97results about "Manually/solenoid operated control" patented technology

Systems and methods for interfacing with playback of media by a media player are provided. By combining the functionality of fast forward and skip forward into a single button control, the invention reduces the numbers of control buttons that need be included on a device, reducing device costs and consumer “button overload.” In one embodiment, by pressing (and releasing) a forward button, media being rendered by a media player skips to a predetermined location in the media. By pressing and holding (and then releasing) the forward button, the media being rendered is fast forwarded according to algorithms for fast forwarding. A backward button covers skipping backward and fast reversing in a similar fashion. A device including a play / pause button and the described forward and backward buttons advantageously reduces the number of buttons required by two buttons.

A mechanical-shock-mount assembly enables attachment of a mechanical-shock-sensitive electronic device to a support structure. Two identical shock-mount structures are attached and located on opposite sides of an electronic device. Each shock-mount structure has a pair of generally planar spring-like cantilever beams that have their free ends for attachment to the support structure. Damping material is located on the surfaces of the cantilever beams between the beams and clamping surfaces. At least one clamping surface is a plate that compresses the damping material between itself and the beam and / or compresses the damping material between the beam and a surface of the support structure when it is attached to the support structure. This shock-mount structure acts as a highly-damped nonlinear spring system that provides mechanical-shock resistance for the device in a direction perpendicular to the cantilevered beams and high stiffness in a direction in the plane of the beams. If desired, the shock-mounts can be first assembled to the support structure before attaching the device. The support structure can optionally have additional features for attaching other components of the device host.

An active noise reduction system for reducing the acoustic noise generated by a hard disk drive or generated external of a hard disk drive. The active noise reduction system is integrated into the hard disk drive and produces an acoustic waveform that is 180 degrees out-of-phase with the acoustic noise being generated, for example, by the spindle motor and VCM. The acoustic noise is received directly through a microphone or indirectly through the read / write head, spindle motor driver, or VCM driver. The acoustic noise is processed by electronics and the noise canceling waveform is either retrieved from the hard disk drive's memory, disk, or generated by the electronics. The noise canceling waveform is then broadcasted through one or more transducers that are integrated in the hard disk drive.

Systems and methods for interfacing with playback of media by a media player are provided. By combining the functionality of fast forward and skip forward into a single button control, the invention reduces the numbers of control buttons that need be included on a device, reducing device costs and consumer “button overload.” In one embodiment, by pressing (and releasing) a forward button, media being rendered by a media player skips to a predetermined location in the media. By pressing and holding (and then releasing) the forward button, the media being rendered is fast forwarded according to algorithms for fast forwarding. A backward button covers skipping backward and fast reversing in a similar fashion. A device including a play / pause button and the described forward and backward buttons advantageously reduces the number of buttons required by two buttons.

A method to control the inside environment of a cartridge is disclosed. The method includes providing a cartridge having a first chamber for the data storage media and a second chamber for material to control contaminants inside the cartridge. A selectively openable structure permits communication of the air within the first chamber to the material in the second chamber to decontaminate the first chamber.

An active noise reduction system for reducing the acoustic noise generated by a hard disk drive or generated external of a hard disk drive. The active noise reduction system is integrated into the hard disk drive and produces an acoustic waveform that is 180 degrees out-of-phase with the acoustic noise being generated, for example, by the spindle motor and VCM. The acoustic noise is received directly through a microphone or indirectly through the read / write head, spindle motor driver, or VCM driver. The acoustic noise is processed by electronics and the noise canceling waveform is either retrieved from the hard disk drive's memory, disk, or generated by the electronics. The noise canceling waveform is then broadcasted through one or more transducers that are integrated in the hard disk drive.

A method and apparatus for start-stop testing magnetic heads and hard disks in real disk-drive environment is provided. The tester has essentially the same dimensions as a conventional disk drive so that rotation of the disk pack inside the tester housing generates the same aerodynamic conditions as in a real disk drive. An accurate head positioning system, the operation of which does not depend on the deterioration of the magnetic conditions of the head and disk, is located inside the tester housing, and the friction and sticking forces can be measured till the moment of physical crash inside the housing. An essential advantage of the tester of the invention in that the measurement and positioning systems are combined into a single unit. The aforementioned combined system is based on the use of a Hall-effect sensor attached to the voice coil of the type used in the disk drive. Friction forces between the magnetic heads and the disks are measured by utilizing a voltage applied to the voltage-to-current converter.

