Title: Container with an adjustable inside dimension that restricts movement of items within the container
Abstract: A container for packaging items such as semiconductor wafers has a restraining portion with a changeable dimension at an open end that facilitates using conventional loading techniques while also more securely containing the items to avoid undesirable movement of the items in the container. In one example embodiment, the restraining portion includes a sidewall portion that has a first, nominal inside dimension at one end. A second end of the sidewall portion has a second, greater inside dimension at an open end. Another member of the container cooperates with the sidewall portion to change the inside dimension at the open end from the second, greater dimension to the first, nominal dimension. The nominal dimension is selected to correspond to an exterior dimension of the items to be contained within the package so that the container maintains the items in a secure alignment that eliminates lateral movement of the items once the container is secured.
Patent Number: 6,988,620 Issued on 01/24/2006 to Haggard, et al.
| Inventors:
|
Haggard; Clifton C. (Austin, TX);
Thomas; James R. (Austin, TX);
Chen; Song Ping (ShenZhen, CN);
Liu; Ru Zheng (ShenZhen, CN)
|
| Assignee:
|
e.PAK International, Inc. (Austin, TX)
|
| Appl. No.:
|
386385 |
| Filed:
|
March 11, 2003 |
| Current U.S. Class: |
206/710 |
| Current Intern'l Class: |
B65D 85/00 (20060101) |
| Field of Search: |
206/303,701,706,710,711,714,715,722,723,724,725
|
References Cited [Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
| 4858764 | Aug., 1989 | Domokos.
| |
| 5240753 | Aug., 1993 | Tabuchi et al.
| |
| 5351836 | Oct., 1994 | Mori et al.
| |
| 5402890 | Apr., 1995 | Yajima et al.
| |
| 5476176 | Dec., 1995 | Gregerson et al.
| |
| 5533711 | Jul., 1996 | Pickrell.
| |
| 5836454 | Nov., 1998 | Evers.
| |
| 5909812 | Jun., 1999 | Thibaudeau.
| |
| 5988393 | Nov., 1999 | Hsia et al.
| |
| 6056123 | May., 2000 | Niemirowski et al.
| |
| 6193068 | Feb., 2001 | Lewis et al.
| |
| 6234316 | May., 2001 | Hsieh et al.
| |
| 6247597 | Jun., 2001 | Sato.
| |
| 6286684 | Sep., 2001 | Brooks et al.
| |
| 6491177 | Dec., 2002 | Hyobu.
| |
| 6564946 | May., 2003 | Lewis et al.
| |
| Foreign Patent Documents |
| 2819794 | Jul., 2002 | FR.
| |
Primary Examiner: Fernstrom; Kurt
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Carlson, Gaskey & Olds
Parent Case Text
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/408,850,
which was filed on Sep. 6, 2002.
Claims
We claim:
1. A container for handling items such as wafers, comprising:
a first member having an endwall and a sidewall portion extending from the endwall,
the sidewall portion having a nominal inside dimension adjacent the endwall and
a greater inside dimension at a second end distal from the endwall when the container
is in a first condition; and
a second member that cooperates with the sidewall portion to establish the nominal
dimension at the second end when the container is in a second condition, wherein
the second member comprises a band member that is received about an exterior of
the first member sidewall portion, to move the distal end of the sidewall portion
inward.
2. The container of claim 1, wherein the sidewall portion is at least partially
moveable such that at least the distal end is moveable between a first position
corresponding to the greater inside dimension at the distal end and a second position
corresponding to the nominal dimension at the distal end.
3. The container of claim 2, wherein the sidewall portion comprises a plurality
of extensions with a hinged portion associated with each extension, at least a
portion of each extension moving about the hinged portion between the first and
second positions.
4. The container of claim 3, wherein the hinged portion is adjacent the endwall.
5. The container of claim 3, wherein the extensions are arranged in a generally
circular pattern.
