Special receptacle or package – For holding a machine readable recording medium – For holding an optical disc
Reexamination Certificate
2000-04-14
2001-11-06
Bui, Luan K. (Department: 3728)
Special receptacle or package
For holding a machine readable recording medium
For holding an optical disc
C206S310000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06311835
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to apparatus for holding a compact disk, more particularly an apparatus which allows the disk it holds to be easily released from the compact disk tray or case by a push-button type release.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In general, a compact disk tray, set in a case for holding a compact disk which carries music, images, data for computer or the like, is equipped with a disk-holding device for holding the compact disk, comprising an essentially cylindrical disk holding member, upper portion of which is bent inward to form a circular space.
Referring to
FIG. 10
, for example, a tray
1
to be set in a compact disk receptacle is made of synthetic resin formed into an essentially flat plate, with a cylindrical base member
11
at the center, in which a compact disk
3
is fit loosely.
A circular disk-receiving member
12
is formed at the center of the base member
11
and disk-holding member
21
is formed at the center of the disk-receiving member
12
, the former projecting upward from the base member
11
to come into contact with a ring-shaped member
32
around the central hole
31
of the compact disk
3
, where no signal is recorded in the member
32
, and the latter being inserted into the central hole
31
to hold the compact disk
3
.
The periphery of the base member
11
is ripped at the sections corresponding to both sides, allowing the compact disk set in the tray to be nipped by two fingers.
FIG. 11
shows the disk-receiving member
12
and disk-holding member
21
in more detail. The circular disk-receiving member
12
is formed to slightly rise on the base member
11
. The disk-holding member
21
is located at the center of the disk-receiving member
12
, and has openings
22
oriented in the radial direction, and nail-shaped pieces
23
, which are separated from each other by the openings
22
and stand essentially upright on the way on the disk-receiving member
12
, with each upper portion bent towards the center of the disk-receiving member
12
, to form an essentially cylindrical body as a whole, whose diameter corresponds to that of the central hole
31
of the compact disk.
The portion of each nail-shaped piece
23
standing essentially upright on the disk-receiving member
12
is slanted slightly outward, as shown in
FIG. 11
, with the result that the cylindrical body formed by the nail-shaped pieces
23
has a slightly larger diameter than the central hole
31
of the compact disk.
The compact disk
3
is set in the tray
1
by pressing the central hole
31
into the disk-holding member
21
until it comes into contact with the disk-receiving member
12
.
In this case, each nail-shaped piece
23
is pressed to the central hole
31
of the compact disk
3
, as shown in
FIG. 12
, and elastically deformed. However, it returns back to the original state, when the elastic deformation by the central hole
31
is released as the compact disk
3
comes into contact with the disk-holding member
12
. Each nail-shaped piece
23
, being slightly slanted outward, presses the compact disk
3
to the disk-receiving member
12
, securely holding the compact disk
3
in the tray body
1
.
In this case, the compact disk
3
comes into contact with the tray
1
at its member
32
, where no signal is recorded, with the member
33
to record signals kept apart and protected from the tray
1
.
When the compact disk
3
is released from the tray
1
, a fingertip is pressed to the inward bent end of each nail-shaped piece
23
to elastically deform it inward in such a way to release the compact disk
3
from the outward slanted nail-shaped pieces
23
, and, at the same time, by lifting the disk
3
, as shown in FIG.
13
.
As described above, when the compact disk
3
is released from the tray body
1
of the conventional disk tray, it is necessary to lift the compact disk
3
while a finger tip is kept pressed to the inward bent end of each nail-shaped piece
23
. This needs both hands, as shown in
FIG. 14
, because the compact disk
3
must be picked up with the thumb and forefinger of, e.g., the left hand while each nail-shaped piece
23
is kept pressed by the thumb of the right hand, and hence is inconvenient.
Another problem involved in the above compact disk tray is insufficient space between the tray and compact disk, because the compact disk itself is not released from the tray while each nail-shaped member is pressed by a finger at the center, making it inconvenient for the finger to press to or let go of the nail-shaped member. The common compact disk, approximately 12 cm in diameter, cannot be easily handled by a person of smaller hand (child or women) or handicapped person. Japanese Laid-open Patent Application No. 10-329881 discloses a cone-shaped disk releasing device, to be set in the circular space in the disk holding cylinder of the disk-holding member, to solve the above problems. This releasing device is composed of a push member and leg set in a division groove in the disk holding cylinder, the latter forcing up the compact disk by leverage when the former is pushed. This device, however, is provided as an optional accessory, and may not be used depending on the design of the holding member in the compact disk tray. It is supplied separately, and attached to the disk holding case.
More recently, the so-called jewel case, in which the holding case and compact disk tray are formed into a monolithic structure, has been developed, and a device which allows the compact disk to be released from the case more easily is in demand.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for holding a compact disk, structured to be easily released by one hand from the compact disk tray or thin jewel case in which it has been held, handled more easily, monolithically moldable and hence excellent in mass-producibility, advantageous costwise because it needs no additional part base, and producible at improved productivity and lower cost.
The inventors of the present invention have developed, after having extensively studied to solve the above problems, an apparatus for holding a compact disk which allows the compact disk it holds to be released easily by one hand and is moldable into the monolithic structure by introducing a cylindrical body around which the disk is fit to be held by the apparatus, where the cylindrical body can work on the principle of rotation or leverage and is provided with elastic force, reaching the present invention.
More concretely, the apparatus of the present invention for holding a compact disk is composed of a cylindrical body around which the central hole of the compact disk is fit and disk-receiving member, forming a plurality of tongue-shaped members extending between cut openings from the cylindrical body to the disk-receiving member, each with a nail-shaped member at the front end, where the nails-shaped members at the end of the tongue-shaped members rise to lift the compact disk when the cylindrical body is pushed downward.
One embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention for holding a compact disk is characterized in that the nail-shaped members at the front ends of the tongue-shaped members rise by the principle of leverage to lift the compact disk.
Another embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention for holding a compact disk is characterized in that the nail-shaped members move on the cylindrical body periphery as the axis, around which the central hole of the compact disk is fit, to lift the compact disk.
Still another embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention for holding a compact disk is characterized in that a plurality of tongue-shaped members extending between cut openings from the cylindrical body, around which the central hole of the compact disk is fit, to the disk-receiving member, each with a nail-shaped member at the front end, where some of the tongue-shaped members rise by the principle of leverage and others move on the cylindrical body periphery as the axis, to lift th
Hiramatsu Susumu
Ohashi Hideo
Okuhara Atsusi
Armstrong Westerman Hattori McLeland & Naughton LLP
Bui Luan K.
Kinyosha Printing Co., Ltd.
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