The invention relates to a packing or shipping tray for a plu¬ rality of articles.

Electronic components such as semiconductor packages are com¬ monly stored and transported in packing trays which include a plurality of package sites, as is known from US 6,612,442. Each package site has a configuration designed to minimise movement of the package during transport and handling in order to prevent damage to the package.

Known packing trays include tabs and/or notches on the side walls which enable the trays to be orientated in automated as- sembly systems and further include protrusions and recesses on the upper and lower surfaces which engage when the trays are stacked on top of one another. This enables a stable stack of trays to be formed.

A disadvantage of the known packing trays is that a different tray is required for each type of semiconductor package. This is inconvenient and expensive as many different types of tray are held in stock. Ultimately this increases the cost of the individual semiconductor packages .

US 6,230,896 discloses a shipping tray in which packages of different sizes can be supported. The tray of US 6,230,896 in¬ cludes a series of hollow pedestals connected to a chamber. A thin membrane sheet is positioned on the upper surface so that the chamber is sealed and can be evacuated. Electronic compo¬ nents are held in place by vacuum over the hollow pedestals by piercing the upper membrane sheet of the sealed chamber. This tray has many disadvantages. It is complicated to manufacture and, therefore, expensive and difficult to re-use, as the mem¬ brane sheet is pierced. Also, the chamber seal may fail re¬ sulting in a loss of vacuum and the detachment of the compo- nents from the membrane. The tray is also inconvenient to use as a means of providing a vacuum is required.

An object of the invention is to provide a more cost-effective tray which is suitable for articles for storing and transport- ing of different sizes and, in particular, is suitable for different types of electronic component.

This object is solved by the subject matter of the independent claim. Further improvements arise from the subject matter of the dependent claims.

According to the invention, a tray for storing a plurality of articles comprises a plurality of recesses having a peripheral wall and a base for supporting a first article in a base pocket, the base pocket having first dimensions. The recess is laterally smaller at the base. At least one recess further in¬ cludes at least one step in at least two opposing regions of the peripheral wall for supporting at least a second article in at least one step pocket, the step pocket having second di- mensions. At least one first lateral dimension of the base pocket is smaller than at least one second lateral dimension of the step pocket.

A tray according to the invention, therefore, provides at least one recess in which the base pocket is smaller in at least one lateral dimension than the step pocket. Therefore, a first article accommodated in the base pocket is laterally smaller in at least one lateral dimension than a second arti¬ cle which is supported on the step of the step pocket. The tray according to the invention, therefore, provides at least one recess which accommodates at least two articles having different dimensions.

Therefore, only one type of tray is required to store and transport at least two different articles. This is very con¬ venient as fewer trays can be purchased and stored. Since ar- tides of a different size are supported by the form and di¬ mensions of the recess, a vacuum is not required to hold the articles in place. Use of the tray for different articles is, therefore, simplified and the tray can advantageously be re¬ used without requiring maintenance.

The step pocket and the base pocket are, preferably, concen¬ trically arranged. Therefore, the step pocket is laterally larger than the base pocket and the first article supported in the base pocket is laterally smaller than the second article supported in the step pocket.

The tray according to the invention, preferably, includes at least one recess which includes at least one continuous step in the peripheral wall. This provides a larger support area for the second article in the step pocket. The whole of the peripheral portion of the second article is supported on the surface of the step. The weight of the article is, therefore, more homogenously distributed and this reduces stress on the article.

The tray according to the invention, preferably, includes at least one recess which includes at least two steps in at least two opposing regions of the peripheral wall, each step lying in a different plane and providing at least one step pocket. A recess is, therefore, provided which accommodates articles of at least three different dimensions. This advantageously in- creases the flexibility of the tray and further reduces the number of different types of tray which are required.

For example, a first article having first dimensions is sup¬ ported in the base pocket, a second article having second di- mensions in a step pocket and an article having third lateral dimensions in third step pockets and so on.

Since the recess is laterally smaller at the base and later¬ ally larger at the upper surface, the recess accommodates ar- tides of an increasingly larger lateral size as the height of the step above the base increases. The width of the peripheral wall, therefore, becomes progressively narrower towards the upper surface of the recess. The depth of the recess, and therefore, the thickness of the tray, preferably, increases as the number of steps and the number of layers of pockets pro¬ vided by the steps increases.

