Storage rack

A storage rack includes a plurality of storage portions each configured to store a container. The container has a supported portion and an intake portion in a bottom surface of the container, the intake portion supplying gas into the container, wherein the center of gravity of the container is located between the supported portion and the intake portion as seen along a vertical direction. Provided to each of the storage portions are a container support in which a support surface is formed for supporting the supported portion from below, a nozzle configured to contact the intake portion from below to supply gas into the container through the intake portion, and a restriction member configured to contact a side surface of the container when stored on the storage portion to restrict movement of the container along a horizontal direction. The container is supported only by the support surface and the nozzle.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority to Japanese Patent Application No. 2017-065323 filed Mar. 29, 2017, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated in its entirety by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a storage rack comprising a plurality of storage portions each configured to store a container.

BACKGROUND ART

An example of such a storage rack is described in JP Publication of Application No. 2013-133193 (Patent Document 1). Each storage portion in the storage rack of Patent Document 1 is provided with a receiving support member10awhich has three positioning projections10bfor supporting a container, and an eject nozzle10ifor supplying gas to inside the container. In addition, the three positioning projections10bengage engaged members which are formed in the bottom of each container to support the container and also to restrict horizontal movement of the container. In addition, the eject nozzle comes in contact with an intake opening51iof the container stored on a storage portion to allow the gas ejected from the eject nozzle is supplied to inside the container through the intake opening51i.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

However, in the storage rack of Patent Document 1, discrepancies among the heights of the three positioning projections10bmay be caused by a distortion in a receiving support member10a, etc., which in turn causes the container stored on the storage portion to be tilted with respect to the eject nozzle and thus causing the intake opening51iof the container to be out of proper contact with the eject nozzle10i. This may lead to a situation where the gas ejected from the eject nozzle10iis not properly supplied to inside the container through the intake opening51i.

Thus, a storage rack is desired in which it is is relatively easy to properly supply gas to inside a container.

In light of above, a storage rack comprises: a plurality of storage portions each configured to store a container; wherein the container has a supported portion and an intake portion in a bottom surface of the container, the intake portion supplying gas into the container, wherein a center of gravity of the container is located between the supported portion and the intake portion as seen along a vertical direction, wherein provided to each of the plurality of storage portions are a container support in which a support surface is formed for supporting the supported portion of the container from below, a nozzle which is configured to come in contact with the intake portion from below to supply gas into the container through the intake portion, and a restriction member which is configured to come in contact with a side surface of the container when stored on the storage portion to restrict movement of the container along a horizontal direction, and wherein the container is supported only by the support surface and the nozzle.

With such an arrangement, since the nozzle comes in contact with the intake portion of the container stored on the storage portion, gas ejected from the nozzle can be supplied into the container through the intake portion. In addition, movement along a horizontal direction is restricted because the container stored on the storage portion comes in contact with the restriction member.

The container stored on the storage portion is supported only by the support surface and the nozzle of the container support, and the center of gravity of the container is located between the supported portion and the intake portion. This causes the intake portion of the container to be pressed against the nozzle by the weight of the container, causing the intake portion to be in sealing contact with the nozzle, which facilitates proper supplying of gas ejected from the nozzle into the container through the intake portion.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

Embodiments of a container storage facility including storage racks are described next with reference to the attached drawings.

As shown inFIG. 1, a container storage facility includes storage racks1each comprising a plurality of storage portions1A each configured to store a container W, a stacker crane2configured to transport containers W one container at a time, and walls K which cover the side perimeter of a space in which the storage racks1and the stacker crane2are installed.

In addition, as shown inFIGS. 2 and 3, the container storage facility is provided with a gas supplying device3. The gas supplying device3is configured to supply clean dry air (referred to hereafter simply as “dry air” for short), which is an example of gas, to inside the containers W stored on the storage portions1A. In other words, the humidity of the gas supplied to inside the containers W by the gas supplying device3is lower than that of the gas around the storage portions1A.

Each container W is configured to be capable of holding one substrate. In the present embodiment, the substrate is a reticle, and so each container W is a container W for holding a reticle.

As shown inFIG. 1, the article storage facility is installed in a clean room S of a down-flow type in which gas is caused to flow from a ceiling portion C toward a floor portion F.

