Information
-
Patent Grant
-
6273247
-
Patent Number
6,273,247
-
Date Filed
Wednesday, December 22, 199924 years ago
-
Date Issued
Tuesday, August 14, 200123 years ago
-
Inventors
-
Original Assignees
-
Examiners
Agents
-
CPC
-
US Classifications
Field of Search
US
- 206 307
- 206 3081
- 206 3083
- 206 493
- 206 775
-
International Classifications
-
Abstract
A storing case for holding a recording medium is provided where the recording medium can be easily stored and removed. The storing case has a sturdy structure that is durable and in which the stored recording medium is securely retained. The storing case comprises an outer case and an inner case, which are assembled to provide a storage cavity. First engaging portions and a second engaging portion are formed in upper and lower parts of inner side surfaces of a right wall and a left wall of the outer case. Third engaging portions and fourth engaging portions are engaged in the first engaging portions and the second engaging portions and are formed in the upper and lower parts of outer side surfaces of a right wall and a left wall of the inner case. Engaging pawls for engaging recessed portions of the recording medium are provided in the right wall and the left wall.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field Of The Invention
The present invention relates to a storing case suitable for storing a recording medium such as a cartridge storing a game software.
2. Description Of The Prior Art
There is known a conventional storing case for a recording medium such as a cartridge storing game software. The conventional storing case is formed from soft synthetic resin, and comprises a case body for storing a recording medium and a cover connected to the rear edge of the case body via a thin hinge. An engaging pawl for detachably engaging an engaging recessed portion formed in the front of the cover and retains the cover in a closed state. The above-mentioned conventional storing case has a problem in that it takes time to store a recording medium because the cover is first opened, the recording medium is inserted into the case body, the cover is then closed and the engaging recessed portion of the front part of the cover is engaged with the engaging pawl of the case body to store the recording medium. In addition, it has another problem in that it is difficult to take out the recording medium from the storing case because the cover must be opened while detaching the engaging pawl from the engaging recessed portion. Moreover, the conventional storing case has another problem in that the hinge portion is fragile because it fatigues due to repeatedly opening and closing the cover.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention has been devised in view of the above problems. Objects of the present invention are to provide a storing case in which it is easy to store and take out a recording medium, the stored recording medium is securely stored and, the storing case is not fragile.
In order to attain the above and other objects, a storing case in accordance with a first aspect of the present invention comprises:
(a) an outer case and an inner case to be attachable to the outer case;
(b) the outer case including a bottom wall, a rear wall extending from a rear part of the bottom wall, a right wall extending from a right part of the bottom wall, and a left wall extending from a left part of the bottom wall, so that an upper part and a front part of the bottom wall are open;
(c) the inner case including an upper wall, a rear wall extending from a rear part of the upper wall, a right wall extending from a right part of the upper wall, and a left wall extending from a left part of the upper wall, so that a lower part and a front part of the upper wall are open;
(d) a storing cavity bounded by the bottom wall of the outer case, the upper, right, left, and rear walls of the inner case, with a front part of the storing cavity opened; and
(e) an engaging pawl provided in the right wall and the left wall of the inner case for engaging an item stored in the storing cavity.
A storing case in accordance with a second aspect of the present invention has a first engaging portion and a second engaging portion formed in the upper and lower parts of the inner side surfaces of the right and left walls of the outer case, and has a third engaging portion engageable with the first engaging portion and a fourth engaging portion engageable with the second engaging portion formed in the upper and lower parts of the outer side surfaces of the right and left walls of the inner case, in addition to the above.
A storing case in accordance with a third aspect of the present invention has an engaging pawl that is formed in the shape of an inverted letter “V” and is integrally formed in the inner case with an inclining piece contacting the right or left wall of the outer case being formed on the front part side of the top part and a bent piece that does not contact the right or left wall of the outer case being formed on the rear part side of the top part.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
In the accompanying drawings in which:
FIG. 1
is an overall exploded perspective view showing an embodiment of a storing case in accordance with the present invention;
FIG. 2
is an overall exploded perspective view of the storing case of
FIG. 1
, seen from another direction;
FIG. 3
is a perspective view of the storing case of
FIG. 1
;
FIG. 4
is an overall perspective view showing a state in which the storing case is used;
FIG. 5
is a perspective view of an inner case, seen from the lower side;
FIG. 6
is a plan sectional view of
FIG. 4
;
FIG. 7
is aside sectional view of
FIG. 4
;
FIG. 8
is a front sectional view showing a state in which the inner case is bent outward;
FIG. 9
is a front sectional view showing a state in which the inner case is bent inward; and
FIGS.
