Patent Publication Number: US-2010126890-A1

Title: Storage container for multiple data storage media

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     The present application claims the benefit of and priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/105,409 filed Oct. 14, 2008 entitled STORAGE CONTAINER FOR MULTIPLE DATA STORAGE MEDIA, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference herein. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     1. Field of the Disclosure 
     The present disclosure relates to an improved container for storing multiple data storage media. In particular, the present application relates to a container that is adapted to securely house a plurality of trays on which media such as audio books may be stored. The container is preferably adaptable such that the number of trays stored therein can be varied. 
     2. Related Art 
     It is becoming increasing popular for people to view or listen to their entertainment content on prerecorded video or audio data storage media, such as optical discs. Indeed, it is common for people to purchase a whole series of programs or movies together, or to purchase multiple data storage media with related content, for example, audio books. Such audio books are becoming increasingly popular. As a result, there is a need for storage containers that allow for the storage of a large number of data storage media. 
     While there are many such containers available on the market, these containers all have limited storage capacity. That is, they are manufactured with a finite capacity and expansion of this capacity is difficult, if not impossible. There is no container that provides a modular design that allows for easy expansion. Thus, a user must know in advance how much storage capacity they need and then order the container to that standard. This is inconvenient. 
     Accordingly, it would be beneficial to provide a storage container for data storage media that avoids these problems. 
     SUMMARY 
     It is an object of the present application to provide a container that distinguishes media such as audio-books from other forms of media and addresses the need for quick and easy access and storage for multiple discs. 
     It is also an object of the present application to provide a modular container that allows for easy expansion. 
     A container for storing data storage media in accordance with an embodiment of the present application includes a front cover, a rear cover and a plurality of removable trays operable to support data storage media, each removable tray being rotatably connected to at least one other removable tray and the plurality of removable trays being rotatably connected to at least one of the front cover and the rear cover such that the data storage media stored on the plurality of removable trays is accessible based on rotation of at least one removable tray. 
     A tray for storing data recording media in accordance with an embodiment of the present application includes a first receptacle positioned on a first side of the tray and operable to receive data storage media, a rib extending inward from an inner edge of the tray, an elongated protrusion extending substantially parallel to the inner edge of the tray and a slot formed on the inner portion of the tray and structured to accommodate an adjacent elongated protrusion of an adjacent tray such that the tray and the adjacent tray are rotatable relative to each other. 
     A container for storing data storage media in accordance with an embodiment of the present application includes a front cover, a rear cover, a spine operable to rotatably connect the front cover and the rear cover such that the front cover and rear cover are operable to rotate between an open position and a closed position and a plurality of removable trays operable to support data storage media, the plurality of removable trays positioned in an interior of the container within the front cover, rear cover and spine when the front cover and rear cover are in the closed position. Each tray of the plurality of trays further includes a first receptacle positioned on a first side of the tray and operable to receive data storage media, an elongated protrusion extending substantially parallel to the inner edge of the removable tray and a slot formed on the inner portion of the removable tray and structured to accommodate an adjacent elongated protrusion of an adjacent removable tray such that the removable tray and the adjacent removable tray are rotatable relative to each other. 
