Transporting product from a product cartridge

Abstract

According to the disclosed embodiments, an illustrative system comprises a cartridge-receiving member configured to receive a product cartridge, and a product-receiving member configured to receive product from the product cartridge, the product-receiving member having a bottom support to gravitationally support the product and a rear support to terminate receipt of the product and prevent egress of the product from the product-receiving member. The system also comprises a pusher assembly configured to pushingly engage the product out of the cartridge onto the product-receiving member.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A system, comprising:
 a cartridge-receiving member configured to receive a product cartridge;   a product-receiving member configured to receive product from the product cartridge, the product-receiving member having a bottom support to gravitationally support the product and a rear support to terminate receipt of the product and prevent egress of the product from the product-receiving member; and   a pusher assembly configured to pushingly engage the product out of the cartridge onto the product-receiving member.   
     
     
         2 . The system as in  claim 1 , wherein the product-receiving member is a transportable rack configured to be transported from a first location to receive the product to a second location remote from the cartridge-receiving member. 
     
     
         3 . The system as in  claim 2 , wherein the transportable rack is configured to stack with one or more other transportable racks at the second location. 
     
     
         4 . The system as in  claim 1 , wherein the bottom and rear supports are configured to move from a first location to receive the product to a second location remote from the cartridge-receiving member. 
     
     
         5 . The system as in  claim 4 , further comprising:
 a carrier to lift the bottom and rear supports and to move the bottom and rear supports to a support rack at the second location.   
     
     
         6 . The system as in  claim 1 , wherein the bottom support slopes downward away from the cartridge-receiving member toward the rear support. 
     
     
         7 . The system as in  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a top support configured to compressively support the product against the bottom support.   
     
     
         8 . The system as in  claim 7 , wherein the top support is configured to compressively support the product against the bottom support through gravity-based weighted compression. 
     
     
         9 . The system as in  claim 7 , wherein the product comprises a plurality of individual separated and parallel instances of the product, the top support compressively supporting the plurality of individual separated and parallel instances of the product to maintain separation between the plurality of individual separated and parallel instances of the product. 
     
     
         10 . The system as in  claim 9 , wherein the pusher assembly is configured to pushingly engage each of the plurality of individual separated and parallel instances of the product substantially simultaneously out of the cartridge onto the product-receiving member. 
     
     
         11 . The system as in  claim 1 , wherein one or both of the bottom and rear supports comprise one or more rods. 
     
     
         12 . The system as in  claim 1 , wherein the bottom support comprises first and second separate bottom supports. 
     
     
         13 . The system as in  claim 1 , wherein the product comprises sapphire wafers. 
     
     
         14 . The system as in  claim 1 , wherein the product cartridge comprises:
 first and second opposing walls separated by a distance defined by the product, the first and second walls configured to define a product access aperture to allow ingress and egress of a plurality of instances of the product between the first and second walls;   product engaging members disposed on the first and second walls, the product engaging members configured to slidingly engage and secure the plurality of instances of the product in parallel when inserted into the product access aperture and at a defined spacing between the plurality of instances of the product; and   a transfer access aperture opposite the product access aperture and configured to allow the pusher assembly to substantially simultaneously push each of the plurality of instances of the product out of the product access aperture.   
     
     
         15 . A method, comprising:
 receiving a product cartridge at a cartridge-receiving member; and   pushing the product, using a pusher assembly, out of the cartridge onto a product-receiving member configured to receive product from the product cartridge, the product-receiving member having a bottom support to gravitationally support the product and a rear support to terminate receipt of the product and prevent egress of the product from the product-receiving member.   
     
     
         16 . The method as in  claim 15 , further comprising:
 transporting the product-receiving member as a transportable rack from a first location to receive the product to a second location remote from the cartridge-receiving member.   
     
     
         17 . The method as in  claim 16 , further comprising:
 stacking the transportable rack with one or more other transportable racks at the second location.   
     
     
         18 . The method as in  claim 15 , further comprising:
 transporting the bottom and rear supports from a first location to receive the product to a second location remote from the cartridge-receiving member using a carrier to lift the bottom and rear supports.   
     
     
         19 . The method as in  claim 15 , wherein the product-receiving member comprises a top support configured to compressively support the product against the bottom support, and wherein the product comprises a plurality of individual separated and parallel instances of the product, the top support compressively supporting the plurality of individual separated and parallel instances of the product to maintain separation between the plurality of individual separated and parallel instances of the product. 
     
     
         20 . The method as in  claim 19 , wherein the pusher assembly pushes each of the plurality of individual separated and parallel instances of the product substantially simultaneously out of the cartridge onto the product-receiving member. 
     
     
         21 . An apparatus, comprising:
 first and second opposing walls; and   a plurality of brackets disposed on each of the first and second walls, the brackets configured to receive and support a product-receiving member configured to receive product from a product cartridge, the product-receiving member having a bottom support to gravitationally support the product and a rear support to terminate receipt of the product and prevent egress of the product from the product-receiving member, the bottom and rear supports configured to be lifted by a carrier and moved to the plurality of brackets while supporting the product.   
     
     
         22 . The apparatus as in  claim 21 , wherein one or both of the bottom and rear supports comprise one or more rods, and wherein the plurality of brackets are configured to gravitationally receive the one or more rods. 
     
     
         23 . The apparatus as in  claim 21 , wherein the product-receiving member further comprises a top support configured to compressively support the product against the bottom support, and wherein the plurality of brackets are configured to receive and support the top support.