Patent Application
20070261283
1. Technical Field
This invention relates generally to the field of labels. More particularly, this invention provides for an apparatus and method for labeling a spine of a slim compact disk media case.
2. Related Art
As digital media has increased in popularity and usage, there has been a corresponding increase of demand for durable compact physical storage of digital media and efficient portability of digital media storage devices. Presently, a very commonly used portable digital media storage device is a compact laser disk. Various compact laser disks types may have physical differences and may be identified by various nomenclatures such as an Audio CD, a CD-ROM, a DVD, a CD-R, a CD-RW, a DVD-R and/or a DVD-RW, etc. However, in general, most compact laser disks are comprised of a durable, semi-resilient, clear plastic material having at least a layer of reflective material. Furthermore, most compact laser disks are provided in standardized sizes. A very common standardized size corresponds to a compact disk having a diameter of approximately 120 mm and a thickness of approximately 1.2 mm.
Because most compact laser disks rely on optically detectable data storage and retrieval, it is essential that the disks be maintained in a condition that permits effective optical operation of the compact laser disk. For example, if a compact laser disk is scratched or contaminated, then data may not effectively be optically stored or retrieved in the location of the scratch or contamination. Therefore, devices have been provided to keep a compact laser disk protected while the disk is stored or transported. A common protection device is a CD case, or jewel case.
In addition to protecting a compact laser disk, a CD case, or jewel case, also facilitates a means by which the data stored on the compact laser disk may be labeled and identified. For example, information about the data stored on the compact laser disk may be printed or written on an insert visually operable with the CD case such that the information on the insert can be readily seen and ascertained while the case houses the compact laser disk. Furthermore, due to the geometry of the compact laser disk and corresponding geometry of a typical CD case it is possible to stack several cases on top of each other, or stand several cases next to each other. When arranged in such a manner, only a thin edge of each of the several cases may be visually accessible. Hence, CD case inserts have been fashioned to have a portion of the insert located along or against a clear edge of the CD case. Ordinarily, a CD case includes hinged members to facilitate a book-like opening and closing of the case for physical deposit and/or retrieval of a compact laser disk therein. Moreover, the edge of the CD case typically spanning the distance between two hinges is often referred to as the “spine” of the CD case. This edge of a typical CD case is generally analogous to the back edge or spine of a book. Just as books may be shelved or stored such that only the spines are visible, CD cases are often shelved or stored in a similar manner so that only the spines of the cases are substantially visible. Accordingly labels have been provided to attach to the spines of CD cases so that the cases, and corresponding compact laser disks housed therein, may be efficiently identified when the cases are stacked or shelved with only the spines visible.
A shortcoming of standard CD cases, or jewel cases, is the thickness of the cases. Typically a common CD case is much thicker than the compact laser disk housed therein. However, to overcome this shortcoming, CD cases having substantially smaller thicknesses have been provided; these slimmer compact disk media cases are commonly known as “slim” CD cases. Like ordinary CD cases, slim CD cases can be fit with inserts to help in identifying the data stored on the compact laser disk housed by the slim CD case. However, because slim CD cases are thinner, the edges and spine have much less surface area. This lack of surface area, inter alia, has contributed to a problem of not being able to effectively label the spine area of the slim CD cases due to the lack of space or surface area typically operable with an ordinary spine label. Furthermore, the smaller surface area reduces the ability to effectively and/or efficiently mount an ordinary spine label to the slim CD case because the ordinary spine label is much larger than the surface area operable for mounting/attaching the label. No label apparatus is preconfigured to dimensionally correspond with the spine of a slim CD case. Hence, to utilize the spine of a slim CD case for identifying the data stored on a compact laser disk housed by the slim CD case, common label devices must be physically altered to achieve a configuration corresponding to the dimensions of the spine of a slim CD case and the typical labeling process must be awkwardly modified to include the necessary reconfiguration. For example, paper or other material must be cut and somehow glued or otherwise inconveniently attached to the spine of a slim CD case. Tape products must also be cut and similarly somehow inconveniently attached to the spine of a slim CD case. Furthermore, known label devices must be cut as well and further physically altered in order to be effectively attached to the spine of a slim CD case. Therefore, the present necessity to reconfigure, alter, cut, and modify existing label devices, paper, or tape products, is time intensive, tiresome and wasteful.
Accordingly, there is a need in the field of labeling the spines of slim CD cases for an improved slim compact disk media label apparatus and method.
The present invention provides a slim compact disk media label apparatus and method that offers improved reliability.
A first general aspect of the invention provides a slim compact disk media case spine label apparatus comprising: a backing, an adhesive, operatively adhered to the backing, and a face, bonded to the adhesive, wherein a first portion of the face is removable from the adhesive and a second portion of the face is preconfigured to fit substantially precisely against a spine of a slim compact disk media case.
A second general aspect of the invention provides a method of labeling a spine of a slim compact disk media case, said method comprising: providing a slim compact disk media case spine label apparatus comprising a backing, an adhesive, operatively adhered to the backing, and a face, bonded to the adhesive wherein a first portion of the face is removable from the adhesive and a second portion of the face is preconfigured to fit substantially precisely against a spine of a slim compact disk media case; bending a portion of the backing along a line corresponding to an edge between the first portion of the face and the second portion of the face so that the bend reaches approximately a 90 degree angle; removing the first removable portion to expose the adhesive, and leaving said second portion of said face operably attached to said bent portion of said backing; and operatively affixing the exposed adhesive against a portion of the slim compact disk media case so that the second portion of the face substantially precisely fits against the spine of the slim compact disk media case.