6. A container for handling items such as wafers, comprising:
a first member having an endwall and a sidewall portion extending from the endwall,
the sidewall portion having a nominal inside dimension adjacent the endwall and
a greater inside dimension at a second end distal from the endwall when the container
is in a first condition; and
a second member that cooperates with the sidewall portion to establish the nominal
dimension at the second end when the container is in a second condition, wherein
the first member sidewall portion has an inside surface that is at an oblique angle
relative to the endwall and the second member has an outside surface that is received
at least partially against the obliquely angled surface, the second member having
an inside dimension corresponding to the nominal inside dimension of the sidewall
portion.
7. The container of claim 6, wherein the second member outside surface is at
the same oblique angle relative to the first member endwall when the second member
is received by the first member sidewall portion.
8. The container of claim 6, wherein the sidewall portion is at least partially
continuous and circular.
9. A container, comprising;
a first endwall;
a restraining portion having one end near the first endwall, the restraining
portion establishing a first inside dimension near the first endwall and having
a second, larger inside dimension near a second end of the restraining portion
that is spaced from the first endwall when the container is in a first condition;
a reducing portion that cooperates with the restraining portion to reduce the
inside dimension near the second end from the second dimension to the first dimension;
and
a second endwall near the second end of the restraining portion.
10. The container of claim 9, wherein the restraining portion is at least partially
moveable such that the second end has the second inside dimension in a first position
and the first inside dimension in a second position.
11. The container of claim 9, wherein the restraining portion and the first endwall
are integrally formed from a single piece of plastic.
12. The container of claim 11, wherein the reducing portion and the second endwall
are integrally formed from a single piece of plastic.
13. The container of claim 9, including locking members extending away from the
first endwall and receivers associated with the second endwall, the locking members
having ends that are at least partially received by the receivers such that the
first endwall and the second endwall are spaced apart and locked together with
the restraining portion extending across at least part of the spacing between the endwalls.
14. The container of claim 13, wherein the first endwall is generally rectangular
with the locking members near each of the four corners of the first endwall and
the first endwall has openings adjacent the locking members, at least two of the
openings being partially blocked by a cross member.
15. The container of claim 9, wherein the restraining portion comprises a plurality
of extensions having one end adjacent the first endwall, each extension being at
least partially moveable between a first position corresponding to the first dimension
at the second end and a second position corresponding to the second dimension at
the second end and wherein the cooperating reducing portion extends from the second
endwall and moves the extensions into the first position as the first endwall and
the second endwall are moved toward each other.
16. The container of claim 9, wherein the reducing portion comprises a sidewall
that is received at least partially about an exterior of the restraining portion,
the sidewall moving the second end of the restraining portion inward as the sidewall
is received about the restraining portion.
17. The container of claim 16, wherein the second endwall supports the sidewall.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention generally relates to containers for packaging items such as semiconductor
wafers. More particularly, this invention relates to containers having an adjustable
inside dimension that restricts movement of the contents within the container.
DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART
A variety of containers are available for packaging various items during shipping
and handling. Depending on the nature of the items, container designs vary. In
the case of semiconductor wafers, for example, packaging must securely contain
the wafers to avoid damage during shipping and handling. There must be adequate
cushion to absorb impacts. The wafers also must be securely contained to avoid
relative movement between the wafers. Regardless of the cushioning approach used,
lateral movement between the wafers must be minimized (and ideally is eliminated)
to ensure the integrity of the wafers throughout handling and shipping.
A difficulty is introduced by the conventional manner in which containers are
filled
with wafers. Manual or semi-automated loading techniques require a container having
an inside dimension that is greater than the outside dimension of the wafers to
facilitate insertion of the wafers into the container. There necessarily is a gap
between the inside of the container and the outside of the wafers that eventually
allows for lateral movement of the wafers within the container.
One approach at minimizing such movement has been to include a plurality of foam
cushions within the container to axially restrict wafer movement and to apply pressure
that tends to resist lateral movement. Such arrangements, however, have proven
ineffective under many circumstances.
