Abstract: A reusable plastic package for securely holding and displaying a rectangular article such as a compact disc includes a housing having large and small compartments formed on opposite ends for selectively storing an article in the larger of the compartments. The large compartment has an access opening for inserting and removing the article into and out of the compartment. The small compartment functions as a lock compartment whereby a lock plate is slidably mounted thereon and selectively movable across a portion of the access opening of the larger storage compartment for releasably securing the article in the larger storage compartment. Magnetically releasable locking levers are formed within the lock compartment and interengage with mating projections formed on the lock plate when the lock plate is in a selected locked position for securing the article within the package due to a portion of the lock plate blocking the access opening.

Abstract: A security device which includes a locking member, a ratchet member, and a plurality of cables. The cables extend through both a fastener and a base of the locking member and are wrapped around all six sides of a book or box-like structure. The fastener is releasably snap-fitted into the base and secured therein by a pair of metal tines. The ratchet member includes a housing containing a gear and bearing member which are latched together in a spaced relationship to form a reel and a pawl. A bottom plate encloses the contents of the housing. The gear includes a multi-sided key hole, a plurality of openings to secure enlarged ends of the cables therein, and a plurality of teeth. The gear and bearing member each include an annular nub which sits in and rotates around a corresponding bearing surface of the bottom plate and housing, respectively. The pawl has a catch and a resilient spring and communicates with the gear to allow the ratchet member to be turned only in one direction.

Abstract: A storage rack for retaining software devices having a variety of configurations. A one-piece body is formed with a central platform having a pair of side support racks with aligned grooves for receiving an edge of a CD ROM package. A central support rack is positioned below the grooves and intermediate the side support racks such that CD ROM packages supported within the grooves of the side support racks are suspended over the central support rack. The central support rack is formed with a plurality of equally spaced dividers, with each divider having an elongated slot extending transversely along its length and on either side thereof.

Abstract: A case for storing multiple compact discs has a base hingedly connected to a cover by a hinge panel and a pair of living hinges which provide for movement of the base and lid between open and closed positions. A pair of adjacent hubs are formed on the base with each hub capable of storing one compact disc. One hub is raised higher than the other to allow one compact disc to partially overlap the other compact disc and prevent contact therebetween. A pair of tabs extend inwardly from the lid to store graphics and prevent the graphics from contacting the two stored compact discs. A second embodiment is free of the tabs and includes two additional hubs formed on the lid which allow the case to store up to four compact discs. The hubs formed on the lid are identical to the hubs formed on the base with one hub being raised higher than the other to allow one of the discs to partially overlap the other and prevent contact therebetween.

Abstract: A reusable plastic package for securely holding and displaying a rectangular article such as a compact disc. This reusable plastic package includes a housing having large and small compartments formed on opposite ends for selectively storing an article in the larger of the compartments. The large compartment has an access opening for inserting and removing the article into and out of the compartment. The small compartment functions as a lock compartment whereby a slide plate is slidably mounted thereon and selectively movable across a portion of the access opening of the larger storage compartment for releasably securing the article in the larger storage compartment. Magnetically releasable locking levers are formed within the lock compartment and interengage with mating projections formed on the slide plate when the slide plate is in a selected locked position for securing the article within the package due to a portion of the slide plate blocking the access opening.

Abstract: An audio cassette storage container formed as a one-piece member of polypropylene where the container includes two or more cavities for receiving audio cassettes and has a smooth outer contour and configured sidewalls and hinge area to provide an extremely aesthetically pleasing and efficient storage container. The container further has square feet on one end thereof for endwise standing of the audio storage container. The container also has a recessed front for easy opening where the recessed front is also arcuate or scalloped so as to extend inward into the container to assist in holding and centering audio cassette tapes. The container also has ribs on the inner surface thereof which automatically centers the audio cassette and its associated literature into the storage container during manual insertion of a cassette therein.

Abstract: An improved video cassette storage container includes a lid hingedly mounted to a base and movable between open and closed positions. The hinge provides a rounded outer spine and the base and lid have smooth curved radiused edges to provide an attractive and sleek external configuration. The peripheral walls of the base and lid are substantially equal in height and form a centrally located closure line when the container is in the closed position. A front wall of each of the base and lid is recessed to form an overhang portion to facilitate opening of the storage container. A pair of parallel spaced guide rails extend from an inner surface of the lid and center a VHS tape as the tape slides into the storage container during loading and packaging thereof. A plurality of ramped ribs extend from a pair of end walls and front wall of the lid to provide a camming surface which assists in guiding the tape between the guide rails.

Abstract: A security container for storing various articles such as recorded media, includes a parallelipipedic frame with an internal storage chamber and an access opening communicating therewith. A slide plate is slidably mounted on one end of the frame and is movable linearly toward and away from the access opening. A separate tab is slidably mounted on the frame adjacent the access opening and is automatically moved linearly in a direction perpendicularly to the linear movement of the slide plate between a blocking position across the access opening and an unblocking position by a camming engagement with the slide plate. A lock mechanism releasably locks the slide plate in a fixed position to retain the tab in the blocking position until released by a key device.

