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GooglePatent applicationRobots & automationInterest 3/10

Google patents belt-driven arms to grip hard drives of any size

This filing describes a mechanical system with two pivotable arms that clamp around a hard drive to hold it securely. Belts run along the length of each arm to pull the drive into place and prevent it from drooping or shifting during handling.

Why it mattersIt offers a more stable way to handle delicate storage components in automated data centers, reducing the risk of damage during transport.

In the filing’s own words

The technology is generally directed to a gripping system for receiving hard drives of varying thicknesses and located in any position or orientation. The gripping system may include two arms to grip a hard drive and at least one belt positioned along a length of each arm to move the hard drive towards or away from the system. The arms may be pivotally attached so that hard drives of varying widths can be received between the arms. The belts may provide improved control of the hard drive once received between the arms because a force exerted by the belts may secure the hard drive in place to prevent the hard drive from drooping or moving out of place.

What exactly they claim (claim 1)

1. A gripping system comprising: two arms opposing each other, each arm having a length elongated in a longitudinal direction and defining a receiving space to receive a hard drive, each arm having a top end and a bottom end such that a top midpoint between the top ends of the arms and a bottom midpoint between the bottom ends of the arms define a gripping axis, wherein each arm comprises a front portion and a back portion opposing each other such that a front internal surface of the front portion faces a back internal surface of the back portion and creating a channel between the front internal surface and the back internal surface, each channel configured to receive the hard drive between the arms along the gripping axis, wherein the two arms are coupled to each other by the top end and are free at the bottom end; and at least one belt along a length of each arm and positioned between the front and back portions of each arm, each of the at least one belt between each front and back portion.

Facts

Company
Google (Google LLC)
Official title
Gripping System
Publication number
US20260273774A1
Application number
19081777
Filed
Mar 17, 2025
Published
Sep 17, 2026
Inventors
3
Claims
20

Classified under

B25J 15/0028 Operations & transport
Read the full filing (official PDF) ↗ Open in the Patent Tracker

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Summaries are simplified from the filing’s own abstract and first claim. A patent filing is not a product announcement.
Patent data and drawings: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Nebula is not affiliated with or endorsed by the USPTO.