GB2349262A

GB2349262A - Storage/display arrangement for CDs

Info

Publication number: GB2349262A
Application number: GB0002834A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Scott Fielding
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1999-02-05
Filing date: 2000-02-07
Publication date: 2000-10-25
Anticipated expiration: 2020-02-07
Also published as: GB0002834D0; GB2349262B; GB9902679D0

Abstract

A storage or display arrangement for CD's comprises an array of supporting elements (1) in the form of discs each having a central array of spring fingers for holding the central aperture of a CD in standard fashion. Each supporting element has a peripheral array of radially spaced apart pairs of holes and the supporting elements are connected by connecting elements (7) having corresponding pairs of pegs at each end which fit resiliently into the holes. The uppermost supporting elements are supported by hooks of screws (10) which fit into the uppermost holes thereof. The arrangement can be assembled and disassembled into a variety of eg hexagonal or rectangular arrays. In another embodiment the supporting elements are not attached to each other but are individually mounted on a wall.

Description

Storage or Display arrangement The present invention relates to a storage or display arrangement for recording discs such as compact discs for example. In this specification, the term"recording disc" encompasses any disc having or capable of having recorded information thereon, irrespective of whether the disc is read-only, erasable and freely re-recordable or a WORM (Write Once Read Many times) disc, and irrespective of whether the information is recorded in digital or analogue form or recorded magnetically, optically or magneto-optically for example.

The invention provides a storage or display arrangement for recording discs, the arrangement comprising at least two supporting elements arranged to hold respective recording discs facing respective front surfaces of the supporting elements and the arrangement further comprising at least one connecting portion which is detachable and reattachable in use to enable said at least two supporting elements to be connected in a selected one of two or more predetermined configurations.

The above storage or display arrangement can be provided in eg kit form and a multiplicity of supporting elements can be connected in a variety of configurations to suit the taste of and tne space available to the user.

Preferably the connecting portion comprises a discrete connecting element having connecting means at opposite ends thereof, the supporting elements each having a plurality of complementary connecting means defining respective configurations.

This feature enables a particular supporting element to be detached relatively easily from the arrangement without disturbing the remainder of the supporting elements, simply by disconnecting its attached connecting elements.

Preferably each supporting element comprises projections or recesses which are disposed in a regular array around its periphery and engage one or more complementary recesses or projections in the connecting element (if present) or in an adjacent supporting element. This enables the supporting elements to form a regular pattern.

Preferably the arrangement comprises three or more such supporting elements connected to each other, optionally via connecting elements.

Preferably each storage element has at least three such connecting portions disposed about its periphery.

Both the above features facilitate the formation of two-dimensional patterns with the arrangement.

In another aspect the invention provides A storage or display arrangement for recording discs, the arrangement comprising at least two generally flat supporting elements arranged to hold respective recording discs facing but spaced apart from respective front surfaces of the supporting elements, each supporting element having one or more projections extending forwardly from a mid-region thereof, said one or more projections being arranged in use to engage a central aperture of a standard recording disc and the supporting elements being mounted on an interior wall surface of a building.

Preferred features of both aspects of the invention are defined in the dependent claims.

Preferred embodiments of the invention are described below by way of example only with reference to Figures 1 to 8 of the accompanying drawings, wherein: Figure 1 is a front elevation of a supporting element; Figure 2 is a section taken on II-II of Figure 1, additionally showing a compact disc (CD) supported on the supporting element; Figure 3 is a rear elevation of a connecting element arranged to fit the supporting element of Figure 1; Figure 4 is a side elevation taken on Figure 3; Figure 5 is a front elevation of one supporting arrangement made up of the connecting elements of Figure 3 and the supporting element of Figure 1; Figure 5A shows a variant of the arrangement of Figure 5; Figure 6 is a front elevation of a further supporting arrangement made up of the connecting elements of Figure 3 and the supporting element of Figure 1; Figure 7 is a front elevation of a further supporting arrngement in accordance with the invention, and Figure 8 is a bottom plan view showing to an enlarged scale a connecting portion of the supporting arrangment of Figure 7.

Referring to Figure 1, the supporting element 1, which is made of injection-moulded resilient plastics material, is generally in the form of a disc having a regular peripheral array of pairs of holes 2, the holes of each pair being spaced apart in the radial direction and adjacent pairs of holes subtending an angle of 30 degrees about the centre axis of the disc.

The central region of the supporting element has an array 4 of 12 tapering spring fingers extending radially inwardly towards a central aperture, as in a standard insert in a CD"jewel box". The array 4 of spring fingers is arranged to engage the central hole of a standard compact disc 6 (Figure 2) in a manner known per se and to this end each finger has a ridge 5, the ridges defining a circle as shown in Figure I whose diameter corresponds to the diameter of the central hole in a standard CD.

As best seen in Figure 2, only the central portion of the CD 6 rests on the spring fingers and its rear, data-carrying surface is spaced apart from the front surface of disc 1. In order to provide a further separation between the facing surfaces of the CD 6 and supporting element 1, the spring fingers are formed on an annular land 3 of about 1.5 mm thickness. For ease of illustration and in the interests of clarity, only the extreme right and left spring fingers are shown in Figure 2. The outside diameter of the supporting element 1 is suitably about 60mm.

