U.S. patent number RE33,361 [Application Number 07/193,396] was granted by the patent office on 1990-10-02 for substrate and media carrier.
Invention is credited to Thomas U. Coe.
United States Patent |
RE33,361 |
Coe |
October 2, 1990 |
**Please see images for:
( Certificate of Correction ) ** |
Substrate and media carrier
Abstract
A carrier for substrate and media disk members is disclosed
having a base member with upstanding side and end walls and a top
surface having a media supporting recess projecting downwardly and
including a plurality of continuous semi-circular V-shaped grooves
each subtending an angle of less than 180 degrees. Locating means
are provided along one side of the carrier for locating the carrier
with respect to disk handling equipment. The carrier is provided
with a transparent lid having side and end walls respectively
telescopically enclosing side and end walls of the base member. The
base member has elongate indentations for engaging the top surface
of the lid member on which the base member is stacked, and the lid
member is provided with elongate upwardly projecting support ridges
which contact the underside of the base member stacked thereon. The
base member includes a peripheral flange and can include openings
in the disk supporting grooves, and the lid member side walls
include indentations with base member top engaging surfaces.
Inventors: |
Coe; Thomas U. (Saratoga,
CA) |
Family
ID: |
26888960 |
Appl.
No.: |
07/193,396 |
Filed: |
May 12, 1988 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
Issue Date |
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Reissue of: |
618189 |
Jun 7, 1984 |
04588086 |
May 13, 1986 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
206/308.3;
206/309; 206/454; 206/508; 206/711 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65D
21/022 (20130101); B65D 25/107 (20130101); G11B
33/0444 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
B65D
25/10 (20060101); B65D 21/02 (20060101); G11B
33/04 (20060101); B65D 085/57 () |
Field of
Search: |
;206/45.34,309,311-313,328,334,444,445,454,503,508,557,558,561,562-564
;150/55 ;211/40,41 ;220/306 ;312/10 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
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1556928 |
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Feb 1969 |
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FR |
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0093427 |
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Sep 1959 |
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NL |
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8600061 |
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Jan 1986 |
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WO |
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Primary Examiner: Foster; Jimmy G.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Limbach, Limbach & Sutton
Claims
I claim:
1. A carrier for substrate and media disk members comprising:
a base member having
a flat peripheral base flange,
upstanding side and end walls connected to said base flange,
a top surface having
a semicylindrical disk supporting recess projecting downwardly
toward said peripheral base flange and including a Plurality of
continuous semicircular V-shaped grooves each subtending an arc of
less than 180 degrees for holding a disk member, and
locating means in said base peripheral flange along only one side
wall for locating said carrier in disk handling equipment.
2. The carrier of claim 1 including a transparent lid member having
side and end walls, respectively, telescopically enclosing said
side and end walls of said base member.
3. The carrier of claim 2 wherein said lid member includes a top
surface having a recessed portion centrally thereof including a
plurality of semicircular V-shaped grooves inside said lid member
for holding the top edge of disk members held by said base
member.
4. The carrier of claim 2 wherein said side and end walls of said
base and lid members are angled inwardly from the normal to said
base and lid peripheral base flanges.
5. The carrier of claim 2 wherein said base and lid peripheral base
flanges each have raised peripheral portions at the ends of said
carrier and means for releasably securing said base and lid members
together at said raised peripheral portions.
6. The carrier of claim 1 wherein said semicircular grooves in said
base member recess subtend an arc of substantially 45.degree..
7. The carrier of claim 1 wherein said semicircular grooves in said
base member recess have openings through said base member allowing
drainage of liquid therethrough.
