Abstract:
A case can hold a disc having a central hole. The case has a pair of wings, each having a surface and at least one sidewall. The wings are hinged together to swing (b) apart to articulate and cant the sidewalls, and (a) together to allow a meshing of the sidewalls. One of the wings includes a support for holding the disc.

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. 5,101,971 a CD case has a lid with a projection 38 that fits into a recess on the base. While this is an interlocking arrangement, this design facilitates opening the case with one hand and is not intended for security purposes. No interlocking features exist on the other sides of the case that are most vulnerable to tampering. See also U.S. Pat. No. 4,363,403 for a videocassette storage container.  
           [0010]    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. The side walls of the case have cutouts but these are not security features.  
           [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]    See also U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,168,991; 5,263,580, and 6,151,417.  
           [0013]    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  
         [0014]    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. The case has a pair of wings, each having a surface and at least one sidewall. The wings are hinged together to swing (b) apart to articulate and cant the sidewalls, and (a) together to allow a meshing of the sidewalls. One of the wings includes a support for holding the disc.  
           [0015]    In a preferred design a rectangular case has two wings connected together by a live hinge (although other types of hinges are contemplated). The edges of the wings adjacent the hinge have interlocking sidewalls. Preferably, the interlocking sidewalls have one or more notches that mesh with mating teeth on the opposing sidewall.  
           [0016]    By employing a notched top and bottom seam, the interlocking pattern eliminates the straight line opening needed by a thief in order to remove a disc surreptitiously. If the case is squeezed to separate the seams adjacent the hinge, the resulting opening is serpentine. Since the disc cannot be deformed to follow this serpentine path, it cannot be removed through such an opening. Thus, the preferred case greatly reduces pilferage during distribution and retail sale. As long as the outer shrink wrap is not completely removed from the case, the disc cannot be removed either.  
           [0017]    The interlocking notches and teeth that prevent disc removal can be incorporated into the design of the case. This theft deterrent feature does not require a security bar or other added piece. The case can be manufactured in the usual manner using the materials normally used in standard cases for discs. In the preferred embodiment, the security features are part of the mold design and can therefore be incorporated with essentially no additional cost (other than the initial mold fabrication costs). The resulting case can have the same dimensions and weight as a standard case and will therefore be compatible with existing high-speed packaging equipment 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0018]    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:  
         [0019]    [0019]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an open case in accordance with principles of the present invention and showing a DVD disc about to be mounted on a support at one of the two wings of the case;  
         [0020]    [0020]FIG. 1A is a detailed, fragmentary, cross-sectional view taken a long line  1 A- 1 A of FIG. 1  
         [0021]    [0021]FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the case of FIG. 1 closed;  
         [0022]    [0022]FIG. 3 is an end view of one of the adjacent edges of the case of FIG. 2;  
         [0023]    [0023]FIG. 4 is an end view of the case of FIG. 3 being squeezed to partially open the case;  
         [0024]    [0024]FIG. 5 is a detailed view of a portion of the case of FIG. 3 opened slightly; and  
         [0025]    [0025]FIG. 6 is a detailed view of a portion of a case that is a less desirable alternate to that of FIG. 5. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0026]    Referring to FIGS. 1, 2, and  3 , case  10  is designed to hold a disc  12  with 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 flat surfaces  14 A and  16 A, respectively, each having a rectangular outline bordered by sidewalls. Specifically, wing  14  has upright sidewall segments  18 ,  20 , and  22 ; while wing  16  has upright sidewall segments  24 ,  26 , and  28 . Sidewall  20  is herein referred to as an opposite sidewall and forms 90° corners with adjacent sidewalls  18  and  22 . Similarly, sidewall  26  is herein referred to as an opposite sidewall and forms 90° corners with adjacent sidewalls  28  and  24 . (Herein, opposite and adjacent sidewalls are deemed located at opposite and adjacent edges, respectively, of the wings.) As shown in detail in FIG. 1A for sidewall  18 , the sidewalls are reinforced by fill material  14 B that is formed during the molding process.  
         [0027]    Wings  14  and  16  are hinged together at spine  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 spine  30  and the wings 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 edge offering a single hinge axis for the wings  14  and  16 .  
         [0028]    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 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 .  
         [0029]    Wing  16  has an annular embossment  34  that serves as a circular platform to subjacently support disc  12 . Embossment  34  is truncated alongside sidewall  26  to provide clearance. Embossment  34  also has a pair of diametrically opposed recesses  34  providing finger clearance to facilitate lifting of disc  12  off embossment  34 .  
         [0030]    Centered within embossment  34  is a support, shown as hub  36 . In this embodiment hub  36  is a trio of radially aligned, L-shaped 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 trio 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.  
         [0031]    In the illustrated embodiment, support  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.  
         [0032]    Opposite sidewalls  20  and  26  have an even height in this embodiment. The other sidewalls  18 ,  22 ,  24 , and  28  have a height that varies over the length of each sidewall segment. For the illustrated embodiment the height of each sidewall varies periodically, and 1½ cycles or periods are illustrated; although a different number of cycles (or fraction of a cycle) may be used in different embodiments.  