At least one recess of the tray according to the invention is, preferably, laterally approximately square or rectangular. This is particularly advantageous for storing articles with approximately laterally square or rectangular dimensions. The recess, preferably, has a form in which the base pocket and at least one step pocket are laterally approximately square or in which the base pocket and at least one step pocket are later- ally approximately rectangular. Alternatively, the base pocket is laterally approximately square and at least one step pocket is laterally approximately rectangular or the base pocket is laterally approximately rectangular and at least one step pocket is approximately laterally square. The lateral dimen¬ sions of the recess are, preferably chosen so that articles of a desired size, lateral shape and dimensions are accommodated.

The invention, therefore, provides a tray in which articles of a different lateral shape are accommodated in a recess. This further increases the flexibility of the usage of the tray.

Preferably, at least one recess has dimensions to accommodate at least one first article positioned in at least one base pocket or at least one second article positioned in at least one step pocket within its body.

The upper surface of the article accommodated in the recess, therefore, lies in a plane which is not above that of the up¬ per surface of the peripheral wall of the recess, and, more preferably, lies slightly below that of the upper surface of the peripheral wall. This has the advantage that the article is protected by the peripheral wall of the recess and is less likely to be damaged or to fall out of the recess during tran¬ sit. Also, the articles are not damaged by the adjacent tray when the trays are stacked.

The tray, therefore, provides at least one recess in which an article with first lateral dimensions is accommodated in a base pocket or an article with second lateral dimensions is accommodated in a step pocket. Since the first article is sup¬ ported on the base of the recess and the second article is supported on the step in the peripheral wall, the maximum height of the first article can is greater than that of the second article. The first article accommodated in the base pocket can therefore have a height which is approximately that of the depth of the recess.

Preferably, the tray includes at least one recess which has dimensions to accommodate at least one first article posi¬ tioned in at least one base pocket and at least one second article positioned in at least one step pocket within its body. This has the advantage that at least two two articles of different dimensions are accommodated within one recess at the same time. The base pocket, therefore, lies beneath the step pocket in the recess and at least one article is stacked over another without the articles being in contact. This has the advantage that articles of different dimensions can be stored and shipped with a high packing density, significantly reducing the packing and shipping costs.

The tray including at least one recess in which at least two articles are accommodated at the same time has the further advantage that if different types of component of different dimensions are required for a particular application, then the articles can be stored and shipped together and unpacked by the same pick-and-place machine in the same manufacturing step, i.e. component of a different size are mounted to one board in one manufacturing step. This avoids having to unpack and mount one type of component onto a plurality of circuit boards, followed by a second type of component and third type of component and so on. This enables a more flexible assembly process and is particularly advantageous for small production runs.

Preferably, a tray includes at least one recess in which at least one base pocket has lateral dimensions providing a close lateral fit for a first article. Preferably, at least one step pocket has lateral dimensions providing a close lateral fit for a second article.

A close lateral fit has the advantage that movement of the ar¬ ticle during shipping is reduced, reducing the likelihood of damage to the article. More preferably, the base pocket and at least one step pocket have lateral dimensions which are 0.1 mm larger than those of the accommodated article.

Preferably, the upper surface of the peripheral wall includes at least one depression. This enables the articles to be re¬ moved more easily from the recess.

Preferably, the base of at least one depression lies in the same plane as at least one step. This has the advantage of a simplified form and, therefore, a simplified and more reliable manufacturing process for the tray. Alternatively, the base of at least one depression lies in a different plane than at least one step. If the base of the depression lies above the plane of the step, then the ease of removal of the articles from the recess is improved and the peripheral wall in the re¬ gions of the depression provides lateral support for the arti¬ cle hindering unwanted movement of the article within the re- cess. If the base of the depression lies below the plane of the step, then the ease of removal of the article is improved.

Preferably, at least one step includes at least one depres¬ sion. This advantageously improves the ease with which the ar- tides can be removed from the recess. The tray according to the invention, preferably, includes at least one recess which further includes at least one dividing elevation positioned on or protruding from the base of the re¬ cess, the upper surface of the dividing elevation lying in a plane not above, and preferably, below the plane of at least one step. This advantageously provides a recess in which two or more articles can be supported on the base of the recess and in which the articles are not in contact with each other. The dividing elevation provides protection from mechanical damage for the articles since lateral movement of the articles within the base pockets is reduced. A tray with a high packing density of articles is provided.

