GB2456568A

GB2456568A - Wall-mounting device for CDs cases or similar

Info

Publication number: GB2456568A
Application number: GB0800986A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Samuel Nicholas Jones
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2008-01-19
Filing date: 2008-01-19
Publication date: 2009-07-22
Also published as: GB0800986D0

Abstract

A device 30 for supporting at least two flat rectangular objects 32 against a wall having a rear planar wall (2, Figure 2e). Slots 12, 14 are defined in the upper two quadrants of the device 30 for receiving part of a flat rectangular object such as a CD case. The device is preferably attached to the wall by a double sided sticky pad (24, Figure 2f) or other conventional means. A CD case may be lowered into a pair of mounting devices 30 so the lower left and right corners enter the slots 12, 14. A third device 30 may then be attached to the wall above the CD case and lower face 20 may receive a top corner or an edge along an engagement face (18, Figure 2c). Slots 12, 14 may be wider than the thickness of object 32 so object 32 may be pivoted about its lower edge.

Description

2456568

TITLE

Wall-mounting device for compact disc cases

DESCRIPTION 5 Technical field

The invention relates to the mounting of multiple generally flat, rectangular articles to a wall or other vertical surface so that the articles are clearly visible when mounted and can be easily removed for use. A typical application is to mount an array of compact disc (CD) cases in such a way that the covers form an attractive display. The 10 display may be for retail applications or for personal use.

Although in this specification the articles to be mounted on a wall are generally referred to as CD cases, clearly the invention can be suitably scaled for use with other audiovisual and data storage media such as DVDs and cassette tapes, or for any other 15 similarly shaped articles having a generally uniform size, for example a set of books.

Background of the invention

CDs and DVDs carrying music, films or game software are often attractively packaged but conventional ways of storing them typically involve stacking the cases 20 either vertically or along a shelf, with the result that their covers are hidden from view. Because the cases are quite thin, the information printed on their spines can be difficult to read, making it hard to identify a disc that may be desired for use. There exists a need to display the cases with their covers visible, which may make an attractive decoration in either a domestic or a retail environment and may allow a 25 desired disc to be easily selected for use or purchase. It must be easy to add the discs to the display and to remove them from it.

There have been prior attempts to provide such a wall-mounted display for CD cases. One consists of an array of transparent plastic pouches into which the cases can be 30 inserted. However, the array is of a fixed size, which may not suit all applications, and the pouches can distort the appearance of the CD cases and become unsightly, especially if they trap dust. Another suggestion is disclosed in patent US 5603415,

which builds up an array from a set of identical modular units, each of which is slightly larger than a CD case and consists of a complex moulding, together with separate connecting pieces. A simpler solution would be desirable.

Summary of the invention

The invention provides a device for supporting at least two flat, rectangular objects against a wall as defined in claim 1. Preferred but non-essential features of the invention are defined in the dependent claims.

As will be described below, the claimed device is cheap and simple to manufacture and it is easy to use. It allows an array of CD cases of any desired size to be built and it permits some freedom regarding their layout. The device lends itself to being customized with different colours and decorations, which would make it suitable as a promotional item for use by the music and other industries.

In this specification, terms indicating orientation such as "upper", "lower", "left" and "right" are intended only to indicate the relative positions of parts of the device with reference to its orientation in normal use. Clearly, the device may be manufactured and sold in any orientation. It may also be used in an inverted orientation, as described below with reference to the illustrated embodiment of the invention.

The drawings

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a wall-mounting device according to the invention. Fig. 2a is a front view of the device of Fig. 1, showing part of a CD case mounted therein.

Fig. 2b is a cross-section on the centreline of the device of Fig. 1, viewd from the right side.

Fig. 2c is a left side view of the device of Fig. 1, showing part of a CD case mounted therein.

Fig. 2d is a top plan view of the device of Fig. 1.

Fig. 2e is a bottom plan view of the device of Fig. 1.

Fig. 2a is a rear view of the device of Fig. 1.

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Fig. 3 is a schematic view of an array of CD cases mounted on a wall using the devices of the present invention.

