Abstract:
The present invention is a disc media storage and retrieval system for safely and efficiently storing and conveniently retrieving specific disc media from a plurality of disc media stacked on a central column or spindle. Modified disc media are rotationally aligned on the spindle using corresponding alignment protrusion(s) formed on the spindle and notch(es) on the inner chuck hole of the disc. Accordingly, disc media is further modified with the addition of indexing notches on the outer circumference of the disk, such that each disc within the system is provided a unique notched-index. The aligned stack is protected by a cover member that forms a disc lifting device. A disc of interest is indexed and retrieved from the stack by rotating the cover member relative to the disc stack thereby aligning the disc notch-index with the lifting device. When the cover member is raised, the lifting device separates the stack at the disc of interest. These innovations and modifications to the disc media provide improvements in disc storage and retrieval over existing spindle-type disc media storage systems.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to a disc media storage and retrieval system and, in particular, to a disc media storage and retrieval system for efficiently storing and conveniently retrieving disc media, for example, a plurality of optical discs such as CD-R (compact disc recordable), CD-RW (compact disc rewritable), and DVD. 
     Optical disc media offers an attractive combination of storage capacity and convenience at a relatively low manufacturing and media cost. Accordingly, various forms of CD and DVD have gained widespread market acceptance. In order to store data, the user purchases recordable media such as CD-R, CD-RW or its DVD equivalent. 
     Optical disc media may be damaged by spillage, abrasion or their data surface(s) may be otherwise compromised. Therefore it is generally desirable to protect disc media in some form of sleeve or case while not in use. In some instances, the disc&#39;s original packaging provides a suitable container(s). It may therefore be advantageous to distribute recordable disc media in packaging that is suitable for long term storage 
     Recordable disc media are commonly distributed as a plurality of disc media secured by a central spindle and covered with a protective case. While this type of spindle packaging provides relatively efficient storage and reasonable protection, locating a specific disc among a stack of media, may be both arduous and time consuming. Typically the user must remove and examine several discs before locating and accessing the desired disc. Therefore, conventional spindle-type packaging is not particularly well suited for both media storage and convenient retrieval. 
     In addition to spindle-type packaging, there are a variety of other storage and protection devices available for disc media such as paper sleeves, binders, jewel cases, and compartment-type systems, etc. However, these devices typically require more space to store and display disc media. 
     In the case of both the jewel-case systems&#39; and the compartment-type systems, particular discs are located by either visually searching the labeled array of discs or by some method of indexing where the user constructs a database or list to reference disc media. A disadvantage of using a recorded index list is that to function effectively the user typically must assume the burden of returning each disc to its appropriate position after each use. 
     It would therefore be advantageous to incorporate a means of convenient disc retrieval into a spindle-type storage system such that the means of indexing or otherwise accessing disc media does not require the user to maintain a particular ordering of discs. 
     Thus, it is an object of the present invention to provide a disc media storage and retrieval system that provides reasonable protection for disc media, allows the storage of a plurality of disc media in a relatively compact space and which provides a more effective means of disc location and retrieval. In addition, certain embodiments of the present invention are suitable for packaging, display, sale, storage and transport of disc media. 
     The objects of the present invention are achieved by a disc media storage and retrieval system having the features specified in the defining part of the claims. Various embodiments and configurations are further described and evolved from the figures, description and discussion. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In accordance with the foregoing, the present invention is a disc media storage and retrieval system for safely, efficiently and conveniently storing and accessing CDs or DVDs. Accordingly, each disc within the system is provided with at least two alignment points, such as a central protrusion and a peripheral notch. Initial alignment for example may be accomplished by providing one or more protrusions on the central spindle and providing mating notches on the center, non-data area of the disc media. The system preferably establishes that discs may only be stacked onto the central column in one way. Further, it may be advantageous to use two central alignment marks or otherwise design the mating of disc to central spindle so that disk media may only be stacked in one direction, for example, face up. 
     Indexing of disc media may be accomplished by providing each disc within the stack a unique index notch(es). In the preferred embodiment, a disc lifting device is formed within the protective cover. A disc of interest is retrieved from the stack by rotating the cover relative to the disc stack so that the disc lifting device aligns with the indexing notch(es) of the disc of interest. Then when the cover member is raised, the disc stack is separated at the disc of interest, providing direct access to the disc of interest. This modification to both the disc media and stacking members provides improved disc retrieval compared to existing spindle-type disc media storage systems. Alternatively, the disc lifting devices may comprise a portion of an electromechanical system to achieve the same goals. 
     Notching of disc media may be achieved either during their manufacture or following their purchase by employing a suitable disc notching tool. The tool should cut both the disc alignment notch and the outer disc notches and allow for the setting of different disc indexing angles. The notching tool should support the disc during notching so that the disc is not damaged by deformation. Various embodiments may achieve this effect by shearing, cutting, grinding or otherwise removing material from the disc edges. 
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF PRIOR ART 
     U.S. Pat. No. 3,463,536 to Updegraff et al. entitled ‘Container Handle’ discusses a lifting device for bottles that employs inwardly projecting radial fingers to grip the bottle. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 4,316,281 to Prusak entitled ‘Spacer for Stacked Recorded Discs’ discusses a spacer plate used to separate disc media stacked on a spindle such that their recording surfaces do not make contact. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 4,516,678 to Fotiadis et al. entitled ‘Floppy Disk Canister’ discusses a spindle type package with protective cover for storing magnetic floppy discs during manufacture. This package includes a latching mechanism for securing the cover to the spindle base. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 4,700,839 to Fujii entitled ‘Package Including Disk-Form Magnetic Recording Mediums’ discusses a spindle type package with protective cover for storing magnetic disc media. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 4,998,618 to Borgions entitled ‘Storage Case for Optical Discs’ discusses a storage case for a plurality of compact discs that are individually held in swing-out tray holders. This device is intended to work with a commercially available compact disc changer. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 5,176,250 to Cheng entitled ‘Handy Disk Storage Box’ discusses a container that stores disc media that are individually held in flat disc holders. This container is suitable for storing and transporting discs. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 5,195,794 to Hummel, Jr. et al. entitled ‘Compact Disk Lifting Device’ discusses a plunger operated device for lifting and releasing a single compact disc. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 5,235,579 to Ross entitled ‘Compact Disc Storage Retrieval and Loading Device’ discusses a remote controlled compact disc loader that incorporates a disc carousel and supports a compact disc player. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 5,573,120 to Kaufman entitled ‘Storage Container for Compact Discs and the Like’ discusses a jewel case for holding a single optical disc medium. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 5,669,494 to Geffen entitled ‘Storage Carousel for Compact Disks and the Like’ discusses a system for storing disc media contained within jewel cases. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 6,111,848 to Hui entitled ‘Compact Disk Storage and Retrieval System’ discusses a system for storing compact discs in jewel cases. This system allows the user to locate a particular disc by electronic addressing and an electromechanical disc ejection mechanism. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 6,112,894 to Kikuchi et al. entitled ‘Disc Medium Accommodating Case’ discusses a spindle type package with protective cover for storing disc media. This patent focuses on optical disc media such as CD-R and DVD disc media. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 6,238,022 to Chan entitled ‘Disc Storage Container’ discusses a system for storing disc media separated by rigid ribs and retrieved by mechanical indexing. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 6,296,114 to Bubb et al. entitled ‘Package for Optical Disk Stack’ discusses a spindle type package for storing optical disc media with the aim of minimal material and cost. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The organization and manner of the structure and operation of the invention, together with further objects and advantages thereof, may best be understood by reference to the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals identify like elements in which: 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the components of a preferred embodiment of the disc media storage and retrieval device and a set of disc media. 
     FIG. 2 is a top view of a modified disc. 
     FIGS. 3A and 3B are side and top views of the stacking column and base plate member. 
     FIGS. 4A and 4B are side and top views of the protective cover member. 
     FIGS. 5A,  5 B,  5 C,  5 D and  5 E are sectional views that illustrate the operation of a disc lifting mechanism. 
     FIGS. 6A and 6B are sectional views that illustrate the operation of a disc notching tool to prepare discs for storage in the system. 
     FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing an example of a cover locking mechanism. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     While the invention may be susceptible to embodiment in different forms, there is shown in the drawings, and herein will be described in detail, specific embodiments with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered an exemplification of the principles of the invention, and is not intended to limit the invention to that as illustrated and described herein. 
     FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of the present invention comprising a stacking column and base plate member  10 , a protective cover member  30  and a stack  21  consisting of a set of modified disc media  20 A,  20 B,  20 C, etc. The disc media  20 A,  20 B,  20 C, etc. are threaded onto the stacking column  14  through a chucking hole  23 , and are substantially aligned relative to the stacking column and base plate member  10  by means of a stacking column alignment-protrusion  13 . The alignment-protrusion  13  protrudes radially outward from the stacking column  14  and fits in a disc alignment notch  27  of complimentary dimensions in the modified disc media  20 . Alternatively, the stacking column  14  can contain a recess and the disc media  20 A,  20 B,  20 C, etc., can contain a protrusion, or distinctive shapes can be used to constrain the disc media  20 A,  20 B,  20 C, etc., on the stacking column  14 . 
