Abstract:
The disk carrier is used to house and secure a plurality of disks and comprises a disk cassette having an open top, an open bottom, and end wall ingresses; a top cover; and a bottom cover. The top cover has flaps to cover the end wall ingresses. To reduce particulation from opening and closing the disk carrier, one embodiment of the disk carrier implements an articulation in the flaps. Another embodiment implements a living hinge on the bottom cover. The disk carrier also has a path to ground for dissipating static and other electrical charge away from the disks.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/309,241, filed on Jul. 31, 2001, which is hereby incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to a container configured to hold a particular article or set of articles or material. In particular, the present invention relates to a disk carrier or container used to house and protect computer components such as magnetic disks or wafer disks during a manufacturing or transportation process, wherein the disk carrier comprises a disk cassette, a top cover, and a bottom cover, the top cover having an articulation in one embodiment and the bottom cover having a living hinge in another embodiment. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     As precision and smaller tolerances become the expected norm in computational and processing machines, better equipment used to fabricate components is expected by manufacturers. To house and protect magnetic disks, wafer disks, or similar inventory during a manufacturing process, special carriers or containers, also known as boats, baskets, or cassettes are used. One kind of conventional container comprises a disk cassette having an open top and an open bottom, a top cover, and a bottom cover. Each is formed separately by injection molding. The disk cassette is integrally formed of a rigid plastic, such as polycarbonate, that may be conductive. It has elongate side walls that extend vertically on the upper portions and curve inwardly on the bottom portions to the open bottom, and vertical end walls with U-shaped contours defining a U-shaped opening. The top cover may be formed of polycarbonate, polypropylene, or many similar injection grade polymers. It is shaped to follow the contour of and continuously align with the top of the side walls and end walls, and typically snaps onto a catch at or rests on the lower end of the U-shaped contours in the end walls. The bottom cover may be formed of a similar polymer as the top cover and is generally rectangular and tray shaped. It is molded to engage and be frictionally retained by the open bottom of the disk cassette. Examples of this kind of container are found in U.S. Pat. No. 4,557,382 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,253,755. Another example is Narisawa et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,070,730, Disk Container, which is hereby incorporated herein by reference. 
     Several other variations of this kind of container are disclosed in Kikuchi, U.S. Pat. No. 4,721,207, Hard Disk Container; Boehm et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,779,732, Container for Plurality of Disk-Shaped Articles and Container Part Thereof; and Maenke, U.S. Pat. No. 5,253,755, Cushioned Cover for Disk Container. Each of these containers conforms to one or two common themes. First, the bottom covers are designed to engage and be frictionally retained by a bottom edge or perimeter of a disk cassette. Second, the top covers have flaps that come over the side walls of the disk cassette and attach to the side walls just below the U-shaped contours. In Boehm, one flap extends off the top cover and the other off the bottom cover. These flaps conceal an ingress such as the U-shaped contours or an orifice providing access to the disks through the end walls. 
     The means for attaching the flaps is often similar to the following: “The closure parts 3 and 4 have an approximately L-shaped cross-section . . . They are advantageously produced from an elastically deformable plastics material, in particular a thermoplastics material, so that the arm of the L-form or the wall 9 or 9′ can be bent through a total distance sufficient for it to project beyond the projection 8 or 8′. Because of their springiness, the walls 9 and 9′ snap over the projections 8 and 8′ and lock the parts 1 and 2 together.” (Quoting from U.S. Pat. No. 4,779,732.) This attachment means is a source or cause for increased particulation on the end disks housed in a disk carrier, which is undesirable in a clean room manufacturing process. As a consequence, manufactures often put “dummy” disks, disks that are not intended for use in a product, on each end of the disk carrier to shield the other disks. If these dummy disks were not needed, through put could be increased at a substantial cost savings to the manufacturer. 
     In addition to the above described problem, disk carriers do not have a complete path to ground for dissipating static or other electrical charge away from disks and thereby further protecting the disks against accidental arching and other unintended events. Often, only the disk cassette is conductive. 
