Ultra-slim disk storage unit having a hydrodynamic bearing assembly which forms a stable meniscus

Claim 1

An ultra-slim disk storage unit comprising: a frame having first and second enclosed spaces, said spaces being disposed in the same general plane adjacent to each other; disk drive assembly providing readable and writable information storage on a disk medium, said disk drive assembly comprising a hub and a hydrodynamic bearing disposed within said first enclosed space, said hub rotationally supporting said disk medium, said hydrodynamic bearing providing rotational movement of said hub within said first enclosed space about an axis of rotation, said hydrodynamic bearing comprising a pair of balls and a pair of sockets, each of said sockets having a spherical section and a cylindrical section, said pair of balls being disposed within said spherical sections of said pair of sockets, respectively, along said axis of rotation on opposite sides of said hub, either said pair of sockets or said pair of balls being affixed to said hub, wherein a gap is formed between each socket and its associated ball, said gap being filled with a liquid lubricant to facilitate rotational movement of said hub about said rotational axis, said lubricant forming a stable meniscus between each of said balls and said cylindrical section of each of said sockets, said disk drive assembly being contained within said first enclosed space; an electronic circuit board for controlling the operation of said disk drive assembly, said electronic circuit board being housed on a board contained within said second enclosed space; and an interconnect configured to be compatible with Personal Computer Memory Card International Association (PCMCIA) standards coupled to said electronic circuit board providing external electrical connection to said disk storage unit, said interconnect being disposed along a peripheral side of said frame.