Since the upper surface of the dividing elevation lies in a plane not above that that of at least one step, an article is supported on the step of the at least one step pocket but is not in contact with the upper surface of the dividing eleva¬ tion. This is advantageous if the surface in the centre of the article is delicate and would be damaged by mechanical con- tact.

Preferably, at least one recess of the tray according to the invention includes at least one dividing elevation positioned with at least two opposing ends positioned laterally orthogo- nal to two opposing regions of peripheral wall and provides at least two base pockets. At least one dividing elevation, pref¬ erably, has an approximately rectangular lateral cross-section with the two short sides of the rectangle positioned parallel to and the two long sides of the rectangle orthogonal to two opposing regions of the peripheral wall. At least two base pockets are provided and, preferably, are laterally approxi¬ mately square or approximately rectangular. This arrangement advantageously provides at least two base pockets for approximately square or approximately rectangular articles. More preferably, the at least two base pockets pro- vide a close lateral fit for the articles and, more prefera¬ bly, are laterally approximately 0.1 mm larger than the lat¬ eral dimensions of the respective articles. A large lateral movement of the articles within the base pockets during tran¬ sit is advantageously hindered.

Preferably, at least one recess includes at least one dividing elevation which is an orthogonal cross and, preferably, the arms of the cross are laterally positioned orthogonal to the peripheral wall and provide four base pockets. Preferably the four base pockets are of approximately the same lateral dimen¬ sions, alternatively four base pockets of different lateral dimensions may be provided. The four base pockets can accommo¬ date four articles on the base of the recess without the arti¬ cles being in contact with another, thus avoiding damage to the articles. More preferably, the base pockets provide a close lateral fit for the articles so that lateral movement of the articles within the base pockets is reduced.

Preferably, at least one recess includes at least one dividing elevation which is an orthogonal cross, the arms being posi¬ tioned orthogonally to the peripheral wall with the arms of the cross adjoining the peripheral wall and provides four base pockets. This advantageously provides a continuous peripheral wall for each of the four base pockets, providing a more ho- mogonous distribution of the stress on the article. The form of the recess is also simplified so that the manufacturing process is simplified and costs reduced. The upper surface of at least one dividing elevation, prefera¬ bly, includes at least one elevation depression. This enables the articles to be removed more easily from the base pockets. Preferably, the base of at least one elevation depression lies in the same plane as the base of the recess. This provides a simple form and easier manufacture of the tray.

The tray, preferably, includes at least one recess including at least one dividing elevation which further includes at least one elevation step for supporting a third article. The at least one elevation step lies in essentially the same plane as at least one step in the peripheral wall. An article is, therefore, supported on an elevation step and a peripheral wall step. A plurality of intermediate step pockets for sup¬ porting a plurality of third articles having third dimensions is provided, whereby the third dimensions of the intermediate step pocket are larger than the first dimensions of the base pocket and smaller than the second dimensions of the step pocket in at least one lateral dimension.

The tray advantageously provides a recess in which at least two articles having first dimensions are accommodated in at least two base pockets, at least two articles having third di- mensions are accommodated in the step pockets provided by the elevation step and step in the peripheral wall of the recess and at least one article is supported above the dividing ele¬ vation in at least one step pocket. This provides a close packing of articles within a recess and is particularly advan- tageous if a number of articles of different sizes are to be used in a single application step by the consumer. A tray including a recess including a dividing elevation with at least one elevation step may accommodate one type of arti¬ cle at one time or accommodate articles in two or more pockets at the same time. The tray provided by the invention is, therefore, very flexible as many different sizes and, there¬ fore, types of article can be accommodated in a single type of tray. This reduces the number of different types of tray which have to be bought and stored.

Preferably, the plurality of recesses are arranged in a grid of rows and columns. This is particularly advantageous for laterally square and rectangular recesses as the packing den¬ sity of the recesses is increased. A regular grid type array arrangement of the recesses in the tray also simplifies the automated packing and unpacking of the articles stored in the tray.

Preferably, the tray further includes locating means, such as notches or lugs, preferably, on the periphery of the tray. The locating means enable the tray to be accurately positioned in a defined position within machinery such as pick-and-place ma¬ chines.

Preferably, the tray further includes engaging means for the concentric stacking of two or more trays. More preferably, the tray includes upper surface engaging means and lower surface engaging means for the concentric stacking of two or more trays. The engaging means preferably provide a stable stacking of the trays. This advantageously allows the trays to be densely stacked and also enables a plurality of trays to be correctly positioned in the machinery. Preferably, the tray further includes lower surface recess supporting means. More preferably, the recess supporting means protrude from the bottom surface of the tray and are, there¬ fore, laterally positioned over the recess in the tray stack underneath. Preferably, the recess supporting means protrude a defined distance so that their bottom surface is not in con¬ tact with the article positioned in the recess in the tray un¬ derneath. Damage to the article is, therefore, avoided.

Preferably, the distance between the upper surface of the ar¬ ticle positioned in the recess of the lower tray and the sur¬ face of the recess supporting means of the adjacent upper tray is sufficiently small that movement of the article in a verti¬ cal direction is limited. This prevents damage to the article and stops the article from falling out of the recess during transit. More preferably, this distance is less than 0.5 mm, more preferably, less than 0.2 mm and even more preferably 0.05 mm.

Preferably, the tray conforms to JEDEC standards. The tray is, therefore, compatible with existing machines so that adapta¬ tion of existing manufacturing lines is avoided. Manufacturing costs are, therefore, significantly reduced. The tray, pref¬ erably, comprises a plastic material. The tray can advanta- geously, therefore, be made by simple, known and cost- effective moulding techniques.

Preferably, the tray accommodates articles such as electronic components or semiconductor packages or ball grid array pack- ages. A single tray may include a plurality of recesses of an essen¬ tially similar type or the tray may include more than one type of recess. The tray according to the invention, therefore, provides a simple, cost-effective and extremely flexible solu- tion to the problem of accommodating a number of articles of different sizes in a single tray. The tray according to the invention can accommodate a number of different types and sizes of article at the same time or the tray can accommodate a single type or several different types of package in each recess. However, the tray can re-used on a different occasion to accommodate a different type or types of package.

A tray including recess of different forms is advantageous for applications which require a number of different articles of different sizes. These are accommodated in several different forms of recess forming a set for each application. The tray includes one or more sets of recesses.

According to the invention, the outer dimensions of the tray, and the locating and engaging means are approximately identi¬ cal. Only the type of recess within the tray changes in the different embodiments of the invention. Therefore, according to the invention, a stack of trays may be formed in which dif¬ ferent trays in the stack include different types of recess.

In summary, the tray according to the invention reduces the expense and inconvenience of purchasing and stocking may dif¬ ferent types of tray, each type of tray being customised for a single type of package. The inconvenience of minimum order quantities of trays is avoided and the time required for the tool-up of new packing and shipping trays and the machine con¬ version time, at for example, the testing and Mark-Scan-Pack processes is reduced. The tray according to the invention is therefore very flexible and cost-effective.

Embodiments of the invention will now be described with refer- ence to the diagrams.

Figure 1 shows a schematic diagram of two concentrically ver¬ tically stacked trays according to the invention,

Figure 2 shows a detail of a cross-sectional view of a recess in a tray according to a second embodiment of the invention,

Figure 3 shows a top view of a portion of a tray including a plurality of recesses according to a third embodi¬ ment of the invention,

Figure 4 shows a cross-sectional view of the third embodiment of the invention shown in Figure 3,

Figure 5 shows a top view of a portion of a tray including a plurality of recesses according to a fourth embodi¬ ment of the invention,

Figure 6 shows a cross-sectional view of the fourth embodi¬ ment of the invention shown in Figure 5,

Figure 7 shows a top view of tray including a plurality of recesses according to a fifth embodiment of the in- vention, Figure 8 shows a cross-sectional view of the tray including a plurality of recesses shown in Figure 7,

Figure 9 shows a cross-sectional view of the recess shown in Figure 8 indicating the position of the electronic components,

Figure 10 shows a schematic representation of the top view of a tray including a plurality of recesses according to a sixth embodiment of the invention, and

Figure 11 shows a cross-sectional view of a tray including a plurality of recesses according to a seventh embodi¬ ment of the invention.

Figure 1 shows a cross-sectional view of a stack of two trays 1, 2 according to the invention, each tray 1, 2 including two laterally adjacent recesses 5 in the top surface. The trays 1, 2 are vertically, concentrically stacked. The upper tray 1 is essentially identical with the lower tray 2 and each recess 5 is essentially the same. Each tray 1, 2 supports a first elec¬ tronic component 3 in a recess 5 and a second electronic com¬ ponent 4 in a recess 5. The electronic components 3, 4, in this embodiment of the invention, are ball grid array pack- ages. Although this can not be seen in the cross-sectional view of Figure 1, the tray 1 is laterally rectangular and in¬ cludes a plurality of recesses arranged in rows and columns in a grid.

