Abstract:
A labeled case for DVD&#39;s, comprising a preformed base member and a preprinted flexible sheet of synthetic material. The preformed base member includes a front, a back, and a spine, each having an outer surface and peripheral edges. The preprinted flexible sheet of synthetic material is affixed to and covers at least some portion of the outer surface of the front, forming a label. At least some portion of the flexible sheet of synthetic material is subjected to a high resolution printing process prior to being affixed to the base member.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     The present invention relates generally to the packaging of recorded media, and, more particularly to cases or containers for digital video discs (DVD) and like media.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     The last four decades have seen considerable technological development in recording and recorded media. The 1970&#39;s saw the advent of Beta and VHS formatted video recording media. More recently, digital video discs (DVDs) have become the most popular replacements for the VHS format.  
         [0003]     The market for rental and retail copies of movies and music has also seen tremendous growth. Accordingly, the packaging and advertising of such recorded media has also seen substantial growth and development. In particular, a variety of display cases and carriers have been developed for the DVD markets; however, two conventional designs have been particularly popular. The first, a reclosable, rigid, transparent case has been developed for holding and storing discs. A printed paper insert is placed inside the case to illustrate and advertise the contents of the DVD. More recently, lightweight flexible cases have been injection molded of plastic such as polypropylene. These more flexible, durable cases have become widespread for both rental and retail uses. These cases are typically opaque or translucent so that labeling and printed matter must be placed on the outside of the case. To accomplish this, transparent films are tacked or welded along the peripheral edges of the case so that printed cardstock inserts may be inserted therebetween the transparent film and the outer surfaces of the case. Unfortunately, however, the added step of inserting the printed material is costly. Further, although the insert may be sharp and clear, dirt and dust tend to get beneath the transparent film, creating an unsightly package.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0004]     The present invention is directed to a case or container for digital video discs (DVD) and the like, that addresses the problems described above. Generally stated, the invention here is the use of a flexible film cover for the case that is preprinted in a high resolution printing process, then affixed to the container without an insert therebetween. The result is a clearer, brightly colored, longer lasting image than heretofore obtained. The construction of the case itself is conventional in form, comprising a front cover, a back cover, and a spine that connects the front and back covers along adjacent edges and define an inner volume. Such cases are typically formed by injection molding of polypropylene or other similar polymeric materials. As is also conventional, a holder, or spindle, is normally affixed to the front or back cover within the inner volume for securely holding the disc.  
         [0005]     A flexible sheet of synthetic material is first printed, then wrapped around and affixed to the outer surfaces of the front cover, spine, and back cover. The sheet then becomes a type of “jacket” for the cover. The flexible sheet material is a thin film of a type that is receptive to high resolution printing. For example, the sheet material may be polyethylene, polypropylene, nylon, ethylene vinyl acetate, ionomer copolymer, or acid copolymer. At least some portion of the flexible sheet of synthetic material is preprinted in a high resolution process with indicia corresponding to the contents of the case. The printed flexible sheet material may be simply heat welded along the outer peripheral edges of the front cover and back cover of the case. As is also known in the art, the flexible sheet material may be preprinted on either the outside or the inside.  
         [0006]     Another aspect of the present invention is the method for labeling a case for recording media. A roll of flexible thin film is preprinted in a high resolution printing process. The printed film is then fed from the roll. The preprinted roll will normally comprise a large number of continuously connected flexible sheets, each sheet corresponding to the surface area of the outer case. As the sheet material is unrolled, it is cut into separate sheets. In one known method, the sheet is wrapped around the case. A wire induction heating element then welds the outer peripheral edges of the sheet to the case. The resulting DVD case then has a clear sharp image that dose not mar or scratch, or show dust that may get beneath the film. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0007]      FIG. 1  is a side perspective view of the prior art;  
         [0008]      FIG. 2  is an exploded side view of the media case of the present invention;  
         [0009]      FIG. 3  is a perspective end view of the media case of the present invention present invention; and  
         [0010]      FIG. 4  is a flow diagram of the method of the present invention. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0011]     Certain exemplary embodiments of the present invention are described below and illustrated in the attached Figures. The embodiments described are only for purposes of illustrating the present invention and should not be interpreted as limiting the scope of the invention, which, of course, is limited only by the claims below. Other embodiments of the invention, and certain modifications and improvements of the described embodiments, will occur to those skilled in the art, and all such alternate embodiments, modifications and improvements are within the scope of the present invention.  
         [0012]     Referring first to  FIG. 1 , a prior art media case  100  is illustrated. This conventional case  100  comprises a front cover  110 , a back cover  120 , and a spine  130  that hingedly connects the front cover  110  and back cover  120  so that the case  100  may be repetitiously opened and closed by a user to access and replace the recording media contained therein. This conventional media case  100  is injection molded from a polypropylene plastic that is flexible and durable, but opaque.  