8. A carrier for substrate and media disk members comprising:
a base member having
a flat peripheral base flange,
upstanding side and end walls connected to said base flange,
a top surface having a semicylindrical disk supporting recess
projecting downwardly toward said peripheral base flange and
including a plurality of semicircular V-shaped shaped grooves each
for holding a disk member, and
locating means in said base peripheral flange along only one side
wall for locating said carrier in disk handling equipment and
a transparent lid member having
side and end walls, respectively, telescopically enclosing said
side and end walls of said base member,
a top surface having a recessed portion centrally thereof including
a plurality of semicircular V-shaped grooves inside said lid member
each groove for holding the top edge of a disk member held by said
base member,
said base member including elongated horizontal indentation on said
side walls,
said base member and lid member stackable in pairs one on top of
another,
said elongate indentations in said base side walls of one base
member engaging said lid top surface of the lid member of the pair
of base and lid members therebelow.
9. The carrier of claim 8 wherein said lid side walls include
indentations with base top engaging surfaces for distributing the
load of said lid member on said base member for allowing stacking
carriers one on the top of another.
10. The carrier of claim 8 wherein said lid member includes
elongated upwardly projecting support ridges which contact the
underside of said base member media supporting surface of one base
member positioned above said lid member when pairs of base and lid
members are stacked on top of one another.
11. A substrate and media carrier comprising:
a base member having
a flat horizontal peripheral base flange,
upstanding side and end walls connected to said peripheral base
flange,
a top surface having a semicylindrical media supporting recess
projecting downwardly toward said base flange and including a
plurality of semicircular V-shaped grooves for holding disk
members, and
elongated horizontal indentations in said side walls and a lid
member having
a flat horizontal peripheral base flange to engage the base flange
of said base member,
upstanding side and end walls connected to said lid base flange and
respectively telescopically enclosing the base side and end walls,
and
a top surface having a recessed portion centrally thereof including
a plurality of semicircular V-shaped grooves inside said lid member
for holding the top edge of disk members held by said base
member,
said base member and lid member stackable in pairs one on top of
another,
said elongated indentations in said base side walls of one base
member engaging said lid top surface of the lid member of the pair
of base and lid members therebelow.
12. The carrier of claim 11 wherein said lid member includes
elongated upwardly projecting support ridges which contact the
underside of said base member media supporting surface of one base
member positioned above said lid member when pairs of base and lid
members are stacked on top of one another.
13. The carrier of claim 11 wherein said semicircular grooves in
said recess of the top surface of said base member subtend an arc
of substantially 45.degree..
14. The carrier of claim 11 wherein said semicircular grooves in
said top surface recess of said base member have openings through
said base member allowing drainage of liquid therethrough.
15. The carrier of claim 11 wherein said lid member is
transparent.
16. The carrier of claim 11 wherein said lid side walls include
indentations with base top engaging surfaces for distributing the
load of said lid member on said base member for allowing stacking
carriers one on the top of another.
17. The carrier of claim 11 wherein said side and end walls of said
base and lid members are angled inwardly from the normal to said
base and lid peripheral base flanges.
18. The carrier of claim 11 wherein said base and lid peripheral
base flanges each have raised peripheral portions at the ends of
said carrier and clip means for releasably securing said base and
lid members together at said raised peripheral portions.
19. The carrier of claim 11 wherein said base member includes
locating means in said base peripheral flange along only one side
wall of said base member for locating said carrier in disk handling
machinery.
20. A substrate and media carrier comprising:
a base member having
a flat horizontal peripheral base flange,
upstanding side and end walls connected to said peripheral base
flange,
a top surface having a semicylindrical media supporting recess
projecting downwardly toward said base flange and including a
plurality of semicircular V-shaped grooves for holding disk
members,
said semicircular grooves subtending an arc of substantially
45.degree.,
elongated horizontal indentations in said side walls and
locating means in said base peripheral flange along only one side
wall of said base member for locating said carrier in disk handling
equipment, and
a transparent lid member having
a flat horizontal peripheral base flange to engage the base flange
of said base member,
upstanding lid side and end walls connected to said lid base flange
and respectively telescopically enclosing the base side and end
walls, and
a top surface having a recessed portion centrally thereof including
a plurality of semicircular V-shaped grooves inside said lid member
for holding the top edge of disk members held by said base
member,
indentations in said lid walls with base top engaging surfaces for
distributing the load of said lid member on said base member for
allowing stacking carriers one on the top of another,
said base member and lid member stackable in pairs one on top of
another,
said elongated indentations in said base side walls of one base
member engaging said lid top surface of the lid member of the pair
of base and lid members therebelow,
said lid member including elongated upwardly projecting support
ridges which contact the underside of said base member media
supporting surface of one base member positioned above said lid
member when pairs of base and lid members are stacked on top of one
another,
said side and end walls of said base and lid members being angled
inwardly from the normal to said base and lid peripheral base
flanges,
said base and lid peripheral base flanges each having raised
peripheral portions at the ends of said carrier, and
clip means for releasably securing said base and lid members
together at said raised peripheral portions.
