Abstract: A vertical heat-treating apparatus which is effective for preventing dust or fine particles from being attached to a wafer during the loading/unloading or transport of the wafer thereby to manufacture a high-quality wafers. This apparatus comprises a carrier stocker storing a plurality of wafer carriers, a loading/unloading mechanism for transferring the wafers between the wafer carriers and a heat-treating vessel, a plurality of heat-treating furnaces for heat-treating the wafers, a transport mechanism for transporting the heat-treating vessel to and from the vertical heat-treating furnace, and gas supply means for forming a clear gas stream passing exclusively through the loading/unloading mechanism and/or the transport mechanism.

Abstract: According to this invention, a method of transferring a plurality of semiconductor wafers between a carrier and a support ring type boat comprises the steps of picking up the semiconductor wafer from the carrier on a station by an arm in a substantially horizontal state, positioning the wafer supported by the arm above a support ring of the boat, positioning a receiver below the support ring, moving the receiver upward to a position where a pin of the receiver reaches the arm through an opening of the support ring, lifting the wafer from the arm by the pin, moving the arm backward from the boat, moving the receiver downward to a position where the wafer is transferred from the receiver to the support ring, and then loading the boat into a heat treatment furnace.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for lifting select semi-conductor wafers from a quartz wafer boat. A removable transfer platform is provided for receiving a quartz wafer boat and positioning the wafer boat above upwardly extending fingers adapted for engaging wafers disposed therein. The upwardly extending wafer engagement fingers are mounted on a wand that is programmed for select vertical and horizontal movement relative to the wafer boat. The fingers of the wand also include ends adapted for engaging the peripheral edges of the wafer supported within the wafer boat for being lifted therefrom.

Abstract: An IC sorting and receiving apparatus has a transportation unit for transporting ICs sorted in accordance with tested results, and a reception unit for receiving the ICs transported by the transportation unit. The reception unit includes at least one vertically movable tray loader having a vertical drive unit, and a horizontally movable tray loader provided over the vertically movable tray loader. The horizontally movable tray loader has a horizontal drive unit for moving the horizontally movable tray loader horizontally away from the region over the vertically movable loader.

Abstract: A material supply apparatus for transferring powdery, granular and conglomerated materials, including a base member, a material vessel pooling unit, a plurality of elongate material racks arranged side by side in the material vessel pooling unit, a plurality of material vessels arranged in each of the elongate material racks, a material vessel transferring unit for removing and transferring a selected material vessel from a selected elongate material rack, and control devices for controlling movement of the material vessel pooling unit and for controlling movement of the material vessel transferring unit.

Abstract: A manually operable apparatus is provided for transferring disks with center holes such as semiconductor wafers from one cassette of an ordinary kind to another having a different pitch. The apparatus has an elongated rod on which an array of disk-shaped pieces each capable of supporting a wafer from its center hole is slidably mounted. These pieces are so connected that the separation between each of mutually adjacent pairs can vary but not to exceed a predetermined maximum distance. The piece at one end of the array is affixed to the rod and the one at the other end is attached to a tubular member which can be moved manually in the direction of the rod.

Abstract: A wafer transfer device which includes a lifter system for lifting wafers seated in a cassette, a chuck system having at least two pairs of chuck members on each of which a plurality of grooves for holding the wafers therein are formed and serving to hold the wafers, which are lifted by the lifter system, between these chuck members, and a carrier system for carrying the wafers together with the chuck system. The wafer holding grooves on one of the paired chuck members are in series with those on one of the other paired chuck members, and the wafer holding grooves on one of the paired chuck members are parallel to those on one of the other paired chuck members.

Abstract: A frame includes a plate mounted thereon for driving movement along the frame. A captive pallet having a load thereon is staged onto the frame. The plate drives into an edge of the captive pallet thus driving the pallet from beneath the load and shifting the load to the plate. Continued plate movement transfers the load onto a shipping pallet beneath the plate. When the captive pallet includes a slip sheet, a gripping jaw holds the sheet while the plate drives the captive pallet from beneath the sheet thus providing transfer to a shipping pallet, or to the slip sheet only, in which the sides of the load are not touched.

