Abstract: Apparatus and methods for the management of books returned by patrons in a library or similar setting are disclosed. In various aspects, apparatus for receiving a book from a patron, conveying the book, and placing the book onto a book collector in a near vertical orientation as well as associated methods are disclosed.

Abstract: A system for merchandise ordering and order fulfillment for highly efficient and accessible remote placement and assembly of merchandise orders. The system includes a network comprising a programmed central station and remote stations of various types permitting customer entry and employee fulfillment of merchandise orders.

Abstract: An automatic warehouse 8 is provided parallel to a running rail 4 for an overhead travelling carriage 6. Open shelves 16 each of which is open on its side are provided in a rack 10. According to the present invention, articles can be transferred directly to and from a shelf in the automatic warehouse.

Abstract: A transporting rail unit includes a first driving mechanism driving the object to a first position on a rail. A second driving mechanism includes a member designed to displace in response to reception of a force from the object when the object moves forward to the first position from a second position in front of the first position on the rail. The second driving mechanism allows accumulation of an elastic repulsive force based on displacement of the member. The transporting rail unit allows the object to keep moving forward based on the elastic repulsive force even after the object is released from engagement with the first driving mechanism. If the second driving mechanism is interposed between the first driving mechanisms, the object can be transferred between the first driving mechanisms. A single transporting rail unit can be utilized in common. This results in reduction in the production and management costs.

Abstract: An inlet port mechanism for an object to be treated is provided to quickly and smoothly replace an atmosphere in a storage container body with an inert gas without shifting of the position of the object to be treated. The inlet port mechanism has a partition wall, a stage, an opening/closing door mechanism, a lid opening/closing mechanism, a gas injection unit, and an exhaust unit. The partition wall partitions a space into a container transfer area and an object transfer area and has an opening gate. The storage container body storing the object is placed on the stage. The opening/closing door mechanism has an opening/closing door that serves to open and close the opening gate. The lid opening/closing mechanism is provided with the opening gate and serves to open and close an opening/closing lid of the storage container body.

Abstract: Transportation devices of an aerial cableway, such as gondolas or chairs, are stored in a storage region, which includes at least one storage rail. By way of a conveyor device the transportation devices are conveyed from the endless cableway region of an aerial cableway station to the storage region and back, and by way of a device on the storage rail said transportation devices are slid along. The sliding device is a motor-driven trolley that can be moved to and fro along the storage rail. The transportation devices are conveyed to the storage rail or storage rails by way of the conveyor device, wherein the transportation devices are pushed further and further along the storage rail by the transportation devices that follow. For transporting the transportation devices back from the storage rail or storage rails, the trolley is used, which, preferably acting upon the last transportation devices stored at the end of the storage track, pushes all the transportation devices to the conveyor device.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for damping vibrations within a stage device using controllable dampers are disclosed. According to one aspect of the present invention, a method for adjusting an amount of resistance associated with a stage device which has a table, a first surface, and a coupler positioned substantially between the table and the first surface includes accelerating the table and applying a resistance between the table and the first surface when the table is accelerating. Applying the resistance includes providing a first adjustment to the coupler. The method also includes substantially removing the resistance from between the table and the first surface when the table is not accelerating, wherein the resistance is substantially removed by providing a second adjustment to the coupler. In one embodiment, the stage device further includes a first damper that is arranged to substantially damp an elastic body vibration of the wafer table.

Abstract: A system and method are provided for semiconductor wafer processing. A wafer processing system includes a transfer chamber, a loadlock module connected to the transfer chamber, a plurality of processing modules vertically mounted in-line with the loadlock module, and a wafer transfer apparatus. The wafer transfer apparatus moves a wafer from the loadlock module to at least one of the plurality of processing modules where processing of the wafer takes place. The system and method of the present invention minimize the required clean room space while heightening process control.

Abstract: A system and method for providing substantially defect free rapid thermal processing. The present invention includes a wafer processing system used to process semiconductor wafers into electronic devices. In accordance with the present invention, once the wafer is processed, a shield can be inserted into the reactor to a position between the reactor heating surface and the wafer. The shield causes the temperature of the wafer to be reduced. Once the temperature of the wafer has been reduced to below a predetermined critical temperature, the robot picks up the wafer and removes the wafer from the processing chamber.

Abstract: The spaces in chuck grooves 3a and 3b are evacuated to chuck the entire surface of a wafer 1 to the chuck surface of a wafer support table 3 and curve the wafer 1. A wafer 2 is horizontally opposed to the wafer 1, and the center of the wafer 2 is pressed by a press pin 6a. The centers of the two wafers 1 and 2 are contacted, and the contact portion gradually spreads to the vicinity of the periphery of a central portion 3c and takes a substantially circular shape. After that, the chuck by the chuck grooves 3a is stopped. Consequently, the wafer 1 flattens, and the entire surfaces of the wafers 1 and 2 are contacted.

Abstract: Wafer processing time and handling is reduced by coupling a retrofitable processing tool between two standard processing tools. In an example embodiment, the retrofitable tool includes a metrology unit, which is coupled between two processing tools, that provides metrology capability without having to remove the wafers from the processing line. Once the metrology process is complete the wafers are transferred to the next processing tool and the retrofitable tool is decoupled from the two processing tools. An important advantage is the increased processing flexibility that the processing line reconfiguration method and the retrofitable tool bring to wafer processing.