Description of preferred embodiments of the invention 5 Figures 1 and 2 illustrate a wall-mounting device that has a circular back plate 2. In front of the top half of the back plate 2 is supported a generally semi-circular front plate 4. Considering the circular shape of the device as a compass dial, with north at the top, the front plate 4 is supported relative to the back plate 2 by forwardly projecting struts 6,8,10 at the north, east and west cardinal points. There is a void 10 behind the front plate 4. The front plate 4, back plate 2, top strut 6 and right strut 8 define between them a slot 12 opening into the void at the upper right (north-east) quadrant of the device. The front plate 4, back plate 2, top strut 6 and left strut 10 define between them a slot 14 opening into the void at the upper left (north-west) quadrant of the device.

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The word "slot" is used to indicate an aperture defined between two generally parallel planes (in this case, the front face of the back plate 2 and the back face of the front plate 4) so as to indicate a preferred orientation of a generally flat object that is inserted into the slot. As will be apparent from the illustrated example, it is not 20 necessary that the mouth of the slot should be rectangular.

In the illustrated embodiment of the invention, the left and right struts 8,10 are joined by a horizontal bar 16, which extends across the width of the device and presents a downwardly facing engagement surface 18 adjacent to a front surface 20 of the lower 25 half of the back plate 2.

As may be seen in Figs. 2b and 2f, in order to reduce the volume of material required to manufacture the device, the struts 6,8,10 and the back plate 2 are made hollow, leaving a planar, annular, rear-facing rim 22 around the edge of the back plate 2 that 30 can rest against a wall (not illustrated). The device is preferably attached to the wall by a double-sided sticky pad 24, shown in Fig. 2f, but any other suitable adhesive or mechanical fixing may be employed instead.

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In the illustrated device, the struts 6,8,10 are curved inwards, so that the diameter of the semi-circular front plate 4 is smaller than that of the back plate 2. A corresponding semi-circular aperture in the back plate 2 allows access to the rear of 5 the front plate 4 so that the device can be manufactured simply and cheaply in a two-part mould. Suitable materials for this embodiment of the invention include high-impact polystyrene, polystyrene and other plastics but devices working in the same way could be fabricated from metal, wood or other materials.

10 The device can be made from materials in any desired colour and the surface can be decorated in any fashion by printing, painting, the application of transfers or other means. The flat, front plate 4 will be visible when the device is in use and lends itself to the display of logos and symbols, so the device can readily be customized and used as a promotional item.

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Fig. 3 shows a sample layout of an array of devices 30 according to the invention, when used to mount a display of CD cases 32 on a wall. For simplicity, Fig. 3 does not show the front plate 4 of each device 30, which in practice would obscure the two lower corners of each CD case 32 as seen in Fig. 2a but typically would not obscure 20 any significant part of the cover image.

A CD case 32 is inserted into the display by placing it generally parallel to the wall, aligned just above a pair of the mounting devices 30, then lowering the CD case 32 so that its lower left and lower right corners enter the upper right and upper left slots 25 12,14 respectively of the pair of devices 30, as shown in Fig. 2a. When the lower edge of the CD case 32 is resting on the right and left struts 8,10 of the respective devices 30, the upper edge of the CD case 32 can be pushed towards the wall to pivot the case slightly about its lower edge until the back of the CD case comes to rest against the front surface 20 of one or more further devices 30. This lodges the upper 30 edge of the CD case 32 beneath the overhanging engagement surface(s) 18 of the further device(s). The engagement surface 18 may be shaped so as to help retain the upper edge of the CD case 32 in position or, by careful spacing of the devices on the

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wall, a press fit can be achieved. The CD case 32 is removed from the display by reversing the process.

Fig. 2c shows that the slot 12,14 is slightly wider than the thickness of the CD case 32 5 to allow a certain amount of play, which allows the CD case 32 to be pivoted about its lower edge as just described. The degree of pivot is also dependent upon the extent of the front plate 4. Both the width of the slots 12,14 and the size and shape of the front plate 4 should be chosen for a balance between safely retaining the CD case in the device and allowing its easy insertion and removal when desired. The slots 12,14 of 10 the devices may be configured to encourage the CD case to lean back against the wall, so that it will not naturally pivot forwards until desired to do so.