         [0033]    In this embodiment sidewalls  18 ,  22 ,  24 , and  28  have a number of notches and teeth to enable these sidewalls to interlock or mesh. Specifically, sidewall  18  has a central tooth  42  bordered on either side by notches  38  and  40 ; sidewalls  22  has a central tooth  48  bordered on either side by notches  44  and  46 ; sidewall  24  has a central notch  50  bordered on either side by teeth  52  and  54 ; and sidewall  28  has a central notch  56  bordered on either side by teeth  58  and  60 . Tooth  42  (FIG. 3) is typical of the other teeth in that it has a flat peak  42 A flanked on either side by spaced edges  42 B and  42 C. Tooth  42  is also typical in that its spaced edges  42 B and  42 C are at an angle of 45° with respect to the height of the tooth  42  (in this case, with respect to a line perpendicular to flat peak  42 A). Consequently, tooth  42 , if considered a component existing along a specific height interval, may be deemed to have a trapezoidal shape. As described further hereinafter, the spaced edges of the teeth can be steeper in some alternate embodiments.  
         [0034]    Notch  50  is typical of the other notches in that it has a flat floor  50 A flanked on either side by spaced edges  50 B and  50 C. Notch  50  is also typical in that its spaced edges  50 B and  50 C are at an angle of 45° with respect to the depth of the notch  50  (in this embodiment, with respect to a line perpendicular to flat floor  50 A). In particular, notch  50  and tooth  42  have complementary, trapezoidal shapes enabling them to freely and smoothly interlock or mesh.  
         [0035]    It will be appreciated that tooth  52  has the same profile as tooth  42  (assuming a line of demarcation is taken at the midpoint of edge  42 C). Similarly, tooth  38  has the same profile as tooth  50 , again assuming a line of demarcation established at the midpoint of edge  50 C.  
         [0036]    In other embodiments the shape of the notches and teeth can differ and may have an asymmetrical shape with curved edges. Also, a mating pair of notch and tooth may have a profile that is different than other nearby mating pairs. Also, while the foregoing teeth and notches abut edge to edge, in other embodiments they may overlap or interdigitate. In still other embodiments, the mating sidewalls may have a single slanted edge and therefore lack a shape that might be considered either a tooth or notch. Also the interlocking shapes just disclosed for the adjacent sidewalls may also be incorporated in the opposite sidewalls  20  and  26 , in some embodiments.  
         [0037]    To facilitate an understanding of the principles associated with the foregoing apparatus, its operation will be briefly described. Disc  12  may be snapped on to support  36  (FIG. 1) in the usual fashion. Thereafter, wings  14  can be folded along hinges  30 A and  30 B to close as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. As shown in FIG. 2, teeth  48 ,  58 , and  60  mesh with notches  56 ,  44 , and  46 . As shown in FIG. 3 teeth  42 ,  52 , and  54  mesh with notches  50 ,  38 , and  40 .  
         [0038]    As shown in FIG. 5, tooth  54  and notch  40  have spaced edges disposed at 45° and can therefore mesh and disengage smoothly without interference. In contrast, the hypothetical design of FIG. 6 shows a tooth  54 ′ and notch  40 ′ with rectangular profiles. With this design the edge  40 A′ will interfere with and jam inside notch  40 ′ when making the transition from a fully closed position to a fully opened position. Accordingly, it is highly desirable to angle the edges at position  40 A′ to make an angle of at least 10° with respect to the height of the tooth (or depth of the notch). To facilitate automatic packaging machines, an angle greater than 10° is desirable and the previously described angle of 45° is highly suitable. By designing the notches and teeth with angled sides the present case can be closed more consistently when used with such high-speed packaging equipment. There is less chance for the notches to catch or hang up on the mating teeth because the angle of intersection is lower. In any event, these automatic packaging machines can place a wrapper  62  (FIG. 3) such as shrink wrap around all sides of the case  10 .  
         [0039]    Providing notches along the sidewalls eliminates stress points that exist with sidewalls having an even height. In particular, should a thief squeeze a case to flex and spread apart the sidewalls, the notches allow the adjacent teeth to move together. If the sidewalls had an even height, these walls would tend to buckle or crack.  
         [0040]    Specifically, a thief may attempt to open case  10  by slitting wrapper  62  at the seam between sidewalls  18  and  24  (alternatively the opposite edge maybe slit). Next, the thief may squeeze the edges of the case  10  together along the directions indicated by arrows  64  (FIG. 4). The wings  14  and  16  are flexible, since they are typically made of plastic (for example polypropylene). Consequently, this squeezing pressure applied along directions  64  tends to bow wings  14  and  16  to open the seam as shown in FIG. 4.  
         [0041]    In this instance, the bowing (or twisting) of wing  16  has popped disc  12  off support  36 . In this extreme flexed condition, however, the tip of tooth  42  has not risen sufficiently from notch  50  to clear the tips of adjacent teeth  52  and  54 . Therefore, there is no line along which disc  12  can be placed in order to remove the disc from case  10 . Preferably, the strength of case  10  is such that the seam between wings  14  and  16  cannot be opened sufficiently to remove disc  12 . Alternatively, some embodiments will dimension case  10  such that any attempt to squeeze the case open will eventually cause disc  12  to jam inside case  10  and thereby limit the ability to squeeze open the seam of case  10 .  
         [0042]    Additional security is provided in this embodiment in that hub  36  is at a height exceeding the depth of notch  50 . Specifically, button portion  36 B extends within the ambit of tooth  42  to prevent any passage of disc  12 .  
         [0043]    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.  
         [0044]    Obviously, many other 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.