Optical disc case structure

Abstract

An optical disc case structure comprises a bottom cover and a top cover assembled with each other. A conically pillared positioning member is placed on the bottom cover to position the optical disc by engaging the central hole thereof. A central protruding ring and a peripheral protruding ring are formed on the bottom cover where is placed the optical disc. A plurality of flanges further inwardly protrude from two sides of the top cover parallel to the top cover. Hence arranged, the flanges receive advertisement cards and further press on the optical disc once the top and bottom covers fold onto each other.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention

[0002] The invention relates to an optical disc case structure. More particularly, the invention relates to an optical disc case structure that is provided with peripheral clamping members for immobilizing the optical disc in the case.

[0003] 2. Description of the Related Art

[0004] Referring to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, two perspective views schematically show the structure of a conventional optical disc case. The conventional disc case usually receives a standard disc 10 having a diameter of 12 cm. The disc case is constructed from a bottom cover 1 and a top cover 2 assembled with each other. The bottom cover 1 includes a bottom board 11 whose front and rear outer peripheries are respectively provided with front and rear peripheral projections 12 that are symmetrical to each other. Each front/rear peripheral projection 12 is composed of two projecting elements that are spaced apart from each other via a groove 15 and, furthermore, respectively define a flange 13 via a recessed portion 14 approximately located at a central position of each projecting element. Left and right peripheral projections 16, 17 further project respectively from a left outer periphery and a right outer periphery. An outer surface of the right peripheral projection 17, at a central portion, is further recessed into an opening groove 171. Each front/rear peripheral projection 12 extends beyond the left peripheral projection 16 into a connecting segment 19 provided with a pivot axle 191.

[0005] A top surface of the bottom board 11 is provided with short arcuate projections 111 that are coaxial to one another to fit an outer diameter of the disc 10. The short arcuate projections 11 are conventionally four arcuate projections placed vis-a-vis four corners of the bottom board 11, defined by the connection of the front/rear peripheral projections 12 with the left and right peripheral projections 16, 17. Inwardly from the short arcuate projections 111, long arcuate projections 113, conventionally thinner and smaller, are placed on the bottom board 11 respectively vis-a-vis the left and right peripheral projections 16, 17. The long arcuate projections 113 are coaxial to each other with a length greater than two corresponding short arcuate projections 111. On the top surface of the bottom board 11, a projecting ring 112 is arranged vis-a-vis a central periphery of the central hole of the disc 10 while a holding member 18 is further placed vis-a-vis the central hole of the disc 10. The holding member 18 is composed of at least three portions. Each portion respectively has an arcuate positioning tongue 181 and an arcuate holding tongue 182 to position and hold the disc 10, as shown in FIG. 2 through FIG. 4. A protuberance 184 is located on an upper portion of the outer surface of the arcuate holding tongue 182 to position and hold the disc 10 by engaging its central hole. The arcuate positioning tongue 181 has a lateral contour longer than that of the arcuate holding tongue 182, and an outer surface of the tongue 181 is upwardly curved into a rounded profile 183.

[0006] The top cover 2 includes a top board 21 whose left, front, and rear outer peripheries are respectively provided with projecting peripheral segments 24, 22, 23, while the right outer periphery is opened. Furthermore, connecting segments 26 are placed proximate to the left peripheral segment 24 and respectively spaced apart from the front/rear peripheral segments 22, 23 via spacing grooves 25. A pivot hole 261 is defined through each connecting segments 22, 23 to engage with the pivot axle 191 of the connecting segments 19. Attachment grooves 221, 231 are further defined in the front and rear peripheral segments 22, 23 to engage with protuberances 121 respectively formed on the front and rear peripheral projections 12, when the bottom and top covers 1, 2 are closed by folding onto each other.

[0007] On the top cover 21, a long holder bar 27 is placed proximate to the left peripheral segment 24 while a pair of short holder bars 28 are placed proximate to the right peripheral side of the top cover 21. A pair of transversal flanges 29 respectively project inwardly from an inner surface of the front and rear peripheral segments 22, 23, and engage the inwardly recessed portions 14 of the bottom cover 1. A slot 291 is further respectively defined through each transversal flange 29 of the top board 21.

