Abstract:
A photograph vehicle which may be equipped with a digital camera for photographing supplies to be ordered by personnel in a semiconductor production plant and a computer which may be provided in communication with a server, such that images of the supplies transmitted from the digital camera to the computer may be transmitted to the server and the personnel in the semiconductor production plant can observe the images on a desktop, laptop or palmtop computer via internet access to verify supply orders.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    The present invention relates to material requisition systems used in warehousing facilities for semiconductor production plants. More particularly, the invention relates to a photograph vehicle which is capable of transport among multiple storerooms in a warehousing facility for photographing tools, parts or other items and sending the photograph images to a server such that personnel in a remote location can, by internet access, readily verify the size and appearance of a needed item before ordering.  
         BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    In the semiconductor production industry, multiple semiconductor production plants may be serviced by one warehousing facility. The warehousing facility typically includes many storerooms in which are catalogued the parts, tools and other supplies and materials used in the various semiconductor production processes. When a part, tool or material is needed by engineers or other personnel in the semiconductor production plant, the personnel must order the item from the warehousing facility personnel. This procedure is time-consuming and requires careful attention and diligence by the warehousing facility personnel to select and retrieve the correct item ordered by the plant personnel.  
           [0003]    Usually, plant personnel order tools, parts or materials listed by part number in a catalog. Because the catalogs lack pictures of the parts, mistakes are frequently made by the plant personnel as to the exact size or type of tool, part, material or other item needed. When the incorrect item reaches the plant personnel, he or she must re-order the item, and this results in production down time and a waste in warehousing personnel resources.  
           [0004]    Many limitations are inherent in using a central or fixed photographing facility for photographing or imaging warehouse tools, parts or materials. One of these limitations is the inconvenience of moving the items from one of the many storerooms in the warehouse to the photography facility. This increases the chance that one or more of the items will be returned to the incorrect storeroom.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0005]    Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide for the convenient and efficient photographing of disparately-located parts, tools, materials or other supplies in a warehousing facility.  
           [0006]    Another object of the present invention is to provide a photograph vehicle which can be transported among multiple storerooms of a warehouse facility for photographing parts, tools, materials or other supplies.  
           [0007]    Still another object of the present invention is to provide a photograph vehicle which may be used in verifying the size and appearance of parts, tools, materials or other supplies ordered from a warehousing facility by personnel in a semiconductor production facility.  
           [0008]    Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a photograph vehicle which may be equipped with a digital camera for photographing supplies to be ordered by personnel in a semiconductor production plant and a computer which may be provided in communication with a server, such that images of the supplies transmitted from the digital camera to the computer may be transmitted to the server and the personnel in the semiconductor production plant can observe the images on a desktop, laptop or palmtop computer via internet access to verify supply orders.  
           [0009]    In accordance with these and other objects and advantages, the present invention is a transportable photograph vehicle which is fitted with a grid plate on which parts, tools, materials or other items in a warehousing facility are placed for photographing. A digital camera is adjustably mounted with respect to the grid plate and is connected to a computer provided on the vehicle. The computer may be provided in communication with a server containing a database of the photographic images of all of the items in the warehousing facility, such that engineers or other personnel in a remote location, typically a semiconductor production plant, may view the images on a computer having internet capability and confirm or verify the size and appearance of the items before ordering.  
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0010]    The present invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:  
         [0011]    [0011]FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of an illustrative embodiment of the photograph vehicle of the present invention;  
         [0012]    [0012]FIG. 2 is a side view of the photograph vehicle illustrated in FIG. 1, with the photograph vehicle equipped with a digital camera and laptop computer in typical application of the invention;  
         [0013]    [0013]FIG. 3 is a front perspective view of the equipped photograph vehicle illustrated in FIG. 2;  
         [0014]    [0014]FIG. 4 is a rear view of the photograph vehicle, with a server shown schematically in communication with a computer on the vehicle and a receiving computer schematically in communication with the server through internet access;  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view, taken along section lines  5 - 5  in FIG. 4, of a camera support carriage element of the photograph vehicle, more particularly illustrating an exemplary technique for vertically adjustably mounting a digital camera on the vehicle;  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 6 is a perspective view, in section, of a camera support carriage component of the photograph vehicle of the present invention, illustrating an alternative technique for vertically adjustably mounting a digital camera on the vehicle; and  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view, taken along section lines  7 - 7  in FIG. 6, of the camera support carriage. 
