Adjustable cassette for substrates

Abstract

A cassette (100) for accommodating substrates includes a frame (110) and supporting members (120). The frame includes a top shelf (111) and a bottom shelf (112), which cooperatively defines a space therebetween. The top and bottom shelves each include at least two adjusting members (114) with positioning slots (115). Each of the adjusting members includes a positioning slot and a plurality of keyways (116) in communication with the positioning slot. The supporting members oppositely disposed in the space, and at least one of them includes a pair of adjusting shafts (124) movable along the positioning slots and removeably engaging in the selected of the keyways of the adjusting members. With this configuration, it enables easy adjustment of the distance between opposite supporting members. In the adjusting process, no part need be detached from the cassette.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a cassette for storing or transporting a plurality of substrates, particularly substrates such as liquid crystal panels.

BACKGROUND

Nowadays, various kinds of substrates (e.g., glass substrates) are used for the manufacturing of LCDs (Liquid Crystal Displays), plasma displays, and hybrid ICs (Integrated Circuits). In various parts of the mass manufacturing chain, these substrates are loaded into a substrate cassette for storage or transportation. The substrate cassette can conveniently hold a plurality of the substrates, and has been widely used for carrying the substrates from one fabrication shop floor to another.

A conventional substrate cassette is shown in FIG. 5. The cassette 10 includes a top frame 11, a bottom frame 12, and two side plates 13 interconnecting the top and bottom frames 11, 12. The side plates 13 include parallel supporting ledges 131 protruding inwardly therefrom respectively. The top frame 11, the bottom frame 12 and the side plates 13 cooperatively form a space 16, for accommodating substrates inserted along the supporting ledges 131. The cassette 10 also includes a plurality of vertical stopper rods 15 for retaining the substrates therein.

However, any one manufacturer may have to deal with variously sized substrates used for making different products. When differently sized substrates need to be stored or transported, a new cassette for each size of substrate is needed. This increases the costs of storage and transportation.

Thus another kind of substrate cassette has been developed. Referring to FIG. 6, a cassette 20 for holding and transporting substrates of varying sizes is shown. The cassette 20 includes a top frame 21, a bottom frame 22, a side frame 27, a fixed side plate 23, and a moveable side plate 24. The side plates 23, 24 include parallel supporting ledges 231 protruding inwardly therefrom respectively. The top and bottom frames 21, 22, and the side plates 23, 24 cooperatively form a space 26 to accommodate substrates therein. The top frame 21 has two parallel grooves 211, and the bottom frame 22 has two corresponding parallel grooves 221. The moveable side plate 24 can be slid along the grooves 211, 221 in order to adapt to new differently sized substrates. The moveable side plate 24 is fixed in a desired position by screws 29.

The cassette 20 can adjust the size of the space 26 in order to adapt to variations in sizes of the substrates, by moving the moveable side plate 24 along the frames 21, 22 and fixing the moveable side plate 24 in its new position. However, to adjust the cassette 20, a tool such as a screwdriver is needed to unfasten and refasten the screws 29. In addition, the moveable side plate 24 must be disengaged and then reengaged each time an adjustment is needed. The required disengagement and reengagement can be troublesome and time-consuming. Moreover, the unfastened screws 29 are liable to be lost.

Accordingly, what is needed is an adjustable cassette that can overcome the above-described deficiencies.

SUMMARY

An exemplary cassette for accommodating substrates includes a frame and supporting members. The frame includes a top shelf and a bottom shelf, which cooperatively defines a space therebetween. The top and bottom shelves each include at least two adjusting members with positioning slots. Each of the adjusting members includes a positioning slot and a plurality of keyways in communication with the positioning slot. The supporting members oppositely disposed in the space, and at least one of them includes a pair of adjusting shafts movable along the positioning slots and removeably engaging in the selected of the keyways of the adjusting members.

Other advantages and novel features will become more apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic, isometric view of a cassette according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged, exploded view of two supporting members of the cassette of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is similar to FIG. 1, but showing two adjusting shafts of one of the supporting members disengaged from corresponding keyways of four adjusting members of the cassette.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of a circled portion IV of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a schematic, isometric view of a conventional cassette.

FIG. 6 is a schematic, isometric view of another conventional cassette.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Reference will now be made to the drawings to describe the present invention in detail.

Referring to FIG. 1, a schematic, isometric view of a cassette according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention is shown. The cassette 100 is for holding and transporting substrates, and includes a frame 110 and two supporting members 120.

The frame 110 includes a top shelf 111, a bottom shelf 112, and a plurality of supporting rods 113 interconnecting the top and bottom shelves 111, 112. The top shelf 111, the bottom shelf 112 and the supporting rods 113 cooperatively define a space (not labeled). The top and bottom shelves 111, 112 include four corresponding adjusting members 114, respectively. Each of the adjusting members 114 includes a longitudinal positioning slot 115, and a plurality of keyways 116 perpendicularly disposed at opposite sides of the positioning slot 115 respectively.

