Patent ID: 12237190

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

To facilitate understanding of the objects, characteristics and effects of this present disclosure, an embodiment together with the attached drawings for the detailed description of the present disclosure are provided. It is noted the present disclosure can be implemented or applied in other embodiments, and many changes and modifications in the described embodiment can be carried out without departing from the spirit of the disclosure, and it is also understood that the preferred embodiment is only illustrative and not intended to limit the present disclosure in any way.

As shown inFIGS.1and2, a supporting shelf module100according to a preferred embodiment of the present disclosure includes a plurality of supporting plates1and at least one pair of connectors2.

The supporting plates1are parallelly arranged in a height direction h. Each of the supporting plates1can support a wafer (not shown) or other flat sheet-shaped object. The number of the supporting plates1included in one supporting shelf module100is not particularly limited. In the illustrated preferred embodiment, every supporting shelf module100includes six supporting plates1. However, in other embodiments, the number of the supporting plates1included in one supporting shelf module100can be different from the illustrated embodiment. Each of the supporting plates1has a rib11provided on each of two opposite ends thereof. The rib11is raised from an upper surface of the supporting plate1, and the wafer is supported on the ribs11with minimal contact surfaces between the wafer and the supporting plate1. The supporting plate1can be made of a plastic material and is preferably formed through a plastic injection molding process, because the plastic supporting plates1have the advantages of quick manufacturing speed, low manufacturing cost and low weight, and is more suitable for use with a large-scale wafer container.

The at least one pair of connectors2is located at two opposite ends of the supporting plates1in the height direction h. The connectors2are made of a metal material. The conductors2included in one pair are located correspondingly in two horizontal planes that are perpendicular to the height direction h. That is, the connectors2included in one pair are vertically located corresponding to each other. In the illustrated preferred embodiment, the supporting shelf module100includes two pairs of connectors2. However, in other embodiments, there can be only one pair or more pairs of the connectors2. The connectors2in one pair include a male connector21and a female connector22, which are corresponding in shape. In other words, the male connector21of one supporting shelf module100can be telescoped into the female connector22of another supporting shelf module100. By stacking a plurality of supporting shelf modules100in the height direction h, as shown inFIG.3, supporting shelves of different heights can be formed to adapt to differently sized wafer containers. In other words, the supporting shelf module100includes a plurality of supporting plates11, which are assembled together to form a module that can be manufactured at reduced cost because it is not necessary to make a specific supporting shelf mold for each of the differently sized wafer containers. In this way, the supporting shelf module100becomes a general part providing increased degrees of freedom in use. And, the metal connectors2can be produced with a reduced manufacturing tolerance, a reduced assembling tolerance and upgraded manufacturing precision, because a metal product usually has a tolerance largely smaller than that of a plastic injection molded product. It is understood the present disclosure is not limited to the above embodiment. In other embodiments, only one supporting shelf module100can be used alone without assembling it to other supporting shelf modules100while the low manufacturing tolerance and upgraded manufacturing precision can still be achieved through the use of the metal connectors2.

In the illustrated preferred embodiment, the supporting shelf module100further includes an embedded metal part23that extends through the plurality of supporting plates1. The connectors2in one pair or the male connector21and the female connector22in pair are actually two ends of the embedded metal part23. In other words, the metal connectors2can be separately located at two vertically opposite ends of the supporting plates1, or can be separately embedded in an upper and a lower end of the embedded metal part23of the supporting plates1.

As shown inFIGS.1and2, the supporting shelf module100in the illustrated preferred embodiment further includes at least one metal post3. The embedded metal part23is a hollow member and the metal post3is extended through the embedded metal part23. The metal post3can be used to serially connect a plurality of supporting shelf modules100to one another with upper and lower ends of the metal post3fixedly connected to a container body4, as shown inFIG.3. In the illustrated preferred embodiment, the metal post3is a round post. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and the metal post3can be otherwise a polygonal post.

As shown inFIGS.3to7, the present disclosure also provides a wafer container200, which includes a container body4, at least two sets of the supporting shelf modules100, at least two top retainer brackets5, and at least two bottom retaining grooves6.

In the container body4, at least two sets of the supporting shelf modules100are mounted to two opposite sides of the container body4. More specifically, the two sets of supporting shelf modules100are separately mounted adjacent to two opposite side panels44of the container body4, such that two lateral ends of the supporting plates1included in each set of the supporting shelf module100are well supported. One or more sets of the supporting shelf modules100can be mounted adjacent to each of the two side panels44of the container body4. In the case of having multiple sets of the supporting shelf modules100mounted adjacent to each side panel44, the supporting shelf modules100are stacked in the height direction h.