10
(
a
)-
10
(
d
) are cross-sectional views showing the storing case in use.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
A storing case of the present invention is now described with reference to FIG.
1
through
FIG. 10. A
storing case
1
comprises an outer case
2
and an inner case
21
to be attached to the outer case
2
. The outer case
2
is formed from a synthetic resin, and includes a bottom wall
5
, a rear wall
6
extending from a rear part of the bottom wall
5
, a right wall
7
extending from a right part of the bottom wall
5
, and a left wall
9
extending from a left part of the bottom wall
5
, so that an upper part and a front part of the bottom wall
5
are open. The right wall
7
and the left wall
9
have rear end edges
7
a
and
9
a
formed in a semi-circular shape. The rear wall
6
is formed to extend to about half of the height of the right wall
7
and the left wall
9
.
First engaging portions
10
and
10
and a second engaging portion
11
are formed in upper and lower parts of the inner side surfaces
7
b
and
9
b
of the right wall
7
and the left wall
9
of the outer case
2
. The first engaging portions
10
and
10
are formed in a rectangular recessed shape, and are positioned spaced apart on opposite sides of the portion of the inner side surfaces
7
b
and
9
b
of the right wall
7
and the left wall
9
respectively. The second engaging portion
11
is formed substantially in the angle shape by a protrusion, and is positioned substantially in the center of the lower portion of the inner side surfaces
7
b
and
9
b
of the right wall
7
and the left wall
9
. The rear wall
6
has first stopper pieces
12
and
12
on opposite sides of the inner side surface
6
b
and engaging holes
13
and
13
are formed inside the first stopper pieces
12
and
12
. A notch
15
substantially in the shape of a letter “U” is formed in the front part of the bottom wall
5
.
The inner case
21
is formed from a synthetic resin and includes an upper wall
22
, a rear wall
23
extending from a rear part of the upper wall
22
, a right wall
25
extending from a right part of the upper wall
22
, and a left wall
26
extending from a left part of the upper wall
22
, with its lower part and front part opened. Second stopper pieces
20
and
20
are provided on opposite sides of the rear part of the inner side surface
24
of the upper wall
22
. Third engaging portions
27
and
27
are engageable in the first engaging portions
10
and
10
, respectively, and fourth engaging portion
29
is engageable in the second engaging portion
11
. Portions
27
and
27
and portion
29
are formed in the upper and lower parts of the outer side surfaces
25
a
and
26
a
of the right wall
25
and the left wall
26
of the inner case
21
.
The third engaging portions
27
and
27
are formed in rectangular protruding shapes with each having an inclining surface
30
in its lower part, and are positioned on the opposite sides of upper portion of the outer side surfaces
25
a
and
26
a
of the right wall
25
and the left wall
26
, respectively. The fourth engaging portion
29
is formed substantially in the angle shape by a recessed portion, and is positioned substantially in the center of the lower parts of the outer side surfaces
25
a
and
26
a
of the right wall
25
and the left wall
26
.
An engaging pawl
31
protruding deeper inside than the inner side surfaces
25
b
and
26
b
is provided in each of the right wall
25
and the left wall
26
of the inner case
21
. The engaging pawl
31
is integrally formed in the inner case
21
with the engaging pawl
31
being connected to the front end edge
32
a
or
33
a
of a recessed portion
32
or
33
formed in the rear part of the right wall
25
or the left wall
26
and an inner side surface
23
b
of the rear wall
23
(see
FIG. 10
(
a
)).
The engaging pawl
31
is formed substantially in the shape of an inverted letter “V” using an inclining piece
39
on the front part side and a bent piece
40
on the rear part side. The inclining piece
39
is connected to the front end edge
32
a
or
33
a
of the recessed portion
32
or
33
in its front end
39
a,
and gently inclines inward from the outer side surface
25
a
or
26
a
of the right wall
25
or the left wall
26
.
