Data processing: generic control systems or specific application – Specific application – apparatus or process – Article handling
Reexamination Certificate
2011-04-19
2011-04-19
Crawford, Gene (Department: 3651)
Data processing: generic control systems or specific application
Specific application, apparatus or process
Article handling
C700S213000, C700S245000, C700S264000, C700S229000, C414S217000, C414S219000, C414S277000, C414S249000
Reexamination Certificate
active
07930061
ABSTRACT:
The present invention provides systems and methods for loading and unloading substrate carriers onto and off of a transport system. The invention includes a substrate carrier handler adapted to transfer a substrate carrier between a docking station and a transport system, the substrate carrier handler including an end effector adapted to support the substrate carrier; a controller coupled to the substrate carrier handler and operative to control the substrate carrier handler such that the end effector of the substrate carrier handler is operative to selectively engage and disengage the substrate carrier to and from the transport system while the substrate carrier is in motion; and a sensor coupled to the controller and operative to provide a signal to the controller indicative of information about the substrate carrier. The controller is operative to adjust operation of the substrate carrier handler based on the signal from the sensor if the adjustment may be performed within a load or unload stroke of the substrate carrier handler. Numerous other aspects are provided.
REFERENCES:
patent: 1639758 (1927-08-01), Webb
patent: 1906036 (1933-04-01), Wunderlich
patent: 2153071 (1939-04-01), Bishop
patent: 2949996 (1960-08-01), Tonelli
patent: 3058604 (1962-10-01), Harper et al.
patent: 3131801 (1964-05-01), Marchetti
patent: 3184032 (1965-05-01), Jonsson
patent: 3587817 (1971-06-01), Bornstein et al.
patent: 3610448 (1971-10-01), Bornfleth
patent: 3710921 (1973-01-01), Petiet
patent: 3710923 (1973-01-01), Fromme et al.
patent: 3722656 (1973-03-01), Loomis, Jr. et al.
patent: 3734263 (1973-05-01), Dirks
patent: 3815723 (1974-06-01), Wright et al.
patent: 3845286 (1974-10-01), Aronstein et al.
patent: 3901376 (1975-08-01), Dardaine et al.
patent: 3990569 (1976-11-01), Aiuola
patent: 4006813 (1977-02-01), Fluck
patent: 4027246 (1977-05-01), Caccoma et al.
patent: 4029194 (1977-06-01), Feurstein et al.
patent: 4033403 (1977-07-01), Seaton et al.
patent: 4033448 (1977-07-01), MacFarlane et al.
patent: 4040302 (1977-08-01), Katarao
patent: 4044886 (1977-08-01), Sender
patent: 4166527 (1979-09-01), Beezer
patent: 4222479 (1980-09-01), Dugan et al.
patent: 4261236 (1981-04-01), Verjux
patent: 4266652 (1981-05-01), Bald
patent: 4294344 (1981-10-01), van Maanen
patent: 4340137 (1982-07-01), Foster
patent: 4401522 (1983-08-01), Buschow et al.
patent: 4450950 (1984-05-01), Foote, Jr.
patent: 4506779 (1985-03-01), Seragnoli
patent: 4524858 (1985-06-01), Maxey
patent: 4534843 (1985-08-01), Johnson et al.
patent: 4538720 (1985-09-01), Limousin
patent: 4540088 (1985-09-01), Bergh
patent: 4549647 (1985-10-01), Cosse
patent: 4552261 (1985-11-01), Raudat et al.
patent: 4584944 (1986-04-01), Dehne
patent: 4585126 (1986-04-01), Paddock et al.
patent: 4603770 (1986-08-01), Hartness
patent: 4650264 (1987-03-01), Dahnert
patent: 4653630 (1987-03-01), Bravin
patent: 4667809 (1987-05-01), Raybuck
patent: 4679685 (1987-07-01), Inoko
patent: 4680919 (1987-07-01), Hirama et al.
patent: 4693359 (1987-09-01), Mattei et al.
patent: 4702365 (1987-10-01), Pak
patent: 4708727 (1987-11-01), Cardenas-Franco et al.
patent: 4720006 (1988-01-01), Lenherr
patent: 4730733 (1988-03-01), Kawamura et al.
patent: 4750605 (1988-06-01), Brems et al.
patent: 4759439 (1988-07-01), Hartlepp
patent: 4765453 (1988-08-01), Bucher
patent: 4775046 (1988-10-01), Gramarossa et al.
patent: 4805759 (1989-02-01), Rochet et al.
patent: 4813528 (1989-03-01), Hartlepp
patent: 4827465 (1989-05-01), Koike
patent: 4830180 (1989-05-01), Ferguson et al.
patent: 4850102 (1989-07-01), Hironaka et al.
patent: 4852717 (1989-08-01), Ross et al.
patent: 4854440 (1989-08-01), Laube et al.
patent: 4869637 (1989-09-01), deGroot
patent: 4898373 (1990-02-01), Newsome
patent: 4901843 (1990-02-01), Lashyro
patent: 4915209 (1990-04-01), Canziani
patent: 4921092 (1990-05-01), Crawford et al.
patent: 4936438 (1990-06-01), Waineo
patent: 5048164 (1991-09-01), Harima
patent: 5052544 (1991-10-01), Anderson
patent: 5086909 (1992-02-01), Powell, Jr.
patent: 5092450 (1992-03-01), Schommartz et al.
patent: 5099896 (1992-03-01), Ritola
patent: 5110249 (1992-05-01), Norman
patent: 5113992 (1992-05-01), Sadamori
patent: 5123518 (1992-06-01), Pfaff
patent: 5135102 (1992-08-01), Sjogren et al.
patent: 5184712 (1993-02-01), Leypold et al.
