Supports – Miscellaneous
Utility Patent
1998-12-10
2001-01-02
King, Anita M. (Department: 3632)
Supports
Miscellaneous
C248S550000, C248S313000
Utility Patent
active
06168130
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a casing in which a gas container is accommodated, hereinafter referred to as a cylinder cabinet. More specifically, the present invention relates to a safety measure involving a means for detecting whether a gas container is firmly fixed in a cylinder cabinet, particulary after said gas container has been exchanged.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Many of the gases used as a feed material in the semiconductor-manufacturing industry, gases such as SiH
4
, PH
3
and NF
3
, possess various dangerous properties, for instance, combustibility (explosiveness), toxicity and corrosiveness. When such a gas is used it is stored in a portable gas container referred to as a gas bomb or gas cylinder. One is also legally obligated to use a gas container accommodated in a casing referred to as a cylinder cabinet for reasons of safety.
When the amount of gas remaining in a gas container becomes small, the gas container must be exchanged in a timely fashion with a new gas container. In the case where a new gas container is disposed at a predetermined position within a cylinder cabinet, said gas container is usually secured within the cylinder cabinet to prevent it from falling down. As to the means for securing the gas container, particularly to the wall face of a cylinder cabinet, prior art means include a chain or steel band attached to the wall face of the cylinder cabinet for tightening and thereby securing the gas container.
In exchanging a gas container, safety precautions require that there also exist a method for confirming that the exchanged container has been properly secured. However, there is the distinct possibility of human error in such operations. While the release and securing of a gas container are repeatedly carried out whenever a gas container is exchanged, carelessness of the worker can cause the container to be loosely secured, or not secured at all within the cylinder cabinet. Such an error creates a danger that the container will fall down, thereby leading to a gas leak. It would be very desirable and important to the industry, therefore, if a cylinder cabinet was provided which could prevent any failure to properly secure a gas cylinder therein by human error. Safety would be thereby greatly improved.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In order to achieve the aforementioned objective, the present invention provides a cylinder cabinet having a means for securing a gas container accommodated therein, a control means for managing and controlling a series of steps which are carried out in a gas container-exchange operation, and a detection means which detects whether the gas container is suitably secured or not. When the detection means detects that a new gas container is not properly secured by said securing means after the gas container has been replaced in a gas-exchange operation, the control means places the gas container-exchange operation on standby, not transferring it to the next step.
Therefore, in a case where a worker has forgotten to properly secure a gas container, the cylinder of the present invention does not permit the gas container-exchange operation to progress ahead. As a result, the worker realizes the container must be properly secured and can attend to same.
In a preferred embodiment, the securing means is a band of the type that tightens around and thereby secures the body of a gas container, with a pressure
In a preferred embodiment, the securing means is a band of the type that tightens around and thereby secures the body of a gas container, with a pressure sensor attached on the inner face of said band. The pressure sensor can thereby detect whether a suitable tightening force has been applied, and thereby whether the gas container has been properly secured or not.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4023761 (1977-05-01), Molis
patent: 5224287 (1993-07-01), Knudsen
patent: 5354029 (1994-10-01), Ziaylek, Jr. et al.
patent: 5447285 (1995-09-01), Yokogi
patent: 5588637 (1996-12-01), Carsten et al.
patent: 5810309 (1998-09-01), Augustine et al.
patent: 5899225 (1999-05-01), Yokogi
Burns Doane Swecker & Mathis L.L.P.
King Anita M.
L'Air Liquide Societe Anonyme pour l'Etude et l'E
Wood Kimberly
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