Abstract: A vibratory tube-to-tube transfer system for transferring the contents of an input tube to an output tube is disclosed. The system includes an alignment fixture having an input section for receiving an input tube loaded with ICs and an output section for receiving an empty output tube. A support plate supports the alignment fixture and a directional vibrator is affixed to the support plate for vibrating the alignment fixture and effecting the transfer of the contents of the input tube to the output tube. An equal number of input tubes and output tubes, such as eight of each, are accommodated by the transfer system.

Abstract: A positioner suitable for use in warehouses where stored products are carried with on pallets or on horizontal forks. The positioner is designed to load, unload, select, store, pull out, prepare orders, etc., of any kind of the aforementioned products. The positioner has a structure with two vertical masts with a bolster moving vertically between them, a slider slidably mounted on this bolster, a longitudinal frame on which moves a second slider carrying a vertical column with its free end provided with an air hole or clamp to carry out the transfer of products, with operations monitored and controlled by computer.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for transferring a unit load from one pallet to another pallet or slip sheet without creasing the containers constituting the unit load. In one embodiment the unit load containing pallet and the empty pallet are aligned side-by-side on a platform. The platform is selectively moveable about an axis parallel to the adjacent sides of the pallets between a horizontal position and a tilted position in which the empty pallet is lowermost. A push plate moveable relative to the platform transfers the unit load onto the empty pallet or slip sheet while the platform is tilted. The force required to transfer the unit load is reduced, when contrasted to horizontal transfer, since the component forces of the unit load are changed by the tilting.

Abstract: The apparatus transfers a quantity of wafers from a first wafer boat to a second wafer boat. A wafer platform positioned beneath a wafer boat rises and transports the wafers to a pair of wafer grips which hold the wafers until the wafer platform is lowered and a second wafer about is in position to receive the wafers. The wafer platform is actuated by the negative pressure applied to alternating sides of a stage which divides a sealed cabinet into two portions. A vacuum is applied to alternating sides of the stage, while ambient air is introduced into the other side, causing the stage to move in the direction of lower pressure. The platform is affixed to the stage on at least two points.

Abstract: A cassette loading and unloading device for loading and unloading a cassette which typically accommodates an exposed film carrying image information includes a pair of guides for holding a cassette therebetween, the guides being relatively displaceable depending on the size of the cassette to be held therebetween, a cassette holder for displacing the guides to a position in which to open a lid of the cassette, while the cassette is being held by the guides, and a displacing mechanism for returning the cassette holder to an original position and allowing the cassette to be removed from the guides. The guides include a fixed guide and a movable guide, which are relatively movable to define a space therebetween that matches the size of a selected cassette.

Abstract: Apparatus for loading and unloading x-ray film cassettes of various sizes, using an air jet to release a sheet of film from a pivotally open upper cassette part, the air jet nozzle being carried by a lever arrangement such that the nozzle is moved upwardly with the upper cassette part as the latter moves to its open position.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an apparatus for transferring a plurality of semiconductor wafers from their cassettes to a boat. This apparatus comprises a support body on which the cassettes and the boat are mounted, a lifter for lifting wafers from the cassettes, a handling device for carrying the wafers and transferring them to the boat, and a plurality fans for introducing dust created by the handling device into the support body and removing it outside the support body.

Abstract: A vertical heat treatment apparatus heat-treats wafers horizontally carried in a boat while keeping the boat vertical in a reaction tube. The apparatus includes a system for transferring the wafers between the boat and wafer carriers, a system for loading and unloading the wafer-carried boat into and out of the reaction tube, and a system for waiting the boat in which not-treated wafers are carried. An arm is provided to move the boat while supporting the boat vertically. The boat is moved by the arm among a first position where the wafer transferring system is located, a second position where the load and unload system is located and a third position where the boat waiting system is located. A system for engaging with the top of the boat is further located at the first position to fix the top of the boat when the wafers are transferred to and out of the boat by the wafer transfer system.