     A container for storing data storage media in accordance with an embodiment of the present application includes a front cover, a rear cover, a spine operable to rotatably connect the front cover and the rear cover such that the front cover and rear cover are operable to rotate between an open position and a closed position and a cartridge operable to support data storage media, wherein the cartridge is rotatably mounted within the container. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is an illustration of a storage container in accordance with an embodiment of the present application; 
         FIG. 2  is a more detailed view of a portion of the container of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is a more detailed side view of the container of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 4  is an illustration of the container of  FIG. 1  in a closed condition; 
         FIG. 5  is a more detailed view of the container in  FIG. 4 ; 
         FIG. 6  is an illustration of the container of  FIG. 1  in an open condition illustrating rotation of one of the trays provided therein; 
         FIG. 7  is a more detailed view of a portion of the container in  FIG. 6   
         FIG. 8  is a detailed view of the container in  FIG. 7  where the tray has been rotated 180 degrees; 
         FIG. 9  is a detailed view of the container in  FIG. 8  where a second tray is being rotated in the container; 
         FIG. 10  is a detailed view of an outer side of a tray of the container of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 11  is a cross section of  FIG. 10 ; 
         FIG. 12  is a cross section view illustrating how the trays in the container lock together; 
         FIG. 13  is a perspective view of a single tray of the container of the present application; 
         FIG. 14  is a perspective view of a front cover of the container of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 14A  is a perspective view of a front cover of the container of  FIG. 1  in accordance with another embodiment of the present application; 
         FIG. 15  is a perspective view of the rear cover of the container of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 16  is an illustration of a container in accordance with an embodiment of the present application in which the front and rear covers are made of cardboard; 
         FIG. 17  is an illustration of a container in accordance with an embodiment of the present application in which the front and rear covers are covered with cardboard; 
         FIG. 18  is an illustration of an outer surface of a rear cover of a container in accordance with an embodiment of the present application; and 
         FIG. 19  is an illustration of a cardboard cover that may be attached to the rear cover illustrated in  FIG. 18 ; 
         FIG. 20  is an illustration of an alternative embodiment of a tray in accordance with an embodiment of the present application; 
         FIG. 20A  is an illustration of a portion of an opposite side of the tray of  FIG. 20 ; 
         FIG. 21  is an illustration of two trays similar to that illustrated in  FIG. 20  rotatably joined together; 
         FIG. 22  is an illustration of three trays similar to that illustrated in  FIG. 20  rotatably joined together; 
         FIG. 23  is an illustration of two trays similar to that illustrated in  FIG. 20  rotated with respect to each other; 
         FIG. 24  is an illustrated of two trays similar to those illustrated in  FIG. 20  positioned between a front and rear cover; 
         FIG. 24A  illustrates a more detailed view of two trays snapped together between the front and rear cover; 
         FIG. 24B  illustrates two trays snapped together with the front an drear cover; 
         FIG. 24C  illustrates another detailed view of two trays snapped together between the front and rear cover; 
         FIG. 25  is an illustration of a tray in accordance with an embodiment of the present application rotatably connected to a cover; 
         FIG. 26  is an illustration of a conventional container including a tray in accordance with an embodiment of the present application; 
         FIG. 27  is a more detailed illustration of a connection between the tray and a cover of the conventional container in  FIG. 26 ; 
         FIG. 28  is an illustration of a conventional container including multiple trays in accordance with an embodiment of the present application; 
         FIG. 29  is an illustration of a conventional container including a cartridge in accordance with an embodiment of the present application; 
         FIG. 30  is a more detailed illustration of a bracket for rotatably mounting the cartridge in the container of  FIG. 29 ; 
         FIG. 31  illustrates the cartridge of  FIG. 30  positioned in the container with the bracket removed; 
         FIG. 32  illustrates an alternative embodiment of the cartridge of  FIG. 30 ; and 
         FIG. 33  illustrated another view of the cartridge of  FIG. 32 . 
     
    
    
     Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of the invention, which refers to the accompanying drawings. 
     DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS 
     A container  10  in accordance with an embodiment of the present application is illustrated generally in  FIG. 1 . Preferably, the container  10  is used as a package for audio books, although it should be realized by those skilled in the art that the container  10  could be used for any type of media. 
     Preferably, the container  10  has a structure that is somewhat similar to that of a book. The container  10  preferably includes a cover  12  and a plurality of trays  14  that are stored in the container and include at least one receptacle  16  for holding data storage media, for example, an optical disc. In a preferred embodiment, each tray  14  includes one receptacle  16  on each side thereof. As can be seen in the more detailed view provided in  FIG. 2 , the container  10  also includes a rear cover  18  as well, with a plurality of trays  14  positioned between the cover  12  and the rear cover  18  like the pages of a book. In one embodiment, the trays  14  and the covers  12 ,  18  are made of a plastic material. 
     The trays  14  are preferably stackable one on top of the other as illustrated in  FIG. 3 , for example. Each tray  14  preferably includes a tray spine  15  that is used to connect it to one of the covers  12 ,  18  or to one of the other trays  14 . The tray spine  15  preferably includes a curved tab  15   a  extending from an inner end thereof that is used to connect the tray to the cover  12 , or to another tray. The tab  15   a  is connected to a rib portion  15   b  of the tray spine  15 . The rib portion  15   b  is in turn connected to the rest of the tray  14 . The connection between the tab  15   a  and the rib  15   b  and between the rib  15   b  and the rest of the tray  14  is made via so-called living hinges A, B such that rotation is possible between the tab and the rib and the rib and the rest of the tray. That is, the two living hinges A, B provide two points of articulation in the tray spine  15 . Living hinges are generally thin flexible hinges made from plastic that join two more rigid plastic parts together, allowing them to bend along the line of the hinge. 
     The top tray is preferably connected to the cover  12  via the tray spine  15 . Specifically, as can be seen in  FIG. 3 , the tab  15   a  extends into an opening formed in the cover  12 . The shape of the tab  15   a  is preferably provided such that it snaps into place in an opening in the cover  12 . In this manner, the user can be sure that connection has taken place. 
       FIG. 4  shows the container  10  in a closed position, where a user is generally denied access to the trays.  FIG. 5  illustrates a more detailed view of the container  10  in the closed position. Specifically,  FIG. 5  illustrates the interaction between the trays  14  and their associated tabs  15   a  and ribs  15   b  with each other and with the covers  12  and  18  in the closed position. 
     When the container  10  is opened, the trays  14  may be individually accessed as is illustrated in  FIG. 6 , for example, where the cover  12  and the top tray  14  are separated from the other trays so that a user can access both sides of the top tray. The tray that is exposed in  FIG. 6  may be exposed to a user even without the need to separate the covers from the top or bottom trays. That is, each tray may be individually accessed.  FIG. 7  illustrates a more detailed view of the container of  FIG. 6 . As can be seen in  FIG. 7 , the tabs  15   a  extend from an inner side of the tray spine  15 . Generally, the tabs  15   a  extend upward in a substantially vertical direction when the container is in a closed position. According to an alternate embodiment, the orientation of the tabs  15   a  and rib  15   b  may be reversed. The tabs  15   a  have a curved shape such that they can be used to connect the trays  14  to each other and to the cover  12  and snap into place. As is noted above, each tray  14  includes a rib  15   b  that extends rearward from the inner edge of the tray when the tray is in the closed position. This rib  15   b  includes at least one opening that accommodates a distal end of the tab  15   a  of the tray spine  15  that is positioned under it to allow for pivotal attachment of the trays together. The tabs  15   a  snap into the openings in the rib  15   b  such that the user knows that a connection is made. 
     As is noted above, the rib  15   b  is connected to the body of the tray via living hinge B which allows the body of the tray to rotate relative to the rib. Further, as is noted above, the tab  15   a  is also connected to the rib  15   a  via a living hinge A, which allows the tab  15   a  to rotate or pivot relative to the rib  15   b  and the body of the tray. The two points of articulation provided by the hinges A, B in the tray spine  15  allow for smooth rotation of the trays  14  and covers  12 ,  18  relative to each other, and thus, allow easy access for a user to the interior of the container  10 . 
     In addition, each tray includes a wall  14   d  that extends out from the top and bottom surface of each tray around the outer periphery thereof. This wall  14   d  forms a part of the outer wall of the container  10  when the container is in the closed position. A distal end of the tab  15   a  of the top tray is received in an opening of the cover  12  as well. The proximal end of each tab  15   a  includes the living hinge A mentioned above that allows the tab to rotate relative to the rest of the tray  14 . As can be seen in  FIG. 8 , the tab  15   a  and the living hinges A, B used to connect it to the body of the tray  14  allow the tray to rotate approximately 180 degrees, if desired, to expose additional trays. Since the two living hinges A, B of the tray spine  15  allow for rotation or pivoting at two points, the trays smoothly rotate to allow access to the media stored therein. As can be seen in  FIG. 9 , once the top tray has been rotated 180 degrees, the other trays may also be rotated as well since they all include similar tray spines  15 .  FIG. 9  also illustrates how pivoting or rotation occurs between the rib  15   b  and the body of the tray at the hinge B in the top tray, for example. 
