Wafer cushion for shippers
AssigneeFluoroware, Inc.
InventorRobert D. Kos
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A wafer cushion for a wafer shipper that has bottom cavity adapted to support a plurality of axially aligned wafer therein. The shipper further has a cover releasably interlockably with the bottom to sealably enclose the wafers within the shipper for storage or transportation. The cushion comprises a frame adapted to be supported by the cover within the wafer shipper. A plurality of aligned pairs of flexible arms depend downwardly from the frame. A plurality of cushioning segments are each individually supported by one pair of the arms and thereby are adapted to supportably engage and grip the top edge of the wafers suitably at the wafers' top centerline.
Claims11
A semiconductor wafer shipping and storage container to engage such wafers only at their edge portions, comprising
- an elongate bottom receptacle portion with engaging means engaging and supporting such wafers at their edge portions and maintaining the wafers in spaced and confronting relation with each other, and said engaging means orienting the wafers transversely of the elongate bottom receptacle,
- an elongate cover portion for the receptacle portion and removably secured thereto, the cover portion comprising an inner side facing the bottom receptacle portion,
- an elongate frame portion demountably secured on the inner side of the cover portion,
- a plurality of stiff and elongate wafer engaging cushioning segments arranged in side-by-side relation to each other and also arranged in adjacent and spaced relation to the inner side of the cover portion and opposite the bottom receptacle portion, each of said elongate cushioning segments extending transversely of the elongate bottom receptacle portion and transversely of the elongate frame and each of said cushioning segments comprising an engaging face to bear against the edge portion of one of such wafers, each of said elongate cushioning segments having opposite end portions and each of the said elongate cushioning segments being movable toward and away from the inner side of the cover portion,
- a plurality of pairs of resiliently flexible mounting arms mounting the cushioning segments on the frame, the mounting arms in each pair of mounting arms being secured to and respectively extending from said opposite end portions of a cushioning segment, and said mounting arms also extending to and being secured to said frame portion, the mounting arms resiliently flexing as the cushioning segments engage the edge portions of the wafers to accommodate movement of the cushioning segments toward the inner side of the cover portion and to continuously and resiliently urge the cushioning segments against the edge portions of the wafers.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.