WO1998011551A1

WO1998011551A1 - A case for a compact disc

Info

Publication number: WO1998011551A1
Application number: PCT/EP1997/004892
Authority: WO
Inventors: Massimo Persico
Original assignee: Cartotecnica Chierese S.P.A.
Priority date: 1996-09-10
Filing date: 1997-09-09
Publication date: 1998-03-19
Also published as: AU4942097A; IT1284786B1; ITTO960740A1

Abstract

A case for a compact disc comprising a frame (12) in the form of a shallow parallelepiped in which a seat (16) suitable for receiving a compact disc (18) is defined. The frame (12) has a main face (20) and an adjacent side face (24) which are open and separated by a cross-member which extends between two side faces (26, 30) adjacent to the open side face. A closure element (14) has two quadrangular sheets (60, 62) connected by an intermediate spine (64). The closure element (14) is capable of being introduced into the frame (12) through the open side face (24) and of being arranged in such a manner that its spine (64) is positioned at the open side face (24) and the sheets (60, 62) are positioned adjacent to the main faces (20, 22) of the frame (12).

Description

A case for a compact disc

The present invention relates to a case for a compact disc .

Compact disc cases of the most common type are constituted basically by a shallow box formed by a basic body of plastics material having a seat suitable for receiving a CD, in which is arranged a retaining device which can be connected releasably in the central hole of a compact disc. The basic body has an opening for the introduction and removal of the compact disc, which opening is closed by a quadrangular cover which is also formed from plastics material and which is hinged to the basic body along one of its sides .

Cases of this type offer the best guarantee of protection because they form a rigid box which is closed on all sides and which completely encloses the compact disc. This type of case prevents the ingress of dust and protects the compact disc against knocks and scratches.

The main disadvantage of those cases is their great cost which is the result, on the one hand, of the large amount of plastics material necessary to produce the case and, on the other hand, of the complexity of the machines necessary for the automatic assembly of the compact disc packaging. The large amount of plastics material also involves problems from the ecological point of view.

Cases produced from card, which are less expensive than box- form cases of plastics material, have already been proposed. However, card cases tend to deteriorate rapidly along the edges and in the area of the corners and are therefore not suitable for storing compact discs for long periods of time. In addition, the card cases of known type have no means of holding the packaging in the closed position.

The aim of the present invention is to provide a case for a compact disc which enables the above-mentioned disadvantages to be overcome .

According to the present invention, that aim is achieved by a case having the characteristics forming the subject matter of Claim 1.

Other characteristics and advantages of the present invention will become clear in the course of the following detailed description which is given purely by way of non-limiting example, with reference to the appended drawings, in which:

- Figure 1 is a perspective view of a CD case according to the present invention,

- Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view of the case of Figure 1 ,

- Figure 3 is a plan view of the portion indicated by the arrow III in Figure 2,

- Figures 4 and 5 are sections on the lines IV- IV and V-V of Figure 3 ,

- Figure 6 is a plan view illustrating the development of the element indicated by the arrow VI in Figure 2,

- Figures 7 to 9 are schematic sections illustrating the sequence of opening the case according to the invention, and

- Figure 7a is a schematic section illustrating on a larger scale the portion indicated by the arrow VII in Figure 7. Referring to Figures 1 and 2, 10 indicates a case for a compact disc 18 comprising a frame 12 and a closure element 14. The frame 12 is preferably composed of injection-moulded plastics material, for example PET derived from recycled plastics bottles. The closure element 14 is preferably formed by a paper material, such as card or the like. It will, however, be appreciated that the invention is not limited to that type of material: for example, the closure element 14 could be formed by sheets of plastics material instead of card.

The frame 12 is substantially in the form of a shallow parallelepiped which is hollow inside, the cavity forming a seat 16 suitable for receiving a compact disc 18 (Figure 2) .

Referring to Figures 2 to 5, the frame 12 has two main faces 20, 22 of quadrangular shape and four side faces 24, 26, 28 and 30. The upper main face 20 has a large quadrangular opening 32 which permits the introduction and removal of the compact disc 18 from the seat 16. The upper face 20 is completely open except for the presence of two cross-members 34 and 36. The cross-member 34 connects the two opposing side faces 26 and 30 formed by respective strips of plastics material. The side face 24 adjacent to the cross-member 34 is, however, open to permit the introduction of the closure element 14.

As will be described in more detail hereinafter, the cross- member 36 adjacent to the side wall 28 has the task of holding the closure element 14 in the closed position. The cross -member 36 is interrupted in its central portion by a notch 38 which also extends over a portion of the side wall 28 and which has the task of facilitating the disengagement of the closure element 14 from the cross -member 36, as will be described in more detail hereinafter.

