US 5,704,474 A · Disc carrier

Abstract

While the most popular currently available compact disc carriers are structurally simple, they are lacking in several areas. Such carriers are often difficult to open, they are fragile and thus easily broken, and they are usually stored vertically on edge so that the labels on the spines are difficult to read, and provide no indication of whether a disc is present in the carrier. A compact disc carrier, which deals with these shortcomings, includes a sleeve-like container defined by a top wall, side walls and tracks at the bottom ends of the side walls; and a tray defined by a bottom wall slidable in the tracks, a first pair of ledges on posts at the rear of the tray for supporting the rear edge of a disc, and a second pair of ledges on spring arms near the front of the tray for supporting the front edge of the disc. When a disc is placed on the ledges, the spring arms flex outwardly slightly, and when the tray is slid into the container, the spring arms are bent by the sides of the container, whereby, when the tray is fully inserted into the container, tabs on the free ends of the arms spring outwardly through slots in the sides of the container to provide a visual indication that a disc is present in the carrier. If no disc is present, the tabs remain in the container. Detents are provided on the bottom ends of the container side walls for engaging apertures in the top wall of a subjacent container so that carriers can be stacked horizontally, and will remain releasably latched together.

Claims12

Dependent claims

A disc carrier comprising:

(a) container means for storing a compact disc, said container means including
(i) an opening in one end thereof, and
(ii) slot means for providing a visual indication that a disc is present in the carrier through at least one side of said container means;
and
(b) tray means for receiving a compact disc including
(i) base means slidable in said container means for insertion of the tray means into said container means and for removal of the tray means from said container means through said opening;
(ii) disc support means on said base means for supporting a portion of a disc on said tray means;
and
(iii) spring arm means on said base means for engagement by a disc when the tray means is inserted fully into said container means, whereby the spring arm means extends into said slot means to provide a visual indication that a disc is present in the carrier and for retaining of the tray means and disc in the container means.

6 more elements

A disc carrier comprising:

(a) container means for storing a compact disc, said container means including
(i) an opening in one end thereof, and
(ii) slot means for providing a visual indication that a disc is present in the carrier through at least one side of said container means;
and
(b) tray means for receiving a compact disc including
(i) base means slidable in said container means for insertion of the tray means into said container means and for removal of the tray means from said container means through said opening;
(ii) support arm means on a rear end of said base means for supporting at least a portion of a disc on said tray means;
(iii) flexible spring arm means on said base means opposing said support arm means for supporting a second portion of a disc on said tray means, said support and spring arm means permitting unimpeded insertion or removal of the tray means from the container means when no disc is present on the tray means, the spacing between said support and spring arm means in a rest position being insufficient to permit unimpeded insertion of a disc between the support and spring arm means, whereby it is necessary to flex said spring arm means to place a disc on said tray means and to insert the tray means carrying a disc into said container means, and full insertion of said tray means into said container means causes said spring arm means to flex to a second position;
(iv) tab means on said spring arm means for projecting through said slot means in the container means when the tray means is inserted fully into said container means to provide a visual indication that a disc is present in the carrier.

6 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Disc carrier

Life of this patent

Disc carrier

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims12