Patent Publication Number: US-2006016770-A1

Title: Support device of a cassette

Description:
This application claims the benefit of Taiwan application Serial No. 93122334, filed Jul. 26, 2004, the subject matter of which is incorporated herein by reference.  
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      1. Field of the Invention  
      The invention relates in general to a support device, and more particularly to a support device of a cassette.  
      2. Description of the Related Art  
      A glass substrate is essential to Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) fabrication. As it should be, providing a space for containing the glass substrate is indispensable during production. A conventional cassette is used to retain glass substrates. Referring to  FIGS. 1A and 1B , a front view and a perspective top view of a conventional cassette are shown respectively. A conventional cassette includes a first board  102 , a second board  103 , a left side board  104 , a right side board  105 , and a rear board  106 , thereby defining a space. Several partitioning sticks  110  are respectively disposed on the inner surfaces of the left and right side boards  104  and  105  and partition the space into several substrate retaining areas  150  for retaining glass substrates  160 . Every partitioning stick has a pin-shaped member  120  disposed thereupon. Besides, the top of the pin-shaped member  120  functions as a point support  122 .  
      As shown in  FIG. 1B , the conventional cassette has several point supports  122  to uphold the glass substrate  160 . However, the glass substrate  160  might deform due to the unequal supporting strength of the point supports  122  to the surface of the glass substrate. Besides, the glass substrate  160  might deviate from its right position because of insufficient friction.  
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
      It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a support device of a cassette, which improves the supporting strength distribution on the surface of the glass substrate, and prevents the deformation or damage of the glass substrate due to the unequal supporting strength. Besides, the support device of the invention can steadily receive glass substrates of different sizes.  
      The invention achieves the above-identified object by providing a support device of a cassette, for supporting at least one substrate. The cassette includes a first board, a second board, two side boards, and a rear board, thereby defining a space. The support device includes several spacers, and a first support. The spacers extend from the side boards into the space. The first support is disposed on and connects the spacers.  
      The invention achieves the above-identified object by further providing a cassette, for retaining a substrate. The cassette includes a first board, a second board, two side boards, a rear board, and a first support. The first board and the second board are parallel with each other. The two side boards vertically connect the first board and the second board. The first board, the second board, the two side boards, and the rear board define a space. The spacers extend from the side boards into the space. The first support is disposed on and connecting the spacers.  
      Other objects, features, and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the preferred but non-limiting embodiments. The following description is made with reference to the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       FIG. 1A  (Prior Art) is a front view of a conventional cassette;  
       FIG. 1B  (Prior Art) shows a perspective top view of the conventional cassette of  FIG. 1A ;  
       FIG. 2A  is a front view of a cassette according to a preferred embodiment of the invention; and  
       FIGS. 2B-2C  show perspective top views of the cassette in  FIG. 2A .  
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
      Referring to  FIGS. 2A and 2B , a front view and a perspective top view of a cassette according to a preferred embodiment of the invention are shown respectively. The cassette is used for retaining at least one substrate  260 . The cassette includes a first board  202 , a second board  203 , a left side board  204 , a right side board  205 , a rear board  206 , several left spacers  212  and several right spacers  214 , and several left and right first supports  222  and  224 . The first board  202  and the second board  203  are parallel with each other. Both of the left and right side boards  204  and  205  vertically connect the first board  202  and the second board  203 . The rear board  206 , the first board  202 , the second board  203 , and the two side boards  204  and  205  define a space. The left and right first supports  222  and  224  of the cassette are disposed on and connect the left and right spacers  212  and  214  respectively. The left and right spacers  212  and  214  extend from the left and right side boards  204  and  205  into the space respectively. Within one substrate retaining areas  250 , the left spacers  212  are arranged in parallel, and the right spacers  214  are also arranged in parallel.  
      The left first support  222  connecting the left spacers  212  is perpendicularly disposed thereupon and fixed to at least one of the left spacers  212 . The left first support  222  in  FIG. 2B  is perpendicularly disposed thereupon and fixed to all of the left spacers  212  while the left first support  222  in  FIG. 2C  is perpendicularly disposed thereupon and fixed to part of the left spacers  212 . Similarly, the right first support  224  connecting the right spacers  214  is perpendicularly disposed thereupon and fixed to at least one of the right spacers. The right first support  224  in  FIG. 2B  is perpendicularly disposed thereupon and fixed to all of the right spacers  214  while the right first support  224  in  FIG. 2C  is perpendicularly disposed thereupon and fixed to part of the left spacers  214 . The ways of fixing the support onto the spacers can be wedging, mortising, screwing, clipping, hooking, nailing or other designs of fastening. In this preferred embodiment of the invention, the left and the right first supports  222  and  224  of the cassette are directly disposed on the spacers, so as to provide as many substrate retaining areas as the conventional cassette does.  
      Moreover, the cassette further includes a second support  226  extending from the rear board  206  and is preferably arranged in parallel with the left and the right first supports  222  and  224 , as shown in  FIGS. 2B and 2C . The left first support  222 , the right first support  224 , and the second support  226  can be strip-shaped and respectively have a first top surface  222   a , a second top surface  224   a , and a third top surface  226   a . The top surfaces  222   a ,  224   a  and  226   a  are made of materials with high friction coefficients and define a level surface so as to firmly uphold the substrate  260 . In particular, when a substrate  260  is retained in the substrate retaining area, the first and the second top surfaces  222   a  and  224   a  contact the two sides of the substrate  260  and the third top surface  226   a  contacts the middle of the substrate  260  so as to uphold the substrate  260 . The left first support  222 , the right first support  224 , and the second support  226  function as surface supports, therefore, the support device according to the preferred embodiment of the invention improves the supporting strength distribution on the surface of the glass substrate, thus preventing the deformation or damage of glass substrate due to the unequal supporting strength. Besides, the cassette according to the invention provides surface support to steadily receive glass substrates of different sizes. The support device is detachable so that the distances among these supports can be adjusted in accordance with the sizes of the substrates. The glass substrates with different sizes can be upheld by the first and the second supports, or simply upheld by several second supports. Further, the cassette according to the invention provides as many substrate retaining areas as the conventional cassette does.  
      While the invention has been described by way of example and in terms of a preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited thereto. On the contrary, it is intended to cover various modifications and similar arrangements and procedures, and the scope of the appended claims therefore should be accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and similar arrangements and procedures.