     The first modified disc medium  20 A to be threaded onto the stacking column  14  sits lowest in the stack  21  of modified disc media  20 A,  20 B,  20 C, etc., and comes to rest on the upper surface  18  of the upper base plate portion  11 . Subsequent modified disc media  20 B,  20 C, etc., come to rest on the next lowest modified disc medium and are typically not separated by any spacer or the like. A set of such stacked modified disc media  20 A,  20 B,  20 C, etc. form the disc stack  21 . 
     The protective cover member  30  fits over the stacking column and base plate member  10  and disc stack  21  so that the stacking column cap  17  fits into the cover member hub  32  and the cover lower edge  37  contacts the upper surface  19  of the lower base plate portion  16 . 
     As shown in FIG. 2, an exemplary modified disc medium  20  preferably comprises a thin circular disc with a concentric chucking hole  23 , a disc alignment notch  27 , a recordable surface bounded by an inner circumference  24  and an outer circumference  21  and a plurality of outer disc notches  22 . The disc alignment notch  27  consists of a rectangular notch extending radially outward from the circumference of the chucking hole  23 , preferably no further than the inner circumference of the recordable surface  24 . Each outer disc notch  22  consists of a rectangular notch extending radially inward from the outer circumference of the disc medium, preferably no further than the outer circumference of the recordable surface  21 . The outer disc notches  22  are spaced uniformly around the outer circumference of the disc medium  28  by an outer disc medium separation angle  25 . Each modified disc medium  20  that forms part of a disc stack is assigned a unique index angle  26 . The disc medium index angle  26  is the angle between the disc alignment notch  27  and the first clockwise located outer disc notch  22  and is set such that the difference between the index angles  26  for any two modified disc media  20 A and  20 B that forms part of a disc stack  21  is greater than some index increment angle. The index increment angle is the difference between the index angles  26  of any two modified disc media  20 A and  20 B with adjacent indices. Mathematically, the minimum index increment angle is 360/nd(ΔC), where d is the diameter of the disc media and ΔC is the arc of the lifting tabs  31  as later defined. 
     As shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the stacking column and base plate member  10  comprises a circular upper base plate portion  11  that has substantially the same diameter as the modified disc medium  20 , a circular recess base plate portion  12  located immediately below the upper base plate portion  11  that has a diameter less than the upper base plate portion  11  and is at least as thick as a modified disc medium  20 , a circular lower base plate portion  16  located immediately below the recess base plate portion  12  that has a diameter larger than upper base plate portion  11  and larger than the bottom diameter of the protective cover member  30 , a cylindrical stacking column  14  with diameter slightly less than the modified disc medium chucking hole  23  diameter and taller than the height of the intended stack  21  of modified disc media  20 , a short cylindrical stacking column cap  17 , a rectangular stacking column alignment protrusion  13  slightly smaller than the disc alignment notch  27  and extending the length of the stacking column  14  and a plurality of base plate rotation reference marks  15  uniformly spaced around lower base plate portion  16 , the number of which base plate rotation reference marks  15  is the same as the number of outer disc notches  22 . The differences in diameters of circular upper base plate portion  11  and circular recess base plate portion  12  form a recess  36 . 
     As shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, the cover member  30  comprises a thin-walled cylinder  33 , a thin flat top  34  that is deformed in the center to form a hub  32 , a plurality of disc lifting tabs  31  and a set of rotation index markings  35 . The diameter of the cover member  30  is greater than the diameter of the modified disc medium  20  such that the cover member may be placed over a stack  21  of modified disc media  20  yet less than the diameter of the lower base plate portion  16  such that the cover member  30  may rest on the upper surface  19  of the lower base plate portion  16 . The height of the protective cover member  30  is such that the stacking column cap  17  seats in the cover member hub  32  when the bottom rim of the cover member  30  is resting on the lower base plate portion  16 . The inner diameter of the hub  32  is slightly larger that that of the stacking column cap  17  such that the cover member  30  may be freely rotated while resting on the lower base plate portion  16 . The rotation index markings  35  are spaced uniformly around the lower edge  37  of the cylinder  33  of the cover member  30  and span the range of disc medium indexing angles  26  for all modified disc media  20 A,  20 B,  20 C, etc. in the stack  21 . The rotation index markings are spaced at the disk increment angle as discussed above. 
