Dual purpose insert for tape cartridges and cassettes

An insert adapted to be received within a carrying case and to itself selectively receive and store a plurality of first and second types of generally rectangular polyhedral objects in at least one arrayed row, said first type of polyhedral object having a relatively large thickness and a relatively small width as compared to said second type of polyhedral object, said insert comprising:

• at least one longitudinally extending trough, each of said troughs including first and second parallel, vertically extending side walls, each having an upper edge, the distance between confronting surfaces of said first and second side walls being substantially equal to or slightly greater than said width of said first type of polyhedral object and slightly smaller than said width of said second type of polyhedral object;
• a bottom wall affixed to said first and second side walls;
• a plurality of storage compartments each adapted to receive and store one of said first type of polyhedral object, said storage compartments including a first longitudinally arrayed plurality of parallel, upstanding partitions projecting inwardly from said first side wall, a second longitudinally arrayed plurality of parallel upstanding partitions projecting inwardly from said second side wall, each of said partitions having a topmost extension, said first plurality of partitions projecting toward and being substantially transversely coplanar with corresponding ones of said second plurality of partitions, the longitudinal spacing between confronting faces of longitudinally adjacent ones of said partitions being substantially equal to or slightly greater than said thickness of said first type of polyhedral object;
• and a longitudinally arrayed plurality of pairs of shelves, each of said pairs of shelves being adapted to receive and store one of said second type of polyhedral objects, said shelves including a first longitudinally arrayed plurality of shelves recessed within said first side wall with the lowermost part of said shelves being located to be above said topmost extensions of said first plurality of partitions;
• a second longitudinally arrayed plurality of shelves recessed within said second side wall with the lowermost part of said shelves being located to be above said topmost extensions of said second plurality of partitions, each one of said second plurality of shelves being transversely aligned with and confronting one of said first plurality of shelves and together forming one of said pairs of shelves, each of said shelves having a bottom surface, an open top, first and second side edges and a rear wall, the distance between said side edges of each of said shelves being substantially equal to said thickness of said second type of polyhedral object, the distance between said respective rear walls of each of said pairs of shelves being substantially equal to or slightly greater than said width of said second type of polyhedral object, the longitudinal distance between corresponding side edges of at least one longitudinally adjacent pair of said shelves being smaller than the median longitudinal distance between corresponding portions of longitudinally adjacent pairs of said partitions, whereby the total number of corresponding pairs of shelves within each of said troughs exceeds the total number of first polyhedral object storage compartments and whereby said insert can receive and store a larger number of polyhedral objects of said second type than of said first type.