Tray 1 and tray 2 are essentially identical and, therefore for clarity, references numbers indicating a feature of one recess 5 can be understood to refer to the same feature in the four recesses 5 shown in the cross-sectional view of Figure 1. Parts of the tray 1 which are essentially identical with parts of the tray 2 are indicated with the same reference sign and are not necessarily described again. Therefore, this embodi- ment of the invention will be described largely with reference only to tray 1.

The tray 1, according to the invention, includes peripheral locating means 6. The peripheral locating means 6, in this em- bodiment of the invention, protrudes from the bottom surface of the tray 1 and has an approximately rectangular cross- section. The outer lower corner of the peripheral locating means 6 includes a chamfer 7. This shape of the peripheral lo¬ cating means 6 is compatible with JEDEC standards. This en- ables the tray to the correctly positioned in machines, such as pick and place machines.

The tray 1 also includes an orientation marker which is not shown in the cross-sectional view. The marker comprises a chamfer to one of the corners of the tray. This enables the tray to be correctly laterally orientated.

The tray 1 further includes upper surface engaging means 8 and lower surface engaging means 9 located towards the periphery of the tray 1. The upper surface engaging means 8 has the form of a ridge which protrudes vertically from the upper surface of the tray 1 and tapers slightly inwards towards its upper surface. The lower surface engaging means 9 protrudes from the lower surface of the tray 1 and is laterally located slightly outside of the upper surface engaging means 8. The lower sur¬ face engaging means 9 also has the form of a rim and protrudes from the bottom surface of the tray 1. The cross-section of the lower surface engaging means 9 also tapers slightly in¬ wards towards its bottom surface. The tray 1 rests on the bot¬ tom surface of the lower surface engaging means 9.

As can be seen in Figure 1, the upper surface engaging means 8 and lower surface engaging means 9 are laterally positioned so that the trays 1, 2 are concentrically stacked on one another. The inward facing side wall of the lower surface engaging means 9 of the upper tray 1 engages with the outward facing side wall of the upper surface engaging means 8 of the adja¬ cent lower tray 2 forming a stable concentric stack. The slightly tapering form of the upper 8 and lower 9 surface en¬ gaging means improves the stability of the stack. In this em¬ bodiment of the invention, the upper 8 and lower 9 surface en- gaging means have the form of a continuous rim.

In the embodiment of the invention shown in Figure 1, the tray 1 includes a plurality of recess arranged in a plurality of rows and two columns. Therefore, in the cross-sectional view of Figure 1, two recesses 5 are laterally positioned in the upper surface of the tray 1 between the upper surface engaging means 8. Each of the recesses 5 is essentially the same.

Each recess 5 includes a peripheral wall 10 and a base 11. The peripheral wall 10 further includes a step 12 providing an es¬ sentially horizontal surface 13. The surface 13 of the step 12 and upper portion 14 of the peripheral wall, which extends from the outer edge of the surface 13 of the step 12 to the upper surface 18 of the peripheral wall 10, form a step pocket 15. The first electronic component 3 is supported on the sur¬ face 13 of the step 12 in step pocket 15. The step pocket 15 is laterally larger than the base 11 of the recess 5. The base 11 and lower portion 16 of the peripheral wall 10 which extends between the base 11 and surface 13 of the step 12 provide a base pocket 17 for a second electronic component 4. The second electronic component 4 is laterally smaller than the first electronic component 3.

The lower surface of the tray 1 also includes recess support means 19 which protrude from the lower surface of the tray 1 and are laterally located underneath the recess 5. As shown in Figure 1, the recess support means 19 protrude a distance so that when one tray is stacked upon another the bottom surface 20 of the recess support means 19 lies a distance b above the upper surface of the first 3 and second 4 electronic compo- nents and upper surface 18 of the peripheral wall 10. There¬ fore, vertical movement of the electronic components stored in the tray is avoided. The distance b is approximately 0.05 mm.

According to the invention, the dimensions of the recess 5 are defined in relation to the dimensions of the electronic compo¬ nents 3, 4 which are accommodated in the step pocket 15 and base pocket 17 respectively. The first electronic component 3 is laterally smaller than the lateral dimensions of the upper portion 14 of the step pocket 15 by a distance a. The base 10 of the base pocket 17 is, according to the invention, later¬ ally also a distance a larger than the lateral dimensions of the second electronic component 4.

