Abstract:
A case can hold a disc that has a central hole and a predetermined outside diameter. The case has a pair of wings with a hinge joint for allowing the wings to swing between an open and a closed condition. The wings in the closed position are adapted to releasably hold the disc at a predetermined disc location between the wings with clearance at the periphery of the disc. This clearance allows loading and unloading of the disc in the open condition without interference. The wings have at least a pair of members for encaging the disc in order to impede removal of the disc in any direction around any one of the members. In the closed condition the members extend from the inwardly facing surface of one of the wings, transversely past the predetermined disc location, to a position at the inwardly facing surface of the other wing, in order to prevent removal of the disc. The pair of members are positioned to avoid overhanging the disc. Thus, the disk can be loaded squarely and held in the predetermined location without engaging the members.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    1. Field of the Invention  
           [0002]    The present invention relates to cases for holding discs, and in particular, to cases that have security or tamper resistant features.  
           [0003]    2. Description of Related Art  
           [0004]    A large market exists for discs that are digitally encoded with data, audio or video information. Data discs are distributed containing databases, text material, computer programs, or other forms of software. Audio discs containing music and the like are widely distributed as music CDS. New formats and technology now enable a higher density of information, so that discs can be distributed containing the video information of a full length movie. The latter discs are widely distributed as DVD discs.  
           [0005]    Because of the relatively small size of such discs, pilferage has always been a concern. With the relatively higher purchase price of DVD discs this concern is heightened. Consequently, there is a great concern about a loss of revenue by the rights holders, disc manufacturers, distributors, and retailers.  
           [0006]    A known security method involves incorporating a separate removable security rod that is inserted into the front seam of a case holding the disc. This rod may be a passive device that can be detected if the case is removed from a store without being disabled by a clerk at the time of purchase.  
           [0007]    This type of case is relatively expensive to manufacture, is incompatible with high-speed packaging equipment, and requires the store clerk to use a special tool in order to remove the security rod from the rest of the case. This type of security design is suitable for stores renting DVDs, but not for retail “sell through” product.  
           [0008]    Regardless, the security rod approach can be defeated by persistent thieves. A thief can slit the shrink wrap plastic along either the top or bottom edge (edges adjacent the hinge) of the polypropylene case. Twisting of the case will cause the disc to pop off its center holding spindle. Then, the thief squeezes the front and rear of the case to widen the opening of the standard straight seam, so that the disc can be removed. The empty case is then returned to the shelf and the relatively small disc can be concealed in a pocket, etc.  
           [0009]    In U.S. Pat. No. 6,155,417 a DVD can rest atop a ring  35  underneath the five hooks  34   a - 34   e.  Button  28  can be depressed in order to insert or remove the disk. Automatic insertion of a disk would involve engaging and deflecting the hooks, which will produce undesirable stress and reduce the speed of insertion. Regardless, if a thief should flex or twist this case, the disc is held over most of its circumference by the overhanging hooks and will therefore flex and possibly break.  
           [0010]    In FIG. 7 of U.S. Pat. No. 5,263,580 an optical disc can fit under hooks and be locked in place by slide  16 . Hooks  15  will overhang the disc and therefore interfere with automatic insertion. The case has a number of peripheral stoppers for supporting the disc, but these are ineffective to prevent illicit disc removal.  
           [0011]    In FIGS. 7A and 7B of U.S. Pat. No. 5,697,497 a user can flex case  186  to align the blocking members  180 - 184  and allow removal of a booklet; but this reference has no teachings on preventing unauthorized removal of a disc.  
           [0012]    In U.S. Pat. No. 5,383,553 a jewel case for a CD has a modified hinge to prevent a thief from unfastening the hinge in order to remove the CD. This design will not defeat a thief that slits the shrink wrap and squeezes the case in order to remove the disc.  
           [0013]    In U.S. Pat. No. 5,101,971 a CD case has a lid with a projection  38  that fits into a recess on the base. This design facilitates opening the case with one hand and is not designed for security purposes. See also U.S. Pat. No. 4,363,403 (videocassette storage container); and U.S. Pat. No. 5,168,991 (case sold open).  
           [0014]    Accordingly, there is indeed for an article of manufacture designed to prevent the unauthorized removal of discs from their case. Preferably, the article will eliminate the need for a security rod and instead will incorporate a theft deterrent feature into the case design.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0015]    In accordance with the illustrative embodiments demonstrating features and advantages of the present invention, there is provided a case for a disc having a central hole and a predetermined outside diameter. The case has a pair of wings with a hinge joint for allowing the wings to swing between an open and a closed condition. The wings in the closed position are adapted to releasably hold the disc at a predetermined station between the wings. The wings have at least a pair of members for encaging the disc in order to impede removal of the disc in any direction around any one of the members. In the closed condition the members extend from the inwardly facing surface of one of the wings to a position at the inwardly facing surface of the other wing.  