The floor portion F of the clean room S includes a lower floor portion F1and an upper floor portion F2installed above the lower floor portion F1. The lower floor portion F1is a floor with no ventilating holes and thus is one through which gas cannot move while the upper floor portion F2is a floor with ventilating holes and thus is one through which gas can move along a vertical direction Z.

The ceiling portion C of the clean room S includes an upper ceiling portion C1, and a lower ceiling portion C2located below the upper ceiling portion C1. The upper ceiling portion C1is a ceiling with no ventilating holes and thus is one through which gas cannot move while the lower ceiling portion C2is a ceiling with ventilating holes and thus is one through which gas can move along the vertical direction Z.

By ejecting air between the upper ceiling portion C1and the lower ceiling portion C2through operation of a blower (not shown), air (clean air) cleaned by a filter provided in the lower ceiling portion C2is discharged into the clean room S, flows downward through the clean room S from the ceiling portion C toward the floor portion F, and subsequently flows through the upper floor portion F2to the space between the lower floor portion F1and the upper floor portion F2.

In the following description of the structure of each container W and the article storage facility is described, a direction along which each storage rack1and the stacker crane2is spaced apart from each other as seen along a vertical direction Z will be referred to as a front and backward direction X whereas a direction perpendicular to the front and backward direction X as seen along a vertical direction Z will be referred to as a lateral width direction Y. In addition, along (i.e. parallel to) the front and backward direction X, the direction in which the stacker crane2exists with respect to a given storage rack1will be referred to as a forward direction X1(or simply “forward” when appropriate) for that storage rack1whereas the direction opposite to the forward direction X1will be referred to as a backward direction X2(or simply “backward” when appropriate) for that storage rack1. In addition, with respect to directions associated with each container W, the front and backward direction X and the lateral width direction Y are defined as respective directions as defined when the container W is stored on a storage portion1A.

Note that the front and backward direction X is, or corresponds to, a spaced-apart direction which is a horizontal direction that is parallel to a direction along which a support portion25B is spaced apart from the nozzles16. In addition, the forward direction X1corresponds to a first side which is a side along (i.e., parallel to) the front and backward direction X on which the nozzles16are located with respect to the support portion25B whereas a backward direction X2corresponds to a second side which is the side opposite from the first side.

As shown inFIG. 4, provided to a downward-facing bottom surface of each container W are intake portions6, outlet portions7and a supported portion8. When an intake portion6is described to be “provided to” a surface, this means that the intake portion6is either provided on the surface or provided to extend through the surface.

The intake portions6are portions each of which is configured to be capable of supplying dry air ejected from the corresponding one of the nozzles16of the gas supplying device3to inside the container W. Each intake portion6is provided with an intake opening and closing valve (e.g., an on-off valve, not shown). A pair of intake portions6are provided such that these intake portions6of the pair are spaced apart from each other along the lateral width direction Y, and such that they are located at the same position along the front and backward direction X.

The outlet portions7are portions each of which is configured to be capable of releasing the gas inside the container W to the outside of the container W. Each outlet portion7is provided with an outlet opening and closing valve (e.g., an on-off valve, not shown). A pair of outlet portions7are provided such that these outlet portions7of the pair are spaced apart from each other along the lateral width direction Y, and such that they are located at the same position along the front and backward direction X.

Both of the intake portions6of the pair are located forward X1of the center of gravity of the container W whereas both of the outlet portions7of the pair are located backward X2of the center of gravity of the container W along the front and backward direction X; therefore, the center of gravity of the container W is located between the intake portions6and the outlet portions7along the front and backward direction X. In addition, along the lateral width direction Y, the center of gravity of the container W is located between the intake portions6of the pair and between the outlet portions7of the pair. Note that the center of gravity of each container W is located between the intake portions6and the outlet portions7along the front and back direction X regardless of whether a substrate is held in the container W.

The intake opening and closing valve of each intake portion6is urged toward its closed state or position by an urging member, such as a coil spring. When dry air is ejected from a corresponding nozzle16of the gas supplying device3with the nozzle16in contact with the intake portion6from below, the intake opening and closing valve is opened by the pressure of the ejected dry air, allowing the dry air to be supplied to inside the container W through the intake portion6. Similarly, the intake opening and closing valve of each outlet portion7is urged toward its closed state or position by an urging member, such as a coil spring. When the pressure inside the container W increases as a result of the dry air being supplied by the gas supplying device3, the pressure causes the outlet opening and closing valve to be opened, allowing gas inside the container W to be released through the outlet portion7.

