US6603633B2
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Parallel spring design for acoustic damping of a disc drive
Assignee: Seagate Technology LLC
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Filing: 2001-08-09
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Granted: 2003-08-05
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Expires: 2021-08-09
Abstract
Abstract A beam damper for damping acoustic noise generated by an actuator of a disc drive. The beam damper is compressed between a portion of a housing of the disc drive and an actuator motor. The beam damper includes a substantially flat platform affixed to a selected one of the housing and an upper or lower pole of the actuator motor. A plurality of flex beams extend from the platform at a selected angle and contact the remaining one of the housing and the upper or lower pole to resiliently bias the housing with respect to the actuator motor. The beam damper is preferably formed from a sheet of ductile metal which is stamped to form the platform and flex beams, after which the flex beams are bent to the desired angle.
Inventors
- 👤 Daniel M. Heaton
- 👤 Curtis A. Trammell
- 👤 Roy L. Wood
- 👤 John D. Stricklin
- 👤 Gary A. Treleven
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-07 00:36
CPC Classifications
G; G11; G11B; G11B33/00; G11B33/02; G11B33/08; G11B5/00; G11B5/48; G11B5/4806
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 23
Claim 1
Independent Claim
84 words
A beam damper for a voice coil motor of a disc drive, the disc drive having a top cover and the voice coil motor having a magnetically permeable upper pole wherein the beam damper is between the upper pole and the top cover, the beam damper comprising: (a) a substantially flat platform; and (b) a series of flex beams extending from the platform and engaging the upper pole to resiliently bias the top cover away from the upper pole of the voice coil motor.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
84 words
A beam damper for a voice coil motor of a disc drive, the disc drive having a top cover and the voice coil motor having a magnetically permeable upper pole wherein the beam damper is between the upper pole and the top cover, the beam damper comprising: (a) a substantially flat platform; and (b) a series of flex beams extending from the platform and engaging the upper pole to resiliently bias the top cover away from the upper pole of the voice coil motor.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
17 words
The beam damper of claim 1 wherein a material of the beam damper is a ductile metal.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
19 words
The beam damper of claim 1 wherein a tip of each flex beam is covered with a vibration-absorbing material.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
19 words
The beam damper of claim 1 wherein the flex beams are spaced substantially along a chord of the platform.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
26 words
The beam damper of claim 1 wherein each flex beam has a radiused profile which provides a curved contact surface which pressingly engages the upper pole.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
12 words
The beam damper of claim 1 comprising at least four flex beams.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
47 words
The beam damper of claim 1 formed by a process comprising steps of providing a planar sheet of material, stamping the planar sheet of material to form the platform and the flex beams, and bending the flex beams at a desired angle with respect to the platform.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
109 words
A disc drive comprising: (a) a housing; (b) a rotatable disc supported within the housing; (c) a voice coil motor having a pole comprising a layer of magnetically permeable material; and (d) a beam damper for the voice coil motor disposed between the housing and the pole, comprising: (d1) a substantially flat platform affixed to a selected one of the housing and the pole; and (d2) a number of flex beams extending from the platform at a selected angle with respect to the platform, each flex beam engaging the remaining one of the housing and the pole to resiliently bias the housing with respect to the voice coil motor.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
109 words
A disc drive comprising: (a) a housing; (b) a rotatable disc supported within the housing; (c) a voice coil motor having a pole comprising a layer of magnetically permeable material; and (d) a beam damper for the voice coil motor disposed between the housing and the pole, comprising: (d1) a substantially flat platform affixed to a selected one of the housing and the pole; and (d2) a number of flex beams extending from the platform at a selected angle with respect to the platform, each flex beam engaging the remaining one of the housing and the pole to resiliently bias the housing with respect to the voice coil motor.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
58 words
The disc drive of claim 8 further comprising an actuator assembly which supports a head adjacent the disc, wherein the voice coil motor pivots the actuator assembly to move the head with respect to the disc, and wherein the beam damper reduces vibrations induced in the voice coil motor in response to pivotal movement of the actuator assembly.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
19 words
The disc drive of claim 8 wherein a tip of each flex beam is covered with a vibration-absorbing material.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
29 words
The disc drive of claim 8 wherein the number of flex beams is greater than one and the flex beams are spaced substantially along a chord of the platform.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
17 words
The disc drive of claim 8 wherein a material of the beam damper is a ductile metal.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
32 words
The disc drive of claim 8 wherein each flex beam has a radiused profile which provides a curved contact surface which pressingly engages the remaining one of the housing and the pole.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
16 words
The disc drive of claim 8 wherein the number of flex beams comprises at least four.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
56 words
The disc drive of claim 8 wherein the beam damper is formed by a process comprising steps of providing a planar sheet of material, stamping the planar sheet of material to form the platform and the number of flex beams, and bending each of the flex beams at a desired angle with respect to the platform.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
55 words
A disc drive, comprising: (a) a housing; (b) a rotatable disc supported within the housing; (c) a voice coil motor having a pole comprising a layer of magnetically permeable material; and (d) first means for reducing acoustic noise generated by the disc drive by resiliently biasing the housing with respect to the voice coil motor.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
55 words
A disc drive, comprising: (a) a housing; (b) a rotatable disc supported within the housing; (c) a voice coil motor having a pole comprising a layer of magnetically permeable material; and (d) first means for reducing acoustic noise generated by the disc drive by resiliently biasing the housing with respect to the voice coil motor.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
89 words
The disc drive of claim 16 , wherein the first means comprises a beam damper for the voice coil motor disposed between the housing and the pole, comprising: (d1) a substantially flat platform affixed to a selected one of the housing and the pole; and (d2) a number of flex beams extending from the platform at a selected angle with respect to the platform, each flex beam engaging the remaining one of the housing and the pole to resiliently bias the housing with respect to the voice coil motor.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
58 words
The disc drive of claim 17 further comprising an actuator assembly which supports a head adjacent the disc, wherein the voice coil motor pivots the actuator assembly to move the head with respect to the disc, and wherein the beam damper reduces vibrations induced in the voice coil motor in response to pivotal movement of the actuator assembly.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
16 words
The disc drive of claim 17 wherein the number of flex beams is greater than one.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
56 words
The disc drive of claim 17 wherein the beam damper is formed by a process comprising steps of providing a planar sheet of material, stamping the planar sheet of material to form the platform and the number of flex beams, and bending each of the flex beams at a desired angle with respect to the platform.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2006-08-04 | 2007-02-03 | 2007-08-05 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2010-08-04 | 2011-02-03 | 2011-08-05 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2014-08-04 | 2015-02-03 | 2015-08-05 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |