CA2094501A1 - Optical storage disc protector - Google Patents
Optical storage disc protectorInfo
- Publication number
- CA2094501A1 CA2094501A1 CA 2094501 CA2094501A CA2094501A1 CA 2094501 A1 CA2094501 A1 CA 2094501A1 CA 2094501 CA2094501 CA 2094501 CA 2094501 A CA2094501 A CA 2094501A CA 2094501 A1 CA2094501 A1 CA 2094501A1
- Authority
- CA
- Canada
- Prior art keywords
- optical storage
- storage disc
- wafer
- hub
- circumferential wall
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Abandoned
Links
Landscapes
- Optical Record Carriers And Manufacture Thereof (AREA)
Abstract
An optical storage disc protector (10) is disclosed which having a thin flexible circular wafer (15) having an upper surface (42) which further includes a flat annular surface (45) for bearing the weight of a CD and a downward sloping concave annular surface (40) for providing an airspace between the wafer and the data bearing surface of the CD. A centrally located hub (20) is attached to the upper surface of the wafer (15) which is sized to be just smaller than the center hole (65) of a typical CD to provide an interference fit with the center hole (65). A circumferential wall (30) is attached to the upper surface (42) of the wafer (15) and is configured to provide an interference fit with peripheral surface (75) of a CD.
Description
~n92/06904 ~CT/US~0/06200 2 ~ 3 3 Q
TITLE OF INVRNTION:
OPTICAL STORAGE DISC PROTECTOR
D E S C lR I P T I O N
BACKGRO~ND Or ~:~LLL~Le~
Technical F1eld. This invention generally rela~s to a de~ice ~or protecting or covering optical storage discs.
More particularly lt relates to a device for protecting the data bearing surace of an optical storage dlsc.
sackground Art. For the purposes of explanation, this discIosu~e will refar to ~ompact discs, lndividuall~
herelnafter referred to as a CD, however, lt should be understood that this inveatio~ i5 intended for use with not only audio compact discs, but also all other typ~s of ~: optical storage discs.
compact discs are relatively thin circular plastic discs u~ed for storing and retrieving digital information.
Currently produced discs bear data on only one side. The information is both stored and retrieved from the compact disc using a laser beam. The purely optical nature of data storaye and retrieval alleviates the problem o~ disc ~ : 25 wear or damage from contacting de~ices such as tape heads ; or computer disc drlve h~ads. In additlon, compact di~cs are not sensltlva to heat and external magnetic fields as are ma~netic storage devices. Howe~er, even wlth these advan~ages, compact dlsc are s~ill sub~ect to damage from ~: 30 ~cratches:and pits caused during storage aad handling.
compact discs are currently sold and stored in rectan-gular hinged contalners, commonly known as jewel boxes, : ~
W0~2/06904 PF~/US90/OC200 -' 2 -which have a shallow cylindrlcal inner volume for housing the comp~ct disc. The inner volume is normally larger than the compact disc ~o allow quick storage and retrieval of the disc.
Such containers have the inherent disadvantage o~
allowing compact disc movement wlthln the inner volume thus raising the risk of damaglng the data bearing sur-face. Additionally, conventional containers are bulky and not well suited for portable optical storage and retrieval systems such as car, boat, or aircraft mounted compact disc players or other portable systems. Users oten carry and store compact dlscs without the bulky container to save space and to avoid tying up two hands opening the co~tainer and retrieving khe disc. .Such unprotected transport and handling ~l~o increases ~he risk o~ da~a lo~s. For some appllcaklons, such as a ~D-RO~ use in fingerprint identl~ication, the data lo~s could be cata-strophlc.
: ~he prior art contains a few attempts to solve the optical storage disc problem. Prusak ~nd Patel's v~deo disc caddy, U.S. Paten~ # ~,4~3,8~9, provid~s a ~oraye sleeve for video discs that cons~sts of a removabl~ splne housed in a rectangular ~acket. The splne is slightly bigger than a video dtsc. This device, deslgned for use with vldeo disc player~ which u~e a cont~c~ head llke a phono~raph needle to x~trie~e in~ormation, also has wipin~
pads whlch cllrectly contact the surface of a video disc : during play. Obvlou~ly, such a d~vlce does not minimize potentially damaging contac~s wi~h ~he disc sur~aces slnce ~he disc can move abou~ inside in the splne, and ~t is not compatible with other optical ~torage discs or dlsc sys-te~s.
, ~ .
W~92/069~ PC~/U~9~ 2~0 2 ~ 3 ~
Vincent J. Colangelo's flexi~le disk cartridge envel-ope, U.S. Patent # 4,473,153, discloses a closeable stor-age envelope for storing flexible magne~ic (floppy) stor-age discs. Coangelo's device employs a rigid envelope with a fold down protective cover and is hasisally an upgraded v2rsion of the t~pical open pocXe~ computer floppy disc envelope. Ross 0. Youngs' compack disc stor~
age container with non scratching surface, U.S. Patent ~
4,850,731, discloses an envelope tXpe storage devlce for compact discs which comprises an inner non-scratching envelope, not unlike the ~yp~ used for storing computer floppy discs, housed inside a transparent outer envelope.
Both Golangelo's and Youngs' devices provide protection or storage discs, an~ do so with reduced opportuni~y for disc surface damage. However, Colangelo's deviee was ~ever intended to store optical storage dlscs and neither device pro~ldes the desired r~sult of disc ~orage wi~h virtually no contact wlth the ~ata bearing surface of ~he .
disc. These d~vices, though not impossible or use in a portable se~ting, nevertheless require the user to grasp the envelope, open the flap, and remove ~he disc which might prove a cumbersome task when operating a v~hicle.
In addition, their manufactu.re re~uires several dis~inct operations such as moldlng, forming, bonding, and searn seal~ng etc., and the use of a variety of differen~ mater-talS, all o~ wh~ch ~d cost to ~he product.
A fourth patenk, Ja~ ~. Delglmeier's protestive hol~er for a co~pact disc or the like, U.S. Patent # 4,736,840, discloses a device which sandwlches a compact disc between plas~ic plates. The pla~es are speci~ically designed to fit into the in~er volume space of a jewel box and there is a ~elt pad to cushion ehe da~a bearing portion of the , i.
. .
., . . . . , ,..... . j ,,: ..... .. , , . : , , . ~
W~92/06904 ~ PCT/US90/06~ -compact di~c. ~his devlc~ does restrlct compact disc movement wlthin a ~ewel box however, it requires the use of the bulky ~ewel box and lt does not keep the data bearing surface of the compact: disc free from contact with other surfaces, namely the felt pad.
It is therefore an object of this invention to provide an optical storage dlsc protector ~ha~ prevents virtually all contacts with the data ~earing surface of the optical storage disc during storage and transport. Another ob;ect of this invention to provlde an optlcal storage disc protector that is thin, light weight, constructed of readily availabl0 and cheap materials, and which is easily fabricated and ~uitable for mass production. S~lll another object of this inve~tion is to provide an optical storag~ dlsc prote~tor which ~acilitates di~c to dlsc stacki~g of the di~cs to permit co~pact stora~e o~ a plurality of dlscs. A ~urkher ob~e~t of thls lnven~ion to provide an optical storage disc protector that will allow the user ts-acc~ss the disc using o~ly one hand, leaving the oth~r hand ree to perform other ~asks.
D~SC~OS13RE OF IN~ION
These and other object~ are accomplished b~ an optical stora~e dlsc protector whlch ~nerally ha~ a thin flexible .25 circular waer having an upper surface whlch further ~includes a flat annular surface ~vr bearin~ the weight of a CD and a downward sloplng concave annular surface for providlng an a:Lrspa~e b~tween ~he wafer and the data bearlng ~urfa~e of the CD. A centrally locatad hub is : attached to the upper surf~ce of the wa~er which is sized to be ~ust small~x tha~ the center hole of a typical CD to provide a~ i~ter~erence ~it wlth the center hole~ A
.:
... ~ . . , . .. ~ , . . . ..
W~9~/06~4 2 ~ ~ ~ PCT/US90/062~
~ 5 ~
circumferentlal wall is attache~ to ~he upper surface of the wafer and is conflgured to provide an .interfererlce fit with peripheral surface of a CD.
BRIEF DE.~CRIPT:~O OF THE DRAWINGS
Fig. 1 is a top view of ~he optical storage dlsc prot~ctor .
Fig. 2 is ~ side view of the optical s~orage disc protector.
Fig. 3 is a bottom v~ew of the optical storage disc protector.
Fig. 4 is a top perspective view of the optical stor- :~
age disc protector.
Fig. 5. is a bottom per~pective vi w of the optical storage disc pxotector.
~ig. 6 ~s a bottom perspective view of a typical audio compac~ disc showing i~ data s~orage side.
: Fi~. 7 is an exploded side sectional view o~ the ::
optical storage disc protector and a audio co~pact disc ~aken along sec~iorl line ~-8 of Fig. 8.
Fig. 8 is an exploded top perspective view of the optical storage disc prot~ctor and a audio compact disc.
An op~ical storage disc protector 10 and an industry stand~rd audio compac~ disc, CD, ara shown in Fi~s. 1-8. ; .
The optical storage disc protector 10 h~re has a thirl flexible circular wa~er 15 having an upper surface ~2 urther includes a level annular surface 45 extendlng radially oul:ward from the hub 20, and a downward sloping oncave annular sur~ace 40 extending fxom the marglnal perimeter oi~ the level annular surface 45 to the base of ~ ~.
: . :
~ ::
:
W092/06904 ~ ~ P~ uss~/o~2oo -~
9~
the circu~ferential wall 3d, a lower surace 33, and centrally located hub 20.
The hub 20 is a raised circular protuberance which extends perpendicularly upward from the level annular . 5 surface 45. The hub 20 has a closed top which can be , either a flat, concave, or convex surface. The hub 20 is configured to be slightly taller than the thickness of a CD and to hav~ a diameter slightly smaller Shan the dia-meter of the center hole 65 of a CD to provide an inter-ference fit with the center hole 65 when a CD is placed on the optical storage disc protector 10. The interference fit help~ keep the CD attached to the optical storage disc protector 10 and prevents the CD from freely rotating while loaded on ~he optical s~orage disc pro~ector 10.
The level annular surface 45 is designed tG exte~d radially outward ~rom the base of ~h~ hub 20 to a radius no greater ~han ~he radius of the i~er portlon 60 of the : lower surface 80 of the CD. This configura~ion provide~ a level surface which bears the we~ ght of th~ CD by con~act~
ing only the non-data ~earin~ inner portion 60 of the CD.
The margi~al perimeter 43 of the level annular surface :45 transitions smoothly in~o a downward sloping concave : annular surface 40 that extends radially outward, ter-minatin~ at the ba~e 44 of the circumferential wall 30.
The curvature of the concave annular surface ~0 can be cho~sen from various famllies of logarithmic, exponential, parabolic, or other curves whose slopes tend to 1aten as the distance from the hub increases. The concave annular : surface 40 E~rovides an air pocket between the da~a bearing sur~ace~55 of the CD and the upper surface 42 o~ the wafer 15 which cushlons the data bearing surfa~e 55 ~rom contac~
with the wafer 15. Xn addition, the concave annular :
~: ' ~ .
.. .
W~9~/069~ ,209 ~jO1 PCT/USgO/06200 surface 40, by virtue of its curvature, acts lik~ an arch, xesisting upward deflections caused by external forces : applied to the lower surface 33 of the wafer 15. Such resistance coupled with the air cushioning effect protect the data bearing surface 55 of the CD from scratches and dust by virtually eliminating all physical contacts with the data bearing surface 55.
The circumferential wall 30 extends up from the upper surface 42 o~ the optical storage disc protector 10 at the marginal perime~er ~4 o. the concave annular surface 40.
The circumferential wall 30 usually exkends upward either perpendicularly or a~ an obtuse angle from the upper surface 42 of the optical s~oxage disc protector 10. The circumferential wall 30 is configured to provide an inter f~re~ce fit wi~h peripheral sur~ace 75 of ~he CD ~o keep the D af~ixed to the optical storage disc protector 10 and to preven~ CD rotation during ~torage and transport.
A thin lip 25, is attached to and extends radially outward from the top of the circum~erential wall 30, / ;
allowing the user to gently bend the circumferential wall 30 outward to remove ~he CD. .
The optical storage disc protector 10 iB here formed ~rom a single piec~ of plast~c. ~h~s can be accomplished using a variety o~ manufa~turlng techniques including : 25 i~jection mol~ing, ~acuum molding, or other plastics formi~g techn:Lque~. ~ere, the invention is made o~ vacuum ~ormed polystyrane however, a variety of flexible pl~s~ics are su~table for co~struc~ing ~he op~ical storage disc : protector 10 Lncluding the new biodegradable plastics currently baing developed.
Advantageously, the optical storage disc protec~or lO
1s whlte to r~duce the chance o~ heat damage to the disc, , : : ' :,, ~ ~:
W092/06~4 ~ ~ ~ PC~/~S90/06200 -however there is no limit to the number or design of color schemes that can be used, including imprinting promotional or instructional information directly on the invention.
Users can be provided with a variety of aesthetic choices.
The optical storage disc prot~ctor 10 can also be made of transparent plastic to allow identification for CDs having labels on their data bearing sides.
Another configuratiorl of the optical storage dlsc protector can have raised or recessed surfaces on its lower surface 33 to allow the placement of labels to identify CD contents, the name of the user, or other information.
Since the cons~ruction of ~he op~ical storage dis~
protector lO is so simpl~ and the re~uirad materlals cheaply available, the optical storage dlsc protector 10 is well sui~ed for ~ass production. ~lth the future ad~ent of biodegradable materials, the optical storage disc protector 10 will not only be inexpensive but more environmentally disposable ~ha~ current CD s~orage devices : 20 such as the j~wel box.
To usa the optical storage disc prote~tor 10, the user places the CD center hola 65 over the optical storage disc protector 1~ hNb 20 ensuring the data bearing surface 55 of the CD is facing downward. The user next gently presses down on ~he CD until the CD c~ter hole 65 and peripheral surfaces 75 snap down into posi~ion. The CD
~: can then be stored or transportP~.
`~ ~o remove the CD, ~he user simply holds the opti~al . storage disc protector 10 with th~ CD ~acing upward, bends out the thin lip 25 with a flngertip and lifts out the CD.
The CD removal c~n be done with one hand by placing ~he rin~ ringer on the top of the hub 20 and peelin~ back the W~' 92/~6gO4 PC~/USgO/0~200 2 0 9 ~
- g - :
thin lip 25 with the lndex finger. SUch a capability allows the user to extract an CD while keeping the other hand free to do other tasks stlch a operate a vehicle.
While there is shown and described the present prefer-red e~bodiment of the invention, it is to be distinctly u~derstood that this invention is not limited thereto but may be variously embodied to practice wlthin the scope of the following claims.
I claim:
' . .
~ .
~.~ . .. : . ..... ; . , ,
TITLE OF INVRNTION:
OPTICAL STORAGE DISC PROTECTOR
D E S C lR I P T I O N
BACKGRO~ND Or ~:~LLL~Le~
Technical F1eld. This invention generally rela~s to a de~ice ~or protecting or covering optical storage discs.
More particularly lt relates to a device for protecting the data bearing surace of an optical storage dlsc.
sackground Art. For the purposes of explanation, this discIosu~e will refar to ~ompact discs, lndividuall~
herelnafter referred to as a CD, however, lt should be understood that this inveatio~ i5 intended for use with not only audio compact discs, but also all other typ~s of ~: optical storage discs.
compact discs are relatively thin circular plastic discs u~ed for storing and retrieving digital information.
Currently produced discs bear data on only one side. The information is both stored and retrieved from the compact disc using a laser beam. The purely optical nature of data storaye and retrieval alleviates the problem o~ disc ~ : 25 wear or damage from contacting de~ices such as tape heads ; or computer disc drlve h~ads. In additlon, compact di~cs are not sensltlva to heat and external magnetic fields as are ma~netic storage devices. Howe~er, even wlth these advan~ages, compact dlsc are s~ill sub~ect to damage from ~: 30 ~cratches:and pits caused during storage aad handling.
compact discs are currently sold and stored in rectan-gular hinged contalners, commonly known as jewel boxes, : ~
W0~2/06904 PF~/US90/OC200 -' 2 -which have a shallow cylindrlcal inner volume for housing the comp~ct disc. The inner volume is normally larger than the compact disc ~o allow quick storage and retrieval of the disc.
