GB2323072A - A storage case for a disc recording medium - Google Patents

Abstract

A sleeve for storing a disc recording medium such as a CD includes a strip-receiving chamber 34 for at least part of an information-bearing strip or title bar, access to a strip-insertion area of the chamber being obtainable by deflecting a flexible flap 33 against an inherent bias which normally restrains an end portion of the strip. There may, as shown, be an oblique access slit with a liftable flap on each side of the slit, one flap 33 being part of the main front panel of the strip-receiving chamber and being connected to the sleeve body at the lower edge of the chamber and the other flap being connected at the upper edge of the chamber. The sleeve may be of polypropylene.

Description

A STORAGE CASE FOR A DISC RECORDING MEDIUM The present invention relates generally to an improved storage device for a disc recording medium and, more particularly, to a device for removable storage of a disc type digital-data recording medium from which stored data are retrievable by optical means, including digital audio compact discs (CDs), video compact discs (VCD), CD-ROMs or the like.

The remarkable ability of laser to read and write data from and to a surface with very fine resolution has made possible the development of very high density data storage media. For example, a 12-cm laser readable CD-ROM has a storage capacity of over a few hundred megabytes while a conventional 13.3-cm magnetic floppy disc has only a fraction of that data storage capacity. This unique characteristic of laser technology has made it particularly attractive in the field of products or systems in which performance is highly dependent on the availability of a high density storage medium and the ability of high speed, high volume data retrieval from the storage medium.

The drastic reduction in the initial and running costs of laser products together with their increased reliability and other advantages make laser technology technically and commercially attractive to be utilised in many products in addition to the field of data storage. Indeed, the last decade has witnessed a rapid growth in the number and variety of laser based apparatus such as CD audio systems, "laser-disc" video systems, multi-media systems using video compact discs ("VCDs") and CD-ROM computer peripheral devices. As a result, for example, CDs have now almost replaced vinyl LP-albums or cassette tapes in newly issued recordings, VCDs are widely used in the place of video cassette tapes for disseminating movies and staple software and games are now almost invariably supplied on CD-ROMS.

A feature common to all these laser-based systems is that high density information or data are digitally encoded on the reflective surface of a disc recording media so that data can be retrieved by optical means. For convenience, these disc type recording medium will simply be referred to as CDs or discs hereinafter.

Since data are stored by encoding on the surface of a disc, a slight scratch on the disc surface may be enough to cause damage to part or even the whole content of a disc. To avoid possible surface damage during transportation or during displays in retail outlets where CDs are subject to continual and indiscriminate public interference, it is desirable that CDs are protected by proper packaging.

Traditionally, CDs are packed, stored and sold in plain solid rectangular plastic containers commonly known as 'jewel boxes'. These jewel boxes are usually made of a brittle and transparent plastic material and have two large hinged windows between which a disc is kept. These commodity CDs are always supplied with printed image-bearing inserts which are usually placed inside the jewel boxes and against the windows. Jewel boxes are relatively expensive and bulky. For example, a typical jewel box has a standard thickness of about 9 mm which is about 8 times that of the actual disc. Such a large thickness is largely attributed to the thickness of the windows, the live hinges and the removable hub base which is provided to maintain the position of the disc within the box to avoid scratching.

In recent years, because of the popularity of laser-based audio-visual and information systems, there has been an explosion of the number and variety of products supplied on CDs. Consequently, the space required for storing a large number of CDs packed in jewel boxes becomes a major problem. Many people have naturally turned to look for alternative CD packaging devices.

Among the many alternative storage devices proposed thus far, non-rigid storage cases appear to be the most popular. Non-rigid cases appear in many different forms of constructions. For example, some of the more commonly known non-rigid cases resemble a flattened sleeve or pocket, some resemble an envelope with or without a window or closure flap, and some have foam cushioning on the inside and some have images printed on the surface.

In general, all these cases have front and back non-rigid panels between which a CD is stored. The front and back panels are usually joined together around their edges but leaving an aperture for CD removal and replacement. The panels are usually made of a flexible or semi-rigid material such as paper-board or plastic-sheet which is non-scratching and provides some cushioning. Among the different plastics, polypropylene, whether transparent or opaque, is probably the most widely used material for CD cases, though sometimes a combination of paper-board and plasticsheet may be used.

