Filling device and method for filling balls in the apertures of a ball-receiving element
AssigneeNovatec, Inc.
InventorsFrancis Bourrières, Clément Kaiser
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A filling device for and a method of filling balls in an array of apertures in a ball-receiving element, the filling device comprising: a housing including an opening at a lower surface thereof and defining in part a chamber for containing a supply of balls, the housing being in use movably disposed over a ball-receiving element including an array of apertures; and distribution means disposed within the housing for distributing balls contained in the chamber such as to maintain a limited number of layers of the balls over at least a region of the opening in the housing.
Claims35
A filling device for filling balls in an array of apertures in a ball-receiving element, the filling device comprising:
- a housing including an opening at a lower surface thereof and defining in part a chamber for containing a supply of balls, the housing being in use movably disposed over a ball-receiving element including an array of apertures;
- and
- distribution means disposed within the housing for distributing balls contained in the chamber such as to maintain a limited number of layers of the balls over at least a region of the opening in the housing.
A ball bumping apparatus, comprising:
- a ball bumping station comprising a filling device for filling balls in an array of apertures in a ball-receiving element, the filling device comprising a housing including an opening at a lower surface thereof and defining in part a chamber for containing a supply of balls, the housing being in use movably disposed over a ball-receiving element including an array of apertures, and distribution means disposed within the housing for distributing balls contained in the chamber such as to maintain a limited number of layers of the balls over at least a region of the opening in the housing, and a ball-receiving element including an array of apertures over which the filling device is in use movably disposed.
A method of filling balls in an array of apertures in a ball-receiving element, comprising the steps of:
- providing a filling device over a ball-receiving element including a plurality of apertures, the filling device comprising a housing including an opening at a lower surface thereof and defining in part a chamber containing a supply of balls, and distribution means disposed within the housing for distributing the balls contained in the chamber such as to maintain a limited number of layers of the balls over at least a region of the opening in the housing;
- and
- moving the filling device relative to the ball-receiving element such as to cause the filling of the apertures in the ball-receiving element.
A filling device for filling balls in an array of apertures in a ball-receiving element, the filling device comprising:
- a housing including an opening at a lower surface thereof and defining in part a chamber for containing a supply of balls, the housing being in use movably disposed over a ball-receiving element including an array of apertures;
- and
- distribution means disposed within the housing for distributing balls contained in the chamber, the distribution means being configured to provide substantially a single layer of balls over at least a region of the opening in the housing.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.