Special receptacle or package – For holding a machine readable recording medium – For holding an optical disc
Reexamination Certificate
1999-06-29
2001-02-13
Sewell, Paul T. (Department: 3728)
Special receptacle or package
For holding a machine readable recording medium
For holding an optical disc
C206S312000, C206S232000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06186320
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to flexible storage sleeves used to hold compact discs, digital video discs and CD ROMs which store musical, video, graphical or other types of information.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Compact discs, digital video discs and CD ROMs (hereinafter referred to as “CDS”) are used extensively to store information which can be retrieved and played back by the user. The information stored can relate to music, video, instructional materials, games and numerous other variations of data. The information is than played back on CD players, video disc recorders and players, and personal computers.
CDS are typically sold at the retail level in rigid, hard plastic cases known in the music industry as “jewel boxes”. Although protective of the sensitive playing surfaces found on the CDS, the jewel boxes are bulky, difficult to open, often crack because of the rigidity of the plastic, are expensive to manufacture and are environmentally insensitive. Thus, flexible “sleeves” have become increasingly used by consumers to replace jewel boxes, primarily in the aftermarket once consumers have purchased their CDS from the retail distributor. The flexible sleeves are commonly made from plastic type materials such as polypropylene or vinyl and are formed by placing one or more sheets of the flexible material in an overlying relationship to created one or more “pockets” to receive the CD. Additional pockets may be used to hold the graphics which accompany the CDS, or alternatively may hold another compact disc.
To protect the playing surface of the compact disc which retains the sensitive stored information, different types of materials are commonly used. These include woven fabrics such as velours and cottons, as well as non-woven fabrics such as Sontara®, Stearns®, or other materials. Unfortunately, these materials must be laminated or in some form bonded to either a backing material or in some instances another layer of non-woven material to provide sufficient structural integrity to prevent tearing after repeated use. Typically, a polypropylene or other similar type of backing material is used to provided structural support and to provide a low friction material to facilitate the insertion and removal of graphics. One such sleeve is identified in U.S. Pat. No. 4,850,731 to Youngs.
The manufacturing of storage sleeves which have dual pockets for storing two CDS or one CD and accompanying graphics has thus been limited to materials which preferably have a non-woven material with a backing sheet for support, or which is laminated to another non-woven material. In either example, a lamination process is required in the form of heat bonding, or “welding”. This lamination process is time consuming, expensive and thus undesirable for the manufacturing of CD storage sleeves. Accordingly, significant demand exists for a durable, non-woven material which has a texture capable of protecting the playing surface of CDS yet is sufficiently durable for holding CDS and/or graphics without tearing or otherwise failing after repetitive use. The material must generally be manufactured using well known sleeve manufacturing techniques to retain the cost benefits associated with known sleeve production.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is thus one object of the present invention to provide a carrying sleeve or pocket for holding compact discs which is made from a single-sheet material which is protective of the playing surface of the CD, yet durable enough not to tear or otherwise become altered or destroyed after considerable use. Preferably the material can be used as a middle sheet between a front sheet and a back sheet to create two pockets for independently holding two CDS.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a sleeve for holding CDS which can be manufactured from a non-woven material without the use of a backing sheet or which otherwise would require laminating, bonding or other form of interconnection means between two or more sheets of material. This may include the bonding of non-woven materials to other non-woven materials or alternatively the bonding of a non-woven material to a woven material or to sheet backing materials such as plastic, vinyl or other materials known in the art.
Thus, in one aspect of the present invention a non-woven material known by the trade name of “Veratec”® is used as the non-woven sleeve material. This single sheet material is capable of being used as an independent, stand alone sheet of non-woven material which does not require any lamination or bonding to other sheets of material for durability and support. Further, the material is pliable and flexible enough to permit conventional manufacturing techniques to be used to form various designs of CD sleeves. Thus, numerous designs may be used for a variety of different CD storage requirements. These include sleeves designed for holding single CDS, multiple CDS and album type pages with a multiplicity of CD sleeves positioned on a page and adapted for interconnection to a 3-ring notebook or other similar device. In a preferred embodiment of the aforementioned design a single sheet of non-woven material is “sandwiched” between two stored CDS, thus providing a protective non-woven material for contact with the sensitive playing surfaces of each of the two CDS.
REFERENCES:
patent: D. 411402 (1999-06-01), Udwin et al.
patent: 4620630 (1986-11-01), Moss
patent: 4850731 (1989-07-01), Youngs
patent: 5396987 (1995-03-01), Temple et al.
patent: 5462160 (1995-10-01), Youngs
patent: 5588528 (1996-12-01), Ozeki
patent: 5692607 (1997-12-01), Brosmith et al.
patent: 5715937 (1998-02-01), Oshry et al.
patent: 5882748 (1999-03-01), Tomoda
patent: 5975291 (1999-11-01), Attar et al.
patent: 5988374 (1999-11-01), Funawatari et al.
Case Logic Inc.
Luong Shian
Sewell Paul T.
Sheridan & Ross P.C.
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