Transport/display package for magnetic tape cassettes

A transport/display package cushions a magnetic tape cassette from exterior shocks between a pair of folded bedding sheets of soft fabric material. A pocket folder holds the bedding sheets with the cassette sandwiched therebetween in fixed positions for insertion into a transparent envelope.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of the Invention 
This invention generally relates to a package for transporting and/or 
displaying magnetic tape cassettes of the type conventionally used in 
magnetic recording/playback apparatus and, more particularly, to a 
cushioned package highly resistant to exterior shocks of the kind 
generally encountered during such transport and/or display. 
2. Description of Related Art 
Conventional magnetic tape cassettes, such as video and audio tape 
cassettes, include a plastic housing in which magnetic tape is held. Such 
plastic housings may crack, chip or be otherwise damaged during transport 
of the cassette from its place of manufacture to a distribution center or 
retail outlet, or from the retail store to its place of use. Also, the 
cassettes might be damaged while on display at a retail store, 
particularly if roughly handled by store personnel or the public. 
Tape cassettes are often packaged in thin, pressed board boxes or in thick 
plastic casings. Experience has shown, however, that thin board boxes only 
serve, at best, to minimally protect the cassettes from damage. The 
plastic casings rely upon their inherent mass and rigidity to protect the 
cassettes therein. No matter whether thin board or thicker plastic casings 
are used to contain the housings, cassette manufacturers still resort to 
high impact plastic housings to protect the tapes stored therein. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
1. Objects of the Invention 
It is a general object of this invention to prevent damage to magnetic tape 
cassettes during transport and/or display. 
It is another object of this invention to provide a cushioned package for 
protecting a magnetic tape cassette from damage due to exterior shocks. 
Still another object of this invention is to provide a novel and esthetic 
point-of-sale package in which the presence of the cassette is readily 
determinable without requiring the purchaser to open the package. 
A further object of this invention is to provide a package which readily 
absorbs shocks from causing damage to a magnetic tape cassette therein. 
2. Features of the Invention 
In keeping with these objects, and others which will become apparent 
hereinafter, one feature of this invention resides, briefly stated, in a 
transport/display package comprising means for cushioning a tape cassette 
from exterior shocks. The tape cassette hols a magnetic tape for use in a 
magnetic recording/ playback apparatus. The cassette has opposite major 
walls between which the tape is held. 
The cushioning means includes a pair of folded bedding sheets of soft 
fabric material, e.g. cotton, cotton-polyester blends, satin or silk Each 
folded sheet is situtated at a respective major wall of the cassette. The 
sheets sandwich a cassette therebetween. Each sheet is folded over upon 
itself multiple times to form a plurality of generally rectangular sheet 
portions stacked one above another. The sheet portions of each folded 
sheet are sufficient in number to cushion effectively the cassette from 
exterior shocks directed toward the respective major wall at which the 
respective folded sheet is situated. 
The package includes an envelope in which the folded sheets and the tape 
cassette sandwiched therebetween are inserted. Means are provided on the 
envelope for selectively opening and closing the same. Means are also 
provided for holding the folded sheets in position relative to the major 
walls of the tape cassette during simultaneous insertion of the folded 
sheets with the cassette sandwiched therebetween into the envelope when 
the latter is opened. 
In a preferred embodiment, a generally rectangular shaping element is 
located within each folded sheet. Each sheet is folded over not only upon 
itself, but also upon a respective shaping element which serves as a 
convenient form to facilitate said folding. Each shaping element also 
assists the folded sheets in absorbing exterior shocks and protecting the 
cassette. 
The tape cassette may include a container therefor, the container having a 
generally planar panel bearing indicia which visually identify the 
cassette. In this event, the envelope is provided with a transparent 
section facing the indicia-bearing panel. The indicia are visible through 
the transparent section. 
