DE20106726U1 - Protective case for CD disks - Google Patents

Description

Utility model application

Mr. Carsten Martens, Kronenstr. 2, 30161 Hanover

Protective container for CDs

The invention relates to a protective container for a disc-shaped object, in particular for a CD-disk, with an insertion slot provided on the front side for inserting the disc-shaped object.

For some years now, CDs have been increasingly replacing the old disk systems. CDs often contain important data and therefore need to be handled carefully. This careful handling also includes storing them in cases and ensuring that they are not damaged when they are put into the cases or taken out. The damage refers to the recorded side, while the information side is not affected. Damage to the recorded side, even if it is minimal, can have a significant impact on the data—or sound reproduction. Even minor damage can cause the entire disk system to be so damaged that the disk cannot be played. Disks that have been taken out of their protective cases must under no circumstances be placed on the recorded side, as this can cause the damage mentioned. The problems mentioned with CDs generally apply to CDs that serve as information carriers, such as video disks, etc. in the computer sector.

There has been no lack of attempts to solve the problems mentioned. For example, there is a system in which the CD disk is placed in its inner opening on a clamping lock

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is put on. In order to release the disk from this, a clamping force must be applied, which means that there is a risk that the tension acting on the CD disk may cause damage. There is a particular risk of damage when handling the CD disk, as reaching underneath can immediately cause damage that prevents further use. Since it is important for the applications mentioned to know what the disk contains from the label, the disk often has to be turned. This alone can damage the sensitive back with the consequences mentioned. In addition, there are manufacturing problems with the previous covers, as they consist of at least two parts, but mostly three. This means additional work in terms of both costs and technology during production.

The published patent application DE 36 38 912 A1 describes a known magazine for disc-shaped recording media, such as CDs, which is intended for installation in vehicles and has a holding device for the CDs to secure them against falling out due to vibrations.

The utility model DE 90 12 24 9.6 Ul describes a known one-piece compact disc packaging in which the CD is held elastically in the packaging to prevent it from falling out by means of a clamping band that has a groove in which the CD is held in place at points. When inserting the CD into the magazine, the recorded surface of the CD can come into contact with the magazine housing, thus damaging the CD.

From US 4,964,510 a disk housing for holding compact disks or similar disk-shaped objects is known. The known housing consists essentially of two parallel side walls between which a receiving space for the CD is formed. The CD is placed in a

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The CD is inserted into the open slot in order to be able to accommodate it in the housing. Between the two side walls there is a guide track with vertical walls between which the CD is stored in an edge area. In the area of the slot the guide track is bevelled to make it easier to insert the CD into the guide track.

When the CD is inserted into the known housing, the CD comes into contact with the vertical walls of the guide track at least in the edge area of its recorded surface, which can damage the recorded surface of the CD, for example through scratches. But even when the CD is inserted into the recording slot, the recorded surface of the CD can be damaged in the known housing, since a relatively large circular area segment of the CD is unguided in the area of the recording slot before the CD engages the guide track. In the area of this unguided circular segment of the CD, the recorded surface of the CD can come into contact with the edges of the side walls of the housing, which can damage the recorded surface of the CD when the CD is inserted into the housing.

The published patent application W094/00845 describes a protective cover of the type mentioned above, which prevents the above-mentioned damage in the edge area of the recorded surface by means of a guide track that is beveled on one side. The inserted disc is not locked in place, so that the CD disc can fall out under certain circumstances. Furthermore, with this protective cover, it is possible that damage can occur in the edge area of the inserted disc, as a circular segment-like rounding has been left here for inserting or removing the CD disc. The U-shaped recess on the top runs all the way to the front, which can cause minor damage to the cover under certain circumstances.

The object of the present invention is to provide a cost-saving, robust protective container for CDs, which prevents damage to the CD when inserting the CD into the protective container, when storing the CD in the protective container and also when removing the CD from the protective container.

This object is achieved with a protective container having the features of claim 1. Advantageous developments of the invention are specified in the subclaims.

The protective container mentioned at the beginning is characterized in that the protective container has a center centering device, which is preferably elastic and has the size of the centering opening of the plate-shaped object for receiving the plate-shaped object. The center centering device is movable and can be moved out of the receiving position and back into it. This is preferably done elastically, with the center centering device being pre-tensioned into the receiving position.

Particularly preferably, a base plate of the protective container or parts of this base plate are designed as a single piece as a spring on which the elastic centering is arranged. In this way, a simple and at the same time reliable mounting of the CD disk in the protective container is achieved.

Embodiments of the invention are shown in the drawing and are described in more detail below. They show:

Fig. 1 Top view of the protective container/section axis AA
Fig. 2 Section through the container along the axis AA
Fig. 3-4 Execution details of the milling
Fig. 5 Isometric exploded view of the three levels
Fig. 6—9 Removal process of the plate-shaped object

The housing according to the invention for a CD or for a similar disc-shaped object has an insertion slot on one end for inserting and removing the CD or the disc-shaped object, and furthermore a base unit or a base plate 10 with an integrated adjustment spring 12 and a cover unit or cover plate 18 with a recess 14, which are firmly connected via a center unit or center plate 15 with an O-shaped recess 13 and an edge-side guide groove 16 for damage-free holding and insertion of the disc-shaped object. The peripheral guide groove 16 is shaped like a segment of a circle or triangular (Fig.3/Fig.4) and extends from the bottom of the recess 13 to the base of the cover plate 18. The rounded or bevelled edges or edges 15 of the O-shaped recess 13 form a guide path for the edge or edges of a CD-disk or a disc-shaped object. This ensures that in any case there is a distance between the recorded side and either the base plate or the cover plate, thus preventing damage to the disc. The protective container according to the invention is therefore designed in such a way that the CD is not pushed into the protective container when it is stored in the

protective container and when removed from the protective container, only its edge or edges can come into contact with the protective container, thereby preventing damage to the recorded surface of the CD or object. The elastic center centering 11 attached to the spring in a size approximately the same as the centering hole of the inserted object prevents the inserted CD or object from falling out or sliding out.

