Container for flat panel

• US 5,950,817 A
• Filed: 01/21/1998
• Issued: 09/14/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 01/23/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Zeon Kasei (Changshu) Co. Ltd. (ZEON Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Zeon Kasei (Changshu) Co. Ltd. (ZEON Corporation)
• Inventors: Fujimoto, Kazuo, Iwamoto, Kenji
• Primary Examiner(s): FOSTER, JIMMY G
• Application Number:
  US09/010,514
• Time in Patent Office: 601 Days
• Field of Search: 206/449, 206/453, 206/454, 206/701, 206/707, 206/708, 206/711, 206/723, 206/204
• US Class Current: 206/204
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 25/107 Grooves, ribs, or the like, situated on opposed walls and between which the articles are located
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67363 specially adapted for containing substrates other than wafers H01L21/67356, H01L21/67359 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67369 characterised by shock absorbing elements, e.g. retainers or cushions
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67383 characterised by substrate supports

Abstract

A container 2 for flat panel comprising: a lower end holding resilient member 38 disposed on a bottom end of a lower end bottom groove 32 to which a lower end of the flat panel 34 contained in the container 2 is inserted, and an upper end holding resilient member 50 having a belt shaped portion covering an upper end of the flat panel 34 along the longitudinal direction thereof. The upper end holding resilient member 50 has an U-shaped cross section, a pair of fitting rods extending along the longitudinal direction thereof are attached at both sides of both ends of the longitudinal direction thereof, and each end of each fitting rod 52 is attached removably in an engagement groove 58 of an adapter 56 attached in the container 2. In accordance with the container 2 for flat panel of the present invention, it is possible to take custody of or transport a plural of flat panels such as glass substrates used for flat display devices without destroying them and contaminating the surfaces of them.

Claims

1. A container for holding a flat panel, comprising:

a lower end holding resilient member disposed on a bottom end of a lower end bottom groove to which a lower end of the flat panel contained in the container is inserted;

an upper end holding resilient member having a belt shaped portion, with a U-shaped cross section, covering an upper end of the flat panel along the longitudinal direction thereof; and

an adapter having an engagement groove,

wherein said upper end holding resilient member has a pair of fitting rods extending from both sides of both ends of the longitudinal direction thereof, and each end of each fitting rod is removably mounted in said engagement groove of said adapter.

2. The container for holding a panel as set forth in claim 1, wherein the inside of said container is purged with an inert gas.

3. The container for holding a flat panel as set forth in claim 1, wherein said lower end holding resilient member is a rope-shaped rubber member mounted on an attachment groove at a bottom thereof extending substantially perpendicular to the lower end holding groove of a lower end holding block mounted on the bottom of the container.

4. The container for holding a flat panel as set forth in claim 1, wherein shock absorber members are attached to the both sides of the container and the shock absorber members are provided with guide grooves being in sliding engagement with longitudinal sides of said flat panels.

5. The container for holding a flat panel as set forth in claim 1, wherein a drying agent box is attached removably in the container and the drying agent box is provided with a bore hole having a filter for adjusting the inside pressure of the container.

6. The container for holding a flat panel as set forth in claim 1, wherein the outside of the container is covered by an outer box which is able to be disassembled and be assembled repeatedly.

7. The container for holding a flat panel as set forth in claim 1, wherein said upper end holding resilient member has belt-shaped portions and support portions alternately and continuously arranged along a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of said engagement groove of said adapter.