Method and apparatus for contact printing

Claim 2

Transportable workpiece holding apparatus for use with contact printing apparatus, the latter including air evacuation means and photo-exposure means, comprising: i. a frame; ii. first and second sheets attachable with said frame, wherein at least one of said sheets is transparent, and wherein said frame and said first and second sheets may be secured to define a substantially air-tight cavity when a workpiece is placed therein; iii. valve means forming a part of said frame and communicating with said cavity and through which air within said cavity can be evacuated; said valve means additionally maintaining said evacuated condition during transportation of same; and iv. wherein said transportable workpiece holding apparatus is releasibly connectable with said evacuating means during an exposure operation and disconnectable with said evacuating means thereafter to permit said workpiece holding apparatus to be transported remotely and independently from said evacuating and said exposing means.

Claim 3

Apparatus as in claim 1 wherein said frame includes a hinged member for Providing access to said cavity.

Claim 4

Apparatus as in claim 2 wherein said hinged member is formed of aluminum and wherein the substantial remaining portion of said frame is formed from molded plastic.

Claim 5

Apparatus as in claim 1 wherein both said first and second sheets are substantially transparent, and where one of said sheets is sufficiently pliable whereby it conforms to said workpiece in said evacuated condition.

Claim 6

Apparatus as in claim 1 wherein said at least one of said sheets comprises ultra-violet light transmitting plastic and wherein said other sheet is of a sufficiently pliable material that it conforms to said workpiece in the air evacuated condition.

Claim 7

Apparatus as in claim 1 wherein said first sheet comprises an ultra-violet light transmitting plastic and wherein said second sheet comprises Mylar.

Claim 8

Apparatus as in claim 6 wherein said first sheet is permanently affixed within said frame and said Mylar is permanently secured to said frame along one side thereof.

Claim 9

Apparatus as in claim 1 wherein said workpiece holding apparatus includes means for indicating when it is in an evacuated condition.

Claim 10

Apparatus as in claim 8 wherein said indicating means comprises flexible bellows apparatus mounted through said frame to said cavity and an indicating element attached within said bellows apparatus such that when said workpiece holding apparatus is in the evacuated condition the indicating element is drawn substantially within said frame.

Claim 11

Apparatus as in claim 1 including means associated with said frame adaptable with externally provided means for controlling the exposure time of an externally provided light source.

Claim 12

Contact printing apparatus as in claim 1 wherein said frame comprises an aluminum hinged portion and a second portion formed from molded plastic; wherein said first sheet comprises an ultra-violet light-transmitting plastic secured to said plastic portion and wherein said second sheet comprises Mylar secured along at least one edge thereof to said plastic frame; wherein said workpiece holding apparatus includes means for indicating whether it is in an evacuated condition, said means comprising flexible bellows apparatus mounted through said frame to said cavity and an indicating element attached within said bellows apparatus such that when said workpiece holding apparatus is in the evacuated condition the indicating element is drawn substantially within said frame; and means associated with said frame and adaptable with externally provided means for controlling the exposure time of an externally provided light source.

Claim 13

Contact printing system using transportable vacuum workpiece holding frames comprising: a. vacuum workpiece holding frame evacuation stage; b. light exposure stage comprising oppositely disposed light sources for simultaneous exposure of both sides of said frame; c. means for transporting said transportable frames between said evacuation stage and said light exposure stage; d. wherein said evacuation stage is disengagable with said transportable vacuum holding frames after evacuation thereof to permit the same to be transported remotely and independently from said evacuation stage; e. and wherein said vacuum workpiece holding frames include value means forming a part of said frames to which said evacuation stage is engagable and for maintaining the vacuum during transportation of the frame.

Claim 14

Contact printing system using transportable vacuum workpiece holding frames comprising: a. vacuum workpiece holding frame evacuation stage; b. light exposure stage comprising oppositely disposed light sources for simultaneous exposure of both sides of said frame; c. means for transporting said transportable frames between said evacuation stage and said light exposure stage; d. wherein said evacuation stage is disengagable with said transportable vacuum holding frames after evacuation thereof to permit the same to be transported remotely and independently from said evacuation stage; e. and wherein said vacuum workpiece holding frames include value means forming a part of said frames to which said evacuation stage is engagable and for maintaining the vacuum during transportation of the frame.

