Abstract:
A storage container includes a lid having a lid panel and an arm extending from the lid panel, the arm including a detent having a first surface parallel to the lid panel and a second surface having a taper extending at least a portion between the first surface and a distal end of the arm, and a base configured to receive a disc, the base having a base panel and a member extending from the base panel, the member having an opening defined by an interior surface having a portion thereof parallel to the base panel, the first surface of the detent engaging the interior surface portion of the member when the storage container is closed. It is emphasized that this abstract is provided to comply with the rules requiring an abstract which will allow a searcher or other reader to quickly ascertain the subject matter of the technical disclosure. It is submitted with the understanding that it will not be used to interpret or limit the scope or the meaning of the claims.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     The present application is a continuation of patent application Ser. No. 10/792,215, filed on Mar. 4, 2004, which, in turn, is a continuation of patent application Ser. No. 10/052,455, filed on Jan. 17, 2002, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,719,133 which, in turn, claims priority to Provisional Patent Application No. 60,346,122, filed on Oct. 19, 2001, all of which are incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates generally to storage containers, and more particularly, to storage containers for recorded media. 
     2. Background of the Invention 
     In recent years, optical discs have emerged as one of the most popular mediums for storing audio, video and computer information. To accommodate the wholesale and retail distribution of the disc, numerous storage containers have been developed. These storage containers typically include a base supporting a central hub to engage an ˜aperture in the center of the disc. The base is generally hinged to a lid so as to open and close the storage container like a book. This design is well suited for use by the consumer, but may pose certain security risks in the retail environment. In the recent years, retailers have reported numerous incidents of theft involving the unauthorized removal of discs from the their storage containers. Labels and shrink wrap have been proposed in the past as a way to deal with this problem. However, these proposals have had limited success because of the ease at which labels and shrink wrap can be opened with a sharp item. Accordingly, there is a need for a storage container which is designed to discourage theft in the retail environment. 
     SUMMARY 
     In one aspect of the present invention, a storage container includes a lid having a lid panel and an arm extending from the lid panel, the arm including a detent having a first surface parallel to the lid panel and a second surface having a taper extending at least a portion between the first surface and a distal end of the arm, and a base configured to receive a disc, the base having a base panel and a member extending from the base panel, the member having an opening defined by an interior surface having a portion thereof parallel to the base panel, the first surface of the detent engaging the interior surface portion of the member when the storage container is closed. 
     In another aspect of the present invention, a storage container includes a lid, a base configured to receive a disc, and means for latching the lid to the base to close the storage container. 
     In yet another aspect of the present invention, a storage container includes a lid, a base having an annular wall configured to support an outer periphery of a disc, means for latching the lid to the base to close the storage container, means for clamping the outer periphery of the disc to the annular wall when the storage container is closed, and means, coupled to the lid, for preventing the disc from sliding out of the storage container. 