The bent piece
40
is connected to a rear end
39
b
of the inclining piece
39
in its front end
40
a
and the connecting part forms a top part
47
of the engaging pawl
31
. The bent piece
40
is connected to the inner side surface
23
b
of the rear wall
23
in its rear end
40
b
with the bent piece
40
being deeper inside than the outer side surface
25
a
or
26
a
of the right wall
25
or the left wall
26
. Further, the inclining edge
39
c
of the inclining piece
39
on the front part side of the top part
47
of the engaging pawl
31
slopes gently. An inclining edge
40
c
of the bent piece
40
on the rear part side of the top part
47
of the engaging piece
31
is formed steeper than the inclining edge
39
c.
The rear wall
23
has an inner side surface
23
b
substantially forming a right angle with the upper wall
22
and the outer side surface
23
a
is in a rounded shape. The rear wall
23
has contacting stepped portion
45
contacting the rear wall
6
of the outer case
2
on the outer side surface
23
a.
Further, the rear wall
23
has recessed portions
41
and
41
substantially in the shape of a letter “C” formed spaced apart with engaging pawls
42
and
42
formed inside the recessed portions
41
and
41
. A notch
43
substantially in the shape of a letter “U” is formed in the front part of the upper wall
22
.
The storing case
1
can be readily assembled as described below.
As shown in
FIG. 1
, the storing case
1
is assembled by engaging the engaging pawls
42
and
42
formed in the rear wall
23
the inner case
21
in the engaging holes
13
and
13
formed in the rear wall
6
of the outer case
2
and inserting the inner case
21
into the outer case
2
from above. The third engaging portions
27
and
27
of the inner case
21
are engaged in the first engaging portions
10
and
10
of the outer case
2
, and the fourth engaging portion
29
of the inner case
21
is fittingly engaged in the second engaging portion
11
of the outer case
2
.
The contacting stepped portion
45
of the rear wall
23
of the inner case
21
contacts the upper end
6
a
of the rear wall
6
of the outer case
2
. A tip part
46
of the contacting stepped portion
45
contacts the inner side surface
6
b
of the rear wall
6
of the outer case
2
. The inner side surface
7
b
of the right wall
7
of the outer case
2
contacts the outer side surface
25
a
of the right wall
25
of the inner case
21
. The inner side surface
9
b
of the left wall
9
of the outer case
2
contacts the outer side surface
26
a
of the left wall
26
of the inner case
21
. Thereby, the storing case
1
is assembled as shown in FIG.
4
.
The first stopper pieces
12
and
12
of the outer case
2
protrude from a gap of the recessed portion
41
of the inner case
21
into the inner case
21
. As shown in FIG.
10
(
a
), the inclining pieces
39
and
39
of the engaging pawls
31
and
31
of the inner case
21
contact the inner side surfaces
7
b
and
9
b
of the right wall
7
and the left wall
9
of the outer case
2
in their respective front portions. The bent piece
40
is deeper inside than the outer side surface
25
a
or
26
a
of the right wall
25
or the left wall
26
, and the bent piece
40
does not contact the inner side surfaces
7
b
and
9
b
of the right wall
7
and the left wall
9
. In this way, the storing case
1
is assembled, and forms a storing cavity
50
with a front part
51
opening that is bounded by the bottom wall
5
of the outer case
2
, the upper wall
22
of the inner case
21
, the right wall
25
, the left wall
26
and the rear wall
23
.
The storing case
1
can receive a recording medium
60
by inserting the recording medium from the front part
51
into the storing cavity
50
. The recording medium
60
is inserted until it contacts the first stopper pieces
12
and
12
and the second stopper pieces
20
and
20
. Engaging recessed portions
61
and
61
formed on the both sides of the recording medium
60
are engaged by the engaging pawls
31
and
31
of the inner case
21
.
When the recording medium
60
is inserted from the front part
51
into the storing case
1
, side edge
62
of the front part of the storing medium
60
contacts the inclining edge
39
c
of the inclining piece
39
of the engaging pawl
31
as shown in FIG.
