Patent ID: 8867174

Claim:
A method for loading a head onto a disk medium, comprising: providing a disk medium; providing a head loading mechanism comprising a sliding surface having a level portion disposed between a pair of ramps that slope upward from the level portion and upward with respect to the disk medium, along which the head slides as the head moves between a position off the surface of the disk medium and a position over the surface of the disk medium, moving the head loading mechanism to a first load position, wherein at the first load position, the head loading mechanism can assist in loading the head to a first load location over the surface of the disk medium as the head is moved from a first position off the surface of the disk medium to a first position over the surface of the disk medium; moving the head from the first position off the surface to the first position over the surface; guiding the head to the first load location by the head loading mechanism as the head moves from the first position off the surface to the first position over the surface; and moving the head loading mechanism to a second load position, wherein at the second load position, the head loading mechanism loads the head to a second load location over the surface as the head is moved from a second position off the surface of the disk medium to a second position over the surface of the disk medium; wherein guiding the head to the first load location by the head loading mechanism comprises: displacing the head from a first elevation with respect to the surface to a second elevation with respect to the surface, when the head is at or near the position off the surface, such that there is sufficient distance between the head and the surface as the head positioning mechanism moves the head over the surface from the position off the surface to the position over the surface; restoring the head to the second elevation when the head is at or near the position over the surface; and releasing the head at the first load location over the surface.