Patent ID: 7248441

Claim:
A method for parking a disk drive, comprising: disposing a proximity latch mechanism ( 210 - 218 ) at a fantail of an actuator ( 30 ) such that said latch mechanism will engage and stop actuator rotation when a slider head ( 60 ) reaches a parking ramp ( 120 ); placing magnets ( 220 ) to draw said actuator ( 30 ) to self rotate into a parking position that engages said proximity latch mechanism ( 210 - 218 ); allowing said proximity latch mechanism ( 210 - 218 ) to engage said actuator by rotating said latch mechanism on a pivot ( 218 ) to close a first gap between a latch pusher arm ( 212 ) on said latch mechanism and an actuator pusher site ( 214 ) on said actuator, and then to close a second gap between a latch crash stop arm ( 216 ) on said latch mechanism and an actuator crash stop site ( 226 ) on said actuator while said first gap remains closed; providing for said proximity latch mechanism ( 210 - 218 ) to disengage said actuator by rotating said latch mechanism on said pivot ( 218 ) due to a voltage being applied in a nearby actuator voice coil ( 32 ) of said actuator that then magnetically acts on a latch bias tab ( 210 ) of said latch mechanism, and thus opens the second gap between said crash stop arm ( 216 ) and said crash stop site ( 226 ) when said pusher arm ( 212 ) presses away on said actuator pusher site ( 214 ).