     It is understood that other aspects of the present invention will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description, wherein is shown and described only exemplary embodiments of the invention, simply by way of illustration. As will be realized, the invention is capable of other and different embodiments, and its several details are capable of modifications in various respects, all without departing from the invention. Accordingly, the drawings and description are to be regarded as illustrative in nature, and not as restrictive. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Aspects of the present invention are illustrated by way of example, and not by way of limitation, in the accompanying drawings in which like reference numerals refer to similar elements: 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of an exemplary storage container; 
         FIG. 1A  is a blow up of a portion of the exemplary storage container of FIG. illustrating the detail of a tab; 
         FIG. 1B  is a blow up of a portion of the exemplary storage container of  FIG. 1  illustrating the details of a catch; 
         FIG. 2  is a cross-section view of the exemplary storage container of  FIG. 1  taken along line  2  with a disc shown prior to engagement with a hub; 
         FIG. 3  is a cross-section view of the exemplary storage container of  FIG. 1  taken along line  2  with a disc shown in engagement with the hub; 
         FIG. 4  is a perspective view of an exemplary storage container in the closed position; 
         FIG. 5  is a cross-section view of the exemplary storage container of  FIG. 4  taken along lines  5 ; 
         FIG. 6  is a perspective view of a portion of an exemplary storage container illustrating the details of a tab and catch latching mechanism; 
         FIG. 7  is a cross-section view of the tab and catch latching mechanism of  FIG. 6  taken along line  7  showing the tab just prior to engagement with the catch; 
         FIG. 8  is a cross-section view of the tab and catch latching mechanism of  FIG. 6  taken along line  7  showing the tab engaged with the catch; 
         FIG. 9  is a perspective view of a portion of an exemplary storage container illustrating the details of a break away tab hinged to the storage container; and 
         FIG. 10  is an exploded perspective view of the exemplary storage container of  FIG. 9  illustrating the insertion of the break away tab into the exemplary storage container after the hinge connection is broken. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The detailed description set forth below in connection with the appended drawings is intended as a description of exemplary embodiments of the present invention and is not intended to represent the only embodiments in which the present invention can be practiced. The term “exemplary” used throughout this description means “serving as an example, instance, or illustration,” and should not necessarily be construed as preferred or advantageous over other embodiments. The detailed description sets forth the inventive concepts in terms of construction and function of the exemplary storage containers. It is to be understood, however, that the same, equivalent, and alternative constructions and functions may be accomplished with other storage containers which are also intended to be encompassed within the spirit and scope of the invention. 
     As used herein, the term “optical disc” or “disc” means any compact disc (CD), compact disc read only memory (CD-ROM), recordable compact disc (CD-R), rewriteable compact disc (CD-RW), digital video disc or digital versatile disc (DVD), recordable digital video disc or recordable digital versatile disc (DVD-R), digital video disc random access memory or digital versatile disc random access (DVD-RAM), as well as other similar media which is used for storing information. 
     A perspective view of an exemplary storage container is shown in  FIG. 1 . The exemplary storage container includes several security features that are particularly useful for these types of containers in the retail environment. However, as those skilled in the art will appreciate, these security features are equally applicable to any type of storage container regardless of the contents. In the described exemplary embodiment, the storage container comprises a housing  12  including a lid  14  and a base  16 . The lid  14  may include a pair of clips  15  to hold pamphlets, brochures, booklets, or other printed media. The lid  14  can be attached to the base  16  in a variety of ways. By way of example, a hinge panel  18  can be attached to the lid  14  with a first living hinge  20  and attached to the base  16  with a second living hinge  22 . Various other means for attaching the lid  14  to the base  16  will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art. 
     The base  16  includes a base panel  24  with a peripheral base wall  26  extending along the three sides of the base panel not attached to the living hinge  22 . The base panel  24  includes an annular wall  28  to support the disc away from the base panel  24 . The annular wall  28  can be designed with a seat  30  that supports the unrecorded outer edge of the disc. The annular wall  28  may further be equipped with any number of finger holes to facilitate the removal of the disc from the storage container. In the described exemplary embodiment, there are four finger holes  32  equally spaced from one another along the circumference of the annular wall  28 . However, as those skilled in the art will readily appreciate, any number of finger holes can be used depending on the particular design requirements and manufacturing specifications. The finger hole design can take on various forms. By way of example, convex or semi-circular recesses in the annular wall  28  can be used to provide easy access to the periphery of the disc during the removal process. 
     A retaining member  34  extending upward from base panel  24  can be used to engage the central aperture of the disc. The retaining member  34  can be designed in any fashion that sufficiently retains the disc in the storage container. One such design includes an annular ring  36  which supports the unrecorded inner edge of the disc adjacent the central aperture. The annular ring  36  and the annular wall  28  cooperate to maintain the disc in the storage container away from the base panel  24 . Cantilevered from the annular ring  36  are six inwardly extending radial arms  38  which collectively form a hub. As best seen in  FIGS. 2 and 3 , the hub includes an upper surface  40  with an outwardly extending lip  42  which overlies the unrecorded inner edge of the disc when retained by the hub. 
