Patent Application
20070012582
The present invention relates to data disks such as optical data disks including for example, compact disks (CDs) and video disks (DVDs) that have central circular locating openings, and more particularly to devices for protectively enclosing such disks for storage of same.
Data disks such as compact disks and video disks typically have large amounts of digitally stored information that is optically readable through a transparent bottom layer of the disk by a movable head during rotation of the disk. The information is arranged in one or more tracks that are covered by a thin protective top layer of the disk that can have labeling applied thereto such as by silkscreening. Normal handling of the disk can result in scratching of the bottom layer, resulting in loss of data by interference with the optical path such as by loss of focus and/or lateral image displacement. Also, data can be lost by scratching of the protective layer which is typically very thin, on the order of 20 microns, resulting in removal of information from a vapor deposited metal layer that is only about 0.1 micron thick. Protective containers for the disks in common use have a central pedestal for supportively gripping the disc by engaging the central opening without contacting either side of the disk within data-containing regions thereof. Such containers may have a ledge for contacting portions of an outer perimeter of the disk for stabilizing the disk against tipping on the pedestal. The disk is loaded into the container by lowering it onto the pedestal while gripping opposite perimeter portions, engagement with the pedestal being typically effected by simultaneous finger pressure against the disk proximate the central opening. Removal of the disk is similarly effected by finger pressure against the pedestal, and simultaneous lifting at the perimeter portions.
One class of containers, known as “jewel boxes” have a clear plastic body and a pivotally connected clear plastic lid, an insert member fitting within the body and being formed with the various disk-contacting surfaces and associated members. Another class of containers has the body and lid integrally formed and pivotally joined along opposite edges of a narrow, generally rectangular spine member, with disk-supporting structure integrally formed in the body, such containers referred to as “DVD boxes” being somewhat oversize as compared with the jewel boxes. These boxes have an important advantage of being less expensive to provide than jewel boxes.
It is also known to provide disk containers with an interior partition for storage and access of a pair of disks. In a typical configuration, such containers include a partition portion having disk retainers on opposite sides and a pair of transparent lids that are pivotally connected at respective opposite sides along opposite end edges of the partition portion. Unfortunately, the dual-disk storage boxes of the prior art are excessively expensive to provide in that they are significantly more complex and tooling costs must be amortized over much smaller quantities of production. There are also containers for three disks, wherein one disk is supported in a fixed position relative to the container body, and a pair of disks are supported on opposite sides of a hinged tray. One such example is configured as a DVD box, with the tray having a hinged connection to the spine member. A particular disadvantage of this arrangement is that the tray slides laterally relative to the body as the lid is opened because the spine member pivots relative to the body as the lid is opened. This sliding movement is objectionable in that damage to one or more disks can occur by scratching. A further objection is that the sliding movement produces vibration and jarring which has a tendency to dislodge disks out of engagement with supporting structure, with a consequent likelihood of being dropped as the container is opened. Compounding this problem is the fact that the one-piece DVD box configuration typically has snap-together structure for holding such boxes closed, and opening of those cases is somewhat difficult because there is little room for finger depressions that are gripped during opening of the boxes, particularly in view of extra space required inside the boxes for clearing the trays, the DVD box configuration having somewhat restrictive standard outside dimensions. The shallow finger depressions of the prior art are also an impediment to automated loading of disks into the containers in that they are particularly difficult to grip for opening by machines.
Another problem associated with multiple disk storage containers is that separate tooling and parts inventory are required for containers holding each number of disks, and a container for a particular number of disks cannot ordinarily be converted for holding a greater number of disks.
Thus there is a need for a protective disk container that has an integrally formed enclosure, that can be inexpensively converted for multiple disk storage, and that otherwise overcomes at least some disadvantages of the prior art.
