US Patent 7888655 Transfer mechanism for transferring a specimen

Patent 7888655 was granted and assigned to FEI Company on February, 2011 by the United States Patent and Trademark Office.

Overview Structured Data Issues Contributors Activity

Is a

Patent

Patent attributes

Current Assignee

FEI Company

Patent Jurisdiction

United States Patent and Trademark Office

Patent Number

7888655

Date of Patent

February 15, 2011

Patent Application Number

11881031

Date Filed

July 25, 2007

Patent Primary Examiner

‌

Bernard E Souw

Patent abstract

The invention relates to a transfer mechanism for transferring a specimen (2) from a first position in a first holder (40) to a second position in a second holder (10) and/or vice versa, each holder (10, 40) equipped to detachably hold the specimen, the transfer of the specimen between the holders taking place in a transfer position different from the second position, characterized in that when the specimen is transferred between the holders (10, 40) a mechanical guidance mechanism positions the holders with a mutual accuracy higher than the mutual accuracy in the second position, and said mechanical guidance mechanism not positioning at least one of the holders (10, 40) when the specimen is in the second position. The mechanical guidance mechanism may comprise extra parts (50). At least one of the holders (40) may be equipped to hold a multitude of specimens.