Such containers have the inherent disadvantage o~
allowing compact disc movement wlthln the inner volume thus raising the risk of damaglng the data bearing sur-face. Additionally, conventional containers are bulky and not well suited for portable optical storage and retrieval systems such as car, boat, or aircraft mounted compact disc players or other portable systems. Users oten carry and store compact dlscs without the bulky container to save space and to avoid tying up two hands opening the co~tainer and retrieving khe disc. .Such unprotected transport and handling ~l~o increases ~he risk o~ da~a lo~s. For some appllcaklons, such as a ~D-RO~ use in fingerprint identl~ication, the data lo~s could be cata-strophlc.
: ~he prior art contains a few attempts to solve the optical storage disc problem. Prusak ~nd Patel's v~deo disc caddy, U.S. Paten~ # ~,4~3,8~9, provid~s a ~oraye sleeve for video discs that cons~sts of a removabl~ splne housed in a rectangular ~acket. The splne is slightly bigger than a video dtsc. This device, deslgned for use with vldeo disc player~ which u~e a cont~c~ head llke a phono~raph needle to x~trie~e in~ormation, also has wipin~
pads whlch cllrectly contact the surface of a video disc : during play. Obvlou~ly, such a d~vlce does not minimize potentially damaging contac~s wi~h ~he disc sur~aces slnce ~he disc can move abou~ inside in the splne, and ~t is not compatible with other optical ~torage discs or dlsc sys-te~s.
, ~ .
W~92/069~ PC~/U~9~ 2~0 2 ~ 3 ~
Vincent J. Colangelo's flexi~le disk cartridge envel-ope, U.S. Patent # 4,473,153, discloses a closeable stor-age envelope for storing flexible magne~ic (floppy) stor-age discs. Coangelo's device employs a rigid envelope with a fold down protective cover and is hasisally an upgraded v2rsion of the t~pical open pocXe~ computer floppy disc envelope. Ross 0. Youngs' compack disc stor~
age container with non scratching surface, U.S. Patent ~
4,850,731, discloses an envelope tXpe storage devlce for compact discs which comprises an inner non-scratching envelope, not unlike the ~yp~ used for storing computer floppy discs, housed inside a transparent outer envelope.
Both Golangelo's and Youngs' devices provide protection or storage discs, an~ do so with reduced opportuni~y for disc surface damage. However, Colangelo's deviee was ~ever intended to store optical storage dlscs and neither device pro~ldes the desired r~sult of disc ~orage wi~h virtually no contact wlth the ~ata bearing surface of ~he .
disc. These d~vices, though not impossible or use in a portable se~ting, nevertheless require the user to grasp the envelope, open the flap, and remove ~he disc which might prove a cumbersome task when operating a v~hicle.
In addition, their manufactu.re re~uires several dis~inct operations such as moldlng, forming, bonding, and searn seal~ng etc., and the use of a variety of differen~ mater-talS, all o~ wh~ch ~d cost to ~he product.
A fourth patenk, Ja~ ~. Delglmeier's protestive hol~er for a co~pact disc or the like, U.S. Patent # 4,736,840, discloses a device which sandwlches a compact disc between plas~ic plates. The pla~es are speci~ically designed to fit into the in~er volume space of a jewel box and there is a ~elt pad to cushion ehe da~a bearing portion of the , i.
. .
., . . . . , ,..... . j ,,: ..... .. , , . : , , . ~
W~92/06904 ~ PCT/US90/06~ -compact di~c. ~his devlc~ does restrlct compact disc movement wlthin a ~ewel box however, it requires the use of the bulky ~ewel box and lt does not keep the data bearing surface of the compact: disc free from contact with other surfaces, namely the felt pad.