Abstract: A video cassette package insert is formed of a continuous strip of plastic, preferably in an hourglass configuration. The insert has spaced parallel end walls and concavely curved side walls and has a length and width substantially equal to a VHS cassette and is slidably placed within the hollow interior of an outer cardboard display sleeve. The sleeve includes identifying information on its outside surface about a recorded program on a video cassette to be contained therein. The frame walls are inclined to increase the stiffness and to enable a plurality of the inserts to be stacked in a nested relationship for shipment and storage. The sleeve may be wrapped in clear plastic after placement of the insert therein for subsequent display on a rack.

Abstract: A security device which includes a locking member, a ratchet member, and a plurality of cables. The cables extend through both a fastener and a base of the locking member and are wrapped around all six sides of a book or box-like structure. The fastener is releasably snap-fitted into the base and secured therein by a pair of metal tines. The ratchet member includes a housing containing a gear and bearing member which are latched together in a spaced relationship to form a reel and a pawl. A bottom plate encloses the contents of the housing. The gear includes a multi-sided key hole, a plurality of openings to secure enlarged ends of the cables therein, and a plurality of teeth. The gear and bearing member each include an annular nub which sits in and rotates around a corresponding bearing surface of the bottom plate and housing, respectively. The pawl has a catch and a resilient spring and communicates with the gear to allow the ratchet member to be turned only in one direction.

Abstract: A storage container, primarily for photographs and their negatives, is formed as a one-piece member of plastic material. A rectangular housing is formed by a base and pairs of parallel spaced sidewalls and end walls. A flat panel is pivotally mounted on the base and swings into the housing to form a first storage compartment with the base for receiving the negatives. The photographs are placed on the panel and are retained in the container by a closure lid which is pivotally mounted on one of the end walls of the housing opposite of the pivotal mounting of the panel. The lid is moved into a spaced parallel juxtaposition with the panel to a closed, latched position forming a second storage compartment between the panel and lid for storing the photographs. Printed indicia is placed on an inclined end wall of the lid to identify the contents of the container. A partition is formed on the panel to enable the second storage compartment to store two stacks of 31/2.times.5 photographs or one stack of 4.times.

Abstract: A device for storing and displaying a plurality of flat articles, and, in particular, recorded media such as compact discs, either in a self-supporting manner on a horizontal support surface or secured by fasteners to a vertical support surface. The device is composed of three main components, a rack, base and cover plate. The rack has a plurality of vertically spaced shelves forming slots therebetween for receiving and supporting an edge of a compact disc therein, wherein the compact disc extends in a cantilever fashion outwardly from the rack. A plurality of flexible detents on the bottom of the rack are snap-fitted into mating engagement with projections formed on the base to attach the rack to the base in a vertical upright position. A recessed channel is formed in a back wall of the rack and includes holes for receiving fasteners to secure the rack to a vertical surface when the base is removed to provide an alternate mounting arrangement for the rack.

Abstract: A video cassette shipping container having a base and a lid hingedly connected by a hinge assembly and movable between open and closed positions. A locking mechanism is mounted on the container and includes a pair of flexible flaps which are hingedly connected to the base and lid by reduced thickness living hinges. One flap includes a pair of locking tabs with barbed ends and the other flap includes a pair of slotted housings which are aligned with and received the tabs therein to secure the container in a locked position. The container is opened by pressing inwardly on a thumb pad located adjacent the ends of the flexible flaps. The flaps flex inwardly and the ends thereof deflect outwardly. The flaps are grasped and pulled outwardly and along the front of the container by a user.

Abstract: A storage and display rack for two different sizes of video boxes, whereby the bigger of the two boxes will extend lengthwise in a horizontal orientation in the rack and two of the smaller boxes will extend horizontally widthwise in a side-by-side relationship in the rack, with the front ends of the two different size boxes lying in a common vertical plane. The larger boxes are supported lengthwise horizontally on a plurality of first ribs formed on spaced parallel side walls of the rack and extend only partially toward a back wall of the rack. The smaller boxes are supported horizontally widthwise between second ribs formed on both sides of a center partition and selected first ribs on an adjacent side wall, and extend completely to the back wall of the rack. The rack may be formed of two one-piece sections to provide compactness for shipping, and then snapped together in a vertical stacked relationship for use.

Abstract: A rack for storing and displaying a plurality of recorded media, such as compact discs, in a vertical array. The rack has upper and lower sections, each of which has a plurality of vertical spaced compartments for slidably receiving the recorded media therein. The lower section is mounted on and extends upwardly from the base. Latching detents are formed on the top of the lower section and provide a snap-fit engagement with the bottom of the upper section to join the sections in a vertical stacked relationship. The upper and lower sections are substantially equal in length and can be placed in a disassembled knockdown condition juxtaposed to each other for storage and shipment to reduce the size of the storage box.

Abstract: A security container for storing various articles is formed of transparent plastic material and has four tabs extending from a bottom wall with latching flanges extending from the ends of each tab. The flanges are positioned to be inserted into the four openings formed in the side walls of most jewel boxes for the storage of compact discs, removably securing the jewel box to the bottom wall of the container and allowing the jewel box to be opened and the compact disc to be accessed while the jewel box remains secured to the container by the flanges. A holder with a U-shaped opening for receiving at least one or two compact discs is removably secured to the inside surface of a double hinge panel of the container and holds the compact discs for display through a front wall of the security container. A locking mechanism secures the contents of the container while allowing the articles to be displayed through the container walls. An E.A.S.