Abstract:
A rack for the storage and display of compact disc cases includes a backboard to which horizontal and vertical bars are mounted to form a grid defining a plurality of cells each sized to receive a compact disc case for display. A lip extending laterally from the vertical bars defines recesses in the cells for receiving edge portions of compact disc cases. A spring is mounted to the backboard within each of the cells for securing against the compact disc case placed therein at an acute angle with respect to the backboard.

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present invention relates to apparatus for storing compact disc cases. More particularly, the present invention relates to display apparatus for compact: disc cases, which provides secure retention of compact disc cases during display while facilitating removal of a selected compact disc case therefrom. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Compact discs are circular, flat plastic discs on which information is recorded. The information can be interpreted by compact disc players as audio, video, or text. Compact discs are commonly used to distribute music, computer software, and research information. Compact discs sold to consumers are typically contained in a standardized type of storage case. These types of storage cases include cardboard envelopes, plastic jackets with pockets for receiving discs, and plastic boxes or cases. For example, computer software is typically provided in an envelope or jacket. On the other hand, in the fields of music, computer research materials, and computer games, compact disc recordings are often contained in plastic boxes (or cases) having a hinge along one side. Such cases are generally referred to as jewel box-style compact disc cases. The jewel box compact disc case opens along a hinge to reveal a compact disc held within a molded internal frame. The case may be characterized as a clam-shell case. The case has a front cover side, and an opposing back side that is parallel with the front cover side. The front side and the back side pivotally connect on the hinge side or &#34;spine.&#34; Compact disc cases often contain an ornamental front display insert which is used to identify the performing artist, musical group, or research material which is recorded on the compact disc. The front display insert is secured within the disc case. The jewel box case also often includes a short descriptive title of the compact disc recording along its spine and front edge. For compact disc sets of two or more compact discs, the jewel box-type case typically includes &#34;page&#34; portions that are pivotally moveable about the spine. 
     There are various devices used for storing collections of compact discs. One device provides an envelope with pockets for receiving the discs. However, many people prefer to store the discs within the jewel box. Often the jewel boxes are placed side-by-side in a book case or storage rack. The jewel boxes are preferably oriented with the spine outward for use in selecting discs. 
     Often persons store jewel box cases in slotted-style, tower-type racks. The tower-type racks typically have narrow columns with slotted receptacles for receiving the jewel box cases. These compact disc towers dispose the compact disc cases either in a vertical side-by-side arrangement or in a horizontal top-to-bottom arrangement. The cases are preferably inserted so that the side text on the spine side may be visible. While such storage allows for efficient use of space, selection of a particular compact disc is often difficult. Because the text on the spine of compact disc cases is small, the titles are often difficult to read. A user also has to bend his head into a cocked position in order to read the vertical spines of the cases, or may have to stoop to read the horizontal spines of the cases. Furthermore, while the storage of discs in a tower or shelf is an efficient use of space, it prevents the viewing of the artistic cover which often adorns the front cover side of compact disc cases. Also, extraction of a compact disc case from towers or stacks requires grasping the lateral sides of the disc and pulling outwardly. This often is cumbersome due to the close spacing of the compact disc cases in the tower. 
     Storage racks have been developed which allow for the display of jewel-box compact disc front cover sides. Such racks allow for quick selection of a compact disc case by recognition of a cover design. Furthermore, such display racks serve an aesthetic purpose by providing wall ornamentation. However, such racks often require two hands to manipulate the compact disc case in and out of the rack. Also, some such display racks do not provide for the storage of multi-disc sets. Furthermore, such racks often utilize complex mechanisms or shelves to hold the disc cases on the rack, or require alteration of the compact disc cases themselves to allow for storage of a disc case within the rack. In one type of these shelf racks, if it is accidentally jarred, the jewel boxes fall from the rack. 
     Furthermore, some compact discs in the field of computer research materials and software are sold in jewel box style cases. Such computer research material discs are usually packaged with supporting literature in boxes many times the size of the compact discs contained therein. Storage of computer discs in such boxes is impractical given the limited space usually present adjacent to a computer drive for reading compact discs. Storage of computer discs in a compact disc storage lower is also impractical, since the jewel boxes containing such discs often lack sufficient identifying language along their spine to readily ascertain their contents. While such computer discs could be stored in a floppy-disc type holder, such storage requires a user to flip through a series of titles before accessing the needed disc. 
     Accordingly, there is a need in the art for a storage rack which provides secure retention of compact disc cases with display of front covers for aiding selection of discs while the storage rack facilitates access and removal of selected cases of discs. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention meets a need in the art by providing a rack for storage and display of jewel box compact disc cases while facilitating selection and removal of cases from the rack. The storage rack includes a backboard to which horizontal and vertical bars are mounted to form a grid that bounds a plurality of cells. Each cell is sized to receive a jewel box compact disc case for display. A spring mounts to the backboard within each of the cells. The spring bears against a back cover of the case. The spring pushes a side edge of the case against an inner surface of a lip on the vertical bar, thereby securing the case within the cell. The jewel box cases are positioned at an acute angle with respect to the backboard. An outer surface of the opposing vertical bar defines an arcuate recess for receiving a thumb or forefinger of a user and thereby facilitating grasping and removing the case from the rack. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a fractional perspective view of a compact disc case storage and display rack that embodies the present invention in a preferred form. 
     FIG. 2 is a fractional perspective view of the compact disc rack of FIG. 1. 
     FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the compact disc rack of FIG. 2 with a compact disc case of the jewel box type being removed from the rack taken along line 3--3 of FIG. 2. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Referring now in more detail to the drawings, in which like numerals indicate like parts throughout the several views, FIG. 1 illustrates a fractional perspective view of a rack 10 for storing and displaying a plurality of compact disc cases 12, according to the present invention. The rack 10 includes a backboard 13 from which a plurality of spaced apart vertical bars 14 and horizontal bars 18 extend laterally. The term &#34;vertical&#34; refers to normal up and down spatial relations as viewed in a direction towards the rack 10 in FIG. 1. The term &#34;horizontal&#34; refers to left and right as viewed in FIG. 1. The vertical bars 14 extend between the top and the bottom of the rack 10. In the illustrated embodiment, the bars 14 and 18 are narrow elongate strips of a rigid material attached to the backboard 13 with glue, nails, or other fasteners. A pair of elongate members 17 defines a top and a bottom (not illustrated) for the rack 10. 
     The horizontal bars 18 are secured in spaced-apart relation between adjacent pairs of the vertical bars 14. The vertical bars 14 and the horizontal bars 18 cooperate to define a grid of a plurality of cells 20 in the rack 10. The spacing between the bars is sized so that each cell 20 accommodates a conventional jewel box style compact disc case 12. The individual cells preferably have a dimension of 5.25 inches in height by 5 inches in width by 1.5 inches in depth to accommodate a conventional jewel box type compact disc case as well as multiple-disc compact disc cases. The conventional single disc jewel box type computer disc case is approximately 4.875 inches in height by 5.5 inches in width by 0.375 inches in depth. While the height of each cell can exceed 5.25 inches, the width and depth of each cell should approximate the preferred measurements for sufficient visual display of compact disc case covers. It is appreciated that if the width of the cells 20 is significantly narrower, more compact disc cases are able to be stored in the rack but the view of the front covers is diminished. 
     FIG. 2 is a fractional perspective view of the rack 10 and FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the rack taken along lines 3--3 of FIG. 2, which illustrates features of the rack. Each of the vertical bars 14 has a distal end from which a lip 15 projects laterally over the cell 20. The lip 15 preferably includes a flared concave indentation 16 along the length of the vertical member 14, for a purpose discussed below. The lip 15, the vertical bar 14, and the backboard 13, cooperatively define a recess 21 in a side portion of the cells 20. It is preferred that the depth of the recess 21 be two-to-three times the width of the compact disc case to be held within the cell 20. A spring 22 mounts within each cell 20 to the backboard 13 by a fastener 25. In the illustrated embodiment, the spring 22 is an arcuate leaf spring mounted at a first end 26 by the fastener 25, such as a screw or rivet, and having a distal free end 27. As best illustrated in FIG. 3, the spring 22 is positioned in the cell such that the distal free end 27 is oriented towards the recess 21, whereby the spring 22 contacts the planar back wall of the compact disc case 12 inserted into the cell 20, as discussed below. Preferably, the spring 22 is a leaf spring, but in the alternative, it may be a coiled spring positioned on the backboard 13 so as to apply pressure on the disc case 12 positioned in the cell 20, as discussed below. 
     The storage rack 10 mounts to a wall by conventional fasteners (not shown). In the illustrated embodiment, mounting blocks 35 attach to the back of backboard 13. A pad 36 buffers the connection of the rack to the wall. A fastener (not illustrated) extends through the mounting blocks 35 to secure the rack to a wall. 
     The compact disc storage rack 10 may be made of a variety of materials, such as wood or plastic. The rack may be mounted to a wall via fasteners (not shown) or may be attached to a base (not shown) for standing on a horizontal surface such as a floor. The compact disc storage rack 10 may include a number of cells depending upon the overall size of the rack. It may be built into a piece of furniture, such as an entertainment center or computer desk. 
     With reference to FIGS. 1 and 3, the rack 10 is operated to store and display a plurality of compact disc cases 12, each held within one of the cells 20. The disc cases 12 slidingly insert laterally into the selected cells 20. This is accomplished by holding the disc case 12 along its spine edge 50 and angularly inserting the opposite edge 52 into the selected one of the cells 20. The back planar surface of the disc case 12 contacts the spring 22, and with light pressure, the disc case is then pushed laterally to position the edge 52 within the recess 21. The front face of the disc case 12 bears against an inner surface of the lip 15. The back spine portion 50 of the disc case 12 is disposed outwardly of the cell 20 and a portion of the back of the disc case 12 bears against a front edge of the lip 15. In this manner, the disc case 12 is positioned at a shallow acute angle relative to the backboard 13. The spring 22 bears against the disc case 12 and maintains the disc in the recess 21. The front cover portion of the disc case 12 is thereby visible in the rack 10. The remaining cells 20 are similarly filled with compact disc cases. 
     The rack 10 facilitates ready removal of a selected compact disc case 12 from the rack. Selection of the disc is readily accomplished by observing the covers of the disc cases 12 stored and displayed in the rack 10. A compact disc case 12 is selected for removal. The selected compact disc case is grasped adjacent the spine edge 50. The thumb or forefinger of the person using the rack 10 is conformingly received in the channel 16 with the forefinger or thumb positioned on the front cover of the disc case 12. The compact disc case 12 is then slidingly removed from engagement with the spring 22 and the lip 15 in order to release the disc case 12 from the cell 20. 
     The present specification accordingly discloses the storage rack that provides secure storage of compact disc cases in an ornamental fashion, while yet facilitating easy selection and removal of the disc case for use of the disc therein. While this invention has been described in detail with particular references to the preferred embodiments thereof, it should be understood that many modifications, additions and deletions may be made thereto without departure from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the following claims.