It is therefore an object of this invention to provide an optical storage dlsc protector ~ha~ prevents virtually all contacts with the data ~earing surface of the optical storage disc during storage and transport. Another ob;ect of this invention to provlde an optlcal storage disc protector that is thin, light weight, constructed of readily availabl0 and cheap materials, and which is easily fabricated and ~uitable for mass production. S~lll another object of this inve~tion is to provide an optical storag~ dlsc prote~tor which ~acilitates di~c to dlsc stacki~g of the di~cs to permit co~pact stora~e o~ a plurality of dlscs. A ~urkher ob~e~t of thls lnven~ion to provide an optical storage disc protector that will allow the user ts-acc~ss the disc using o~ly one hand, leaving the oth~r hand ree to perform other ~asks.
D~SC~OS13RE OF IN~ION
These and other object~ are accomplished b~ an optical stora~e dlsc protector whlch ~nerally ha~ a thin flexible .25 circular waer having an upper surface whlch further ~includes a flat annular surface ~vr bearin~ the weight of a CD and a downward sloplng concave annular surface for providlng an a:Lrspa~e b~tween ~he wafer and the data bearlng ~urfa~e of the CD. A centrally locatad hub is : attached to the upper surf~ce of the wa~er which is sized to be ~ust small~x tha~ the center hole of a typical CD to provide a~ i~ter~erence ~it wlth the center hole~ A
.:
... ~ . . , . .. ~ , . . . ..
W~9~/06~4 2 ~ ~ ~ PCT/US90/062~
~ 5 ~
circumferentlal wall is attache~ to ~he upper surface of the wafer and is conflgured to provide an .interfererlce fit with peripheral surface of a CD.
BRIEF DE.~CRIPT:~O OF THE DRAWINGS
Fig. 1 is a top view of ~he optical storage dlsc prot~ctor .
Fig. 2 is ~ side view of the optical s~orage disc protector.
Fig. 3 is a bottom v~ew of the optical storage disc protector.
Fig. 4 is a top perspective view of the optical stor- :~
age disc protector.
Fig. 5. is a bottom per~pective vi w of the optical storage disc pxotector.
~ig. 6 ~s a bottom perspective view of a typical audio compac~ disc showing i~ data s~orage side.
: Fi~. 7 is an exploded side sectional view o~ the ::
optical storage disc protector and a audio co~pact disc ~aken along sec~iorl line ~-8 of Fig. 8.
Fig. 8 is an exploded top perspective view of the optical storage disc prot~ctor and a audio compact disc.
An op~ical storage disc protector 10 and an industry stand~rd audio compac~ disc, CD, ara shown in Fi~s. 1-8. ; .
The optical storage disc protector 10 h~re has a thirl flexible circular wa~er 15 having an upper surface ~2 urther includes a level annular surface 45 extendlng radially oul:ward from the hub 20, and a downward sloping oncave annular sur~ace 40 extending fxom the marglnal perimeter oi~ the level annular surface 45 to the base of ~ ~.
: . :
~ ::
:
W092/06904 ~ ~ P~ uss~/o~2oo -~
9~
the circu~ferential wall 3d, a lower surace 33, and centrally located hub 20.
The hub 20 is a raised circular protuberance which extends perpendicularly upward from the level annular . 5 surface 45. The hub 20 has a closed top which can be , either a flat, concave, or convex surface. The hub 20 is configured to be slightly taller than the thickness of a CD and to hav~ a diameter slightly smaller Shan the dia-meter of the center hole 65 of a CD to provide an inter-ference fit with the center hole 65 when a CD is placed on the optical storage disc protector 10. The interference fit help~ keep the CD attached to the optical storage disc protector 10 and prevents the CD from freely rotating while loaded on ~he optical s~orage disc pro~ector 10.
The level annular surface 45 is designed tG exte~d radially outward ~rom the base of ~h~ hub 20 to a radius no greater ~han ~he radius of the i~er portlon 60 of the : lower surface 80 of the CD. This configura~ion provide~ a level surface which bears the we~ ght of th~ CD by con~act~
ing only the non-data ~earin~ inner portion 60 of the CD.
The margi~al perimeter 43 of the level annular surface :45 transitions smoothly in~o a downward sloping concave : annular surface 40 that extends radially outward, ter-minatin~ at the ba~e 44 of the circumferential wall 30.