     Therefore, it would be advantageous to have a disk carrier that could significantly reduce the particulation created by opening and closing a disk carrier and could efficiently and cost effectively dissipate undesirable electrical charge away from the disks and to a ground if one is available. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The disk carrier is used to house and secure a plurality of disks and comprises a disk cassette having an open top, an open bottom, and end wall ingresses; a top cover; and a bottom cover. The top cover has flaps to cover the end wall ingresses. To reduce particulation from opening and closing the disk carrier, one embodiment of the disk carrier implements an articulation in the flaps. Another embodiment implements a living hinge on the bottom cover. The disk carrier also has a path to ground for dissipating static and other electrical charge away from the disks. 
     The present invention provides a disk carrier with articulated flaps extending from the top cover or the bottom cover to conceal the U-shaped contours of or orifices in the end walls of a disk cassette. By appropriately positioning the articulation on the flaps, it is possible to conceal the ingresses without the “snap”. In the alternative or in addition to implementing articulated flaps to reduce particulation, the top cover and bottom cover may attach to each other by first enveloping the disk cassette to conceal the end wall ingresses and then attaching to each other to trap the disk cassette between them. Finally, by using electrically conductive materials for the disk carrier, or strips of electrically conductive material that create an electrical path between the disks and the bottom surface of the disk carrier, a path to ground is created from the disks when the disk carrier is set on a grounded surface. 
     In early testing performed by an international computer manufacturer during the development of the present invention, a 25 disk capacity disk carrier assembly presently used by the manufacturer and a preferred embodiment of the present invention of equal capacity were each cleaned and loaded with disks and then latched and unlatched for 20 complete thermal cycles. The manufacturer then measured the particulation on the disks and found 95 particles on the disk in position  1  and 190 particles on the disk in position  25  of the existing disk carrier assembly, and only 4 particles on the disk in position 1 and 22 particles on the disk in position  25  of the present invention. Moreover, the 22 particles on the disk in position  25  of the present invention were actually one larger particle. These results are very desirable not only for end position disks but for any disk in a disk carrier. 
     A first embodiment of the disk carrier comprises a disk cassette, a top cover, and a bottom cover. The disk cassette has at least two opposing side walls and at least two opposing end walls forming an interior to enclose and house a plurality of disks therein, a top edge defining a top opening, and a bottom edge defining a bottom opening. The side walls have a plurality of disk confining ribs and a plurality of slot portions to secure the disks in the interior of the disk cassette. The end walls have at least one ingress to access the disks. The bottom cover has at least two bottom cover ends and is configured and arranged to attach to the bottom edge of the disk cassette to cover the bottom opening. Together, the side walls and the bottom cover ends define a side connecting region. The top cover is configured and arranged to attach to the top edge and cover the top opening and the at least one end wall ingress. The top cover has at least one flap to conceal the at least one end wall ingress. The at least one flap has an articulation defining a lower flap portion so the lower flap portion by itself may move outwardly to ride over a cooperating connection structure to connect the flap to the side connecting region, without “snapping” back but rather returning smoothly to its natural position when it is allowed to do so, the flap bending at the articulation. 
     A second embodiment of the disk carrier also comprises a disk cassette, a top cover, and a bottom cover. The disk cassette has at least two opposing side walls and at least two opposing end walls forming an interior to enclose and house a plurality of disks therein, a top edge defining a top opening, and a bottom edge having an inner perimeter and defining a bottom opening. The side walls have a plurality of disk confining ribs and a plurality of slot portions to secure the disks in the interior of the disk cassette. The end walls have at least one ingress to access the disks. The bottom cover has a bottom cover edge, at least two bottom cover ends, and a living hinge between the bottom cover ends to contract and expand the bottom cover. The bottom cover edge is configured and arranged to align against the inner perimeter so the bottom cover covers the bottom opening. The top cover is configured and arranged to attach to the top edge and cover the top opening and the at least one end wall ingress. The top cover has at least one flap to conceal the at least one end wall ingress, which flap extends to the bottom cover to connect therewith. 
     In operation, the first embodiment is used by providing a disk carrier including a disk cassette having an open top, an open bottom, and at least one end wall ingress; a top cover including at least one flap having an articulation defining a lower flap portion; a bottom cover; and at least one disk. The at least one disk is inserted into the disk cassette and the bottom cover is attached to the disk cassette. The top cover is attached to the disk cassette, causing the lower flap portion to ride over a connecting structure on the disk cassette or bottom cover to at least partially connect the flap to the disk cassette and bottom cover. The flap is then pushed inwardly to secure the connection. Those skilled in the art are aware that these steps may be performed as effectively in other orders as well. 