There is a need for an improved container that more securely and reliably maintains
delicate items, such as semiconductor wafers, in a desired alignment and secure
position within the container throughout shipping and handling. This invention
addresses that need while avoiding the shortcomings and drawbacks of the prior art.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In general terms, this invention is a container for packaging items such as semiconductor
wafers that eliminates undesirable movement of the items within the container.
One example container designed according to this invention includes a first member
that has an endwall. A sidewall portion extends from the endwall. The sidewall
portion has a nominal inside dimension adjacent the endwall. The nominal inside
dimension corresponds to an outside dimension of the items to be placed within
the container. The sidewall portion has a greater inside dimension at a second
end distal from the endwall. The larger dimension at the distal end facilitates
inserting the items into the container. A second member cooperates with the sidewall
portion of the first member to establish the nominal dimension at the second end
after the items are loaded. The cooperation between the first and second members
establishes a secure containment of the items that eliminates undesirable movement
of the items once they are securely maintained within the container.
In one example, the sidewall portion is at least partially moveable so that the
distal end of the sidewall portion moves between a first position corresponding
to the larger dimension and a second position corresponding to the nominal dimension.
The second member in one example comprises a sidewall that is received around an
outside of the first member sidewall to draw the distal ends inward to establish
the nominal dimension at the distal end. In a preferred arrangement, the first
member sidewall is drawn into the position where the nominal dimension exists at
both ends of the sidewall portion simultaneous with closing the container.
The various features and advantages of this invention will become apparent to
those skilled in the art from the following detailed description of the currently
preferred embodiment. The drawings that accompany the detailed description can
be briefly described as follows.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a perspective, exploded view diagrammatically illustrating an example
container designed according to this invention.
FIG. 2 is a perspective illustration of the portion of the embodiment of FIG. 1.
FIG. 3 is an elevational view of a selected portion of the embodiment of FIG.
1 when the container is in a closed condition.
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional illustration showing the embodiment of FIG. 1 in
a loaded and closed condition.
FIG. 5 is a partial, cross-sectional illustration showing cooperation between
portions of the embodiment of FIG. 1 as the container is being closed.
FIG. 6 is an elevational view of a selected portion of the embodiment of FIG. 1.
FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional illustration of an alternative embodiment of a container
designed according to this invention.
FIG. 8A is an elevational view of selected portions of an alternative embodiment
in a first condition.
FIG. 8B is an elevational view of the embodiment of FIG. 8A in a second condition.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
FIG. 1 diagrammatically illustrates a container assembly
20. A first
member
22 cooperates with a second member
24 to securely package
and contain a plurality of items
26, which are semiconductor wafers in this
example. Packaging cushions
28 are provided on opposite ends of the stack
of wafers
26 to cushion the wafers within the container in a conventional manner.
The first member
22 is a bottom or base of the container in this illustration.
The base
22 includes an endwall
30 that establishes one axial end
of the container
20. A sidewall portion
32 extends from the endwall
30. In this example, the sidewall portion
32 comprises a plurality
of extensions
34.
The sidewall portion
32 has a first, nominal dimension (i.e., diameter)
at an end
36 of the sidewall portion
32 adjacent the endwall
30.
The inside dimension preferably is set so that it corresponds to an outside dimension
of the wafers
26 that are received within the container
20. A distal
end
38 of the sidewall portion
32 has a second, greater inside dimension
(i.e., diameter). The larger dimension at the distal, open end of the sidewall
portion
32 facilitates inserting the wafers
26 and packaging cushions
28 into the container using conventional loading techniques.
The second member
24 is a top or lid portion in this example. The second
member
24 includes an endwall
40 that establishes an opposite axial
end of the container
20. FIG. 2 shows the second member
24 from an
opposite perspective as that in FIG.
1. As best appreciated from FIG. 2,
a sidewall portion
42 extends away from the endwall
40. The sidewall
portion
42 cooperates with the sidewall portion
32 to provide a restraining
portion of the container
20 that restrains or contains the wafers
26
(or whatever items) that are placed within the container
20.
