Patent ID: 7477487

Claim:
A head suspension beam region formed by etching from a laminated sheet of material having first and second relatively stiff layers separated by a third etch stop layer, the beam region including: a base portion having tapered region with a tapered shape formed from the first layer, the tapered region of the base portion having continuously decreasing width with increasing distance from a proximal end of the beam region, and peripheral edges; and a rail structure stiffener portion having a tapered shape formed from the second layer over the tapered region of the base portion, the stiffener portion having a generally continuously decreasing width along the tapered region with increasing distance from the proximal end of the beam region, a narrower width profile than the tapered region of the base portion, and a pair of peripheral edge rails spaced apart by cutouts, converging at their distal ends and having generally concave peripheral edges, and wherein portions of the tapered region of the base portion between the peripheral edges of the base portion and the peripheral edges of the stiffener portion continuously increases in width from a first width at a first distance from the beam region proximal end to a second width at a second, greater distance from the beam region proximal end, and continuously decreases in width from the second width at the second distance from the beam region proximal end to a third width that is less than the second width at a third distance from the beam region proximal end that is greater than the second distance.