Wafer container and door with vibration dampening latching mechanism
View Patent ↗A container for holding a plurality of wafers in an axially aligned, generally parallel spaced apart arrangement includes an enclosure portion having a top, a bottom, a pair of opposing sides, a back and an open front. At least one wafer support is provided in the enclosure along with a kinematic coupling on the bottom of the enclosure. The container has a door for sealingly closing the open front which includes a chassis and an operable latching mechanism on the chassis. The latching mechanism includes a cam selectively rotatable to shift the latching mechanism between a first favored position and a second favored position and at least one vibration dampener for dampening vibrations generated when the latching mechanism is shifted between the first and second favored positions.
1. A container for holding a plurality of wafers in an axially aligned, generally parallel spaced apart arrangement, the container comprising:
an enclosure portion having a top, a bottom, a pair of opposing sides, a back and an open front;
at least one wafer support in the enclosure;
a kinematic coupling on the bottom of the enclosure; and
a door for sealingly closing the open front comprising:
a chassis; and
an operable latching mechanism on the chassis including a cam selectively rotatable to shift the latching mechanism between a first favored position and a second favored position, the latching mechanism including a biasing spring having a first resilient portion operably coupled with the cam and the chassis and disposed to provide a biasing force for urging the latching mechanism toward each of the first and second favored positions, the latching mechanism further including at least one vibration dampener for dampening vibrations generated when the latching mechanism is shifted between the first and second favored positions, wherein the cam has an elongate slot defined therein with first and second opposing ends and the latching mechanism further comprises at least one laterally slidable latching arm having a cam follower portion slidably engaged in the slot, and wherein the at least one vibration dampener includes a spring disposed proximate the first end of the slot so as to engage the cam follower portion and exert a biasing force resisting motion of the cam follower portion towards the first end of the slot.
2. The container of claim 1 , wherein the vibration dampener further comprises a second spring disposed proximate the second end of the slot so as to engage the cam follower portion and exert a biasing force resisting motion of the cam follower portion towards the second end of the slot.
3. A container for holding a plurality of wafers in an axially aligned, generally parallel spaced apart arrangement, the container comprising:
an enclosure portion having a top, a bottom, a pair of opposing sides, a back and an open front;
at least one wafer support in the enclosure;
a kinematic coupling on the bottom of the enclosure; and
a door for sealingly closing the open front comprising:
a chassis; and
an operable latching mechanism on the chassis including a cam selectively rotatable to shift the latching mechanism between a first favored position and a second favored position, the latching mechanism including a biasing spring having a first resilient portion operably coupled with the cam and the chassis and disposed to provide a biasing force for urging the latching mechanism toward each of the first and second favored positions, the latching mechanism further including at least one vibration dampener for dampening vibrations generated when the latching mechanism is shifted between the first and second favored positions, wherein the at least one vibration dampener includes a second resilient portion of the biasing spring operably coupled with the chassis at a location separated from the location where the first resilient portion is coupled to the chassis.
4. The container of claim 3 , wherein the door includes a wafer cushion portion, wherein the cam and the biasing spring are electrically conductive, and wherein the second resilient portion of the biasing spring is electrically conductively coupled with the wafer cushion portion.
5. A container for holding a plurality of wafers in an axially aligned, generally parallel spaced apart arrangement, the container comprising:
an enclosure portion having a top, a bottom, a pair of opposing sides, a back and an open front;
at least one wafer support in the enclosure;
a kinematic coupling on the bottom of the enclosure; and
a door for sealingly closing the open front comprising:
a chassis; and
an operable latching mechanism on the chassis including a cam selectively rotatable to shift the latching mechanism between a first favored position and a second favored position, the latching mechanism including a biasing spring having a first resilient portion operably coupled with the cam and the chassis and disposed to provide a biasing force for urging the latching mechanism toward each of the first and second favored positions, the latching mechanism further comprising means to dampening vibrations as the latching mechanism is shifted toward at least one of generated when the latching mechanism is shifted between the first and second favored positions.
6. The container of claim 5 , wherein the cam has an elongate slot defined therein with first and second opposing ends and the latching mechanism further comprises at least one laterally slidable latching arm having a cam follower portion slidably engaged in the slot and wherein the means for dampening vibrations includes a spring disposed proximate the first end of the slot so as to engage the cam follower portion and exert a biasing force resisting motion of the cam follower portion towards the first end of the slot.
7. The container of claim 6 , wherein the means for dampening vibrations further comprises a second spring disposed proximate the second end of the slot so as to engage the cam follower portion and exert a biasing force resisting motion of the cam follower portion towards the second end of the slot.
8. The container of claim 7 , wherein the latching mechanism further comprises a biasing spring having a first resilient portion operably coupled with the cam and the chassis and disposed to provide a biasing force for urging the latching mechanism toward each of the first and second favored positions, and wherein the at least one vibration dampener includes a second resilient portion of the biasing spring operably coupled wit the chassis.
9. The container of claim 8 , wherein the door includes a wafer cushion portion, wherein the cam and the biasing spring are electrically conductive, and wherein the second resilient portion of the biasing spring is electrically conductively coupled with the wafer cushion portion.