Abstract: A refuse collection and delivery system, which includes a garbage can for collection garbage and a garbage truck for receiving and delivering the garbage collected from the garbage can. The garbage can includes a horizontal type cylinder having an opening covered with a sliding cover which has lifting-eyes thereon for the fastening therein of the hooks of a crane of the garbage truck to lift the garbage can to a dustbin tipping device thereof for dust-free tipping operation.

Abstract: A method for shifting goods in which goods arranged in a predetermined manner within a container having an opening portion are taken out of the container in such a manner as to correspond to the arrangement of the storing state of the goods. The method comprising the steps of superposing a goods take-out tool including partitions which are formed in such a manner as to correspond to the arrangement of the storing state of the goods on the opening portion of the container, and inverting the superposed container and goods take-out tool. The goods in the container can be taken into the goods take-out tool without changing the arrangement of the storing state of the goods.

Abstract: A pitch changing device of the present invention includes a lift mechanism for unloading a plurality of wafers arranged in a cassette at predetermined pitches from the cassette while the pitches are kept unchanged, and a chuck mechanism for holding the unloaded wafers while the pitches are kept unchanged. The chuck mechanism includes moving pieces mounted to be movable in an arrangement direction of the wafers, for respectively supporting the wafers, elastic members mounted in the movable pieces to be expandible/contractible in the arrangement direction of the wafers, and a driving mechanism for expanding/contracting the elastic members. When the elastic members expand/contract by the driving mechanism, the pitches of the wafers are changed while the wafers are held. The lift mechanism includes a handler for variably moving wafer stands in the arrangement direction of the wafers, and changes the pitches while the wafers are lifted.

Abstract: An automatic disc gauging and sorting apparatus for gauging the thickness of the discs and sorting the discs into a series of predetermined ranges of varying thickness is provided. The apparatus includes a revolving disc sorting unit including a plurality of spaced-apart disc sorting containers arranged concentrically and in one plane. Each of the containers is designated to receive discs of a predetermined thickness range. A cassette transport assembly for transporting cassettes containing discs to be gauged and sorted to a disc pick-up position adjacent the sorting unit and for transporting empty cassettes away from the disc pick-up position is included, as well as a disc gauging unit associated with the sorting unit adjacent the disc pick-up position for gauging the thickness of the discs to be sorted.

Abstract: A pair of opposed teeth combs hold a first plurality of waters at a first upper location. A lift platform on a machine engageably holds and lifts a second plurality into position to be interleaved into the spaces of the first wafer group. The combs are pivotably mounted such that a skewed water in the group of wafers on one platform comes into contact with a comb and causes the combs to pivot slightly upwardly, or a skewed wafer creates a separation-diminishing force on separated portions of a platform. Moveable suspensions floatably position corners of the separated platform parts relative to each other; and these platform parts react away from an error-initiated contact. Transmitter/receiver units are positioned in optical alignment and a skewed water or a piece of foreign matter causes any one of a plurality of light beams to be broken so that error corrective action is achieved.

Abstract: Apparatus for placing a first element at a location on a second element, there being associated with the location some known variation in the shape of the second element, the apparatus including a support member for supporting the first element while the member is translated toward the second element along a placement direction, a transporter for moving the support member or the second element along a transport direction transverse to the placement direction, a sensor for sensing the relative alignment of the support member with the known variation in shape along the transport direction, the sensor including a scanning element that is detachably engageable by the support member, and a holder for storing the scanning element when the scanning element is not in use.

Abstract: Apparatus for applying surface-mounted electronic components to printed circuit boards incorporates a fixture for populating an entire board in a single operation. The fixture comprises an array of upstanding open-ended tubular guides rigidly supported in a block of elastomeric material. Component-dispensing magazines are inserted into the guides. Novel ejectors in each magazine dispense components from all of the magazines simultaneously.

Abstract: The device is outstanding in that the gripping structures (1) are indepent while each being servo-controlled by a system of components (10)-(9) fitted to a drive structure being likely to carry out the relative movement of gripping structures (1) with respect to one another in order to vary their pitch in a continuous manner so that their spacing is in register with that of the notches where the items should be transferred, the assembly of gripping structures being mounted on a support plate which can be moved in translation and height.

Abstract: An apparatus is provided for transferring disks with center holes such as semiconductor wafers from one cassette of an ordinary kind to another having a different pitch. The apparatus has an elongated rod on which an array of disk-shaped pieces each capable of supporting a wafer from its center hole is slidably mounted. These pieces are so connected that the separation between each of mutually adjacent pairs can vary but not to exceed a predetermined maximum distance. The piece at one end of the array is affixed to the rod and the one at the other end is attached to a power source and is moved along the rod.

Abstract: A wafer support device including at least one support member shaped like a rotatable rod and having plural wafer support grooves formed at different pitches on the outer surface of the member in the longitudinal direction thereof. The frequencies of exchanging the support member with a new one or washing and cleaning it can be remarkably reduced and the productivity of semi-conductor wafers can be enhanced.

Abstract: An apparatus for transferring wafers comprises a turntable for orienting a plurality of wafers which are loaded in a cassette, a lifting mechanism for lifting the wafers away from the cassette, a plurality of opening/closing chuck mechanisms, and a slide movement mechanism for conveying the wafers which are held by the opening/closing mechanism onto a boat. The cassette on the turntable is turned selectively through an angle of 180.degree. and wafers are lifted by the link mechanism all at a time and selectively held by the opening/closing chuck mechanism. The wafers thus held are conveyed to a location of a boat where they are loaded onto the boat in a face-to-face relation.

Abstract: A wafer transfer method according to the present invention comprises taking out a plurality of wafers from a cassette while holding the wafers by a chuck mechanism, transporting the held wafers to a region over a boat, transferring all the wafers from the chuck mechanism to the boat so that the wafers are arranged in a predetermined position on the boat, relatively moving the chuck mechanism with respect to the boat for a distance equal to an integral multiple of a distance corresponding to the spacing of each wafer, and holding a required number of wafers, out of the plurality of wafers on the boat, by use of the chuck mechanism to dislocate the wafers on the boat or return the wafers to the cassette, and thereafter transferring a plurality of wafers from another cassette to the boat. According to the present invention, monitor wafers are arranged with predetermined distances between wafers on the boat, and product wafers are transferred from the second cassette to the spaces between the monitor wafers.

Abstract: A nuclear fuel pellet unloading apparatus includes a transfer housing pivotally movable between an upright position remote from a pellet deposit site and an inverted position adjacent to the deposit site, and convertable between opened and closed conditions. In its upright position and closed condition, the housing receives a sintering boat loaded with nuclear fuel pellets and holds the boat while retaining the pellets within the boat as the boat is moved from upright to inverted orientations upon pivoting of the housing from its upright to inverted position. An actuator is operated for causing pivoting of the housing from its upright to inverted position and back to its upright position. A latch member latches the housing in its closed condition when the housing is disposed in its upright position and as the housing is pivoted from its upright position toward its inverted position.

Abstract: A packaging set for solid articles including a container for accommodating the solid articles therein, and a film cover made of breakable thin film fixedly secured on the opening edge of the container so as to hermetically seal the opening of the container, and a casing including a case having a mouth corresponding to and slightly smaller than that of the opening of the container, and lid lid detachably set onto the case so as to be able to move to close or open the mouth of the case. Side edges of the mouth of the case are applied to press onto the film of the cover of the receptacle to break the film at portions corresponding to at least three sides of the opening of the container. All the solid articles in the container are thus able to transfer into the case at one time, leaving the broken film behind with the container.

