Patent ID: 8890018

Claim:
A method for inspecting and sorting a plurality of integrated circuit (IC) units comprising the steps of: loading a frame containing said IC units to a loading station; delivering the frame containing said IC units from said loading station to a unit picking station; conducting a first inspection of said units during the delivering step and recording the subsequent result; removing said units from the frame, and moving said units from the unit picking station to a flipping station; conducting a second inspection of said units during the moving step and recording the subsequent result; flipping said units to expose an opposed face of said units; conducting a third inspection of said opposed face and recording the subsequent result, then; sorting said units into categories based on the recorded results from the first, second and third inspecting steps; wherein said loading step includes receiving the frame into a bracket assembly at a first level; engaging the frame using a frame engagement assembly; and retracting the bracket assembly and lowering the frame into a delivery conveyor.