Material Containment System

Abstract

Containment packages (10) having utility for transport of hazardous gases and security systems for controlling access to packages, e.g., hazardous gas containment packages (20). In a specific implementation, a containment package includes an overpack (11) for improving the safety and security of gas-containment vessels during transportation, e.g., air shipment, in which the overpack is pressurized by a protective gas at pressure in excess of the pressure in the gas-containment vessels, and a global positioning system (GPS) coordinated programmable lock and key system (30) is integrated with the containment package for controlled access to the gas-containment vessels only when the GPS component indicates that the containment package is at a specific geographic location.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0001]The present invention relates to materials containment packages for storing and / or transporting materials and also relates to security systems for controlling access to and operation of materials sources. More specifically, the invention relates to an overpack for improving the safety and security of materials-containment vessels during transportation, e.g., air shipment, and a programmable lock and key system suitable for use with such overpack or with other packages containing hazardous or sensitive materials or information.DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART[0002]U.S. Pat. No. 5,518,528 issued May 21, 1996 to Glenn M. Tom, et al. describes an adsorbent-based fluid storage and delivery system useful in the supply of gas for semiconductor manufacturing operations, e.g., ion implantation. In such system, fluid is sorptively retained on an adsorbent medium of suitable adsorptive affinity for such fluid, in a fluid storage and dispensing vessel. The adsorbent me...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0028]Additional aspects of the invention relate to various methods, including: a method of manufacturing a semiconductor product requiring a material, preferably a hazardous material, more preferably a hazardous fluid such as gas or liquid, most preferably gas, for its manufacture, including supplying the material, preferably a fluid, from an overpack; a method for supplying a material, preferably a fluid, including filling a material storage and dispensing vessel with the material, preferably a fluid, and installing the material storage and dispensing vessel in a container package; a method for supplying a material, preferably a fluid, including filling a material, preferably a fluid storage and dispensing vessel for installation in a container package; a method of supplying a material, preferably a fluid, including introducing the material into an overpack; a method of supplying a material, preferably a fluid, including introducing the material into a container package; a method of supplying a material, preferably a fluid for semiconductor manufacture, including transporting the material in a global supply chain system, transporting the material, preferably a fluid in a global supply chain system, and / or transporting the material, preferably a fluid in a materials transport system; a method of supplying a material, preferably a fluid for semiconductor manufacture, including transporting the material, preferably a fluid in a materials transport system; a method of supplying a material, preferably a fluid for semiconductor manufacture, including transporting the material, preferably a fluid in an overpack; a method of securing a material or article, including packaging same in a package secured with a GPS-controlled programmable electromechanical lock and key system; a method of securing a material or article, including use of a GPS-controlled programmable electromechanical lock and key system; a method of enhancing safety of a material, preferably a fluid during transport thereof, the method including use of a container package; a method of enhancing safety of a fluid during transport thereof, the method including use of a GPS-controlled programmable electromechanical lock and key system; and a method of enhancing safety of a material, preferably a fluid during transport thereof, the method including packaging the material, preferably a fluid in an overpack.

Problems solved by technology

Although the SDS and SAGE gas packages have been widely commercialized in the semiconductor manufacturing industry, as a proven safe alternative to use of compressed gas sources, the commercial implementation of such sub-atmospheric pressure gas packages has been impeded by shipment regulations that were originally promulgated for conventional high-pressure gas cylinders.

The resulting increase in the length of the supply chain requires corresponding increases in required inventories and cylinder fleet sizes, increases the likelihood of imbalances between the gas package supply and dynamically changing gas demand, and results in lower order fulfillment rates (in consequence of stock outages of the packaged gas).

A related issue involving safety and security concerns when toxic or hazardous materials are transported, regardless of the specific mode of transport, is the issue of providing selective access to the shipped gas container, so that only appropriate persons have access to such toxic or hazardous materials during their shipment, and reliably tracking such access during travel of the toxic or hazardous material to its ultimate destination.

Although a variety of “tamper-proof” technologies has been developed, including tapes, single-use locks, and indicator devices that reveal whether or not a package has been opened, these approaches do not provide a log of when and where the package has been opened or otherwise inspected.

This is a major deficiency, since anti-terrorism measures are increasing in scope and frequency, and inspections and contents verification of packages by customs agents, police, military and other government and commercial personnel are becoming routine at airports and many other transshipment points in the world.

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