Abstract: A manufacturing apparatus for a semiconductor device comprises: a clean room for installing a plurality of semiconductor manufacturing and processing apparatuses; an external air cleaning device connected to a supply port of the clean room for supplying a cleaned-up outside air into the clean room; a common air duct section installed in the clean room; a first air cleaning and ventilating means connected to said common air duct section for cleaning and ventilating a part of the cleaned-up outside air to the common air duct section; individual air duct section branched off from the common air duct section and connected to each of said semiconductor manufacturing and processing apparatuses; and a second air cleaning and ventilating means interposed between the individual air duct section and each of the semiconductor manufacturing and processing apparatuses for cleaning and ventilating the air to be supplied to each of the semiconductor manufacturing and processing apparatuses.

Abstract: A system adapted to exchange wafer carriers between an overhead transport mechanism and a platform is provided. The system employs a wafer carrier having at least one handle extending therefrom, an overhead transfer mechanism, a transporter coupled to the overhead transfer mechanism and adapted to move therealong and having a wafer carrier coupling mechanism adapted to couple to the at least one wafer carrier handle, a platform positioned below the overhead transfer mechanism such that wafer carriers traveling along the overhead transfer mechanism travel over the platform, and an actuator coupled to the platform and adapted so as to elevate the platform to an elevation wherein the loading platform may contact the bottom of a wafer carrier coupled to the overhead transfer mechanism.

Abstract: A system for the automatic loading and/or unloading of products comprises a store (13, 19) with shelves inclined and provided with a mobile transversal blocking means (9, 12), and at least one traveling lift (3) provided with mobile bearing tops (4), also inclined and provided with at least one mobile transversal blocking means (9, 12). Said inclined shelves and bearing tops (4) are provided with transversal, parallel, idle and inclined rollers (5) whereon a product or a product container (1) can slide by gravity when the blocking means is lowered.

Abstract: A compact article singulation and accumulation conveyor includes a receiving portion which receives articles in random order including clusters of side-by-side articles and a discharge portion from which articles are discharged in a single file singulated stream. A first conveying surface transports articles longitudinally from the receiving portion to the discharge portion. A recirculating bed removes side-by-side articles from a downstream portion of the first conveying surface to an upstream portion of the first conveying surface. The recirculating bed is made up of at least one peel-away conveyor having a second conveying surface adapted to move side-by-side articles laterally off the first conveying surface, at least one coupling conveyor having a third conveying surface adapted to move articles from the second conveying surface upstream and at least one return conveyor having a fourth conveying surface adapted to move articles from the third conveying surface to the first conveying surface.

Abstract: An automated warehouse includes a plurality of article storage shelves having a plurality of article storage sections arranged therein . An article may be conveyed from a main conveyer at one end of the shelves through a branching conveyer to a transfer apparatus. The transfer apparatus can transfer the article to and from the storage section. The branching conveyer extends substantially normal to the main conveyer. The main n conveyer includes a plurality of slats extending normal to a conveying direction and a plurality of pushing shoes corresponding with the slats. The main conveyer additionally includes a device for aligning and moving a predetermined number of the pushing shoes at a position where the branched conveyer is located.

Abstract: A system for filling orders in a warehouse utilizes a main conveyor for routing items in the warehouse, including to a primary and secondary picking area. The primary picking area is used for picking high volume items, and is subdivided into multiple subgroups of primary pick faces. The second picking area is used for picking items that are not available for picking in the first picking area. Picking is performed in alternating short pick periods. Picking from a first subgroup of primary pick faces is performed in a first pick period, and picking from the second subgroup of primary pick faces is performed in an alternating pick period. Items are assigned to the first picking area dynamically for each picking period on the basis of which items are the highest moving items during an individual pick period. The system utilizes a pivotally mounted diverting chute to direct items into the pick faces, etc., and a self opening pick face.

Abstract: A sorting line for processing envelopes, particularly for photographic laboratories, including at least one endless conveyor, for a plurality of boxes, provided with a base which opens under a command correlated with the position of the boxes along their path and a plurality of compartments arranged on several levels in a position below the endless conveyor and provided with upperly open communication channels which emerge in positions corresponding with the different positions in which the base of the boxes opens.

Abstract: A sorting line for processing envelopes for photographic laboratories including a feeder unit of the processing envelopes to be sorted, a main leg for supporting and guiding a first endless conveyor for a plurality of boxes provided with a base which opens under a command correlated with a position of the boxes along their path, the boxes being individually fed by a feeder unit, at least one branch leg for supporting and guiding a second endless conveyor for a plurality of boxes substantially similar to the boxes of the main leg, the branch leg being located at a lower level than the main leg, the arrangement of each branch leg with respect to the main leg being such that there exists at least one position which a box of the first conveyor is exactly above a box of the second conveyor.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for handling lengths of timber which are both green and dried include the feature of simultaneously conveying, by way of suitable conveyors, both the green timber and the dried timber to a given location from where the two different types of timber are conveyed together by way of a single conveyor beyond the given location to a drop sorter having compartments into which the green and dried timber are dropped according to a given program. From the drop sorter batches of green timber and batches of dried timber are received by batch conveyors which serve to convey these batches to a packaging apparatus which serve to provide from the batches of green timber packages in which layers of green timber are separated by spacers, preparatory to transmitting these packages to a drying installation, while the dried timber batches are formed into packages which are suitable for further handling.