21. A carrier for substrate and media disk members comprising:
a base member having
a flat peripheral base flange,
upstanding side and end walls connected to said base flange,
a top surface having a semicylindrical disk supporting recess
projecting downwardly toward said peripheral base flange and
including a plurality of continuous semicircular V-shaped grooves
each subtending an arc of less than 180 degrees for holding a disk
member; and
a transparent lid member having side and end walls, respectively,
telescopically enclosing said side and end walls of said base
member, and
a top surface,
said lid side walls including indentations each having a base top
engaging surface for distributing the load of said lid member on
said base member for allowing stacking carriers one on top of
another.
22. A carrier for substrate and media disk members comprising:
a base member having
a flat peripheral base flange,
upstanding side and end walls connected to said base flange,
a top surface having a semicylindrical disk supporting recess
projecting downwardly toward said peripheral base flange and
including a plurality of continuous semicircular V-shaped grooves
each subtending an arc of less than 180 degrees for holding disk
members, and
a transparent lid member having
side and end walls, respectively, telescopically enclosing said
side and and walls of said base member,
a top surface having a recessed portion centrally thereof including
a plurality of semicircular V-shaped grooves inside said lid
member, each groove for holding the top edge of a disk member held
by said base member,
said lid member including elongated upwardly projecting support
ridges which contact the underside of the base member disk
supporting recess of one base member positioned above said lid
member when pairs of base and lid members are stacked on top of one
another. .Iadd.
23. A carrier for substrate and media disk members comprising: a
substantially rigid base member having upstanding side walls with a
top, end walls and a top surface having a semicylindrical disk
supporting recess projecting downwardly and including a plurality
of continuous semicircular substantially V-shaped grooves; said
grooves having a lowermost point and a given minimum semicircular
radius; each groove subtending an arc of less than 180 degrees for
holding a disk member having a portion substantially conforming to
said semicircular grooves; said base member having a width greater
than twice the length of said given minimum semicircular radius of
said grooves; said top of said side walls having a height above
said lowermost point of the said grooves less than the length of
said given minimum semicircular radius whereby the disk members can
be grasped and lifted at diametrically opposed peripheral portions;
said side walls at a base member width greater than twice the
length of said given minimum semicircular radius of said grooves
and said end walls having means for telescoping attachment of a lid
member to enclose disk members within said base member and the lid
member. .Iaddend. .Iadd.24. A carrier for substrate and media disk
members comprising: a base member having upstanding side walls with
a top, end walls and a top surface having a semicylindrical disk
supporting recess projecting downwardly and including a plurality
of continuous semicircular substantially V-shaped grooves; said
grooves having a lowermost point and a given minimum semicircular
radius; each groove subtending an arc of less than 180 degrees for
holding a disk member having a portion substantially conforming to
said semicircular grooves; said top of said side walls having a
height above said lowermost point of said grooves less than the
length of said given minimum semicircular radius whereby the disk
members can be grasped and lifted at diametrically opposed
peripheral portions and a lid member having side and end walls,
respectively, telescoping with side and end walls of said base
member and means inside said lid member for holding each disk held
by said base member. .Iaddend. .Iadd.25. A carrier for substrate
and media disk members comprising: a base member having upstanding
side walls with a top, end walls and a top surface having a
semicylindrical disk supporting recess projecting downwardly and
including a plurality of continuous semicircular substantially
V-shaped grooves; said grooves having a lowermost point and a given
minimum semicircular radius; each groove subtending an arc of less
than 180 degrees for holding a disk member having a portion
substantially conforming to said semicircular grooves; said top of
said side walls having a height above said lowermost point of said
grooves less than the length of said given minimum semicircular
radius whereby the disk members can be grasped and lifted at
diametrically opposed peripheral portions and a lid member having
side and end walls, respectively, telescoping with side and end
walls of said base member, means inside said lid member for holding
each disk held by said base member and cooperating engaging means
on said base member and said lid member whereby said base member
and lid member are stackable in pairs one on top of another.