As best appreciated from FIGS. 4 and 5, as the container
20 is closed
(i.e.,
the first and second members
22 and
24 are brought together), the
sidewall portion
42 is received about the outside of the sidewall portion
32. To facilitate the insertion of the sidewall portion
32 within
the inside of the sidewall portion
42, the sidewall portion
42 includes
a chamfered edge
44. A correspondingly chamfered edge
46 preferably
is provided near the distal end
38 of the extensions
34.
The illustrated example includes closure assisting members
48 extending
away from the endwall
42 that have a larger inside dimension than the chamfered
edge
44 to facilitate gathering in any extensions
34 that may be
situated such that it is difficult to capture them within the sidewall portion
42.
As best appreciated from FIG. 5, as the first and second members
22 and
24 are brought together, the example extensions
34 at least partially
move relative to the endwall
30 such that the distal ends
38 move
from a first position corresponding to the larger dimension at the open end to
a second position corresponding to the nominal position at the open end (FIG.
4).
The illustrated example includes a hinge portion
50 adjacent the end
36
of the sidewall portion
32. Each hinge portion
50 allows the corresponding
extension
34 to move responsive to the container being closed as schematically
shown by the arrow
52.
Once the container is closed (FIG. 4) the same, nominal inside dimension (i.e.,
diameter) is provided at the end
38 and the end
36 of the sidewall
portion
32. By appropriately sizing the nominal inside dimension, the restraining
portion of the container absolutely restricts the items
26 and prevent any
relative lateral movement between them. Once the vertical space between the endwalls
30 and
40 is appropriately filled and the container
20 is
closed, there is no possible movement of the wafers
26 relative to each
other during shipping or handling. Accordingly, the inventive container eliminates
any undesirable movement of the wafers
26 during shipping and handling yet
accommodates conventional loading techniques.
In this example container, there are locking members
60 that secure the
first member
22 and the second member
24 together. A second set of
locking members
62 are provided at the corners not occupied by the locking
members
60. Each of the locking members
60,
62 extends from
the endwall
30 of the first member
22. The locking members
60
include tab portion
64 at the ends, which are different than tab portions
66 provided at the ends of the locking members
62. The tab portions
64 and
66 are received within receiver openings
70 formed
in the second member
24 to lock the container closed.
The difference between the tab portions
64 and
66 result from the
molding technique used to make the example embodiment. As best appreciated from
FIG. 6, a mold opening
72 exists in the endwall
30 of the first member
22 adjacent each locking member
60, which is used to facilitate forming
the locking members. The openings
72 also are used in conventional machinery
to locate or position the first member
22 for loading wafers
26 into
the container. Conventional containers and conventional loading machinery use such
openings for locating and positioning the container as needed.
The inventive arrangement in this example includes two additional locking members
62, which are adjacent openings
72′. The openings
72′
are at least partially blocked by a cross member
74. Conventional locating
or positioning machinery relies upon only two openings in the endwall
30.
The cross members
74 prevent any misalignment or improper positioning because
the machinery will not be able to use the openings
72′ as the locating openings.
The example arrangement provides a more secure closure by having four locking
members
60,
62 yet still provides the locating function or feature
of the openings
72 in the endwall
30 of the first member
22.
Another feature of the example embodiment is that the first and second members
have an exterior surface that provides a more closed appearance compared to conventional
designs. The second member
24 includes a side surface
80 with extensions
82. When the first and second members
22 and
24 are secured
together, the extensions
82 are received through slots
84 on the
first member
22. A side surface
86 on the first member extends in
a direction to meet the side surface
80 of the second member
24.
The illustrated example includes a tongue-in-groove arrangement where a tongue
portion
88 on the side surface
86 is received within a groove portion
90 on the side surface
80. This arrangement provides for a better
closure mechanism to further ensure the security of the items packaged within a container.