10
(
a
). The rear end
39
b
of the inclining piece
39
is bent outward with the front end
39
a
as the fulcrum, and a force is applied to the front end
40
a
of the bent piece
40
in the arrow A direction. When a force acts in the arrow A direction, the front end
40
a
of the bent piece
40
is bent outward with the rear end
40
b
as the fulcrum. However, since the bent piece
40
is bent not to contact the inner side surfaces
7
b
and
9
b
of the right wall
7
and the left wall
9
, it does not contact the inner side surfaces
7
b
and
9
b
and therefore, the top part
47
of the engaging pawl
31
can be bent outward by a relatively weak force with the rear end
40
b
as the fulcrum.
As described above, the recording medium
60
can be inserted easily with a weak force into the storing cavity
50
of the storing case
1
. In addition, since the inclining edge
39
c
of the engaging piece
39
is formed in a gentle angle, a very weak force may be sufficient. When inserted in this way, the top part
47
of the engaging pawl
31
resists the elasticity of a material and is moved outside by the both side edges
62
and
62
of the front part of the recording medium
60
.
When the recording medium
60
is inserted to a predetermined position as shown in FIG.
10
(
c
), the top part
47
of the engaging pawl
31
is engaged in the engaging recessed portions
61
and
61
of the recording medium
60
by the elasticity of a material.
When the recording medium
60
is taken out from the front part
51
of the storing case
1
, the rear edge
63
of the engaging recessed portion
61
of the storing medium
60
contacts the inclining edge
40
c
of the bent piece
40
of the engaging pawl
31
as shown in FIG.
10
(
d
). The front end
40
a
of the bent piece
40
is bent outward with the rear end
40
b
as the fulcrum, and a force is applied to the rear end
39
b
of the inclining piece
39
in the arrow B direction. When a force acts in the arrow B direction, although the rear end
39
b
of the inclining piece
39
is bent outward with the front end
39
a
as the fulcrum, since the front part in the acting direction of a force acts upon the inner side surfaces
7
b
and
9
b
of the right wall
7
and the left wall
9
, a relatively strong force is necessary to bend the inclining piece
39
outward with the front end
39
a
as the fulcrum.
As described above, a strong force is necessary to take out the recording medium
60
from the storing cavity
50
of the storing case
1
. Further, since the inclining edge
40
c
of the bent piece
40
is formed with a steep angle, a much stronger force is necessary than when inserting the recording medium. When taken out in this way, the top part
47
of the engaging pawl
31
is moved outside by the side edges
62
and
62
of the front part of the recording medium
60
against the elasticity of a material.
As described so far, the storing case
1
is made such that the recording medium
60
can be easily inserted but is harder to take it out. Therefore, when the recording medium
60
is carried in the storing case
1
, the recording medium
60
is securely retained and avoids coming out of the storing case
1
, where it can be damaged or be tainted by dust. Further, since the notches
43
and
15
are formed in the upper wall
22
and the bottom wall
5
of the storing case
1
, the recording medium
60
can be taken out by directly holding with fingers via the notches
43
and
15
.
Since the storing case
1
includes two main parts, i.e., the outer case
2
and the inner case
21
, various kinds of storing cases
1
can be formed by preparing a plurality of the outer cases
2
and the inner cases
21
with different colors and patterns and then making combinations of these kinds of the outer case
2
and the inner case
21
. Further, as shown in FIG.
8
and
FIG. 9
, when an outer force is applied to the storing case
1
, although the outer force can affect and deform either the outer case
2
or the inner case
21
, since the other is not affected, the storing case
1
has a structure that is hard to be broken and which disperses an applied force.
In addition, in the storing case
1
, the outer case
2
and the inner case
21
do not separate easily even if an external force is applied. For example, as shown in
FIG. 8
, even if the upper wall
22
of the inner case
21
is bent outward by an external force, the lower ends of the left wall
26
and the right wall
25
are deformed inward and the fourth engaging portions
29
and
29
come off from the second engaging portions
11
and
11
of the outer case
2
. In such a manner, the outer case
2
and the inner case
21
do not separate because the third engaging portions
27
and
27
do not come off from the first engaging portions
10
and
10
.
