Patents by Inventor David L. Tuttle

David L. Tuttle has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 7158857
    Abstract: An alignment tool, method and system are provided for aligning a cassette handler to a robot blade in a workpiece handling system, in which the tool comprises a frame or fixture adapted to be supported by the cassette handler support surface, in which the frame has one or more distance sensors positioned to measure the distance of a workpiece or robot blade from the sensor or a predetermined reference point or surface. In a preferred embodiment, the frame emulates a workpiece cassette and the distance sensors provide a numerical output of the distance to the workpiece. As explained in greater detail below, these distance measurements facilitate accurately leveling and aligning the cassette handler support surface relative to a workpiece supported by the robot blade such that when the frame is replaced by an actual workpiece cassette, the workpiece cassette will also be level and aligned with respect to the robot blade and the workpiece held by the blade.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 6, 2005
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2007
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Ronald Vern Schauer, Alan Rick Lappen, David L. Tuttle
  • Patent number: 6925356
    Abstract: An alignment tool, method and system are provided for aligning a cassette handler to a robot blade in a workpiece handling system, in which the tool comprises a frame or fixture adapted to be supported by the cassette handler support surface, in which the frame has one or more distance sensors positioned to measure the distance of a workpiece or robot blade from the sensor or a predetermined reference point or surface. In a preferred embodiment, the frame emulates a workpiece cassette and the distance sensors provide a numerical output of the distance to the workpiece. As explained in greater detail below, these distance measurements facilitate accurately leveling and aligning the cassette handler support surface relative to a workpiece supported by the robot blade such that when the frame is replaced by an actual workpiece cassette, the workpiece cassette will also be level and aligned with respect to the robot blade and the workpiece held by the blade.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 25, 2002
    Date of Patent: August 2, 2005
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Ronald Vern Schauer, Alan Rick Lappen, David L. Tuttle
  • Publication number: 20030083776
    Abstract: An alignment tool, method and system are provided for aligning a cassette handler to a robot blade in a workpiece handling system, in which the tool comprises a frame or fixture adapted to be supported by the cassette handler support surface, in which the frame has one or more distance sensors positioned to measure the distance of a workpiece or robot blade from the sensor or a predetermined reference point or surface. In a preferred embodiment, the frame emulates a workpiece cassette and the distance sensors provide a numerical output of the distance to the workpiece. As explained in greater detail below, these distance measurements facilitate accurately leveling and aligning the cassette handler support surface relative to a workpiece supported by the robot blade such that when the frame is replaced by an actual workpiece cassette, the workpiece cassette will also be level and aligned with respect to the robot blade and the workpiece held by the blade.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 25, 2002
    Publication date: May 1, 2003
    Applicant: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Ronald Vern Schauer, Alan Rick Lappen, David L. Tuttle
  • Publication number: 20030060922
    Abstract: An alignment tool, method and system are provided for aligning a cassette handler to a robot blade in a workpiece handling system, in which the tool comprises a frame or fixture adapted to be supported by the cassette handler support surface, in which the frame has one or more distance sensors positioned to measure the distance of a workpiece or robot blade from the sensor or a predetermined reference point or surface. In a preferred embodiment, the frame emulates a workpiece cassette and the distance sensors provide a numerical output of the distance to the workpiece. As explained in greater detail below, these distance measurements facilitate accurately leveling and aligning the cassette handler support surface relative to a workpiece supported by the robot blade such that when the frame is replaced by an actual workpiece cassette, the workpiece cassette will also be level and aligned with respect to the robot blade and the workpiece held by the blade.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 8, 2002
    Publication date: March 27, 2003
    Inventors: Ronald Vern Schauer, Alan Rick Lappen, David L. Tuttle