Claim 15

System as in claim 12 including first magazine apparatus for receiving a plurality of vacuum frames from said evacuation stage and for sequentially dispensing said frames to said transporting means.

Claim 16

A system as in claim 13 including second magazine apparatus, and means for transporting exposed frames from said light exposure stage to said second magazine apparatus.

Claim 17

A system as in claim 12 including means for transporting said transportable vacuum holding frames from said light exposure stage to subsequent work processing stages.

Claim 18

A syStem as in claim 12 including means responsive to coded information associated with each of said vacuum frames for controlling the light exposure time for each of the respective vacuum frames.

Claim 19

A system as in claim 12 wherein said evacuation stage comprises: a. means for mounting at least one vacuum frame; b. means selectively adaptable with each of said vacuum frames for evacuating the same.

Claim 20

Contact printing apparatus for exposing a workpiece comprising: a. a controllable radiation source; b. means for exposing the workpiece to said controllable radiation source for a predetermined period of time; c. air evacuation means; and d. a transportable workpiece holding apparatus comprising i. a frame; ii. first and second sheets sealably attachable to said frame, wherein at least one of said sheets is substantially transparent and wherein said frame and said first and second sheets can be secured to define a substantially air-tight cavity for holding a workpiece; and iii. valve means releasibly connectable with said evacuation means and secured to and forming a part of said frame and communicating with said cavity and through which said cavity can be evacuated, said valve means additionally maintaining said evacuated condition when said workpiece holding apparatus is disconnected from and transported independently and remotely from said evacuation means.

Claim 21

Contact printing apparatus for exposing a workpiece comprising: a. a controllable radiation source; b. means for exposing the workpiece to said controllable radiation source for a predetermined period of time; c. air evacuation means; and d. a transportable workpiece holding apparatus comprising i. a frame; ii. first and second sheets sealably attachable to said frame, wherein at least one of said sheets is substantially transparent and wherein said frame and said first and second sheets can be secured to define a substantially air-tight cavity for holding a workpiece; and iii. valve means releasibly connectable with said evacuation means and secured to and forming a part of said frame and communicating with said cavity and through which said cavity can be evacuated, said valve means additionally maintaining said evacuated condition when said workpiece holding apparatus is disconnected from and transported independently and remotely from said evacuation means.

Claim 22

Apparatus as in claim 18 including a housing assembly for said controllable radiation source and said evacuation means, and wherein said evacuating means comprises a vacuum pump.

Claim 23

Apparatus as in claim 19 wherein said at least one of said sheets comprises ultra-violet light-transmitting plastic and wherein said other sheet comprises pliable Mylar; wherein said workpiece holding apparatus includes means for indicating whether said workpiece holding apparatus is in an evacuated condition, said indicating means comprising flexible bellows apparatus mounted through said frame to said cavity and an indicating element attached within said bellows such that when said workpiece holding apparatus is in the unevacuated condition said indicating element extends substantially outside of said frame; and including encoded means associated with said transportable workpiece holding apparatus and decoder means associated with said housing assembly operable with said controllable light source to regulate the duration of exposure time in accordance with the requirements of a particular workpiece; and means forming a part of said housing for spring-loading said vacuum frames and wherein said frames will be spring-ejected at least partially from within said housing after exposure to said radiation source.

Claim 24

Apparatus as in claim 19 wherein both said first and second sheets are substantially transparent, and where one of said sheets is sufficiently pliable whereby it conforms to said workpiece in said evacuated condition.

Claim 25

Apparatus as in claim 21 wherein the inside surface of one of said transparent sheets includes at least one workpiece alignment pin.

Claim 26

Apparatus as in claim 18 wherein said at least one of said sheets comprises ultra-violet light transmitting plastic and wherein said other sheet is of a sufficiently pliable material that it conforms to said workpiece in the air-evacuated condition.

Claim 27

Apparatus as in claim 18 wherein said workpiece holding apparatus includes means for indicating when it is in an evacuated condition.