     To engage the disc with the retaining member  34 , the disc is placed inside the storage container with its outer edge over the seat  30  of the annular wall  28  and its center aperture over the upper surface  40  of the hub (see  FIG. 1 ). The placement of the disc over the hub prior to engagement is shown in  FIG. 2 . The disc  44  can be manually pressed by the user toward the base panel  24  until the inner edge of the disc  44  defining the center aperture slides over the lip  40  and into engagement with the hub as shown in  FIG. 3 . Referring to  FIG. 3 , the disc  44  can be removed from the retaining member  34  by applying a downward force to the upper surface  40  of the hub to force the lip  40  downward through the center aperture of the disc to free the disc from the retaining member  34 . An attractive feature of the retaining member design is that the annular ring  36  prevents the downward movement of the inner edge of the disc  44  despite any downward movement of the hub. This approach prevents the disc  44  from being damaged due to undesirable flexing of the disc  44  during removal. 
     Referring back to  FIG. 1 , the lid  14  includes a lid panel  46  with a peripheral lid wall  48  extending along the three sides of the lid panel  46  not attached to the living hinge  20 . A lip  50  can be formed at a distal end of an interior portion of the peripheral lid wall  48  on each side of the storage container. A rail  52  can be positioned on each side of the storage container along the base panel  24  each which cooperates with the peripheral base wall  26  to form a nesting slot for a respective one of the lips  50 . In at least one embodiment of the storage container, the lips  50  can be configured with a concave design that extends close to or all the way to the base panel  24  when the storage container is in the closed position. This arrangement may prevent the disc from sliding out of the storage container should the disc become dislodged. The concave design of the lips  50  may also make it more difficult for one to remove the disc from the storage container through a gap between the peripheral base and lid walls when the storage container is in the closed position. These attendant benefits may be achieved with other lip designs without departing from the inventive concepts described herein. By way of example, the lips  50  can be rectangular, triangular, or any other design which covers at least a portion of the gap formed between the peripheral base and lid walls when the storage container is in the closed position. 
     The storage container may be equipped with additional features that maintain the disc in engagement with the hub during transportation and handling of the closed storage container. The lid  14  may include tabs  54  which engage the outer edge of the disc when the storage container is in the closed position. Each tab can be supported by the lid panel  46  and includes a surface which extends inwards toward the center of the lid  14  and away from the peripheral lid wall  48 . Alternatively, each tab can be configured as a flat member extending directly from the front portion of the peripheral lid wall  48  inward toward the center of the lid  14 . 
     The tabs  54  can be designed to work alone, or alternatively, in combination with other structures to maintain the disc in engagement with the hub when the storage container is in the closed position. By way of example, the hinge panel  18  can be configured with a reinforcing rib  56  that not only increases the structural strength of the hinge panel  18 , but can be used to further maintain the disc in engagement with the hub when the storage container is in the closed position. This can be accomplished with a variety of rib designs depending on the aesthetic criteria for the storage container. By way of example, the reinforcing rib  56  can extend inwardly from the hinge panel  18  a sufficient length such that, when the storage container is in the closed position, the reinforcing rib  56  extends over the annular wall  28  and engages the unrecorded upper surface of the disc. The reinforcing rib  56  can be designed with a semi-circular recess or convex configuration for alignment with the seat  30  of the annular wall  28  to avoid placing undue stress on portions of the disc unsupported by the seat  30 . 
       FIG. 4  is a perspective view of an exemplary storage container in the closed position. 
