Supports: racks – Special article – Recorded music type
Reexamination Certificate
2000-02-24
2001-07-10
Gibson, Jr., Robert W. (Department: 3634)
Supports: racks
Special article
Recorded music type
C211S118000, C211S119000, C211S085310, C211S106010, C248S303000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06257421
ABSTRACT:
PRIOR ART
The prior art includes various means for organizing CD discs (compact disc discs) hereinafter CD, that are usually held and supported within a closable container also referred to as a jewel case. Typically a CD would contain or be capable of containing electronic information. This electronic information may be digital and may include but is not limited to music, computer data, computer information and other data.
A CD container is designed to safely hold one or more CD discs. A standard CD disc is approximately 120 mm (4.75 inches) in diameter and 1.2 mm (0.05 inches) thick. The disc is composed of a clear polycarbonate plastic substrate, a reflective metallic layer, and a clear protective coating of acrylic plastic. The reflective metallic layer is where audio data is read in the form of minuscule (as short as 0.83 micrometre) depressions (pits) and contrasting flat regions (lands) that are arranged in a spiral track (groove) winding from the disc's inner hole to its outer edge. The centres of adjacent grooves are spaced 1.6 micrometers apart. A smaller CD single (80 mm (3.1 inches) in diameter) is also used for audio distribution. The standard CD has a center opening of approximately 15 millimeters.
Typically a CD container, jewel case, is made of clear plastic and has rectangular front and rear faces, and four narrow top, bottom, left and right rectangular sides. The CD container for a single disc has overall front and rear faces of approximately 124 by 142 millimeters, top and bottom sides of approximately 10 by 142 millimeters and right and left sides of approximately 10 by 124 millimeters.
The CD container is designed with a hinged front face portion that opens to expose a CD disc for removal. Typically, since a CD container is made of a clear plastic, information about the CD disc is contained within the CD container and is thus viewable from outside the CD container. Typically this information will be printed on the CD disc itself and/or on inserts such as paper or other thin material, that is placed and held within the CD container so as to be viewable from outside the CD container. This information can be and is exposed on any of the exterior sides and faces of the CD container.
The present invention can also be applied to other devices and apparatus in containers such as audio tape cassette containers, smaller 80 mm CD disc containers and DVD video containers, which may vary in size of the container, depending on the item e.g. tape, DVD disc, contained there within.
A user of CD discs will typically have many of said CD discs and the associated CD containers, ranging from several to several hundred, with each CD disc preferably in its own respective container. In the prior art, there are many storage devices to store, stack and organize CD containers.
Several include a rack to store the CD containers face to face, e.g. the front face of one adjacent and parallel the rear face of the next and so on, either in a vertical or horizontal arrangement as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,740,924 issued to Thomas A. Hunt.
None of these prior art devices or methods are as simple to display the front face of the CD container or as easy to use as the present invention, or are as simple to use as the present invention or as economical to manufacture as the present invention.
It is an object of the present invention to store CD containers in an organized fashion, in vertical arrangement, while displaying a large portion of the front face of one or more CD containers, on a wall or other vertical fascia.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is an apparatus and method for storing, displaying and maintaining CD containers in an organized fashion. The present invention provides a support for hanging CD containers in vertical arrangement while displaying a large portion of the front face or rear face of the CD container. The present invention places the CD containers in a substantially vertical arrangement slightly overlapped top to bottom, on a wall or other vertical surface, with the option of having the front face or the rear face of the CD container facing forward and away from the vertical surface wall for easy viewing.
This is done by first providing a starting point for supporting a first CD container and then supporting an additional CD container from the first support and then supporting other CD containers each from the prior support, in a piggy back fashion one from the other until a desired number of CD containers are hung in a column from the said first support. It is also contemplated that additional first supports will support additional columns of CDs in close proximity to said initial column of CDs.
Several embodiments are shown herein, including the advantages of having only a single part in the manufacture and packaging of the product. In one of these said embodiments all the support members are identical.
In one embodiment of this invention each support element is identical. Said element is a single strand of wire, preferably 18 gauge wire, bent in a shape such that the top end has a closed hook or eye and the opposite end forms an open hook. The height of said element from the top of the top end to the bottom of the bottom open hook is 10.6 centimeters (cm.), the return portion of said bottom hook is 2 cm. and the width of the bottom open hook is 1 cm. The bend is 2.7 cm from the top. These are the preferred dimensions for supporting and holding a CD container in a generally upright position, with desired tilt from the wall and yet close to the wall, when these support elements are used in pairs as described herein.
It is anticipated that additional columns of CDs will be arranged in generally side by side vertical arrangement so as to create a wall of CD containers. Preferably, the starting point of adjacent columns are five and one-half (5½) inches apart, to leave a small gap between adjacent CD containers of adjacent columns. In addition, each column may have a starting point at the same or at different vertical levels from those of adjacent columns.
For a DVD video container holder, the overall height of the hanger would be 19.5 cm, the bend would be 3 cm from the top and the width of the bottom hook would be 1.8 cm. (See FIG.
9
).
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Gibson , Jr. Robert W.
Schwartz Robert M.
Schwartz Robert M.
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