7852601 | Little | Dec 2010 | B1 |
7864488 | Pan | Jan 2011 | B1 |
7898770 | Zhang et al. | Mar 2011 | B1 |
7903369 | Codilian et al. | Mar 2011 | B1 |
7907369 | Pan | Mar 2011 | B1 |
7911742 | Chang et al. | Mar 2011 | B1 |
7926167 | Liebman et al. | Apr 2011 | B1 |
7957095 | Tsay et al. | Jun 2011 | B1 |
7957102 | Watson et al. | Jun 2011 | B1 |
7961436 | Huang et al. | Jun 2011 | B1 |
8004782 | Nojaba et al. | Aug 2011 | B1 |
8009384 | Little | Aug 2011 | B1 |
8018687 | Little et al. | Sep 2011 | B1 |
8031431 | Berding et al. | Oct 2011 | B1 |
8064168 | Zhang et al. | Nov 2011 | B1 |
8064170 | Pan | Nov 2011 | B1 |
8068314 | Pan et al. | Nov 2011 | B1 |
8081401 | Huang et al. | Dec 2011 | B1 |
8100017 | Blick et al. | Jan 2012 | B1 |
8102627 | Muraki et al. | Jan 2012 | B2 |
8116038 | Zhang et al. | Feb 2012 | B1 |
8125740 | Yang et al. | Feb 2012 | B1 |
8142671 | Pan | Mar 2012 | B1 |
8156633 | Foisy | Apr 2012 | B1 |
8159785 | Lee et al. | Apr 2012 | B1 |
8189298 | Lee et al. | May 2012 | B1 |
8194348 | Jacoby et al. | Jun 2012 | B2 |
8194354 | Zhang et al. | Jun 2012 | B1 |
8194355 | Pan et al. | Jun 2012 | B1 |
8203806 | Larson et al. | Jun 2012 | B2 |
8223453 | Norton et al. | Jul 2012 | B1 |
8228631 | Tsay et al. | Jul 2012 | B1 |
8233239 | Teo et al. | Jul 2012 | B1 |
8248733 | Radavicius et al. | Aug 2012 | B1 |
8259417 | Ho et al. | Sep 2012 | B1 |
8274760 | Zhang et al. | Sep 2012 | B1 |
8276256 | Zhang et al. | Oct 2012 | B1 |
8279560 | Pan | Oct 2012 | B1 |
8284514 | Garbarino | Oct 2012 | B1 |
8289646 | Heo et al. | Oct 2012 | B1 |
8300352 | Larson et al. | Oct 2012 | B1 |
8305708 | Tacklind | Nov 2012 | B2 |
8320086 | Moradnouri et al. | Nov 2012 | B1 |
8322021 | Berding et al. | Dec 2012 | B1 |
8345387 | Nguyen | Jan 2013 | B1 |
8363351 | Little | Jan 2013 | B1 |
8369044 | Howie et al. | Feb 2013 | B2 |
8411389 | Tian et al. | Apr 2013 | B1 |
8416522 | Schott et al. | Apr 2013 | B1 |
8416534 | Heo et al. | Apr 2013 | B1 |
8422171 | Guerini | Apr 2013 | B1 |
8422175 | Oveyssi | Apr 2013 | B1 |
8432641 | Nguyen | Apr 2013 | B1 |
8437101 | German et al. | May 2013 | B1 |
8438721 | Sill | May 2013 | B1 |
8446688 | Quines et al. | May 2013 | B1 |
8451559 | Berding et al. | May 2013 | B1 |
8467153 | Pan et al. | Jun 2013 | B1 |
8472131 | Ou-Yang et al. | Jun 2013 | B1 |
8477460 | Liebman | Jul 2013 | B1 |
8488270 | Brause et al. | Jul 2013 | B2 |
8488280 | Myers et al. | Jul 2013 | B1 |
8493690 | Ono | Jul 2013 | B1 |
8499652 | Tran et al. | Aug 2013 | B1 |
8514514 | Berding et al. | Aug 2013 | B1 |
8530032 | Sevier et al. | Sep 2013 | B1 |
8531799 | Greminger | Sep 2013 | B2 |
8542465 | Liu et al. | Sep 2013 | B2 |
8547664 | Foisy et al. | Oct 2013 | B1 |
8553356 | Heo et al. | Oct 2013 | B1 |
8553366 | Hanke | Oct 2013 | B1 |
8553367 | Foisy et al. | Oct 2013 | B1 |
8616900 | Lion | Dec 2013 | B1 |
8665555 | Young et al. | Mar 2014 | B1 |
8667667 | Nguyen et al. | Mar 2014 | B1 |
8693139 | Tian et al. | Apr 2014 | B2 |
8693140 | Weiher et al. | Apr 2014 | B1 |
8699179 | Golgolab et al. | Apr 2014 | B1 |
8702998 | Guerini | Apr 2014 | B1 |
8705201 | Casey et al. | Apr 2014 | B2 |
8705209 | Seymour et al. | Apr 2014 | B2 |
8717706 | German et al. | May 2014 | B1 |
8743509 | Heo et al. | Jun 2014 | B1 |
8755148 | Howie et al. | Jun 2014 | B1 |
8756776 | Chen et al. | Jun 2014 | B1 |
8760800 | Brown et al. | Jun 2014 | B1 |
8760814 | Pan et al. | Jun 2014 | B1 |
8760816 | Myers et al. | Jun 2014 | B1 |
8773812 | Gustafson et al. | Jul 2014 | B1 |
8780491 | Perlas et al. | Jul 2014 | B1 |
8780504 | Teo et al. | Jul 2014 | B1 |
8792205 | Boye-Doe et al. | Jul 2014 | B1 |
8797677 | Heo et al. | Aug 2014 | B2 |
8797689 | Pan et al. | Aug 2014 | B1 |
8824095 | Dougherty | Sep 2014 | B1 |
8824098 | Huang et al. | Sep 2014 | B1 |
20060007600 | Suzuki | Jan 2006 | A1 |
20080037176 | Matsuda | Feb 2008 | A1 |
20080204925 | Ohta | Aug 2008 | A1 |
20080285176 | Arikawa | Nov 2008 | A1 |
20090303637 | Larson et al. | Dec 2009 | A1 |
20100061012 | Seki | Mar 2010 | A1 |
20110212281 | Jacoby et al. | Sep 2011 | A1 |
20130038964 | Garbarino et al. | Feb 2013 | A1 |
20130091698 | Banshak, Jr. et al. | Apr 2013 | A1 |
20130155546 | Heo et al. | Jun 2013 | A1 |
20130290988 | Watson et al. | Oct 2013 | A1 |
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
61952611 | Mar 2014 | US |