Patent ID: 8082955

Claim:
A gas supply pipe unit used for a lid opening/closing system, wherein the lid opening/closing system inserts and removes an object to be contained by removing a lid from a storage container to opening an opening of the storage container, the storage container comprising a main body capable of containing therein the object to be contained and having the opening in one surface thereof, and the lid capable of being separated from the main body for closing the opening to form airtight space together with the main body comprises: a mount base on which the storage container is mounted; an opening portion facing the opening; a door capable of holding the lid and capable of closing the opening portion, the door connecting the opening and the opening portion by opening the opening portion while holding the lid, the gas supply pipe unit comprising: a curtain nozzle located outside a first side that is one of sides of the opening portion on the side where the mount base is located with respect to the opening portion and capable of ejecting inert gas toward a second side opposite to the first side; and a cover which projects farther from a wall in which the opening portion is defined relative to the curtain nozzle so as to cover the curtain nozzle, wherein said cover defines a space around a nozzle opening of the curtain nozzle that ejects the inert gas and the cover is open toward a direction of ejection of the inert gas by the curtain nozzle, and wherein the cover further includes a pair of plate members which a located outside of sides of the opening portion other than the first and second sides thereof so that the cover is of a U-shape which defines a space of region of the gas flow ejected from the curtain nozzle in the side opposite to the side where the mount base is located with respect to the opening portion, and the pair of members of the cover are attached to a wall in which the opening portion is defined.