[0008] With the above case structure, the disc 10 is held in or released from the disc case by means of the protuberance 184 and the resilience property of the material that constitutes the arcuate holding tongue 182. The deviation of the arcuate holding tongue 182 is therefore limited. The above conventional case structure may be subjected to various deficiencies, as described hereafter. For example, the protuberance 184 may be easily broken or the arcuate holding tongue 182 may be deformed. Furthermore, the bottom surface of the arcuate holding tongue 182 is coplanar with the bottom surface of the bottom board 11. As a result, the pressure exerted on the tongue 182, when the disc 10 is taken, can generate a negative stress on the contact portion of the bottom surface of the tongue 182 with the bottom surface of the bottom board 11. Although a resulting deviation may not be significant, this deficiency however may cause the holding member 18 not to be durable. Therefore, a ringed recess 185 is usually defined on the periphery of the holding member 18 to relieve stress. However, this disposition does not provide satisfactory results with respect to the durability of the holding member.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0009] It is therefore a principal object of the invention to provide an optical disc case structure that overcomes the above problems by achieving an effective clamping of the optical disc placed in the case.

[0010] It is another object of the invention to provide an optical disc case structure that has a reduced dimensional size so that it can be disposed in a smaller occupation space.

[0011] Furthermore, it is another object of the invention to provide, an optical disc case structure that allows an easy take-up of the disc when the case structure is opened.

[0012] To accomplish the above and other objectives, an optical disc case structure of, the invention comprises a bottom cover and a top cover that are pivotably mounted to each other. The bottom cover defines a placement space in which the optical disc is disposed. Within the placement space, a positioning member is placed to position the optical disc. The top cover is further provided with transversal flanges placed in such a manner that once the top and bottom covers fold onto each other, the transversal flanges press on the outer peripheral edge of the optical disc, thereby securely immobilizing the optical disc within the closed case structure. Once the top and bottom covers are unfolded, the optical disc is released from clamping and can be freely picked up. The optical disc is thereby securely protected within the case structure.

[0013] To provide a further understanding of the invention, the following detailed description illustrates embodiments and examples of the invention, this detailed description being provided only for illustration of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0014] The drawings included herein provide a further understanding of the invention. A brief introduction of the drawings is as follows:

[0015] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a conventional optical disc case structure in an opening configuration;

[0016] FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of the portion A of FIG. 1;

[0017] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of FIG. 1;

[0018] FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of the portion B of FIG. 3;

[0019] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of an optical disc case structure in an opening configuration according to an embodiment of the invention;

[0020] FIG. 6 is a perspective view of an optical disc case structure in a closing configuration according to an embodiment of the invention;

[0021] FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along the section 7-7 of FIG. 6;

[0022] FIG. 8 is a perspective view of another example of an optical disc case structure in an opening configuration according to an embodiment of the invention;

[0023] FIG. 9 is a perspective view of another variant example of an optical disc case structure in an opening configuration according to an embodiment of the invention; and

[0024] FIG. 10 is an enlarged view showing the pivot assembly of the top cover with the bottom cover according to an embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

[0025] Wherever possible in the following description, like reference numerals will refer to like elements and parts unless otherwise illustrated.

[0026] Referring to FIG. 5 and FIG. 9, two perspective views schematically show a structure of disc case according to an embodiment of the invention. A disc case 3 comprises a bottom cover 30 and a top cover 40 that are mounted to each other via a pivot hinge. The bottom cover 30 and the top cover 40 can thereby rotatably unfold or fold onto each other to achieve opening or closing of the disc case 3. The disc case 3 is closed up with both bottom and top covers 30, 40 covering on each other.

[0027] The bottom cover 30 includes a bottom board 31. A front peripheral projection 32 and a rear peripheral projection 33 are projecting proximate to a front outer periphery and a rear outer periphery of the bottom cover 31. Each of the front and rear peripheral projections 32, 33 is comprised of a pair of projecting elements symmetrical to each other. Each projecting element includes, at pa central zone thereof, a portion 34 recessed inwardly toward an inner zone of the bottom board 31. Both symmetrical projecting elements of each of the front and rear peripheral projections 32, 33 are respectively spaced apart from each other via take-up/put-in grooves 322, 332. The grooves 322, 332 enable a user, via his/her fingers, to either take up or put a disc 50 in the disc case 3. A left peripheral projection 36 and a right peripheral projection 37 further respectively protrude from a left outer periphery and a right outer periphery of the bottom board 31. A recess 371 is particularly defined in a central portion of the right peripheral projection 37 to allow the opening of the top cover 40. The left and right peripheral projections 36, 37 are further connected to the front and rear peripheral projections 32, 33 to form a frame in which a placement space is defined to receive the disc 50. The bottom cover 30 can be, for example, made of an opaque material. An inclined face 312 is further formed proximate to the groove 322 of the bottom board 31. Proximate to either one (FIG. 5) or two sides (FIG. 8) of the grooves 322, 332, slots 323, 324, 333, 334 are defined through the front and rear peripheral projections 32, 33. In the illustration of FIG. 5, at sides opposite to the slots 323, 333 with respect to the grooves 322, 332, recessed portions 325, 335 are further defined in the front and rear peripheral projections 32, 33.