Claim 28

Apparatus as in claim 24 wherein said indicating means comprises flexible bellows apparatus mounted through said frame to said cavity and an indicating element attached within said bellows such that when said workpiece holding apparatus is in the evacuated condition the indicating element is drawn substantially within said frame.

Claim 29

Apparatus as in claim 18 including encoded means associated with said transportable workpiece holding apparatus and decoder means associated with said housing asSembly operable with said controllable radiation source to regulate the duration of the exposure time in accordance with the requirements of a particular workpiece.

Claim 30

Apparatus as in claim 18 wherein said radiation source comprises a relatively high-pressure, high-energy, mercury vapor lamp.

Claim 31

Contact printing apparatus for exposing a workpiece comprising: a. a controllable radiation source; b. means for exposing the workpiece to said controllable radiation source for a predetermined period of time; c. air evacuation means; and d. a transportable workpiece holding apparatus comprising: i. a frame; ii. first and second sheets sealably attachable to said frame, wherein at least one of said sheets is substantially transparent and wherein said frame and said first and second sheets can be secured to define a substantially air-tight cavity for holding a workpiece; iii. vacuum retaining means connected to and forming a part of said transportable frame for evacuating a substantial portion of the air within said cavity and for maintaining said evacuated condition during light exposure thereof; and iv. wherein said transportable workpiece holding apparatus is releasibly connectible with said evacuation means during an exposure operation and disconnectable with said evacuation means thereafter to permit said transportable workpiece holding apparatus to be transmitted remotely and independently from said evacuation means.

Claim 32

Contact printing apparatus for exposing a workpiece comprising: a. a controllable radiation source; b. means for exposing the workpiece to said controllable radiation source for a predetermined period of time; c. air evacuation means; and d. a transportable workpiece holding apparatus comprising: i. a frame; ii. first and second sheets sealably attachable to said frame, wherein at least one of said sheets is substantially transparent and wherein said frame and said first and second sheets can be secured to define a substantially air-tight cavity for holding a workpiece; iii. vacuum retaining means connected to and forming a part of said transportable frame for evacuating a substantial portion of the air within said cavity and for maintaining said evacuated condition during light exposure thereof; and iv. wherein said transportable workpiece holding apparatus is releasibly connectible with said evacuation means during an exposure operation and disconnectable with said evacuation means thereafter to permit said transportable workpiece holding apparatus to be transmitted remotely and independently from said evacuation means.

Claim 33

Apparatus as in claim 28 including a housing assembly for said controllable radiation source and said evacuation means, and wherein said evacuation means comprises a vacuum pump.

Claim 34

Apparatus as in claim 28 wherein both said first and second sheets are substantially transparent, and where one of said sheets is sufficiently pliable whereby it conforms to said workpiece in said evacuated condition.

Claim 35

Contact printing process comprising the steps of: a. evacuating transportable workpiece holding vacuum frame assemblies; b. maintaining said vacuum by providing valve means as a part of said vacuum frame assemblies; c. disconnecting said transportable vacuum frame assemblies from the evacuating source after the step of evacuating said frames to permit said frames to be remotely and independently transported from said evacuating source; and d. radiating at least one side of said vacuum frame with light emitted within a light exposure station.

Claim 36

Contact printing process comprising the steps of: a. evacuating transportable workpiece holding vacuum frame assemblies; b. maintaining said vacuum by providing valve means as a part of said vacuum frame assemblies; c. disconnecting said transportable vacuum frame assemblies from the evacuating source after the step of evacuating said frames to permit said frames to be remotely and independently transported from said evacuating source; and d. radiating at least one side of said vacuum frame with light emitted within a light exposure station.

Claim 37

Process as in claim 31 including the final additional step of transporting said exposed frames from said light exposure station for further processing.

Claim 38

Process as in claim 31 including the additional steps between the steps disconnecting and radiating of stacking said frame assemblies in a magazine dispensing assembly.

Claim 39

Process as in claim 31 wherein said step of radiating includes passing said frame through a light exposure station which includes two light source-reflector combinations disposed such that opposite sides of said vacuum frame assemblies can be radiated simultaneously.

Claim 40

Process as in claim 31 including the final additional step of transporting a exposed frames from said light exposure station to a magazine loaded receptacle.