U.S. patent application number 10/119713 was filed with the patent office on 2003-10-16 for container for blank optical disks.
Invention is credited to Chen, Steven, Lee, Chen-Jung, Li, Jerry.
Application Number | 20030192793 10/119713 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 28789971 |
Filed Date | 2003-10-16 |
United States Patent
Application |
20030192793 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Li, Jerry ; et al. |
October 16, 2003 |
Container for blank optical disks
Abstract
A blank optical disk container for holding a plurality of blank
optical disks allows the blank optical disks be retrieved
individually and easily from the container. The container has a
case lid movably mounted upon it. The case lid has claws located on
the bottom side thereof to clip and grip the center opening of a
blank optical disk. The case lid may be closed and depressed
downwards to grip one blank optical disk with its claws, then the
case lid may be opened to allow the blank optical disk to be
removed from the case lid.
Inventors: |
Li, Jerry; (Taoyuan, TW)
; Lee, Chen-Jung; (Taoyuan Hsien, TW) ; Chen,
Steven; (Taipei, TW) |
Correspondence
Address: |
BIRCH STEWART KOLASCH & BIRCH
PO BOX 747
FALLS CHURCH
VA
22040-0747
US
|
Family ID: |
28789971 |
Appl. No.: |
10/119713 |
Filed: |
April 11, 2002 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
206/308.1 ;
G9B/33.015 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G11B 33/045
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
206/308.1 |
International
Class: |
B65D 085/30 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A blank optical disk container for holding blank optical disks,
comprising: a case having a housing space with an opening directing
upwards for holding the blank optical disks and a plurality of
troughs located on the perimeter thereof in an axial direction, the
troughs having respectively a retainer supporting by an elastic
element and locating at the top end of the trough in normal
conditions; and a case lid movably located in the case and being
moved and supported by the retainers in the normal conditions to
close the opening of the housing space, the case lid being moved
into the housing space by pushing the elastic elements when subject
to a force, and having a multi-claw chuck located on a bottom
surface thereof for gripping a center opening of the black optical
disk.
2. The blank optical disk container of claim 1 further having
through slots formed between the troughs and the housing space of
the case.
3. The blank optical disk container of claim 1, wherein each trough
has a base seat which has a post extending therefrom for coupling
with the elastic element.
4. The blank optical disk container of claim 1, wherein the base
seat has a pair of first coupling hooks for engaging with the
case.
5. The blank optical disk container of claim 1, wherein one of the
retainers has a pair of pivotal lugs which have respectively a
pivotal aperture formed thereon.
6. The blank optical disk container of claim 1, wherein the case
lid has compression rings corresponding to the troughs.
7. The blank optical disk container of claim 1, wherein the case
lid further has a pivotal stub shaft for pivotally engaging with
the pivotal lugs.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The invention relates to a container for blank optical
disks, and particularly to a container that can hold a plurality of
optical disks and has a case lid for retrieving individual blank
optical disks.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Optical disks are commonly used data recording media for
storing relative large amounts of data. For instances, music,
movies, and application programs are generally stored on optical
disks. Optical disks that have no data recorded thereon are
generally called blank optical disks. FIG. 1 shows a conventional
container for holding blank optical disks. It mainly consists of a
base seat and a case. The base seat is a circular disk with a round
post mounted in the center. Blank optical disks are individually
coupled on the round post through an opening formed in their
centers. The case is substantially a hollow cylindrical barrel,
which may encase the base seat.
[0003] When users want to retrieve the blank optical disks for
loading data, they have to remove the case, then take the required
blank optical disks. However when multiple blank optical disks are
stacked one upon another around the round post, it is difficult to
remove one blank optical disk. Moreover, the round post has a
certain length. When only a few blank optical disks are stacked
around the round post, users have to remove the blank optical disks
from the bottom section of the round post. This movement is not
easy. Hence the design of conventional containers for holding blank
optical disks generally is not user-friendly.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0004] The primary object of the invention is to provide a
container for holding blank optical disks that enables users to
easily retrieve individual blank optical disks.
[0005] The container for holding blank optical disks disclosed in
the invention consists of a case and a case lid. The case has an
opening directing upwards and a housing space for holding blank
optical disks. The case lid is movably located on the case and has
claws located on its bottom side to clip and grip the center
aperture of the blank optical disk. The case lid may be depressed
downwards to connect with the blank optical disk, and claws on the
bottom side of the case lid grip one blank optical disk. Then the
case lid may be opened to allow users to remove the blank optical
disk from the case lid.
[0006] The foregoing, as well as additional objects, features and
advantages of the invention will be more readily apparent from the
following detailed description, which proceeds with reference to
the accompanying drawings. The drawings are only to serve for
reference and illustrative purposes, and are not intended to limit
the scope of the invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0007] FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a conventional container for
holding blank optical disks.
[0008] FIG. 2 is a schematic view of the invention showing the
assembled structure.
[0009] FIG. 3A is an exploded view of the invention.
[0010] FIG. 3B is a fragmentary perspective view of an enlarged
structure of the invention.
[0011] FIG. 4A is a schematic view of the case lid of the
invention.
[0012] FIG. 4B is a schematic sectional view of the case lid of the
invention.
[0013] FIG. 5A is a schematic view of the invention, showing a
moving condition.
[0014] FIG. 5B is a schematic view of the invention, showing
another moving condition.
