Appeal No. 2000-0572
Application 08/687,643
adjustable magazine for wafer-shaped objects such as
semiconductor wafers,
templates and masks. Representative claim 1, the sole
independent claim on appeal, reads as follows:
1. In an indexer for magazine shelves of a magazine and
wafer-shaped objects contained therein, the magazine and a
first handling plane for removing and charging being
adjustable vertically relative to one another for the
processing of such wafer-shaped objects, having an
optoelectronic sensor arrangement for detecting the objects
and magazine shelves relative to a reference plane which is in
a fixed relationship to the first handling plane, the
improvement comprising:
said optoelectronic sensor arrangement having a
transmitter and a receiver, and wherein at least a part of the
optoelectronic sensor arrangement is designed as a distance
measuring system for measuring, within a horizontal plane
vertical to a direction of adjustment movement of said
magazine, a distance to edges of said wafer-shaped objects and
to edges of said magazine shelves relative to said
transmitter.
THE PRIOR ART
The references relied on by the examiner as evidence of
anticipation and obviousness are:
Foulke et al. (Foulke) 4,983,093 Jan. 8,
1991
Holman et al. (Holman) 5,308,993 May 3,
1994
Mokuo et al. (Mokuo) 5,319,216 Jun. 7,
1994
2
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