.Iaddend.
Description
DESCRIPTION
1. Technical Field
The present invention relates in general to substrate and media
carriers and more specifically to carriers for disks and
particularly annular, rigid, magnetic disks and their
substrates.
2. Background Art
The exploding microcomputer market is increasing the demand
tremendously for rigid disk drives and disk substrates for use in
those drives. Currently 51/4 inch rigid disks are experiencing the
most growth and other rigid disk sizes are being promoted. With the
tremendous demand for rigid disks, automated production lines are
needed to satisfy the volume of product required. These market
conditions have created requirements for disk carriers and
packaging that are amenable to stringent disk, media and disk drive
specifications and their manufacturing environments. These
requirements in turn dictate that disk carriers and packaging be
compatible to human engineering principles in addition to being
compatible to automation, clean room environments, high volume
production, storage requirements and the rigors of common carrier
transit.
The carriers currently available do not satisfy these
requirements.
Certain of the currently available disk carriers are extensions of
carriers originally designed for wafers used in the production of
semiconductor chips. One such carrier is a container, as shown in
FIG. 1, that is substantially U-shaped in transverse cross-section
provided with a U-shaped opening in the opposite ends thereof, and
extension of the U-shaped cross-section at the bottom of the "U" to
an opening closed by a friction fit bottom cover. A lid is provided
which closes the top of the carrier and the U-shaped openings in
the opposite ends there. The opposing sidewalls of the container
are provided with slots for receiving the opposite edges of a disk.
Discs are dropped into the container in the opposing slots and come
to rest in slot portions in the opposing side walls near the bottom
of the U with the disk substantially entirely located below the top
surface of the container. Discs can be removed from the container
by removing the bottom and pushing the disks upwardly out of the
container or by means of a mandrel inserted longitudinally through
the central apertures in the disks for lifting upwardly to remove
the disks. One of the drawbacks to this container is the ease with
which a disk can be inserted in a crooked fashion in the container
in non-matching slot portions in opposing side walls and the
instability of the disk as it is lifted up out of the container,
especially when the lateral most portions of the disk approach the
top of the container. The manner in which disks are positioned
within the container limits rigid holders for picking the disks out
of the container to a grip on both the inside diameter and outside
diameter of the disk, which prevents immediate placement of the
disk on a spindle. When placing a disk on a spindle, typically the
ID and OD grip must be transferred to a grip at two places on the
OD.
Another currently available carrier, as shown in FIG. 2, is
circular and provided with a central post onto which the disks are
positioned at their central opening. Spacer rings are positioned
between adjacent disks to separate the sensitive or coated surfaces
thereof. These carriers suffer from a number of deficiencies
different from the deficiencies of the "U-shaped" carriers. This
spindle carrier does not permit ready access to any one particular
disk in the stack without first removing at least all the disks
from the stack above the disk of interest. Additionally, the spacer
rings must be positioned on the disks and present the potential for
rings sliding across and damaging the surface of the disk.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
The object of the present invention is to provide a substrate and
media carrier for disk and annular shaped members wherein all of
the disks are individually accessible and can be fully enclosed for
storage or rigid support in transit.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a substrate
and media carrier easily and readily operable with automated
production lines wherein disks in specific locations of the carrier
can be readily accessible.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a disk
carrier in which the disks can be handled by gripping on
diametrically opposed outside diameter positions or, in the case of
annular disks, at both an outside diameter and an inside diameter
position.