Since these non-rigid cases usually have very thin panels, the total package thickness including a CD is usually comparable to that of a CD and is therefore much more spatially efficient. Also, as such cases are non-brittle, CD owners have fewer problems dealing with jewel boxes having broken hinges. Therefore, many CD owners choose to transfer CDs from jewel boxes to non-rigid cases which provide adequate protection while significantly improving storage efficiency. For example, a bulk storage box originally capable of holding 50 jewel boxes can now store up to 200 or more discs.

While there is a clear benefit of improved storage efficiency, there is at the same time an identification problem. Unlike jewel boxes which can be identified either through the front window or from the sides of the box, discs are not always printed with individual identifications marks. Even if they are individually marked, CDs belonging to a large serial publication, for example PatentView (RTM) or ESPACE (RTM), may have printed on the disc surface images which are similar overall. Individual discs will have to be carefully examined in order to be distinguished by the minor differences on individual disc surfaces. This is quite time consuming and demanding since identification marks are not always printed on the same spot and each CD has to be individually and sequentially examined until the desired CD is found.

Also, if a user wishes to read the information printed on the surface of a disc, he must separate that surface from an adjacent disc which means extra space must left inside the bulk storage box to allow displacement of adjacent discs, which then means increased space overheads and reduced storage efficiency for the bulk box. The utility value of a non-rigid CD storage case would be greatly enhanced if identification means such as visible or other physical labels are provided at a regular position on the sides of each storage case so that a user does not have to examine the printed surface of each individual disc.

US Patent No. 5,396,987 teaches a flexible CD storage case having a transparent title holding pocket for receiving and displaying an information bearing strip which is more commonly known as a "title bar". The title bar pocket is formed as an extension to the CD storage compartment, comprising a back panel and a front transparent window and having near the two distal ends of the transparent window eye-openings. The eye-openings are formed by having a portion of the transparent window removed and are dimensioned to allow a title bar strip to be inserted or removed through either openings. The title bar is retained within the title pocket and does not easily fall out unless it is pulled from one end.

However, such a title pocket is known to have some major drawbacks. In particular, a pocket is usually formed by pressing the back panel and the window tightly together before the edges are heat-sealed so that the resistive force built up between these two surfaces would securely retain an inserted title bar within the pocket. However, while such resistive force helps to retain the title bar, it also means difficult insertion in the first place. This is a particular problem when, as usually is the case, the title bar is a non-rigid or even soft printed paper strip. This would also mean that a title bar would have been bent many times or creased before it is fully inserted.

Because of repeated bending, creasing and other adverse interference with the title bar, portions of the information strip which remain exposed from the eyeopenings may curl outward, making an otherwise tidy bulk storage system look messy with an ensemble of creased title bar ends exposing from the openings. Furthermore, if a title bar is made shorter than the separation between the two eye-openings, it would be difficult to remove an inserted title bar after it has drifted to a position between the openings.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a non-rigid and space efficient storage device for disc type recording media having means for removably accommodating a disc identification means such as a title bar. Preferably such accommodation means also provides easy insertion and removal of the identification means while alleviating the risk of un-intentional title bar slippage from the storage device.

According to the present invention, there is therefore provided a storage case for a disc recording medium comprising, a sleeve for storing a disc and a holder for receiving an information bearing strip, wherein said sleeve comprises an aperture for insertion and removal of a said disc and non-rigid back and front sheets which are connected at least along an edge furthest away from said aperture and between which a storage space adapted to removably receive a said disc is formed, said holder being connected to said sleeve and comprising a strip receiving portion and a closure member, and wherein said strip receiving portion comprises back and front panels connected along elongate edges thereof and between which an elongate strip receiving chamber adapted to receive a major length of said information bearing strip is defined, said closure member comprising a flap member and said flap member being biased towards said back panel to restrain the remaining portion of said information strip which is not being received within said receiving chamber to stay on said back panel.

Preferably the strip receiving portion above comprises a flap member formed as part of said front panel between the two elongate edges of said receiving chamber, said flap member being connected is a first of said elongate edges and being free of the second of said edges, and said closure flap member being connected to the said second edge and being free of said first edge.

Some embodiments of the present invention will now be explained and illustrated by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a front view of a first embodiment the present invention, showing a CD reception sleeve and a title bar reception pocket, Figure 2 shows a front view of a second embodiment of the present invention having an alternative CD reception sleeve, Figure 3 shows a third embodiment of the present invention showing a storage case similar to the first embodiment but having an alternative title bar reception pocket, Figure 4 shows a fourth embodiment of the present invention showing a storage case similar to the second embodiment but having an alternative title bar reception pocket, and Figure 5 shows an example of the sequence of steps for inserting a title bar into the title bar reception pocket.