     In operation, the second embodiment is used by providing a disk carrier including a disk cassette having an open top, an open bottom, and at least one end wall ingress; a bottom cover having at least two bottom cover ends and a living hinge between the ends to contract and expand the bottom cover; a top cover including at least one flap extending to the bottom cover to connect therewith; and at least one disk. The disk is inserted into the disk cassette and the top cover is attached to the disk cassette. The bottom is contracted, at least partially inserted into the bottom opening, and then expanded to connect the bottom cover and the top cover. Those skilled in the art are aware that these steps may be performed as effectively in other orders as well. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is an exploded view of the first embodiment of a disk carrier in accordance with the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the disk carrier in FIG.  1 . 
         FIG. 3  is another exploded view of the disk carrier in FIG.  1 . 
         FIG. 4  is another perspective view of the disk carrier in FIG.  1 . 
         FIG. 5  is a top view of the disk carrier in FIG.  1 . 
         FIG. 6  is a cross-sectional view of the disk carrier at line  6 — 6  in FIG.  5 . 
         FIG. 7  is a bottom view of the disk carrier in FIG.  1 . 
         FIG. 8  is a magnified view of the corner demarcated in FIG.  6 . 
         FIG. 9  is an exploded view of the second embodiment of a disk carrier in accordance with the present invention. 
         FIG. 10  is a perspective view of the disk carrier in  FIG. 9  without the bottom cover. 
         FIG. 11  is another exploded view of the disk carrier in FIG.  9 . 
         FIG. 12  is another perspective view of the disk carrier in  FIG. 9  with the bottom partially cut away. 
         FIG. 13  is a top view of the disk carrier in FIG.  9 . 
         FIG. 14  is a cross sectional view of the disk carrier at line  14 — 14  in FIG.  13 . 
         FIG. 15  is bottom view of the disk carrier in FIG.  9 . 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     The preferred embodiment relates to a disk carrier in accordance with the present invention. As shown in  FIGS. 1-7 , a first embodiment of the disk carrier  10  comprises a disk cassette  20 , a bottom cover  60 , and a top cover  80 . The disk cassette  20  has two opposing side walls  22  and two opposing end walls  24  forming an interior  26  to enclose and house a plurality of disks (not shown) therein, a top edge  28  defining a top opening  30 , and a bottom edge  32  defining a bottom opening  36 . The side walls  22  have a plurality of disk confining ribs  38  and a plurality of slot portions  40  to secure the disks in the interior  26  of the disk cassette. An industry standard is to house  25  disks. The end walls each have an ingress or U-shaped contoured top  42  to access the disks. The bottom cover  60  has two bottom cover ends  66  and is configured and arranged to align with and attach to the bottom edge  32  to cover the bottom opening  36 . The bottom cover  60  may also have a living hinge  68 . Together, the end walls  24  and the bottom cover ends  66  define a side connecting region  62 . 
     The top cover  80  is configured and arranged to align with and attach to the top edge  28  and cover the top opening  30  and end wall ingresses  42 . The top cover  80  has two opposing flaps  82 , each joined along a flap upper edge  84  to a top cover main body  81 , to conceal the two end wall ingresses  42 , wherein each flap  82  has an articulation  86  defining a lower flap portion  88  so the lower flap portion  88  by itself may ride over a cooperating connection structure on the bottom cover  60  and smoothly return to its natural position to connect the flap  82  to the side connecting region  62 . The articulations  86  may be positioned anywhere along the flaps  82  such as at the flap upper edges  84 . Preferably, the articulations  86 , which are thinned regions in the flaps, are positioned below the ingresses so that the interior of the disk cassette is covered before the flaps  82  are connected. The connection may occur on either the end walls  24 , or preferably the bottom cover  60 , or any combination or both of them. As those skilled in the art are aware, this connection may be made in numerous ways such as a catch, latch, or cooperating tab and slot. Preferably, the connection is made using a rounded tab or nub  90  on the bottom cover and a rectangular slot  92  on the flap. The lower flap portion  88  preferably has a small or slight camber ( 93 ). After many thermal cycles and cleanings, the lower flap portions may somewhat collapse. The small camber allows the flaps to still stay out far enough to get over the tabs and to position a tool such as a delidder between the flap and the bottom cover. 