         [0013]     As shown in  FIG. 1 , it has heretofore been the industry practice to wrap the front cover  110 , back cover  120 , and spine  130  with a flexible transparent or translucent film cover  140 . The film  140  is then heat affixed to the case  100  with welds  143  along opposed peripheral side edges  112 ,  122  of the case  100 . The top and bottom, or at least the top, is open. Accordingly, the welding is performed at a temperature sufficient to bond the film  140  to the polypropylene case  100 . The actual temperature is dependent upon the type and thickness of the film used. The top edges  144   a  and  144   b  of the film  140  are not typically bonded or welded to the case  100 , as explained below.  
         [0014]     In these conventional media cases  100 , the case  100  with film  140  affixed thereto is moved to a second assembly location where a printed cardstock  150  is inserted between the film  140  and the outer surfaces of the case. As described hereinabove, however, inserting the printed cardstock requires an additional manufacturing step.  
         [0015]     Turning now to  FIGS. 2 and 3 , one aspect of the present invention is directed to a case  200  for holding recording media (not shown). The case comprises a front cover  210 , a back cover  220 , and a spine  230 . The spine  230  hingedly adjoins the front cover  210  and the back cover  220 . As described above, the case may be injection molded of polypropylene.  
         [0016]     A flexible sheet  240  of preprinted synthetic film material covers at least the front cover  210  of the case. As shown in  FIGS. 2 and 3 , the flexible sheet desirably wraps around to cover the front cover  210 , back cover  220 , and spine  230 . Suitable synthetic films for the flexible sheet  240  include, but are not limited to, polyethylene (such as MYLAR® or polyester), polypropylene, nylon, ethylene vinyl acetate, ionomer copolymers, or acid copolymers. The flexible sheet  240  desirably has a thickness of at least about 0.002 inches; however, actual thickness will be dependent upon the stiffness and durability required of the finished media case  200 . Additionally, so that the sheet  240  will sufficiently weld to the front cover  210  and rear cover  220 , the sheet material has a melting point sufficient to bond the sheet  240  to the cover  210 ,  220 .  
         [0017]     One aspect of the present invention is that the flexible sheet of film  240  is preprinted before being applied to the case  200 . Electron-beam (EB), ultraviolet (UV) inks, aquaeous inks, etc., among others, are conventionally known in the printing and packaging industry and are desired for their high gloss, sharpness of detail, and resistance to mechanical and chemical elements. Additionally, because the curing of these inks occurs chemically, the inks may be cured in place without any further drying process.  
         [0018]     To provide greater durability, the inks may be printed on the back, or inner, side of the flexible film  240  by any of several conventional printing processes; however, the inks could well be printed on either the inner or outer surfaces. While not required, preferably the entire sheet of film  240  is printed to conceal the outer surfaces of the opaque case underneath. The printed film  240  includes various indicia  262 ,  264 ,  266  that correspond to the contents of the media case  200 . As used herein, “indicia” refers to markings, labels, pictures, text, etc. The result is a much sharper image that is more durable and presents a more finished appearance to the customer.  
         [0019]     One known printing process is flexographic printing. Flexographic printing involves printing from a flexible printing plate that is wrapped around a rotating cylinder and is quite suitable for printing on flexible polymeric sheet materials. Another suitable printing process is rotogravure printing, which is an intaglio method of printing images that are engraved into a printing plate or cylinder. For ease of manufacture, the preprinted flexible film is wound about and stored on a large roll for subsequent application in the mass production of media cases. Alternatively, the preprinted flexible film may be precut individual sheets and stacked for subsequent application to media cases.  
         [0020]     To affix the flexible film  240  to the case  200 , after printing the film  240  is fed from the large roll and cut into sheets that are dimensioned to cover the front cover  210 , back cover  220 , and spine  230 . Each sheet is wrapped around a closed case  200 . For example, with the media case  200  closed, the center of each sheet is aligned with the spine  230  of the case. The sheet is then rolled onto the front  210  and back  220  covers and held in place by rollers or the like, while the sheet  240  is bonded to the front  210  and back  220  covers. In one preferred embodiment, the film is welded along the opposed peripheral side edges  212 ,  222  with welds  243 . A wire induction heating element, well known in the art for welding polymer materials, is used to form the welds  243 .  
         [0021]     Turning lastly to  FIG. 4 , a second aspect of the present invention is directed to the method for labeling a case for recording media. Again, the case itself is conventionally formed. As a first step a preprinted flexible sheet of a synthetic material is supplied from a feed roll (Step  410 ). The preprinted roll will normally comprise a large number of continuously connected flexible sheets, each sheet corresponding generally to the surface area of the outer case. As the sheet material is unrolled, it is cut into separate sheets of film (Step  420 ). In one known method, the sheet is next wrapped around the case (Step  430 ) and mechanically held in place until the film can be affixed to the case. A wire induction heating element then welds the outer peripheral edges of the sheet to the case (Step  440 ). The upper and lower peripheral edges are not welded; however, which is also conventional.  
         [0022]     Although the present invention has been described with exemplary embodiments, it is to be understood that modifications and variations may be utilized without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, as those skilled in the art will readily understand. Such modifications and variations are considered to be within the purview and scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.