Precision positioning apparatus

Claim 1

A PRECISION POSITION APPARATUS COMPRISING, (A) FIRST AND SECOND TABLES AND A SUPPORT MEMBER; (B) MEANS POSITIONING SAID FIRST TABLE ADJACENT AN UPPER SURFACE OF SAID SUPPORT MEMBER AND SAID SECOND TABLE ADJACENT AN UPPER SURFACE OF SAID FIRST TABLE, INCLUDING AT LEAST FIRST AND SECOND PARALLEL GUIDE-WAYS LOCATED IN JUXTAPOSITION WITH A PAIR OF OPPOSITE SIDE SURFACES OF EACH OF SAID FIRST AND SECOND TABLES; (C) FIRST AND SECOND DRIVE MEANS FOR IMPARTING TRANSVERSE AND LONGITUDINAL MOTION TO SAID FIRST AND SECOND TABLES, RESPECTIVELY; (D) EACH OF SAID TABLES INCLUDING A PLURALITY OF FLUID BEARINGS, A FIRST GROUP OF SAID PLURALITY OF FLUID BEARINGS BEING LOCATED ON THE LOWER SURFACE OF SAID TABLE AND A SECOND GROUP OF SAID PLURALITY OF FLUID BEARINGS BEING LOCATED ON SAID PAIR OF OPPOSITE SIDE SURFACES WHICH ARE IN JUXTAPOSITION WITH SAID FIRST AND SECOND GUIDE-WAYS; (E) MEANS SUPPLYING PRESSURIZED FLUID TO ALL OF SAID PLURALITY OF BEARINGS, INCLUDING MEANS WHOLLY POSITIONED WITHIN SAID FIRST TABLE AND MEANS WHOLLY POSITIONED WITHOUT SAID SECOND TABLE;AND (F) ALL OF SAID PLURALITY OF FLUID BEARINGS INCLUDED WITH SAID SECOND TABLE BEING ARRANGED IN PARALLEL PARTIALLYOVERLAPPING PAIRS TO PROVIDE FOR MAXIMUM DISPLACEMENT OF SAID SECOND TABLE WITH RESPECT TO SAID FIRST TABLE.