The distance a is approximately 0.1 millimetres. The average distance between the peripheral wall 10 and the side wall of the first 3 and second 4 electronic component is, therefore, a/2 and is 0.05 mm. The lower portion 16 of the peripheral wall 10 has a height c. The height c is at least one third of the height of the elec¬ tronic component 4. The second electronic component 4 has a height d. The recess 5 has a depth of slightly less than d be¬ tween the upper surface 18 of the peripheral wall 10 and the base 10. The electronic component 3 has a height e so that the step pocket has a maximum depth slightly greater than e. Exam¬ ples of the dimensions c, d and e are given in Table 1.

Table 2 gives examples of possible combinations of electronic components which can be accommodated in a recess in the tray of the invention. Table 2 gives the lateral dimensions of the first electronic component 3 supported in the step pocket 15 and the second electronic component 4 supported in the base pocket 17. All the dimensions in the tables are given in mil¬ limetres.

In Figure 1, each tray 1, 2 is shown as accommodating a first electronic component 3 in a recess 5 and a second electronic component 4 in a second recess 5. However, since in this em¬ bodiment of the invention, each recess in the tray is essen¬ tially identical, each tray 1, 2 could alternatively accommo¬ date a plurality of first electronic components 3 or a plural- ity of second electronic components 4.

As shown in Figure 1, the electronic components 3 and 4 are ball grid array packages which are supported on the ball con¬ tacts of the package on the surface 13 of the step 12 in the step pocket 15 and base 11 of the base pocket 17 respectively. In the following description of further embodiments of the tray according to the invention, parts of the tray which are essentially the same as those described with reference to Fig¬ ure 1 are indicated by the same reference number and are not necessarily described again.

Figure 2 shows a detail of a recess 21 in a tray according to a second embodiment of the invention. The recess 21 according to this embodiment of the invention differs from that shown in Figure 1 in that the recess 21 has dimensions so that two electronic components 22, 23 are accommodated within the re¬ cess 21 at the same time. The recess 21, according to the sec¬ ond embodiment of the invention, also includes a base 11 and a peripheral wall 10 which includes a step 12 with an essen- tially horizontal surface 13. The recess includes a base pocket 17 and a step pocket 15.

The base pocket 17 is laterally smaller than the step pocket 15 and has a depth f, the depth f is the distance between of the surface 13 of the step 12 and the base 11. The step pocket 15 is laterally larger than the base pocket 17 and has a depth g, the depth g being the distance between the surface 13 of the step 12 and the upper surface 18 of the peripheral wall 10. The overall depth of the recess 21 is depth h, depth h be- ing the sum of the depths of the base pocket f and step pocket g-

The second electronic component 23 is accommodated within the base pocket 17 and the first electronic component 22 is accom- modated within the step pocket 15 of the recess 21. Similarly to the embodiment shown in Figure 1, the second electronic component 23 is laterally 0.1 mm smaller than the lateral di- mensions of the base 11 and the first electronic component 22 is laterally approximately 0.1 mm smaller than the lateral di¬ mensions of the step pocket 15. The first electronic compo¬ nent, therefore, has a maximum height of f and the second electronic component 23 has a maximum height of g.

Figure 3 shows a top view of a portion of a tray 1 including a plurality of recesses 24 according to a third embodiment of the invention. As can be seen in this top view, the tray in- eludes a plurality of recesses 24 which are arranged in a grid of rows and columns. A peripheral wall 10 is positioned be¬ tween adjacent recesses 24. As can also be seen in this top view, the recess 24, base 10 and step 12 are laterally ap¬ proximately square and the peripheral wall 10 includes 4 sides of approximately equal length. Each recess includes a base 11 and a peripheral wall 10 including a step 12 with an essen¬ tially horizontal surface 13. As can also be seen in the top view of Figure 3, the step 12 is positioned in all four sides of the peripheral wall 10 and is concentric with the base 11.

The third embodiment according to the invention, differs from the first two embodiments in that the peripheral wall 10 in¬ cludes a depression 25 in its upper surface 18 located ap¬ proximately in the centre of each of the four sides comprising the peripheral wall 10 of the recess 24. The depressions 25 enable the electronic components stored in the recess 24 to be more easily removed.

