COVER FOR COMPACT DISCS

Abstract: A cover for storing and sending compact discs is described, which cover includes an upper part (7) and a lower part (1), which upper part (7) and lower part (1) can be swivelled relative to each other, and one of the parts (1, 7) is provided with a portion (2) for placement of the compact disc, means (3) of retaining the compact disc, and means (6, 8) of attaching the parts (1, 7) to each other in a separable manner, where the lower part (1) and the upper part (7) are hinged to each other and can be swivelled through an angle of 360 DEG in parallel relative to each other.

Description: Cover for compact discs The present invention regards a cover for storage and sending of compact discs, including an upper part and a lower part, which upper part and lower part swivel in relation to each other, and one of the parts is pro\ ided w ith a portion for positioning of the compact disc, a means of retaining the compact disc, and a means of attaching the parts to each other m a separable manner A number of different types of covers for compact discs (CDs) are known The most common type of cover used for most CDs consists of an approximateh square box consisting of an upper part, a lower part and an insert that holds the actual CD The upper and lower parts are hinged to each other, and the insert is set in the lower part. A disadvantage of this solution is the fact that it requires a lot of space, among other things because the cover is much thicker than the CD itself, and because the cover is approximately square, while the CD is round. Another disadvantage of this solution is that the cover is susceptible to breaking if for instance it were to fall to the ground. Yet another disadvantage of this known solution is the fact that it includes no means of linking one cover to another, making it impossible to stack the covers without the help of an appropriately designed rack. As this known solution comprises three separate components to be assembled, it will be a relatively expensive solution. German patent DE 197 46 035 Al discloses a rack for storing CDs, in w hich is used a special holder for the actual CD. The holder has a generally rectangular shape w ith tw o slot-hke grooλ es on the lower end wall for placement on complementary shaped rails in the rack itself US patent 5 7 91 467 discloses a cover for CDs. which cover has a generally circulai shape. The cover is on the one hand circular, with a radius that essentially corresponds to that of the CD, and on the other hand equipped with two opposing pockets. The co\ er is clear, so as to allow the CD to be played while the cover is on. From Nonvegian patent application no 941713. a cover foi CDs is known, consisting of a lower part, an upper part and an insert, all of which are hinged to each other, so that the cover can be opened and the insert holding the CD can be swung out From Norwegian patent application no 934783 there is kno n a cassette for CDs and similar objects, consisting of a box with an open side and an insert that may be pushed into the box The CD is held by the insert From US patent no. 5 697 684 A there is known a device for stacked storage of flat- lo packed ob)ects such as CDs The device includes a number of flat covers for the CDs. the covers are stacked and hinged at the rear end. so that they may be rotated horizontally about a vertical axle extending along the entire length of the stack The end points of the axle are connected to a top and a bottom plate i s From US patent no. 5 813 740 A there is known a system of covers that may be attached to each other via hinging means at the rear edge of the cover Each cover is approximately square with said hinging means located at the rear edge, which means is shaped as a hole with outwardly projecting outer edges that can engage the adjacent covers above and below. Furthermore, the front of the covers has a slot for inserting e.g 20 CDs, as well as a cut-out for easy access to said CDs In addition, a number of different storage boxes for CDs are know n. where the storage boxes include different types of swmg-out or remov able holders for the CDs 5 An object of the present invention is to provide a CD cover that requires a minimum of space when compared with previously known solutions Another object is to prov ide a CD covei of the type mentioned at the beginning, which can be stacked in such a manner as to make each CD cover easily accessible, and which 0 forms a compact stack Yet another object of the CD cover according to the present invention is to provide a CD cover with sufficient strength to be sent without requiring further packaging This is achieved by a cover for storage and sending of CDs, including an upper part and a lower part, which uppei part and lower part swivel m relation to each other, and one of the parts is equipped with a portion for placement of the CD. means of retaining the CD. i and means of attaching the parts to each othei in a sepaiable mannei. characterised in that the lov ei part and the upper part are hmged to each othei and can be swiv elled through an angle of 360° in parallel in relation to each othei The hinge sections of the upper part and the lower part preferably include 0 complementary shaped peg-and-hole means foi formation of a rotatable snap-in locking device The interior of the peg is preferably hollow and shaped complementary to the top of the peg, so that a peg from an underlying cover may be introduced into the hollow part of s the peg of an overlying cover to engage this The lower part is further preferably equipped with one or more holes shaped complementary to the peg, so that a first cover can be comiected to a second, overlying cover 0 The lower and