The curvature of the concave annular surface ~0 can be cho~sen from various famllies of logarithmic, exponential, parabolic, or other curves whose slopes tend to 1aten as the distance from the hub increases. The concave annular : surface 40 E~rovides an air pocket between the da~a bearing sur~ace~55 of the CD and the upper surface 42 o~ the wafer 15 which cushlons the data bearing surfa~e 55 ~rom contac~
with the wafer 15. Xn addition, the concave annular :
~: ' ~ .
.. .
W~9~/069~ ,209 ~jO1 PCT/USgO/06200 surface 40, by virtue of its curvature, acts lik~ an arch, xesisting upward deflections caused by external forces : applied to the lower surface 33 of the wafer 15. Such resistance coupled with the air cushioning effect protect the data bearing surface 55 of the CD from scratches and dust by virtually eliminating all physical contacts with the data bearing surface 55.
The circumferential wall 30 extends up from the upper surface 42 o~ the optical storage disc protector 10 at the marginal perime~er ~4 o. the concave annular surface 40.
The circumferential wall 30 usually exkends upward either perpendicularly or a~ an obtuse angle from the upper surface 42 of the optical s~oxage disc protector 10. The circumferential wall 30 is configured to provide an inter f~re~ce fit wi~h peripheral sur~ace 75 of ~he CD ~o keep the D af~ixed to the optical storage disc protector 10 and to preven~ CD rotation during ~torage and transport.
A thin lip 25, is attached to and extends radially outward from the top of the circum~erential wall 30, / ;
allowing the user to gently bend the circumferential wall 30 outward to remove ~he CD. .
The optical storage disc protector 10 iB here formed ~rom a single piec~ of plast~c. ~h~s can be accomplished using a variety o~ manufa~turlng techniques including : 25 i~jection mol~ing, ~acuum molding, or other plastics formi~g techn:Lque~. ~ere, the invention is made o~ vacuum ~ormed polystyrane however, a variety of flexible pl~s~ics are su~table for co~struc~ing ~he op~ical storage disc : protector 10 Lncluding the new biodegradable plastics currently baing developed.
Advantageously, the optical storage disc protec~or lO
1s whlte to r~duce the chance o~ heat damage to the disc, , : : ' :,, ~ ~:
W092/06~4 ~ ~ ~ PC~/~S90/06200 -however there is no limit to the number or design of color schemes that can be used, including imprinting promotional or instructional information directly on the invention.
Users can be provided with a variety of aesthetic choices.
The optical storage disc prot~ctor 10 can also be made of transparent plastic to allow identification for CDs having labels on their data bearing sides.
Another configuratiorl of the optical storage dlsc protector can have raised or recessed surfaces on its lower surface 33 to allow the placement of labels to identify CD contents, the name of the user, or other information.
Since the cons~ruction of ~he op~ical storage dis~
protector lO is so simpl~ and the re~uirad materlals cheaply available, the optical storage dlsc protector 10 is well sui~ed for ~ass production. ~lth the future ad~ent of biodegradable materials, the optical storage disc protector 10 will not only be inexpensive but more environmentally disposable ~ha~ current CD s~orage devices : 20 such as the j~wel box.
To usa the optical storage disc prote~tor 10, the user places the CD center hola 65 over the optical storage disc protector 1~ hNb 20 ensuring the data bearing surface 55 of the CD is facing downward. The user next gently presses down on ~he CD until the CD c~ter hole 65 and peripheral surfaces 75 snap down into posi~ion. The CD
~: can then be stored or transportP~.
`~ ~o remove the CD, ~he user simply holds the opti~al . storage disc protector 10 with th~ CD ~acing upward, bends out the thin lip 25 with a flngertip and lifts out the CD.
The CD removal c~n be done with one hand by placing ~he rin~ ringer on the top of the hub 20 and peelin~ back the W~' 92/~6gO4 PC~/USgO/0~200 2 0 9 ~
- g - :
thin lip 25 with the lndex finger. SUch a capability allows the user to extract an CD while keeping the other hand free to do other tasks stlch a operate a vehicle.
While there is shown and described the present prefer-red e~bodiment of the invention, it is to be distinctly u~derstood that this invention is not limited thereto but may be variously embodied to practice wlthin the scope of the following claims.
I claim:
' . .
~ .