A supported portion8is a portion (of a container W) that is supported from below by a support surface25A of a container support25of the storage portion1A when the container W is stored on a storage portion1A. The supported portion8is located at a rearward end of the downward-facing bottom surface of the container W; so, the supported portion8is located rearward X2(along the front and back direction X) of the center of gravity of the container W. In addition, the supported portion8is located in the same position as the center of gravity of the container W along the lateral width direction Y.

As such, the center of gravity of each container W is located between the intake portions6of a pair on one hand and the supported portion8on the other hand along the front and back direction X. At least a portion of the supported portion8is located between the intake portions6of the pair along the lateral width direction Y.

As shown inFIG. 1, the stacker crane2has a travel carriage9configured to travel along a travel direction (along (i.e., parallel to) the lateral width direction Y) and forward X1of each storage rack1(i.e., between the two storage racks2), a mast10arranged vertically on the travel carriage9, a vertically movable member11configured to be vertically moved along the mast10, and a transfer device12mounted on, and supported by, the vertically movable member11.

The transfer device12is moved along the lateral width direction Y as a result of the traveling of the travel carriage9, and along the vertical direction X as a result of the vertical movement of the vertically movable member11. Although a detailed description is omitted here, the transfer device12has a support platform for supporting a container W, and a mechanism (such as a slide-out mechanism with a pair of elongate members that can be linearly moved with respect to another pair of elongate members) capable of moving the support platform along the front and back direction X; thus, the transfer device12is configured to be capable of transferring a container W to and from any of the storage portions1A.

As shown inFIGS. 2 and 3, the gas supplying device3includes a primary pipe (not shown) connected to a gas supply source (not shown), a plurality of vertical pipes14each of which branches out from the primary pipe, and a plurality of branch pipes15each of which branches out from the corresponding vertical pipe14. Dry air from the gas supply source flows through the primary pipe, a vertical pipe14, and a branch pipe15, in that order, and is finally ejected from the nozzles16provided in each storage portion1A.

The primary pipe is provided, for example, at a height below the lowest horizontal row of storage portions1A, and extends along the lateral width direction Y. Each of the plurality of vertical pipes14is arranged to extend upward from the primary pipe. Each of the plurality of branch pipes15is arranged to extend from a vertical pipe14in the lateral width direction Y and along the front and back direction X. Nozzles16are connected to each branch pipe15at the distal end thereof.

As shown inFIG. 5, each nozzle16has a generally cylindrical distal end portion18, and a generally cylindrical base portion19located below the distal end portion18. The base portion19is fixed to a container support25of the corresponding storage portion1A. The distal end portion18come in contact with the corresponding intake portion6of a container W stored on the storage portion1A from below.

The base portion19has a first base portion20connected to the distal end portion18, and a second base portion21located at the bottom of the nozzle16.

Each of the distal end portion18and the base portion19is made of, or from, elastically deformable material (for example, synthetic rubber). In addition, the distal end portion18and the base portion19are formed integrally into one piece. The distal end portion18and the base portion19are made of the same material.

The distal end portion18and the first base portion20have the same outer diameter whereas the second base portion21has an outer diameter greater than that of the distal end portion18and the first base portion20. In addition, the first base portion20and the second base portion21have the same inner diameter whereas the distal end portion18has an inner diameter greater than that of the first base portion20and the second base portion21. Thus, the thickness of the distal end portion18in a radial direction is smaller than the thickness of the base portion19(the first base portion20and the second base portion21) in the radial direction. Since the thickness of the distal end portion18in a radial direction is less than the thickness of the base portion19in the radial direction, the distal end portion18can be elastically deformed more easily compared with the base portion19. In addition, at least a portion of the distal end portion18is formed in such a shape that its thickness in the radial direction decreases toward its top.

As shown inFIG. 1, a pair of storage racks1are installed such that they face each other. Each of the storage racks1of the pair has storage portions1A located one above another along the vertical direction Z, and one next to another along the lateral width direction Y. The storage racks1forming the pair has a similar or identical structure except for their different orientations.

As shown inFIGS. 2 and 3, each storage rack1has a plurality of shelf members23each for supporting, from below, containers W stored on corresponding storage portions1A, and rack frame members24each of which supports a plurality of shelf members23in a cantilever fashion (i.e., each rack frame member24that supports a shelf member23is located on one side of the shelf member23).

