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:
Jan. 20, 1998
Filed:
Jun. 04, 1996
Arthur R LeBlanc, III, Kennebunk, ME (US);
Donald W MacMillan, Saco, ME (US);
Donald G Parent, Windham, ME (US);
Scott R Parent, Saco, ME (US);
Brian C Rossignol, South Portland, ME (US);
First Light Technology Inc., Saco, ME (US);
Abstract
A vacuum-metallizing machine including a metal platter base (17) having an obverse side and a face side. A substrate-receiving platter (2) is resiliently disposed (3, 3b) in a recess on the face side of the platter base (17). The platter (2) receives a substrate to be metallized. A circumferentially-arranged rigid ring (27) of predetermined dimensions and location is disposed on the face side and mates with a ring (29) around a port (11) on the wall of the vacuum chamber which surrounds an opening in the wall. Engagement of these rings aligns the platter base (17) relative to the port (11, 12, 13 and 14). A compliant ring (42) is disposed between the wall and the platter base (17). The obverse side of the platter base (17) and the chamber are resiliently forced (37a, 37b, 37c) into contact with each other with a toggling action (24, 22b, 22) whereby to align the platter base (17) relative to the port, to force the outer diameter of the platter base (17) into metal-to-metal contact with the periphery of the port (11), to align the substrate relative to the port (11) and also to force the compliant ring into sealing engagement with the wall, thus, to form a vacuum tight seal.