The top strut 6 acts as a stop between the two slots 12,14 of the device, which prevents adjacent CD cases from coming into contact with one another and prevents 15 the whole row of cases being pushed along.

The array of devices 30 can be built up on the wall by using a CD case 32 as a template. If two devices are fitted to the lower corners of the CD case and the assembly is pressed against the wall, they will be correctly spaced horizontally. A 20 further device can then be engaged with the top edge of the CD case and pivoted to press against the wall, so that it is correctly spaced vertically. The further device can be engaged at any point along the top edge of the CD case to define the horizontal offset of the next row of cases in the display, e.g. one vertically above the other as in the top two rows of Fig. 3, or offset by half the width of the case as in the bottom two 25 rows of Fig. 3.

The device of the invention can be varied in many ways from the illustrated embodiment. Although CD cases have a standard height and width, their thickness can vary, especially if they store more than one disc. The width of the slots of the 30 devices can be changed to accommodate this or to accommodate articles other than CD cases.

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The shape of the device can be widely varied, while retaining the same functionality. The back plate 2 and the front plate 4 of the devices need not be circular. The back plate 2 can be almost any shape provided that it has a planar rear surface 22 or a set of feet that allow it to rest stably against a wall. Some variation of the size and shape of 5 the front plate 4 has already been discussed. Further, it need not be plate-like in shape: much of the illustrated front plate 4 could be cut away to leave a pair of hooks that would serve the purpose of retaining the CD case behind them.

The horizontal bar 16 is optional. Instead of an engaging surface 18 extending 10 continuously across the width of the device, its function could be served by downwardly facing surfaces of the respective left and right struts 8,10 alone. In a further variant, a fourth strut could be provided at the bottom of the device to divide it into four quadrants. This would better define the location of the upper corners of the CD cases but would prevent successive rows being offset as shown in the lower part 15 of Fig. 3. It should be noted that the upper and lower halves of the device could not be made completely symmetrical because if the front plate 4 were to project across the lower left and right quadrants too, then all four corners of each space in the display would be obscured and it would not be possible to insert a CD case.

20 As previously noted, it would be possible to use the illustrated devices 30 in an inverted orientation, whereby the CD cases 32 would be inserted into the display by inserting their upper corners into the slots 12,14 of the devices, then pivoting their lower edges towards the wall to rest on the now upwardly facing engagement surfaces 18. This might have the advantage of helping to hold those free edges of the CD case 25 in place on the engagement surfaces 18 by friction, without the need for such precise vertical spacing between the devices.

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Claims

1. A device for supporting at least two flat, rectangular objects against a wall, the device comprising:

one or more members defining a rear plane of the device for mounting against 5 the wall;

a first slot formed in an upper left quadrant of the device and a second slot formed in an upper right quadrant of the device, each slot being oriented such that a lower comer of a flat, rectangular object arranged parallel to the rear plane of the device can be inserted into the slot along a direction generally parallel to the rear 10 plane.

2. A device according to claim 1, further comprising a stop between the first slot and the second slot to prevent contact between two objects that are located in the respective slots.

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3. A device according to claim 1 or claim 2, further comprising a support surface below each of the first and second slots, upon which a lower edge of an object located in the slot can rest.

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4. A device according to any preceding claim, further comprising a front plate generally parallel to the rear plane of the device, the front plate forming a front wall of each slot.

5. A device according to any preceding claim, wherein the member defining the 25 rear plane of the device is a back plate having a rearwardly facing planar surface.

6. A device according to claim 5, wherein the back plate forms a rear wall of each slot.

30

7. A device according to claim 5 or claim 6, wherein the back plate extends into a lower left quadrant and a lower right quadrant of the device to provide rear support for an upper part of at least one further flat, rectangular object.

8. A device according to claim 7, further comprising a bar that extends across the device below the first and second slots for locating an upper edge of the at least one further object.

9. A device substantially as described herein with reference to the drawings.