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US 6,939,120 B1Granted
Disk alignment apparatus and method for patterned media production
AssigneeKomag, Inc.
InventorBruce M. Harper
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An apparatus and method for aligning a disk with an imprinting surface are described. In one embodiment, the apparatus has a die which includes an air-bearing mandrel having a tapered nose to engage an ID of the disk, a circular imprinting surface having a centerline concentric with the air-bearing mandrel, and an air-bearing cavity to position the disk. The axial movement of the top die towards the bottom die guides the ID of the disk into coincident alignment with the centerline of the top die.
Claims37
An apparatus to imprint a disk, comprising:
- a top die comprising:
- an air-bearing mandrel having a tapered nose to engage an ID of the disk;
- and
- a first imprinting surface having a first centerline concentric with the air-bearing mandrel;
- and
- a bottom die having an air-bearing cavity to support and constrain the disk, wherein the axial movement of the top die towards the bottom die guides the ID of the disk into coincident alignment with the first centerline of the top die.
3 more elements
An apparatus to imprint a disk, comprising:
- a top die having a first air-bearing mandrel with a tapered nose;
- a bottom die having a second air-bearing mandrel with a tapered nose that opposes the first air-bearing mandrel;
- and
- a first imprinting surface disposed around the first air-bearing mandrel, wherein the first air-bearing mandrel, the second air-bearing mandrel, and the first imprinting surface share a common centerline, and wherein the tapered noses of the first and second air-bearing mandrels intermesh to engage an ID of the disk.
1 more element
An apparatus, comprising:
- means for passively aligning an imprinting surface with a disk;
- and
- means for imprinting the disk with the imprinting surface, wherein a first air-bearing mandrel freely guides a first centerline of the disk into coincident alignment with a second centerline of the imprinting surface.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.