Electricity: circuit makers and breakers – Electric switch details – Indicators
Reexamination Certificate
1999-10-06
2001-02-13
Fidei, David T. (Department: 3728)
Electricity: circuit makers and breakers
Electric switch details
Indicators
C206S509000, C206S503000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06188032
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Currently the compact disc or CD is the medium of choice for recorded music as well as computer software. A compact disc has digital data forming the music or software impressed thereon as pits which are read by a laser mechanism. CD's are typically purchased in flattened, hinged cases, commonly referred to as “jewel boxes”, although other protective means are sometimes employed. A typical musical CD package includes a “booklet”, describing the recorded music, stored in the front half of the jewel box and the CD and a rear label in a rear half of the jewel box. The booklet often functions as a front label. The jewel box may also include edge labels in the side edges of the jewel box. Jewel boxes are usually formed of clear transparent plastic which allows the booklet and labels to be viewed through corresponding walls of the jewel boxes. Jewel boxes for computer software distributed on CD's may be arranged in a manner similar to musical CD's.
Although jewel boxes function well in protecting CD's stored therein, they are somewhat inconvenient when it comes to opening them, removing and replacing the disc, and removing and replacing the booklet. The CD is retained in place within a jewel box by a resilient “post” onto which the CD is snapped. It is advisable to avoid touching the underside of the CD, because data impressed thereon can be made unreadable by skin oils and the like.
There are a number of types of structures or racks for holding a plurality of CD's at a location convenient to a CD player or deck. Some types have slots sized to allow a CD within a jewel box to be placed therein. The usual problem with such a type of rack is that it must be orientationally stable; otherwise a tilt of the rack in the wrong direction will allow a number of the jewel boxes to slide out. Other types are adapted to receive only the CD itself, without the jewel box or accompanying literature. This may be appropriate for a portable CD holder, but it is often inconvenient for use in a fixed location. Additionally, separation of the CD from its jewel box and literature may result in misplacement of the jewel box and literature. With both jewel box racks and conventional CD holders, only a given number of jewel boxes or CD's may be stored therein. When the maximum number of jewel boxes or CD's have been stored in such structures, another structure must be obtained for any additional jewel boxes or CD's.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides a modular CD holder system which not only holds CD's but the CD booklets as well. In addition, the CD holders incorporate cleaning pads for the CD's to maintain their playability by simply removing the CD's and replacing them.
The CD holder system includes CD holders and booklet holders which are similar in configuration. Each holder is approximately the size of a conventional jewel box. The holders are internally configured to receive a compact disc and a typical type of CD booklet respectively. A CD and a booklet extends partially out of their respective holders to facilitate grasping them for removal. The CD and booklet holders of the present invention have releasable corner joiners which allow the holders to be modularly joined. Any number of CD holders and/or booklet holders can be interconnected to effectively form a CD and CD booklet holder rack.
The holder structures are approximately square with the corners mitered. Each corner has a holder tongue extending along the mitered or beveled edge. A right triangular corner joiner member has a holder groove extending along a hypotenuse surface thereof, the holder groove having a cross sectional shape compatible with that of the holder tongue. The joiner member also has a joiner tongue and a joiner groove formed along opposite faces of the joiner member. A joiner member is received on each of the holder beveled edges by engagement of the holder groove with the respective holder tongue. The joiner member tongue and groove enable the joiner members of one holder to interconnect with the joiner members of another holder, whereby various CD and booklet holders can be selectively stacked in any desired order.
OBJECTS AND ADVANTAGES OF THE INVENTION
The principal objects of the present invention are: to provide an improved structure for storing compact discs and booklets from CD packages; to provide such a structure which is a modularly expandible assembly in which individual receptacles can be connected to form a CD holder rack; to provide such an assembly including a plurality of CD and booklet receptacles joined by corner connectors member, each receptacle being internally configured to receive respectively a CD or a booklet therein; to provide such an assembly in which each receptacle is generally square with its corners mitered and with an elongated receptacle tongue extending along the beveled edge formed by each miter; to provide such an assembly in which each connector member has an elongated receptacle groove extending therealong which is compatible with the receptacle groove; to provide such an assembly in which each connector member has a connector tongue and a connector groove extending therealong which enable the connector member to be connected to another connector member; to provide such an assembly in which each connector member is of a prismatic shape having an isosceles right triangular with leg surfaces, a hypotenuse surface, and side faces such that four connector members complete the square shape of the receptacle member; to provide such an assembly in which each connector member has the receptacle formed along the hypotenuse surface, the connector tongue formed along one side face parallel to the hypotenuse surface, and the connector groove formed into and along the opposite side face parallel to the hypotenuse surface; to provide such an assembly in which the receptacle members are internally configured so that the CD or booklet positioned therein protrudes somewhat from the receptacle members to facilitate gripping a CD or booklet for removal therefrom; to provide such an assembly in which each CD receptacle has a pair of cleaning pads positioned therein to frictionally engage a compact disc positioned within the receptacle to thereby clean the disc upon insertion into or removal from the receptacle; and to provide such a stacking, self-cleaning CD holder which is economical to manufacture, which is convenient in use, and which is particularly well adapted for its intended purpose.
Other objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent from the following description taken in relation to the accompanying drawings wherein are set forth, by way of illustration and example, certain embodiments of this invention.
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Brown Mark E.
Fidei David T.
Shughart Thomson & Kilroy P.C.
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