GB2360030A

GB2360030A - CD or DVD package

Info

Publication number: GB2360030A
Application number: GB0005903A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Yousaf Zahir Azhar Qureshi
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2000-03-10
Filing date: 2000-03-10
Publication date: 2001-09-12
Also published as: GB2360030A8; GB0005903D0

Abstract

A cd/dvd package consists of a planar cover 1 and base 2. The cover is secured by holding mechanisms 3 located near each corner of the base extending inward from a raised edge 4 and integrated into it. The cover slides off aided by indentations 5 inset into the base. The compact disc is held in place by a button 6 integrated into the base. It is extracted by placing the thumb upon it and middle finger into an extraction space 7. The cover contains all necessary information 8 needed to identify the product integrated onto it on one or both sides. This includes a barcode 9 and any tracklistings. The cover 1 may be displayed in a shop while the base 2 is retained in a storage bay.

Description

2360030 1 CD OR DVD PACKAGE This invention relates to compact disc or

digital video disc package Conventional compact disc (CD) packaging is well known in many guises. The most common forms are the Jewel Case, Long Box, DigiPack & "Gift Box.

Jewel Cases are accepted as the standard form, and consist of a case hinged at the middle. One side contains the disc in a removable tray, while the other contains a cover sleeve & booklet. The case opens & closes like a book. Longboxes are long rectangular boxes that house a plastic tray containing a cd and accompanying booklet. DigiPaks are similar to jewel cases with a non removable tray housing a ed with a card board back & cover. The cover folds over the tray like a book to close the item. The last common form of cd packaging is the "Gift Box." This consists of two open boxes joined at one side, that fold over each other to form a solid enclosed box. In one lies a non removable tray that contains a cd and space above it to fit a booklet.

However, conventional packaging is ill suited to the retail enviroment, and presents problems in display, storage, packing, handling & durability. A lack of standard size presents problems in display and storage. As shelving units related to these two areas are designed around jewel case dimensions, those forms of packaging that do not conform take up uneccesary space and set limits on the stock available & purchasable at both ends. The use of perishable materials such as cardboard & acrylic result in excessive damage through handling & accidents such as dropping. The securing mechanisms on cd cases break easily. Known as collets, they take the form of teeth arranged inwards into a circle and act as a spring to hold a cd in tension. Being made of brittle plastics they are rigid, and as each component is small - they are fragile in addition. The slightest touch renders them broken.

Both cd packaging and retail enviroment are at opposite ends. The latter demands the cd to be separated from its case. The cd is placed in a plastic sleeve, and filed in storage bays behind the counter. The case is displayed in shelves on the shop floor. As the sale proceeds, the case is taken from its shelf and brought to the counter. Its relevant disc is located, withdrawn from storage and placed inside its case. The article is then scanned, details transferred into the till & sold.

2 The impractical design of these items makes packing & handling cumbersome. Contents are damaged through consistent use and dropped when processing sales during busy periods. This leads to a large amount of stock being written off. Conventional CD packaging is not efficient in a fast moving retail enviroment.

3 According to the present invention, there is provided a compact disc or digital video disc package comprising a base for the housing of the CD or DVD, a flat planar cover for the base, and a means for retaining the cover on the base, whereby the cover is slidably removable from the base. The means of securing the cover to the base exist as inward projections from a raised edge. The cdldvd itself is secured by a solid unit integrated into the base. Indentations exist on the base on at least one open end, to aid the removal of the cover The means to extract the cd uses a minimum of one solid circular indentation around the area in which the cd is contained. The details of content displayed on the cover is integrated onto one or both sides and the invention itself, can be stored and displayed in part or entire within the retail space.

According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a cdldvd package comprising a base having a securing means, a release means, the securing means comprising a solid raised circular projection. The release means may comprise one or more recesses formed in the tray.

