US20040089568A1

US20040089568A1 - Folded disk holder

Info

Publication number: US20040089568A1
Application number: US10/292,390
Authority: US
Inventors: Brian Bagdonas
Original assignee: STUMPTOWN PRINTERS
Current assignee: STUMPTOWN PRINTERS
Priority date: 2002-11-11
Filing date: 2002-11-11
Publication date: 2004-05-13

Abstract

The invention includes a disk holder made of a single piece of foldable material folded to form a disk receiving sleeve. The disk holder also has an integrated disk protection structure included in the disk receiving sleeve, where the integrated disk protecting structure is also formed from the single piece of foldable material. As a result, a disk holder formed without adhesives that also includes an integrated disk protection structure is facilitated.

Description

FIELD OF INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to the field holders for disks. More particularly, the invention relates to a folded disk holder that can be formed without adhesives that also includes an integrated disk protection structure.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

A common form of media for storing information, such as music, data, movies, and so forth, is a disc. In particular, advances in information storage have resulted in storing the information on an optical disc. An optical disk includes various formats and form factors such as compact disc (CD), mini-compact disc (mini-CD), digital versatile disc (DVD), and so forth. In order to store the disc, various disc holders are available.

For example, one common disc holder is a thin plastic rectangular case referred to as a jewel case. Often times, the jewel case has two plastic parts that are hinged together, where one part holds the disc while the other part functions as a hinged cover. Because the jewel case is made of rigid plastic, the disc is well protected. However, because the jewel case is made of rigid plastic, often times, the jewel cases are brittle and susceptible to breakage, in particular, the location of where the two plastic parts are hinged together. Additionally, because the jewel cases are made of rigid plastic, costs associated with each jewel case are relatively high even when compared to the costs associated with the disc. Moreover, as people become increasingly conscientious of environmental concerns, the use of plastic is not considered environmentally sound.

In order to address some of the drawbacks with plastic jewel cases, fiber based disc holders are being utilized such as paper disc holders. However, known fiber based disc holders have several disadvantages. One disadvantage is that the fiber based disc holders often times require some form of adhesive such as glues. Use of adhesives is not considered environmentally sound, and commonly adds additional complexity to the manufacturing process that results in increased costs. Another disadvantage is that fiber based disc holders often lack structures integrated into the fiber based disc holder to facilitate protection of the disc. For example, the fiber based disc holder may hold the disc within a pocket without having any protective structures whereby the disc may move freely about the pocket increasing the chances of damaging the information stored on the disc. Another example, may be where the fiber based disc holder has an insert that provides some form of protection to the disc, but having the insert often requires that the fiber based disc holder have various separate pieces adding to the complexity and costs to the fiber based disc holder (i.e., various pieces of fiber based material are required to be stamped out).

Thus, typical prior art disc holder approaches such as plastic jewel cases, fiber based disc holders, and the like are relatively costly, environmentally unsound, complex to manufacture, and may not provide the desired structural protection.

Accordingly, a need exists for a disc holder that addresses at least some of the previously described disadvantages of prior art disc holders.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

The present invention will be described by way of exemplary embodiments, but not limitations, illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which like references denote similar elements, and in which: [0007]
FIG. 1 illustrates a disk holder made of a single piece of foldable material having an integrated disk protection structure, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention; [0008]
FIG. 2 illustrates a single piece of foldable material that forms a disk holder, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention; [0009]
FIGS. [0010] 3A-3D illustrate sequential views of the process by which a disk holder is formed from a single piece of foldable material, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 4 illustrates a single piece of foldable material that forms a disk holder, in accordance with an alternate embodiment of the present invention; and [0011]
FIGS. [0012] 5A-5B illustrate sequential views of the process by which a disk holder is formed from a single piece of foldable material, in accordance with an alternate embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

In the following description, various aspects of the invention will be described. However, one skilled in the relevant art will recognize that the invention may be practiced without one or more of the specific details, or with other methods, materials, components, etc. In other instances, well-known structures, materials, or operations are not shown or described in detail to avoid obscuring aspects of various embodiments of the invention. Similarly, for purposes of explanation, specific numbers, materials and configurations are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the invention. Furthermore, it is understood that the various embodiments shown in the figures are illustrative representations and are not necessarily drawn to scale. [0013]
Reference throughout this specification to “one embodiment” or “an embodiment” means that a particular feature, structure, material, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the invention. Thus, the appearances of the phrases “in one embodiment” or “in an embodiment” in various places throughout this specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment or invention. Furthermore, the particular features, structures, materials, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments. [0014]
Further, in the description to follow, unless specifically stated to the contrary, the term disc includes any form of thin media that may be utilized to store information such as, but not limited to, compact disc (CD), digital versatile disc (DVD), and the like, and does not necessarily need to be circular. Similarly, unless specifically stated otherwise, the term foldable material includes any type of foldable material such as, but not limited to, fiber based materials (e.g., paper, corrugated cardboard, fabric type materials, and the like. Additionally, foldable material may also include non-fiber based materials such as, but not limited to, synthetic materials (e.g., plastics, Mylar, polypropylene, and the like). [0015]
the term fiber based material includes any type of fiber based materials such as, but not limited to, paper, corrugated cardboard, fabric type materials, and the like. [0016]
In various embodiments of the invention, a disk holder formed without adhesives that also includes an integrated disk protection structure is described. This and other advantages will be evident from the disclosure. [0017]
FIG. 1 illustrates a disk holder made of a single piece of foldable material having an integrated disk protection structure, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. Shown in FIG. 1 is a [0018] disk holder 100 having a disk holder closing flap 102 in an opened condition to show a disk 104. In particular, the disk 104 is shown within a disk receiving sleeve 106. Disk receiving sleeve 106 has an integrated disk protection structure 108 that facilitates protection of the disk 104 from various harmful mechanical effects such as, but not limited to, movement, impact, and the like. Additionally, the disk receiving sleeve 106 has an integrated disk access area 110, and disk holder closing slot 112.
As will be described in further detail, [0019] disk holder 100 is made of a single piece of foldable material 200 (shown in FIG. 2). The single piece of foldable material 200 is folded to form the disk receiving sleeve 106 and the integrated disk protection structure 108, in accordance with various embodiments of the present invention. The disk receiving sleeve 106 and the integrated disk protection structure 108 are formed from the single piece of foldable material 200 without requiring adhesives.
The single piece of [0020] foldable material 200 may be of any type of foldable material, preferably, environmentally sound material. For example, single piece of foldable material 200 may be fiber based material as, but not limited to, recyclable fiber based material (e.g., recyclable paper).
FIG. 2 illustrates a single piece of foldable material that forms a disk holder, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 2, disk holder [0021] 100 (shown in FIG. 1) is shown in an unfolded condition. That is, disk holder 100 is shown as a single piece of foldable material 200. As will be described in further detail, the single piece of foldable material 200 shown in FIG. 2 forms the disk holder 100 having the integrated protection structure 108 (shown in FIG. 1) without adhesives.
Continuing to refer to FIG. 2, as shown, the single piece of [0022] foldable material 200 is substantially rectangular in shape, and is defined by a vertical axis 202 and a horizontal axis 204. It should be appreciated that the vertical and horizontal axis 202 & 204 are shown only for the purposes of describing the invention.
Illustrated in FIG. 2, the single piece of [0023] foldable material 200 has a first end section 210, a middle section 220, and a second end section 230. Located between the first end section 210 and the middle section 220 is a first rectangular fold area 205 parallel to the horizontal axis 204. Additionally, located between the middle section 220 and the second end section 230 is a second rectangular fold area 206 parallel to the horizontal axis. As will be described in further detail, the first and second rectangular fold areas 205-206 aide in the formation of the disk holder 100 from the single piece of foldable material 200.
The [0024] first end section 210 has a tab 211 extending away from the middle section 220 along the vertical axis 202. The first end section 210 and the tab 211 may be folded along the first rectangular fold area 205 to form the disk holder closing flap 102, thereby facilitating closing of the disk holder 100.
The [0025] middle section 220 has a first flap 221 and a second flap 222 on opposite sides of the middle section 220. Located between the first flap 221 and the middle section 220 is a third rectangular fold area 207 parallel to the vertical axis 202. Located between the second flap 222 and the middle section 220 is a fourth rectangular fold area 208 also parallel to the vertical axis 202. The flaps 221-222 folded along the third and fourth rectangular fold areas 207-208 facilitate formation of the disk receiving sleeve 106, in particular, formation of the sides of the disk receiving sleeve 106. Additionally, the first flap and the second flap 221-222 each have a slit 223 located as shown. The slits 223 also facilitate formation of the disk receiving sleeve 106, in particular, the bottom of the disk receiving sleeve 106.
The [0026] second end section 230 has a slot 231 parallel to the horizontal axis, two locking tabs 232, a substantially circular hole 233, and a fold line 234 as shown. Illustrated in FIG. 2, the fold line 234 is parallel to the horizontal axis and bi-sects the substantially circular hole 233.
The [0027] second end section 230 may be folded along the fold line resulting in a folded section 235. Briefly referring back to FIG. 1, the disk receiving sleeve 106 has the folded section 235 in contact with the disk 104 within the disk receiving sleeve 106. That is, the folded section 235 presses up against the disk 104 and provides protection for the disk 104 from various harmful mechanical effects, such as, but not limited to, movement, impact, and the like. Accordingly, in FIG. 2, the fold line 234 facilitates formation of the integrated disk protection structure 108.
In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 2, the [0028] slot 231 facilitates closing of the disk holder 100 by receiving the tab 211 once the disk holder closing flap 102 is in the closed position. That is, referring briefly back to FIG. 1, the slot 231 forms the disk holder closing slot 112. The substantially circular hole 233 facilitates ease of use by forming the disk access area 110 in the proximity of a center hole of the disk 104 (not shown).
FIGS. [0029] 3A-3D illustrate sequential views of the process by which a disk holder is formed from a single piece of foldable material 200, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.
In the preferred embodiment illustrated in FIGS. [0030] 1-3D, in particular, referring to FIG. 3C, the first flap 221 and the second flap 222 are interleaved with the folded section 235 during the formation of the sleeve 106. Then, referring to FIG. 3D, locking tabs 232 with one way hooks lock the formed sleeve 106. This was found empirically to be advantageous in order to keep the disk holder 100 from coming apart, and to facilitate contact of the integrated protection structure 108 with the disk 104 resulting in protection of the disk 104. Additionally, the rectangular fold areas 205-208 advantageously provide printable spines for labeling of the disk holder 100.
In the illustrated embodiment of FIGS. [0031] 1-3D, it will be evident to those skilled in the art that changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the essence of this invention.
FIG. 4 illustrates a single piece of foldable material that forms a disk holder, in accordance with an alternate embodiment of the present invention. In the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 4, a single piece of foldable material [0032] 400 forms a disk holder having an integrated protection structure without adhesives, in accordance with an alternate embodiment of the present invention.
As shown in FIG. 4, the single piece of foldable material [0033] 400 has substantially similar features as the single piece of foldable material 200 (shown in FIG. 2). However, in the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 4, the single piece of foldable material 400 has non-locking tabs 432 located on the first and second flaps 221-222. Additionally, the single piece of foldable material 400 has slits 423 parallel the vertical axis 202. Instead of a substantially circular hole, the single piece of foldable material 400 has a substantially oval hole 433 as shown. Furthermore, in FIG. 4, located between the middle section 220 and second end section 230 is a fold line 406 instead of the rectangular fold area 206 (shown in FIG. 2).
In the alternate embodiment illustrated, the [0034] non-locking tabs 432 function to form the sides of the disk receiving sleeve 106 by sliding into the slits 423. Utilizing the non-locking tabs 432 with the slits 423 facilitates easy dismantling of the disk holder. Additionally, the substantially oval hole 433 facilitate a deeper disk access area 110 to accommodate various sized disks. The fold line 406 facilitates a thinner profile form factor for the disk holder.
Together, the various modifications of the single piece of foldable material [0035] 400 shown in FIG. 4, also facilitate formation of a disk holder without adhesives including an integrated disk protection structure and a disk access area, in accordance with an alternate embodiment of the present invention.
FIGS. [0036] 5A-5B illustrate sequential views of the process by which a disk holder is formed from a single piece of foldable material, in accordance with an alternate embodiment of the present invention.
A variety of alternate embodiments of the present invention can combine features from the embodiments of FIGS. 2 & 4. For instance, an alternate embodiment could use the locking [0037] tabs 232 of FIG. 2 with the substantially oval hole 433 of FIG. 4.
Thus, a disk holder formed without adhesives that also includes an integrated disk protection structure has been described. [0038]