The storage rack1has a plurality of shelf members23located one above another along the vertical direction Z and one next to another along the lateral width direction Y. One shelf member23is installed for two storage portions1A that are adjacent each other along the lateral width direction Y. The dimension of each shelf member23along the lateral width direction Y is set to allow the shelf member23to support two containers that are placed adjacent each other along the lateral width direction Y so that two container supports25are formed by each shelf member23.

Each container support25has a support plate26for supporting, from below, a container W stored on the corresponding storage portion1A, and a connecting member27connected to a rack frame member24. Each support plate26is generally formed to be flat and thin (i.e., width and length being greater than thickness) and extends along the front and back direction X and the lateral width direction Y. The support surface25A that supports a supported portion8of a container W from below is formed in, and by, an upward facing surface of a support plate26.

Each container support25supports a plurality of restriction members28and a pair of nozzles16.

The plurality of restriction members28are fixed to the container support25such that the restriction members28project upward from, or with respect to, the support surface25A of the container support25. In addition, the plurality of restriction members28are located such that one or more restriction members28are located on each side of a stored container W along the front and back direction X as well as each side of the stored container W along the lateral width direction Y, and such that the plurality of restriction members28do not overlap with the container W stored on the storage portion1A, as seen along the vertical direction Z. Movement of a stored container W along the front and back direction X and along the lateral width direction Y is restricted as a result of its side surfaces being in, or coming into, contact with the restriction members28.

The pair of nozzles16are fixed to the container support25such that the nozzles16project upward from, or with respect to, the support surface25A of the container support25. The nozzles16are so located that each nozzle16overlaps with the corresponding intake portions6of a container W stored on the storage portion1A, as seen along the vertical direction Z. In other words, when a container W is stored on a storage portion1A, the nozzles16come into contact with the intake portions6of the container W from below, causing the nozzles16to be connected to the intake portions6. As dry air is ejected from the nozzles16with the nozzles16in contact with the intake portions6, the dry air is supplied to inside the container W through the intake portions6and gas inside the container W is released from the outlet portions7.

How the nozzles16are fixed to the container support25is described in more detail. Each container support25is provided with fasteners29each for fixing an end of a branch pipe15to the container support25. Each fastener29(which may be bolts and a metal plate with a through hole to act as a gas conduit and holes for the bolts) is connected to the bottom surface of the support plate26. Each nozzle16is fixed to the container support25with its second base portion21held between the container support25and a fastener29along the vertical direction Z. The entire distal end portion18and a part of its first base portion20of each nozzle16are located above the support surface25A.

As shown inFIG. 5, with a first end portion18A being defined to be a forward X1end portion of a contact area (of the distal end portion18a) that comes into contact with the container W and with a second end portion18B being defined to be a backward X2end portion of the contact area, the first end portion18A and the second end portion18B are located at the same height when the nozzle16is in its natural state (i.e., when the nozzle16is not supporting any member such as a portion of a container).

As a result of the nozzles16and the restriction members28being supported by each of a plurality of container support25, each of a plurality of storage portions1A include a container support25in which a support surface25A is formed to support a supported portion8of a container W from below, nozzles16configured to come in contact with the corresponding intake portions6from below to supply gas to the inside of the container W through the intake portions16, and restriction members28each of which is configured to come in contact with a side surface of the container stored on the storage portion1A to restrict movement of the container W along a horizontal direction.

Only the supported portion8of a container W stored on a storage portion1A is in contact with the support surface25A. In other words, a container W stored on a storage portion1A is supported as a result of the supported portion8coming in contact with a support portion25B of the support surface25A and the intake portions6coming in contact with the nozzles16; thus, the container W is supported only by the support surface25A and the nozzles16.

As shown inFIGS. 5 and 6, when a container W is stored on a storage portion1A and the container W is supported only by the support surface25A and the nozzles16, the nozzles16are compressed downward under the weight of the container W; thus, their vertical length are shortened. Therefore, a second vertical distance H2is less than a first vertical distance H1where the first vertical distance H1is a distance along the vertical direction Z from the support surface25A to the upper end of a distal end portion18in the natural state and the second vertical distance H2is a distance along the vertical direction Z from the support surface25A to the upper end of a distal end portion18of a nozzle in a supporting state (i.e., when supporting an article).