       FIG. 5  is a cross-section view of the exemplary storage container of  FIG. 4  taken along line  5 . The manner in which the reinforcing rib  56  cooperates with the tabs  54  of the lid  14  to effectively clamp the outer edge of the disc to the seat  30  of the annular wall  28  is shown in  FIG. 5 . In at least one embodiment of the storage container, the tab  54  can be formed with a  58  at its distal end. As shown in  FIG. 5 , with the storage container in the closed position, the tab  54  extends over the annular wall  28  of the base panel  24  such that the ridge  58  engages the unrecorded upper surface of the disc to securely lodge the disc between the ridge  58  and the seat  30  of the annular wall  28 . In a similar manner to the reinforcing rib  56 , the ridge  58  can be formed with an arc shape that is aligned with the seat  30  of the annular wall  28  when the storage container is in the closed position to avoid flexing the disc by placing a downward force on a portion of the disc unsupported by the seat  30 . The ridge design minimizes surface contact between the tabs and the disc. In addition, the ridge design may provide for a tighter grip on the disc since the tabs have to be located sufficiently above the disc when the storage container is in the closed position to clear the annular wall  28 . Alternatively, the tabs can be used to directly to secure the disc to the seat  30  of the annular wall  28 . 
     The storage container may also be equipped with a latching mechanism to discourage the unauthorized removal of the disc from the storage container during retail distribution. The latching mechanism may take on various forms depending on the overall design constraints and security objectives. By way of example, the latching mechanism can be designed in a manner that requires a significant amount of force to open the storage container. Numerous techniques may be employed to implement this type of latching mechanism. These techniques can range from a single latch to any number of latches working together to achieve a storage container which cannot be easily open without exerting considerable force. 
     An exemplary latching mechanism for a storage container is shown in  FIG. 1 . The exemplary latching mechanism includes tabs  60  supported by the lid  14  in combination with catches  62  supported by the base  16 . The tabs  60  can be designed in various fashions depending on the design specifications and other relevant factors. In the described exemplary embodiment, the tabs  60  are fairly rigid members supported by the lid panel  46 . Increased rigidity may be achieved with a pair of reinforcing ribs  61  on each of the tabs  60 . As best seen by  FIG. 1A , a detent  64   a  can be located at the distal end of the tab  60 . The detent  64   a  includes a tapered surface  65  with an undercut wall  67 . The catches  62  are also fairly rigid members extending from the base panel  24  (see  FIG. 1 ). As best seen in  FIG. 1B , the catch  62  includes a catch member  64   b  with an aperture  66  formed therein for catching the detent  64   a  of the tab  60  when the storage container is being closed. A support member  68  extending upward from the base panel between the aperture  66  and the peripheral base wall  26  is used to maintain rigidity of the catch  62  when the storage container is being opened and closed. 
       FIG. 6  is a perspective view of the tab and catch just prior to engagement as the exemplary storage container is being closed.  FIG. 7  is a cross-section view of the exemplary storage container of  FIG. 6  taken along line  7 . As shown in  FIGS. 6 and 7 , when the storage container is being closed by the user, the tapered upper surface of the detent  65  comes into contact with the upper portion of the catch member  64 . Since the tab  60  and the catch  62  are fairly rigid, the user must increase the force applied to the base and lid to bring them together to cause either the tab  60  to flex slightly backward and/or cause the catch member  64  to flex slightly forward against the support member  68  to allow the tapered upper surface of the detent  65  to slide past the exterior upper portion of the catch member  64  and snap into the aperture  66  with the undercut wall  67  facing the interior upper portion of the catch member  64  as shown in  FIG. 8 .  FIG. 8  is a cross-section view of the exemplary storage container of  FIG. 6  taken along line  7  with the exemplary storage container in the closed position. Because of the undercut wall  67  of the detent  60 , the force to open the storage container is even greater than that required to close the storage container. To open the container, the user applies a force to the base and lid to separate them from one another. In a manner similar to that described in connection with the closing of the storage container, the applied force to the storage container must be sufficient to cause either the tab  60  to flex slightly backward and/or cause the catch member  64  to flex slightly forward against the support member  68 . However, in this case, since the undercut wall  67  of the detent  64  is not tapered, the force required to flex the tab  60  backward and/or the catch member  64  forward against the support member  68  to allow the detent  64  to clear the catch member  64  and release it from the aperture is much greater. This increased force to open the storage container may discourage the unauthorized opening of the storage container in the retail environment. 
