Appeal No. 2005-1089
Application No. 09/947,454
The subject matter on appeal relates to a vacuum system for
the treatment of work pieces. Further details of this appealed
subject matter are recited in representative claim 1, the sole
independent claim on appeal, reproduced below:
1. A vacuum system for the treatment of work
pieces comprising in combination:
a. an evacuatable treatment chamber having a
bottom wall and having a central axis substantially
perpendicular to said bottom wall, said treatment
chamber also having at least one lateral wall;
b. a low voltage arc discharge arrangement
disposed within said treatment chamber substantially
along the central axis thereof;
c. a receiving device extending through the
bottom wall of said treatment chamber about the
central axis of said treatment chamber, the receiving
device having opposing upper and lower ends, the upper
end of said receiving device being disposed within
said treatment chamber;
d. a work piece support on which work pieces are
mounted, said work piece support resting upon, and
being separably linked to the upper end of said
receiving device for allowing the work piece support,
and the work pieces mounted thereto, to be lifted
vertically relative to the receiving device, said work
piece support having a cross section; and
e. said treatment chamber having a laterally-
extending closeable opening, said closeable opening
having a cross section that is greater than the cross
section of said work piece support so that said work
piece support, and the work pieces mounted thereto,
can be removed from said treatment chamber through
said closeable opening by raising said work piece
support off of the upper end of said receiving device.
2
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