       FIG. 10  illustrates a detailed view of the outer side of a tray  14 . In a preferred embodiment, a post  20  extends upward from a top surface of the tray  14 . A space is provided under the post  20  that accommodates the lip  20   a  of the post  20  that is positioned on the tray below the space.  FIG. 11  illustrates a cross sectional view of the container illustrated in  FIG. 10 . In this view, it is clear how the post  20  of one tray extends up and through the opening formed under the post  20  of the tray that is above it. The posts  20  help to hold the container  10  closed when the container  10  is in the closed position. That is, when the trays  14  are stacked together, the post  20  of one tray  14  extends upward into the opening of the tray  14  above it. The small laterally extending lip  20   a  is provided at the distal end of the post  20  and serves to secure one tray  14  to the tray  14  above it. The posts  20  are somewhat flexible such that the lip  20   a  will release the tray  14  above it when sufficient force is exerted by a user to allow the trays to be separated. 
     In an alternative embodiment, the posts  20  may extend downward from the bottom surface of the tray and engage openings in the top surface of the tray below them, if desired. 
     The cross sectional view of  FIG. 12  illustrates the interaction between the tabs  15   a  and the openings formed in the ribs  15   b  of each tray spine  15  that allows the trays to be securely snap connected to each other while still allowing them to rotate relative to each other. 
       FIG. 13  illustrates a single tray  14 . As can be seen in  FIG. 13 , in a preferred embodiment, each tray  14  includes two posts  20  that extend upward from the top surface of the tray. In addition, each tray  14  preferably includes three tabs  15   a , as well, to allow for connection at a top, middle and bottom of the trays  14 . Similarly, three openings  15   c  are provided in the rib  15   b  to accommodate tabs from other trays  14 . Further, each of the trays  14  preferably includes a receptacle  16  positioned on each surface of the tray  14  to accommodate data storage media, such as, optical discs, for example. While the container  10  of the present application has been described as storing optical discs, the trays may include receptacles for any desired data storage medium. 
       FIG. 14  illustrates an outer surface of the front cover  12 . The outer side of the cover  12  includes openings  12   a  to secure print media, for example, cardboard to the cover  12 , as well as openings  12   b  to accommodate the tabs  15   a  of the top tray  14  positioned behind the cover  12 . The outer side may include openings  12   c  for the posts  20  of the top tray  14 . 
       FIG. 14A  illustrates an alternative embodiment of the cover  12 . Specifically,  FIG. 14A  illustrates the outer surface of the cover  12 . In a preferred embodiment, three openings  12   b  are formed in the front cover to accommodate the tabs  15   a  of the tray spine  15  of the top tray  14  which is positioned under the cover  12  when the container  10  is in the closed position. In addition, the cover  12  may include clips  12   e  that are formed on the inner surface thereof and are typically used to hold a booklet or other literature that is commonly provided with pre recorded media. 
       FIG. 15  illustrates the inner surface of the rear cover  18 . The rear cover  18  includes tabs  18   a , which are similar to the tabs  15   a , described above and are used to connect the cover  18  to the tray  14  above it. Further, the posts  18   b  formed on the other side of the cover  18  extend upward in a manner similar to the posts  20  to keep the container closed. 
     Each of the trays  14  also includes a tab  14   e , as illustrated in  FIGS. 10 and 13 , for example, that extends out from the outer edge thereof to aid used in grasping a particular tray and to manipulate it as desired. 
     In another embodiment, the cover  12 , and/or the rear cover  18  may be made of a cardboard material C, as is illustrated in  FIG. 16 . The cardboard material allows for the easy addition of writing, graphics or other information, if desired. In this case, the cover C is preferably not connected to the trays  14  via the tray spines  15 . Instead, the cover C is preferably glued, or otherwise adhered to the top or bottom tray  14 , respectively. In this case, a receptacle  16  is preferably not provided on the surface to which the cover is glued. The cardboard cover C preferably includes a first crease positioned at the inner edge of the tray  14  to which it is attached and a second crease positioned a sufficient distance from the first crease to allow the respective cover to wrap around the tray spines  15  of all of the trays  14  when in the container  10  is in the closed position and to cover the top tray. That is, a single piece of cardboard C may be used to form both covers  12  and  18 .  FIG. 16  illustrates a container  10  that utilizes a single piece of cardboard C to form the covers  12  and  18 . One crease is indicated by reference numeral  100  while the second crease is indicated by reference numeral  102 . The cardboard cover C between crease  100  and crease  102  may contain further creases to enable a rounding about the tray spines  15 . 
