Patent attributes
A multi-slope load/unload ramp for a hard disk drive includes an inner first portion having a non-horizontal first slope and an adjacent outer second portion having a different non-horizontal second slope. The first slope may be steeper than the second slope, and the ramp may further include a third portion adjacent to the second portion and also having a third slope steeper than the second slope, with the ramp configured for positioning the first and second portions to overlap the disk while the third segment may be in part outside the disk. The second slope may be steeper than the first slope, with the ramp configured for positioning the first portion to overlap the disk while the second portion may be in part outside of the disk. Hence, any slider rebound from the steeper portions would occur outside of the disk and avoid a slider-disk crash.