upper parts are preferably each equipped w ith complementary locking means for closing the upper and lower parts togethei The cover is preferably made from plastic or metal or a combination of these, which ι metal is preferably magnesium or aluminium In the following, the invention ill be explained in greater detail by means of embodiments, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which 0 Figures 1 and 2 are perspective drawings showing the lower part of the CD holder, seen from below and from above respectively Figures 3 and 4 are peispectiv e drawings showing the upper part of the CD holdei, seen from above and from below respectively Figure 5 shows the CD cover m Figures 1 -4 the closed position Figure 6 show s a detail of the lower part of the CD holder shown in Figures 1 -2 Figuies 7a-c are sections show ing the l oming means of the CD holder accoidmg to the present invention 10 Figure 8 sho s a detail of the means of closing the CD cov ei Figure 9 is a perspectiv e drawing showing an example of how several CD coveis according to the mv ention mav be interconnected \ i Figure 10 shows an alternative method of stacking the CD covers according to the invention Figures 1 and 2 show the lower part 1 of the CD cover in perspective, seen from below 0 and from above respectively. This lower part 1 may have a generally circular shape with a circular recessed portion 2, which recessed portion 2 has a diameter and a depth approximately equal to the diametei and the thickness of a CD The middle of the recessed portion 2 is preferably provided w ith a circulai lug 3 having a height that essentially corresponds to the depth of the recessed portion and a diametei that is 5 approximately equal to the central hole in a standaid CD This lug 3 mav possibly also be piovided w ith means that prov ide resilient support for the CD When the CD is positioned in the lo er part 1 , the CD w ill be approximateh flush with the surrounding edge 4 and possibly the central lug 3 The low er part 1 further includes hinging means 5 and locking means 6 that will be explained further in the following 0 The lower part 1 is further equipped with at least one through hole 19 in the hinging means 5. In the embodiment shown in Figure 1, the hinging means 5 is provided with two through holes 19 located on either side of a peg 10 In Figures 3 and 4, the upper part of the CD cover according to the present invention is shown in a perspective view, from above and from below respectively The uppei part " consists of an essentially circular plate-shaped bodv w ith hinging means 9 and locking means 8 The upper part 7 of the CD covei may have a recessed portion corresponding to the recessed portion 2 of the lower part 1 The object of this is to be able to place sheets of paper or cardboard containing printed information ov er and possibly under the CD that 0 is to be placed m the cover For this reason, the upper part 7 may be equipped with outwardly projecting studs (not shown) the plane of the upper part, for retaining the sheets of paper or pieces of cardboard The upper part 7 is hinged to the lower part 1 , so that the upper part 7 can be swivelled 5 relative to the lower part 1 , and Figure 5 shows the CD cover in the closed position, the upper part 7 having been pivoted about the hinging means 9 so as to make the upper part 7 cover the lower part 1 completely Figure 6 shows a detail of the hinging means 5 of the lower part 1 , while Figures 7a-c 0 are sections that show the hole 17 of the upper part 7, (Fig 7a), the peg 10 of the lowei part 1 (Fig 7b) and the hole 19 of the lower part 1 (Fig 7c) respectiveh A section through the hinging means 9 of the upper part 7 and the hmgmg means 5 of the lower part 1 has been shown m Figures 7a -c -ι The hmgmg means 5 of the lower part 1 consists oi a peg 10 (Fig 6 and 7b) ith a first cylindrical portion 1 1 v ith a diameter Dp, This cylindrical portion 1 1 is prov ided w ith a circumferential bead 12 Above this cylindrical portion 1 1 is another cylindrical portion 13 with a diameter Dj , This cylindrical portion 13 also is also provided with a 0 circumferential bead 14 In the embodiment shown. Du is greater than D ,, while m other embodiments, Du may be approximately equal to Dj -, Partly below the cy lindrical portion 1 1. the peg 10 is provided with a cylindrical opening 15 (Fig 7b) with a diameter di-, The diameter dj of the opening 15 is approximately equal to the diameter Dj of the cylindrical portion 13 The cyhndiical wall of the opening 15 is provided w ith a cncumfeiential groove 16 This groov e 16 is shaped so as to be complementaiv to the bead 14 of the cv lmdπcal portion 13 The hmgmg means of the uppei pail " (Fig 7a) consists ol a tlnough hole 17 w ith a diametei dj The wall of the hole 17 is provided w ith a cncumferential groov e 18 This groov e 18 is shaped so as to be complementaiv to the bead 12 of the cylindrical portion lo 1 1 The diametei dp is approximatelv equal to the diametei Dj ι of the cylindrical portion 1 1 Figure 7c shows a section through the through hole 19 of the lower part 1 The hole 19 has a diameter dm The cylindrical all of the hole 19 is provided with a circumferential ID groove 20 This groove 20 is shaped so as to be complementary to the bead 14 of the cylindrical part 13 The diameter dj 9 of the hole 19 is approximately equal to the diameter Dj of the cylindrical part 13 When the CD cov ers are assembled, 1 e the uppei part 7 is attached to the lower part 1, 0 the upper part is positioned a manner so that its central through hole 9 is placed ovei the peg 10 and pressed against the low er part, so that the bead 12 on the lower part will engage the groov e 18 in the hole 17 The dimensions of the