The at least two top retaining brackets5are separately provided on an inward side of a top panel41of the container body4. InFIG.5, there is shown one set of two top retaining brackets5provided in the container body4adjacent to one side thereof. There is another set of the top retaining brackets5provided in the container body4at an opposite side but is not shown in the drawing. As shown inFIGS.5and6, these top retaining brackets5respectively have a sideward opening51. Upper ends of the supporting shelf module100can be moved in an engaging direction d to engage with the set of top retaining brackets5. In the illustrated preferred embodiment, the engaging direction d is perpendicular to the height direction h and is directed from an opening of the container body4toward an interior of the container body4. However, it is understood the present disclosure is not necessarily limited thereto. Parts of the supporting shelf module100for engaging with the top retaining brackets5can be the male connectors21, the female connectors22, a partial plastic material that is upward extended from a main body of the supporting plate1and covers the connectors2, or the metal posts3without particular limitation.

The at least two bottom retaining grooves6are separately provided on an inward side of a bottom panel42of the container body4. InFIG.7, there is shown one set of the bottom retaining grooves6provided in the container body4adjacent to one side thereof. There is another set of the bottom retaining grooves6provided in the container body4at an opposite side but is not shown in the drawing. As shown inFIG.7, lower ends of the supporting shelf module100can be moved in the engaging direction d to engage with the set of bottom retaining grooves6. In the illustrated preferred embodiment, the bottom retaining grooves6respectively have a width that gradually reduces in the engaging direction d to enable positional limiting of the lower ends of the supporting shelf module100. After being engaged with the bottom retaining grooves6, the lower ends of the supporting shelf module100can be further located in place using, for example, screws. Parts of the supporting shelf module100for engaging with the bottom retaining grooves6can be the male connectors21, the female connectors22, a partial plastic material that is downward extended from the main body of the supporting plate1and covers the connectors2, or the metal posts3without particular limitation.

In the illustrated preferred embodiment, as shown inFIG.6, the top retaining brackets5respectively include two elastically outward extended wing portions52, which together define the sideward opening51between them. The sideward opening51is slightly smaller than a width of one upper end of the supporting shelf module100. When the supporting shelf module100is moved in the engaging direction d for its upper ends to approach the sideward openings51, the upper ends of the supporting shelf module100would first contact with and push the wing portions of the top retaining brackets5slightly apart elastically. The wing portions52automatically elastically return to their original positions when the upper ends of the supporting shelf module100are engaged with the top retaining brackets5.

The top retaining brackets5further respectively include a secondary retaining lock53for correspondingly receiving the upper ends of the supporting shelf module100therein and accordingly, ensuring even secured mounting of the supporting shelf module100to the container body4.

In the illustrated preferred embodiment, as shown inFIG.4, the wafer container200further includes a central supporting shelf7, which is located between the supporting shelf modules100mounted to two opposite sides of the container body4, for supporting a plurality of wafers at their middle areas to protect the wafers from warping.

In the illustrated preferred embodiment, as shown inFIG.8, the wafer container200further includes four sets of door latching devices8, which are provided on a front door43of the container body4. Each set of the door latching device8includes a cam81and two latches82. The two latches82are located perpendicular to each other to the cam81. Every latch82has an end connected to the cam81and another end interfered with the top panel41, the bottom panel42or one of the two side panel44of the container body4.

More specifically, as shown inFIGS.9A and10A, every latch82has a distal end facing toward the top panel41, the bottom panel42or the side wall44that is located adjacent to the front door43and a proximal end slidably connected to a slide groove812formed on the cam81. When the cam81is driven to rotate by an externally applied force, the proximal end of the latch82slides in along the slide groove812. It is noted a distance of the slide groove812relative to a center of the cam81varies gradually, and therefore, the latch82retracts or extends relative to the rotating cam81to interfere with panel that is located adjacent to the front panel43. Every door latching device8can simultaneously interfere with two panels located adjacent to the front door43. When the front door43is provided with four door latching devices8, all four sides of the front door43can be firmly locked to or unlocked from the top panel41, the bottom panel42and the side panels44.

In the illustrated preferred embodiment, the cam81has at least one protruded section811. When the cam81rotates, for example, from a position shown inFIGS.9A and9Bto another position shown inFIGS.10A and10B, the protruded section811lifts and presses against the proximal end of the latch82that is connected to the cam81. Meanwhile, there is a fulcrum T provided between the front door43and a middle portion of the latch82. The fulcrum T together with the protruded section811brings the distal end of the latch82that faces toward the panel (which is the side panel44inFIGS.9A,9B,10A and10B) that is located adjacent to the front door43to shift in an opposite direction, as indicated by the right arrow inFIG.10B. Since a total weight of the front door43and all the door latching devices8is smaller than that of all other parts of the container body4, the distal end of the latch82that shifts to push and press against the side panel44will physically pulls the front door43backward to the container body4. Further, in the illustrated preferred embodiment, since the engaging direction d is directed from the opening of the container body4to the interior thereof, the backward pulled front door43is actually moved in the engaging direction d to be tightly closed to other parts of the container body4. In other words, when the latch82interferes with the panel located adjacent to the front door43and moves into a locked position, the provision of the protruded sections811enables the front door43to be more tightly closed onto the opening of the container body4, so that external moisture or duct is prevented from invading into the container body4.

While the present disclosure has been described by means of a specific embodiment, numerous modifications and variations could be made thereto by persons skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the present disclosure set forth in the claims.