     Alternatively, a separate front and rear cardboard cover, or insert, may simply be glued to the outer surface of the top and bottom trays  14 , respectively. One or more of these covers may be extended to cover the tray spines  15  of all of the trays  14  when the container is in the closed position, if desired. In another embodiment, illustrated in  FIG. 17 , a cardboard cover C may be wrapped around the container  10  and cover the plastic covers  12 ,  18 . In a preferred embodiment, the cardboard C is only affixed to the rear cover such that the portion that covers the cover  12  can be peeled back therefrom and writing or other information, such as graphics may be printed on both an outer and inner surface of the cardboard, if desired. Reference numeral  100  refers to one crease while reference numeral  102  refers to the second crease. 
       FIG. 18  illustrates the outer surface of the rear cover  18  of a container  10  in accordance with another embodiment of the present application. As can be seen in  FIG. 18 , the cover  18  may include guide rails  18   e  that extend out over a portion of the external surface of the cover. If it is desired to cover the cover  18  with cardboard, as mentioned above, for example, the edges of the cardboard may be held in place on the cover  18  under the guide rails  18   e .  FIG. 19  illustrates an exemplary embodiment of a cardboard cover C that may be provided on the cover  18  of  FIG. 18 . The cardboard C includes a pair of notches C 1 , C 2  on a top and bottom edge thereof that cooperate with the guide rails  18   e  of the cover  18  to keep the cardboard cover C in place and attached to the cover  18 . The cover C includes the creases  100 ,  102  that allow the cardboard C to wrap around the tray spines  15  of all of the trays  14  in the container  10  in the manner described above. In this embodiment, it is not necessary to glue the cardboard to the cover  18 , however, this may be done if desired. 
     In the container  10 , since each of the trays  14  are rotatable relative to each other, and rotatable relative to the covers  12 ,  18  as well. Each tray  14  in the container  10  is accessible directly to the user. That is, any individual tray can be accessed even while the covers  12 ,  18  remain in place to cover the top and bottom trays  14  respectively. 
       FIG. 20  illustrates an alternative embodiment of a tray  114  for use in the container  10 . The tray  114  includes at least one receptacle  116  suitable for holding data storage media, such as an optical disc, for example. In a preferred embodiment, one receptacle  116  is provided on each side of the tray  114 . The inner edge of the tray  114  includes a spine portion  115  with at least one elongated protrusion  115   a  extending therefrom to allow the tray to be connected to others. The elongated protrusion  115   a  preferably extends in a direction substantially parallel to the inner edge of the tray  114 . The protrusion  115   a  is preferably connected to the rest of the tray  114  via a rib  115   b . In a preferred embodiment, the protrusion  115   a  is connected to the rest of the tray via a living hinge H allowing the elongated protrusion to rotate relative to the rest of the tray. Further, each tray  114  includes a slot  115   c  structured to accommodate an elongated protrusion  115   a  of an adjacent tray  114 .  FIG. 20A  illustrates a view of a portion of the tray  114  in  FIG. 20  from the other side of the tray. As can be seen in  FIGS. 20-20A , for example, the protrusion  115   a  preferably includes a notch  15   n  formed near a distal end thereof. This notch  15   n  cooperates with the slot  15   c  of an adjacent tray  114  to lock the protrusion into the slot. 
     While the slot  115   c  is illustrated as being formed in the rib  115   b , it may be positioned virtually anywhere on the inner portion of the tray  114 , including the inner edge of the tray. In the present application, the inner portion of the tray refers to the portion of the tray  114  closer to the area around the inner side edge of the tray and includes the inner side edge. In this case, it may not be necessary to include a separate rib at all, provided that the elongated protrusion is connected to the tray via a hinge at least similar to hinge H to allow the protrusion to rotate relative to the tray. 
       FIG. 21  illustrates how two trays  114  may be joined together. In a preferred embodiment, the elongated protrusions  115   a  of one tray  114  are received in the slots  115   c  of an adjacent tray  114 . As illustrated, each tray  114  includes three elongated protrusions  115   a  and three slots  115   c , however, any number of protrusions and slots may be utilized. Further, the protrusions  115   a  and slots  115   c  are preferably structured such that the protrusions  115   a  rotate within the slots  115   c  to aid in rotation of the trays  114  relative to each other. That is, the protrusion  115   a  in the slot  115   c  acts as a conventional hinge such that the trays  114  provide for double articulation at the hinge H and slot  115   c .  FIG. 21  shows the top tray  114  rotated with respect to the lower tray  114 .  FIG. 22  illustrates three trays  114  rotatably connected to each other, with each of the trays being rotated relative to the others. 