The lower main face 22 of the frame 12 has a peripheral rim 40 which surrounds an opening 42. The opening 42 on the face 22 is used merely to reduce the amount of material necessary for the production of the frame 12. For the purposes of the present invention, the face 22 could also be completely closed or could have weight -reducing openings in a form differing from that illustrated.

Still referring to Figures 2 to 5 , a retaining device 44 is located in a central position relative to the opening 32 in the upper face 20. The retaining device 44 is of a type known per se and is to be releasably connected in the central hole of a compact disc 18, as illustrated in Figure 2. The retaining device 44 is formed integrally with an intermediate wall 46 which extends between the side walls 26 and 30 of the frame 12. As shown in Figures 4 and 5, the intermediate wall 46 is parallel to and at a distance from the main faces 20 and 22.

Each of the side walls 26 and 30 of the frame 12 has on its inner side a guide rib 48 which is subdivided into two portions 48a and 48b separated from one another by the intermediate wall 46. The portion 48a of each guide rib 48 has a pointed end 50 facing the open side face 24 of the frame 12. The second portion 48b of each rib 48 has a connecting portion 52 in the area of the intermediate wall 46.

Referring to Figures 4 and 5, each rib 48 defines a first and a second guide groove, indicated 54 and 56. The first guide groove 54 extends between the upper main face 20 and the rib 48, while the second groove 56 extends between the rib 48 and the lower main face 22.

The rim 40 formed on the lower face 22 of the frame 12 has a pair of retaining teeth 58 located in the area of the side walls 26 and 30. The retaining teeth 58 are in the form of a wedge pointing towards the open side face 24. The teeth 58 can be formed by cutting and bending inwards the thin strip of material forming the rim 40. This system of forming the retaining teeth 58 enables the teeth to be flexible in the direction perpendicular to the face 22. As shown especially in Figure 5, the retaining teeth 58 cover a portion of the cross-section of the guide groove 56.

Referring now to Figures 2 and 6, the closure element 14 has two quadrangular sheets 60, 62 which are to be positioned in the area of the main faces 20 and 22 of the frame 12. The sheets 60, 62 are connected to an intermediate spine 64 which is positioned in the area of the open side face 24 of the frame 12. Figure 6 illustrates the development in plan of a piece of card used to form the closure element 14. Figure 6 illustrates only a preferred embodiment of the cover element and it will be appreciated that numerous variants could be introduced without departing from the scope of the invention. In the embodiment of Figure 6, the sheets 60 and 62 are each formed by two card walls, marked respectively 60a, 60b and 62a, 62b, which, are folded and adhesively bonded to one another and which are separated by folding lines 66 and 68 formed by creasing. Another two folding lines 70 and 72 are formed in the area of the spine 64. The areas to which an adhesive enabling the walls 60a and 60b and the walls 62a and 62b to be adhesively bonded to one another is applied have been shown diagrammatically on the walls 62a and 60b with serpentine lines, marked 74 and 76. An intermediate folding line 78 which defines an intermediate area 80 between the spine 64 and the sheet 60 is formed on the wall 60b. A pair of notches 82 which are to cooperate with the retaining teeth 58 of the frame 12 are formed in the wall 62b.

A cut 84, for example of curved shape, is formed in the wall 60a and defines a pocket between the two walls 60a and 60b constituting the sheet 60. This pocket may accommodate illustrative booklets or small sheets of paper containing information on the content of the compact disc 18.

Figure 7 is a section showing the packaging in the closed position. The closure element 14 is inserted in the frame 12 through the open side face 24. During the introduction of the closure element 14, the two sheets 60, 62 are positioned on opposite sides of the guide rib 48 and engage in the respective guide grooves 54 and 56. The edge of the sheet 60 opposite the spine 64 is inserted below the cross-member 36 of the frame 12. Therefore, the cross-member 36 maintains the sheet 60 of the closure element 14 in the closed position. As is shown more clearly in the detail of Figure 7, each of the notches 82 present on the lower sheet 62 engages a respective retaining tooth 58. The teeth 58 yield resiliently during the introduction of the closure element 14 and engage in the respective notches 82 as soon as the latter are positioned in the area of the teeth 58. Between the stop edge of the retaining tooth 58 and the corresponding abutment surface of the notch 82, there is a distance d (Figure 7a) which is slightly greater than the distance indicated d' in Figure 7 between the distal end of the upper sheet 60 and the inner edge of the cross-member 36. The play d between the notch 82 and the retaining tooth 58 permits a limited sliding movement of the closure element 14 relative to the frame 12 in the direction indicated by the arrow 4 in Figure 7.

