Abstract:
A hub for holding a disc-shaped item of recorded media includes a plurality of holding arms that engage the central opening of the disc-shaped item of recorded media to hold the item in a holding position. The hub also includes lifting arms that engage the inner lower edge of the disc-shaped item of recorded media to force the item upwardly with respect to the holding arms. The holding arms and lifting arms extend from opposite portions of a base member which may be in the form of a circular outer wall.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims priority from U.S. provisional application serial No. 60/335,293 filed Nov. 30, 2001; the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Technical Field 
     The present invention generally relates to media storage containers and, more particularly, to media storage containers that are configured to hold disc-shaped items of recorded media such as CDs and DVDs. 
     2. Background Information 
     Compact discs have become immensely popular in the past 15 years and have supplanted records and tapes as the dominant form of recorded music. Over this time, numerous storage containers have been developed to hold the discs during shipping, display for sale, and subsequent home storage of the discs. Most of these storage containers utilize some type of center hub that engages the center hole of the disc to hold the disc in place in the storage container. 
     In the recent past, DVDs have been developed that hold more data than a compact disc. Given their large storage capacity, DVDs may be used to hold feature length films as well as music. It is also contemplated that the DVDs may be used to hold data in a computer readable form. One problem with the DVD is that it currently trades durability for its increased storage space. It has been found that a DVD may be damaged by the forces that are commonly used to remove compact discs from their storage containers, to hold the compact discs in the storage containers, and to store the compact discs in the containers. Thus, a potential problem has been created in that it is believed that the vast number of consumers will treat a DVD like a CD because of the similarities in the products and will damage the DVD by doing things that do not harm a CD. It is thus desired in the art to provide a DVD storage container that prevents a consumer from damaging a DVD by improperly removing a DVD from the container. 
     One of the chief areas of concern with a DVD storage container is the bending forces created in the DVD by the container or removal of the DVD from the container. Although compact discs are relatively insensitive to bending stresses, DVDs are sensitive to such bending forces and may lose information or become unusable because of such bending forces. Bending forces may occur during removal of the DVD from the storage container, loading the DVD into the storage container, or storage of the DVD in the container. The industry has thus moved in a direction that requires DVD storage containers to securely retain a DVD during a drop test without creating a constant bending force on the DVD during storage or allowing a bending force to be placed on the DVD during installation or removal of the DVD from the storage container. 
     Although a DVD is approximately the same size, weight, and dimensions as a compact disc, the storage containers used for compact discs are generally unsuitable for providing a DVD storage container that eliminates bending forces. Most CD storage containers are unsuitable for DVDs because they include center hubs that radially and resiliently engage the center hole of a compact disc to retain the compact disc in the storage container. These constant forces may damage a DVD over time. Other compact disc storage containers allow a person to grasp the outer edge of a compact disc and pull upwardly causing the disc to disengage the center hub. This action creates a significant amount of bending force in the body of the compact disc. As compact discs are less sensitive to such bending force, this action does not substantially harm a compact disc while it may break a DVD or otherwise render it unuseable. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention provides a hub that securely holds a disc-shaped item of recorded media in a storage position. The hub releases the item of recorded media when a user pushes down on the hub. The hub includes resilient lifting arms that engage the inner edge of the item of recorded media to lift the item of recorded media 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a media storage container having the hub of the present invention. 
     FIG. 2 is a section view taken along line  2 — 2  of FIG.  1 . 
     FIG. 3 is an enlarged top plan view of the hub. 
     FIG. 4 is a section view taken along line  4 — 4  of FIG.  1 . 
     FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 4 showing the hub being depressed to release the disc with the resilient lifting arms supporting the discs. 
     FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 4 showing the hub released and lifting the disc. 
    
    
     Similar numbers refer to similar elements throughout the specification. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     A storage container  8  includes the hub  10  of the present invention. Container  8  generally includes a base, indicated generally by the numeral  12 , that is hingedly attached to a lid  14 . In the embodiment of the present invention depicted in the drawings, the hinged connection between base  12  and lid  14  is formed by a back wall  16  and a pair of continuous living hinges  18 . Base  12  includes a sidewall  20  that extends about the three sides of base  12  not attached to living hinge  18 . Sidewall  20  may include a plurality of reinforcing ribs  22  that serve to reinforce storage container  10  and may also be used to frictionally engage corresponding reinforcing ribs  24  that are carried by lid  14  and a lid sidewall  26 . Container  10  may be fabricated from any of a wide variety of materials but it is preferred that it be fabricated from a plastic strong enough to resist breaking when dropped during a drop test. 
     Hub  10  generally includes an outer wall  40 , a central button  42 , and a plurality of holding arms  44  that support central button  42  from outer wall  40 . Hub  10  also includes a resilient lifting arm  46  disposed between each pair of holding arms  44 . In the exemplary embodiment of the invention, hub  10  includes three holding arms  44  and three resilient lifting arms  46 . These elements may be integrally molded and formed integrally with the bottom wall of base  12 . 
     Outer wall  40  may be frusto-conical in shaped such that it has a larger diameter at its lower edge than its diameter at it upper edge. Central button  42  is substantially cylindrical and includes a cylindrical sidewall  48  and a round top wall  49 . Top wall  49  is connected to sidewall  48  at the upper edge of sidewall  48 . Top wall  49  is disposed above the upper surfaces of arms  44  so that a user&#39;s finger or thumb will engage and depress top wall  49  before it engages arms  44 . 
     Holding arms  44  include first  50 , second  52 , and third  54  arm sections. First arm section  50  is connected to the top of outer wall  40  with a first hinge  60  that allows first arm section  50  to pivot downwardly as depicted in FIG.  5 . First hinge  60  may be a living hinge configured to return first arm section  50  to its resting position as shown in FIGS. 4 and 6. First hinge  60  has a width substantially less than the width of arm section  50  adjacent wall  40  as shown in FIG.  3 . The smaller width is achieved by shaping arm sections  50  with slots  61  that follow the inner edge of wall  40 . Second arm section  52  extends up from the inner end of first arm section  50  such that second arm section  52  is substantially vertical when first arm section  50  is in the resting position. A disc holding protrusion  62  extends outwardly from the upper end of second arm section  52 . Protrusions  62  are configured to be disposed over the upper inner edge  64  of disc  30  when disc  30  is locked on hub  10 . Each protrusion  62  has a gently tapered upper surface that allows disc  30  to be readily snapped down over protrusions  62 . The bottom surface of each protrusion  62  is more aggressive (more perpendicular to arm section  52 ) so that disc  30  will be retained by the bottom surface of protrusions  62  when container  8  is dropped or turned upside down. 
     Each third arm section  54  is connected to the upper edge of second arm section  52  and extends downwardly and slightly radially inwardly to a lower edge that is disposed at a height (with respect to the bottom wall of base  12 ) less than first arm section  50 . The lower edge of each third arm section  54  is connected to the lower edge of sidewall  48  with a second hinge  64 . Second hinge  64  may have a wall thickness that is less than the wall thickness of sidewall  48  and third arm section  54 . Hinge  64  allows second  52  and third  54  arm sections to collapse inwardly when the user pushes down on button  42 . 
     Base  12  may define an outer support wall  70  disposed at the outer diameter of disc  30  so that the outer edge of disc  30  may not be depressed. Hub  10  is configured to support the edge of disc  30  above wall  70  when hub  10  is in the resting position as depicted in FIG.  4 . Lifting arms  46  engage the inner lower edge  72  of disc  30  to hold disc  30  above arm sections  50  and outer wall  70 . In the resting position, protrusions  62  push disc  30  downwardly and flex arms  46  downwardly so that arms  46  will push disc  30  upwardly when protrusions  62  are moved off of disc  30  as shown in FIG.  5 . Disc  30  is thus retained by hub  30  at only the inner edges (upper and lower) of disc  30  so that the remaining portions of disc  30  are floating with respect to container  8 . Disc  30  is resiliently held by arms  46  so that disc  30  does not rattle or shake itself loose from hub  10 . These holding forces do not create damaging bending forces in disc  30 . 
     When central button  42  is pushed down, protrusions  62  collapse inwardly to release disc  30 . As soon as protrusions  62  move off of disc  30 , arms  46  move disc  30  upwardly. When button  42  is released, protrusions move back outwardly and upwardly to lift disc  30  off of hub  10  as shown in FIG.  6 . Hub  10  thus does not create large bending forces in disc  30  when disc  30  is removed from hub  10 . 
     In the foregoing description, certain terms have been used for brevity, clearness, and understanding. No unnecessary limitations are to be implied therefrom beyond the requirement of the prior art because such terms are used for descriptive purposes and are intended to be broadly construed. 
     Moreover, the description and illustration of the invention is an example and the invention is not limited to the exact details shown or described.