The present invention meets this need by providing an inexpensive molded disk container for storage and convenient access to plural CDs, DVDs and the like without subjecting the disks held in the container to sliding contact during opening and closing of the container. In one aspect of the invention, the container includes a case having a base portion and a hingedly connected lid portion; a forwardly projecting base pedestal on a base panel portion of the base portion for retaining a first one of the disks by engaging its central opening with the first disk contacting only the base portion in closing of the case; a main tray having a main tray panel portion with a main tray pedestal projecting from a first side of the main tray panel portion for holding a second disk being another of the disks, the main tray having a hinged connection within the case for movement between a first position generally parallel to the base panel portion, and a second position diverging from the base panel portion for accessing the base pedestal, with the second disk contacting only the main tray in closing of the case; and a hinge structure fixedly connected to the main tray in proximate alignment with the hinged connection of the main tray and the case for engaging and pivotally supporting a secondary tray holding a third disk being yet another of the disks, the secondary tray engaging the hinge structure while holding the third disk. The proximate alignment of the hinge structure for the secondary tray with the hinged connection of the main tray to the case advantageously facilitates access to disks mounted in the case by convenient movement of the trays in like manner to pages of a book. Preferably main tray includes rim portions projecting from the main tray panel portion and forming a cavity for receiving the secondary tray in flush relation to the main tray.
The container can include the secondary tray having a secondary tray panel portion and a secondary tray pedestal projecting from one side for retaining the third disk the third disk contacting only the secondary tray in closing of the case. Preferably the main tray also has another hinge structure in proximate alignment with the hinged connection of the main tray and the case for supporting a tertiary tray holding a fourth disk opposite the main tray panel portion from the secondary tray. Preferably the rim portions of the main tray project from opposite sides of the main tray panel portion, forming respective cavities for receiving the secondary and tertiary trays in flush relation to the main tray. The container can further include the tertiary tray of like configuration as the secondary tray, the fourth disk contacting only the tertiary tray in closing of the case. The tertiary tray can be double sided for supporting a fifth disk that contacts only the tertiary tray in closing of the case. The secondary tray can also be double sided for supporting a sixth disk that contacts only the secondary tray in closing of the case. The main tray also can be double sided for supporting a seventh disk that contacts only the main tray in closing of the case.
The container can further include a generally rectangular spine portion hingedly connected along opposite side extremities thereof between the base and lid portions. Preferably the hinged connection of the main tray is to the base portion of the case, proximate the spine portion and in proximate alignment therewith.
In another aspect of the invention, the container includes a case having the base portion, the lid portion, and the spine portion hingedly connected therebetween; a main hinge structure including a spaced pair of hinge posts connected to and projecting forwardly from the base portion; the main tray being pivotally connected to the main hinge structure; and the first and second hinge structures on the main tray in proximate alignment with the main hinge structure for engaging and pivotally supporting the secondary and tertiary trays holding third and fourth disks. The container can include the secondary and/or tertiary trays. The pedestals of each of the main, secondary, and tertiary trays can be double sided for retaining respective seventh, fifth, and sixth disks, each of the fifth, sixth, and seventh disks contacting only the tertiary, secondary, and main trays, respectively, in closing of the case.
These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following description, appended claims, and accompanying drawings, where:
The present invention is directed to a disk container that is particularly effective and configurable for protectively storing different numbers of disks such as CDS and DVDs. With reference to
Mating pairs of holder structures provide the snap together engagement of the case, the holder structures of the lid portion 16 being designated 17H, an exemplary configuration thereof being respective grooves formed in the lid side portion 17S opposite the spine portion 18 as best shown in
As shown in
A pedestal 20 of the case 12 projects forwardly from the panel portion 19 of the base 14 for supportively engaging a compact disk (CD) or digital video disk (DVD) 22 in any suitable manner. A shroud formation 28 of case 12 also projects forwardly on the panel portion 19 in generally concentric relation to the pedestal 20 proximate the periphery of a disk being supported on the pedestal 20, the shroud formation 28 projecting forwardly of the disk 22 for blocking inadvertent contact with the disk. The shroud formation 28 has at least one pair of finger depressions 34 for permitting opposite perimeter portions of the disk 22 to be grasped by a user of the container 10.