Referring to Figures 3 and 4, the connecting element 7 which is suitably formed of injection moulded plastics material has a pair of cylindrical pegs 8 at each end and these are located and dimensioned to fit resiliently in a corresponding pair of holes 2 in connecting element 1. An integral longitudinal strengthening rib 9 is provided on the rear surface of the connecting element.

Figure 5 shows a wall-mounted arrangement in which the supporting elements 1 are formed in a rectangular array with the connecting elements 7'disposed at right angles or at 180 degrees. The arrangement is supported from a wall by two projecting elements such as hooks or screws 10 which fit in the respective uppermost holes of the two uppermost supporting elements 1. The other supporting elements 1 can be releasably held against the wall be temporary adhesive means.

The variant shown in Figure 5 shows a vertical strip of perhaps 10 supporting elements 1 (only three of which are shown) linked by connecting elements 7. The latter are transversely foldable for packaging purposes as indicated at 71.

Figure 6 shows, somewhat schematically and to a different scale, a further possible arrangement of the supporting elements 1 and connecting elements 7 in which the angles subtended about the supporting elements by their adjacent supporting elements are selected from 30 degrees, 60 degrees and 180 degrees. A pattern in the form of a"no entry"sign is formed.

The diameter of the supporting elements 1 can be varied to provide that the CD's supported on the arrangement overlap, or are spaced apart (as shown) or touch or nearly touch tangentially. The arrangement could also be supported on a horizontal or inclined surface eg for display purposes in a shop.

In the arrangement shown in Figure 7, each supporting element 10 is provided with an array of ear-recess combinations regularly distributed at intervals of 30 degrees about its circumference. Only two of three of these are shown, for ease of illustration.

As best seen in Figure 8, each recess 9 is provided with two holes 11 in its floor.

These cooperatively engage corresponding projections 12 which extend rearwardly from the rear surface of the ear 8 of an adjacent ear-recess combination of the adjacent supporting element 10, as shown in Figure 7. The rear surfaces of the supporting elements 10 are suitably attached to an interior wall surface of a building, not shown. The supporting elements 10 are also provided with arrays of spring fingers 4 for supporting CD's as in the first embodiment. In variants of the above embodiments, the supporting elements 1/10 are not attached to each other but are individually mounted on an interior wall surface.

Claims

Claims 1. A storage or display arrangement for recording discs, the arrangement comprising at least two supporting elements arranged to hold respective recording discs facing respective front surfaces of the supporting elements and the arrangement further comprising at least one connecting portion which is detachable and reattachable in use to enable said at least two supporting elements to be connected in a selected one of two or more predetermined configurations.
2. A storage or display arrangement according to claim 1 wherein the connecting portion comprises a discrete connecting element having connecting means at opposite ends thereof, the supporting elements each having a plurality of complementary connecting means defining respective configurations.
3. A storage or display arrangement according to claim 1 or claim 2 wherein each supporting element comprises projections or recesses which are disposed in a regular array around its periphery and engage one or more complementary recesses or projections in the connecting element (if present) or in an adjacent supporting element.
4. A storage or display arrangement according to any preceding claim comprising three or more such supporting elements connected to each other, optionally via connecting elements.
5. A storage or display arrangement according to claim 4 wherein each storage element has at least three such connecting portions disposed about its periphery.
6. A storage or display arrangement according to claim 4 or claim 5 wherein said connecting portions are disposed in a regular array.
7. A storage or display arrangement according to claim 5 or claim 6 wherein two such supporting elements can subtend an angle of 30 degrees about an intermediate supporting element.
8. A storage or display arrangement according to claim 5 or claim 6 or claim 7 wherein two such supporting elements can subtend an angle of 60 degrees about an intermediate supporting element.
9. A storage or display arrangement according to any of claims 5 to 8 wherein two such supporting elements can subtend an angle of 90 degrees about an intermediate supporting element.
10. A storage or display arrangement according to any preceding claim wherein each supporting element has a projecting portion which is arranged to engage the central hole of a recording disc.
11. A storage or display arrangement according to claim 10 wherein said projecting portion is resilient and is arranged to bear radially outwardly against the central hole of a standard recording disc.
12. A storage or display arrangement according to claim 10 or claim 11 wherein said projecting portion is arranged to fit the central hole of a compact disc (CD).
13. A storage or display arrangement according to any preceding claim wherein each supporting element is provided with means for preventing the rear surface of its recording disc from contacting said front surface.
14. A storage or display arrangement according to any preceding claim having means for mounting the rear of the arrangement against a supporting surface.
15. A storage or display arrangement according to claim 14 having means for retaining the arrangement against a wall in addition to means for supporting the weight of the arrangement.
16. A storage or display arrangement for recording discs, the arrangement comprising at least two generally flat supporting elements arranged to hold respective recording discs facing but spaced apart from respective front surfaces of the supporting elements, each supporting element having one or more projections extending forwardly from a mid-region thereof, said one or more projections being arranged in use to engage a central aperture of a standard recording disc and the supporting elements being mounted on an interior wall surface of a building.
17. A storage or display arrangement as claimed in claim 16 wherein three or more such supporting elements are disposed on the interior wall surface in a regular twodimensional array.
18. A storage or display arrangement as claimed in claim 16 or claim 17 wherein each support element has an array of two or more spring fingers which constitute said projections.
19. A storage or display arrangement substantially as described hereinabove with reference to Figures 1 to 6 optionally as modified in accordance with Figures 7 and 8 of the accompanying drawing.
20. A kit of parts for a storage or display arrangement as claimed in any preceding claim.