     A second embodiment of the disk carrier  10 , as shown in  FIGS. 9-15 , also comprises a disk cassette  120 , a bottom cover  160 , and a top cover  180 . The disk cassette  120  has two opposing side walls  122  and two opposing end walls  124  forming an interior  126  to enclose and house a plurality of disks (not shown) therein, a top edge  128  defining a top opening  130 , and a bottom edge  132  having an inner perimeter  134  and defining a bottom opening  136 . The side walls  122  have a plurality of disk confining ribs  138  and a plurality of slot portions  140  to secure the disks in the interior  126  of the disk cassette  120 . The end walls  124  each have an ingress or U-shaped contoured top  142  to access the disks. The bottom cover  160  has a bottom cover edge  164 , two bottom cover ends  166 , and a living hinge  168  between the bottom cover ends  166  to contract and expand the bottom cover  160 . The bottom cover has finger grips  172  to perform this task manually, if necessary. The bottom cover  160  is configured and arranged to align against the inner perimeter  134  to cover the bottom opening  136 . The top cover  180  is configured and arranged to align with and attach to the top edge  128  and cover the top opening  130  and the two end wall ingresses  142 . The top cover  180  has two flaps  182  to conceal the end wall ingresses, which flaps  182  extend to the bottom cover  160  to connect therewith. These flaps  182  may have articulations  186  defining a lower flap portion  188  that by itself may be moved outwardly. 
     The disk carrier  10  of the preferred embodiment has a bottom surface  44 ,  144  upon which the entire device rests. This bottom surface may include the bottom edge  32 ,  132  of the disk cassette  20 ,  120 , a bottom cover surface  70 ,  170  of the bottom cover  60 ,  160 , part of the flaps  82 ,  182  of the top cover  80 ,  180 , or a combination of these for the respective embodiment. Preferably, the first embodiment bottom surface is comprised of the bottom cover surface  70  of the bottom cover  60 , since this configuration most resembles the configuration of presently used disk carriers and is expected to require the least amount of manufacturing process retooling. Alternatively, the bottom cover surface  70  might be flush with the bottom edge  32  of the disk cassette  20 , so that both the bottom cover surface  70  and bottom edge  32  comprise the bottom surface  44  of the disk carrier  10 . 
     The disk carrier  10 , the bottom cover, and the top cover are each made of a molded polymer. The molded polymer may be selected from polycarbonate, polypropylene, polyester, or any combination of these or other similar materials known to those skilled in the art. By an appropriate choice of materials, the disk carrier  10  is static dissipative between the disks and the bottom surface. Alternatively, electrically conductive strips (not shown) connect the disks and the bottom surface through the disk cassette and bottom cover. These strips can be molded into the disk cassette or covers and need not touch the disks to make an electrical connection between them and the bottom surface of the disk carrier. Using either a conductive material or preferably conductive strips, or a combination thereof, the disk carrier  10  can be grounded by setting it on a grounded surface. 
     In operation, the first embodiment is used by providing a disk carrier including a disk cassette having two side walls and two end walls forming an interior, an open top, an open bottom, and a U-shaped contoured top on each end wall; a top cover including two flaps, each having an articulation defining a lower flap portion; a bottom cover having two bottom cover ends with a tab on each end; and at least one disk. The at least one disk is inserted into the disk cassette and the bottom cover is attached to the disk cassette. The top cover is attached to the disk cassette, causing the lower flap portions to ride over the tabs on the bottom cover to at least partially connect each flap to the bottom cover. The flap is then pushed inwardly to secure the connection. Those skilled in the art are aware that these steps may be performed as effectively in other orders as well. 
     In operation, the second embodiment is used by providing a disk carrier including a disk cassette having two side walls and two end walls forming an interior, an open top, an open bottom, and a U-shaped contoured top on each end wall; a top cover including two flaps; a bottom cover having two bottom cover ends and a living hinge between the bottom cover ends to contract and expand the bottom cover; and at least one disk. The at least one disk is inserted into the disk cassette and the top cover is attached to the disk cassette. The bottom cover is contracted and inserted into the bottom opening and then expanded to connect the bottom cover and the top cover. Those skilled in the art are aware that these steps may be performed as effectively in other orders as well. 
     Although the preferred embodiment of the disk carrier has been described herein, numerous changes and variations can be made and the scope of the invention is intended to be defined by the claims herein. For example, depending on the configuration of the ingresses, the structures of the top cover and the bottom cover may be reversed.