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A disk holder comprising:

a single piece of foldable material folded to form a disk receiving sleeve; and

an integrated disk protection structure included in the disk receiving sleeve, the integrated disk protecting structure also formed from the single piece of foldable material.

2. The disk holder of claim 1 further comprising:

the single piece of foldable material having a first end section, a middle section, and a second end section, the single piece of foldable material being substantially rectangular in shape defined by a vertical axis and a horizontal axis;

the first end section having a tab extending away from the middle section along the vertical axis to facilitate closing of the disk holder;

the middle section having a first flap and a second flap on opposite sides of the middle section along the horizontal axis to facilitate forming of the disk receiving sleeve; and

the second end section having at least one fold line to facilitate formation of the integrated protection structure of the disk holder, and a slot along the horizontal axis to receive the tab of the first end section.

3. The disk holder of claim 1, wherein the single piece of foldable material comprises a single piece of fiber based foldable material.

4. The disk holder of claim 3, wherein the single piece of foldable material comprises a single piece of foldable recyclable material.

5. The disk holder of claim 4, wherein the single piece of foldable recyclable material comprises a single piece of foldable recyclable paper.

6. The disk holder of claim 1, wherein the single piece of foldable material comprises a single piece of foldable synthetic material.

7. The disk holder of claim 1, wherein the integrated disk protection structure comprises an integrated disk protection structure formed to press up against a disk.

8. The disk holder of claim 1, wherein the integrated disk protection structure comprises an integrated disk protection structure formed to reduce harmful mechanical effects on a disk.

9. The disk holder of claim 8, wherein the integrated disk protection structure comprises an integrated disk protection structure formed to reduces at least one of movement of the disk and impact to the disk.

10. The disk holder of claim 2 further comprising:

a first slit on the first flap;

a second slit on the second flap; and

at least two locking tabs located on the second end section to lock into the first and second slits.

11. The disk holder of claim 2 further comprising:

a first non-locking tab located on the first flap;

a second non-locking tab located on the second flap; and

at least two slits located on the second end section to receive the first and second non-locking tabs.