Special receptacle or package – For holding a machine readable recording medium – For holding a grooved phonograph disc
Reexamination Certificate
2000-01-18
2001-06-05
Gehman, Bryon P. (Department: 3728)
Special receptacle or package
For holding a machine readable recording medium
For holding a grooved phonograph disc
C206S308100, C206S493000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06241089
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention is related to the field of CD housings commonly known as jewel boxes.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a housing having a holding device arranged on a base plate and including a circular arrangement of radially resilient clamping limbs having radially outward clamping surfaces for engagement in a central opening of at least one disc-shaped information carrier, for example a CD. The arrangement also includes rigid supporting limbs having radially outward supporting surfaces being interposed between the clamping limbs. The diameter of the circular arrangement of supporting surfaces being slightly smaller than the diameter of the central opening of the information carrier.
Such a housing is known, for example from EP 817 196 A1. This known housing has radially resilient clamping limbs arranged in a circle and having radially outward clamping surfaces for engagement in a central opening of a disc-shaped information carrier. In order to prevent the clamping elements in the case of impact loads rigid supporting limbs having radially outward supporting surfaces are interposed between the clamping limbs. The supporting surfaces are arranged in a circle whose diameter is slightly smaller than the diameter of the central opening of the information disc, as a result of which the supporting surfaces do not exert a clamping force on the information disc.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the invention to provide a housing of the type defined in the opening paragraph, which allows the clamping force on the information disc to be increased without the immunity to impact loads being affected.
According to the invention this is achieved in a housing of the type defined in the opening paragraph in that the rigid supporting limbs have radially resilient clamping noses having radially outward clamping surfaces for engagement in the central opening of the disc-shaped information carrier.
Such a construction provides an increased number of clamping surfaces adapted to engage in the central opening of the disc-shaped information carrier. On the one hand, the rigid supporting limbs perform a clamping function, to clamp the disc-shaped information carrier by means of the resilient clamping noses. On the other hand, the rigid supporting limbs also guarantee that in the case of severe shock loads the CD is urged against the supporting surfaces of the supporting limbs with the edge of its central opening and thus a further load on the clamping limbs and of the resilient clamping noses is taken up, thereby precluding the risk of breakage of the clamping limbs and the resilient clamping noses.
The right-angled shape of the supporting limbs as defined in claim
2
allows an optimum protection of the information carrier in the case impact loads and the extension of these limbs into the area of ends of the clamping limbs guarantees that an effective protection in any position.
The advantageous embodiment of the invention defined in claim
3
provides a higher reliability of the construction. Moreover, the supporting limbs can be thinner because now the principal forces of an impact load are taken up by the rigid supporting element.
In the advantageous embodiment of the invention defined in claim
4
individual clamping limbs act from the periphery of the holding device. This is advantageous in order to enable the information carrier to be snapped easily and simply onto the clamping element.
In the advantageous embodiment of the invention defined in claim
6
the individual clamping limbs act from the center of the holding device. This enables the information disc to be removed easily and simply from the holding device.
The advantageous embodiment of the invention defined in claim
6
is particularly simple and cheap.
The holding device in accordance with the invention can be used particularly advantageously in housings adapted to hold more than one information disc.
For such a housing, as is defined in claim
7
, the clamping surfaces of the clamping limbs and the clamping surfaces of the supporting limbs for clamping each information carrier are arranged in at least two different planes. Thus, in an arrangement with two information discs the clamping surfaces of the supporting limbs hold the first information disc and the clamping surfaces of the clamping limbs hold the second information disc. The two information discs are clamped one over the other. This arrangement is particularly advantageous because obviously in housings which accommodate more than one information disc only a smaller number of clamping limbs is available for clamping each information carrier. By means of an arrangement in accordance with the invention the supporting limbs also have a clamping function and the available space is used to an optimum extent. At the same time the arrangement is protected against impact loads by means of the rigid supporting limbs, as a result of which the clamping limbs and the clamping noses of the supporting limbs are not damaged in the case of severe impact loads.
In the advantageous embodiment of the invention defined in claim
8
the clamping surfaces of the clamping limbs are arranged above the clamping surfaces of the supporting limbs. This means that the lower information disc which is first supported on the base plate is clamped by means of the clamping surfaces of the supporting surfaces and the second information disc disposed above it is clamped by means of the clamping surfaces of the clamping limbs. This is advantageous for reasons of production engineering.
The advantageous embodiment of the invention defined in claim
9
enables information carriers superposed inside a housing to be held securely. The invention can be used advantageously in the housing defined in claim
10
and claim
11
.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5494156 (1996-02-01), Nies
patent: 5626225 (1997-05-01), Joyce, Jr.
patent: 5660274 (1997-08-01), Chien
patent: 5727680 (1998-03-01), Liv
patent: 5855273 (1999-01-01), Grobecker et al.
patent: 5950822 (1999-09-01), Cloron et al.
patent: 0817196A1 (1998-01-01), None
Belk Michael E.
Gehman Bryon P.
U.S. Philips Corporation
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