Abstract:
A CD case for storing a CD includes a housing to protect the CD including an opening for the CD, a flexible spring member to engage said CD after the CD has entered the housing and a plunger having a first arm and a second arm to engage the CD.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]    The present invention relates to a unitary holder or CD disk case for holding a compact disk CD. 
       BACKGROUND  
       [0002]    Compact discs (hereinafter called CDs) are recording media from which recorded information can be read out by means of a laser beam. By virtue of the extremely high density and fidelity of the recorded information therein, compact discs are becoming increasingly popular. 
         [0003]    Typical compact discs have a flat disc-shaped body provided with a central aperture which facilitates the exact mounting on a read-out instrument such as a compact disc player. 
         [0004]    While the CDs are relatively rugged and forgiving of minor scratches, dust and debris, they still must be stored and given protection. Indeed, scratches that sufficiently scatter the laser beam can block reading of the encoded information. A disc protective container also serves for the display of a label that attracts the buyer and informs the user of the disc. 
         [0005]    The sales of compact discs has been increasing by very large amounts. Compact discs have completely displaced long play records and have sales which are equivalent or greater than pre-recorded audio cassette tapes. Almost universally, the compact discs are sold in a plastic CD box. These boxes are almost identical, having a flat top, with short side walls extending downwardly from opposite sides of the flat top. These boxes further have a flat bottom, with a short side wall extending upwardly from opposite ends of the flat bottom. The flat top is pivotally attached at one of its ends to the corresponding end of the flat bottom. When the flat top is pivoted so as to be parallel with the flat bottom, a relatively thin box is formed which comprises the flat top and flat bottom spaced apart by a distance equal to the distance that the short side walls extend from the respective flat top and bottom. The short side walls form a continuous enclosed perimeter around the CD box. A hub is associated with the flat bottom and is capable of having compact disc retained on the hub and within the CD box when the flat top is moved to its closed position in which it is essentially parallel to the flat bottom. 
         [0006]    The compact discs are usually kept in compact disc carrying cases. These laser discs carrying cases commonly comprise a cover shell hinged to a base shell and locked by lock means. A tray is typically provided within the base shell for receiving and holding the disc. The tray may have a central engagement means for holding the center aperture of the CD. Commonly, those engagement means are rosettes typically made up of a series of tines raised in a circle and radially extending inward towards a center pushing area. 
         [0007]    One of the major drawbacks associated with such conventional CD carrier is the difficulty with which the cover shell is pivoted from the base shell in an open position. Indeed, because the cover and base shell are typically formed of clear polystyrene, it is difficult to distinguish them. Consequently, it is not uncommon for the user, in attempting to grasp the base shell with one hand, to mistakenly place the thumb and fingers of that hand on the cover side walls, thinking them to be part of the platform, while correctly placing the fingers of the other hand on the platform back wall and lifting, with the thumb of that hand, the cover front border. Since both hands are inadvertently holding the cover, the container cannot be opened. 
         [0008]    The proper technique for opening most of the cases presently on the market is to place the fingers of both hands on the base shell back wall, the thumb of both hands on the base shell front wall, one of which lifts the cover front border. While this works relatively well, once one is experienced, the operation can prove to be difficult since it requires manual dexterity. 
         [0009]    Consumers sometimes have additional problems with the CD cases that pivot open. For example, the CD disk can easily fall out of the open case and fall to the floor. The CD disk may be scratched as a result of falling out of the open case. Consumers are always looking for a simpler way of managing the storage of the CD disk. 
         [0010]    Prior attempts to provide CD carrying cases which are more easy and simple to open proved to be unsatisfactory as those prior art cases are of complex construction and expensive to manufacture. Examples of such prior art cases are described by way of examples, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,000,316; 5,213,209; 5,265,721; 5,346,074; 5,515,979; 5,526,926; 5,549,199. 
         [0011]    Also known in prior art, there are the laid-open applications GB-9,517,521 and GB-9,611,747, both in the name of Courchesne, which disclose CD carrying cases having a built-in pop-up cover comprising essentially a push-button for releasably locking the cover of the case on the base shell and cooperating with a V-shaped leaf-spring mounted at the rear end of the case on a hinge component. In each of those documents, the leaf-spring has an arm abutting on the top wall of the cover and another arm abutting on the bottom wall of the base shell. One of the drawbacks with CD cases is that it is still too expensive to be economically feasable. 
         [0012]    U.S. Pat. No. 6,056,117 discloses a CD carrying case having a built-in pop up cover. The case comprises a box-like base shell adopted to receive the compact disc and a cover shell sized to fit over the base shell and having a rear end hingely connected to a rear end of the base shell. The cover shell is pivotable between an open position away from the base shell for opening the case and a close position against the base shell for closing the case. The case further comprises a locking the cover shell in the close position and a biasing element adapted to cooperate with the locking mechanism for biasingly popping up the cover shell in the open position as the locking mechanism is released. 
         [0013]    Therefore, there is still a need for an improved CD carrying case that is economically feasable, long lasting and easy to built and use. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0014]    An object of the present invention is to provide a case for storing a compact disc that satisfies these above-mentioned needs. 
         [0015]    The case for storing a CD in accordance with the present invention is reliable and long lasting since it minimizes the amount of components. Also very importantly for this type of product which is part of a ferocious market is that the case according to the present invention combines simplicity and inexpensiveness to manufacture with durability and trouble-free in operation. 
         [0016]    The case disclosed combines simplicity and inexpensiveness to manufacture with durability and trouble-free in operation. 