The top and bottom shelves 111, 112, the supporting rods 113, and the adjusting members 114 may be made of aluminum, stainless steel or other metallic materials. For reducing the weight of the cassette 100, the frame 110 may be made of carbon fiber resin.

Also referring to FIG. 2, an enlarged, exploded view of the supporting members 120 is shown. The supporting members 120 are parallel to each other. Each supporting member 120 includes a top connecting bar 121, a bottom connecting bar 122, a plurality of supporting bodies 123, and a plurality of adjusting shafts 124. In the illustrated embodiment, each supporting member 120 has two adjusting shafts 124. The top and bottom connecting bars 121, 122 include corresponding guiding slots 125 and 225 respectively, for movably receiving top and bottom ends 1241, 1244 of the adjusting shafts 124 respectively. The supporting bodies 123 and the adjusting shafts 124 are arranged between the top and bottom connecting bars 121, 122. Each of the supporting bodies 123 includes a plurality of supporting ribs 1231 arranged one above the other. Each supporting rib 1231 may be used for supporting a side portion of a substrate contained in the cassette 100.

Each of the adjusting shafts 124 includes a top end 1241, a discord screw cap 1242, a coil spring 1243, and a bottom end 1244. The top end 1241 has an outer screw thread (not visible) at a topmost portion thereof, and the screw cap 1242 has an inner screw thread (not visible). The outer screw thread of the top end 1241 mates with the inner screw thread of the screw cap 1242, so that the screw cap 1242 may be threadingly fastened to the top end 1241. The coil spring 1243 is located between the screw cap 1242 and an annular shoulder of the adjusting shaft 124 where the top end 1241 adjoins a main body of the adjusting shaft 124.

Referring to FIG. 3, in assembly, the two supporting members 120 are disposed in the space of the cassette 100 symmetrically opposite to each other, with the supporting ribs 1231 thereof facing inwardly toward each other. The guiding slots 125, 225 of the connecting bars 121, 122 are aligned with the corresponding positioning slots 115 of the adjusting members 114 of the top and bottom shelves 111, 112 respectively. A coil spring 1243 is placed around the top end 1241 of each adjusting shaft 124. The top end 1241 of the adjusting shaft 124 is extended through the corresponding guiding slot 125 and the positioning slot 115 of the corresponding upper adjusting member 114, and is then engaged with the corresponding screw cap 1242. In this position, the coil spring 1243 is compressed between the shoulder of the adjusting shaft 124 and an underside of the corresponding top connecting bar 121, and the bottom end 1244 of the adjusting shaft 124 is located in the corresponding guiding slot 225 and the positioning slot 115 of the corresponding lower adjusting member 114. Then the adjusting shaft 124 is moved horizontally along a desired pair of upper and lower keyways 116 until it reaches enlarged blind ends of the keyways 116 (see below). The adjusting shaft 124 is then released. Thereby, the coil spring 1243 decompresses, the top end 1241 with the screw cap 1242 is engaged in the selected upper keyway 116, and the bottom end 1244 is engaged in the selected lower keyway 116.

In use, when the size of a substrate is larger or smaller than the distance between the two opposite supporting members 120, the cassette 100 can be adjusted to fit the substrate. Commonly, only one of the two supporting members 120 needs to be repositioned, which is performed as follows. The adjusting shafts 124 of the supporting member 120 to be adjusted are lifted slightly, so that the top ends 1241 of the adjusting shafts 124 are disengaged from the corresponding keyways 116 and slidable along the positioning slots 115. At this time, the coil springs 1243 are compressed. The supporting member 120 is slid along the upper and lower adjusting members 114 until the distance between the supporting members 120 corresponds to the size of the substrate. The adjusting shafts 124 are moved to positions above the desired upper and lower keyways 116, and are then released. Thereby, the coil springs 1243 decompress, the top ends 1241 with the screw caps 1242 are engaged in the selected upper keyways 116, and the bottom ends 1244 are engaged in the selected lower keyways 116.

Referring to FIG. 4, this shows details of the configurations of the upper keyways 116. The wall around each keyway 116 includes a horizontal step (not labeled) between a vertical upper wall 1161 and a vertical lower wall 1162. The enlarged blind end of the keyway 116 is generally circular, and a diameter defined by the upper wall 1161 thereat is larger than a diameter defined by the lower wall 1162 thereat. The diameter defined by the upper wall 1161 is slightly larger than a diameter of the corresponding screw cap 1142, and the diameter defined by the lower wall 1162 is smaller than the diameter of the screw cap 1142. Thereby, the screw cap 1142 can be properly positioned and held in the enlarged blind end of the keyway 116 without moving too far down.

