Special receptacle or package – For holding a machine readable recording medium – For holding an optical disc
Reexamination Certificate
2002-02-15
2004-05-11
Luong, Shian (Department: 3728)
Special receptacle or package
For holding a machine readable recording medium
For holding an optical disc
C206S310000, C206S493000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06732859
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to a storage case for packaging a recording medium disc having recorded therein a music, image or optically readable digital information for use in a computer.
BACKGROUND ART
One known prior art related to such storage cases for packaging recording medium discs such as CDs, DVDs and LDs is described in Japanese Examined Patent Publication No. HEI 6-51506 (corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 4,874,085).
This prior art storage case is constructed to support a disc only at its central area free of information carrying tracks and not to contact the area containing information carrying tracks of the disc by providing a predetermined clearance therebetween, so as not to transfer any deformation of the case to the disc.
Thus, this construction requires that the case have a higher rigidity so as to minimize its possible deformation, and make such clearance relatively large. This results in a drawback that the case has a relatively large thickness.
The storage case having an increased thickness involves problems such as a larger storage space needed for such cases and more frequent replenishment of goods on display due to a decreased number of discs which are displayable at a time, for example, in displaying and selling.
Accordingly, a storage case of this type has been desired to have a decreased thickness.
To this end, the art of reducing such clearance by supporting a disc at its outer peripheral edge area as well as at its central area, has been developed as disclosed, for example, in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. SHO 60-148485.
Though this art employs a structure for supporting the disc at both the central and outer peripheral areas thereof, other structures, particularly for holding the central hole portion of the disc, remain conventional and, hence, it is impossible to decrease the thickness of the storage case as desired.
Typically known such structure for holding the central hole portion of a disc is described, for example, in Japanese Examined Utility Model Publication No. HEI 3-31748.
This conventional structure includes a boss portion to be fitted into the central hole of the disc, the boss portion defining a multiplicity of radially extending slits which are circumferentially equally spaced from each adjacent one. These slits form elastic pieces adapted to support the central area of the disc elastically.
With this structure the projecting amount of the boss portion to project from the upper side of the disc held by the boss portion is required to be relatively large so as to prevent an unexpected removal of the disc from the boss portion. For this reason it has been difficult to make the storage case thinner.
Also, this central hole portion holding structure has been desired to allow the disc to be removed by a simple operation as well as to hold the disc securely.
Although this conventional structure is capable of securely holding the disc by means of the multiplicity of elastic pieces for elastically supporting the disc, the removal of the disc therefrom is not easy because an increased pressing force is required to depress the elastic pieces for the removal.
Further, since constantly biasing the periphery of the central hole of the disc with an increased pressing force for secure holding is likely to cause the disc to warp, the holding structure has been desired to support the disc with a smallest possible force.
This means that the structure for holding the central hole portion of the disc has been desired to satisfy incompatible requirements: holding the disc with a smaller force, holding the disc securely, and allowing the disc to be removed by a simple one-touch operation.
In view of these requirements a storage case has been devised having a reduced number of elastic pieces located at three circumferential points and enabling a one-touch removal of a disc, as disclosed, for example, in German Patent DE3425579.
In this conventional storage case, however, the inner ends of the three elastic pieces are connected to a disc-like push member and, hence, a force working on this push member also works on the three elastic pieces at the same time. Accordingly, an increased force is required to deform these elastic pieces.
In addition, this storage case requires a compressed elastic element, a nip protuberance and the like for ensuring a one-touch removal of the disc, which makes the construction more intricate, thus resulting in a difficulty in making the storage case thinner.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide a storage case having a thickness of about a half of the thickness of a conventional storage case.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a storage case which is capable of holding a disc at its central hole portion with a reduced force, holding the disc securely, and allowing the disc to be removed therefrom by a one-touch operation.
Other objects of the present invention include: to ease the operations of opening and closing the storage case; to prevent the storage case from being damaged; to facilitate the removal of the storage case from a storage rack or the like; to simplify the construction of a mold for manufacturing the storage case; and so forth.
To attain the above objects, the present invention provides the following means.
That is, the present invention provides a recording medium disc storage case comprising a holding plate for covering a recording side of a recording medium disc having a central hole, the holding plate having a holding portion to be removably fitted into the central hole of the disc, the holding portion including a base extending from an inner periphery of a perforation defined centrally of the holding plate, extensions extending circumferentially from the base, and projections each radially outwardly projecting from an end portion of each of the extensions. The projections have respective tips defining a circular envelope having a diameter greater than that of the central hole of the disc, and the extensions have an outer diameter such as to be fitted in the central hole of the disc.
In this construction according to the present invention, each projection is located at a position circumferentially displaced from the base portion.
Preferably, the base includes a plurality of base portions circumferentially spaced a predetermined distance from one another which are inclined radially inwardly and axially upwardly from the inner periphery of the perforation of the holding plate, each of the extensions is concentrically extending in one circumferential direction from an inner end portion of each base portion and is formed at its end portion with a push portion extending radially inwardly, and each of the projections is located on an upper edge portion of the end portion of each extension.
In the above construction the base and the extensions are elastically deformably arranged such that when the holding portion is fitted in the disc, the projections are located on an upper side of the disc, while when the push portions are depressed, the projections move to a lower side of the disc.
With this construction, each projection is located at a position displaced radially, circumferentially and axially from the corresponding base portion, whereby the amount of move of each projection in response to a depression of the corresponding push portion can be maximized. This allows each projection to move from the upper side to lower side of the disc with ease. Further, since each projection operates independently of other projections in response to the depression of the corresponding push portion, only a very small force is required for such depressing operation. Thus, the disc can be fitted on and removed from the holding portion with extreme ease.
Preferably, the projecting amount of each projection is determined such that a click sound is produced upon fitting of the disc on the holding portion or upon release of the disc from its fitting condition by depressing the push portions. This feature enables the user to confirm the fitting an
Kuremoto Kei
Kuremoto Masaaki
Luong Shian
Meiko Kasei Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
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