     The disc lift mechanisms are disc lifting tabs  31 , thin rectangular tabs spaced uniformly around the lower edge  37  of the cover member  30  and extend radially inward. The number of disc lifting tabs  31  is the same as the number of outer disc notches  22 . Their length and width is such that they fit into the outer disc notches  22  of a modified disc medium  20 . 
     As shown in FIGS. 5A through 5E, to retrieve a particular disc of interest  62  from the stack  21 , the user first ensures that the cover member  30  is pushed fully onto the stack. As the cover member  30  is pushed onto the stack, contact with the first topmost modified disc medium  61  deflects the disc lifting tabs  31  upwards, as shown in FIG.  5 A. Once the cover member  30  is pushed fully onto the stack  21  the disc lifting tabs  31  relax into the recess  36  provided by the base plate recess portion  12 , as shown in FIG.  5 B. The user then selects a particular disc  62  for retrieval by rotating the cover member  30  relative to the stack  21  until one of the base plate rotation reference marks  15  lines up with the appropriate rotation index mark within the set of rotation index markings  35 . The user then raises the cover member  30  without further rotation relative to the disc stack  21 . Initially, contact with the upper base plate portion  11  deflects the disc lifting tabs  31  downwards, as shown in FIG.  5 C. The user continues to pull the cover member  30  upwards until the disc lifting tabs  31  encounter the outer disc notches  22  of the disc of interest  62 . The disc lifting tabs  31  then relax into the outer disc notches  22 , as shown in FIG.  5 D. As the user pulls the cover member  30  further the portion of the disc stack  21  above the disc of interest  62  is lifted up with the cover member  30 . Once the cover member  30  is clear of the stacking column and base plate member  10  the user may retrieve the disc of interest  62  from the top of the remaining disc stack  21  and may then return the cover member  30  and the remaining portion of the disc stack  21  to the stacking column and base plate member  10 . 
     The strength of the disc lifting tabs  31  should be such that the plurality of disc lifting tabs  31  may support the weight of all modified disc media in the stack  21  yet will deflect when the cover member  30  is either pushed downwards onto a disc stack  21  or pulled upwards off of a disc stack  21 . 
     When the user returns the disc of interest  62  to the stack it does not have to be returned to its original order in the stack  21 . This is because retrieval is based only on the disc medium indexing angle  26  and not on the disc&#39;s position within the stack  21 . 
     In another embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7, the protective cover member  30  and the stacking column and base plate member  10  include a cover locking mechanism which secures the protective cover member  30  to the stacking column and base plate member  10  without impairing disc indexing or the function of the disc lifting tabs  31 . The cover locking mechanism may comprise a plurality, equal to the number of outer disc notches  22 , of uniformly spaced raised slots  71  protruding from the upper surface  19  of the lower base plate portion  16  and a plurality, equal to the number of raised slots  71 , of uniformly spaced locking tabs  72  protruding horizontally outward from the lower edge of the protective cover member  30 . The dimensions of the locking tabs  72  are such that they may slide into the raised slots  71  when the cover  30  is rotated. In a preferred embodiment, the locking tabs  72  and the raised slots  71  form an interference fit. In another embodiment, the raised slots  71  are blocked on one side so that the locking tabs  72  may only engage the raised slots by rotation of the protective cover member  30  in one direction and to prevent further rotation once the raised slots  71  are engaged. For such an embodiment, disc indexing angles  26  are restricted to those angles that do not occur when the cover locking mechanism is engaged. 
     As shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B, a disc notching tool  50  may consist of a circular lower supporting plate  51  and a circular upper disc cutting plate  57 . The upper disc cutting plate consists of a central hub  53  and a rotating outer ring  52 . An alignment notch punch  54  is attached to the center hub  53  and protrudes downwards. A series of outer disc notch punches  55  are attached to the outer ring  52  and protrude downwards. The outer ring  52  may be rotated relative to the central hub  53  to set a desired disc indexing angle. A disc medium  56  is placed on the lower supporting plate  51  and then the upper disc cutting plate  57  is placed over the lower supporting plate  51  and pushed down with sufficient force to cut the notches. 
     While preferred embodiments of the present invention are shown and described, it is envisioned that those skilled in the art may devise various modifications of the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the appended claims.