Abstract: In an apparatus for the treatment of substrates supplied in cassettes, with a series of lock chambers and treatment chambers, with a transport system for transporting at least one substrate holder through the chambers, and with a loading station, the problem of loading the apparatus with substrates from a moving belt without the need to hold the substrates in form-fitting mountings is solved as follows: (a) the substrate holders are constructed so as to hold one substrate at a time at an acute angle to a vertical plane, and (b) the loading station has a means for shifting at least one cassette and a manipulator system whereby the movements of extracting the substrate from the cassette and inserting it into the cassette can be performed in the perpendicular direction and whereby the substrate can be brought by a rotation of 90 degrees into a slanting position which corresponds substantially to the position of the receiving plane of the substrate.

Abstract: A computer-controlled slide projector tray unloader for use with a slide archival storage system. A slide magazine (10) is placed below a slide gate (7). A tray (9) is held above the slide gate such one of the compartments coincides with the slide gate. A transporting mechanism (30) at the slide gate (7) transports a slide from the selected one compartment of the tray such that the slide drops into the magazine (10). An advance mechanism is provided for advancing the tray to position a particular compartment to coincide with the slide gate. A Tray Table maintained by software running on the computer associates a unique location number for each one of the plurality of compartments of the tray with a previously assigned serial number, each serial number identifying a slide stored in a compartment of the tray.

Abstract: The installation comprises a delivery conveyor (4) for delivering unit items in buckets (5). A station (3) injects unit items onto the delivery conveyor. A sorting conveyor (6) carries packs (8) corresponding to respective batches to be made up. The sorting conveyor is disposed relative to the delivery conveyor so as to establish at least one item transfer zone therebetween. A central control unit (10) ensure that desired coincidences occur between item-containing buckets (5) and packs (8) for receiving the items, with the control units controlling the transfer of items form the buckets to the packs. The invention is particularly applicable to making up batches of items in response to orders therefor.

Abstract: An improved transfer mechanism for extracting and transporting plants from a high density incubating tray to a singulated constant velocity conveyed path in which each plant is gripped by planting fingers is disclosed. The planter is moved across a field at relatively constant velocity and has the planting fingers conventionally depositing the plant upright and stationary with respect to the passing ground where they are covered by conventional furrowing and packing apparatus. The conveying planting fingers are serially mounted on an endless conveyor and hence pass the vicinity of the incubating tray from which extraction and transfer of the plants must occur at a relatively constant velocity. A tray extraction mechanism is provided which includes a tray conveyor, plant extractor plugs and a tray extraction reciprocation apparatus. The tray extraction reciprocation apparatus functions to oscillate the tray conveyor and plant extractors parallel to the path of the planting fingers.

Abstract: A carrier for dual-in-line packages to be wave soldered, comprises a frame with tracks into which the packages can be slid. The tracks are defined by aligned upper and lower "U"-shaped channel members providing rails. Each track is defined between adjacent pairs of upper and lower members. Gates at either end of the tracks control movement of the packages into or out of the carrier. The carrier can be loaded and unloaded by means of apparatus including an inclined ramp on which the carrier can be releasably located, the packages being fed into the top of the ramp to fill the carrier, and sliding to the bottom of the ramp to empty the carrier of soldered packages prior to re-filling. Movement of the packages down the ramp is controlled by gates.

Abstract: An apparatus is disclosed for the bulk transfer of semiconductor wafers from container to container for processing in the back-to-back configuration. The apparatus includes a stage (12) for selectively raising the wafers from a boat (14) upward into a retaining mechanism (18). The wafers are confined in a back-to-back configuration through a slot (64) in the end of a back-to-back retainer (34). The back-to-back configured wafers are then removed, processed and then disposed back in the retaining mechanism (18). The back-to-back wafers are aligned with an alignment slot (76) in a preseparation retainer (36). The preseparation retainer (36) provides both alignment and a slight preseparation with respect to a separation retainer (38). The separation retainer (38) has a separation edge (118) which separates the back-to-back configured wafers into slots (104) and (108). The wafers are then removed after separation thereof.

