Patent Publication Number: US-2009223843-A1

Title: Disk Containing Box Structure

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to a disk containing box structure, and more particularly to a disk containing box structure for storing information recording media. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     As digital information technology advances rapidly, the demand for a capacity of storage media for storing huge data becomes increasingly higher. At present, common storage media include floppy and hard disks (such as floppy disks, optical disks, memory cards and flash disks, etc), and optical disks such as laser discs (LD) and read-only or recordable compact disks (in the formats of CD, VCD and DVD, etc) are used extensively, particularly the recordable optical disk (hereinafter referred to as “Optical disk”), and users can use an optical disk for storing a large quantity of data. As optical disks become increasingly popular, its demand is increased drastically. Most optical disks available in the market are sold in a package of a fixed quantity (such as 50 pieces or 100 pieces per pack), and the commonest structure of the package is a cylindrical packaging box. 
     A common cylindrical CD containing box as disclosed Referring to R.O.C. Pat. Publication No. 510,354 entitled “Improved optical disk container structure” includes a base and a hood, and the base is provided for carrying a plurality of optical disks stacked with each other, and the hood is provided for covering the base to protect the plurality of stacked optical disk, and the base has two to three hooking flanges protruded and extended upward from the top of the periphery of the base, and the ventral sides of all hooking flanges are arranged in the same direction (either clockwise or counter-clockwise), and each hooking flange has an embedding groove, and its top side serves as a retaining distal surface stacked on the bottom of the optical disk, and the middle of the retaining distal surface has a positioning through hole for inserting a positioning shaft positioning to connect the central holes of the plurality of optical disks, the hood is a hollow tubular body corresponding to a plurality of optical disks stacked in the axial direction, and a plurality of embedding flanges are extended horizontally outward and downward from the periphery of an opening at the bottom of the hood, and latched with the embedding groove of the flange coupled to the top of the periphery of the base by rotating in clockwise or counterclockwise direction to protect, store and position the plurality of stacked optical disks. 
     Since the aforementioned conventional cylindrical packaging box has the function of stacking a plurality of optical disks only, but has no other use, the access or placing of the disk can be done in a single direction, although the cylindrical packaging box can hold a large quantity of optical disk. In other words, a user has to remove the optical disk at the top of the stack before taking out the optical disk down below. After taking out the desired optical disk, the user has to put all optical disks back into the packaging box. Obviously, such application is very inconvenient, and thus users usually discard the cylindrical packaging box after they purchase the plurality of optical disks with such package, and purchase another rack for storing the optical disks. The conventional cylindrical packaging box has the disadvantages of lacking of reusability, wasting natural resources for processing the discarded packaging boxes, incurring an extra cost for purchasing another optical disk storage box or rack, and causing troubles to users. 
     On the other hand, the optical disk racks available in the market are empty rack used for storing burned optical disks, but they are not designed or used as a containing box of optical disks that are packed for shipments, due to its high cost. Therefore, the selling price of the optical disks will become higher. Furthermore, the conventional cylindrical packaging box comes with a body in the shape of a barrel for saving storage spaces when many boxes are stacked on top of one another. As a result, the boxes may fall when they are stacked too high, and thus the boxes are placed transversally next to each other and occupy much space. 
     From the description above, the major drawback of the conventional cylindrical packaging box resides on its lack of reusability, and the packaging boxes of this short requires improvements to overcome the following issues: 
     1. The cylindrical packaging box stores optical disks by stacking them, and thus users cannot pick and select a disk down below unless they remove the one on the top first. Such packaging box is lack of convenience for accessing optical disks, and its application is very inconvenient. 
     2. Since the cylindrical packaging box is lack of reusability and cannot be used for other purposes, and it is not convenient for storing a plurality of cylindrical package boxes, the packaging boxes are usually discarded and cause a waste of natural resources. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In view of the foregoing shortcomings of the prior art, the primary objective of the present invention is to provide a containing box structure that facilitates storing or picking an optical disk, and the containing box structure is convenient to carry and easy to stack and store. 
