Laminate-wrapped hard disk drives and related methods

• US 10,002,645 B2
• Filed: 06/08/2015
• Issued: 06/19/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/09/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Entrotech, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Entrotech, Inc.
• Inventors: McGuire, Jr., James E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Agustin, Peter Vincent
• Application Number:
  US15/109,912
• Publication Number:
  US 20160329081A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,107 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 25/043 using rotating discs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 33/022 Cases
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 33/122 Arrangements for providing electrical connections, e.g. connectors, cables, switches
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 33/1406 Reducing the influence of the temperature
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 33/1446 Reducing contamination, e.g. by dust, debris

Abstract

Hard disk drives of the invention are wrapped in laminate for enhanced sealing of the hard disk drive. Laminate-wrapped hard disk drives of the invention comprise: an enclosed hard disk drive housing comprising a base and a cover enclosed around internal components for facilitating reading and recording of data at a desired location on at least one disk contained within the housing; and a laminate wrapped around the enclosed housing in an at least partially overlapping manner to form the laminate-wrapped hard disk drive and prevent undesired migration therethrough such that a sealed environment exists within the laminate-wrapped hard disk drive, wherein the laminate comprises a barrier layer and an adhesive layer for adherence of the laminate to the enclosed housing.

Claims

1. A laminate-wrapped hard disk drive comprising:

an enclosed hard disk drive housing comprising a base and a cover enclosed around internal components for facilitating reading and recording of data at a desired location on at least one disk contained within the housing; and

a laminate wrapped around the enclosed housing in an at least partially overlapping manner to form the laminate-wrapped hard disk drive and prevent undesired migration therethrough such that a sealed environment exists within the laminate-wrapped hard disk drive,

wherein the laminate comprises a barrier layer and an adhesive layer for adherence of the laminate to the enclosed housing.

2. The hard disk drive of claim 1, wherein the laminate consists essentially of the barrier layer and the adhesive layer.

3. The hard disk drive of claim 2, wherein the barrier layer is a non-constrained barrier layer.

4. The hard disk drive of claim 2, wherein the barrier layer is a constrained barrier layer.

5. The hard disk drive of claim 1, wherein the laminate consists essentially of the barrier layer interposed between a protective layer and the adhesive layer, with at least one optional internal laminating adhesive layer therebetween.

6. The hard disk drive of claim 1, wherein the laminate further comprises at least one internal laminating adhesive layer.

7. The hard disk drive of claim 1, wherein the laminate further comprises a second barrier layer.

8. The hard disk drive of claim 7, wherein the barrier layer is a metal foil and the second barrier layer is a metal coating constrained between first and second polymeric layers.

9. The hard disk drive of claim 8, wherein each of the first and the second polymeric layers comprises polyurethane.

10. The hard disk drive of claim 8, wherein each of the first and the second polymeric layers has a thickness of about 5 microns to about 10 microns.

11. The hard disk drive of claim 1, wherein the laminate consists essentially of two barrier layers, one constrained barrier layer and one non-constrained barrier layer, interposed between a protective layer and the adhesive layer, with at least one optional internal laminating adhesive layer therebetween.

12. The hard disk drive of claim 1, wherein the laminate further comprises a protective layer.

13. The hard disk drive of claim 12, wherein the protective layer is polyurethane-based.

14. The hard disk drive of claim 12, wherein the protective layer has a thickness of about 25 microns to about 100 microns.

15. The hard disk drive of claim 12, wherein the protective layer has a thickness of about 20 microns to about 50 microns.

16. The hard disk drive of claim 1, wherein the barrier layer is a metal foil.

17. The hard disk drive of claim 1, wherein the barrier layer is a metal coating.

18. The hard disk drive of claim 1, wherein the barrier layer comprises a metal selected from aluminum and stainless steel.

19. The hard disk drive of claim 1, wherein the barrier layer has a thickness of less than about 40 microns.

20. The hard disk drive of claim 1, wherein the barrier layer has a thickness of about 25 microns.

21. The hard disk drive of claim 1, wherein the adhesive layer is a pressure-sensitive adhesive.

22. The hard disk drive of claim 1, wherein the adhesive layer has a thickness of about 5 microns to about 150 microns.

23. The hard disk drive of claim 1, wherein the adhesive layer is about 25 microns thick or less.

24. The hard disk drive of claim 1, wherein the laminate is at least about 40 microns thick.

25. The hard disk drive of claim 1, wherein the laminate is at least about 50 microns thick.

26. The hard disk drive of claim 1, wherein the laminate is at least about 200 microns thick.

27. The hard disk drive of claim 1, wherein the laminate is about 50 microns to about 75 microns thick.

28. The hard disk drive of claim 1, wherein the hard disk drive is hermetically sealed.

29. The hard disk drive of claim 1, wherein at least two layers of the laminate are present on a major portion of the laminate-wrapped hard disk drive.

30. The hard disk drive of claim 1, wherein at least three layers of the laminate are present on a major portion of the laminate-wrapped hard disk drive.

31. A method for forming the laminate-wrapped hard disk drive of claim 1, the method comprising steps of:

preparing the laminate;

enclosing the base and the cover around the internal components to form the enclosed hard disk drive housing;

sizing the laminate to fit around the enclosed hard disk drive housing; and

wrapping the laminate around the enclosed hard disk drive housing to form the laminate-wrapped hard disk drive.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein the laminate is stored for later wrapping around the enclosed hard disk drive housing after it is prepared.

33. The method of claim 31, wherein the laminate is sized such that flap portions extending outward along a y-axis of the enclosed hard disk drive housing are at least as long as height of the enclosed hard disk drive housing during the step of wrapping the laminate.

34. The method of claim 31, wherein the laminate is sized such that flap portions extending outward along a y-axis of the enclosed hard disk drive housing are at least two times as long as height of the enclosed hard disk drive housing during the step of wrapping the laminate.

35. The method of claim 31, wherein the laminate is sized such that flap portions extending outward along a y-axis of the enclosed hard disk drive housing are at least three times as long as height of the enclosed hard disk drive housing during the step of wrapping the laminate.

36. The method of claim 31, wherein any metal coating within the laminate is formed in the absence of the enclosed housing.

37. The method of claim 31, wherein the step of wrapping the laminate around the enclosed housing comprises steps of:

first wrapping the laminate around a portion of the enclosed hard disk drive housing having the largest surface area so that at least one layer of laminate is interposed between the enclosed hard disk drive housing and an end of the laminate visible on the yz- or yx-plane of the enclosed hard disk drive housing; and

next wrapping the laminate around exposed sides of the enclosed hard disk drive housing extending along xz-planes of the enclosed hard disk drive housing.

38. The method of claim 37, further comprising a step of routing an electrical connector exiting the enclosed hard disk drive housing between opposing portions of the laminate as it is wrapped around the exposed sides of the enclosed hard disk drive housing extending along xz-planes of the enclosed hard disk drive housing.

39. The method of claim 38, wherein a tortuous path is created by folding a wrapped portion of the electrical connector over the enclosed hard disk drive housing.

40. The method of claim 37, wherein at least two layers of the laminate are interposed between the enclosed hard disk drive housing and an end of the laminate visible on the yz- or yx-plane of the wrapped hard disk drive during the step of first wrapping the laminate.

41. The method of claim 37, wherein at least three layers of the laminate are interposed between the enclosed hard disk drive housing and an end of the laminate visible on the yz- or yx-plane of the wrapped hard disk drive during the step of first wrapping the laminate.