           [0016]    In accordance with another aspect of the present invention a case is provided for a disc having a central hole. The case has a pair of wings with a hinge joint for allowing the wings to swing between an open and a closed condition. One of the wings is adapted to releasably hold the disc at a predetermined location with clearance at the periphery of the disc to allow loading and unloading of the disc in the open condition without interference. The wings have at least a pair of members. In the closed condition the members transversely extend past the predetermined location in order to interfere with removal of the disc. The pair of members are positioned to avoid overhanging the disc. Thus, the disk can be loaded squarely and held in the predetermined location without engaging the members.  
           [0017]    By employing apparatus of the foregoing type, an improved case is achieved for securely holding a disc. In a preferred embodiment two or more posts are molded into the inwardly facing surface of one of the wings of the case. For a hinged case having a rectangular outline, these posts may be placed at the two corners opposite the hinge joint. By judiciously placing the posts, the posts to post spacing and the spacing from each post to the hinge joint will be less than the outside diameter of the disc. Therefore, the disc cannot slide radially past the posts.  
           [0018]    In this preferred embodiment, the posts will have an upright portion and a slanted portion that slants in a direction toward the center of the disc. This slanted portion can flex relative to the upright portion. Accordingly, the overall height of the unflexed post when the case is open, can exceed the wing to wing spacing when the case is open. When the case is closed the posts can be compressed or flexed by the wings to eliminate any passage over the top of the posts.  
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0019]    The above brief description as well as other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be more fully appreciated by reference to the following detailed description of presently preferred but nonetheless illustrative embodiments in accordance with the present invention when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:  
         [0020]    [0020]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a case in accordance with principles of the present invention;  
         [0021]    [0021]FIG. 2A is an inside view of the case of FIG. 1 placed in an open condition;  
         [0022]    [0022]FIG. 2B is an inside view of a open case that is an alternate to that of FIG. 2A;  
         [0023]    [0023]FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the case of FIG. 1 in a closed condition;  
         [0024]    [0024]FIG. 4A is a detailed perspective view of one of the encaging members of FIG. 1;  
         [0025]    [0025]FIGS. 4B, 4B, and  4 C are detailed perspective views of an encaging member that is an alternate to that of FIG. 4A;  
         [0026]    [0026]FIG. 5A is a cross-sectional, edge view of the case of FIG. 1 holding a disc while in an open condition;  
         [0027]    [0027]FIG. 5B is a cross-sectional, edge view of the case of FIG. 5A in a closed condition; and  
         [0028]    [0028]FIG. 5C is a cross-sectional, edge view of the case of FIG. 5B forced into a distorted condition were the disc has been displaced from the spindle. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0029]    Referring to FIGS. 1, 2A, and  3 , case  10  is designed to hold a disc  12  having a predetermined outside diameter and a central hole  13 . Disc  12  is in this instance a DVD disc, although other types of discs may be accommodated, including discs for storing data, software, audio (music CDS), etc. Case  10  has a pair of wings  14  and  16  shown with inwardly facing surfaces  14 A and  16 A, respectively, each having a rectangular outline bordered by sidewalls.  
         [0030]    Specifically, wing  14  has upright sidewall segments  18 ,  20 , and  22 ; while wing  16  has upright sidewall segments  24 ,  26 , and  28 . Wing  14  has integral clips  14 B that may be used to hold printed material concerning the contents of case  10 .  
         [0031]    Wings  14  and  16  are hinged together at hinge joint  30 , which is a substantially flat narrow strip. In the preferred embodiment, strip  30  and wings  14  and  16  (including their sidewalls) are molded as a single piece with the interface between strip  30  and the wings  14 ,  16  formed as live hinges  30 A and  30 B. Live hinges  30 A and  30 B each provide separate hinge axes but are comprehensively referred to herein as a hinged joint  30  for the wings  14  and  16 .  
         [0032]    In some embodiments the wings  14  and  16  may be separate pieces that snap together using integral stubs and cavities (not shown) that work as a hinge. Alternatively, one or more separate pins can be used to hinge the wings together. In some embodiments a flexible transparent cover (not shown) may be secured to the outside of case  10  by heat sealing along the opposite edges of wings  14  and  16 . If this cover is not sealed along the adjacent edges, then descriptive or promotional material can be easily inserted between the transparent cover and the wings  14  and  16 .  