Abstract: An improved transfer mechanism for extracting and transporting plants from a high density incubating tray to a singulated constant velocity conveyed path in which each plant is gripped by planting fingers is set forth. The planter is moved across a field at relatively constant velocity and has the planting fingers conventionally depositing the plant upright and stationary with respect to the passing ground where they are covered by conventional furrowing and packing apparatus. The conveying planting fingers are serially mounted on an endless conveyor and hence pass the vicinity of the incubating tray from which extraction and transfer of the plants must occur at a relatively constant velocity. A tray extraction mechanism is provided which includes a tray conveyor, plant extractor plugs and a tray extraction reciprocation apparatus. The tray extraction reciprocation apparatus functions to oscillate the tray conveyor and plant extractors parallel to the path of the planting fingers.

Abstract: An automatic soldering apparatus wherein a fixture is conveyed sequentially and endlessly by an elevation mechanism of a loading unit, soldering conveyors of a plurality of units that relate to the soldering operation, an elevation mechanism of an unloading unit, and return conveyors of units relating to the soldering operation; works are automatically fitted to the fixture by the loading unit, and while the fixture is being conveyed by the soldering conveyor of each of the units which relate to the soldering operation and are combined with one another suitably, whenever necessary, the soldering operation of the works and other operations associated therewith are carried out; and the unloading unit automatically recovers the works from the fixture and the empty fixture is returned to the loading unit by the return conveyors of the units relating to the soldering operation so that the works are again fitted to the fixture by the loading unit.

Abstract: An apparatus automatically transfers semiconductor wafers between plastic wafer boats and closed bottom quartz boats. The apparatus has a wafer elevator for elevating the wafers in a plastic boat to a position where the wafers can be retained by first and second retainer walls. The retainer walls are pivotable relative to one another between open and closed positions. In the closed position, the retainer walls contact the wafers at a point located beneath their centers of gravity. The retainer walls transfer the wafers between the wafer elevator and the quartz boat, which becaue of its closed bottom can only be entered from the top. The retainer walls transfer the wafers to and from the quartz boat by descending into the quartz boat through its top. Once inside of the quartz boat, the retainer walls can be pivoted between the open and closed positions to release or retain wafers.

Abstract: An automated diffusion furnace load station has a cassette and wafer transporter which selectively transports, using a support assembly, wafer-filled cassettes from a delivery station to a transfer post over which a loaded cassette is lowered to suspend the set of wafers above the cassette. The transporter causes the support assembly to release the cassette and engage the wafers to transfer them as a set to a carrier of a diffusion furnace tube. The process is reversed for unloading processed wafers from a furnace carrier and loading them into a cassette. The process further may be sequentially performed to exchange sets of processed wafers from a furnace carrier with sets of unprocessed wafers located in cassettes at a delivery station. The support assembly is used to selectively support a cassette or a set of wafers removed from a cassette by selectively positioning a pair of jaws relative to a cassette or to a set of wafers for supporting the same.

Abstract: A device for loading and unloading X-ray film cassettes into a light-sealed compartment includes a device for opening a lid of the cassette inserted in the compartment. The lid-opening device comprises a motor-driven control disc which via a crank rod shifts a support carrying a cassette positioning device, and a lid-opening hook which can swing in two normal directions and cooperates with the lid of the cassette to open the latter.

Abstract: An apparatus for the transfer of DIP devices to or from DIP delivery tubes is shown to include a hopper for the storage of several tubes, an elevator member for removing individual tubes from the hopper and depositing such tubes into a hopper, an orienting member which positions the tube in a predetermined radial orientation and which moves the tube axially in response to a control signal to a head member which receives the radially oriented tube and guides it to a predetermined second orientation for the transfer of DIP devices and which ejects such tubes upon completion and a computer control member for generating the necessary actuation signals to coordinate the transfer of DIP devices and tube ejection. The head member may also be provided with an extracation member to remove any pin or plug which may seal the tube.