The base portion 14 is formed with a main hinge structure 35 projecting forwardly therefrom as schematically shown in
The main tray 40 is formed having a tray panel portion 19′, oppositely facing counterparts of the pedestal 20, designated 20′, and preferably including corresponding shroud formations 28′ having finger depressions 34′ (those on one side only being shown in
According to the present invention, the container 10 of the present invention is provided with the main tray having at least one secondary hinge structure 41 for providing hinged support of at least one secondary tray 42, there being two such secondary hinge structures, designated 41A and 41B, and corresponding secondary trays, designated 42A and 42B in the preferred configuration of the disk container 10 shown in the drawings. Preferably, the secondary hinge structures 41 are located in proximate alignment with the main hinge structure so that the trays 40 and 42 can be flipped much as the pages of a book, thereby facilitating rapid identification and access to particular ones of the disks 22. More particularly, each of the secondary hinge structures 41 includes an oppositely opening pair of secondary journal cavities (or through holes) 44 that are formed on the main tray 40 proximate respective ones of the main journals 43 for snap engagement with respective stub journals 45 that project oppositely from a secondary tray 42 to be mounted thereon as best shown in
Advantageously, opening and closing of the case 12 does not produce sliding contact between the main tray 40 and the case 12, or between either of the secondary trays 42 and the main tray 40 and/or the case 12. Thus the disks are not subjected to vibrations and jarring that might otherwise occur during opening of the case 12 due to such sliding contact; consequently, the present invention provides enhanced protection against disks being inadvertently dropped when the case is opened. Also, each of the secondary trays 42, when closed against the main tray 40, is approximately flush with the rim 48 thereof, being nested in a corresponding cavity 49 of the main tray. Thus the main tray 40 is confined in the closed condition of the case 12 in the same position, whether or not either of the secondary trays 42 is present. It will be appreciated that rearward movement of the main tray 40 toward the base panel portion 19 during pivoting of the main tray is advantageously blocked by appropriately forming one of the hinge post leaf members (38A, for example) to support the main journal 43 against such movement as shown in
With further reference to
Of course, the container 10 can be furnished initially with fewer than a full complement of the trays 40 and 42, with subsequent assembly being contemplated according to a desired number of disks 22 to be accommodated. More particularly, with the case 12 provided with neither the main tray 40 or a secondary tray 42, a single disk, designated 22A may be received on the pedestal 20. With the main tray 40 (having a secondary pedestal 20′ on one side only) an additional disk, designated 22B may also be mounted, two in all. The addition of the secondary tray 42 (also having a secondary pedestal 20′ on one side only) another disk, designated 22C may be mounted, three in all. Similarly, addition of the secondary tray 42B in the same single pedestal configuration permits one more disk, designated 22D, four in all. Further, providing the secondary tray 42B in the double-sided configuration having two of the secondary pedestals 20′ permits another disk, designated 22E, to be mounted, five in all. Similarly, having the secondary tray 42A also in double-sided configuration provides yet another disk, designated 22F to be added, sis in all. Finally, the main tray 40 can have the double-sided configuration, for accommodating one more disk, designated 22G, seven in all. It will be understood that other arrangements of differently configured trays 40 and or 42 can be assembled to provide for mounting from three to six of the disks 22 within the scope of the present invention. Alternatively, when fewer than seven disks are contemplated, the case 12 can be formed having reduced thickness C. For example, a five-disk configuration (which can be provided by omitting either of the secondary trays 42 and correspondingly reducing the thickness of the main tray 40) can have the thickness C reduced to 22.5 mm (0.886 inch).
Although the present invention has been described in considerable detail with reference to certain preferred versions thereof, other versions are possible. For example, the lid panel portion 17 can be formed with counterparts of the pedestal 20 and the shroud formation 28, so as to accommodate one additional disk 22, with an appropriate increase in the thickness C of the case 12. Therefore, the spirit and scope of the appended claims should not necessarily be limited to the description of the preferred versions contained herein.