[0028] On an inner surface 311 of the bottom cover 31 are formed a peripheral protruding ring 34 having a diameter slightly smaller than that of the outer diameter of the optical disc 50, and a central protruding ring 35 having a diameter slightly smaller than the storage region of the optical disc. Out of the peripheral protruding ring 34 are formed four arcuate projections 341 that have a height approximately equal to the height of the optical disc 50 once the optical disc 50 is placed on the bottom cover 31. The length of the arcuate projections 341 however does not extend proximate to the slots 323, 324, 333, 334. The inner surface 311 of the bottom cover 31 is further provided with a conically pillared positioning member 38 having an outer surface provided with a recessed portion to receive and carry a central hole of the optical disc 50. As shown in FIG. 6 and FIG. 7, the optical disc 50 is thereby placed within the case 3 at a height providing protection from damaging pressures thereon.

[0029] The front and rear peripheral projections 32, 33 respectively terminate into a connecting segment 39 on the side of the left peripheral projection 36. The connecting segments 39 respectively include pivot axles 391 that are coaxially vis-a-vis each other. The pivot axles 391 may be alternatively directly placed on the front and rear peripheral projections 32, 33.

[0030] The top cover 40 includes a top board 41. On a bottom surface of the top board 41, a plurality of peripheral segments 44, 42, 43 downwardly project from, respectively, a left, front, and rear peripheral side to form a U-shaped peripheral frame. The top board 41 is slightly larger than the bottom board 31. Connecting segments 46 are respectively spaced apart from the front and rear peripheral segments 42, 43 via spacing grooves 45 that are placed proximate to the left peripheral segment 44. Each connecting segment 46 of the top board 41 is provided with a pivot hole 461, and is placed vis-a-vis one connecting segment 39 of the bottom board 31. Thereby, one pivot axle 391 engages into the pivot hole 461 to pivotably assemble the top cover 41 with the bottom cover 31. Alternatively, the pivot hole may be directly defined on the peripheral segments 42, 43.

[0031] The top cover 40 closes down by folding onto the bottom cover 30 with the front and rear peripheral segments 42, 43 externally covering over the front and rear peripheral projections 32, 33. When the top cover 40 and the bottom cover 30 are hence folded onto each other, extending portions 422 of the front and rear peripheral segments 42, 43 are respectively located adjacently vis-a-vis the take-up/put-in grooves 35. Furthermore, the front and rear peripheral segments 42, 43 adjacently engage over the front and rear peripheral projections 32, 33 by abutting against an outer surface thereof. Because the top cover 40 is larger than the bottom cover 30, the left peripheral segment 44 of the top cover 40 is outwardly located with respect to the left peripheral projection 36, thereby forming a grooved space there between. When the disc case 3 is closed, the user via his/her fingers can thereby disengage the disc case 3 via pushing toward the left peripheral segment 44.

[0032] Attachment grooves 421, 431 are further respectively defined through the front and rear peripheral segments 42, 43 of the top cover 41. Meanwhile, attachment protuberances 321, 331 are correspondingly placed on an outer surface of the front and rear peripheral projections 32, 33, respectively. The top cover 40 is thereby fastened to the bottom cover 30 via the attachment protuberances 321, 331 respectively engaging into the attachment grooves 421, 431. The attachment grooves 421, 431 can be, for example, through holes.

[0033] As shown in FIG. 10, the left peripheral segment 44 of the top cover 41 oppositely terminates into two ending portions in which notches 441 are respectively defined. The left peripheral projection 36 oppositely terminates into two ending portions that are respectively provided with stopping protuberances 361 corresponding to the notches 441. When the top cover 40 and the bottom cover 30 are unfolded 180 degrees, the stopping protuberances 361 engages into the notches 441, thereby blocking further rotation-of the top cover 40.

[0034] As shown in FIG. 5, transversal flanges 49 respectively project inwardly from an inner surface of the front and rear peripheral segments 42, 43, and engage the corresponding slots 323, 333 of the bottom board 31. A notice or presentation card can be thereby inserted between the transversal flanges 49. A slot 491 is further respectively defined through each transversal flange 49 of the top board 41. Furthermore, inner surfaces of the front and rear peripheral segments 42, 43 are provided with positioning flanges 423, 433 through which are further defined slots 424, 425. Hence placed, the positioning flanges 423, 433 engages the recessed portions 325, 335 when the bottom and top covers 30, 40 fold onto each other. The top cover 40 is made of a transparent material, and the disc case 3 can be achieved with a thickness below 6 mm.