Abstract: An end station for ion implantation apparatus comprising an ion implantation process unit having a wafer holder and capable of implanting ions in wafers in a high vacuum, and a wafer supply-collection unit for the process unit.

Abstract: A device for loading X-ray film cassettes comprises a housing having a compartment receiving a cassette, a plurality of boxes accommodating film dispensing magazines positioned one above another in the housing, a suction device and transport roller pairs for transporting a film sheet sucked by the suction device towards the cassette. The suction device which includes at least one sucker is displaceable between a dispensing magazine, which contains a film pack corresponding in size to that of the cassette, and the transport roller pairs so as to provide a transport path for the film sheets with very few direction changes.

Abstract: A wafer cassette transfer mechanism is disclosed which transfers a wafer cassette from a transfer arm to an elevator. The elevator moves vertically, up or down, so as to move the wafer cassette to a second transfer arm. The second transfer arm can then move the wafer cassette to after processing equipment.

Abstract: Wafers stocked in a first wafer carrier are transferred to a second wafer carrier through a first opening and a second opening provided respectively in the first and the second wafer carriers by turning the first and the second wafer carriers so that the first and second openings are directed downward. The wafers in the first wafer carrier are supported by a wafer supporter provided in a wafer holder and are received in the wafer holder by moving down the supporter through the first opening which is directed downward facing a third opening in the wafer holder which is directed upward. The wafer holder carrying the wafers is shifted until the third opening faces the second opening in the second wafer carrier which is directed downward. The wafers held in the wafer holder are transferred to the second wafer carrier by moving up the wafer supporter and then the second wafer carrier is turned back, so that the transfer of the wafers is completed.

Abstract: A device for lifting, tilting and discharging of garbage containers into garbage trucks.

Abstract: An apparatus for testing and sorting electronic components comprises a testing device (4), an output magazine (3) having several parallel receiving ducts (34) for receiving tested components (8) and a component conveyor device (7) including a carriage (36) arranged between the testing device (4) and the output magazine (3) to move transversely to the receiving ducts (34) along a support rod (37) and an eccentric rod (38). The carriage is so engaged with the eccentric rod (38) that when the eccentric rod (38) is rotated at any position of the carriage (36) along the receiving ducts (34) the carriage swivels about the support rod (37) from a stop position to a release position to release a component (8) carried thereby to the adjacent receiving duct (34).

Abstract: A loading apparatus for emptying containers into a common receptacle comprises a pick-up attachment and pick-up support for the containers to be emptied, which is further structured and improved, so that the pick-up attachment and the pick-up support are mounted with a limited movability on a dump frame of the loading apparatus in order to be movable toward the container to be picked up and from the properly deposited container. As the container is raised from its location, the pick-up attachment and the pick-up support are structured so as to be brought into a standard position with respect to the dump frame and are restrained in this standard position. The operations can be observed or also automatically controlled by electrical container contacts operated by the container and mounted on the pick-up attachment and the pick-up support.

Abstract: An automated system lifts a batch of semiconductor wafers from a slotted carrier, transfers them laterally and lowers them into a second slotted carrier. In doing this, jaws on the lifting apparatus open automatically to receive or release the wafers. With a carrier having relatively high slotted sides, such as the commonly used plastic cassette, a pusher engages the lower edge of the wafers exposed through the bottom of the cassette and pushes them upwardly sufficiently far to permit the lifter jaws to receive and lift the wafers. The apparatus is oriented at a slight angle to insure that the wafers are all arranged in precise, spaced, parallel relation so as to cooperate with slots in the lifter jaws and slots in the receiving carrier. The system has the capability to move two batches of 25 wafers to a quartz boat having 50 more-closely spaced slots, and similarly, two batches from a quartz boat may be transferred to two different plastic cassettes.