US5299584A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Cleaning device
Assignee: Tokyo Electron Ltd
•
Filing: 1992-04-23
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Granted: 1994-04-05
•
Expires: 2012-04-23
Abstract
Abstract A cleaning device comprises at least one cleaning tub containing a cleaning liquid, a chamber housing the cleaning tub, a mechanism for taking an article to be cleaned in/out of the cleaning liquid in the cleaning tub, and a shutter for shutting the inside of the chamber from the outside thereof. The shutter opens when a cleaned material is conveyed in/out of the chamber, thereby passing the cleaned material there through. A clean air supplying unit for forming downflow of clean air around the cleaning tub is provided on the upper portion of the chamber. A exhausting unit for sucking the clean air passing around the cleaning tub and exhausting the air out of the chamber is provided on the lower portion of the chamber.
Inventors
- 👤 Takanori Miyazaki
- 👤 Sinitirou Izumi
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-02 23:04
CPC Classifications
H; H10; H10P; H10P72/00; H10P72/04; H10P72/0402; H10P72/0406; H10P72/0411; H10P72/0416; B; B08; B08B; B08B15/00; B08B15/02; B08B3/00; B08B3/04; Y; Y10; Y10S; Y10S134/00; Y10S134/902
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 11
Claim 1
Independent Claim
138 words
A cleaning device comprising: at least one cleaning tub storing a cleaning liquid; a chamber housing said cleaning tub; take-in/take-out means for taking an article to be cleaned in/out of the cleaning liquid in said cleaning tub; a shutter for shutting out the inside of said chamber from the outside thereof, said shutter opening at the time of conveying said article in/out of said chamber, thereby passing said article therethrough; clean air supplying means for supplying clean air in said chamber and forming downflow of the clean air around said cleaning tub; and exhausting means for sucking the clean air passing around said cleaning tub and exhausting it out of said chamber; the cleaning device further comprising means for increasing the speed of the downflow passing around the peripheral portion of an upper surface of said cleaning tub.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
138 words
A cleaning device comprising: at least one cleaning tub storing a cleaning liquid; a chamber housing said cleaning tub; take-in/take-out means for taking an article to be cleaned in/out of the cleaning liquid in said cleaning tub; a shutter for shutting out the inside of said chamber from the outside thereof, said shutter opening at the time of conveying said article in/out of said chamber, thereby passing said article therethrough; clean air supplying means for supplying clean air in said chamber and forming downflow of the clean air around said cleaning tub; and exhausting means for sucking the clean air passing around said cleaning tub and exhausting it out of said chamber; the cleaning device further comprising means for increasing the speed of the downflow passing around the peripheral portion of an upper surface of said cleaning tub.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
35 words
The cleaning device according to claim 1 further comprising: means for filtering the cleaning liquid in said cleaning tub and circulating the cleaning liquid; and means for exhausting the cleaning liquid leaking in said chamber.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
22 words
The cleaning device according to claim 1, wherein said exhausting means includes a punched plate disposed at the bottom of said chamber.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
25 words
The cleaning device according to claim 3, wherein said punched plate has a number of holes each having a diameter of 5 to 20 mm.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
28 words
The cleaning device according to claim 4 wherein said punched plate has a number of holes each having a diameter of 10 mm, whose opening ratio is 10%.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
63 words
The cleaning device according to claim 1, further including pressure keeping means for maintaining a reduced pressure inside of said chamber relative to a pressure outside of said chamber, said pressure keeping means including detection means for detecting a differential pressure between the inside of said chamber and the outside thereof, and controlling the amount of air in said clean air supplying means.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
164 words
A cleaning device comprising: at least one cleaning tub for storing a cleaning liquid; p1 a chamber housing said one cleaning tub; take-in/take-out means for taking a cleaned material in/out of the cleaning liquid in said cleaning tub; a shutter for shutting out the inside of said chamber from the outside, said shutter opening at the time of conveying said cleaned material in/out of said chamber, thereby passing said article there through; clean air supplying means for supplying clean air into said chamber and forming downflow of said clean air around said cleaning tub; exhausting means for sucking said clean air passing around said cleaning tub and exhausting it out of said chamber; and means for increasing the speed of the downflow at the peripheral portion of the upper surface of said cleaning tub, said downflow speed increasing means including a flow direction adjusting plate provided in said chamber so as to cover the peripheral portion of the upper surface of said cleaning tub.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
164 words
A cleaning device comprising: at least one cleaning tub for storing a cleaning liquid; p1 a chamber housing said one cleaning tub; take-in/take-out means for taking a cleaned material in/out of the cleaning liquid in said cleaning tub; a shutter for shutting out the inside of said chamber from the outside, said shutter opening at the time of conveying said cleaned material in/out of said chamber, thereby passing said article there through; clean air supplying means for supplying clean air into said chamber and forming downflow of said clean air around said cleaning tub; exhausting means for sucking said clean air passing around said cleaning tub and exhausting it out of said chamber; and means for increasing the speed of the downflow at the peripheral portion of the upper surface of said cleaning tub, said downflow speed increasing means including a flow direction adjusting plate provided in said chamber so as to cover the peripheral portion of the upper surface of said cleaning tub.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
42 words
The cleaning device according to claim 7, wherein said adjusting plate is arranged so as to form a gap, whose vertical size is 10 to 100 mm, between said plate and the peripheral portion of the upper surface of said cleaning tub.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
40 words
The cleaning device according to claim 8, wherein said adjusting plate is arranged so as to form a gap, whose vertical size is 30 mm, between said plate and the peripheral portion of the upper surface of said cleaning tub.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1997-04-04 | 1997-10-04 | 1998-04-05 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2001-04-04 | 2001-10-04 | 2002-04-05 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2005-04-04 | 2005-10-04 | 2006-04-05 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |