The present invention relates to holders for a recording medium, more particularly for a package for holding a planar disc such as a compact disc, DVD or the like.
Various types of planar disks are used to record digital and analogue information. Among these are CD's and DVD's which often contain entertainment content such as music or films. These discs are typically packaged in a holder that functions to both protect the disc, and to provide an attractive display at the point of sale. The most common package is the hinged, transparent plastic case known as the “Jewel Case”. The jewel case comprises a hub with bendable fingers that engage the center hole of the disc to hold it securely in place. Even though widely accepted, the jewel case has several disadvantages, among them the cost of production, and the fact that plastic is an environmentally unfriendly material.
As a result a number of attempts have been made to provide a CD package made of a more environmentally friendly material such as paper board, preferably a package that can be printed from a single blank. Among such prior art packages include U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,681,928; 5,931,293 and 6,375,003. While these devices address certain disadvantages of the jewel case, the devices themselves have many disadvantages. U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,681,928; 5,931,293 disclose a paper blank cut and folded to comprise a pouch for holding the CD. Such a pouch does not hold the CD securely, however. In addition, the CD, which may itself have important information printed on it, is obscured inside the pouch. The device described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,375,003 does not employ a pouch, but rather holding means that engage the center hole of the CD. While this solution allows the CD to be visible, the CD is not held particularly securely.
There exists a need, therefore, for a CD package that may be printed from a single paper board blank of for example recycled paper, that is simple to produce, that holds the CD securely, and that allows the CD itself to be visible inside the packaging.
The present invention provides a compact disk package printable on a single paper board blank. The printed package is foldable into at least three sections, namely a front section, a back section connected to the front section along a common, foldable side edge and a CD-holding section attached to the top edge of the back section by a foldable flap. The CD-holding section according to one aspect of the invention is generally square shaped, with a width greater than the diameter of the CD. Two curved slits are cut into the CD-holding section, the arc of the slits corresponding to the curvature of the CD. The slits do not extend to the edges of the CD-holding section, and thereby create two hinge-like tabs at the terminal ends of each slit, allowing the sides of the CD-holding section to define two foldable retaining members that can be folded in towards each other in a fashion resembling double doors. Because of the slits, these “door like” retaining members will have a concave inside edge, extending from one hinge-like tab to the other. A CD may then be inserted into the slits, the two retaining members folded over the CD and the front section folded along its common edge with the back section, thus closing the package. When the package is opened, the retaining members that have been folded over the CD will open slightly, but not fully. The concave inside edges of the retaining members will thus securely hold the edges of the CD that have been inserted into the slits. The CD is held surprisingly securely, and in fact the package can be vigorously waved around without the CD falling out. The door-like retaining members of the CD-holding section can easily be opened to reveal the information printed on the CD, and the CD is very easily removed from the slits despite how securely it held in place.
The invention will now be described in detail, with reference to the attached figures, wherein,
As shown in
The CD package comprises a front section 1 adjacent a back section 2 along a common, foldable edge. A CD-holding section 3 is attached to back section 2 by a foldable flap 4, that has a length shorter than the widths of back section 2 and CD-holding section 3. In a preferred embodiment, a “side 2” section is adjacent front section 1 along a common foldable edge, a “side 3” section is adjacent back section 2 along a common foldable edge, and a “side 4” section is adjacent the “side 3” section along a common foldable edge. As can be appreciated from
As shown in
In use, a single blank is printed as depicted in
As can be ascertained by
When the package is opened, the retaining members 10 will open slightly, but not fully as shown in
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
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PCT/NO2007/000441 | 12/12/2007 | WO | 00 | 9/3/2009 |
Number | Date | Country | |
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60869913 | Dec 2006 | US |