US 5,211,287 AGranted

Videocassette storage and display sleeve

AssigneeAlpha Enterprises, Inc.

InventorsJames T. Weisburn, Gale W. Essick

Life of this patent

Estimating the term…

Loading patent…

Abstract

A sleeve for storing and displaying a videocassette comprises a clear flexible plastic, elongated rectangular one-piece member, formed with an interior storage chamber completely enclosed except for an end opening through which a videocassette is inserted into and removed from the chamber. A chipboard cover having printed indicia thereon identifying a prerecorded program on the videocassette is retained within the chamber and slidably receives the videocassette therein. A pair of juxtaposed, elongated, preferably convex flanges, is formed on a spaced-apart pair of front and rear walls of the sleeve and extend partially across the end opening to retain the videocassette within the chipboard sleeve. Application of pressure by the thumb and finger of a user on spaced sidewalls of the sleeve adjacent to the end opening deforms the juxtaposed flanges to a parallel or concave configuration to enlarge the opening for removing the videocassette from the storage container for use, with the chipboard cover remaining in the storage chamber for subsequent removal at a later date in a nondeformed condition.

Claims4

Dependent claims

A sleeve for storing and displaying a cassette including, a pair of spaced parallel front and rear walls, and a pair of spaced parallel sidewalls forming a generally rectangular-shaped storage chamber, with said walls being formed of a plastic material and at least the front wall being transparent;

said sleeve having first and second ends, with the first end being formed with a generally rectangular-shaped opening through which a cassette can be slidably removed from the storage chamber, and the second end being formed with stop means for generally retaining the cassette within said storage chamber;
a hollow flexible cover having printed indicia thereon disposed within the storage chamber of the sleeve and conforming to the interior of said sleeve walls defining said chamber and configured to slidably receive the cassette therein;
and flange means formed integrally with at least one of the walls adjacent to the first end opening and extending only partially across said opening for blocking the opening to retain the cassette in the storage chamber when the flange means is in a first position, with said flange means being manually movable between the first position and a second position to unblock the first end opening enabling the cassette to slide from the flexible cover and from the storage chamber, with the flexible cover remaining behind in the storage chamber.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.