Thin plate storage container and lid having at least one thin plate supporting member
View Patent ↗A wafer storage container has a container body and a lid. The container body has lid support inserts in a lid receptacle, and the lid has corner inserts for contact with the lid support inserts to support the lid. A supporting member is attached to the container body. The supporting member includes a base plate portion, side plates extending from the base plate portion, and a handle on each side plate for lifting the container body. The thin plate supporting member has contacting portions to support the thin plates, supporting members which elastically support the contacting portions, and a base support bar to support the supporting portions. The tip end of each supporting portion contacts a support stage, and elastically supports the contacting portions from both sides.
1. A thin plate storage container including a container body for storing a plurality of thin plates and a lid for closing and sealing the container body, the lid having at least one thin plate supporting member comprising:
a base supporting bar on an interior surface of the lid;
a plurality of supporting portions extending in parallel from base ends integral with the base supporting bar to tip ends in the form of caul plate portions for contact with supporting structure on the interior of surface of the lid, the supporting portions being spaced apart at regular intervals;
wherein each of the supporting portions comprises a contacting portion for engaging and resiliently holding an edge portion of a thin plate, the contacting portion being located intermediate the base end and the tip end of the supporting portion, thereby dividing the supporting portion into a base supporting portion and a tip supporting portion;
wherein the contacting portion is elastically supported only by the base supporting portion when a gap is present between the caul plate portion and the supporting structure; and
wherein the base supporting portion and the tip supporting portion elastically support the contacting portion from opposite sides thereof when the caul plate portion is in contact with the supporting structure.
2. The thin plate storage container according to claim 1 wherein the base supporting portion is longer than the tip supporting portion.
3. The thin plate storage container according to claim 1 wherein the base and tip supporting portions are integrally molded with the contacting portions and wherein the contacting portions protrude from the base and tip end supporting portions toward thin plates in the container body.
4. The thin plate storage container according to claim 1 wherein the supporting structure includes a projecting strip fixed to and projecting from the interior surface of the lid, wherein the contacting portions are elastically supported by a first force when the gap is present between the caul plate portion and the projecting strip and are supported by a second force, greater than the first force, when the caul plate portion is in contact with the projecting strip.
5. The thin plate storage container according to claim 4 comprising two supporting members having their respective base supporting bars spaced apart, with the supporting portions extending from one of the base supporting bars alternately between the supporting portions extending from the other of the base supporting bars.
6. The thin plate storage container according to claim 5 further comprising two projecting strips, each projecting strip having a plurality of supporting stages and a plurality of supporting recesses alternating with the supporting stages, the supporting recesses of one of the projecting strips contacting the base supporting portions of one thin plate supporting member for support thereof and the supporting stages of the one thin plate supporting member contacting the caul plate portions of the second thin plate supporting member for support of the tip supporting portions of the second thin plate supporting member.
7. The thin plate storage container according to claim 6 wherein the supporting stages contact and support tip supporting portions at positions further from the interior surface of the lid than positions where the supporting recesses contact and support base supporting portions.
8. The thin plate storage container according to claim 6 wherein the supporting stages have recesses receiving the caul plate portions to hold the caul plate portions against lateral movement.
9. The thin plate storage container according to claim 6 wherein the base supporting portions are longer than the tip supporting portions.
10. The thin plate storage container according to claim 5 wherein the base supporting portions are longer than the tip supporting portions.
11. The thin plate storage container according to claim 1 comprising two supporting members having their respective base supporting bars spaced apart, with the supporting portions extending from one of the base supporting bars alternately between the supporting portions extending from the other of the base supporting bars, with the contacting portions of the two supporting members aligned.
12. The thin plate storage container according to claim 1 wherein the base supporting portions are longer than the tip supporting portions.