Media storing tray-board mechanical attachment

A media holding package assembly apparatus forms a trough with a folded and creased board for fitting within side walls of a media-holding tray and mechanically locking with the media holding tray. Hold-downs are extensibly positioned at each end of the board for extending over the board. Multiple fingers are positioned beneath the board in rows along each side of the board for extending upward after the hold-downs have been extended over the board to form a trough from the board for inserting within rigid side walls of a tray.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
A media holding package assembly apparatus forms a trough with a folded and 
creased board for fitting within side walls of a media-holding tray and 
mechanically locking with the media holding tray. Hold-downs are 
extensibly positioned at each end of the board for extending over the 
board. Multiple fingers positioned beneath the board in rows along each 
side of the board extend upward after the hold-downs have been extended 
over the board, to form a trough from the board for inserting within rigid 
side walls of a tray. 
A new package for holding a flat recorded media has a tray having a bottom 
and an upper surface and a central recess in the upper surface for holding 
the flat recorded media. First and second end walls and first and second 
side walls extend downward from edges of the upper surface of the tray. 
Rails extend inward from bottoms of the side walls of the tray. 
A board has an outer layer and inwardly folded and glued end panels. An 
inwardly folded inner layer glued to an inner surface of the outer layer 
at one end forms a cover. An inwardly folded layer at the other end 
centrally glued to an inner surface of the outer layer forms a base for 
receiving the bottom of the tray. Creases intermediate the base and cover 
form a spine at the first end wall of the tray. The base has an outer 
layer and inner layer, and the inner layer of the base has edge portions 
for engaging the rails and holding the board and tray assembled. The outer 
layer of the base has free areas extended outward beneath side edges of 
the base and over the rails. 
Outer lateral edge areas of the base outer layer cover the rails. The inner 
layer of the base has lateral edge curves for fitting within a thickness 
of the rails. 
Ribs extend inward from the side walls of the tray and are spaced from 
inner surfaces of the rails for guiding the inner layer of the base below 
the ribs and between a rib and an inner surface of the rail. 
Guide ribs extend inward from edges of the rails and have sloped sides. The 
guide rails face outwardly with respect to the rails. Cutouts in the outer 
lateral edges of the inner layer of the base are guided into registry with 
the rails, and inner edges of the cutouts rest against inner edges of the 
guide ribs within the rails. 
Upward bent lateral edge areas of the inner layer of the base are inserted 
within the side walls of the tray and are positioned in the tray within 
the rails. The upward bent side walls are stepped back from an outer edge 
of the base and from a spine piece for fitting within the end walls of the 
tray. 
The rails extend straight inward from bottom edges of side walls of the 
tray. 
The upward bent side walls have vertical slits and downward folded cutout 
portions between the vertical slits for positioning beneath the rails, 
leaving upward extending portions for fitting against insides of the side 
walls of the tray. 
The rails extend inward from bottom edges of the side walls of the tray, 
and guide ribs extend inward from the side walls at ends of the rails for 
guiding the slit and standing portions along the guide ribs. 
Apertures are formed in the bent upward lateral edges of the inner layer of 
the base. The rails extend inward from positions below the bottom edge of 
the base. 
These and further and other objects and features of the invention are 
apparent in the disclosure, which includes the above and ongoing written 
specification, with the claims and the drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
Referring to FIG. 1, a board for assembly on a disk-holding tray is 
generally indicated by the numeral 1. Board 1 has a base layer 3 and 
inward folded end sections 5 and 7, which are glued to the base layer 3 
after being inwardly turned and folded around fold lines 9. 
Creases 11 are formed near the middle of the board 3 to form a spline when 
the cover panel 5 is folded over a tray. Single side printing can be 
provided on the inner surfaces of the cover 5 and inward folded base 7, 
and on the outer surface of the bottom layer 3 of the folded panel. 
Grooves 13 on the inner base layer 7 receive rails on the bottom of the 
tray. The inner edges 15 of the grooves fit under the rails and along the 
inside of the extensions which hold the rails, and longitudinal ends 17 of 
the grooves fit along the rails to prevent relative movement of the board 
and tray once the board has been assembled. The fold 9 at the outer end of 
the bottom panel 7 is cut 19 at ends. The entire lower surface of cover 
panel 5 may be glued or spot glued to the inside of the lower panel 3. 
Only the inner portion of the tray mounting 7 is glued to the lower panel 
3. That allows the outer lateral edge portions 21 of the inner panels 7 to 
bend at a reduced radius when the board 1 is assembled on the tray. To 
assemble the board 1 on a tray, the board is first curved. Hold-downs 23 
extend inward on edges of the board, as shown in the assembly details in 
FIGS. 2, 3 and 4. Actuators 25 reciprocate the hold-downs in and out on 
each cycle. Fingers 27 mounted on frame 29 move upward. The fingers 27 and 
hold-downs 23 curve the board 1 into a trough shape. Tray 31 is moved 
downward and rails 33, which extend inward from side walls 35 of the tray, 
fit within the recesses 13 so that the inner edges 15 of the recesses 
engage the inner surfaces 37 of the downward extended side walls 35 at the 
rails 33. The outer surfaces 39 of the board 3 underlie the rails 33. The 
engaging of the outer surfaces 39 on the outer surfaces of the rails 33 
allows the outer portions 21 of the inner layers 7 to curved upward for 
fitting within the rails. 