     
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0018]    The present invention has particularly beneficial utility in application to imaging supplies in warehousing facilities for semiconductor production facilities. However, the invention is not so limited in application and while references may be made to such semiconductor production facilities, the invention may be more generally applicable to imaging of items in a variety of industrial warehouses.  
         [0019]    Referring initially to FIGS. 1, 5 and  7  of the drawings, an illustrative embodiment of the photograph vehicle of the present invention is generally indicated by reference numeral  1 . The photograph vehicle  1  includes a base  2 , typically having a generally rectangular configuration but which may be any suitable alternative shape. A pair of front wheels  3  and a pair of rear wheels  4  are provided on the bottom surface of the base  2  for rendering the photograph vehicle  1  portable on a floor or other surface (not illustrated). While the front wheels  3  are typically rotatably mounted on the bottom surface of the base  2  for steering the photograph vehicle  1 , the rear wheels  4  are typically rigidly attached to the base  2  and each may further be fitted with a brake  5  for rendering the photograph vehicle  1  immobile on the floor or other surface during use as hereinafter described. A generally rectangular grid plate  7 , which may be any suitable alternative shape, includes multiple, spaced-apart, intersecting grid lines  8  that mark selected spacings along the respective dimensions of the grid plate  7 . Typically, adjacent grid lines  8  on the grid plate  7  are spaced from each other at one centimeter intervals. Grid lines  8  which are spaced from each other at five or ten centimeter intervals, for example, may further be indicated by designating those grid lines  8  as darker than the adjacent, one centimeter grid lines  8 , or by other designations known to those skilled in the art.  
         [0020]    An elongated carriage support post  10  extends upwardly from a support post base  11 , which is mounted on the upper surface of the base  2 , or alternatively, on the upper surface of the grid plate  7  adjacent to the rear edge thereof, as illustrated. A camera support carriage  12 , the purpose of which will be hereinafter described, is vertically adjustably mounted on the carriage support post  10 , above the grid plate  7 . The camera support carriage  12  includes a sleeve  13 , which is typically constructed of square tubing and slidably receives the carriage support post  10 . A camera support bracket  14 , fitted with a pair of forwardly-extending, parallel bracket arms  15 , is provided on the front surface of the sleeve  13 . In one embodiment of the invention, in which the camera support carriage  12  is illustrated in cross-section in FIG. 5, the front surface of the sleeve  13  is provided with a sleeve opening  24  and a protruding, interiorly-threaded carriage adjustment collar  17 . An exteriorly-threaded carriage adjustment knob  16  is threaded through the carriage adjustment collar  17  and against the carriage support post  10  to secure the camera support carriage  12  at a selected height on the carriage support post  10 . In another embodiment of the invention, in which the camera support carriage  12  is illustrated in FIG. 6 and in cross-section in FIG. 7, the carriage support post  10  is provided with multiple, vertically-spaced carriage adjustment openings  18 . The camera support carriage  12  is secured at a selected height on the carriage support post  10  by extending a carriage adjusting pin  40 , which may be fitted with a lanyard  41 , through a sleeve adjusting pin opening  42  provided in the sleeve  13  and through a registering selected one of the carriage adjustment openings  18  in the carriage support post  10 . In the foregoing manner, the camera support carriage  12  is secured at a selected height above the grid plate  7 . It is understood that other techniques known to those skilled in the art may be used to vertically adjustably mount the camera support carriage  12  on the carriage support post  10 .  
         [0021]    A pair of parallel, spaced-apart shelf support legs  19  (one of which is shown in FIG. 1) extends upwardly from the upper surface of the base  2 , typically adjacent to respective longitudinal or side edges of the base  2 . Each shelf support leg  19  may be secured in an upright position on the base  2  by means of a pair of opposing leg base flanges  20 , as illustrated. A top support shelf  22  is mounted between the shelf support legs  19  and extends rearwardly therefrom, and a rearwardly-extending bottom support shelf  21  may in like manner be mounted between the shelf support legs  19 , beneath the top support shelf  22 . A push handle  23  is typically provided on the top support shelf  22  to facilitate pushing or pulling the photograph vehicle  1  for transport thereof on the floor or other surface. A light  34 , which may be mounted on the extending end of a folding support arm  35 , may be mounted on the top support shelf  22 , as illustrated, or on the carriage support post  10  or any other suitable element of the photograph vehicle  1  to facilitate illuminating the grid lines  8  on the grid plate  7  as needed in use of the photograph vehicle as hereinafter described.  
