Audible noise reduction in a disc drive

Claim 1

A spindle motor for rotating discs in a disc drive data storage device, the spindle motor including a stationary shaft for attaching the spindle motor to a housing of the disc drive, the spindle motor comprising a stator, and resilient mounting means interposed between the stator and the stationary shaft of the spindle motor for isolating the stator from the stationary shaft of the spindle motor; said resilient mounting means comprising a plurality of compliant toroidal rings, wherein certain ones of the toroidal rings are interposed radially between the stator and the stationary shaft of the spindle motor and these certain ones of the toroidal rings are axially constrained relative to the stator by a corresponding number of annular grooves formed in the stationary shaft of the motor, and wherein at least one of the toroidal rings is interposed axially between the stator and a snap ring seated in an annular groove in the stationary shaft of the spindle motor at a first end of the stator, and a non-metallic washer is interposed between the stator and the stationary shaft of the motor at a second end of the stator, and a non-metallic stator lock ring, the stator lock ring having a plurality of locking fingers for engagement with slots in the stator and the stationary shaft of the motor, whereby circumferential movement of the stator relative to the stationary shaft of the motor is prevented.