The tension force can be regulated by enlarging or reducing the size of the holes in the spring 12. Alternatively, this can also be done by shaping the spring lever in a different way and lengthening or shortening it, which eliminates the need for the holes.

The recess 14 located centrally to the U-shaped recess 13 of the middle levels on the cover plate serves to release the spring 12 and facilitates the removal of the CD-disk or the disk-shaped object.

According to a further embodiment of the invention, it is provided that the two base plates or outer planes 10, 18 have a circular segment-shaped rounding or bevel 17 on both sides towards the removal side, which serves for better removal (Fig. 8) of the plate to be picked up.

To form the above-mentioned guide tracks 16, it is advisable that the angle of inclination to each other does not fall below 45° (Fig.4), as otherwise the inserted plate body could become wedged at the edges. An elliptical or circular segment-shaped milling (Fig.3) is also conceivable. In this case, the milled edges can extend over the entire circumference of the O-shaped recess 13. This leads to a secure holding or guidance of the CD plate when inserting or removing it. It is also conceivable that the edges equipped with a guide groove only extend along the legs or only over sections of the web of the U-shaped recess 13 or recesses.

extend.

Conveniently, the radius of the web of the U-shaped recess 13 corresponds approximately to the radius of the plate to be accommodated.

Due to the design of the edges and the spring 12 including the elastic center centering 11, an inserted CD disk is stabilized in its final position, thus preventing it from wobbling or falling out during transport or the like.

The aforementioned recess 14 in the cover plate of the protective container preferably has a minimum width of approximately one eighth of the diameter of the CD disk or the disk to be accommodated. It serves to facilitate insertion due to a predetermined centering (Fig. 6-7).

The protective container according to the invention enables quick, damage-free handling of the CD disk, since its shape suggests that the disk-shaped object can be removed from the edge, so that direct finger contact with the recorded surface is almost impossible. (Drawing sheet 3/Fig. 6-9) - Furthermore, it enables immediate information about the contents of the disk to be obtained via the recess 14 in the cover plate.

Plastic is considered to be an advantageous material for the protective container. When using plastic material, e.g. a thermoplastic, only a single tool or a single mold is required for production, whereby the plastic must be poured into the mold in a melted state. This makes the protective cover according to the invention easy and efficient to manufacture by machine. Complex shaping construction parts are not required.

Other plate-shaped, solid to elastic materials, such as wood (aircraft plywood, plywood, etc.),

Metals (aluminum, stainless steel, etc.), plastics (thermoplastics, polystyrene, acrylic, etc.)/compound materials and also fiber-containing materials (clayboard, cardboard, fiberglass panels, etc.) can be used. When the protective container is manufactured from such materials, the plates 10, 15, 18 according to the invention are fixed to one another in a force-fitting manner (glued, welded, fused, etc.). Labeling of both the underside and the top is possible, provided that the plate-shaped object to be accommodated does not already have a label.

Claims (12)

1. Protective container for a plate-shaped object, in particular for a CD-disk, with an insertion slot provided on the front side for inserting the plate-shaped object, characterized in that the protective container has a bevel or rounded part in the insertion area of the front side, which enables removal without damage. 2. Protective container according to claim 1, characterized in that all levels ( 10 , 15 , 18 ), or the base plate and cover plate ( 10 , 18 ) have a circular segment-shaped rounding or angular bend ( 17 ) on the front side. 3. Protective container according to one of claims 1 to 2, characterized in that the protective container, due to its recess and folds, enables the round-sided, damage-free reception of the plate-shaped object. 4. Protective container according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the radius of the web of the O-shaped recess ( 16 ) corresponds approximately to the radius of the plate-shaped object to be accommodated. 5. Protective container according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the recess ( 14 ) forms a continuous opening from the central centering to just before the end region of the protective container at which the insertion slot is provided. 6. Protective container according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the recess ( 13 ) is brought so close to the front end region of the protective container that it is closer to the front side than the beginning of the circular segment-shaped rounding or angular bend ( 17 ). 7. Protective container according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that a center centering ( 11 ) preferably in the size of the centering opening of the plate-shaped object for receiving the plate-shaped object 8. Protective container according to one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the protective container has a base unit, in particular a base plate ( 10 ) and a cover unit, in particular a cover plate ( 18 ), which are firmly connected to one another via a middle unit, in particular a plate ( 15 ), and in which a U-shaped receiving space ( 13 ) for receiving the plate-shaped object is formed by a recess. 9. Protective container according to claim 1 to 8, characterized in that damage-free guidance and holding of the plate-shaped object is ensured by means of a circular segment-shaped ( Fig. 3) or triangular ( Fig. 4) guide groove ( 16 ) which is located in the middle plane. The milled edges can extend over the entire circumference of the U-shaped recess ( 13 ). 10. Protective container according to one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that the protective container has edges equipped with guide grooves, only along the legs or only over sections of the web of the U-shaped recess or recesses. 11. Protective container according to claim 1 to 10, characterized in that a base plate of the protective container or parts of the base plate ( 10 ) are integrally formed as a spring ( 12 ) on which the elastic center centering is arranged. 12. Protective container according to one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that the base plate ( 10 ) and the cover plate ( 18 ) are firmly connected, glued or welded to one another via the middle levels ( 15 ).