         [0022]    Referring next to FIGS.  2 - 4  of the drawings, the photograph vehicle  1  is fitted with a digital camera  27 , which is mounted between the parallel bracket arms  15  of the camera support carriage  12  by means of screws, magnets, clips, loop-pile fasteners (not illustrated) or other fastening techniques known to those skilled in the art, with the lens (not illustrated) of the digital camera  27  aimed downwardly toward the grid plate  7 . A computer  26 , which is typically a notebook or laptop computer but which may be a desktop computer, is supported typically on the top support shelf  22 . A digital camera connecting cable  28  connects the digital camera  27  to an appropriate port of the computer  26 . A conventional bar code scanner  30 , the purpose of which will be hereinafter described, may further be connected to the appropriate port of the computer  26  by means of a scanner connecting cable  31  and is typically cradled in a scanner holder  32  resting on the top support shelf  22  when not in use. As illustrated in FIG. 4, the computer  26  is further connected to a server  37  typically by means of a server interface cable  38 , which is plugged into the appropriate port of the computer  26 . As hereinafter described, the digital camera  27  is capable of transmitting an image of a part, tool, material or other item  44  (FIG. 3) resting on the grid plate  7 , along with the item number (not illustrated) inscribed on an adjacent piece of paper or cardboard, for example, to the computer  26 , which groups the item and item number with the identifying bar code detected by the bar code scanner  30 , and sends the imaged item and item number and the identifying bar code to the server  37 , which indexes and stores the data. The image of the item and item number, stored and indexed on the server  37 , can be viewed on a receiving computer  39 , such as a desktop, laptop or palmtop computer, via internet access. Accordingly, the computer  26  is programmed with conventional software capable of performing the image-receiving, bar code matching and image-transmitting functions necessary for transmitting the necessary data to the server  37 . The bottom support shelf  21  may be used to support spare batteries or other equipment (not illustrated), as needed. The top support shelf  22  may be further provided with a clamping  5  ring (not illustrated) for removably engaging and securing the computer  26  to the top support shelf  22 .  
         [0023]    Referring again to FIGS.  2 - 4  of the drawings, in typical application the photograph vehicle  1  is used to photograph all of the parts, tools, materials and other items needed in the production of semiconductors in a semiconductor production plant. The items are cataloged in multiple storerooms in a warehousing facility, and engineers and other personnel in the semiconductor production plant order the items from the warehousing facility, as needed in the production of semiconductors. The photograph vehicle  1  is hand-pushed to each of the storerooms, where all of the items in each storeroom are individually photographed, and the photograph images are stored in a database in the server  37 , which can be accessed via internet by the receiving computer  39  in the remote semiconductor production plant. Accordingly, as illustrated in FIG. 3, an item  44  such as a part for a semiconductor processing furnace, or a tool used in the repair or operation of processing apparatus, is positioned on the grid plate  7 , with the grid lines  8  indicating both the length and width of the item  44 . A piece of paper or cardboard (not illustrated), on which is written the part number of the item  44 , is positioned on the grid plate  7  adjacent to the item  44 . The camera support carriage  12  is then adjusted vertically on the carriage support post  10  using the carriage adjustment knob  16  (FIG. 5) or carriage adjusting pin  40 , as heretofore described, to position the digital camera  27  at the desired height above the item  44  for accurate imaging thereof. The light  34  can be energized as necessary to illuminate the grid plate  7  in a light-deficient environment. The digital camera  27  is then operated to photograph the item  44  and the item number on the adjacent piece of paper or cardboard (not illustrated), and the photographic image is transmitted to the computer  26 . The bar code scanner  30  may be used to detect a bar code (not illustrated) provided on the item  44  or on a package in which the item  44  is contained, in which case the computer  26  labels the photographic image of the item  44  with the bar code. The photographic image of the item  44  and item number, and the corresponding bar code of the item  44 , if used, are then transmitted to the server  37 , which stores and indexes the data. This procedure is repeated for each item in the storeroom. After all of the items in one of the storerooms has been photographed and indexed in the server  37 , the photograph vehicle  1  is transported to the next storeroom in the warehousing facility, and the photograph imaging and labeling procedure is repeated for each item in each storeroom. The engineers and other personnel in the semiconductor production facility can then view the image of the desired item and its associated item number on the receiving desktop, laptop or palmtop computer  39 , by internet access. This expedient enables the engineers and other plant personnel to more accurately identify the needed item and avoid ordering the wrong items from the warehousing facility.  
         [0024]    While the preferred embodiments of the invention have been described above, it will be recognized and understood that various modifications may be made in the invention and the appended claims are intended to cover all such modifications which may fall within the spirit and scope of the invention.