Special receptacle or package – For holding a machine readable recording medium – For holding a tape cassette
Reexamination Certificate
2000-06-28
2002-09-03
Bui, Luan K. (Department: 3728)
Special receptacle or package
For holding a machine readable recording medium
For holding a tape cassette
C229S087050
Reexamination Certificate
active
06443303
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a package for a cassette storage case, and more particularly, to a package for a cassette storage case having received therein a recording medium cassette—such as a video tape cassette or a cleaning cassette, formed by winding a packaging material on the cassette storage case to seal and wrap the latter.
2. Description of the Related Art
Referring now to
FIG. 1
, there is illustrated a video tape cassette and a cassette storage case used for storing the video tape cassette therein. The video tape cassette is indicated with a reference
1
and cassette storage case is with a reference
2
. The video tape cassette
1
is for example adapted for use in a video tape recorder. It is housed in the cassette storage case
2
for supply to a user. The video tape cassette
1
is put in the cassette storage case
2
for storage or carrying. As shown, the cassette storage case
2
is formed as a generally rectangular thin box having the nearly same shape as the video tape cassette
1
. The cassette storage case
2
is formed from a cardboard or a soft synthetic resin. The cassette storage case
2
has an inner space
3
generally equal in size to the video tape cassette
1
except that the depth or width is slightly larger. The video tape cassette
1
is received in the inner space
3
of the cassette storage case
2
. The inner space
3
will be referred to as “cassette receiving space” hereunder.
As shown in
FIG. 1
, the cassette storage case
2
is open along one of the longitudinal sides of the cassette receiving space
3
. The opening is indicated with a reference
4
. The video tape cassette
1
is introduced into or taken out of the cassette receiving space
3
through the opening
4
. The cassette storage case
2
consists of front and rear main surfaces
5
and
6
defining together the cassette receiving space
3
and having opening edges
5
a
and
6
a,
respectively. The front and rear main surfaces
5
and
6
have cuts
7
a
and
7
b
formed therein, respectively, at the side of the opening
4
and nearly in the middle of the case length. The cuts
7
a
and
7
b
are opposite to each other. The video tape cassette
1
can be pinched with fingers in the cuts
7
a
and
7
b
for easy removal from inside the cassette storage case
2
. The cuts
7
a
and
7
b
will generically be referred to “cassette guide cuts
7
” hereunder. Each of the cassette guide cuts
7
has a trapezoidal form of which the side at the opening
3
is longer.
As will be seen from the above description, when the video tape cassette
1
is fully received in the cassette receiving space
3
of the cassette storage case
2
, a part thereof will be exposed in the cassette guide cuts
7
. Namely, the cassette guide cuts
7
will make it easier to handle the video tape cassette in relation to the cassette storage case
2
.
Normally, as a commodity for supply to a user, the video tape cassette
1
put in the cassette receiving space
3
of the cassette storage case
2
is wholly wrapped and sealed with a packaging material
100
as shown in FIG.
2
. The packaging material
100
is formed from a transparent resin film sheet, for example, a polypropylene film sheet, to have a little larger size than the spread shape of the cassette storage case
2
. The packaging material
100
has a cutting tape
101
thermally tacked to the inner surface thereof. The packaging material
100
can easily be cut by and along this cutting tape
101
. For packaging the cassette storage case
2
, it is first wrapped with the packaging material
100
so that the latter has a cylindrical shape, and then the cylinder of the packaging material
100
is folded at each end thereof so that the upper and lower portions thereof will overlap each other (which is a so-called “caramel packaging”). This packaging will seal the cassette storage case
2
, which means that the video tape cassette
1
is an unused one, and also protect the cassette storage case
2
against dust and abrasion. The packaging material
100
is appropriately designed (not shown) for an esthetic appearance of the commodity.
Generally, two, three or five pieces of video tape cassette
1
are packaged together for sales in many cases. That is, the video tape cassette
1
is sold as a two-piece, three-piece or five-piece pack. In this case, each piece of the cassette storage case
2
having the video tape cassette
1
received therein is packaged with the packaging material
100
as in the above, then a predetermined number of the packaged cassette storage cases
2
are stacked together, and further the stack of the packaged cassette storage cases
2
is “caramel-packaged” with a packaging material
102
as shown in FIG.
3
. This packaging material
102
is also formed from a transparent polypropylene film sheet having a slightly larger size than the spread shape of the stack of the cassette storage cases
2
.
However, the above-mentioned packaging of the cassette storage case
2
needs a packaging material of a larger size than the cassette storage case
2
or the stack of the cassette storage cases
2
and thus it costs much, which is not consistent with the simple packaging asserted in the recent movements for resource conservation and environmental protection. Also, generally in the packaging of the cassette storage case
2
, the cutting tape
101
is also formed from a transparent resin film and is closely tacked at the end thereof to the packaging material
102
. Thus, the user will not easily be aware of the location of the opening end of the cutting tape
101
or the packaging material
102
cannot easily be opened by the cutting tape
101
.
The invention of the present invention has already proposed a novel tape cassette sealing structure by which the problem of the packaging structure of the cassette storage case
2
could be overcome (as disclosed in the Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 6-183458, titled “Tape Cassette Sealing Structure”). This conventional sealing structure is such that a sealing tape
110
is wound on the cassette storage case
2
as shown in FIG.
4
. The sealing tape
110
is narrower than the cassette guide cuts
7
in the cassette storage case
2
, and wound about the cassette storage case
2
at the cassette guide cuts
7
in a direction across the opening
4
. As shown, the sealing tape
110
has opposite end portions
110
a
and
110
b
which will be placed to overlap each other and thermally tacked to each other.
In this conventional sealing structure, the sealing tape
110
has a sufficient width and length to wrap the above-mentioned portion of the cassette storage case
2
having the video tape cassette
1
received therein, so the above-mentioned simple packaging can be implemented. Namely, the packaging material cost and packaging steps can be reduced. Also, in this conventional sealing structure, the sealing tape
110
present on the cassette storage case
2
means that the video tape cassette
1
received in the case
2
is an unused one, and acts to seal the cassette storage case
2
.
For unpacking the cassette storage case
2
to take out the video tape cassette
1
for use, the user has to cut the sealing tape
110
by inserting a cutter or the like under the sealing tape
110
. This is possible since the sealing tape
110
is narrower than the cassette guide cuts
7
. However, the conventional packaging structure makes it necessary to use the cutter or the like for cutting the sealing tape
110
, and the cassette storage case
2
may possibly be cut or damaged by the cutter when unpacking the cassette storage case
2
.
Also, for unpacking the cassette storage case
2
, it is not impossible for the user to tear the sealing tape
110
with the finger introduced under the sealing tape
110
, which however is very difficult because of the elasticity of the sealing tape
110
. Further, when the user tries to unpack as in the above, the cassette storage case
2
may possibly be deformed or the sealing tape
110
is likely to be caught a
Iwamoto Chie
Seki Seizo
Bui Luan K.
Maioli Jay H.
Sony Corporation
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