     Each tray  114  preferably includes a post  120  (See  FIG. 23 , for example) extending upward an upper surface of the outer portion of the tray. As can be seen in  FIG. 23 , for example, the post  120  is preferably formed by a recess  120   a  formed on a rear surface of the tray opposite the post. In a preferred embodiment, the post  120  of the lower tray  114  is accommodated in the recess  120   a  of the upper tray  114  to align the trays together. The post  120  is preferably sized to fit in the recess  120   a  of an adjacent tray such that the trays  114  are aligned with each other. That is, the post  120  assures proper alignment between the trays  114 . 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 24 , when the container  10  utilizes the trays  114 , the trays are preferably connected the front cover  12  via at least one cover elongated protrusion  12   a  which is received in a slot  115   c  of the top tray  114 . In this manner, the front cover  12  is rotatable relative to the trays  114 . The rear cover  18  preferably includes a cover slot  18   c  (See  FIG. 24 ) structured to accommodate an elongated protrusion  115   a  of a bottom tray  114  such that the bottom cover  18  is rotatable relative to the trays  114 . 
     As illustrated in  FIGS. 24A ,  24 B,  24 C, each tray  114  also preferably includes a first snap element  130 , preferably formed on the outer edge of the top surface of the tray that accommodates a second snap element  130   a  formed on an outer edge of the bottom surface of an adjacent tray  114 . The first and second snap elements  130 ,  130   a  cooperate to hold the trays  114  together. The first snap element  130  is preferably formed as a tapered slot formed at the outer edge of the tray. The second snap element  130   a  is formed as a protrusion extending down from a bottom of the tray  114  at the outer edge thereof and shaped to fit into the tapered slot. The protrusion includes a bulbous tip that snaps into the slot. The rear cover  18  preferably also includes a cover tapered slot  18   s  that cooperates with the second snap element  130   a  of the bottom tray  114  to snap the bottom tray to the rear cover. The front cover  112  preferably includes a cover protrusion  12   p  that extends downward to cooperate with the first snap element  130  of the top tray  114  to snap the front cover to the top tray.  FIG. 24B  shows the two covers  12 ,  18  and all of the trays  114  snapped together.  FIG. 24C  shows a more detailed view of the cover protrusion  12   p  of the front cover, adjacent to a clip C that may be used to hold literature, for example. 
     In addition, as can be seen in  FIG. 25 , for example, the front cover  12  may include a recess  12   e , similar to the recess  120   a  formed in the trays  114  to accommodate the post  120  of the top most tray  114 . The rear cover  18  preferably includes a post  120  similar to that of the trays  114  which is received in the recess  120   a  formed in the bottom most tray to allow for alignment of the trays  114  relative to the covers  12 ,  18 .  FIG. 25  specifically illustrates a slightly modified embodiment of the trays  114  in which the posts  120  are positioned in the inner portion of the tray  114 . This allows the trays  114  to be brought into proper alignment with each other and with the covers somewhat faster than when the post is positioned on the outer portion of the tray. In addition, if desired, the relative position of the post  120  and the recess  120   a  may be reversed such that posts extend downward from trays  114  and into recesses  120   a  formed in trays below them, if desired. 
     The trays  114  may also be used in conjunction with more conventional containers as well.  FIG. 26  illustrates a tray  114  in accordance with an embodiment of the present application that is included in a more conventional container  200 . The container  200  preferably includes a front cover  212 , a rear cover  218  and a spine  220  rotatably connecting the covers. The covers  212 ,  218  are rotatable between the illustrated open position of  FIG. 26  where access to an interior of the container  200  is provided to a user, and a closed position (not shown) in which the front cover  212 , rear cover  218  and spine  220  enclose the interior of the container  200 . As illustrated, a tray  114  as described above may be mounted in the container  200 . 