~.~ . .. : . ..... ; . , ,
Claims (8)
1. An optical storage disc protector for use with a circular optical storage disc having an upper surface, a lower surface with an outer portion bearing information and an inner portion bearing no information, a peripheral surface, and a center hole, which is characterized by:
a thin flexible circular wafer having an upper surface and a lower surface, and a diameter no smaller than the diameter of the optical storage disc, the upper surface being configured to contact the inner portion of the lower surface of the optical storage disc while maintaining a clearance with the outer portion of the lower surface of the optical storage disc;
a hub, centered on and attached to the upper surface of the wafer, being enclosed on top and having a diameter no smaller than the diameter of the center hole of an optical storage disc and having walls extending up from the upper surface of the wafer, the hub being configured to provide an interference fit between the walls of the hub and the center hole of the optical storage disc; and a circumferential wall affixed to and extending up from the upper surface of the wafer, the circumferential wall being configured to provide an interference fit between the circumferential wall of the wafer and the peripheral surface of the optical storage disc, and the circumferential wall having a small lip attached thereto and extending radially away therefrom for providing fin-gertip removal of the wafer from the optical storage disc.
a thin flexible circular wafer having an upper surface and a lower surface, and a diameter no smaller than the diameter of the optical storage disc, the upper surface being configured to contact the inner portion of the lower surface of the optical storage disc while maintaining a clearance with the outer portion of the lower surface of the optical storage disc;
a hub, centered on and attached to the upper surface of the wafer, being enclosed on top and having a diameter no smaller than the diameter of the center hole of an optical storage disc and having walls extending up from the upper surface of the wafer, the hub being configured to provide an interference fit between the walls of the hub and the center hole of the optical storage disc; and a circumferential wall affixed to and extending up from the upper surface of the wafer, the circumferential wall being configured to provide an interference fit between the circumferential wall of the wafer and the peripheral surface of the optical storage disc, and the circumferential wall having a small lip attached thereto and extending radially away therefrom for providing fin-gertip removal of the wafer from the optical storage disc.
2. The optical storage disc protector according to Claim 1 in which the wafer, hub, and circumferential wall are formed from a single sheet of flexible material.
3. The optical storage disc protector according to Claims 1 or 2 in which the circumferential wall extends up perpendicularly from the upper surface of the wafer.
4. The optical storage disc protector according to Claims 1 or 2 in which the circumferential wall extends up at an obtuse angle.
5. The optical storage disc protector according to Claims 1, 2, 3, or 4 in which the upper surface of the wafer is further characterized by a flat annular region extending radially outward from the hub walls no farther than the border between the inner and outer portions of the lower surface of the optical storage disc for pro-viding a contact zone with the lower surface of the opti-cal storage disc, and a downward sloping annular region, having a concave curvature, connected to the flat annular region and extending radially outward terminating at the circumferential wall for providing a protective cushion of air between the wafer and the outer portion of the lower surface of the optical storage disc.
6. The optical storage disc protector according to Claims 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 in which the top of the hub is enclosed by a flat surface.
7. The optical storage disc protector according to Claims 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 in which the top of the hub is enclosed by a concave surface.
8. The optical storage disc protector according to Claims 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 in which the top of the hub is enclosed by a convex surface.
Priority Applications (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA 2094501 CA2094501A1 (en) | 1990-10-22 | 1990-10-22 | Optical storage disc protector |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA 2094501 CA2094501A1 (en) | 1990-10-22 | 1990-10-22 | Optical storage disc protector |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA2094501A1 true CA2094501A1 (en) | 1992-04-23 |
Family
ID=4151499
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA 2094501 Abandoned CA2094501A1 (en) | 1990-10-22 | 1990-10-22 | Optical storage disc protector |
Country Status (1)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| CA (1) | CA2094501A1 (en) |
Cited By (1)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US5787069A (en) * | 1996-09-13 | 1998-07-28 | Digital Armor Inc. | Protective cover for an optical disc |
-
1990
- 1990-10-22 CA CA 2094501 patent/CA2094501A1/en not_active Abandoned
Cited By (1)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US5787069A (en) * | 1996-09-13 | 1998-07-28 | Digital Armor Inc. | Protective cover for an optical disc |
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Legal Events
| Date | Code | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| EEER | Examination request | ||
| FZDE | Dead |