Packing of thin glass sheets

Abstract

Articles and methods for packing thin glass sheets are disclosed. The articles and methods include placing the glass sheets in a container at an angle with respect to the container wall. Spacers contact the glass sheets on the periphery of the sheets.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A package for thin glass sheets comprising: 
 at least one substantially vertical wall and a substantially horizontal floor;    a main support member tilted at an angle with respect to the wall; and    a plurality of spacers adapted to separate the glass sheets by contacting the sheets on the peripheral edges of the sheets, each spacer supporting at least one glass sheet at four corners of the sheet.    
     
     
         2 . The package of  claim 1 , wherein the glass sheets are liquid crystal display substrates.  
     
     
         3 . The package of  claim 2 , wherein the glass sheets have a thickness less than about 0.8 mm.  
     
     
         4 . The package of  claim 3 , wherein the glass sheets have a thickness less than equal to about 0.5 mm.  
     
     
         5 . The package of  claim 1 , wherein the angle between the wall and a portion of the main support member is greater than about 5 degrees.  
     
     
         6 . The package of  claim 1 , wherein the angle between the wall and a portion of the main support member is greater than or equal to about 20 degrees.  
     
     
         7 . The package of  claim 1 , wherein the angle between the wall and a portion of the main support member is between about 15 degrees and 30 degrees.  
     
     
         8 . The package of  claim 1 , wherein spacer has a thickness less than about 5 mm.  
     
     
         9 . The package of  claim 8 , wherein the spacer is in the shape of a flexible frame that contacts the glass sheets only on the peripheral edges of the sheets.  
     
     
         10 . The package of  claim 9 , wherein the spacer includes a main frame made from acrylic material and an auxiliary cushion material associated with the main frame.  
     
     
         11 . The package of  claim 1 , wherein the main support member is L-shaped including an upper portion for supporting a major surface of the glass sheets and a lower portion for supporting the edges of the glass sheets.  
     
     
         12 . The package of  claim 12 , wherein the upper portion of the main support member is curved.  
     
     
         13 . A method of packaging thin glass sheets comprising: 
 providing a container having a substantially vertical wall and a substantially horizontal floor;    disposing a portion of the main support member in the container at an angle with respect to the wall;    separating the glass sheets with a frame-shaped spacer; and    placing the glass sheets in the container so that the glass sheets rest on the main support member in a spaced apart relation and each spacer supports at least one glass sheet at four corners of the sheet.    
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13 , further comprising placing spacers between the glass sheets, wherein the spacers contact only the periphery of the glass sheets.  
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein the glass sheets have a thickness of less than about 0.8 mm.  
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein the angle between a portion of the main support member and the wall is less than about 30 degrees and greater than about 5 degrees.  
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein the angle between a portion of the main support member and the wall is less than about 20 degrees and greater than about 5 degrees.  
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein the angle between a portion of the main support member and the wall is between about 15 degrees and 30 degrees.  
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the spacer includes a flexible acrylic frame and a cushioning element associated with the frame.  
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 19 , wherein the frame has a width of between about 10 mm and 20 mm.  
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the main support member is L-shaped having an upper portion for supporting the major surface of the sheets and a lower portion for supporting the edges of the sheets.  
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein during the step of placing the sheets in the container the container is placed on a horizontal surface and the container is tilted such that the angle of the sheets with respect to the horizontal surface is decreased.  
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 22 , further including securing the glass sheets between a secondary support member and the main support member so that the glass sheets are sandwiched between both support members and securing a lid on the container.