         [0033]    Wing  16  has an annular embossment  34  that serves as a circular platform to underlie and subjacently restrict disc  12 . Embossment  34  is truncated alongside sidewall  26  to provide clearance. Embossment  34  also has a pair of diametrically opposed recesses  34 A providing finger clearance to facilitate lifting of disc  12  off embossment  34 .  
         [0034]    Centered within embossment  34  is a support, shown as spindle  36 . In this embodiment spindle  36  has a pair of radially aligned clips  36 A designed to latch into central hole  13  of disc  12 . In this embodiment, central button  36 B is connected by live hinges to clips  36 A. Depression of button  36 B deflects clips  36 A to release disc  12 , which is then pushed away from the clips by a pair of radially aligned, cantilevered spring arms  36 C. It will be appreciated that a number of well-known supports exist that can hold disc  12  at its central hole  13 . Accordingly, the design specifics of support  36  can be freely varied without departing from the scope of the present invention.  
         [0035]    In the illustrated embodiment, spindle  36  as well as embossment  34  are integrally molded together as part of wing  16 . Nevertheless, in some embodiments support  36  and embossment  34  may be one or more separate components. For example, embossment  34  and support  36  may be integrally molded as an insert panel that is sized to fit within the confines of sidewalls  24 ,  26 , and  28 , without interfering with the action of live hinge  30 B. This insert panel may provide a false floor to wing  16  and may be held in place by a snap action, force fit, gluing, etc. As an example of this type of insert arrangement, see U.S. Pat. No. 5,383,553.  
         [0036]    A pair of encaging members  40  and  42  are shown integrally molded on wing  16 . Each of the members  40  and  42  are adjacent to through holes  44 , which are used in a known manner to facilitate molding of the members  40  and  42 . Each of the members  40  and  42  have an upper slanted portion that slants in a radially inward direction, that is, in a direction toward spindle  36 .  
         [0037]    Referring to FIG. 4A, previously mentioned encaging member  42  is shown in greater detail. It will be appreciated that member  40  is substantially the same. Member  42  is shown with an upright portion  42 A and a slanted portion  42 B which connect together at an oblique angle. The inside corner of portions  42 A and  42 B is relieved to form live hinge  46 . Member  42  is considered hooked.  
         [0038]    Referring to FIG. 4B, an alternate member  42 ′ is illustrated as an alternative to that of FIG. 4A. Member  42 ′ has an upright portion  42 A′ and a slanted portion  42 B′, the joint between them being cylindrically curved so that the transition between the portions is less distinct. In some embodiments the entire member may be curved (for example, a quadrant of a hollow cylinder) so that the distinction between an upright and slanted portion is lost, although the member may still be considered hooked. Flexing may still occur between the upright portion  42 A′ and slanted portion  42 B′, but without a live hinge flexing may also occur throughout the length of the member  42 ′.  
         [0039]    Referring to FIG. 4C, encaging member  42 ″ is illustrated as another alternative to that of FIG. 4A. Member  42 ″ is shown as a flat tab that is slanted radially inward as before. Member  42 ″ may also flex along its entire length as well as at its base.  
         [0040]    Referring to FIG. 4D, an encaging member is shown as another alternative to that of FIG. 4A. This member includes a cylindrical post  48  that is integrally molded into one of the previously mentioned wings. A plunger  52  is shown with disc-like head  56  and a blind hole  54  designed to receive compression spring  50 . Plunger  52  may be fitted onto post  48 , which will slide into blind hole  54  to compress spring  50 . Plunger  52  may be kept on post  48  by an appropriate locking mechanism (not shown).  
         [0041]    Referring to FIG. 2A, it is desirable to distribute the members  40 ,  42 , so that a disc cannot move in the plane of surface  16 A without being caught between members  40 ,  42  or between one of the members  40 ,  42  and the hinge joint  30 . For example, the distance A between members  40 ,  42  is chosen to be less than the outside diameter of the disc (disc  12  of FIG. 1). Therefore, the disc cannot pass between members  40 ,  42 . Also, the distance B between member  42  and hinge joint  30  is also less than the outside diameter of the disc. Therefore, if the disc should move in a direction between member  42  and hinge joint  30 , the disc will again be caught between those elements. Member  40  is also spaced from hinge joint  30  by the distance B, so that the disc cannot pass between them either.  
         [0042]    Members  40  and  42  are shown with an angular spacing of about 90°, but other angular spacings are possible, provided members are positioned to keep the disc encaged.  