When the hold-downs 23 are moved out from contact with the board, the board 
snaps outward to a flat position, as shown in FIG. 3A, and the tray is 
assembled. 
FIG. 5 shows a tray 31 assembled on a board 1, with the outer edge portions 
39 of the lower layer 3 extending outward beneath the rails 33. Outer 
portions 21 of the inner layers 7 extend over the rails 33 and abut the 
inner vertical surfaces 37 of the rails. 
The assembly procedure is shown in the detail of FIG. 6. As the tray 31 is 
moved toward the board which is held in a trough shape, the outer portion 
39 engages the lower surfaces 33 of the rails, and the outer edge portion 
of the inner layer 7 continues upward in the trough-shaped bend. Outer 
edges 41 of the inner layer 7 contact the two or more ribs 43, which are 
positioned under or next to the rail 33 to guide the tips outward so that 
they extend outward over the lower rim 45 of the tray 31. FIG. 7 shows the 
tray inverted. Sloped guide ribs 47 at edges of the rails 33 guide the 
side edges 17 of the recesses in the inner board 7. Inner edges 15 of the 
recesses rest against inner edges 49 of the guide ribs 47. 
The tray and assembly details are shown in FIGS. 7, 8 and 9. Vertical ribs 
43, which extend inward from inner surfaces 35 of the side walls 33 of 
tray 31, support the outer portions 21 of the inner panel 7. Angle guide 
ribs 47 at the edges of the rails 33 guide the side edges 17 of the 
recesses 13 when the tray is assembled. Edges 15 of the recesses 13 fit 
beneath the rails 33 and against the inner edges 49 of the guides 47. 
As shown in FIG. 10, the board 51 has an outer layer 3 and an inner cover 
layer 5 folded along edge 9 and glued to the inside surface of the outer 
layer. The tray base 53 is folded inward along a fold line 9, and a 
central portion of the tray base is glued to the inner surface of the 
outer layer 3. Before the folding along edge 9, cutouts 55 are formed near 
the outer and inner ends of the panel 53 so that the side walls 57 are 
stepped back from the outer edge and from the spine. The folded portions 
57 then fit within the sides 35 of trays 31 and tuck beneath the rails 33. 
The overlapping edge portion 59 of the outer board layer 3 covers the 
outer surface of the rails 33 and the outer edge surface 61 of the tray, 
as shown inverted in the FIG. 12 detail. The tray has an inner recess 63 
which receives the disk. The lower surface 65 of the inner recess rests 
against but is not glued to the inner surface of the upper layer 53. The 
inner layer 53 and the outer layer 3 are glued together only in the area 
67, as shown in the detail of FIG. 11, and are not glued together in the 
lateral areas to allow the inner area 57 to be positioned within the side 
walls 35 of the tray. 
An alternate embodiment is shown in FIGS. 13-17. A tray 71 has an inner 
surface 73 with lateral sides 75 that are slit 77 and partially folded 
inward 79 to lie beneath the rails 33 on trays 31, as shown in FIG. 15. 
Outer surfaces of the upstanding sides 75 are visible through the 
transparent side walls 35 of the trays 31. The outer extension 59 of the 
lower layer 3 extends over the rails 33 and over the lower edges 61 of the 
tray shown inverted in FIG. 17. The tray side walls 35 have inward 
extending ribs 81 with bottom surfaces 83 beneath which the inward folded 
portions 79 are positioned to secure the tray and the board. 
As shown in FIG. 16, the hold-downs 23 and fingers 27 form a trough shape 
with the board. The board is glued 67 near the center while outer portions 
remain unglued. The inner, upper extending side walls 75 of the inner 
board portion 73 are curved inward to fit within the tray, while the outer 
extensions 59 of the lower layer 3 extend outward to engage the outer 
edges 61 of the tray. 
Another embodiment is shown in FIGS. 18, 19 and 20, in which the board 91 
has a folded inner base layer 93 with side walls 95, which are bent upward 
from the base. Apertures 97 are formed in the upward bent side walls. 
Trays 101, as shown in the details of FIGS. 19 and 20, have rails 103 
which extend inward from side walls 105. The boards 91 are deformed into a 
trough shape. The side tabs or walls 95 fit within the walls 105 as the 
parts are assembled. When the curvature of the board is released, the 
apertures 97 slide onto the rails 103 while the edges 59 of the outer 
layer 3 rest against the edges 61 of the trays 101, tightly and 
mechanically locking the board and tray. 
While the invention has been described with reference to specific 
embodiments, modifications and variations of the invention may be 
constructed without departing from the scope of the invention, which is 
defined in the following claims.