A specific embodiment of the invention will be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 shows the cd/dvd package in perspective Fig.2 shows the separation of cover from its base Fig.3 shows the plan elevation of the base Fig.4 shows the plan & underneath elevations of the cover Fig.5 shows the cover on display on the shop floor Fig.6 shows the base in storage behind the shop counter 4 Referring to the drawing in Fig. 1, the cd/dvd package comprises of a planar cover 1 secured to a base 2 by holding mechanisms 3 (Fig.2) that enable it to slide off. The holding mechanisms 3 are tab like strips of plastic that extend inward from a raised edge 4 to hold the cover down. Their purpose is to facilitate the quick removal of the cover by sliding, yet exert enough pressure down to hold the cover to its base. The holding mechanisms are located near each corner of the base, but could exist as one continuous mechanism running along the raised edge. In this way, they would be two long tabs on either side of the base securing the cover in place. In order to remove the cover from the base as described in Fig.2, the cover is pushed with the aid of indentations 5 (Fig.3) inset at both open ends of the base that enable a means of grip, and assist in its removal. The cdldvd is held in a depression cast into the base by a button 6 (Fig.2) which economises on any moving parts (and hence breakage) by being solid and integrated into the construction of the base. Existing means to secure cdldvd's use a spring like mechanism that holds the disc in tension. In the embodiment, the button together with the depression cast into the base together hold the disc in place. This is accomplished by reducing the space (in comaprison to prior art) both inside and outside the disc to the extent that it has difficulty moving, yet be easily extracted.

A disc needs a certain amount of space to fall out. The disc in its base when inverted, would incline to tilt about its centre, before falling out. By reducing this distance, in comparison to prior art; the process of tilting is retarded inside and outside the disc, and it is thus held in place.

This solution also lends itself well to the means by which it could be manufactered. The button could alternatively be replaced by spring like mechanisms that exist in conventional cd/dvd packaging, and fit in with existing manufacturing processes. The cd/dvd is extracted (Fig.3) by placing the thumb on the button and middle finger in the extraction spaces 7 to scoop the item out. The extraction spaces are solid circular indentations located around the cd/dvd and enable the finger to grip the disc around its edge, to thus scoop it out. The cdldvd is replaced by placing it over the button and pushing it down. The cover is placed in between the holding mechanisms at either end and when pushed, slides back into place. The details of the contents (Fig.4) of the cd are integrated onto the surface of the cover 8 on both plan & underneath sides.

They contain all necessary information needed to identify the content of the cd - such as name of artist/group, title of work, distributor of work, artwork, and a barcode 9 to assist in the scanning operation during the process of sale. This is repeated on the underneath side of the cover, where further details of content 10 can include track listing 11, secondary artwork, artistic, commercial or legal declarations. Silk screen printing or vinyl transfer could be processes used to integrate the details of content onto the cover. Both are standards within the music industry that use these manufacturing methods to imprint artwork upon compact discs & packaging. The cover is displayed on shelves upon the shop floor as seen in Fig.5. The thickness of the cover being approximately 113rd that of conventional jewel case packaging enables 3 times the volume of merchandise to be displayed upon the shop floor. It is lifted out and taken to the counter. The requisite base is located from its place in the storage bay (Fig.6) behind the counter and taken out. The two items are put together, scanned and sold. The invention could be manufactered through an injection moulding process and made out of plastics such as High Impact Polystyrene (HIPS) or Polypropylene. These materials would be more durable than the industry standard acrylic due to their softer and more flexible nature, and hence endure more wear & tear through use or accidents caused by dropping. Although the invention has been based been designed primarily as compact disc packaging, it is well suited to emerging technology of digital video disc (DVD). DVI) contains video & multimedia content on 2 compact like discs welded back to back, that is housed in a plastic book like casing. The invention in this regard would suit the format well, particularly when hardware or software compression technology that has allowed video & multimedia content to be compressed upon two discs develops to the extent when the same amount of data can be compressed onto one single disc.

6

Claims

1. A compact disc or digital video disc package comprising a base for the housing of the CD or DVD, a flat planar cover for the base, and a means for retaining the cover on the base, whereby the cover is slidably removable from the base.

2. A compact disc or digital video disc package as claimed in Claim 1 where the means of securing the cover to the base exist as inward projections from a raised edge.

3. A compact disc or digital video disc package as claimed in Claim 1 where the means to secure the cd/dvd is one solid unit integrated into the base.

4. A compact disc or digital video disc package as claimed in Claim 1 where on at least one open end, indentations exist to aid the removal of the cover

5. A compact disc or digital video disc package as claimed in Claim 1 where the means to extract the ed uses a minimum of one solid circular indentation around the area in which the cd. is contained.

6. A compact disc or digital video disc package as claimed in Claim 1 where the details of content displayed on the cover is integrated onto one or both sides.

7. A compact disc or digital video disc package as claimed in Claim 1 that is stored and displayed in part or entire within the retail space.

8. A cdldvd packaging substantially as described herein with reference to Figures 1-6 of the accompanying drawings.