Another feature is best appreciated from FIG. 4 where the container includes
impact-absorbing "cushions" that are spaced away from the physical structure of
the container that holds the wafers
26 in place (i.e., the wafer-restraining
portion). The second member
24 includes a raised portion
92 while
the first member
22 includes an extension portion
94. The outward
surfaces of the portions
92 and
94 are axially spaced from the endwalls
30 and
40 so that when the container
20 is dropped or otherwise
encounters a hard surface, the outer portions
92 and
94 (or the side
surfaces
80 and
86, depending on the direction of impact) absorb
at least some of the impact, which provides further protection for the wafers
26
within a container designed according to this invention.
Another feature of the example embodiment is shown in FIG. 4 where the extensions
94 have an inner, angled surface
96 that is adapted to cooperate
with the extensions
98 on the first members
24. This provides a partially
nested, stacking arrangement as can be appreciated from the upper right portion
of FIG.
4. This facilitates stacking a plurality of the containers
20
in a convenient manner.
Other container embodiments are within the scope of this invention that include
alternative ways of achieving the change in inside dimension at the open end of
the restraining portion after the items have been loaded into the container.
FIG. 7 illustrates one example where the sidewall portion
34′
on the first member
22′ does not move as the container is closed.
In this example, the sidewall portion
34′ is rigid and remains stationary
under all conditions. The nominal dimension of the interior defined by the sidewall
portion
34′ exists at the end
36′ adjacent the endwall
30′ while the larger dimension remains at the open end
38′.
A cooperating reducing portion
100, which extends from the endwall
40′
of the second member
24′ in this example, provides the nominal inside
dimension on the inside at the distal end
38′ when the container
is closed. In this example, the reducing portion
100 has an interior surface
102 that includes the nominal inside dimension. An exterior surface
104
is at an oblique angle relative to the endwall
40′. An interior surface
106 of the sidewall portion
34′ is at a corresponding oblique
angle relative to the endwall
30′.
As can be appreciated from the drawing, once the container is closed, the reducing
portion
100 of the second member
24′ is at least partially
received within the sidewall portion
34′. The inner surface
102
is received against the exterior of corresponding ones of the wafers within the
container (not illustrated in FIG.
7). The surfaces
106 and
104
cooperate to provide a secure lateral arrangement between the sidewall portion
34′ and the reducing portion
100. The sidewall portion
34′
and the reducing portion
100 cooperate to provide the nominal inside dimension
at the distal end
38′ as the container is closed.
In another example, the reducing portion
100 is a separate ring that is
received at least partially within the sidewall portion
34′ at an
appropriate time during the assembly procedure.
Another example arrangement is shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B where a reducing
portion that comprises a band member
120 cooperates with the extensions
34 to draw them into the position where the extensions
34 have the
nominal inside dimension along their entire length (i.e., where the distal ends
38 are drawn into the position to establish the nominal inside dimension
at the distal, open end of the sidewall portion
34). In this example, the
extensions
34 operate similar to those shown in FIGS. 1-5. The band member
120 is positioned around the extensions
34 and then tightened at
an appropriate time to draw the distal end of the extensions
34 into position
so that the extensions
34 engage the exterior of the wafers
26 as
shown in FIG.
8. Accordingly, this example embodiment provides another arrangement
where there is no possibility for lateral movement of the wafers
26 once
the package is secured.
In one example, the band member
120 comprises a zip tie. In another example,
the band member
120 comprises a strap. In another example, the band member
120 comprises tape.
As can be appreciated, this invention provides a container that securely maintains
items such as semiconductor wafers in a desired alignment that restricts any movement
of the items once the container is appropriately secured. By including a change
in the dimension at the open end of the restraining portion of the container, the
inventive arrangement allows for using conventional loading techniques and still
provides a far-advanced securing arrangement to eliminate undesirable movement
of items within a container.
The preceding description is exemplary rather than limiting in nature. Variations
and modifications to the disclosed examples may become apparent to those skilled
in the art that do not necessarily depart from the essence of this invention. The
scope of legal protection given to this invention can only be determined by studying
the following claims.
*
