Patent Publication Number: US-2010126904-A1

Title: Thin-plate container

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present field of the invention is related to a thin-plate container, and more particularly, to a thin-plate container with high air tightness ability. 
     2. Description of the Prior Art 
     Currently in semiconductor fabrication plants, most storage devices of wafer and photomask use a standardized mechanical interface (SMIF) proposed by Hewlett-Packard Co., which has been disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,532,970 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,534,389. The purpose of SMIF system is to ensure that during the transporting and storing process, gas surrounding wafer and reticle is basically static in relation to the wafer and reticle, and that particles in the ambient environment will not enter the space surrounding the wafer and reticle. 
     Therefore a transport container used in SMIF system needs to be equipped with high air tightness ability to prevent gas or particles of the exterior environment from entering the transport container. Referring to  FIG. 1A  and  FIG. 1B , which are views of container body and container door of transport container of the prior art achieving status of air tightness. The transport container includes a container body  10  and a container door  20  with an outer surface  21  and an inner surface  22 , the inner surface  22  of the container door  20  being used for closing an opening  14  of the container body  10 . And in the interior of container door  20 , i.e. between the outer surface  21  and the inner surface  22 , is disposed with a latch component that includes a cam  200  and a pair of moving bars  300  (only one moving bar is shown in the Figure), one end of the moving bars  300  being disposed with a roller  301  that is able to roll on top of the cam  200 . Therefore, when a latch hole  21 H of the outer surface  21  of the container door  20  is used to roll the cam  200 , the cam  200  will drive the moving bars  300  to extend horizontally out of the container door  20  (as shown in  FIG. 1A ). And with the rolling of the cam  200  continues, the roller  301  of the moving bars  300  rolls onto a platform  201  on the cam  200  and causes the moving bars  300  to deviate in the direction perpendicular to its original direction of movement and further presses the lower rim  10 L of the hole on container body  10 . Finally, the whole container door  20  is raised up toward the interior of the container body  10  for some distance, and a seal element  26  on the container door  20  is caused to contact a protruding body  17  on the container body to achieve air tightness ( FIG. 1B ). 
     Although air tightness can be achieved in the aforementioned transport container, yet the force raising up the container door  20  toward the interior of the container body  10  is not enough, which easily causes gap to exist between the protruding body  17  and the seal element  26 ; moreover, the structure of latch component is relatively more complex and it is easier for dust particles to be generated when the roller  301  is used to roll on the cam  200 , which poses an apparent threat to object in the interior of the container. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In view of the aforementioned problems of the prior art that the effect of air tightness of transport container is not good enough and that the application of roller easily causes dust particles, one objective of the present invention is to provide a transport container with good air tightness effect, wherein the force for raising up the container door and the distance raised are both sufficient for achieving good air tightness effect between the container body and the container door. 
     Another objective of the present invention is to provide a transport container with good air tightness effect, wherein the design of roller is not applied in the latch component of the transport container of the present invention to reduce dust particles generated when the roller rolls on the platform of cam each time the container door is opened or closed. 
     Still another objective of the present invention is to provide a transport container with good air tightness effect, in which a latch component with simple design is applied, wherein the moving bars are only made to extend horizontally out of the container door and do not need to move in two different directions. 
     According to above objectives, the present invention discloses a thin-plate sealed container, comprising: a container body with a top surface and four side surfaces neighboring to the top surface, the top surface and the side surfaces forming an interior area and an opening, wherein in the interior area, two opposite side surfaces among the four side surfaces are respectively pivotally connected to a swing hook; a container door with an inner surface for closing the opening of the container body; a plurality of supporting pillars disposed on the inner surface of the container door for supporting a thin plate; a seal element disposed around the four edges of the inner surface of the container door; and a latch component disposed in the container door that drives a pair of moving bars to move in a to-and-fro direction between a first position and a second position by using a cam when the inner surface of the container door closes the opening of the container body, wherein in the first position, the moving bars are contained in the container door, and in the second position, the moving bars extend beyond the container door and are in contact with the pair of swing hooks of the container body for making the container door to move in a sealing direction by using the swing hooks to achieve a sealed status between the container door and the container body with the seal element. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The foregoing aspects and many of the attendant advantages of this invention will become more readily appreciated as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description, when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein: 
         FIG. 1A  and  FIG. 1B  are views of container body and container door of transport container of the prior art achieving status of air tightness; 
         FIG. 2  is a view of thin-plate container of the present invention; 
         FIG. 3  is a view of interior area of container body of the container of the present invention; 
         FIG. 4  is a view of swing hook of the container of the present invention; 
         FIG. 5A  is a view of container door of the container of the present invention when being unfastened; 
         FIG. 5B  is a view of container door of the container of the present invention when being fastened; 
         FIG. 6  is a view of side surface of container door of the container of the present invention; 
         FIG. 7  is a view of container door of the container of the present invention being raised up by the swing hook; 
         FIG. 8A  and  FIG. 8B  are views of button hook of swing hook before and after hooking and raising the container door; 
         FIG. 9  is a view of container door of the container of the present invention placed with thin plate; and 
         FIG. 10  is a view of container door of the container of the present invention without thin plate placed. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     In order to disclose the skills applied in, the objectives of, and the effects achieved by the present invention in a more complete and clearer manner, preferred embodiments are herein described below in detail with related drawings disclosed for reference. 