bead 12 and the groov e 18 will be such that the uppei part and the low er part become near permanently attached to each othei The lower part 1 and the upper part 7 ill howev er be rotatable relativ e to -' each othei about an axis at right angles to the plane of the low er part and uppei part In the embodiment of the peg 10 shown in Figure 6 the peg 10 is equipped with one oi more slots 23. so as to impart a certain amount of lesihence to the peg 10 When the peg 10 is inserted into the hole 17 in the upper part or into the hole 19 another CD cov ei it will be possible to compress the lug 10 until the beads 12 oi 14 meet the groov es 18 0 or 20 By virtue of the spring action, the peg 10 will then again spring outwards, so that the beads 12 or 14 form a snap-m lock with the grooves 18 or 20 It should be noted that the snap-m locking bet een the lower part 1 and the upper part 7 is stronger than the snap-m locking betw een two or more CD covers arranged on top of each other, so as to allow the separation of two CD covers lying on top of each other Figure 8 shows a locking means for closing the CD cover The locking means 6 of the ι lower part 1 may hav e a tongue 21 and the locking means 8 of the upper part 7 mav hav e t o or more complementary tongues 22, 22' The spacing between the tongues 22 22' is slightly smaller than the width of the tongue 21 At the same time, either the tongue 21 and/or the tongues 22, 22' are flexible, so that a snap-m lock is formed when the tongue 21 is inserted between the tongues 22, 22' If desired, the tongues 22, 22' 0 mav be provide on the lower part 1 , while the tongue 21 may be pro ide on the uppei part 7 When two or more CD covers are to be placed abov e each other, this may be done in two ays By the one method, as shown m Figure 9, a CD cover is placed on an s overlying CD cover in such a way that the cylindrical portion 13 of a CD cover is inserted into the opening 15 in the next CD cover The bead 14 will then be led into the groove 16 and form a separable engagement By placing several CD covers on top of each other in this manner, an approximately cylindrical stack of CD covers will result Each CD cover will be rotatable about an axis that is parallel with the direction of the 0 height of the cylindrical stack By an alternative method of stacking shown m Figuie 10, the CD covers are stacked a staggered manner relative to each othei A CD cov ei is then placed on an undeilving CD cov er m a manner so that the cyhndiical portion 13 is inserted into one of the holes 19 in the next CD cover The bead 14 of the cylindrical portion 13 w ill then form a separable engagement with the groove 20 in the hole 19 The CD covers will then be rotatable m parallel with each othei The lower part 1 and the upper part 7 may be made from e g clear plastic or from a o metal such as magnesium or aluminium, if it is desirable for the CD cover to have greater strength As an alternative to the embodiment described in connection with Figures 6 and 7a - c. it is possible to form the beads 12, 14 and the grooves 18, 16 and 20 in an alternative manner. The beads 12 and 14 may be provided the holes 17 and 15, and correspondingly the grooves 16 and 20 may be provided on the cylindrical parts 1 1 and 13 As \ et another altemativ e. a separate ring may be used instead of the beads 12. 14. and the beads 12. 14 must then be replaced bv groov es with a complementary shape As a further altemativ e. the cylindrical portions 1 1 and 13 may take the form of a frustum of a cone, and the holes 19 and 15 will then have a complementary conical shape

Claims: C 1 a i m Covei for storing and sending compact discs, including an upper part ( ~ ) and a lowei part ( 1 ). w Inch upper part (7 ) and low er part ( 1 ) can be sw iv elled relativ e to each othei . and one of the parts (1.7) is provided with a portion (2) for placement of the compact disc, means (3) of retaining the compact disc, and means (6.8) of attaching the parts ( 1. 7) to each other in a separable manner cha acterised in that the low er part ( 1 ) and the upper part (7) are hinged to each other and can be swivelled through an angle of 360° in paiallel relative to each othei Cover in accordance with Claim 1 , charaterised in that the hmge portions (9.5) of the upper part (7) and the lower part (1) include peg-and-hole means (10, 17) with complementary shapes for formation of a rotatable snap-in locking device. 0 3. Cover in accordance with Claims 1 - 2. characterised in that the interior of the peg ( 10) is hollow and shaped complementary to the top of the peg (10). so that a peg (10) from an underlying covei mav be inserted into the hollow part of the peg (10) of an ov erlymg co er and engage 4 Cover in accordance with Claims 1 -3, characterised i that the low er part ( 1 ) is further prov ided ith one or more 0 holes (19) shaped so as to be complementarv to the peg (10). so that a first cover may be attached to a second, ov erlvmg cover 5 Cover m accordance with one or more of the preceding claims, characterised in that the lower part (1 ) and the upper part (7) are each prov ided with complementary locking means (6.8) for closing the low er part ( 1 ) and the upper part (7) togethei 6 Cover m accordance with one or more of the preceding claims, characterised in that the cover is made horn plastic or metal or a combination of these, which metal is preferably magnesium oi aluminium

Inventors: EIDE THOR, STRIDAL ARILD, THORESEN KJELL, EIDE, THOR, STRIDAL, ARILD, THORESEN, KJELL
Applicants: COVER AS, EIDE THOR, STRIDAL ARILD, THORESEN KJELL, EIDE, THOR, STRIDAL, ARILD, THORESEN, KJELL
Application year: 2000
Main classification: G11B33
IPC codes: B65D8, B65D21, B65D85, G11B11, G11B23, G11B33