Each folded sheet has opposite ends, and marginal sheet edges lying in a 
common plane at each of said ends. In a preferred embodiment, the tape 
cassette is located closer to one of said ends than to the other of said 
ends. The indicia-bearing panel is positioned in the same plane as the 
marginal sheet edges to enable the indicia thereon to be readily 
inspected. 
The holding means is constituted of a support pocket having two generally 
planar support portions and a base portion connecting the latter. Each 
support portion overlies an outermost sheet portion of a respective folded 
sheet, and enables all of the contents of the package, namely, the folded 
sheets and the cassette, to be simultaneously inserted as a unit into the 
envelope. 
The folded sheets on either side of the cassette absorb shocks directed not 
only toward the aforementioned major walls thereof, but also overlap side 
and at least one of the end walls of the cassette to absorb any exterior 
shocks directed toward any of said other walls. The soft, yielding nature 
of each stack of folded sheet portions closely embraces the cassette and 
prevents the latter from shifting away from its protected position between 
the sheets. 
The novel features which are considered as characteristic of the invention 
are set forth in particular in the appended claims. The invention itself, 
however, both as to its construction and its method of operation, together 
with additional objects and advantages thereof, best will be understood 
from the following description of specific embodiments when read in 
connection with the accompanying drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
Referring now to the drawings, reference numeral 10 in FIG. 1 generally 
identifies a boxed video tape cassette, and reference numeral 12 in FIG. 4 
generally identifies an unboxed audio tape cassette. Either one of these 
cassettes can be packed in the transport/display package of this 
invention. 
Each cassette 10, 12 respectively includes synthetic plastic material 
housings 14, 16 in which a magnetic tape for use in a magnetic 
recording/playback apparatus, e.g. a video tape recorder or an audio 
cassette player, is held. Housing 14, for example, as best shown in FIG. 
3, has a generally parallelepiped shape with planar walls including an 
upper wall 18, a lower wall 20, a pair of end walls 22, 24, and a pair of 
side walls. Housing 14 is closely received in a container or box 30 which 
also has a parallele-piped shape with planar panels including an upper 
panel 32, a lower panel 34, an end panel 36, an open end 38 through which 
housing 14 passes, and a pair of side panels 40, 42. 
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, end panel 36 of box 30 bears indicia 44 which 
identify the cassette. Thus, if the cassette has pre-recorded information 
such as a cartoon, the title of the cartoon is affixed to end panel 36. As 
shown in FIG. 4, where there is no box for the cassette, the indicia 44 
are applied directly on the housing itself. 
Returning to FIG. 1, in order to protect the boxed cassette from damage 
from exterior shocks, means are provided for yieldingly absorbing such 
shocks for thereby cushioning the cassette. Such cushioning means includes 
a pair of folded bedding sheets 50, 52 of soft fabric material, e.g. 
cotton, cotton-polyester blends, satin or silk. Folded sheets 50, 52 
sandwich the cassette 10 therebetween. 
Two generally rectangular planar shaping elements 54, 56 are inserted 
within the folded sheets 50, 52, respectively. Each shaping element is a 
thin, shape-retaining board constituted of thick paper or cardboard. Each 
folded sheet is folded over upon itself and upon a respective shaping 
element multiple times to form a plurality of generally rectangular sheet 
portions stacked one above another. Each shaping element serves not only 
as a convenient form for facilitating the folding of its respective sheet, 
but also as a protector to assist the folded sheets in absorbing exterior 
shocks. The number of sheet portions in each stack are sufficient 
effectively to cushion the cassette. In a preferred embodiment, the 
thickness of each entire stack of sheet portions is on the order of one 
inch thick, thereby constituting on the order of ten or more sheet 
portions. 
