ADJUSTABLE CASSETTE FOR ACCOMMODATING SUBSTRATES AND METHOD FOR ADJUSTING SAME

• US 20040134831A1
• Filed: 11/12/2003
• Published: 07/15/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 11/13/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Huang, Chun-Kai, Chang, Ming-Hui
• Granted Patent: US 7,163,110 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 206/711
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/6734 specially adapted for supporting large square shaped substrates containers and packaging elements for glass sheets B65D85/48, transporting of glass products during their manufacture C03B35/00

Abstract

An adjustable cassette (1) for accommodating substrates includes a frame (10), a pair of supporting plate (20) with a plurality of retaining members (208) facing each other, and an adjusting means for joining of the supporting plates to the frames and thereby forming the cassette. At least one supporting plate can slide away from or close to another supporting plate and be fixed by means of the adjusting means.

Claims

1. An adjustable cassette for accommodating substrates, comprising:

a frame having two guiding slots in each of two opposite sides thereof respectively;

a pair of supporting plates with a plurality of retaining ribs facing each other, at least one of the supporting plates defining two threaded holes in each of opposite end portions thereof corresponding to the guiding slots respectively; and

a plurality of screw bolts passed through the guiding slots and engaged in corresponding threaded holes, wherein at least one supporting plate can move away from or close to another supporting plate by the screw bolts moving along the guiding slots and be fixed by means of the screws bolts.

2. The adjustable cassette as described in claim 1, wherein each screw bolt comprises a head and a main body, a diameter of the head of the screw bolt is larger than a width of the guiding slot, and a diameter of the main body of the screw bolt is slightly less than the width of the guiding slot.

3. The adjustable cassette as described in claim 1, wherein the frame further defines at least one positioning slot having a plurality of pairs of keyways at opposite sides thereof respectively.

4. The adjustable cassette as described in claim 3, wherein the pairs of keyways are spaced apart from one another at predetermined distances.

5. The adjustable cassette as described in claim 3, wherein said at least one of the supporting plates defines at least one through hole in an end portion thereof corresponding to said positioning slot.

6. The adjustable cassette as described in claim 5, wherein a lateral displacement between said through hole and a corresponding threaded hole is the same as a distance between said positioning slot and a corresponding guiding slot.

7. The adjustable cassette as described in claim 6, wherein further comprising at least one positioning pin received in said through hole and said positioning slot.

8. The adjustable cassette as described in claim 7, further comprising at least one coil spring, and wherein said positioning pin comprises a head at one end, a main body defining a stopper hole in an end thereof distal from the head, and a stopper received in the stopper hole, and said coil spring is engaged around the main body of said positioning pin.

9. The adjustable cassette as described in claim 8, wherein a diameter of the head is greater than a diameter of said through hole, and a diameter of the main body is slightly less than the diameter of said through hole.

10. The adjustable cassette as described in claim 9, wherein the main body of said positioning pin passes through said through hole and said positioning slot, and said stopper is engaged in the stopper hole.

11. An adjustable cassette for accommodating substrates, comprising:

a frame comprising two positioning slots at each of two opposite sides thereof, the positioning slots having a plurality of pairs of keyways;

a pair of supporting plates having a plurality of retaining ribs facing each other, at least one of the supporting plates defining two through holes in each of opposite end portions thereof corresponding to the positioning slots respectively; and

a plurality of positioning pins located in the through holes and the positioning slots,

wherein at least one supporting plate can move away from or close to another supporting plate by the positioning pins moving along the positioning slots and be fixed by means of the positioning pins.

12. The adjustable cassette as described in claim 11, wherein the pairs of keyways are spaced apart from one another at predetermined distances.

13. The adjustable cassette as described in claim 12, further comprising a plurality of a coil springs, and wherein each of the positioning pins comprises a head at one end, a main body defining a stopper hole in an end thereof distal from the head, and a stopper received in the stopper hole, and each of the coil springs is engaged around the main body of a corresponding positioning pin.

14. The adjustable cassette as described in claim 13, wherein the main bodies of the positioning pins pass through corresponding through holes and corresponding positioning slots, and the stoppers are engaged in the stopper holes.

15. A method for adjusting an adjustable cassette to fit a substrate therein, comprising the steps of:

providing the cassette comprising upper and lower supports, supporting plates, guiding slots and screw bolts;

unscrewing the screw bolts slightly so that they are slidable along guiding slots;

sliding one supporting plate along the upper and lower supports until a distance between the supporting plates corresponds to a size of the substrate; and

tightening the screw bolts.

16. The method for adjusting an adjustable cassette as described in claim 15, further comprising the step of pressing heads of the positioning pins so that stoppers of the positioning pins are disengaged from keyways of the upper and lower supports.

17. The method for adjusting an adjustable cassette as described in claim 16, further comprising the step of re-leasing pressure on the heads so that coil springs around the positioning pins decompress and drive the stoppers to engage in appropriate selected keyways.

18. A method for adjusting an adjustable cassette to fit a substrate therein, comprising the steps of:

providing the cassette comprising upper and lower supports defining keyways, supporting plates, and positioning pins having coil springs therearound;

pressing heads of the positioning pins so that stoppers of the positioning pins are disengaged from corresponding keyways;

sliding one of the supporting plates along the upper and lower supports until a distance between the supporting plates corresponds to a size of the substrate; and

releasing pressure on the heads so that the coil springs decompress and drive the stoppers to engage in appropriate selected keyways.

19. The method for adjusting an adjustable cassette as described in claim 18, further comprising the step of slightly unscrewing screw bolts of said one of the supporting plates so that the screw bolts are slidable along guiding slots of the upper and lower supports.

20. The method for adjusting an adjustable cassette as described in claim 19, further comprising the step of tightening the screw bolts.

21. An adjustable cassette for accommodating substrates, comprising:

a frame;

a pair of supporting plates with a plurality of retaining members facing each other; and

an adjusting means for joining of the supporting plates to the frames and thereby forming the cassette,

wherein at least one supporting plate can slide away from or close to another supporting plate and be fixed by means of the adjusting means.

22. The adjustable cassette as described in claim 21, wherein the adjusting means comprises two guiding slots defined in each of two opposite sides of the frame, two threaded holes defined in each of opposite end portions thereof corresponding to guiding slots respectively, and a plurality of screw bolts passed through the guiding slots and engaged in corresponding threaded holes.

23. The adjustable cassette as described in claim 21, wherein the adjusting means comprises two positioning slots defined at each of two opposite sides of the frame, two through holes in each of opposite end portions thereof corresponding to the positioning slots respectively, and a plurality of positioning pins located in the through holes and positioning slots.

24. The adjustable cassette as described in claim 21, wherein said adjustable means is moveable relative to both the frame and the supporting plate in a first direction, and said supporting plate is moveable relative to the frame in a second direction perpendicular to said first direction, and said supporting plate is moveable relative to the other support plate in a third direction perpendicular to both said first and second directions.