[0015] FIG. 5C is a schematic view of the invention, showing yet
another moving condition.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0016] Referring to FIGS. 2, 3A and 3B, the container for holding
blank optical disks according to the invention consists of a case
10 and a case lid 20. The case 10 is substantially a hollow
cylindrical barrel, which has an opening directing upwards. The
case 10 has a bottom surface 11 and a wall 12 slightly larger than
the outside diameter of a blank optical disk 30. The bottom surface
30 has a pen holder and a name clip 13 located thereon. The wall 12
forms a housing space 101 in the interior for holding blank optical
disks 30. On the perimeter of the wall 12 there are a plurality of
equally spaced troughs 102, 103, 104, and 105 extended in the axial
direction. The contact surfaces between the troughs 102, 103, 104
and 105 and the wall 12 have respectively a slot 1021, 2031, 1041
and 1051. The bottom surface 11 has a pair of latch slots 111 and
112 corresponding to each trough 102 (also applicable to troughs
103, 104 and 105).
[0017] Inside the troughs 102, 103, 104 and 105, there are
respectively and sequentially disposed base seats 41, 42, 43 and
44, elastic elements 51, 52, 53 and 54, and retainers 61, 62, 63
and 64. The base seats 41, 42, 43 and 44 have respectively extended
posts 411, 421, 431 and 441 mounting thereon in the center, and a
pair of first coupling hooks 412 (same for the base seats 42 and
43) for engaging with the latch slots 111 and 112. The elastic
elements 51, 52, 53 and 54 are coupled respectively on the posts
411, 421, 431 and 441. The posts 411, 421 and 431 are formed as a
cross type. The posts 411, 421, 431 and 441 each have a top end
forming a pair of second coupling hooks 4111 and 4112 (same for the
posts 421, 431 and 441). The retainers 61, 62, 63 and 64 each have
a cross-shaped slot 611 (same for the retainers 62, 63 and 64). The
retainers 61, 62, 63 and 64 are respectively coupled with the posts
411, 421, 431 and 441 and are movable up or down on the posts 411,
421, 431 and 441. The second coupling hooks 4111 and 4112 on the
posts 411, 421, 431 and 441 can prevent the retainers 61, 62, 63
and 64 from separating from the posts 411, 421, 431 and 441. In
normal conditions, the retainers 61, 62, 63 and 64 are pushed by
the elastic elements 51, 52, 53 and 54 to the top end of the posts
411, 421, 431 and 441.
[0018] The retainer 62 has two pivotal lugs 621 and 622, which each
have a pivotal aperture 6211 and 6221 formed thereon.
[0019] The case lid 20 is a circular disk matching the shape of the
case 10 but is slightly smaller than the housing space 101 of the
case 10 and is movable in the housing space 101. The case lid 20
has compression rings 202, 204 and 205 formed on the perimeter
thereof corresponding to the locations of the troughs 102, 104 and
105, and a pair of pivotal flanges 203 corresponding to the trough
103. The pivotal flanges 203 have pivotal stub shafts 2031 located
thereon to pivotally couple with the pivotal apertures 6211 and
6221 of the retainer 62. Thus the case lid 20 can be turned about
the stub shafts 2031 so that the case lid 20 may be lifted upwards
or folded down to close the housing space 101 of the case 10. In
addition, the compression rings 202, 204 and 205 have an inside
diameter greater than the posts 411, 421, 431 and 441 so that the
compression rings 202, 204 and 205 can compress the retainers 61,
62, 63 and 64 and the elastic elements 51, 52, 53 and 54
downwards.
[0020] Moreover, the case lid 20 has a bottom surface with a
multi-claw chuck 206 located in the center thereof (as shown in
FIGS. 4A and 4B). The multi-claw chuck 206 has a plurality of
spaced claws 2061 that can extend to engage with the center opening
301 of the blank optical disk 30. The claws 2061 may be slightly
compressed and retracted, or released and return to their normal
condition. Each claw 2061 has a height slightly greater than the
thickness of a blank optical disk 30, and a slant surface on its
front end such that the multi-claw chuck 206 can, through the claws
2061, clip and grip one blank optical disk 30 at a time.
[0021] Refer to FIGS. 5A, 5B and 5C, a plurality of blank optical
disks 30 are housed in the housing space 101 of the case 10. The
case lid 20 is in its normal condition located above the case 10 by
means of the compression rings 201, 202 and 203 and pivotal stub
shafts 204 which are straddled on the retainers 61, 62, 63 and 64.
It closes the opening of the housing space 101 of the case 20. When
retrieving a blank optical disk 30, the case lid 20 is depressed
downwards. The compression rings 201, 202 and 203 are moved
downwards to compress the retainers 61, 62, 63 and 64 and the
elastic elements 51, 52, 53 and 64 downwards until the multi-claw
chuck 206 under the case lid 20 extends into the center opening 301
of the blank optical disk 30 and grips the blank optical disk 30.
When the pressure on the case lid 20 is released, the case lid 20
is pushed upwards to return to its original position through the
restoring force of the elastic elements 51, 52, 53 and 54. Then a
user may open the case lid 20 to remove the blank optical disk 30
from the case lid 20. Even when the case 10 contains only a few
blank optical disks 30, a user can still depress the case lid 20
all the way down into the case 10 to grip and retrieve the blank
optical disks 30 without difficulty.
[0022] While the preferred embodiment of the invention has been set
forth for the purpose of disclosure, modifications of the disclosed
embodiment of the invention as well as other embodiments thereof
may occur to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, the appended
claims are intended to cover all embodiments which do not depart
from the spirit and scope of the invention.
* * * * *