In order to open the case, first of all the closure element 14 is pushed in the direction indicated by the arrow 4 in Figure 7. This can be done, for example, by pushing with a finger through the notch 38 on the edge of the upper sheet 60. The movement of the closure element 14 stops at the moment when the notch 82 comes into abutment with the retaining teeth 58.

Figure 8 shows the configuration of the case 10 at the end of the process of withdrawing the closure element 14. In this position, the sheet 60 of the closure element 14 is disengaged from the cross-member 36. In Figure 8, it will be noted that the folding line 78 of the upper sheet 60 is arranged slightly inwards relative to the cross-member 34. Consequently, the upper sheet 60 can be raised by pivoting about the folding line 78, as shown in Figure 9. With the upper sheet 60 raised, it is possible to disengage the disc 18 from the retaining device 44 and to remove the disc from the case 10 through the opening 32. In order to close the case it is necessary only to lower the sheet 60 until it reaches the upper walls of the ribs 48 and then to push the closure element 14 in the direction indicated by the arrow 86 in Figure 9 .

It is clear from the above description that the case according to the present invention is substantially more simple and economical than known packaging made entirely of plastics material. The card closure element is surrounded by a frame of plastics material which prevents premature damage to the corners and the edges of the closure element. The dimensions of the case are substantially the same as those of standardised plastics cases and therefore the case according to the invention can be accommodated without difficulty in already existing compact disc holders.

A further advantageous aspect of the present invention is that the case is formed solely by two components (the frame 12 and the closure element 14) which are assembled by a unidirectional movement. This substantially simplifies the structure of the machines which assemble compact disc packaging automatically.

Claims

1. A case for a compact disc, characterised in that it comprises :

- a frame (12) in the form of a shallow parallelepiped in which a seat (16) suitable for receiving a compact disc (18) is defined; the frame (12) having at least one main face (20) and an adjacent side face (24) which are open and separated by a cross -member which extends between two side faces (26, 30) adjacent to the open side face, and

- a closure element (14) having two quadrangular sheets (60, 62) connected to an intermediate spine (64) ; the closure element (14) being capable of being introduced into the frame (12) through the open side face (24) and of being arranged in such a manner that its spine (64) is positioned at the open side face (24) and its sheets (60, 62) are positioned adjacent to the main faces (20, 22) of the frame (12) .

2. A case according to Claim 1, characterised in that the frame (12) comprises an intermediate wall (46) which is parallel to and at a distance from the main faces (20, 22) and which carries a retaining device (44) which can be connected releasably in the central hole of a compact disc (18) .

3. A case according to Claim 1, characterised in that that sheet (60) of the closure element (14) which is arranged in the area of the open main face (20) has a folding line (78) which permits movement of the sheet (60) between an open position and a closed position.

4. A case according to Claim 3, characterised in that the open main face (20) of the frame (12) has a portion (36) capable of maintaining the openable sheet (60) of the closure element (14) in the closed position.

5. A case according to Claim 4, characterised in that the closure element (14) is movable relative to the frame (12) , in a direction parallel to the main faces (20, 22) , between a position in which it is engaged with and a position in which it is disengaged from the portion (36) of the frame (12) which maintains the openable sheet (60) in the closed position .

6. A case according to Claim 5, characterised in that the frame (12) and the closure element (14) are provided with mutually cooperating engagement means (58, 82) which limit the extent of relative movement between the closure element (14) and the frame (12) .

7. A case according to Claim 1 or Claim 2 , characterised in that the side faces (26, 30) adjacent to the open side face (24) have respective guide ribs (48) cooperating with side edges of the sheets (60, 62) of the closure element (14) .

8. A case according to Claim 7, characterised in that each of the guide ribs (48) has a pointed end (50) facing the open side face (24) so that, by introducing the closure element (14) into the frame (12), the two sheets (60, 62) are positioned spontaneously on opposite sides of the ribs (48) .

9. A case according to Claim 8, characterised in that each of the guide ribs (48) is subdivided into a first and a second portion (48a, 48b) which are separated from one another by the intermediate wall (46) , the first portion (48a) having the pointed end (50) and the second portion (48b) having an inclined portion (52) facing the intermediate wall (46) .

10. A case according to any one of the preceding Claims, characterised in that the closure element (14) is formed by a piece of card cut and folded in such a manner as to have two quadrangular sheets (60, 62) interconnected by a spine (64) .