Source: http://www.google.com/patents/US5794772?dq=7,249,099
Timestamp: 2015-03-30 05:18:16
Document Index: 218457785

Matched Legal Cases: ['art 100', 'art 110', 'art 100', 'art 100', 'art 100', 'art 100', 'art 100', 'art 100']

Patent US5794772 - Container for recordable digital optical discs with window and scale for ... - Google PatentsSearch Images Maps Play YouTube News Gmail Drive More »Sign inAdvanced Patent SearchPatentsA container for a recordable compact disc. The container includes a window area with adjacent scales. A boundary between a recorded area and an unrecorded area on the compact disc is visible through the window area. The adjacent scales indicate recorded time, remaining time, recorded data in megabytes...http://www.google.com/patents/US5794772?utm_source=gb-gplus-sharePatent US5794772 - Container for recordable digital optical discs with window and scale for determining available spaceAdvanced Patent SearchPublication numberUS5794772 APublication typeGrantApplication numberUS 08/791,234Publication dateAug 18, 1998Filing dateJan 30, 1997Priority dateJan 30, 1997Fee statusPaidPublication number08791234, 791234, US 5794772 A, US 5794772A, US-A-5794772, US5794772 A, US5794772AInventorsBruce A. Makinen, Luke WaalerOriginal AssigneeHewlett-Packard CompanyExport CitationBiBTeX, EndNote, RefManPatent Citations (8), Referenced by (5), Classifications (12), Legal Events (7) External Links: USPTO, USPTO Assignment, EspacenetContainer for recordable digital optical discs with window and scale for determining available space
US 5794772 AAbstract
A container for a recordable compact disc. The container includes a window area with adjacent scales. A boundary between a recorded area and an unrecorded area on the compact disc is visible through the window area. The adjacent scales indicate recorded time, remaining time, recorded data in megabytes or remaining capacity in megabytes.
1. A container for a data disc, the data disc having at least one surface that is recordable, the surface that is recordable having a visible boundary between a recorded area and an unrecorded area, the container comprising:an outer box that is transparent; at least one layer of additional material mounted in the outer box, the additional material capable of remaining in the outer box when the data disc is removed from the container; a window area in the additional material, the window area positioned so that when the data disc is inside the container, the boundary on the surface that is recordable is visible through the window area; and a scale, formed on the layer of additional material, adjacent to the window area, the scale indicating a numerical value associated with a location of the boundary on the data disc, the scale visible through the outer box. 2. The container of claim 1, the scale indicating time.
3. The container of claim 1, the scale indicating amount of data.
This invention relates generally to containers for digital mass memory media and more specifically to a package for recordable compact discs.
In general, there are three types of digital optical discs: read-only, recordable (also called Write-Once or Write-Once-Read-Many (WORM)) and erasable (also called rewritable). Examples of commercially available read-only optical disc technologies are the Compact Disc (CD) for digital audio and the Compact Disc-Read Only Memory (CD-ROM) for computer data. Compact Disc-Recordable (CD-R) drives and media are also commercially available. An example of an erasable (rewritable) optical disc technology is the Magneto-Optic (MO) disc, widely used for computer data storage.
For some recordable (write-once) discs, the entire medium must be written at one time. A new generation of CD-R drives enables part of a disc to be written and then enables additional data to be appended at a later time. There is a need for visual determination of storage availability on CD-R discs.
A container for a compact disc includes a window and a scale adjacent to the window. Recordable (write-once) compact discs of interest are recorded on a spiral track, starting at the center of the disc and progressing toward the outside edge. For recordable compact disc media using dye color-change technology, the area of the disc that has been written is a visibly different color than the unwritten area. The color-change boundary is visible through the window in the container, with the scale indicting used or available time and memory.
FIG. 1 is a perspective exploded bottom view of a compact disc container in accordance with the invention.
FIG. 2A is a perspective bottom view of the compact disc container of FIG. 1.
FIG. 2B is a plain bottom view of the compact disc container of FIG. 1.
There are many alternative technologies for storing information optically. Recordable (write once) media commonly contain a layer with a dye material that changes color when exposed to a laser. Recordable compact discs typically record on a spiral track, starting from a position closest to the center of the disc and progressing toward the outer edge of the disc. For dye color-change materials, the written area of the spiral track is a visibly different color than the unwritten area of the spiral track. In general, there is a distinct visible boundary.
Compact discs are commonly stored in clear plastic containers commonly called "jewel" boxes. Typically a compact disc has a label or various printed material on one side, and the digital information layer is on the opposite side from the label. Typically, the compact d5isc is placed into the jewel box with the label facing outside and the information layer facing the bottom of the box.
FIG. 1 illustrates one example embodiment of a jewel box with an outer box bottom part 100 and an outer box top part 110. In the embodiment of FIG. 1, the bottom part 100 is transparent. The jewel box may also include printed material 102. The jewel box may also contain a separate insert 104 that has a central portion adapted for clamping a hole in the center of a compact disc. As illustrated in FIG. 1, a recordable compact disc 106 is placed between the insert 104 and the top 110. The recordable compact disc 106 is oriented so that the digital information layer faces the bottom part 100 of the jewel box. The digital information layer may contain digitized audio, or computer data, or both. A boundary 108 is visible on the disc 106 where recorded data ends and an unrecorded area begins. A window 112 is formed as an opening in the printed material 102. A window 114 is formed as an opening in the insert 104. When assembled, window 112 in the printed material 102 and window 114 in the insert 104 are aligned. Scales 116 and 118 are printed on the printed material 102, adjacent to window 112.