     The invention provides a disk containing box structure provided for containing optical disks, and the containing box structure comprises a container body and a cover, wherein both sides of the container body have sidewalls and a containing space disposed transversally at the internal periphery of the container body, and a side of an opening of the containing space has a first axle portion, and the cover has a second axle portion corresponding to the first axle portion, such that the cover can be lift open or covered onto the container body by combining the first axle portion and the second axle portion. The surface at the bottom of the container body has at least one lower support body for securely erecting the container body, and the lower support body has a first embedding portion, and the cover has an upper support body, and the upper support body has a second embedding portion matched with the first embedding portion, such that the second embedding portion of the upper support body and the first embedding portion of the adjacent disk containing box structure are coupled and stacked securely to define a structure for securely stacking a plurality of disk containing box structures that store optical disks, and the disk containing box structure has an easy-to-open feature for selecting or accessing an optical disk. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is an exploded view of a disk containing box structure in accordance with the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view of a disk containing box structure in accordance with the present invention; 
         FIG. 3  is another perspective view of a disk containing box structure in accordance with the present invention; 
         FIG. 4  is sectional view of a disk containing box structure perspective view of a disk containing box structure in accordance with the present invention; and 
         FIG. 5  is a schematic view of stacking the disk containing box structures in accordance with the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     The technical contents of the present invention will now be described in more detail hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings that show various embodiments of the invention. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1 to 3 ,  FIG. 1  is an exploded view of a disk containing box structure  1 , and  FIGS. 2 and 3  are perspective views of the disk containing box structure  1  viewing from different angles. The disk containing box structure  1  comprises a container body  2  and a cover  3 , and both sides of the container body  2  have sidewalls and its internal periphery forms a transversally disposed containing space  20 , and the internal periphery of the containing space  20  is substantially in an arc shape for containing a plurality of optical disks, and a side of an opening of the containing space  20  has a first axle portion  21 , and a first latch portion  24  disposed on another side corresponding to the first axle portion  21 , and a surface at the bottom of the container body  2  has at least one lower support body  23  for securely erecting the container body  2 , and the container body  2  has at least one rib  22  for reinforcing its structure, and the rib  22  is installed in the containing space  20  for partitioning the containing space  20 , and facilitating and supporting the optical disks to be erected in the containing space  20 . The cover  3  has a second axle portion  31  corresponding to the first axle portion  21  (as shown in  FIG. 3 ), and the container body  2  and the cover  3  are combined by the first axle portion  21  and the second axle portion  31 , such that the first axle portion  21  and the second axle portion  31  are rotated correspondingly to lift or cover the cover  3  onto the container body  2 . The cover  3  has a second latch portion  34  corresponding to the first latch portion  24 , such that when the second latch portion  34  are latched with the first latch portion  24  to cover the cover  3  to fix with the container body  2 , the cover  3  can be locked with the container body  2  to seal the containing space  20 . Further, the lower support body  23  of the container body  2  has a first embedding portion  231 , and the cover  3  has at least one upper support body  33  disposed at a position corresponding to the lower support body  23 , and the upper support body  33  has a second embedding portion  331  matched with the first embedding portion  231 , and the lower support body  23  of another disk containing box structure  1  can be stacked onto the upper support body  33 , so that the two disk containing box structures  1  can be stacked for storage. The second embedding portion  331  of the upper support body  33  is connected to the first embedding portion  231  of the adjacent disk containing box structure  1  for a secured stacking. To facilitate the carrying, the cover  3  has a handle  32 , wherein the handle  32  can be a flexible long-strip component, and both ends of the handle  32  have a hook portion  321  connected to the upper support body  33  of the cover  3 , and the upper support body  33  has a through hole  332  and reserves a space for embedding the hook portion  321  of the handle  32 , and the hook portion  321  is limited in the upper support body  33 , such that users can hold the handle  32  to lift the disk containing box structure  1 . In  FIGS. 3 and 4 , the handle  32  is passed into the upper support body  33  and both ends of the handle  32  are fixed into the upper support body  33 , and the first embedding portion  231  of the lower support body  23  can be a groove, and the second embedding portion  331  of the upper support body  33  of the cover  3  is composed of one or more protruded members engaged with the groove for stacking a plurality of disk containing box structures  1  and preventing them from sliding (as shown in  FIG. 5 ) . 
     With the foregoing structure, users can place optical disks neatly into the containing space  20 , and the optical disks are erected in the containing space  20  by a support of the rib  22 , so that users can lift open or close the cover  3  easily, and latch the first latch portion  24  with the second latch portion  34  to seal the containing space  20  for the storage of the optical disks. Further, the handle  32  allows user to carry the disk containing box structure  1  easily, and the upper and lower support bodies  33 ,  23  of the disk containing box structure  1  can be stacked for an easily storage of the optical disk containing boxes. 
     In summation of the above description, the present invention herein enhances the performance over the conventional structure and further complies with the patent application requirements and is duly filed for patent application. 
     While the invention has been described by means of specific embodiments, numerous modifications and variations could be made thereto by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention set forth in the claims.