Figure 4 shows a cross-sectional view of the third embodiment of the invention shown in Figure 3. The recess 24 includes a base 11 and a peripheral wall 10. The peripheral wall 10 in¬ cludes a depression 25 in the top surface 18. The depression 25 is located in approximately the centre of the four sides comprising the peripheral wall 10. The depression 25 has a base 26 which lies in approximately the same plane as the sur¬ face 13 of the step 12. As can be seen in this cross-sectional view, the tray according to the invention includes a plurality of laterally adjacent recesses 24. The cross-section of the peripheral wall 10 is symmetrical about a vertical line cen¬ trally positioned between two adjacent recesses 24.

Figure 5 shows a top view of a section of a tray 1 including a plurality of recesses 27 according to a fourth embodiment of the invention. The recesses 27 are arranged in rows and col¬ umns and each recess 27 is approximately laterally square. Each recess 27 includes a base 11 and a peripheral wall 10 which, similarly to the third embodiment of the invention, in¬ cludes a depression 25 in the centre of the four sides of the peripheral wall 10.

In the fourth embodiment of the invention, the surface 13 of the step 12 in the peripheral wall 10 also includes a step de¬ pression 28. In this embodiment of the invention, the step de¬ pression 28 is positioned in the centre of each of the sides of the peripheral ball 10 and is laterally approximately the same size as the depression 25 the upper surface 18 of the pe- ripheral wall 10. The step depression 28 and depression 25 in the peripheral wall enable the electronic components accommo¬ dated in the recess to be more easily removed.

Figure 6 shows a cross-sectional view of the tray 1 including a plurality of recesses 27 shown in Figure 5. As can be seen in the cross-sectional view of Figure 6, the depression 28 in the step 12 has a surface 29. In this embodiment of the inven- tion, a first electronic component is supported on the base 11 of the recess 27 and a second electronic component is sup¬ ported on the surface 13 of the step 12 of the recess 27. The recess 28 in the step 12 enables the electronic components to be removed more easily from the recess 27.

Figure 7 shows a top view of a tray 1 including a plurality of recesses 30 according to a fifth embodiment of the invention. The recesses 30 are arranged in rows and columns, each com- prising a base 11 and a peripheral wall 10. The recesses 30 are laterally approximately square.

The recess 30 includes a depression 25 in approximately the centre of the sides of the upper surface 18 of the peripheral wall 10. The peripheral wall 10 also includes a step 12, the step 12 including a depression 28 in approximately the centre of the four sides. The recess 30 according to a fifth embodi¬ ment of the invention, further includes a dividing elevation 31 positioned on the base 11 of the recess 30. In this embodi- ment of the invention, the dividing elevation 31, when viewed from above, has the form of an orthogonal cross. The arms of the orthogonal cross adjoin the peripheral wall 10 in approxi¬ mately the lateral centre of each side wall. The dividing ele¬ vation 31 and the peripheral wall 10 of the recess 30, there- fore, provide four base pockets 32, 33, 34, 35. Each base pocket is approximately laterally square and each base pocket has approximately the same dimensions.

Figure 8 shows a cross-sectional view of the tray 1 shown in Figure 7 along the line marked A-A in Figure 7. The cross- section of Figure 8 shows that the upper surface 36 of the di¬ viding elevation 31 lies in a plane slightly below the surface 13 of the step 12 and the surface 28 of the depression 25 in the peripheral wall 10. The surface 13 of the step 12 and sur¬ face 28 of the depression 25 lie in essentially the same plane. The dividing elevation 31 and the lower portion 16 of the peripheral wall 10 provide a plurality of base pockets. In this cross-sectional view, only the base pockets 34 and 35 can be seen.

Figure 9 shows a further cross-sectional view of the recess 30 of Figure 8. Figure 9 shows electronic components 39, 40 and 41 supported in the recess 30. Electronic components 39 and 40 are essentially identical and are accommodated in base pockets 34 and 35 respectively. The upper surface of the electronic components 39, 40 lies in approximately the same plane as the upper surface 36 of the dividing elevation 31, and therefore lies slightly below the surface 13 of the step 12 in the pe¬ ripheral wall 10. An electronic component 41 is supported in the step pocket 15 of the recess 30. The electronic component 41 is, therefore, supported on the surface 13 of the step 12 in the peripheral wall 10 and is not in contact with the upper surface 36 of the dividing elevation 31.

