GB2234739A - A rack for compact disc boxes - Google Patents

Abstract

A rack for compact disc boxes includes a bottom tray 1 fixed to a division plate assembly 2 and a spring plate assembly 3, and is covered with a casing 4. The division plate assembly 2 comprises a plurality of channels 201 having press control portions 202. When CDs are inserted into the rack along the channels 201, they are prevented from withdrawal by projections 203 on the depressable portions 202 of the channels 201. When withdrawing the CDs from the rack, the press control portions 202 are pressed down to lower the projections and spring strips 3 which are inserted through rectangular holes 205 in the plate 3 eject the CDs outwardly by means of their spring force. <IMAGE>

Description

A RACK FOR COMPACT DISC BOXES The present invention relates to kinds of CD racks and, more particularly a rack for storing compact discs in their boxes and which enable convenient insertion and removal of CDs to and from the rack.

CD discs, a relatively new technology, are normally kept in an individual flat box (hereinafter "CD's") the storage and arrangement of-which boxes is often inconvenient. There are known CD cabinets or racks which are used for storage of CDs which usually include a housing having an internal chamber divided by partition or division ribs into various slots for insertion of the CDs.

The present invention provides a rack for storing compact disc boxes comprising top and bottom walls having channels on the inner surfaces thereof for allowing said boxes to be inserted into the rack by sliding them horizontally and rearwardly and for supporting the boxes vertically when so inserted; each channel having respective actuating means operable to eject at least partly the box from the rack when actuated and otherwise to prevent said box from falling out of the rack.

By means of the invention, a problem of prior art cabinets or racks, that of the difficulty in attempting to remove a selected CD from a rack of closely spaced CD's, is at least partly solved, with the actuating means of the invention acting to eject the CD from the slot when actuated as well as serving to prevent CD's from sliding through and dropping from the front and rear of the rack and ensuring that the CD's are stored at the same depth in the rack ie. in an orderly fashion.

The actuating means is preferably a resiliently flexible strip projecting from the bottom wall into the channel which, when the box is fully inserted, applies a force on the box forwardly against the direction of insertion, the rack further comprising a releasable projection which engages the front edge of the box. Thus the user needs merely to lower the projection to remove the box at which time the box is forced out by the spring action of the strip. Because the box is held by the projection on its front edge, it cannot fall out of the front of the rack when the catch is engaged.

The CD rack of the invention has a further advantage in that it is easy to manufacture and assemble, conveniently without the use of any rivets or screws.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 is a perspective exploded view of a rack which is a first embodiment of the invention; Fig. 2 is a sectional schematic view, illustrating the insertion of a CD into the rack of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a sectional schematic view, illustrating the release of a CD from the rack of Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is another sectional schematic view, illustrating the internal structure of the rack of Fig. 1; Fig. 5 is a front schematic view of the front portion of the division plate assembly of Fig. 1; Fig. 6 is a perspective schematic view, illustrating the connection of the division plate assembly with the spring plate assembly in Fig. 1; and Fig. 7 is a perspective schematic view of a division plate assembly which is part of a second embodiment of the invention.

With reference to Fig. 1, there is shown a CD rack constructed according to the present invention, which includes a bottom tray 1, a division plate assembly 2, a spring plate assembly 3, and a casing 4.

The bottom tray 1 is rectangular and forms a base for the rack. It includes a front wall 101 which is shorter than the three remaining walls. A plurality of projections 102 and 103 are symmetrically formed on the inner wall surface of both lateral side walls of the bottom tray 1, while a plurality of projections 104 are respectively formed on the outer wall surface of the two lateral side walls and the back wall of the bottom tray 1.

The back wall of the bottom tray 1 also carries a plurality of projections formed thereon on its inner surface. A pair of rectangular retainer holes 106 are present on the inner surface of the floor of the bottom tray 1.

The division plate assembly 2 acts as a bottom wall of the rack and includes partitions extending from both surfaces of the plate and perpendicularly to the plate, which form a plurality of channels 201 on the top and bottom surfaces of the plate. The plate 1 slopes downwardly at the front end of each channel and ends with a respective press control portion 202, there being a projection 203 from the floor of each channel which prevents removal of a CD by abutting the front edge of the CD when inserted. Depression of the press control portion 202 of the channel bends the front floor of the channel downwardly, lowering the projection 203. When the division plate assembly 2 is mounted on the bottom tray 1, it is supported by the projectiona 102 and 105 and firmly retained by the projections 103.

During the assembly process, before the division plate assembly 2 is mounted on the bottom tray 1, a spring plate assembly 3 comprising a base and a plurality of forwardly sloping resiliently flexible strips formed from he base is positioned so that each strip projects through a respective hole 205 in the floor of the rear of the channel. The base of the spring plate assembly is fixed to the underside of the division plate assembly 2 by means of a heat sealing process (as shown in Fig. 6).

The casing 4 of the rack has a plurality of retaining holes 401 made on the three side walls to engage the projections 104 of the side walls of the bottom tray 1 and a plurality of channels 402 formed on the inside of the top surface which are in register with the channels 201 of the division plate assembly 2. As soon as the spring plate assembly 3 is positioned and fixed on the division plate assembly 2 and the latter mounted on the bottom tray 1, the casing 4 is then mounted on the bottom tray 1 to complete the rack.