Another object of the present invention is to provide disk carriers
which can be stacked one on top of the other with the weight of the
disks distributed down directly from the disks of one carrier to
the disks in the carrier next below and thereupon to the disks of
any carriers further below.
These objects are achieved in accordance with the present invention
with a carrier having a base member with upstanding side and end
walls and a top surface having a media supporting recess projecting
downwardly and including a plurality of semicircular V-shaped
grooves and locating means along one side of the carrier for
locating the carrier and disk handling equipment.
One feature and advantage of the construction in accordance with
the present invention is that a disk can only be inserted in one
semicircular groove and the disk cannot be misaligned in the
carrier.
Another feature and advantage of the present invention is that the
carrier can be indexed and operated with automated machinery for
fully automatically handling the disks held in the carrier
individually, sequentially, or as a group.
In accordance with still another aspect of the present invention,
the semicircular V-shaped grooves in the base member subtend an arc
of substantially 45.degree. whereby the disk can be grasped at
diametrically opposed peripheral portions or, in the case of
annular disks, can be grasped by contact at both the ID and the
OD.
In accordance with still another aspect of the present invention,
the carrier is provided with a transparent lid member having side
and end walls respectively telescopically enclosing the side and
end walls of the base member. With this construction the disks
inside the carrier are clearly visible and can be sealed against
environmental contamination. The telescoping side walls can be
angled inwardly from the normal to the base of the members so that
the side walls create a force-fit seal therebetween.
In accordance with still another aspect of the present invention,
the carrier can be provided with elongated indentations in the base
side walls which engage the lid top surface of the lid member on a
pair of base and lid members onto which the particular carrier in
question is stacked.
In accordance with still another aspect of the present invention,
the lid of the carrier is provided with elongated upwardly
projecting support ridges which contact the underside of the base
member media supporting surface of a base member of a carrier
positioned thereabove for distributing the weight of the disks in
each carrier directly down on and through the disks in the carrier
located therebelow.
In accordance with still another aspect of the present invention,
the base member of the carrier can be provided with openings in the
semicircular grooves thereof for draining liquid therefrom. With
this construction the carrier can be used for wet process operation
on the disks held by the carrier base member.
Another feature and advantage of the present invention is that with
disks positioned in an apertured base member from which liquid has
been drained, another base member of similar construction, but
without openings, can be positioned on top of the disks and the
assembly inverted. Then the apertured base member can be removed
from the top of the assembly and replaced by the lid of the
aforementioned construction for sealing the assembly of disks.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention the
carrier includes a flat peripheral base flange surrounding the
bottom of both the base member and the lid member, providing stable
support for the carrier. The peripheral flange can include raised
peripheral portions at the ends of the carrier whereby the carrier
can be easily grasped and lifted by its ends.
In accordance with still another aspect of the present invention,
the carrier can be provided with means for locking the base and lid
members together, preferably at the raised peripheral edge portion
at the ends of the carrier.
These and other aspects, features and advantages of the present
invention will become more apparent upon a perusal of the following
description taken in conjunction with the accompanying
drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one prior art carrier
construction.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of another prior art carrier
construction.
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the carrier in accordance with the
present invention filled with disks.
FIG. 3A is a perspective view of the structure shown in FIG. 3 with
the lid removed from the base which includes only a few disks.
FIG. 4 is a top plan view of the carrier base member utilized in
the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a side elevational view of a portion of the structure
shown in FIG. 4 taken along line 5--5 in the direction of the
arrows.
FIG. 6 is an end elevational view of a portion of the structure
shown in FIG. 4 taken along line 6--6 in the direction of the
arrows.
