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US 8,437,101 B1Granted
Disk drive with a spherical balance plug
AssigneeWestern Digital Technologies, Inc.
InventorsCurtis S. German, Andrew A. Lucas, Brian L. Rappel
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Described herein is a balance plug for a disk drive. The balance plug includes a body defining a substantially spherical outer surface and a plurality of ribs along the spherical outer surface and defining at least three meridians along the outer surface of the sphere. The at least three meridians can reside in at least two transverse planes.
Claims12
A disk drive comprising:
- a spindle hub having a balance plug recess along a top surface of the spindle hub;
- a disk clamp, coupled to the spindle hub, the disk clamp having a balance plug aperture that is positioned substantially over the plug recess of the spindle hub;
- and
- a balance plug having a substantially spherical outer surface, the plug comprising a plurality of ribs protruding from the spherical outer surface and defining at least three meridians along the spherical outer surface, the at least three meridians residing in at least two transverse planes, the plug being sized and configured to be received through the plug aperture and into the plug recess.
1 more element
A method of balancing a disk pack in a disk drive, the method comprising:
- providing a disk drive having a spindle hub with a top surface;
- providing a disk clamp having a balance plug aperture positioned substantially over the top surface of the spindle hub;
- providing a balance plug having a substantially spherical outer surface;
- advancing the plug through the plug aperture of the disk clamp;
- and
- retaining the balance plug between the spindle hub and the disk clamp by a plurality of ribs along the spherical outer surface of the plug, the plurality of ribs defining at least three meridians along the spherical outer surface.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.