A technique is provided for coupling and uncoupling modular devices with electronic and computing devices. A latch is coupled to a release member, which operates to release the latch from a mate latch by bending the release member to move the latch laterally away from the mate latch. The release member also may have grips for tool-lessly bending the release member to release the latch from the mate latch, and for removing the desired device. The technique also may embody a modular device having the latch and release member, or it may embody an overall system having the modular device disposed in a receptacle.

A docking module for conventional small form factor disk drives provides, in one embodiment, space for two such disk drives embedded in tray loaders, within a standard 3.5 inches halve height floppy bay. The docking module provides hot swappable insertion and removal of tray loaders together with disk drives. The bay is provided within a housing member. A button attached to a lever mechanism disconnects the docking module connector from the tray loader connector and partially pull out the loader when the button is pushed; An EMI shield fixedly coupled to the tray loaders each provide a barrier to electromagnetic interference.

The present invention provides for the enhancement of the storage capacity of a data disk drive while reducing optical path optics, electronics and / or the mass and complexity of associated read / write heads. The system utilizes light transmitted by optical elements to servo track a data disk and to heat the data disk during reading and writing of data, and magnetic elements for actual reading and writing.

A mechanical-shock-mount assembly enables attachment of a mechanical-shock-sensitive electronic device to a support structure. Two identical shock-mount structures are attached and located on opposite sides of an electronic device. Each shock-mount structure has a pair of generally planar spring-like cantilever beams that have their free ends for attachment to the support structure. Damping material is located on the surfaces of the cantilever beams between the beams and clamping surfaces. At least one clamping surface is a plate that compresses the damping material between itself and the beam and / or compresses the damping material between the beam and a surface of the support structure when it is attached to the support structure. This shock-mount structure acts as a highly-damped nonlinear spring system that provides mechanical-shock resistance for the device in a direction perpendicular to the cantilevered beams and high stiffness in a direction in the plane of the beams. If desired, the shock-mounts can be first assembled to the support structure before attaching the device. The support structure can optionally have additional features for attaching other components of the device host.

A magnetic storage system according to one embodiment includes a magnetic head adapted for at least one of reading from a magnetic medium and writing to the medium; a drive mechanism for directing the medium over the head; and a first element for selectively altering a voltage of the medium for altering a state of hydration of the medium.

A front panel for electrical equipment is provided that has a plurality of push buttons formed integrally with the front panel and requires no additional panel for covering around the push buttons while being excellent in appearance. Each of the push buttons is linked to the face plate of the front panel through a button supporting portion and a button arm. The button supporting portion is extended from the back of the face plate at a substantially right angle to the face plate. The button arm is extended from the rear end of the button supporting portion so as to be parallel to the face plate. The face plate and the button arm are arranged, with a space formed by removing a slidable core, to overlap each other when viewed from front. Thus, the front panel does not require any additional cover panel.

A mechanical transport device includes a system for transport; and a hard disk drive attached to the system. The hard disk drive comprises a magnetic recording disk to record data, a head to read or write the data to or from the disk, and a drop sensor designed to sense a shock condition. The system for transport may be a vehicle such as a car.

A docking module for conventional small form factor disk drives provides, in one embodiment, space for two such disk drives embedded in tray loaders, within a standard 3.5 inches halve height floppy bay. The docking module provides hot swappable insertion and removal of tray loaders together with disk drives. The bay is provided within a housing member. A button attached to a lever mechanism disconnects the docking module connector from the tray loader connector and partially pull out the loader when the button is pushed; An EMI shield fixedly coupled to the tray loaders each provide a barrier to electromagnetic interference.

A shock absorbing device for an enclosure. The shock absorbing device including a shock absorbing frame. The shock absorbing frame includes an inner surface coupled adjacent to the enclosure and an outer surface. The shock absorbing device also includes a plurality flexible shock bumpers spaced apart from each other and formed on the outer surface of the shock absorbing frame. Each flexible shock feature includes a mount feature.