     More specifically, as illustrated in  FIG. 27 , a cover slot  218   c  is formed on the inner surface of the rear cover  218  and accommodates an elongated protrusion  115   a  of the tray  114 . Thus, the tray  114  is rotatably mounted in the conventional case  200 . As illustrated in  FIG. 26 , when the tray  114  is provided in a conventional container, such as container  200 , the tray  114  is preferably only connected to one of the covers, in this case, the rear cover  218 . Alternatively, the slot to connect the tray  114  to the container  200  may be provided on the front cover  212 , or on the spine  220 , if desired. 
     In  FIG. 28 , multiple trays  114  are mounted in conventional container  200 . In this case, the interior of the container  200  must be sufficiently large to accommodate multiple trays  114 . As illustrated, only the bottom tray  114  is rotatably connected to the rear cover  218 . The other trays  114  are then simply rotatably connected to each other, as described above, to allow access to the data storage media on each of the respective trays. As noted above, the trays  114  may be rotatably connected to the front cover  212  or spine  220 , if desired. 
     In another embodiment of the present application, a cartridge  300  including multiple sleeves  301  for accommodating optical media, such as CDs, for example, may be provided in conventional container  200 , as shown in  FIG. 29 . The cartridge  300  is preferably rotatably mounted to at least one of the covers  212 ,  218  using a cartridge elongated protrusion  315   a  that is accommodated in cover slot  218   c , for example. Alternatively, the cartridge  300  may be rotatably mounted in the spine  220 , if desired.  FIG. 30  illustrates a more detailed view of the cartridge  300  in which the multiple sleeves  301  are held in place via a bracket  340 . The bracket  340  is also used to rotatably mount the cartridge  300  in the container  200 . The bracket may be connected to either cover  212 ,  218  or the spine  220  of the container  200 . 
     The bracket  340  preferably includes a lower piece  341  including the cartridge elongated protrusion  315   a . The cartridge elongate protrusion  315   a  preferably also includes a notch  315   n  that is used to lock it into the cover slot  218   c , for example. The lower piece  341  preferably snaps into a cover piece  342  such that the sleeves  301  are held in place. As illustrated in  FIG. 31 , each sleeve  301  includes a plurality of openings  301   a  through which the pegs  342   a  (See  FIG. 30 , for example) extending from an inner surface of the cover piece  342  pass to hold the sleeves  301  in the bracket  340 . The pegs  342   a  snap into the openings  341   a  formed in the lower piece  341 . The sleeves  301  are flexible such that they can be separated and rotated in the cartridge  300  to access individual optical discs, for example. 
     In an alternative embodiment illustrated in  FIGS. 32-33 , the cartridge  300  may itself be rotatably connected to another cartridge  300   a . In this case, the bracket  340  preferably includes bracket slots  340   c  structured to accommodate the cartridge elongated protrusion  315   a  of the adjacent cartridge  300   a . The protrusion  315   a  is accommodated in the slot  340   c  such that the cartridge  300   a  is rotatable relative to the cartridge  300  and both are rotatable relative to the container  200 .  FIG. 32  illustrates a cartridge  300  connected to a spine of a container with the adjacent cartridge  300   a  rotatable connected thereto.  FIG. 33  illustrated the cartridge  300  rotatable connected to the adjacent cartridge  300   a.    
     Thus, the trays  114  of the present application can be easily used even with existing media containers to provide additional flexibility. In addition, the cartridge  300  described above can also be implemented in existing media containers to allow for increased flexibility as well. 
     The container  10  of the present application allows a user even more flexibility since each of the trays  14 ,  114  can be separately attached to the covers  12 ,  18  and to each other, the user can add or subtract trays in whatever way they desire. Thus, the container  10  can be adapted to accommodate any desirable number of trays, and thus, any desired number of data storage media. This modular design allows the user to continue to add as many trays as they wish. Further, the user of two living hinges to attach the trays together allows for smooth rotation of the trays in the container, and thus, allows the user to quickly and easily locate and remove individual data storage media wherever they are located in the container. Thus, the container  10  of the present application provides for a low cost, modular, storage system for data storage media with a minimum footprint. Users can easily store and access the data storage media and keep related subject matter, such as media used to store audio book content together in one container. 
     Although the present invention has been described in relation to particular embodiments thereof, many other variations and modifications and other uses will become apparent to those skilled in the art.