The electronic component 41 is, therefore, laterally larger than the lateral area occupied by the four base pockets 32, 33, 34, 35 and the dividing elevation 31. As shown in this ex¬ ample, the recess 30 can accommodate four electronic compo¬ nents, as illustrated here by electronic components 39 and 40, with the lateral dimensions of 8 mm by 8 mm and one electronic component 41 with lateral dimensions of 17 mm by 17 mm.

Figure 10 shows a schematic representation of the top view of a tray 1 including a plurality of recesses 37 according to a six embodiment of the invention. This embodiment of the inven¬ tion is similar to the shown in Figures 7 and 8. In this em¬ bodiment of the invention, the dividing elevation 31 includes an elevation depression 38 positioned in approximately the centre of each arm of the orthogonal cross of the dividing elevation 31. The depression 38 enables the electronic compo¬ nents supported in the base pockets 32, 33, 34, 35 to be more easily removed.

Figure 10 also illustrates more clearly the lateral position of the electronic components 39, 40 and 41 within the recess 37 by indicating the position of the outer side walls of the components. Electronic component 41 is accommodated with a close fit between the upper portions 14 of the peripheral wall 10 and the surface 13 of the step 12. An electronic component 39, 40 is accommodated in each of the base pockets 32, 33, 34, and 35 respectively.

Figure 11 shows a cross-sectional view of a tray 1 including a plurality of recesses 42 according to a seventh embodiment of the invention. The recess 42 accommodates electronic compo¬ nents on three levels.

The recess 42 includes a base 11 and a peripheral wall 10. Similarly to the embodiment shown in Figure 9, the recess 42 includes a dividing elevation 31 positioned on the base 11 of the recess 42. The dividing elevation 31, not seen in this cross-section, also has the form of an orthogonal cross, and provides four base pockets 32, 33, 34, and 35. Only the base pockets 34, 35 are shown in this cross-sectional view. In this seventh embodiment of the invention the dividing elevation 31 further includes a step 43 providing an essentially horizontal surface 44. Additionally, the peripheral wall 10 includes a second step 45 providing an essentially horizontal surface 46. The surface 46 of the second step 45 in the peripheral wall 10 wall and the surface 44 of the elevation step 43 lie in ap- proximately the same plane and provide four intermediate step pockets, of which two 47, 48 can be seen in this cross- section.

The electronic components 39 and 40 are accommodated in the base pockets 34, 35 respectively. The upper surface of the electronic components 39, 40 lies in a plane slightly lower than the surface 46 of the second step 45 in the peripheral wall 10 and the surface 44 of the dividing elevation step 43. The recess further accommodates electronic components 49, 50 in the intermediate step pockets 47, 48 respectively. The up¬ per surface of the electronic component 49, 50 lies in a plane approximately the same as the upper surface 36 of the dividing elevation 31 and therefore lies slightly below the surface 13 of the step 12 in approval wall 10. An electronic component 41 is accommodated in the step pocket and is supported on the surface 13 of the step 12. The upper surface of the electronic component 41 lies in a plane slightly below the upper surface 18 of the approval wall 10.

In this example, electronic components 39, 40 have lateral di¬ mensions of 7 mm by 7 mm, the electronic components 49, 50 have lateral dimensions of 8 mm by 8 mm and the electronic component 41 has lateral dimensions of 17 mm by 17 mm. Reference numbers

1 upper tray 2 lower tray 3 first electronic component 4 second electronic component 5 first recess 6 peripheral locating means 7 chamfer 8 upper surface engaging means 9 lower surface engaging means 10 peripheral wall 11 base 12 step 13 surface of step 14 upper portion of peripheral wall 15 step pocket 16 lower portion of peripheral wall 17 base pocket 18 upper surface of peripheral wall 19 recess support 20 surface of recess support 21 second recess 22 first electronic component 23 second electronic component 24 third recess 25 wall depression 26 base of wall depression 27 fourth recess 28 step depression 29 base of step depression 30 fifth recess 31 dividing elevation 32 base pocket 33 base pocket 34 base pocket 35 base pocket 36 upper surface of elevation 37 sixth recess 38 depression in elevation 39 electronic component 40 electronic component 41 electronic component 42 seventh recess 43 elevation step 44 surface of elevation step 45 second step 46 surface of second step 47 intermediate step pocket 48 intermediate step pocket 49 electronic component 50 electronic component Table 1

Table 2