     First, referring to  FIG. 2 , which is a view of thin-plate container of the present invention. The thin-plate container includes a container body  10  and a container door  20 , the container body  10  having a top surface  11  and four side surfaces  12  neighboring to the top surface  11 , the aforementioned top surface  11  and the four side surfaces  12  forming an interior area (not shown in Figure) and an opening  14 ; the container door  20  having an outer surface  21  and an inner surface  22 , wherein the inner surface  22  is used for closing the opening  14  of the container body  10  and is respectively disposed with a supporting pillar  30  in each of its four corners for supporting a thin plate  100 , the thin plate  100  being a reticle or a semiconductor substrate, and the outer surface  21  of the container door  20  is disposed with a latch hole (not shown in Figure) for fastening or unfastening the container door  10  and the container body  20  with the rotation of this latch hole. 
     Then, referring to  FIG. 3 , which is a view of the interior area  13  of the container body  10  of the aforementioned container. As can be observed in the Figure, four pivot levers  15  (only two pivot levers are shown in the Figure) are disposed near the opening  14  in the interior area  13  of the container body  10 , wherein two pivot levers  15  are disposed on one side surface  12  among four side surfaces  12 , and the rest two pivot levers  15  are disposed on the side surface  12  opposite to the aforementioned side surface  12 . Each of the aforementioned pivot levers  15  is pivotally connected to a swing hook  16 , as shown in  FIG. 4 , and each swing hook  16  includes a pivot hole  161 , a top body  162  extends on top of the pivot hole  161 , and at least a button hook  163  extends below and outside the pivot hole  161 ; the swing hook  16  is pivotally connected to the pivot lever  15  of the container body  10  with its pivot hole  161 , and the swing hook  16  and the side surface  12  are kept in parallel with a swing device S. 
     And as shown in  FIG. 5A  and  FIG. 5B , which are views of the container door  20  of the aforementioned container when being unfastened and fastened; in  FIG. 5A  and  FIG. 5B , the inner surface  22  of the container door  20  is already removed. As described above, the container door  20  of the container of the present invention includes outer surface  21  and inner surface  22 , wherein in the container door  20  (i.e. between the outer surface  21  and the inner surface  22 ) is disposed with a latch component  40  that includes a cam  41  and a pair of moving bars  42 , the cam  41  having a hole (not shown in Figure) for connecting to the latch hole on the outer surface  21 . In addition, the cam  41  is disposed with a pair of first guide structures, which is protruding portion  411  or protruding structure extending outward from the center point of the cam  41 ; and on the end of each moving bar  42  near the cam  41  is disposed with a second guide structure, the structure and shape of which coincide with those of the first guide structures, for example, the second guide structure is designed as curved notch  421  that coincide with the protruding portion  411 , and on the other end of each moving bar  42  far from the cam  41  are formed with two latch arms  422 , the positions of which are opposite to the swing hooks  16  in the interior area  13  of the container body  10 . And since the shape of the first guide structure and that of the second guide structure coincide with each other, the aforementioned first guide structure and the second guide structure can be driven into the status of engagement or disengagement by rotating the cam  41 . In the status of engagement (shown in  FIG. 5A ), the first guide structures on the cam  41  coincide with the second guide structures on the moving bars  42 , and meantime, the latch arms  422  of moving bars  42  are contained in the container door  20 ; in the status of disengagement (shown in  FIG. 5B ), the first guide structures of the cam  41  escape from the second guide structures on the moving bars  42  and push the latch arms  422  of the moving bars  42  outward for the latch arms  422  of the moving bars  42  to extend out of the container door  20  to contact swing hooks  16 . Apparently, the main function of the latch component  40  is to make the moving bars  42  and its latch arms  422  to move in a to-and-fro direction between the aforementioned two positions either for the moving bars  42  to extend out of the container door  20  to fasten the container body  10  or for the moving bars  42  to retract into the container door  20  to unfasten the container body  10 . And the material of the aforementioned cam  41  or moving bars  42  of the latch component  40  can be metal or polymer plastic or other materials, which is not limited in the present invention. And the structure of latch component  40  is not limited to that as described above either. 