Moreover, as shown in
FIG. 9
, even if the upper wall
22
of the inner case
21
is bent inward by an external force, the upper ends of the left wall
26
and the right wall
25
are deformed inward and the third engaging portions
27
and
27
come off from the first engaging portions
10
and
10
of the outer case
2
. In such a manner, the outer case
2
and the inner case
21
do not separate because the fourth engaging portions
29
and
29
do not come off from the second engaging portions
11
and
11
. In this way, the storing case remains intact and is not damaged because the storing case
1
is easy to be assembled but hard to be disassembled.
Having described above, the storing case in accordance with the first aspect of the present invention has the effect that, since the storing case consists of the two parts, namely, the outer case and the inner case, various types of storing case may be formed by preparing a plurality of the outer cases and the inner cases with different colors and patters and combining these. Further, the storing case has the effect that when an external force is applied to the storing case, although the external force affects and deforms either the outer case or the inner case, since the other is never affected, the storing case has a structure hard to be broken and which efficiently disperses an applied external force. In addition, the storing case in accordance with the first aspect of the present invention has the advantage that there is no such trouble of opening the cover and storing or taking out an item as can occur in the conventional storing case, but an item can be easily stored in the storing cavity simply by inserting it from the front opening and can be easily taken out from the storing cavity simply by pulling it out from the front opening. Moreover, the storing case also has the advantage that an item stored in the storing case is securely retained because the item is engaged by the engaging pawls.
In the storing case in accordance with a second aspect of the present invention, the first engaging portion and the second engaging portion are formed in the upper and lower parts of the inner side surfaces of the right wall and the left wall of the outer case. The third engaging portion is engageable in the first engaging portion and the fourth engaging portion is engageable in the second engaging portion, and are formed in the upper and lower parts of the outer side surfaces of the right wall and the left wall of the inner case. Thereby, even if the upper wall of the inner case is bent outward by an external force, and the lower ends of the left wall and the right wall are deformed inward and the fourth engaging portions of the inner case come off from the second engaging portions of the outer case, the outer case and the inner case never separate because the third engaging portions do not come off from the first engaging portions. Similarly, even if the upper wall of the inner case is bent inward by an external force, and the upper ends of the left wall and the right wall are deformed inward and the third engaging portions of the inner case come off from the first engaging portions of the outer case, the outer case and the inner case never separate because the fourth engaging portions do not come off from the second engaging portions. In this way, the storing case in accordance with the second aspect of the present invention has the effect that it cannot be disassembled easily even if the inner case or the outer case is deformed, and it holds together as a single unit.
In accordance with a third aspect of the present invention, the storing case has the engaging pawl substantially in the shape of an inverted letter “V”, with the inclining piece connected to the right or left wall of the outer case on the front part side of the top part, and the bent piece not contacting the right or left wall of the outer case on the rear part side of the top part. Thereby, an item can be stored with a weak force and can be removed if it is pulled out with a stronger force. In this way, the storing case in accordance with the third aspect of the present invention has the effect that, when an item is carried in the storing case, the item will not accidentally dislodge from the storing case to be damaged or get tainted by dust because the storing case can easily retain the item, but the item does not easily dislodge.
Thus, it is seen that a storing case is provided. One skilled in the art will appreciate that the present invention can be practiced by other than the preferred embodiments which are presented for the purposes of illustration and not of limitation, and the present invention is limited only by the claims which follow.
Claims
- 1. A storing case comprising:(a) an outer case and an inner case attachable to the outer case; (b) the outer case including a bottom wall, a rear wall extending from a rear part of the bottom wall, a right wall extending from a right part of the bottom wall, and a left wall extending from a left part of the bottom wall, so that an upper part and a front part of the bottom wall are open; (c) the inner case including an upper wall, a rear wall extending from a rear part of the upper wall, a right wall extending from a right part of the upper wall, and a left wall extending from a left part of the upper wall, so that a lower part and a front part of the upper wall are open; (d) a storing cavity bounded by the bottom wall of the outer case, the upper wall, right wall, left wall and rear wall of the inner case, with a front part of the storing cavity opened; and (e) a first engaging pawl provided in one of the right wall or the left wall of the inner case, the first engaging pawl including a first end integrally formed with the respective one of the left wall or right wall of the inner case, a second end integrally formed with the rear wall of the inner case, and a displaceable middle section between the first end and the second end.
