Apparatus for connecting a disk pack to a disk drive

Claim 1

An apparatus for connecting a disk pack to a disk drive characterised by comprising: a hub (16) arranged to carry one or more disks (12); a stub shaft (24; 100) axially mounted on said hub; a spindle (24) forming part of said disk drive and having a passageway (50) at one end for receiving said stub shaft; an annular groove (52) in said passageway and having a shoulder (54); recess means (32; 102) in said stub shaft having a shoulder; at least two balls (30; 104) movably disposed in relation to said spindle and said stub shaft and movable between a first position adapted to allow free movement of said stub shaft into and out of said passageway, and a second position adapted to capture said balls between the shoulder of said annular groove and the shoulder of the recess means to prevent said stub shaft from being withdrawn from said passageway; locking means (34; 106, 108) for urging said balls into said second position after said stub shaft has been inserted into said passageway to a predetermined extent, and for locking said balls in said second position against a force tending to withdraw said stub shaft from said passageway; and, moving means (64) for allowing said balls to move so that said stub shaft may be withdrawn from said passageway.

Claim 2

An apparatus for connecting a disk pack to a disk drive characterised by comprising: a hub (16) arranged to carry one or more disks (12); a stub shaft (24; 100) axially mounted on said hub; a spindle (24) forming part of said disk drive and having a passageway (50) at one end for receiving said stub shaft; an annular groove (52) in said passageway and having a shoulder (54); recess means (32; 102) in said stub shaft having a shoulder; at least two balls (30; 104) movably disposed in relation to said spindle and said stub shaft and movable between a first position adapted to allow free movement of said stub shaft into and out of said passageway, and a second position adapted to capture said balls between the shoulder of said annular groove and the shoulder of the recess means to prevent said stub shaft from being withdrawn from said passageway; locking means (34; 106, 108) for urging said balls into said second position after said stub shaft has been inserted into said passageway to a predetermined extent, and for locking said balls in said second position against a force tending to withdraw said stub shaft from said passageway; and, moving means (64) for allowing said balls to move so that said stub shaft may be withdrawn from said passageway.

Claim 7

An apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim characterised by including a diaphragm (18) mounted on said hub (16) and deflectable in the direction of a central axis of the hub (16), said stub shaft being mounted on said diaphragm, a plurality of stops (42) mounted on said hub and positioned such that when said hub is mounted on said spindle with said stub shaft in said passageway (50), the stops (42) on the hub abut stops (44) on the spindle, the undeflected position of said diaphragm extending said stub shaft into said passageway to an extent less than said predetermined extent such that said shoulder of the recess means is axially displaced from a position which allows said balls to be captured between said shoulder of the recess means and said shoulder (54) of said annular groove, said diaphragm being deflectable to move said stub shaft inwards to said predetermined extent to allow said balls to move into said second position between said shoulders thereby to lock said disk pack onto said disk drive.

Claim 8

An apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim characterised by including alignment means comprising a locating ball (36) having a central bore (26) through which said stub shaft extends and concentric with the central axis of the hub and a conical bearing surface (48) mounted on aniconcentric with the axis of said spindle.

Claim 9

An apparatus for connecting a disk pack to a disk drive characterised by comprising a hub (16) having a central bore (26); a restoring force means (18) mounted on said hub and deflectable along a central axis of said bore; a stub shaft (24) mounted on said restoring force means and extending through said bore, terminating in an open ended hollow portion (32); at least two balls (30) loosely mounted in the walls of said stub shaft and movable a limited distance between retracted and extended positions; a spindle (20) arranged for removably receiving said hub, said spindle having an interior passageway (50) to receive said stub shaft, the cross section of the passageway being such as to permit receipt of the stub shaft only with said balls substantially in their retracted position; a push rod (34) movably mounted in said spindle and extending into said passageway, said rod having a cross section greater than the gap between said balls in their retracted position and less than the gap between the balls in their extended position; means (58) for biasing said push rod towards said hub; an annular groove (52) in said passageway adjacent said balls when said hub is abutting against said spindle, said restoring force means being adapted to be deflected a distance sufficient to move said balls into alignment with said annular groove, so that said annular groove receives said balls in their extended position, said rod moves between said balls when they move into said extended position, thereby preventing said balls from being retracted from said annular groove and preventing said stub shaft from being withdrawn from said passageway, said restoring force means exerting an outward force on said balls to hold said hub in abutment with said spindle; and means (64) for withdrawing said rod from between said balls to allow said balls to move from the extended position to the retracted position and to allow the removal of said hub from said spindle.