FIG. 7 is a top plan view of the lid member of the carrier
construction in accordance with the present invention.
FIG. 8 is a side elevational view of a portion of the structure
shown in FIG. 7 taken along line 8--8 in the direction of the
arrows.
FIG. 9 is an end elevational view of a portion of the structure
shown in FIG. 7 taken along line 9--9 in the direction of the
arrows.
FIG. 10 is an elevational, sectional view of carriers of the
present invention stacked one on top of another.
FIG. 11 is a perspective view similar to FIG. 10.
FIG. 12 is an enlarged perspective view of a portion of the base
member of an alternative construction.
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
While the present invention is applicable to substrate disks, it is
particularly applicable to annular, rigid, media disks for disk
drives and therefore will be described with respect to the latter
articles.
Referring now to FIGS. 3-10, the carrier 9 is formed of a base
member 10 and a lid member 30. While the carrier parts can be made
of various materials, in the preferred embodiment the base member
10 is made of white, high-impact polystyrene and the lid member 30
is made of clear polyethylene terephthalate glycol.
The base member 10 is generally rectangular in shape in plan view
.Iadd.is wider than the length of the diameter of the disks to be
carried .Iaddend.and is provided with a flat, horizontal,
peripheral base flange 11 which includes flange portions 11a and
11b at the sides of the carrier and flange portions 11c and 11d at
the ends of the carrier. The carrier has upstanding walls 13
connected to the base flange 11, the walls being angled slightly
inwardly of the base member 10 from the normal to the base flange
and including side walls 13a and 13b .Iadd.at a base member width
greater than the length of the diameter of the disks .Iaddend.and
end walls 13c and 13d, respectively, connected to the base flange
portions 11a, b, c, and d. A top surface 14 is connected to the
side and end walls 13 and includes a media supporting recess 15,
semicylindrical in cross-sectional outline and including a
plurality of V-shaped semicircular grooves for receiving an arcuate
peripheral portion of the disk D. It has been found that
semicircular grooves 16 subtending an arc of 45.degree. provide
good support for the disks D and permit ready access to more than
180.degree. of the circumference of the disk for gripping by
transfer devices, especially those that would grip the disk at
diametrically opposing positions.
In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention as
illustrated in FIG. 12, the grooves 6 of certain carriers can be
provided with drain slots 16a at the lowest portion of the grooves
16 so that the carrier base member can be used with disks with
which wet processes are employed during the manufacture so that
liquid can drain from the disks in the base member through the
slots 16a.
.Iadd.As shown in FIGS. 3, 3A and 12, the disks D have a peripheral
portion substantially conforming to the semicircular grooves 16.
The top of the side walls 13a and 13b is coincident with the top
surface 14. In order for the disk D to be gripped at diametrically
opposing positions, the grooves 16 have a minimum semicircular
radius and the top of the side walls 13a and 13b has a height above
the lowest portion or lowermost point of the grooves 16 less than
the length of the minimum semicircular radius of the grooves.
.Iaddend.
The top surface 14 includes identifying indicia 17 at each of the
grooves 16 so that each of the disks placed in the carrier can be
designated with a unique identifier.
A base member identifier locator is provided for indexing and
locating the carrier with respect to automated handling equipment.
While this identifier can take a number of different forms, one
preferred form comprises a pair of pilot apertures 18 provided in
only one base flange portion 11a. These apertures can be located by
indexing pins in the automated machinery to properly locate the
carrier. By providing pilot apertures 18 on only one side base
flange portion, the carrier is assymetrical and, therefore,
non-reversible, and all carriers will always be indexed from the
same side of the carrier.
The base member 10 includes elongated indentations 19 along each of
the side walls 13a and 13b with each indentation 19, including a
flat bottom surface 19a adapted to engage the lid of a carrier
combination 9 positioned below the particular carrier base member
in question as described in greater detail below.