A third general aspect of the invention provides a method of manufacturing a label apparatus to be preconfigured for use in conjunction with a slim compact disk media case spine, said method comprising: providing a backing, affixing an adhesive to the backing, and operatively attaching a face to the backing so that the adhesive is sandwiched between the face and the backing, wherein the face includes a first removable portion and is cut along a line between the first removable portion and a second portion, said backing configured to be bent at the line between the first portion and second portion to approximately a 90 degree angle, and further wherein the second portion of the face dimensionally corresponds to a spine of a slim compact disk media case.
The foregoing and other features of the invention will be apparent from the following more particular description of various embodiments of the invention.
Some of the embodiments of this invention will be described in detail, with reference to the following figures, wherein like designations denote like members, wherein:
Although certain embodiments of the present invention will be shown and described in detail, it should be understood that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the appended claims. The scope of the present invention will in no way be limited to the number of constituting components, the materials thereof, the shapes thereof, the relative arrangement thereof, etc., and are disclosed simply as an example of an embodiment. The features and advantages of the present invention are illustrated in detail in the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout the drawings.
As a preface to the detailed description, it should be noted that, as used in this specification and the appended claims, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” include plural referents, unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.
“Preconfigured,” as used herein, means a slim compact disk media label apparatus is designed, arranged, set up, or shaped with a view toward a specific application corresponding with attachment of the slim compact disk media label apparatus to a slim CD case for use in identifying data stored on a compact disk intended to be housed within the case, wherein such designing, arranging, setting up, or shaping is performed during an original manufacturing process to configure structure of a raw component for proper use, as opposed to altering, cutting and/or modifying an existing apparatus to reconfigure the existing apparatus's original structure to compensate for previously unachievable effective function of the existing apparatus in conjunction with a slim CD case.
Referring to the drawings,
Referring further to the drawings,
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Referring further still to
With continued reference to
In continued reference to the drawings,
Turning now to
An embodiment of a method 400 of labeling a spine 260 of a slim compact disk media case 200 is now described with reference to
Still further embodied methodology 400 for labeling a spine 260 of a slim compact disk media case 200 may also include a step 415 wherein prior to removing the adhesive backing 430, there is handwriting of identifying means on the second portion of the face. Those in the art should recognize that an equivalent step may be provided wherein prior to removing the adhesive backing 430, there is printing of identifying means on the second portion of the face. Similarly, it should be recognized that additional labeling methodology 400 may include providing a slim compact disk media case spine label apparatus 100a included on a sheet 500 having several other slim compact disk media case spine label apparatuses 100b-e. Even more the method 400 for labeling a spine 260 of a slim compact disk media case 200 may also include removing a slim compact disk media case spine label apparatus 100a from the sheet 500 by tearing the apparatus 100a from the sheet 500 along perforations 555, 565 and 580a-b, corresponding to the perimeter of the label apparatus 100a prior to removing the first portion 10 of the face 40 of the label apparatus 100a.
An embodiment of a slim compact disk media case 200 spine 260 label apparatus 100 may be manufactured to be preconfigured for use in conjunction with a slim compact disk media case 200 spine 260. For example, manufacturing may include providing a backing 50. Once a backing 50 is provided then, manufacturing methodology may include affixing an adhesive 30 to the backing 40. Moreover, manufacturing of a label apparatus 100 may include operatively attaching a face 40 to the backing 50 so that the adhesive 30 is sandwiched between the face and the backing 50, wherein the face 40 may include a first removable portion 10 that may be cut along a line 15 between the first removable portion 10 and a second portion 20, said backing 50 configured to be bent at the line 15 between the first portion 10 and second portion 20 to approximately a 90 degree angle, and further wherein the second portion 20 of the face 40 dimensionally corresponds to a spine 260 of a slim compact disk media case 200.
Various component elements of a label apparatus 100 may be manufacture to have specific dimensions corresponding to a slim CD case 200. For instance, a second portion 20 of the face 40 may be manufacture to be substantially rectangular having 4⅝″ by 5/32″ dimensions. Even further, the manufacture of label apparatus's 100 may be mass produced wherein the backing 50 and the face 40 comprise a portion of a sheet 500. As such, manufacturing may further comprise perforating the sheet 500 portion to define perimeter dimensions of a label apparatus 100a that may be torn from the sheet 500 along the perforations 555, 565 and 580a-b. Once manufactured, a label apparatus 100 may be loosely placed in a closed slim CD case 200, such as in the reinforcement area 280, so that a user may open the case 200 and then have access to the label apparatus 100 so that t could be applied to the case. The label apparatus 100 may also be adjusted to fit spines of other types of compact disk cases. For example, the dimensions corresponding to the spine of a standard compact disk case may be adjusted to be preconfigured to correspond to a mini-disk case.
While this invention has been described in conjunction with the specific embodiments outlined above, it is evident that many alternatives, modifications and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, the embodiments of the invention as set forth above are intended to be illustrative, not limiting. Various changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the following claims.