     Moreover, as shown in  FIG. 6 , there are four side surfaces  23  neighboring to the inner surface  22  of the container door  20 , and each of the two opposite side surfaces  23  among the four side surfaces  23  respectively includes two windows  24 , wherein each window  24  includes a small window  241  of upper portion and a large window  242  of lower portion. The small window  241  of upper portion allows the latch arm  422  of the moving bars  42  in the container door  20  to extend out of it to contact top body  162  of the swing hook  16 , and the large window  242  of lower portion allows the button hook  163  of the swing hook  16  to pass through it to hook the overlapping part  243  between the small window  241  and the large window  242 . As shown in  FIG. 7  (only structures such as the pivot lever  15  and swing hook  16  in the container body  10  and the container door  20  are left in this Figure), after the latch arm  422  of the moving bar  42  extend out of the container door  20 , the latch arm  422  contacts or presses the top body  162  of the swing hook  16  to make the swing hook  16  rotate with the pivot hole  161  or pivot lever  15  as center from being parallel to the side surface  12  to being perpendicular to the side surface  12 ; meantime, the button hook  163  of swing hook  16  hooks the overlapping part  243  between the small window  241  and the large window  242  and allows the container door  20  to be raised up a distance. 
     Then, referring to  FIG. 8A  and  FIG. 8B , which are views of the button hook  163  of the swing hook  16  before and after hooking and raising the container door  20 . As can be observed from the Figure, around the four edges of the inner surface  22  of the container door  20  is disposed a groove  25 , in which is a seal element  26 , and on the container body  10  opposite to the position of the seal element  26  includes a protruding body  17 . Therefore, when the latch arms  422  of the moving bars  42  in the container door  20  extend out of the container door  20  and contact the top body  162 , the button hooks  163  of the swing hooks  16  raise up the container door  20  and cause close contact between the protruding body  17  and the seal element  26  and air tightness between the container body  10  and the container door  20 . And the aforementioned up-raising direction or sealing direction and the to-and-fro direction of the latch arms  422  of the moving bars  42  are in a right angle. And the aforementioned seal element  26  used can be a rubber band or a seal ring, the material of which can be rubber or polymer plastic or other materials. In addition, to reduce the contact area between the latch arms  422  and the top body  162  and to reduce the dust particles generated, the free end of each latch arm  422  can include a roller  423  and the surface of roller  423  is coated with a wear-resistant material, polyetheretherketone, PEEK, for example. 
     Then, referring to  FIG. 9 , which is a view of container door of the container of the present invention placed with thin plate. And  FIG. 10  is a view of the aforementioned container door with the thin plate removed and a plurality of supporting pillars retained. As shown in the figures, the four supporting pillars  30  are located in the four corners of the inner surface  22  of the container door  20 , wherein each supporting pillar  30  includes a base  31  with the bottom end of it fixed on the inner surface  22  of the container door  20  and the other end of it forming a top surface  311 , a protruding point  312  being disposed on the top surface  311  for supporting the thin plate  100 . And on the edge of the top surface  311  is disposed with at least a protruding block  313  extending upward to prevent the thin plate  100  from sliding off the supporting pillars  30 . And under normal situation in which thin plate  100  is placed in the container, the aforementioned thin plate  100  is only supported on top of the protruding point  312  without contacting the protruding block  313 ; the supporting pillars  30  can be used together with locating piece (not shown in Figure) in the interior area  13  of the container body  10  for fixing the thin plate  100  between the locating piece and the supporting pillars  30 . And when the container of the present invention is under an impact force, for example, when the container drops down from the working platform, the protruding block  313  can exert its function by blocking or preventing the thin plate  100  from sliding off the supporting pillars  30 . 
     While the invention has been described by way of examples and in terms of the preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments. To the contrary, it is intended to cover various modifications and similar arrangements as would be apparent to those skilled in the art. Therefore, the scope of the appended claims should be accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and similar arrangements.