Patent ID: 6164899
Filing Date: 2000-12-26
Classification: G11B,H01L

Abstract:
In combination:a disk having upper and lower faces, a central aperture, a cylindrical inner side wall around the aperture, and an outer cylindrical side wall connecting the perimeter of the faces; anda transfer apparatus for moving the disk from a first generally horizontal position, through a vertical plane to a second generally horizontal position with the faces inverted;said transfer apparatus including:an arm pivotally mounted at a first end to a mounting block, to pivot a second end of the arm through a vertical plane;a head mounted on the second end of the arm, with means for retaining a disk thereon as the transfer apparatus moves between the first and second positions;said disk retaining means including:a pair of spaced apart, parallel jaw members on said head extending forwardly from the arm;each said jaw member including a generally triangular shaped plate connected at a rearward edge to the head, and extending forwardly to a forward point;stop means positioned between the jaw members to prevent rearward movement of the disk beyond a position with the jaw forward points located within the disk aperture;said plates being mounted on the head to form a slot therebetween having a width greater than the thickness of the disk, and wherein said slot has a bottom extending between the plates, at least portions of the bottom forming said stop means;the slot bottom being curved to a radius substantially the same as the radius of the outer side wall of the disk;the forward points of the jaw members having a width less than the diameter of the disk aperture;the distance between the slot bottom and the jaw forward points being greater than the distance between the disk inner side wall to the disk outer side wall.