Patent ID: 8882433

Claim:
A storage system, comprising: a storage system assembly positioned at a height that is greater than a height of a tool used for handling substrates to be processed, the storage system configured to locally store one or more containers of substrates before or after being processed by the tool, the storage system assembly, including, (a) a frame located above a frame of an assembly of the tool; (b) a base plate coupled to the frame of the storage system assembly, the base plate is located under a drive pulley, an idler pulley, a belt, a track, and a motor, the base plate is oriented to define a horizontal plane; and (c) a plurality of storage shelves, each of the plurality of storage shelves have shelf plates with shelf features for supporting a container, and each of the plurality of storage shelves being coupled to the belt to enable movement and being coupled to the track to enable guiding to one or more positions, wherein the track is coupled to the base plate, the frame of the storage system assembly including an inner side and an outer side, wherein the drive pulley, the idler pulley, the belt, the track, and the motor are contained within the inner side of the frame of the storage system assembly; (d) a shelf located above the frame of the tool and attached beside the outer side of the frame of the storage system assembly for supporting a container; wherein the motor is coupled to the drive pulley for moving the belt, such that each of the plurality of storage shelves move together along the track to the one or more positions, the track having at least some sections that are linear and some sections that are nonlinear and the sections are arranged in a loop over the base plate.