patent: 5207309 (1993-05-01), Simpkin et al.
patent: 5226211 (1993-07-01), Jones
patent: 5231926 (1993-08-01), Williams et al.
patent: 5256204 (1993-10-01), Wu
patent: 5261935 (1993-11-01), Ishii et al.
patent: 5269119 (1993-12-01), Tolson
patent: 5275275 (1994-01-01), Boldrini et al.
patent: 5332013 (1994-07-01), Sugita et al.
patent: 5341915 (1994-08-01), Cordia et al.
patent: 5364225 (1994-11-01), Hecht et al.
patent: 5372471 (1994-12-01), Wu
patent: 5382127 (1995-01-01), Garric et al.
patent: 5388945 (1995-02-01), Garric et al.
patent: 5390785 (1995-02-01), Garric et al.
patent: 5411358 (1995-05-01), Garric et al.
patent: 5439091 (1995-08-01), Mason
patent: 5460478 (1995-10-01), Akimoto et al.
patent: 5558198 (1996-09-01), Juarez
patent: 5560471 (1996-10-01), Prochut et al.
patent: 5570990 (1996-11-01), Bonora et al.
patent: 5603777 (1997-02-01), Ohashi
patent: 5612886 (1997-03-01), Weng
patent: 5617944 (1997-04-01), McTaggart
patent: 5628614 (1997-05-01), Pazdernik et al.
patent: 5653327 (1997-08-01), Buday, Jr. et al.
patent: 5664254 (1997-09-01), Ohkura et al.
patent: 5667056 (1997-09-01), Kimmet
patent: 5668056 (1997-09-01), Wu et al.
patent: 5762544 (1998-06-01), Zuniga et al.
patent: 5782338 (1998-07-01), Schuster et al.
patent: 5797249 (1998-08-01), Hartness
patent: 5818716 (1998-10-01), Chin et al.
patent: 5823319 (1998-10-01), Resnick et al.
patent: 5827118 (1998-10-01), Johnson et al.
patent: 5829574 (1998-11-01), DelSanto
patent: 5829939 (1998-11-01), Iwai et al.
patent: 5865292 (1999-02-01), Aguilar et al.
patent: 5884392 (1999-03-01), Lafond
patent: 5887701 (1999-03-01), Spatafora
patent: 5888042 (1999-03-01), Oda
patent: 5957648 (1999-09-01), Bachrach
patent: 5976199 (1999-11-01), Wu et al.
patent: 5980183 (1999-11-01), Fosnight
patent: 6026561 (2000-02-01), Lafond
patent: 6036426 (2000-03-01), Hillman
patent: 6048259 (2000-04-01), Asai
patent: 6054181 (2000-04-01), Nanbu et al.
patent: 6068668 (2000-05-01), Mastroianni
patent: 6082948 (2000-07-01), Fishkin et al.
patent: 6083566 (2000-07-01), Whitesell
patent: 6092979 (2000-07-01), Miselli
patent: 6183186 (2001-02-01), Howell et al.
patent: 6195619 (2001-02-01), Ren
patent: 6209710 (2001-04-01), Mueller et al.
patent: 6214692 (2001-04-01), Thallner
patent: 6223887 (2001-05-01), Andou
patent: 6227345 (2001-05-01), Miyamoto
patent: 6227346 (2001-05-01), Lecomte et al.
patent: 6227348 (2001-05-01), Frei et al.
patent: 6234300 (2001-05-01), De Vos et al.
patent: 6235634 (2001-05-01), White et al.
patent: 6283692 (2001-09-01), Perlov et al.
patent: 6309279 (2001-10-01), Bowman et al.
patent: 6435331 (2002-08-01), Olson et al.
patent: 6439822 (2002-08-01), Kimura et al.
patent: 6440178 (2002-08-01), Berner et al.
patent: 6506009 (2003-01-01), Nulman et al.
patent: 6511065 (2003-01-01), Cote et al.
patent: 6524463 (2003-02-01), Gramarossa et al.
patent: 6579052 (2003-06-01), Bonora et al.
patent: 6581750 (2003-06-01), Tweedy et al.
patent: 6678583 (2004-01-01), Nasr et al.
patent: 6699329 (2004-03-01), Muelter et al.
patent: 6826986 (2004-12-01), Lim et al.
patent: 6919001 (2005-07-01), Fairbairn et al.
patent: 6955197 (2005-10-01), Elliott et al.
patent: 6955517 (2005-10-01), Nulman et al.
patent: 7077264 (2006-07-01), Rice et al.
patent: 7168553 (2007-01-01), Rice et al.
patent: 7230702 (2007-06-01), Rice et al.
patent: 7234584 (2007-06-01), Rice et al.
patent: 7234908 (2007-06-01), Nulman et al.
patent: 7243003 (2007-07-01), Rice et al.
patent: 7258520 (2007-08-01), Elliott et al.
patent: 7346431 (2008-03-01), Rice et al.
patent: 7359767 (2008-04-01), Rice et al.
patent: 7360981 (2008-04-01), Weaver
patent: 7409263 (2008-08-01), Elliott et al.
patent: 7433756 (2008-10-01), Rice et al.
patent: 7527141 (2009-05-01), Rice et al.
patent: 2001/0043849 (2001-11-01), Perlov et al.
pate
Englhardt Eric A.
Hudgens Jeffrey C.
Katwyk Kirk Van
Rice Michael R.
Applied Materials Inc.
Crawford Gene
Cumbess Yolanda
Dugan & Dugan
LandOfFree
Methods and apparatus for loading and unloading substrate... does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Methods and apparatus for loading and unloading substrate..., we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Methods and apparatus for loading and unloading substrate... will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2712498