For additional identification, the base member 10 includes a label
recess 21 on the top surface 14 toward one end of the carrier where
a label identifying the nature of the disks being carried in the
carrier can be positioned for human or machine readable
identification. An identifying strip portion 22 is provided at one
end of the base member of the carrier where the name of the carrier
owner or carrier manufacturer can be printed or embossed.
Referring now to FIGS. 7-10, there is shown the detailed
construction of the lid member 30 which has the same general
rectangular plan configuration as the base member 10. The lid
member 30 includes a peripheral base flange 31 provided with flange
portions 31a and 31b on the sides and 31c and 31d at the ends
corresponding to the base flange peripheral portions of the base
member. The lid 30 is provided with walls 33, including side walls
33a and 33b and end walls 33c and 33d corresponding to and
telescopically enclosing the side walls 11a and 11b and end walls
11c and 11d of the base member. The lid walls are angled inwardly
at the same angle as the walls of the base member so that when the
lid is placed on the base member, a friction fit seal is created
between the base and lid members.
The lid member 30 is provided with a top surface 34 having a
central recess 35 which is provided inside the lid member 30 with a
plurality of semicircular grooves 36 aligned with the semicircular
grooves 16 of the base member. The grooves 36 receive the top of a
disk member positioned in the media supporting recess 15 of the
base member, and the grooves 36 need subtend only a small arc, such
as about 5.degree..
The lid member 30 includes structural elements for distributing the
weight of stacked carriers to the carriers therebelow and including
indentations 37 in the lid member having base top engaging surfaces
at the bottom of the indentations engaging the top surface 14 of
the base member. End indentations 37c and 37d in end walls 33c and
33d, respectively, include base top engaging surfaces 33c' and
33d'. Side wall indentations 37a and 37b in side walls 33a and 33b
include base top engaging surfaces 33a' and 33b'.
The top surface 34 of the lid member 30 includes a pair of upwardly
projecting elongated support bars or ridges 38a and 38b on opposite
sides of the recess 35 for engaging the bottom of the media
supporting recess 15 of a base member 10 supported on top of the
lid member 30. With these ridges 38 the weight of disk members D in
one carrier is distributed directly down onto the disk members
immediately therebelow and directed from there to the base member
10 therebelow and any additional disks in a carrier below that base
member 10.
The base member 10 and lid member 30 are provided with raised end
peripheral portions 12 and 32, respectively. The raised peripheral
portion 12 includes two angled peripheral portions 12a and 12b
extending upwardly from the peripheral flange 11 to a horizontal
raised peripheral portion 12c. Similarly, angled peripheral
portions 32a and 32b extend upward to a horizontally raised
peripheral portion 32c of the lid member. These raised peripheral
portions provide a hand hole at the end of the container whereby
the container can be picked up manually or by means of automated
equipment.
Means are provided for locking the base lid members together. This
locking means can take various forms including swinging clips 39
which are attached to raised peripheral flange portion 32c of the
lid member 30 and swing to clamp the horizontal raised peripheral
portions 12c and 32c together.
While it is believed that the preceding description of the
preferred embodiment provides sufficient disclosure for use by a
person skilled in the art, the following additional illustrative
example is given.
A carrier in accordance with the present invention for holding 50
51/4 inch substrates or media is approximately 16 inches long, 83/4
inches wide with a base that is 11/2 high and a lid which is
approximately 6 inches high. The slots in the base are spaced 1/4
inch apart center to center.
The carrier is suitable for both in processes handling of
substrates and media and shipping and storage of final parts. The
carrier is durable enough to be shipped by common carrier, air and
surface transportation, providing protection of the substrates and
media from external sources and preventing friction damage from
part to part contact within the carrier. The carrier can be
configured to accommodate any size media or substrate and is
amenable to different methods of fabrication including vacuum and
blow methods and injection molding.
These and other aspects, features and advantages of the present
invention will become more apparent upon a perusal of the following
description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings
wherein similar characters of reference refer to similar parts in
each of the several views.
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