         [0043]    Referring to FIG. 2B, a modified case is illustrated wherein components corresponding or identical to those previously illustrated in FIG. 2A, bear the same reference numeral. This illustrated case differs in that it has two additional encaging members  58  and  60  that are identical to members  40  and  42  but are placed in different locations. Essentially members  40 ,  42 ,  58  and  60  are equiangularly spaced by 90°. Each of these members are placed in different respective corners, but may be positioned otherwise in other embodiments. For example, in some embodiments these members may be placed in the top (12 o&#39;clock), bottom (6 o&#39;clock), right (3 o&#39;clock), and left (9 o&#39;clock) positions. In still other embodiments members may be placed in the 12 o&#39;clock, 3 o&#39;clock, and 9 o&#39;clock positions. In still other embodiments more than four encaging members may be used, depending upon the desired level of security. Moreover, in some embodiments the encaging members may be placed on both of the wings so that the above mentioned spacings (for example distances A and B) come into play when the wings are closed.  
         [0044]    To facilitate an understanding of the principles associated with the foregoing apparatus, its operation will be briefly described in connection with the diagrams of FIGS. 5A through 5C. In FIG. 5A disc  12  has been loaded onto spindle  36 . With wing  14  fully opened (FIG. 2A) disc  12  can be automatically loaded by machine since members  40  and  42  are outside the predetermined location occupied by disc  12 ; that is, the circular region encompassed by annular embossment  24 . Therefore, members  40  and  42  and all other structure on wing  16  do not interfere with the disc being loaded squarely onto spindle  36 . This loading takes place as the central hole  13  of disc  12  rides over the tapered surfaces of locking members  36 A to snap into the position shown in FIG. 5A. Disc  12  can be manually released by depressing button  36 B, which tilts locking members  36 A radially inward.  
         [0045]    With the disc loaded at its predetermined station on spindle  36 , wing  14  may be snapped closed as shown in FIG. 5B. Thereafter, case  10  can be wrapped in cellophane or shrink wrap plastic in the usual fashion. It will be noticed that the slanted portion  42 B is depressed by the closing of wing  14  to reduce the overall height of member  42 . The wings  14  and  16  are still able to close since as shown in FIG. 3, the height h of upright portion  42 A is less than the clearance H between the wings  14  and  16 . Significantly, there is no clearance above or below member  42  since slanted portion  42 B is pressed against the inwardly facing surface of wing  14 , and upright portion  42 A is molded onto the inwardly facing surface of wing  16 .  
         [0046]    Referring to FIG. 5C, a thief has twisted case  10  or squeezed it by applying compressive force F. Consequently, wing  16  bows as illustrated, causing spindle  36  to descend relative to annular embossment  34 . This deformation causes disc  12  to pop off the spindle  36 . If not done already, the thief may now slit the wrapper at the juncture between sidewalls  22  and  28  (FIG. 2A). If the thief now attempts to remove disc  12  through this slit (a direction into the plane of FIG. 5C), there is insufficient clearance. Specifically, the outside diameter of disc  12  is greater than the distance between member  42  and hinge joint  30 . If the thief attempts to remove disc  12  in the opposite direction, there is still insufficient clearance between member  40  and hinge joint  30  (FIG. 2A). Likewise, any attempt to remove disc  12  in a direction away from hinge joint  30  will fail because there is insufficient clearance between members  40  and  42  as shown in FIG. 2A.  
         [0047]    With any of these attempts, the slanted portions of members  40  and  42  remain in contact with the inwardly facing surface of wing  14 . This eliminates any clearance that would allow removal of disc  12  over these members. Also, manipulating case  10  to create clearance is precluded by the radially inward slant of the slanted portions (for example, slanted portion  42 B). As shown in FIG. 5C, any outward pressure exerted by disc  12  against slanted portion  42 B will only drive that slanted portion more tightly against the inwardly facing surface of wing  14 .  
         [0048]    It is appreciated that various modifications may be implemented with respect to the above described, preferred embodiment. For example, the illustrated case can be made of a variety of materials composed of one or more components. Additionally, the dimensions of the case can be altered depending upon the size of the disc and the desire to make the case either portable or obtrusive. Furthermore, the outline of the case can be polygonal, circular, oval or have other shapes. In still other embodiments the case can have multiple wings for storing more than one disc. Moreover, some cases may have wings with non-continuous or non-flat surfaces pierced by one or more apertures for various purposes.  
         [0049]    Obviously, many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in light of the above teachings. It is therefore to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.