Referring to Figure 1, there is shown a first embodiment of a non-rigid CD storage case 1 of the present invention comprising a CD storage sleeve 2 and a title bar holder 3. The CD storage sleeve 2 comprises generally rectangular front 21 and back panels 22 which are joined together, for example, by heat-sealing, stitching, gluing, sewing or other appropriate methods. A CD storage sleeve is formed when the panels are joined together but leaving an aperture in between the panels for CD removal and insertion.

The panels are preferably made of a thin, non-rigid and non-scratching sheet material such as paper-board or plastics including polypropylene, polyethylene, polyvinyl chloride or other polymeric materials but not limited thereto. Among these, polypropylene sheets are preferred and are used in most existing flexible CD cases.

To minimise the risk of inadvertent scratching of the encoded surface by the panels, it is preferred that at least one inside surface of the sleeve is especially soft and smooth so that extra cushioning is provided to the encoded CD surface.

In the present embodiment as shown in Figures 1 to 4, the front panel is made of a smooth and transparent extruded polypropylene film and the back panel is made of an opaque non-woven or spun-bonded polypropylene sheet. This non-woven polypropylene sheet is smooth, has a soft mat-like surface texture which provides a reasonable degree of cushioning. In most cases, a CD sleeve having a single cushioned panel would be adequate, since most commercial CDs have images printed on the un-encoded side and a user will usually instinctively insert the un-encoded, i.e., image bearing, disc surface against the transparent front panel, thereby placing the encoded surface against the mat-like panel.

Such a combination of opaque and transparent panels allows an image-bearing disc surface to remain visible during storage while maintaining adequate cushioning to the encoded surface. In fact, CD manufacturers have been delivering CDs in sleeves made only of transparent polypropylene sheets without experiencing any appreciable disc damage.

Since a non-rigid storage case is characterised by and beneficial from its thin edges, a direct consequence is that identification marks previously on the sides of a storage case are no longer available. If an individual disc is to be selected from a number of similar and closely stacked discs without the need of actual physical interference with neighbouring discs, an improved non-rigid case is most desirable.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to describe an improved storage case having particular emphasis on the need to provide improved disc identification means.

This is generally done by providing on the edge of each storage case a transparent label holder which is adapted to accommodate a title bar so that the information appearing on the strip surface is visible to a user.

It is noted that most commercial jewel-box CDs are provided with a printed pictorial insert which has a title bar near one edge. When the insert is placed inside a jewel box, the title bar is usually folded uprightly and becomes visible along one side of the jewel box, allowing a user speedy retrieval of the target disc among a number of closely stacked CDs. Furthermore, it is observed that pin-holes are usually provided along the folding junction to facilitate easy title bar detachment. As title bars are usually neatly printed and available at no extra cost, it is desirable that they could be preserved and transferred to an improved non-rigid storage case together with the CDs.

Since most title bars are elongate and substantially rectangular and about the same length as the diameter of a CD, it follows that a preferred title bar holder should be correspondingly shaped and sized to accommodate the title bar and display the information thereon.

Referring to Figures 1 to 4, there is shown an elongate and substantially rectangular title bar holder 3 which extends along the width of the storage case and formed as an annexure connected to the CD sleeve 2 along one of its edges, preferably the sleeve edge nearest the CD insertion aperture but not necessarily so limited. The title bar holder 3 comprises a receptacle 31 and a closure member 32.

The receptacle 31 has a generally sleeve-like structure comprising front 33 and back 34 panels between which an elongate receiving chamber adapted for receiving a major length of a title bar is defined.

The front panel 33 is preferably made of a transparent and resilient sheet material such as polypropylene or the like and is tied to the back panel 34, for example by sewing, stitching or heat-sealing, along the two longer edges of the receiving chamber so that they are normally in contact, thereby providing a resistive environment for title bar retention. The shorter edge of the receiving chamber nearest the closure member is also un-sewn, leaving an inlet for title bar insertion.

To alleviate the difficulty of title bar insertion and removal already known in the above prior art design, the front panel above the receiving chamber is not sewn along its whole length to the back panel. Instead, a part of one of the longer edges of the front panel which is adjacent to the title bar inlet is left free, thereby forming a freely hanging flap member around the title bar inlet corner.

The flap member makes title bar insertion much easier. As shown in Figure 5, the title bar can be easily placed inside the receiving chamber after the flap has been slightly pulled away from the back panel. The title bar then only needs to advance along the remaining length of the receiving chamber to complete insertion.

Likewise, a title bar can easily be removed since a user can get hold of one end of the title bar by opening the flap member. The resilience of the front panel material means that the flap member is biased and tends to return towards the back panel when the pull is released. This biased flap member would then restrain the portion of title bar which is not received within the sewn portion of the receiving chamber against the back panel.

It is observed that a longer un-sewn receiving chamber portion means a shorter travelling distance for the title bar and therefore easier insertion or removal. However, a longer receptacle flap member on the other hand means that a larger biasing force is required to return the flap member to the pre-pulled position. The present invention attempts to resolve this conflict by further providing a closure member which supplements the effect of the receptacle flap-member. This closure member comprises a flap member which is also biased towards the back panel but has an opposite flap orientation compared to the receptacle flap.

Referring to Figures 1 to 4, one end of the closure flap member is tied to the back panel along a line which is approximately an extension of the partly sewn longer edge of the receiving chamber. The closure flap member extends from the tied end towards the other long edge of the receiving chamber so that the closure flap covers about the distance separating the longer edges of the receiving chamber. The receptacle and closure flaps together form a complementary flap pair which has free ends on the opposite long edges of the receiving chamber so that a title bar which has a portion exposed beyond the receiving chamber would now be held against the back panel and avoid the outward curling which is usual in prior art designs.

While the front panel of the title bar holder is transparent in the present embodiment, it shall be appreciated that it need not be so limited since as long as there is a transparent display window, either the front or back or both panels can be transparent. Furthermore, the complementary flap pair does not have to be limited to the present arrangement, for example, the free end of the closure flap member can be made to open on the other side of the receiving chamber while the receptacle flap can be made to open on the other side.

Figure 2 shows a second embodiment of the present invention in which the CD sleeve has an alternate shape of aperture cut-out. Figure 3 and 4 show a third and fourth embodiments of the present invention in which both panels of the title bar holder are transparent. Apart from the above embodiments, a non-rigid storage case of the present invention may comprise more than one CD sleeve or title bar holder.

For example, a storage case can be formed by combining the second embodiment to the back of the first embodiment and vice versa so that CDs and title bars can be placed on both sides of the case. Alternatively, a pictorial insert, for example that accompanying the original CD, may be inserted into the second sleeve of a dual sleeve case to retain the original artworks for sake of good record.

Claims (9)

CLAIMS:

1) A storage case (1) for a disc recording medium comprising, a sleeve (2) for storing a disc and a holder (3) for receiving an information bearing strip, wherein said sleeve (2) comprises an aperture for insertion and removal of a said disc and non-rigid back and front sheets which are connected at least along an edge furthest away from said aperture and between which a storage space adapted to removably receive a said disc is formed, said holder (3) being connected to said sleeve and comprising a strip receiving portion (31) and a closure member (32), and wherein said strip receiving portion comprises back (34) and front (33) panels connected along elongate edges thereof and between which an elongate strip receiving chamber adapted to receive a major length of said information bearing strip is defined, said closure member (32) comprising a flap member and said flap member being biased towards said back panel to restrain the remaining portion of said information strip which is not being received within said receiving chamber to stay on said back panel.

2) A storage case according to Claim 1 wherein said strip receiving portion comprises a flap member fonned as part of said front panel between the two elongate edges of said receiving chamber, said flap member being connected is a first of said elongate edges and being free of the second of said edges, and said closure flap member being connected to the said second edge and being free of said first edge.

3) A storage case according to Claim 1 or 2 wherein at least one of the front or back panels is transparent.

4) A storage case according to any of the preceding Claim wherein said back panel in said holder is an extension of said back sheet of said sleeve and is made of the same material.

5) A storage case according to any of the preceding claim l wherein at least one of the front and back panels is made of a resilient material.

6) A storage case according to any of the preceding claims wherein at least one of the front and back panels is made of a resilient material.

7) A storage case according to any of the preceding claim 1 wherein at least one of the front and back panels is made of polypropylene.

8) A storage case according to any of the preceding claim 1 wherein said front panel is connected to said back panel by way of sewing, stitching, heat-sealing or other similar methods.

9) A storage case substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to any of Figures 1 to 4