[0035] In traditional case structure, the above transversal flanges 49 are placed in a manner not to contact with the optical disc 50. In contrast, the invention places the transversal flanges 49 in a manner to be proximate to the take-up/put-in grooves 322, 332. As variously illustrated in FIG. 5 and FIG. 8 (where positioning flanges 423, 433 are removed), the transversal flanges 49 may be placed either at one respective side or two respective sides of the take-up/put-in grooves 322, 332. Hence, once the top cover 40 folds onto the bottom cover 30 with the optical disc 50 placed therein, the transversal flanges 49 press on the outer peripheral edge of the optical disc 50 in such a manner that the optical disc 50 is securely immobilized in the case 3. The transversal flanges 49 hence achieve the principal positioning and clamping structure of the case 3. Moreover, as shown in FIG. 9, a projecting segment 442 provided with a flange 443 may be further placed proximate to the left peripheral projection 44 of the top board 41. The flange 443 is arranged in a manner similar to the flanges 49 to press on the optical disc 50 (as shown in dotted lines of FIG. 8 and FIG. 9) and position advertisement cards (by including slot 444) (not shown). An end portion of the flanges 49, 443 may be inclined in a manner to more effectively clamp the outer peripheral edge of the optical disc 50.

[0036] In conclusion, the invention uses a simple structure comprised of top and bottom covers to form a relatively thin disc case 3. The disc case structure of the invention differs from the traditional structure principally in that the positioning member 38 does not immobilize the optical disc, and only achieves a positioning function. Clamping of the optical disc is achieved via several flanges adequately placed on the top cover to press on the optical disc once the top and bottom covers fold onto each other. Once the case is opened via unfolding the top cover from the bottom cover, the optical disc thus can be easily picked up. The case structure of the invention thus provides a convenient and easy disposition and removal of the optical disc that totally differ from the prior art.

[0037] It should be apparent to those skilled in the art that the above description is only illustrative of specific embodiments and examples of the invention. The invention should therefore cover various modifications and variations made to the herein-described structure and operations of the invention, provided they fall within the scope of the invention as defined in the following appended claims.

Claims

1. An optical disc case structure comprising:

a case body, comprised of a first and a second part assembled with each other in a manner to fold and unfold with respect to each other;

a positioning member, conically pillared-shaped and protruding from a central portion of the first part in a manner to position an optical disc by engaging a central hole thereof; and

at least a pair of transversal flanges, the transversal flanges respectively placed at two peripheral sides of the second part in a manner to inwardly protrude so that an outer peripheral edge of the optical disc placed in the case body with the first and second parts folding onto each other is securely clamped via the transversal flanges.

2. The case structure of claim 1, wherein the case body is formed via the assembly of a bottom cover and a top cover, and a central protruding ring and a peripheral protruding ring are formed on the bottom cover where is placed the positioning member, the central protruding ring being placed within a storage region of the optical disc and the peripheral protruding ring being placed outside the storage region of the optical disc.

3. The case structure of claim 2, wherein a pair of arcuate projections are further placed outside the peripheral protruding ring, the height of the arcuate projections being approximately the height of the optical disc placed in the case body.

4. The case structure of claim 2, wherein the bottom cover includes a bottom board, a front peripheral projection, a rear peripheral projection, a left peripheral projection, and a right peripheral projection; the front and rear peripheral projections respectively being composed of a pair of projecting elements that are spaced apart from each other via a take-up/put-in groove, the transversal flanges being disposed on at least one side of the take-up/put-in groove, the front and rear peripheral projections being respectively provided with an attachment protuberance, and further extending into a plurality of opposite connecting segments provided with a pivot axle; and the top cover including a top board, a left peripheral segment, a front peripheral segment, and a rear peripheral segment; a plurality of second connecting segments being respectively spaced apart from the front and rear peripheral segments via a respective spacing groove, the second connecting segments being respectively provided with a pivot hole to engage with the pivot axle to pivotably assemble the top cover with the bottom cover; an attachment groove being further respectively defined through the front an rear peripheral segments to engage with the attachment protuberances.

5. The case structure of claim 2, wherein two sides of the left peripheral projection of the bottom cover are-respectively externally provided with an attachment protuberance and two sides of the left peripheral segment are respectively externally provided with a recess.

6. The case structure of claim 2, wherein one transversal flange is provided at a location proximate to the left peripheral segment of the top cover to press on the optical disc.

7. The case structure of claim 2, wherein a plurality of slots are defined in the front and rear peripheral projections of the bottom cover proximate to the take-up/put-in groove to engage with the transversal flanges.

8. The case structure of claim 2, wherein a recessed portion is externally defined on the right peripheral projection of the bottom cover.

9. The case structure of claim 2, wherein an inclined face is formed at the location of the take-up/put-in groove on the bottom cover.

10. The case structure of claim 1, having a thickness smaller than 6 mm.