A container W supported only by the support surface25A and the nozzles16would be in a tilted attitude in which its forward X1portion is raised compared with a reference attitude where the reference attitude is the attitude of the container W when it is supported on a horizontal surface. The first end portion18A of each nozzle16becomes the upper end of the nozzle16in a supporting state in which the nozzle16is supporting a container W (i.e., receiving a part of the weight of the container W). In other words, the second vertical distances H2is a distance, along the vertical direction Z, from the support surface25A to the first end portion18A of a nozzle16in the supporting state.

In addition, since the container W would be in a tilted attitude as described above, the second end portion18B side of each nozzle16is compressed downward to a greater extent than the first end portion18A side. Therefore, a fifth vertical distance H5is less than a second vertical distance H2where the fifth vertical distance H5is a distance along the vertical direction Z from the support surface25A to the second end portion18B of a nozzle in the supporting state.

Let us define a first horizontal distance L1to be a distance along the front and back direction X from the support portion25B to a first end portion18A, a second horizontal distance L2to be a distance along the front and back direction X from the first end portion18A to a second end portion18B, and a third vertical distance H3to be a distance along the vertical direction Z from the upper end of a distal end portion18to its lower end in a natural (un-supporting) state.

Then, the shape and dimensions of each nozzle16and the elastic modulus of the material or materials the nozzles16are made of or from are set or selected such that the third vertical distance H3is greater than a fourth vertical distance H4expressed by H4=(L2/L1)×H2+(H1−H2). Thus, the third vertical distance H3is greater than the amount of lowering of the second end portion18B of a nozzle16when a container W is supported. Therefore when the container W is supported, the elastic deformation of the nozzle16can be absorbed only by the distal end portion18.

2. Other Embodiments

Other embodiments of a storage rack is described next.

(1) In the embodiment described above, the distal end portion18and the base portion19of a nozzle16are formed integrally into one piece. However, the distal end portion18and the base portion19of a nozzle16may be formed as two separate members joined together. When the distal end portion18and the base portion19of a nozzle16are two members, the base portion19may be formed of metal, such as aluminum so that only the distal end portion18among the two portions of the nozzle16can be elastically deformed.

(2) In the embodiment described above, both of the distal end portion18and the base portion19of a nozzle16are formed to be generally cylindrical, and the thickness of the distal end portion18in a radial direction is less than the thickness of the base portion19in the radial direction. However, the shape of a nozzle16may be changed suitably. For example, the thickness of the distal end portion18in a radial direction may be the same as the thickness of the base portion19in the radial direction.

(3) In the embodiment described above, the third vertical distance H3is set to be greater than the fourth vertical distance H4. Alternatively, for example, by forming or constructing the base portion19to be easily deformed elastically, the third vertical distances H3may be set to be less than or equal to the fourth vertical distances H4.

(4) In the embodiment described above, the containers W are those for holding a reticle. However, the containers W may be other types of containers such as, for example, FOUPs for holding one or more semiconductor wafers. In addition, the gas supplied to inside the containers W is dry air in the embodiment described above. However, the gas supplied to inside the containers W may be gas (other than dry air) such as inert gas (e.g., nitrogen gas and/or gaseous argon).

(5) Note that any feature and arrangement disclosed in any one of the embodiments describe above may be used in combination with any feature and arrangement disclosed in any other embodiments described above unless such combination gives rise to a contradiction. Regarding any other arrangements and features, the embodiments disclosed in the present description are provided for the purposes of illustration only regarding all aspects. Therefore, it is possible to make various suitable changes without departing from the spirit of the present disclosure.

3. Summary of Embodiments Described Above

A brief summary of the storage rack described above is given next.

A storage rack comprises a plurality of storage portions each configured to store a container.

The container has a supported portion and an intake portion in a bottom surface of the container, the intake portion supplying gas into the container, wherein a center of gravity of the container is located between the supported portion and the intake portion as seen along a vertical direction, wherein provided to each of the plurality of storage portions are a container support in which a support surface is formed for supporting the supported portion of a container from below, a nozzle is configured to come in contact with the intake portion from below to supply gas to into the container through the intake portion, and a restriction member which is configured to come in contact with a side surface of the container when stored on the storage portion to restrict movement of the container along a horizontal direction, and wherein the container is supported only by the support surface and the nozzle.