Claim 10

An apparatus for connecting a disk pack to a disk drive characterised by comprising a hub (16) having a central bore (26); a restoring force means (18) mounted on said hub and deflectable along a central axis of said bore; a stub shaft (24) mounted on said restoring force means and extending through said bore, terminating in an open ended hollow portion (32); at least two balls (30) loosely mounted in the walls of said stub shaft and movable a limited distance between retracted and extended positions; a spindle (20) arranged for removably receiving said hub, said spindle having an interior passageway (50) to receive said stub shaft, the cross section of the passageway being such as to permit receipt of the stub shaft only with said balls substantially in their retracted position; a push rod (34) movably mounted in said spindle and extending into said passageway, said rod having a cross section greater than the gap between said balls in their retracted position and less than the gap between the balls in their extended position; means (58) for biasing said push rod towards said hub; an annular groove (52) in said passageway adjacent said balls when said hub is abutting against said spindle, said restoring force means being adapted to be deflected a distance sufficient to move said balls into alignment with said annular groove, so that said annular groove receives said balls in their extended position, said rod moves between said balls when they move into said extended position, thereby preventing said balls from being retracted from said annular groove and preventing said stub shaft from being withdrawn from said passageway, said restoring force means exerting an outward force on said balls to hold said hub in abutment with said spindle; and means (64) for withdrawing said rod from between said balls to allow said balls to move from the extended position to the retracted position and to allow the removal of said hub from said spindle.

Claim 15

An apparatus as claimed in any of claims 8 to 12 characterised in that said annular groove (52) has a shoulder inclined at an angle less than 90 .

Claim 16

An apparatus for-connecting a disk pack to a disk drive characterised by comprising: a hub (16); a restoring force means (18) mounted on said hub; a stub shaft (100) mounted on said restoring force means (18) and extending along a central axis of said hub, the stub shaft having an annular groove (102) disposed adjacent an end thereof; a spindle (20) having a passageway (50) adapted to receive said stub shaft; an annular groove (52) having an inclined shoulder (54) disposed in said passageway; a slide member (106) slideably mounted in said passageway, said slide member having a central bore for receiving said stub shaft; a plurality of balls (104), loosely mounted in said slide member and exposed to both the bore of the slide member and the annular groove; biasing means (110) for biasing said slide member towards the hub along said passageway; means (42, 44, 46) for stopping movement of said stub shaft into said passageway at a predetermined point when mounting said disk pack on said disk drive, said restoring force means (18) being deflectable to allow said stub shaft into said passageway a distance sufficient to move said slide member so that said balls move laterally outwards into the annular groove until the gap between the balls is such as to allow said stub shaft to move between them, said biasing means (110) holding said slide member in place against further movement of said stub shaft inwards until the balls enter the annular groove (102) of said stub shaft, the said shoulder (54) and a shoulder of the annular groove of the stub shaft acting to capture said balls between them and prevent withdrawal of said stub shaft from said passageway.

Claim 17

An apparatus for-connecting a disk pack to a disk drive characterised by comprising: a hub (16); a restoring force means (18) mounted on said hub; a stub shaft (100) mounted on said restoring force means (18) and extending along a central axis of said hub, the stub shaft having an annular groove (102) disposed adjacent an end thereof; a spindle (20) having a passageway (50) adapted to receive said stub shaft; an annular groove (52) having an inclined shoulder (54) disposed in said passageway; a slide member (106) slideably mounted in said passageway, said slide member having a central bore for receiving said stub shaft; a plurality of balls (104), loosely mounted in said slide member and exposed to both the bore of the slide member and the annular groove; biasing means (110) for biasing said slide member towards the hub along said passageway; means (42, 44, 46) for stopping movement of said stub shaft into said passageway at a predetermined point when mounting said disk pack on said disk drive, said restoring force means (18) being deflectable to allow said stub shaft into said passageway a distance sufficient to move said slide member so that said balls move laterally outwards into the annular groove until the gap between the balls is such as to allow said stub shaft to move between them, said biasing means (110) holding said slide member in place against further movement of said stub shaft inwards until the balls enter the annular groove (102) of said stub shaft, the said shoulder (54) and a shoulder of the annular groove of the stub shaft acting to capture said balls between them and prevent withdrawal of said stub shaft from said passageway.