         [0017]    The present invention includes a CD case for storing a CD including a housing to protect the CD including an opening for the CD, a flexible spring member to engage the CD after the CD has entered a housing and a plunger having a first arm and a second arm to engage the CD. 
         [0018]    The housing includes a pair of apertures to place the CD case in a binder, and the housing includes a passage to accept a plunger. The passage includes opposing slots to accept a plunger, and the plunger includes an outward plunger projection to cooperate with the opposing slots. 
         [0019]    A flexible spring member includes a first inward projecting section to resist the outward motion of the CD, a second inward projecting section to resist the inward motion of the CD and a third section to hold the CD. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
         [0020]    The invention may be understood by reference to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which, like reference numerals identify like elements, and in which: 
           [0021]      FIG. 1  illustrates a perspective view of the CD case of the present invention; 
           [0022]      FIG. 2  illustrates a top view of the CD case of the present invention; 
           [0023]      FIG. 3  illustrates an end view of the CD case of the present invention; 
           [0024]      FIG. 4  illustrates an end view of the CD case of the present invention; 
           [0025]      FIG. 5  illustrates an end view of the CD case of the present invention; 
           [0026]      FIG. 6  illustrates a perspective view of the CD case of the present invention; 
           [0027]      FIG. 7  illustrates a perspective view of the CD case of the present invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0028]      FIG. 1  illustrates a CD case  100  in accordance with the teachings of the present invention. The CD case  100  includes a rigid housing  102  which is hollow to receive a CD  130  and having a substantially flat top  104 , a substantially flat bottom  106  and a continuous sidewall  108  which extends between the top  104  and the bottom  106  to form a continuous enclosed perimeter around the housing  102 . The sidewall  108  includes a passage  110  or aperture to accept a plunger  112 . The opposing edges  114  of the passage  110  includes a slot  116  to accept outward plunger projections  118  formed along the sides of the plunger  112  and to travel within the slots  116 . 
         [0029]    Additionally, the opposing sidewall  108  includes a CD slot  120  sized approximately larger than the diameter of the CD  130  to allow the CD  130  to enter and exit the housing  102 . The plunger  112  includes a first arm  122  and a second arm  124  which extends outwards from the plunger  122 . Each of the first arm  122  and the second arm  124  includes a concave curved edge  123 ,  125  which is curved to approximate the curved edge of the CD  130  so that the first arm  122  and the second arm  124  can provide uniform pressure along the edge of the CD  130 . The top  104  and the bottom  106  include cooperating first apertures  140  and cooperating second apertures  142  to allow the user to place the CD case  100  in a binder. The spacing between the first aperture  140  and the second aperture  142  may be such to correspond to the spacing between two rings of a binder. The housing  102  additionally includes projecting elements  144 ,  146  positioned between the top  104  and the bottom  106  and positioned to stop the inward movement of the CD  130  at a point where the CD  130  is completely within the housing  102 . 
         [0030]      FIG. 2  illustrates a flexible spring member  200  positioned on opposing sides of the housing  102  and which is memory less in that that after the flexible spring member  200  has been distorted, the flexible spring member  200  will return to its original shape. The flexible spring member  200  includes a first inward projecting section  202  which allows the CD  130  to enter the housing  102  and moves outward to allow the widest part of the CD  130  to pass and then first inward projecting section  202  moves inwards to hold the CD  130  in position against the plunger arms  122 ,  124 . The flexible spring member  200  additionally includes a second inward projecting section  206  to prevent the CD  130  from traveling to far into the housing  102 . Between the first inward projecting section  202  and the second inward projecting section  206  is a third section  204  of the flexible spring member  200  to hold the CD  130 . The flexible spring member  200  includes a first U shaped end section  208  at one end of the flexible spring member  200  and a second U shaped end section  210  at another end of the flexible spring member  200  to hold the flexible spring member  200  in position. The CD  130  enters the CD slot  120  and moves inward into the housing  102 , and the CD  130  moves outwards the first inward projecting section  202  and moves inwards the second inward projecting section  206  and the third section  204 . The CD  130  continues to move inward and moves outwards the third section  204  which moves inwards the first inward projecting section  202  and the second inward projecting section  206 . The CD engages and moves outwards the second inward projecting section  206  and moves inward the first inward projecting section  202  and the arms  122 ,  124  and stops at the projection elements  144 ,  146 . The user pushes the plunger  112  inward into the housing  102  in order to push the CD  130  out of the CD slot  120 . 
         [0031]      FIG. 1  and  FIG. 2  illustrate a first protective sheet  140  and a second protective sheet  142  positioned on both the flat top  104  and flat bottom  106  to protect the CD  130  from being scratched as the CD  130  travels within the housing  102 . The first protective sheet  140  and the second protective sheet  142  extends from the CD slot  120  to approximately the first arm  122  and the second arm  124  and may be formed from soft thin cloth or other suitable material. 
         [0032]      FIG. 3  illustrates a side view of the present invention. 
         [0033]      FIG. 4  illustrates a side view of the present invention. 
         [0034]      FIG. 5  illustrates a side view of the present invention. 
         [0035]      FIG. 6  illustrates a perspective view of the housing  102  of the present invention. Additionally illustrated is the plunger  112 , the first arm  122 , the second arm  124 , the projecting elements  144 ,  146  and the first and second aperture  140 ,  142 . 
         [0036]      FIG. 7  illustrates a perspective view of the CD case  100 . 
         [0037]    While the invention is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments thereof have been shown by way of example in the drawings and are herein described in detail. It should be understood, however, that the description herein of specific embodiments is not intended to limit the invention to the particular forms disclosed.