U.S. patent application number 13/467274 was filed with the patent office on 2013-06-06 for innovative end caps for ic tray.
This patent application is currently assigned to DONG GUAN UBOT INDUSTRIAL CO., LTD. The applicant listed for this patent is Zhiguang JIANG, Ming Wa TAM, Huimin WANG. Invention is credited to Zhiguang JIANG, Ming Wa TAM, Huimin WANG.
Application Number | 20130140319 13/467274 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 47411549 |
Filed Date | 2013-06-06 |
United States Patent
Application |
20130140319 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
TAM; Ming Wa ; et
al. |
June 6, 2013 |
INNOVATIVE END CAPS FOR IC TRAY
Abstract
An innovative end cap for IC trays includes a bottom and side
walls. The side walls extend upwardly from the bottom and form a
tray-accommodating space. The innovative end cap includes a
plurality of buffering ribs and buffering grooves on its surfaces.
The buffering ribs and buffering grooves arranged on the end cap
can fully absorb, disperse and transfer the impact energy generated
during testing, storage, collision and shock of the trays which
accommodate the precision semiconductor components therein, and
increase impact strength and anti-dropping damage ability of the
end cap. Therefore, the innovative end cap with the buffering ribs
and buffering grooves can not only protect the trays and extend the
service lifetime of the trays, but also give better protection to
the precision semiconductor components such as Chips, IC etc in the
trays.
Inventors: |
TAM; Ming Wa; (Hong Kong,
HK) ; WANG; Huimin; (Hong Kong, HK) ; JIANG;
Zhiguang; (Dongguan, CN) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
TAM; Ming Wa
WANG; Huimin
JIANG; Zhiguang |
Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Dongguan |
|
HK
HK
CN |
|
|
Assignee: |
DONG GUAN UBOT INDUSTRIAL CO.,
LTD
UBOT INCORPORATED LIMITED
|
Family ID: |
47411549 |
Appl. No.: |
13/467274 |
Filed: |
May 9, 2012 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
220/694 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65D 81/058
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
220/694 |
International
Class: |
B65D 67/00 20060101
B65D067/00 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Dec 1, 2011 |
CN |
201120560736.6 |
Claims
1. An innovative end cap for IC trays comprising a bottom and side
walls, the side walls extending upwardly from the bottom and
forming a tray-accommodating space like an uncover box, the
innovative end cap comprising a plurality of buffering ribs on
touchable surfaces thereof.
2. The innovative end cap for IC trays as described in claim 1,
wherein the plurality of buffering ribs comprise a plurality of
primary buffering ribs, secondary buffering ribs and tertiary
buffering ribs, and wherein the plurality of primary buffering ribs
is protruded from an outer surface of the corresponding side
wall.
3. The innovative end cap for IC trays as described in claim 2,
wherein lower edges of the plurality of primary buffering ribs are
protruded out of an outer surface of the bottom.
4. The innovative end cap for IC trays as described in claim 1,
wherein the bottom has bottom ribs on an outer surface thereof, the
bottom ribs connect bottom edges of the plurality of primary
buffering ribs.
5. The innovative end cap for IC trays as described in claims 2,
wherein the innovative end cap has a polygonal cross-section, and
the secondary buffering ribs are formed on the outer sides of
junctions of the side walls.
6. The innovative end cap for IC trays as described in claim 2,
wherein the tertiary buffering ribs are protruded from an inner
surface and the two ends of the bottom.
7. The innovative end cap for IC trays as described in claim 1,
wherein the end cap defines a plurality of buffering grooves in an
inner surfaces thereof.
8. The innovative end cap for IC trays as described in claim 7,
wherein the innovative end cap has a polygonal cross-section, and
the plurality of buffering grooves is defined at the junctions of
the side walls and dented from the inner surface of the side
walls.
9. The innovative end cap for IC trays as described in claim 7,
wherein the plurality of buffering grooves is defined in the bottom
and dented from the inner surface of the bottom.
10. The innovative end cap for IC trays as described in claim 7,
wherein the plurality of buffering grooves is defined in the side
walls and dented from the inner surfaces of the side walls.
11. The innovative end cap for IC trays as described in claim 1,
wherein the innovative end cap has a polygonal cross-section, and
the plurality of buffering ribs comprise several secondary
buffering ribs formed on the outer sides of junctions of the side
walls.
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The present invention refers to semiconductors and
microelectronics technologies, and particularly relates to
innovative end caps for IC trays.
DESCRIPTION OF BACKGROUND
[0002] Currently, plastic IC trays are widely used for the storage
and transportation of semiconductor components such as Chip, IC etc
in semiconductor and electronic industries. Due to the limitations
of the inherent behavior of plastic materials or structure of the
trays, however, the mechanical strength of the trays cannot
sometimes meet the requirement of protecting the precision
semiconductor components completely from damage during storage and
transportation of the precision semiconductor components,
especially when IC is enough heavy. In addition, the tray damage
caused by accidental drops will result in the damage of the
precision semiconductor components. Meanwhile, this would also
reduce the service lifetime of the trays and bring cost pressures.
