The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jul. 31, 1984
Filed:
May. 19, 1982
Arlon J Amundson, St. Paul, MN (US);
Robert J Wurscher, Shoreview, MN (US);
Jonathan P Buesing, St. Paul, MN (US);
Micro Component Technology, Inc., Shoreview, MN (US);
Abstract
An air bearing and heating system for use in moving and heating integrated circuit chip carriers (12) prior to their being tested by an electronic tester (10) is the subject of this patent application. The system includes a magazine (18) having a plurality of tracks (24) spaced vertically therein. Each track (24) includes an air-permeable wall (62, 62') through which air in a plenum (52) beneath the wall (62, 62') seeps. The air forms a cushion on the surfaces (64) of the sloped tracks (24) in order to float chip carriers (12), positioned for movement down the tracks (24) therealong. The air can be heated by a heater (104) prior to the time it is introduced to form the air cushion so that the chip carriers (12) will be heated as they are floated down the tracks (24). Similarly, the system can be provided with a distribution member (28) by which carriers (12) are conveyed away from the test site (14) of the handler. The distribution member (28) can include a plurality of chutes (30) having structure similar to that of the tracks (24) in the magazine (18). Since carriers (12) passing down the chutes (30) have already been tested, the air creating the flotation cushion therein need not be heated.