With reference to Figs. 2 and 3, the division plate assembly 2 also carries on its lower surface, retaining hooks 204. During assembly, the division plate assembly 2 is mounted on the bottom tray 1 so as to be supported by the projections 102 and 105 therein and firmly retained by the projections 103, the two retaining hooks 204 of the division plate assembly 2 engage the tray 1 by insertion into the rectangular retaining holes 106 of the bottom tray 1, to prevent the division plate assembly 2 from breaking away.

With reference to Fig. 4, when assembled, the projections 104 on the outside of the rear wall of the bottom tray I are inserted into the retaining holes 401 of the casing 4 to ensure that the casing 4 and the bottom tray 1 are firmly fixed together, and that the channels 402 of the casing 4 are in register with the channels 201 of the division plate assembly 2.

Fig. 5 shows detail of the front region of the channel. The front region is bounded by slots in the plate 2 which allow the front region, and the projection 203 on that region, to be lowered when the press 1 control portion 202 is depressed by the operator. Therefore, with a CD present in the rack when the corresponding press control portion 202 of a channel 201 is pressed down the projection 203 is lowered, and the corresponding spring element of the spring plate assembly 3 will push the CD outwardly by means of its spring force.

As an alternative, a CD rack may comprise a bottom tray 1, a division plate assembly 2 and a casing 4, in which the bottom tray 1 and the casing 4 have the same structure as described above. With reference to Fig. 7, the embodiment differs in that the division plate assembly 2 itself carries a plurality of resilient flexible strips formed integrally with the channels 201 and then produced by means of a punching process when forming the rectangular holes 205 in the plate 2. By means of this arrangement, the need for the spring plate assembly 3 of the first embodiment is eliminated, and this reduces material consumption and labour costs.

The advantage of the racks as described are that they overcome the problems of prior art racks ie. (i) that the CD's are difficult to remove when there is only a small gap between adjacent CD's; (ii) that the CD's can drop out of the front or the rear of the rack; and (iii) that the CD's would be all at different depths inside the racks and disordered.

Claims (9)

1. A rack for storing compact disc boxes comprising top and bottom walls having channels on the inner surfaces thereof for allowing said boxes to be inserted into the rack by sliding them horizontally and rearwardly and for supporting the boxes vertically when so inserted; each channel having respective actuating means operable to eject at least partly the box from the rack when actuated and otherwise to prevent said box from falling out of the rack.

2. A rack according to claim 1 wherein each actuating means comprises spring means in the rear of the channel acting on the rear edge of said box to urge the box forwardly along the channel, and a projection on the inside of the bottom wall in a front region of the channel which in one condition engages the front edge of the box to prevent forward movement thereof, and in another condition is lowered so as to release the box for forward movement.

3. A rack according to claim 2 wherein the spring means comprises a resiliently flexible strip extending from the bottom wall and angled forwardly so as to be in tension when the box is fully inserted.

4. A rack according to claim 3 wherein the strips are formed on a plate which is fixed to the underside of the bottom wall, the strips projecting upwardly through a hole in the bottom wall.

5. A rack according to claim 3 wherein the strips are formed by punching upwardly parts of the bottom wall.

6. A rack according to any one of claims 2 to 4 wherein the front region of the channel comprises a downwardly sloping region adjacent or at the forward end, slots in the bottom wall on either side of and parallel to the channel to allow the front region to be lowered by finger pressure on the downwardly sloping region, thereby to lower the projection on the front region.

7. A rack for storing compact disc boxes including: a bottom tray having a rectangular configuration a plurality of projections symmetrically carried on the inner wall surface of both lateral side walls of the tray, a plurality of projections carried on the outer wall surface of the two lateral side walls and the back wall, a plurality of projections on the inner surface of the back wall, and one or more rectangular retainer holes on the top surfaces of the floor of the tray;; a division plate assembly on said tray being a plate having a plurality of channels on the top surface as well as the bottom surface thereof adapted to receive CD's, the channels each having a front region which comprises a downwardly sloping region and bears a projection on the top surface of the front region for engaging an edge of a CD inserted into the channel, the front region being bounded by slots in the plate parallel to the channel to permit pressing down of the front region, an elongate rectangular hole in the plate at the rear end thereof, and one or more retainer hook means on the lower surface of the plates engaging said retainer holes of said bottom tray; a spring plate assembly having a plurality of spring elements, each element protruding through said hole in the plate into a respective channel of the division plate assembly;; a casing having a plurality of retaining holes made on the three side walls engaging with said projections of the side walls of said bottom tray, a plurality of channels on the inside of the top wall of the casing in register with the channels of the division plate assembly, wherein said division plate assembly is coupled with said spring plate assembly and mounted on said bottom tray being supported by and retained by said inner surface projections; and wherein the projection on the front region of each channel of said division plate assembly acts to prevent the CD from dropping out when a CD is inserted therein, and wherein the front region of each channel of said division plate assembly may be pressed down to lower the associated projection so as to let the CD which is inserted therein be ejected outward by the corresponding spring element of said spring plate assembly.

8. A CD rack for compact disc boxes including a bottom tray fixed to a division plate assembly and covered with a casing, wherein the division plate assembly includes a plate having thereon a plurality of channels adapted for receiving said boxes, said channels each having a front region with a projection on the top surface thereof and having a rectangular spring plate on a rear part thereof which is made by means of punching the plate.

9. A rack for storing compact disc boxes substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.