Container having disposable liners

A transportable container for maintaining clean articles in a clean environment, comprising:

• a box for defining an interior space for containing the articles;
• the box includes a box top and a rigid base supporting the box top and includes a box door for opening and closing the container, means for sealing the box top to the box base, and the box door providing a region for supporting the articles;
• a liner insertable into the interior space and shaped to enclose the region;
• wherein the liner is substantially impervious;
• and
• means for enabling the retraction of the box door from the box base, whereby clean articles are retractable from the container.

A transportable container for maintaining clean articles to be processed in a clean environment comprising:

• a box defining an interior space for containing the articles;
• the box includes a box top and a box base supporting the box top and includes a box door for opening and closing the container and means for sealing the base to the box top to prevent the entry of contamination into the interior space, the box door providing a region for supporting the articles;
• a top liner insertable into the interior space of the box top and enclosing the region, the means for sealing including compression means on the top liner contacting the box top and a holder inserted into the interior space, the compression means exerting a force on the holder and against the base when the container is closed for encouraging a dust-tight seal between the box top and base to prevent the entry of contamination into the interior space;
• a base liner between the box base and the box door, the base liner having a sealing lip for exerting a force between the box base and the box door for encouraging a dust-tight seal between the box base and the box door to prevent the entry of contamination into the interior space;
• wherein the respective top liner and base liner are substantially impervious;
• and
• means for enabling the base liner and the box door to be retractable from the base, whereby clean articles can be processed in a controlled, clean environment.

A transportable container for containing articles to be processed in processing equipment having a clean environment, said container comprising,

• a holder for holding one or more articles to be processed,
• a rigid base supporting the holder,
• a liner adapted to surround said holder and said one or more articles to be processed,
• wherein the liner is substantially impervious;
• said rigid base and holder being adapted to be retractable from said liner into a clean environment whereby said articles can be processed without contamination;
• wherein said linear is subjected, in said processing equipment, to ambient air on the exterior and to a gas on the interior and wherein said liner is formed of a thin flexible material which changes shape under changes in air and gas pressure caused by retracting of the base and holder from the liner, whereby change in the liner shape reduces the turbulence of the gas during the retracting of the base and holder.