# US 2013/0158701 A1 · Automated Warehouse and Article Removal Method

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- Number: US 2013/0158701 A1
- Document ID: US20130158701A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 13/819,561
- Filed: 2011-07-25
- Published: 2013-06-20
- Earliest claimed: 2010-09-13
- Assignees: Murata Machinery, Ltd.
- Inventors: Misaki Nomura
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20130158701A1

## CPC

- B65G 1/137: with arrangements or automatic control means for selecting which articles are to be removed
- H10P 72/1906: {specially adapted for containing masks, reticles or pellicles}
- H10P 72/3402: {Mechanical parts of transfer devices}
- H10P 72/3404: {Storage means}
- H10P 72/3406: {involving removal of lid, door or cover}
- B65G: TRANSPORT OR STORAGE DEVICES, e.g. CONVEYORS FOR LOADING OR TIPPING, SHOP CONVEYOR SYSTEMS OR PNEUMATIC TUBE CONVEYORS (packaging B65B; handling thin or filamentary materials, e.g. paper sheets or thread, B65H; cranes B66C; portable mobile or lifting or hauling appliances, e.g. hoists, B66D; devices for lifting or lowering goods for loading or unloading purposes, e.g. fork-lift trucks, B66F9/00; emptying bottles, jars, casks, barrels or similar containers, not otherwise provided for, B67C9/00; delivering or transferring liquids B67D; filling or discharging vessels for liquefied, solidified or compressed gases F17C; pipe-line systems for fluids F17D)
- H10P: GENERIC PROCESSES OR APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF DEVICES COVERED BY CLASS H10

## Abstract

A clean stocker includes: a reticle rotatable rack separately storing reticles and a pod; an empty pod rotatable rack; a manual load port supplying to an operator a pod including a reticle; a pod-with-reticle rotatable rack temporarily storing the pod including the reticle; a detecting unit detecting an instruction sent from the operator; a pod opener for, when a first instruction is detected, obtaining (i) a reticle from the reticle rotatable rack and (ii) an empty pod from the empty pod rotatable rack, and placing the obtained reticle into the empty pod; and a pod transporting apparatus (i) putting on the pod-with-reticle rotatable rack the pod including the reticle, and (ii) when a second instruction is detected, transporting the pod including the reticle from the pod-with-reticle rotatable rack to the manual load port.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An automated warehouse comprising:
a storage rack which separately stores articles and a case for containing at least one of the articles;
a load port which supplies to an operator the at least one article contained in the case;
a temporary storage rack which temporarily stores the at least one article contained in the case until the at least one article is transported to the load port;
a detecting unit configured to detect an instruction sent from the operator;
a placing apparatus which, when the detecting unit detects a first instruction indicating that a predetermined one of the articles is to be taken out, (i) obtains the predetermined article and a case from the storage rack, and (ii) places the obtained predetermined article in the case; and
a transporting apparatus which (i) puts, on the temporary storage rack, the predetermined article placed in the case by the placing apparatus, and, (ii) when the detecting unit detects a second instruction indicating that the predetermined article is actually ready to be taken out, transports the predetermined article placed in the case from the temporary storage rack to the load port.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The automated warehouse according to claim 1, further comprising
an input unit configured to receive the second instruction from the operator,
wherein, when the detecting unit detects the second instruction that is inputted to the input unit by the operator, the transporting apparatus transports the predetermined article placed in the case from the temporary storage rack to the load port.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The automated warehouse according to claim 1, wherein
the temporary storage rack stores the articles each contained in one of cases including the case,
the second instruction includes information for specifying an article to be taken out among the articles that are temporarily stored on the temporary storage rack, and
the transporting apparatus transports, from the temporary storage rack to the load port, the article specified by the second instruction detected by the detecting unit.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The automated warehouse according to claim 1, further comprising
an external terminal which is provided at a distant place and connected to the automated warehouse via a communications network, wherein
the external terminal is used by the operator for inputting the first instruction, and
when the detecting unit detects the first instruction inputted to the external terminal, the placing apparatus puts, on the temporary storage rack, the predetermined article contained in the case.

### Claim 5

An article take-out method for an automated warehouse which (i) includes: a storage rack that separately stores articles and a case for containing at least one of the articles; a load port that supplies to an operator the at least one article contained in the case; a temporary storage rack that temporarily stores the at least one article contained in the case until the at least one article is transported to the load port; and a detecting unit that detects an instruction sent from the operator, and (ii) places the at least one article in the case and takes out the at least one article, the article take-out method comprising:
when the detecting unit detects a first instruction indicating that a predetermined one of the articles is to be taken out, (i) obtaining the predetermined article and the case, (ii) placing the obtained predetermined article in the case, and (iii) putting, on the temporary storage rack, the predetermined article placed in the case; and
when the detecting unit detects a second instruction indicating that the predetermined articles is actually ready to be taken out, transporting the predetermined article placed in the case from the temporary storage rack to the load port.