     The amount of force required to open and close the storage container can be varied by altering the design the reinforcing ribs on the tab or the support member for the catch. The tabs may be designed with a support member similar to that used for catches, either alone or in combination with the reinforcing ribs, to set the amount of force required to open and close the storage container. The rigidity of the material used for the tabs and catches can also be varied. One skilled in the art will readily be able to determine the material needed for the tabs and catches, and the designs of the supporting structures, if any, to meet the specific design requirements of any particular application. 
     Returning to  FIG. 4 , the exemplary storage container can be configured with a pair of removable tabs  72   a  and  72   b . During retail distribution of the storage container, the removable tabs are in the closed position as shown by the removable tab  72   a . Once the storage container is removed from the retail environment, it can be opened by first moving removable tabs to the open position as shown by the removable tab  72   b . Once the removable tabs are moved to the open position, the storage container can then be opened by separating the base  16  from the lid  14 . As best shown in  FIG. 9 , the removable tab can be moved between the open and closed position via a break-away hinge  74  connecting the removable tab to the base  16 . The removable tab  72  is generally square or rectangular shape with an arm  76  extending from an interior portion of the removable tab. The removable tab  72  may also include four prongs  78  with two projecting from each side of the interior portion. When the removable tab  72  is in the closed position, the arm  76  extends through a center slot  80  formed in the peripheral lid wall  48  and the prongs  78  straddle a horizontal bar  81  extending through the peripheral lid wall  48 . This configuration may provide heightened security in the retail environment by making it more difficult to open the storage container without authorization. 
     Once the storage container is removed from the retail environment by the consumer, the removable tab  72  can be opened and separated from the base  16  by applying an upward or twisting force to the removable tab  72  to break the hinge connection. The removable tab  72  can then be physically rotated 1800 with respect its original position and reinserted into the front portion of the peripheral lid and base walls as shown in  FIG. 10 . In this position, the arm  76  extends through the aperture  66  in the catch member  64  forcing the detent  64  of the tab  60  out of the aperture  66  to allow the consumer to easily open the storage container by merely applying a force to separate the base  16  from the lid  14  sufficient to overcome the insertion force of any other commonly known latches employed by the storage container. Each prong  78  may be formed with a detent  84  having a tapered surface with an undercut. When the removable tab  72  is being inserted into the front portion of the peripheral lid and base walls, the tapered portion of the detents  84  rides against interior walls  86  of the peripheral base wall  24  hereby flexing the prongs  78  toward one another. Once the detents  84  clear the interior walls  86 , the prongs  78  revert to their non-flexed state with the undercut of the detents  84  engaging the ends of the interior walls  86 . This arrangement holds the removable tabs in place once the hinges have been broken away from the base  16 . 
     Returning to  FIG. 4 , the peripheral base and lid walls  24  and  48  can be formed with slightly concave portions in the front portion. This arrangement provides an area where one can grasp the base and lid to open the storage container. These concave portions may be particularly useful to a consumer opening a storage container that does not have removable tabs that disable the latching mechanism. 
     Although exemplary embodiments of the present invention has been described, it should not be construed to limit the scope of the appended claims. Those skilled in the art will understand that various modifications may be made to the described embodiments. By way of example, any feature of the exemplary storage containers can be employed alone or in combination with one or more features. Moreover, to those skilled in the various arts, the inventive features described throughout can be employed with storage containers for other devices such as video cassettes and the like. It is therefore desired that the present embodiments be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, reference being made to the appended claims rather than the foregoing description to indicate the scope of the invention.