In summary, the cassette 100 provides the above-described sliding and fixing means, which essentially include the adjusting shafts 124 with the screw caps 1242 and coil springs 1243, and adjusting members 114 with the positioning slots 115 and keyways 116. The sliding and fixing means provide easy adjustment of the distance between the two opposite supporting members 120. In the adjusting process, no part need be detached from the cassette 100. The risk of misplacing loose parts is eliminated, and the adjusting process is simple and speedy.

Various modifications and alterations are possible in addition to the ambit of the disclosure herein. For example, only one supporting member 120 may be provided, with another corresponding supporting member simply being fixed in the frame 110. In another example, one of two supporting members 120 may be fixed in the frame 110, with only the other supporting member 120 being movable. In each of these examples, when the size of a substrate is larger or smaller than the distance between the two opposite supporting members, the movable supporting member 120 can be adjusted so that the substrate fits in the cassette. In other embodiments, each pair of aligned adjusting members 114 may be consolidated into a single elongated adjusting member. In still other embodiments, the supporting bodies 123 of each supporting member 120 may be consolidated into a single supporting body.

It is to be further understood that even though numerous characteristics and advantages of the present embodiments have been set out in the foregoing description, together with details of the structures and functions of the embodiments, the disclosure is illustrative only, and changes may be made in detail, especially in matters of shape, size, and arrangement of parts within the principles of the invention to the full extent indicated by the broad general meaning of the terms in which the appended claims are expressed.

Claims

1. A cassette for accommodating substrates, comprising:

a frame comprising a top shelf and a bottom shelf, the top and bottom shelves cooperatively defining a space therebetween, the top and bottom shelves each comprising at least two adjusting members, each of the adjusting members comprising a positioning slot and a plurality of keyways in communication with the positioning slot; and

a pair of supporting members oppositely disposed in the space, at least one of the supporting members comprising a pair of adjusting shafts movable along the positioning slots and removeably engaging in selected of the keyways of the adjusting members.

2. The cassette as claimed in claim 1, wherein both supporting members comprise a pair of adjusting shafts.

3. The cassette as claimed in claim 2, wherein the supporting members are disposed in the space symmetrically opposite to each other, each of the supporting members further comprises a plurality of supporting ribs, and the supporting ribs of each supporting member extend inwardly toward the supporting ribs of the other supporting member.

4. The cassette as claimed in claim 1, wherein in each of the adjusting members, the keyways are disposed at opposite sides of the positioning slot, respectively.

5. The cassette as claimed in claim 4, wherein in each of the adjusting members of the top shelf, each of the keyways has a step defined between an upper wall and a lower wall.

6. The cassette as claimed in claim 5, wherein, a blind end of each of the keyways is generally circular, and a diameter defined the upper wall at the blind end is larger than a diameter defined by the lower wall at the blind end.

7. The cassette as claimed in claim 6, wherein the at least one supporting member further comprises a top connecting bar and a bottom connecting bar, and each of the top and bottom connecting bars comprises a pair of guiding slots respectively receiving corresponding ends of the adjusting shafts.

8. The cassette as claimed in claim 7, wherein each of the adjusting shafts comprises a top end with an outer screw thread at a topmost portion thereof, and the top end extends through the corresponding guiding slot of the top connecting bar and is at least partially located in the positioning slot or the selected keyway of the corresponding adjusting member.

9. The cassette as claimed in claim 8, wherein each of the adjusting shafts further comprises a screw cap with an inner screw thread mating with the outer screw thread of the top end, whereby the screw cap is engaged with the top end.

10. The cassette as claimed in claim 9, wherein the screw cap is engaged in the corresponding selected keyway.

11. The cassette as claimed in claim 10, wherein each of the adjusting shafts further comprises a coil spring located between a shoulder at the top end of the adjusting shaft and a bottom of the corresponding adjusting member.

12. The cassette as claimed in claim 11, wherein each of the adjusting shafts further comprises a bottom end, and the bottom end extends through the corresponding guiding slot of the bottom connecting bar and is at least partially located in the positioning slot or the selected keyway of the corresponding adjusting member.

13. The cassette as claimed in claim 12, wherein the at least one supporting member further comprises at least one supporting body, and the at least one supporting body comprises a plurality of supporting ribs vertically arranged one above the other.

14. The cassette as claimed in claim 1, wherein the frame further comprises a plurality of supporting rods interconnecting the top and bottom shelves.

15. A cassette for accommodating substrates, comprising:

a frame comprising a top shelf and a bottom shelf, the top and bottom shelves cooperatively defining a space therebetween, at least one of the top and bottom shelves comprising at least one adjusting member, the adjusting member comprising a positioning slot and a plurality of keyways in communication with the positioning slot; and

a pair of supporting members oppositely disposed in the space, at least one of the supporting members comprising at least one adjusting shaft movable along the positioning slot and removeably engaging in selected one of the keyways of the adjusting member.