The innovative end caps for plastic IC tray provide a feasible
solution.
[0003] FIG. 1 shows two traditional end caps for IC trays. The
precision semiconductor components are placed in the grid slots of
the trays A, and multiple trays A can be stacked together. The end
caps B for tray are respectively installed at opposite sides of the
stacked trays A, for being stored and transported together with the
stacked trays A. The end caps B for tray are simple in structure,
and each comprises a bottom and side walls extending upward from
the bottom so that the end cap B for tray is shaped like a box with
one end thereof opened. On the bottom and the side walls of the
traditional end caps B for tray, only some slots or protrusions are
provided, for the purpose of package.
[0004] The traditional end caps for IC tray can give some
protection to the trays during storage and transportation for
reducing the damage of the trays, and thus protect the precision
semiconductor components placed in the trays to a certain extent.
Due to the design limitations, however, the traditional end caps
can not effectively transfer and disperse the impact stress when
the trays with IC are stricken, and cannot completely protect the
end caps, trays and the precision semiconductor components from the
damages due to accidental drops and collision.
SUMMARY
[0005] The present invention is to provide an innovative end cap
for IC trays, having excellent impact resistance and anti-dropping
damage ability.
[0006] An innovative end cap for IC trays comprises a bottom and
side walls. The side walls extend upwardly from the bottom and form
a tray-accommodating space. The innovative end cap comprises a
plurality of buffering ribs on outer surfaces and buffering grooves
on inner surfaces thereof.
[0007] Furthermore, the buffering ribs include a plurality of
primary buffering ribs, secondary buffering ribs and tertiary
buffering ribs. The primary buffering ribs are protruded from the
outer surface of the corresponding side wall.
[0008] Furthermore, lower edges of the primary buffering ribs are
protruded out of the outer surface of the bottom.
[0009] Furthermore, some protruded bottom ribs are located on the
outer surface of bottom and connect bottom edges of the primary
buffering ribs.
[0010] Furthermore, the innovative end cap has a polygonal
cross-section, and the secondary buffering ribs are formed in the
corner and called the corner buffering ribs.
[0011] Furthermore, the other buffering ribs are a plurality of
tertiary buffering ribs protruded from the inner surface of the
bottom and placed in the ends of the bottom.
[0012] Furthermore, the innovative end cap defines a plurality of
buffering grooves in an inner surface thereof.
[0013] Furthermore, the innovative end cap has a polygonal
cross-section, and the plurality of buffering grooves includes
three types of buffering grooves. Type one is the buffering grooves
defined at the junctions of the side walls and dented from the
inner corners of the sidewalls.
[0014] Furthermore, type two is the buffering grooves defined in
the bottom and dented from the inner surface of the bottom.
[0015] Furthermore, type three is the buffering grooves defined in
the side walls and dented from the inner surfaces of the side
walls.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0016] The objects and advantages of the present invention will
become more readily apparent to those ordinarily skilled in the art
after reviewing the following detailed description and accompanying
drawings, in which:
[0017] FIG. 1 is an exploded, isometric view of two traditional end
caps for trays and stacked trays.
[0018] FIG. 2 is an isometric view of the innovative end cap for
trays in accordance with a first embodiment of the application.
[0019] FIG. 3 is another isometric view of the end cap for trays as
shown in FIG. 2.
[0020] FIG. 4 is an isometric view of the innovative end cap for
trays in accordance with a second embodiment of the
application.
[0021] FIG. 5 is another isometric view of the end cap for trays as
shown in FIG. 4.
[0022] FIG. 6 is an isometric view of the innovative end cap for
trays in accordance with a third embodiment of the application.
[0023] FIG. 7 is another isometric view of the end cap for trays as
shown in FIG. 6.
[0024] FIG. 8 is an exploded, isometric view of two innovative end
caps for trays as shown in FIG. 2 and stacked trays.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0025] The present invention will now be described more
specifically with reference to the following embodiments. It is to
be noted that the following descriptions of preferred embodiments
of this invention are presented herein for purpose of illustration
and description only. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to be
limited to the precise form disclosed.
[0026] Referring to FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, an innovative end cap for IC
trays of a first embodiment of the present application is
illustrated, which can be used to place, store and transport
semiconductors, micro-electronic chips and silicon wafers, and so
on. The end cap of this embodiment comprises a bottom 1 and side
walls 2 extending upward from the bottom 1, and defines a
tray-accommodating space. The end cap of this embodiment comprises
a plurality of buffering ribs on touchable surfaces thereof.