FIGS. 2A and 2B illustrate the bottom of the assembled jewel box. Disc 106 and, in particular, boundary 108 are visible through aligned windows 112 and 114 and transparent bottom 100. The two printed scales 116 and 118 are also visible. Scale 116 indicates time. The time scale 116 is of primary interest for digital audio. The other scale 118 indicates memory. For simplicity of illustration, only the ends and mid-points of the scales are marked in the figures. Finer resolution may be provided. Boundary 108 and scale 116 illustrated in FIGS. 2A and 2B indicate that approximately 55 minutes of a possible total 74 minutes have been recorded. Alternatively, scale 116 could be reversed to indicate that disc 106 can record an additional 19 minutes of digital audio. Boundary 108 and scale 118 illustrated in FIGS. 2A and 2B indicate that approximately 490 megabytes of a megabytes have been recorded. Alternatively, scale 118 could be reversed to indicate that disc 106 can record an additional 160 megabytes of data. Four scales could be provided, one for recorded time, a second for available time, a third for recorded data, and a fourth for available data.
In the example embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 1, 2A and 2B, the bottom part 100 is transparent, the scales 116 and 118 are printed on a separate printed material, and windows 112 and 114 are openings. The separate printed material 102 is optional. As an alternative, the scales 116 and 118 may be printed or molded onto the bottom part 100. The bottom part 100 may be opaque with an open area for a window. Alternatively, the printed material 102 and the insert 104 may be transparent. Any one or all of the bottom part 100, the printed material 102, and the insert 104 may be made of opaque material with a transparent or translucent area for a window area. The basic requirement is that when the disc 106 is inside the jewel box, the boundary 108 must be sufficiently visible external to the box to permit visual location of the boundary. In addition, the scales 116 and 118 must be visible externally.
Patent CitationsCited PatentFiling datePublication dateApplicantTitleUS2511708 *Dec 23, 1948Jun 13, 1950Jr John Hays HammondPhonograph recordUS2802290 *Dec 20, 1954Aug 13, 1957Carey Walter ETape indexUS3272325 *Apr 13, 1965Sep 13, 1966Philips CorpStorage case for a tape cartridgeUS4613044 *Dec 21, 1984Sep 23, 1986Nikkodo Co., Ltd.Compact disc caseUS4651876 *Mar 7, 1986Mar 24, 1987Columbia Magnetic Products Co., Ltd.Cassette protective coverUS5081446 *Sep 24, 1990Jan 14, 1992Checkpoint Systems, Inc.Security tag for compact disc storage containerUS5284243 *Oct 21, 1992Feb 8, 1994Lakewood Industries, Inc.Insertable tray for providing a multiple disc containerUS5595798 *Oct 20, 1994Jan 21, 1997Rembrandt Photo ServicesProtective holders for disks* Cited by examinerReferenced byCiting PatentFiling datePublication dateApplicantTitleUS5881872 *Nov 7, 1997Mar 16, 1999Frick Management Group LimitedFour-part package for storage mediaUS6830150Feb 21, 2002Dec 14, 2004Tamrac, Inc.Pocket for carrying reusable items and having means for determining which of the reusable items contained therein have been used or not usedDE19951131A1 *Oct 23, 1999Apr 26, 2001Hermann SiegleCompact disc for digital data storage with a scale on the disc that indicates memory capacityEP1497749A1 *Apr 9, 2003Jan 19, 2005Milliken &amp; CompanyMethods of detecting counterfeit or authentic optical and/or audio discsWO2009122033A2 *Mar 13, 2009Oct 8, 2009MangoMultimedia and/or data media housing with window* Cited by examinerClassifications U.S. Classification206/308.1, G9B/33.007, G9B/23.034, 116/334, 206/459.1International ClassificationG11B23/42, G11B23/03, G11B33/04Cooperative ClassificationG11B23/031, G11B33/0405European ClassificationG11B23/03A5, G11B33/04DLegal EventsDateCodeEventDescriptionSep 22, 2011ASAssignmentFree format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNOR:HEWLETT-PACKARD COMPANY;REEL/FRAME:026945/0699Owner name: HEWLETT-PACKARD DEVELOPMENT COMPANY, L.P., TEXASEffective date: 20030131Feb 18, 2010FPAYFee paymentYear of fee payment: 12Feb 21, 2006FPAYFee paymentYear of fee payment: 8Mar 5, 2002REMIMaintenance fee reminder mailedFeb 15, 2002FPAYFee paymentYear of fee payment: 4Jan 16, 2001ASAssignmentOwner name: HEWLETT-PACKARD COMPANY, COLORADOFree format text: MERGER;ASSIGNOR:HEWLETT-PACKARD COMPANY;REEL/FRAME:011523/0469Effective date: 19980520Owner name: HEWLETT-PACKARD COMPANY INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY ADMIMay 23, 1997ASAssignmentOwner name: HEWLETT-PACKARD COMPANY, CALIFORNIAFree format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNORS:MAKINEN, BRUCE A.;WAALER, LUKE;REEL/FRAME:008538/0161Effective date: 19970312RotateOriginal ImageGoogle Home - Sitemap - USPTO Bulk Downloads - Privacy Policy - Terms of Service - About Google Patents - Send FeedbackData provided by IFI CLAIMS Patent Services