With such an arrangement, since the nozzle comes in contact with the intake portion of the container stored on a storage portion, gas ejected from the nozzle can be supplied into the container through the intake portion. In addition, movement along the horizontal direction is restricted because the container stored on the storage portion comes in contact with the restriction member.

The container stored on the storage portion is supported only by the support surface and the nozzle of the container support. The center of gravity of the container is located between the supported portion and the intake portion. This causes the intake portion of the container to be pressed against the nozzle by the weight of the container, causing the intake portion to be in sealing contact with the nozzle, which facilitates proper supplying of gas ejected from the nozzle into the container through the intake portion.

It is preferable that the nozzle has a distal end portion configured to come in contact with the intake portion, the distal end portion configured to be elastically deformable.

With such an arrangement, the intake portion of the container is pressed against the nozzle by the weight of the container, which causes the distal end portion of the nozzle to be elastically deformed. This makes it easier for the distal end portion of the nozzle to be deformed into a shape that helps in having sealing contact with the intake portion, which facilitates proper supplying of gas ejected from the nozzle into the container through the intake portion.

In addition, it is preferable that the distal end portion is cylindrical, the nozzle further has a cylindrical base portion located below the distal end portion, and a thickness of the distal end portion in a radial direction is less than a thickness of the base portion in the radial direction.

With such an arrangement, since the thickness of the distal end portion in a radial direction is less than the thickness of the base portion in the radial direction, the distal end portion can be elastically deformed more easily compared with the base portion when the distal end portion and the base portion are formed of or from the same material. In other words, since the distal end portion can be elastically deformed relatively easily, the distal end portion of the nozzle can be easily deformed into a shape that helps in having sealing contact with the intake portion.

In addition, it is preferable that the distal end portion is cylindrical, the nozzle further has a cylindrical base portion located below the distal end portion, and the nozzle is fixed to the container support such that the nozzle projects upward with respect to the support surface, with a support portion being a portion of the support surface which comes in contact with the supported portion of the container when the container is supported by the support surface, a spaced-apart direction being a horizontal direction along which the support portion and the nozzle are spaced apart from each other, a first side being a side on which the nozzle is located with respect to the support portion along the spaced-apart direction and a second side being a side that is opposite from the first side along the spaced-apart direction, a first vertical distance H1being a distance from the support surface to an upper end of the nozzle in a natural state along a vertical direction, a second vertical distance H2being a distance, along a vertical direction, from the support surface to the upper end of the nozzle when supporting the container, a first horizontal distance L1being a distance, along the spaced-apart direction, from the support portion to a first end portion which is an end portion, on the first side, of a contact area of the distal end portion which comes in contact with the container when supporting a container, a second horizontal distance L2being a distance, along the spaced-apart direction, from the support portion to a second end portion which is an end portion of the contact area on the second side, and a third vertical distance H3being a distance, along the vertical direction, from an upper end to a lower end of the distal end portion in a natural state, then the third vertical distances H3is greater than a fourth vertical distance H4expressed by H4=(L2/L1)×H2+(H1−H2).

With such an arrangement, the distal end portion of the nozzle would be vertically compressed and elastically deformed when supporting a container. As a result of the nozzle being elastically deformed, the container would be tilted such that the end portion on the first side is lowered compared to when the nozzle is not elastically deformed. Thus, for the nozzle which supports the container, the first end portion is lowered to a greater extent than the second end portion. The difference in the amount of lowering which is the difference between the amount of lowering of the first end portion of a nozzle and the amount of lowering of the second end portion of the nozzle is obtained by (L2/L1)×H2. In addition, the amount of lowering of the first end portion is given by H1−H2. The amount of lowering of the second end portion of a nozzle in the natural state can be obtained by adding the amount of lowering of the first end portion to the difference in the amount of lowering described above.

The third vertical distance H3which is the distance from the upper end to the lower end of the distal end portion in the natural state is greater than the amount of lowering of the second end portion which is the portion of the nozzle that is lowered to the greatest extent. By so arranging, although the nozzle may be vertically compressed and deformed elastically when supporting a container, the elastic deformation of the nozzle can be absorbed only by its distal end portion so that a container can be supported without changing the shape of the base portion of the nozzle, which makes it easier for the distal end portion of the nozzle to have a sealing contact with the intake portion.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

The technology related to the present disclosure can be used as a storage rack comprising a plurality of storage portions each configured to store a container.