[0027] Specifically, the buffering ribs include a plurality of
primary buffering ribs 31, secondary buffering ribs 32, and a
plurality of tertiary buffering ribs 33. The primary buffering ribs
31 are protruded from the outer surface of the side walls 2, being
strip-shaped or curve-shaped. The primary buffering ribs 31 can be
parallel to each other or not. Upper edges of the primary buffering
ribs 31 can be as high as an upper edge of the corresponding side
wall 2, or higher or lower than the upper edge of the corresponding
side wall 2. Lower edges of the primary buffering ribs 31 are as
low as or protruded out of the outer surface of the bottom 1. In
the first embodiment, the cross-sections of the primary buffering
ribs 31 can be of various shapes, such as circle, polygon, etc. In
this embodiment, the cross-sections of the primary buffering ribs
31 are in shape of square. The secondary buffering ribs 32 are
respectively protruded from the outer corners of the side walls 2.
The tertiary buffering ribs 33 are protruded from the inner surface
and the two ends of the bottom 1.
[0028] In the first embodiment, the buffering ribs arranged on the
end cap can fully absorb, disperse and transfer the impact energy
generated during testing, storage, collision and shock of the trays
which accommodate precision semiconductor components therein, and
increase impact strength and anti-dropping damage ability of the
end cap. Therefore, the end cap with the buffering ribs can not
only protect the trays and extend the service lifetime of the
trays, but also give better protection to the precision
semiconductor components in the trays. Summarily, the end cap for
tray of the embodiment is simple in structure but practical in
use.
[0029] Another method to enhance the anti-impact ability of the end
cap for IC trays is that a plurality of buffering grooves is
defined in the inner surface of the end cap. The buffering grooves
have three types. Type one is the buffering grooves 41 and Type two
is the buffering grooves 42. Type one of buffer grooves 41 is
respectively defined at the junctions of the side walls 2 and
dented from the inner surfaces of the sidewalls 2. Type two of the
buffering grooves 42 are defined in the bottom 1, and dented from
the inner surface of the bottom 1.
[0030] Referring to FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, an innovative end cap for IC
trays of a second embodiment of the present application is
illustrated. The end cap in the second embodiment is similar to the
end cap in the first embodiment. The main difference of the end cap
in the second embodiment from the end cap in the first embodiment
is described in detail as follows. In the second embodiment, the
primary buffering ribs 31' are different in shape comparing with
the primary buffering ribs 31, and the secondary buffering ribs 32'
are different in shape comparing with the secondary buffering ribs
32. In the second embodiment, cross-sections of the primary
buffering ribs 31' and the secondary buffering ribs 32' are curved,
such as in shape of semi-circle or sinusoidal wave. The primary
buffering ribs 31' each are of arc transition to the corresponding
side wall 2. Additionally, the bottom ends of the primary buffering
ribs 31' are protruded out of the outer surface of the bottom 1',
and the protruded parts are connected to the outer surface of the
bottom 1' through a cambered surface. Furthermore, in the second
embodiment, the buffering grooves have Type three of the buffering
grooves 43. Type three of the buffering grooves 43 is defined in
the side walls 2', and dented from the inner surfaces of the side
walls 2'.
[0031] Referring to FIG. 6 and FIG. 7, an innovative end cap for
trays of a third embodiment of the present application is
illustrated. The end cap in the third embodiment is similar to the
end cap in the second embodiment. The main difference of the end
cap in the third embodiment from the end cap in the second
embodiment is described in detail as follows. In the third
embodiment, bottom ribs 34 are placed on the outer surface of the
bottom 1' to connect bottom edges of the primary buffering ribs
31'. The bottom ribs 34 are protruded from the outer surface of the
bottom 1', and connected to the outer surface of the bottom 1'
through a cambered surface.
[0032] Understandably, the buffering ribs and the buffering grooves
arranged on the side walls, bottom and the junctions of the side
walls, can greatly improve the mechanical strength and anti-impact
ability of the end cap. In other embodiments, the buffering ribs
and the buffering grooves can be mutually combined or exchanged
according to the practical requirements, for the purpose of fully
absorbing the external impact stress exerted on the tray and
reinforcing the strength of the end cap.
[0033] Compared FIG. 8 with FIG. 1, the end cap with a plurality of
buffering ribs and buffering grooves on the side walls, bottom and
junctions of the side walls, would not affect the actual volume of
the end cap and therefore the innovative end cap can not only be
used in the trays with high impact requirements, but also replace
the traditional end cap in the normal application areas of trays.
The end caps B' disclosed in the second embodiment are exemplarily
installed at opposite sides of the stacked trays A, for being
stored and transported together with the stacked trays A. It is can
be seen that the end cap of this application is in the same usage
for package the trays, but its impact resistance has enhanced
greatly.
[0034] While the invention has been described in terms of what is
presently considered to be the most practical and preferred
embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention needs not be
limited to the disclosed embodiment. On the contrary, it is
intended to cover various modifications and similar arrangements
included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims which
are to be accorded with the broadest interpretation so as to
encompass all such modifications and similar structures.
* * * * *