A sound recording system includes a hand microphone with a plurality of operation switches mounted on the hand microphone. The switches include a record switch. The system also includes a sound recording device which is connected by a signal path to the hand microphone and records sound information generated at the hand microphone. Control circuitry included in the hand microphone and / or in the sound recording device controls operation of the sound recording device on the basis of input signals generated by the user via the operating switch array. If the record switch is actuated for only a brief period of time, a record-lock mode of operation is implemented. If the record switch is actuated for a longer period of time, a momentary-record mode is entered which lasts only as long as the record switch remains in an actuated position.

A hard disk drive fixing structure can accommodate a hard disk drive and can electrically connect with a computer to transmit information therebetween. The hard disk drive fixing structure has an accommodation casing; two rotary fixing members, which are corresponding to the fixing threaded holes of the hard disk drive, are pivotally installed to two lateral sides of the accommodation casing respectively; each rotary fixing member has at least one fixing protuberance; via the rotation of the rotary fixing members, the fixing protuberances can be respectively inserted into or withdrawn from the fixing threaded holes. Thereby, the hard disk drive can be fast assembled to / disassembled from the hard disk drive fixing structure of the present invention without any screwing / unscrewing activity but just via rotating the rotary fixing members.

A method of erasing information on one or more disks in a disk drive uses a high strength magnetic field to erase the disks while the disks are in the HDD assembly. The design of the head disk enclosure provides a reduced thickness in a localized region over the disks. This allows a narrower working magnetic gap of the HDD level disk erase apparatus. The localized region of the HDD may be a formed indentation on the top cover, elimination of flange, and reduced floor thickness of the HDD base.

An optical disk apparatus comprising a control dial unit having a jog dial and a shuttle dial which is concentrically mounted outside the jog dial is provided to solve the problem that when operating the jog dial, the shuttle dial in proximity of the jog dial is also rotated thereby preventing its optical pickup to access to a precise target position to be reproduced. The control dial of the invention is comprised of an outer control dial and an inner control dial which has a smaller diameter than the outer control dial and is arranged within a circumference of the outer control dial, wherein a peripheral corner of an upper surface of the inner control dial protrudes from an upper surface of the outer control dial, and its distance of protrusion is larger than 2 mm and smaller than 90 mm.

The present invention provides a method for increasing storage capacity of a disc drive by physically skewing a transducer in relation to a slider supporting the transducer. The physical skew angle of the transducer is configured to provide a predetermined zero skew position on the medium, which is capable of providing an increased storage capacity to the medium. To ascertain this zero skew position, a storage density or storage capacity of the medium may be ascertained for each of various zero skew positions on the medium. A desired storage density or capacity level is selected according to storage capacity requirements and the corresponding zero skew position is ascertained. The corresponding zero skew position may be implemented by physically skewing a transducer relative to a slider.

A method for manufacturing a magnetic field detecting element having a free layer whose magnetization direction is variable depending on an external magnetic field and a pinned layer whose magnetization direction is fixed with respect to the external magnetic field, said free layer and said pinned layer being stacked with an electrically conductive, nonmagnetic spacer layer sandwiched therebetween, wherein sense current is configured to flow in a direction that is perpendicular to film planes of the magnetic field detecting element is provided. The method has the steps of: forming a spacer adjoining layer that is adjacent to said spacer layer, Heusler alloy layer, and a metal layer successively in this order; and forming either at least a part of said pinned layer or said free layer by heating said spacer adjoining layer, said Heusler alloy layer, and said metal layer. The spacer adjoining layer has a layer that is chiefly made of cobalt and iron. The Heusler alloy layer includes metal which is silver, gold, copper, palladium, or platinum, or an alloy thereof. The metal layer is made of silver, gold, copper, palladium, or platinum, or an alloy thereof.

A remote control device is proposed, in which a clip for securing to clothing is removably disposed. The clip 10 can be attached to the body of the remote control device 11 such that the grip portion of the clip opens and closes either in the direction of a headphone side or a portable electronic equipment side.

A metrology system for measuring the magnetic properties of a magnetic recording medium layer on a device used for perpendicular recording.