Folded sheets 50, 52 directly engage upper and lower panels 32, 34 of the 
box 30 and, if unboxed as in the case of the audio cassette of FIG. 4, the 
folded sheets 50, 52 directly engage upper and lower walls of the cassette 
housing. In either event, the number of sheet portions in each stack, 
together with the combined soft, yielding cushion effect, due to the 
number of such sheet portions, protects the upper and lower walls of the 
cassette. The sheet portions are longer and wider than the corresponding 
length and width dimensions of the cassette so as to cause the sheet 
portions to also overlie the side walls and at least one end wall of the 
cassette, thereby also protecting these additional walls from exterior 
shocks. 
Folded sheets 50, 52 have opposite ends 58, 60; 62, 64, and marginal sheet 
edges lying in a common plane at each of said ends. The cassette is 
located closer to one of said ends, e.g. 58, 62, than to the other of said 
ends 60, 64. In fact, the cassette is offset relative to the folded sheets 
so that the end panel 36 of the box 30 is positioned to lie in the same 
plane as said marginal sheet edges. 
Means are also provided for holding the folded sheets 50, 52 in position 
relative to the major walls of the cassette. Such holding means 
advantageously includes a pocket folder 66 having two generally planar 
support portions 68, 70, and a base portion 72 interconnecting the support 
portions. Support portions 68, 70 overlie outermost sheet portions of a 
respective folded sheet. The pocket folder 66 bounds an interior in which 
the folded sheets with the cassette sandwiched therebetween are held in a 
unitary assembly for simultaneous insertion of the entire assembly into an 
envelope 74. Envelope 74 is constituted of transparent synthetic plastic 
material, and has wall sections arranged in a parallelepiped 
configuration. The wall sections include upper 76 and lower 78 sections, 
end section 80, side sections 82, 84, and top section 86 having a flap 88. 
Envelope 74 has an open mouth 90 which is covered and/or exposed by 
movement of the top section 88. A fastener 92 is provided on flap 88, and 
a complementary fastener 94 is provided on upper section 76. The fasteners 
preferably engage each other with a snap-type action in order to close the 
envelope with the aforementioned assembly therein. 
Side section 82 faces the indicia-bearing panel 36 of the box 30, and 
enables the indicia 44 thereon to be visible through the side section 82. 
In this way, the presence of the cassette, as well as the nature of the 
cassette, can be readily ascertained without having to open the package. 
Returning to FIG. 1, the package of this invention need not be limited to 
the use of two folded sheets to achieve the above-described cushioning 
action. In addition, at least one folded pillowcase 96 of soft fabric 
material is sandwiched between the folded bedding sheets. The pocket 
folder 66 also holds said one pillowcase in relative position between the 
folded bedding sheets during their insertion into the envelope 74. 
Additional identifying and/or advertising information may be provided on 
the support and base portions of the pocket folder 66, since those 
portions face and are visible through sections 76, 78 and 80 of the 
envelope. 
In the alternate embodiment of FIG. 4, a packet contains the housing 16 and 
a coloring book 100 mounted on a backing 98 and overwrapped by transparent 
plastic film. 
In still another variant of this invention, rather than using two folded 
bedding sheets, a single bedding sheet having sheet portions on either 
side of the cassette can be employed. 
In an advantageous construction, each bedding sheet is imprinted with 
graphic markings, e.g. cartoon characters, in which event, it is 
advantageous if the magnetic tape cassette contains magnetically encoded 
data corresponding to said graphic markings. 
It will be understood that each of the elements described above, or two or 
more together, also may find a useful application in other types of 
constructions differing from the types described above. 
While the invention has been illustrated and described as embodied in a 
transport/display package for magnetic tape cassettes, it is not intended 
to be limited to the details shown, since various modifications and 
structural changes may be made without departing in any way from the 
spirit of the present invention. 
Without further analysis, the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist of 
the present invention that others can, by applying current knowledge, 
readily adapt it for various applications without omitting features that, 
from the standpoint of prior art, fairly constitute essential 
characteristics of the generic or specific aspects of this invention and, 
therefore, such adaptations should and are intended to be comprehended 
within the meaning and range of equivalence of the following claims.