- 2. A storing case in accordance with claim 1, further comprising:a first engaging portion and a second engaging portion formed in the upper and lower parts of the inner side surfaces of the right and left walls of the outer case; and a third engaging portion engageable in the first engaging portion and a fourth engaging portion engageable in the second engaging portion, the third engaging portion and the fourth engaging portion formed in the upper and lower parts of the outer side surfaces of the right and left walls of the inner case.
- 3. A storing case in accordance with claim 2, wherein the middle section of the engaging pawl is formed in a reverse V letter shape such that the point of the V is away from the right or left wall in an outward direction and includes an inclining piece adjacent the first end contacting the respective one of the right or left wall of the outer case and a bent piece that does not contact the right or left wall of the outer case.
- 4. A storing case in accordance with claim 3, wherein the inclining piece is curved inwardly towards an interior of the storing cavity.
- 5. A storing case in accordance with claim 3 wherein the bent piece includes a first end integrally formed with the inclining piece and a second end opposite the first end integrally formed with the rear wall of the inner case.
- 6. A storing case in accordance with claim 3 wherein:the inclining piece includes an first inclining edge having a first concave curvature; the bent piece including a second inclining edge having a second concave curvature, the second concave curvature being greater than the first concave curvature.
- 7. A storing case in accordance with claim 1, wherein the middle section of the engaging pawl is formed in a reverse V letter shape such that the point of the V is away from the right or left wall in an outward direction and includes an inclining piece adjacent the first end contacting the respective one of the right or left wall of the outer case and a bent piece that does not contact the right or left wall of the outer case.
- 8. A storing case in accordance with claim 7, wherein the inclining piece is curved inwardly towards an interior of the storing cavity.
- 9. A storing case in accordance with claim 7 wherein the bent piece includes a first end integrally formed with the inclining piece and a second end opposite the first end integrally formed with the rear wall of the inner case.
- 10. A storing case in accordance with claim 7 wherein:the inclining piece includes an first inclining edge having a first concave curvature; the bent piece including a second inclining edge having a second concave curvature, the second concave curvature being greater than the first concave curvature.
- 11. A storing case in accordance with claim 1 further comprising a second engaging pawl provided in the other of the right wall or left wall of the inner case, on the opposite wall of the inner case from the first engaging pawl, the second engaging pawl including a first end integrally formed with the respective other of the right wall or left wall of the inner case, a second end integrally formed with the rear wall of the inner case, and a displaceable middle section between the first end and the second end.
- 12. A storing case comprising:(a) an outer case and an inner case attachable to the outer case; (b) the outer case including a bottom wall, a rear wall extending from a rear part of the bottom wall, a right wall extending from a right part of the bottom wall, and a left wall extending from a left part of the bottom wall, so that an upper part and a front part of the bottom wall are open; (c) the inner case including an upper wall, a rear wall extending from a rear part of the upper wall, a right wall extending from a right part of the upper wall, and a left wall extending from a left part of the upper wall, so that a lower part and a front part of the upper wall are open; (d) a storing cavity bounded by the bottom wall of the outer case, the upper wall, right wall, left wall and rear wall of the inner case, with a front part of the storing cavity opened; and (e) a displaceable engaging pawl means for engaging a receiving element of a medium case, the engaging pawl means including: an inclining piece means for engaging a leading edge of a medium case and transmitting a displacement force from the leading edge of the medium case to the engaging pawl means upon insertion of the medium case into the string case, the inclining piece means attached to one of the left or right walls of the inner case; and a bent piece means for engaging an edge of the receiving element of the medium case and transmitting a displacement force from the edge of the receiving element to the engaging pawl means upon withdrawal of the medium case from the storing case.
Priority Claims (1)
| Number |
Date |
Country |
Kind |
| 11-016679 |
Jan 1999 |
JP |
|
US Referenced Citations (5)
