Patent ID: 7871505

Claim:
A sputtering target transport box, comprising: a plate-shaped, disc-shaped sputtering target made of a metal or ceramic material and having first and second opposite planar faces and an outer annular peripheral edge; an inner sputtering target retention frame defining a void of a size matching a size and shape of said disc-shaped sputtering target, said sputtering target being positioned in said void within said retention frame such that said retention frame extends continuously about, directly contacts and supports said outer annular peripheral edge of said sputtering target in a manner preventing movement of said sputtering target relative to said retention frame; a plastic inner box having a planar lower cushion plate and a planar upper cushion plate, said retention frame and said sputtering target being positioned within said inner box sandwiched between said planar lower and upper cushion plates such that movement of said retention frame and sputtering target relative to said inner box is prevented and such that said planar lower and upper cushion plates extend completely across and cover said void and directly contact, cushion and buffer said first and second opposite planar faces of said sputtering target and such that said plate-shaped sputtering target is entirely encapsulated, cushioned, and in direct engagement with said retention frame and planar lower and upper cushion plates; a separate outer box formed of aluminum or wood and having an outer frame, a bottom plate, and a cover providing an inner size that is greater than said inner box, the inner box charged with the sputtering target is insertable in a horizontal position within the outer box for transport and is independently removable from the outer box, said lower cushion plate being firmly held in position on said bottom plate via said inner box and said upper cushion plate being firmly held in position via contact with said cover so that, during transport of the transport box, a damaging force exerted on the transport box is buffered by said lower and upper cushion plates supported by said bottom plate and said cover plate, respectively, and is prevented from being exerted on said first and second opposite faces and said peripheral side edge of said sputtering target contained within the transport box; and stationary supports for mechanical transport extend from the bottom plate of said outer box and wheels for man-powered transport are mounted directly to and integral with said bottom plate adjacent only a rear edge of said bottom plate and not adjacent an opposite front edge of said bottom plate, the height of the supports is greater than the height that each of the wheels extends from the bottom plate of the outer box such that the outer box is supported on said wheels only when the outer box is inclined on a floor face.