Gregory G Foisy

6466398, Oct 15, 2002

Sep 30, 2000

09/676634

Walter W. Butler - Scotts Valley CA
Gregory G. Foisy - Tracy CA
John R. Gustafson - Los Gatos CA

Western Digital Technologies, Inc. - Lake Forest CA

G11B 3308

360 9702

A disk drive is disclosed with reduced resonance. The disk drive comprises a disk, a fixed spindle shaft disposed axially through the disk, a spindle motor for rotating the disk about the fixed spindle shaft, wherein a resonance is associated with the spindle motor rotating the disk. The disk drive further comprises a head, an actuator arm for actuating the head radially over the disk, a base, and a cover attached to the base to form a head disk assembly chamber. The cover comprises a shaft aperture positioned over the fixed spindle shaft, the shaft aperture for receiving a fastener for attaching the cover to the fixed spindle shaft. The cover further comprises a plurality of slots proximate the shaft aperture, wherein the shaft aperture and slots provide a flexible support for the fixed spindle shaft which reduces the resonance associated with the spindle motor.

8018687, Sep 13, 2011

Feb 5, 2008

12/026308

Aaron D. Little - Campbell CA, US
Gregory G. Foisy - Tracy CA, US

Western Digital Technologies, Inc. - Irvine CA

G11B 21/08

3602642

A novel disk drive includes a flex cable having a first end portion fixed to an actuator assembly, a second end portion fixed to a flex cable bracket, and a free portion between the first and second end portions. The free portion joins the second end portion at a flex exit location. The flex cable bracket includes a flex alignment post that protrudes into a corresponding hole in a disk drive base. A distance between the flex exit location and the actuator pivot axis is at least 4 times greater than a distance between the flex exit location and the flex alignment post.

8156633, Apr 17, 2012

Mar 12, 2008

12/047284

Gregory G. Foisy - Tracy CA, US

Western Digital Technologies, Inc. - Irvine CA

G11B 5/127
H04R 31/00

2960303, 2960304, 2960306, 2960307, 360244, 3602643, 3602657

An HSA transport comb includes an alignment pin extending from the comb body into a tooling hole of the actuator arm, and a separator finger in contact with a suspension assembly of an HGA with the transport comb in a second angular orientation with respect to the actuator arm, but not in a first angular orientation. The transport comb includes a restraining tower extending into a mass-reduction opening of the actuator arm. The restraining tower includes a first lobe that fits within the mass-reduction opening with the transport comb in the first angular orientation, but not with the transport comb in the second angular orientation. The restraining tower also includes a first neck that fits within the mass-reduction opening with the transport comb in either angular orientation, and has a neck height that is greater than the actuator arm thickness.

8553367, Oct 8, 2013

Aug 12, 2008

12/190326

Gregory G. Foisy - Tracy CA, US
Huijie Xu - Milpitas CA, US

Western Digital Technologies, Inc. - Irvine CA

G11B 5/55
G11B 21/08

3602657

A novel head stack assembly (HSA) is disclosed and claimed. The HSA includes first and second actuator arms. A first head gimbal assembly is attached to the first actuator arm. The first head gimbal assembly includes a read head. A dummy mass is attached to the second actuator arm. The dummy mass includes a mounting plate portion defining a mounting plate width, a neck portion defining a neck width and a neck length, and a distal mass portion defining a distal mass width and a distal mass length. The neck width is less than the mounting plate width and the neck width is less than the distal mass width.

60612061, May 9, 2000

Apr 15, 1998

9/060868

Gregory G. Foisy - Tracy CA
Nils Eric Larson - San Jose CA
Sudha Narayan - Woodbridge NJ
Ajit Fathailal Sancheti - Redwood City CA
John Edwards - Mountain View CA

Western Digital Corporation - Irvine CA

G11B 555
G11B 2112

360105

A head stack assembly for mounting to a pivot bearing cartridge in a disk drive includes a coil having opposite electrical ends and a unitary molded plastic E-block fabricated from a first thermoplastic material containing electrically conductive filler material such that the E-block is electrically conductive. The E-block defines a generally cylindrically shaped body portion and a plurality of elongated arms, the body portion having a pivot bore for receiving the pivot bearing cartridge, a plurality of spaced-apart arm-support regions, and a surface defining a mounting site. Each arm is cantilevered from a respective one of the arm-support regions to project radially away from the pivot bore. The head stack assembly further includes an overmolded coil frame securing the coil to the body portion such that the coil is cantilevered to project radially away from the pivot bore. The overmolded coil frame is fabricated from a second thermoplastic material and is electrically non-conductive.

58779191, Mar 2, 1999

Jun 7, 1996

8/660351

Gregory Gerard Foisy - Tracy CA
Thaddeus Anthony Raczek - San Jose CA

Western Digital Corporation - Irvine CA

G11B 555
G11B 2108

360104

Apparatus and means for attaching the head-suspension assembly to the actuator arm in a disk drive. A head-suspension assembly in a first fabrication step is permanently fastened to a nut plate, for example, by laser welding. The nut plate is fastened to the suspension assembly on the suspension surface that faces away from the nearby recording disk when the disk drive is fully assembled. Another aspect of this invention is the use of heat-activated thermosetting adhesive. The head-suspension assembly with the affixed nut plate is fastened to an actuator arm with a heat-activated adhesive film. In one embodiment, the adhesive is applied to both sides of a thin plastic film for ease of handling and application. In another embodiment, the adhesive is made electrically conductive to provide an electrically-conductive path between the actuator arm and the head-suspension assembly. In one such embodiment, the plastic film separating the two layers of electrically-conductive adhesive is perforated to allow contact between the two layers of adhesive that forms an electrically-conductive path.