In recent years, the "compact disc" or "CD", a 4.7 inch diameter metal record containing laser-readable information, has become the best selling consumer product in the field of recorded music. There is a concomitant need for an attractive, durable and reusable package in which to display, sell and store the compact disc.
Many compact disc packages have been created since the advent of the compact disc in the 1980s, including the so-called "jewel box" and the DIGIPAK.RTM. package. The latter was created by the assignee of the present invention and is the subject of U.S. Pat. No. 4,709,812. The jewel box package comprises three separate pieces of plastic, including clear front and back package panels and an opaque compact disc holder which snap-fits into the back package panel. The panels of the jewel box are normally hingedly connected along one edge so as to open like a book. Typically, one or two pre-printed inserts are included in the jewel box, one being held between the compact disc holder and the back panel so as to be displayed through the clear plastic of the panel, and the other being inserted between the clear plastic front panel and specially provided tabs projecting from the depending walls of the from panel, which tabs are generally parallel to the front panel and provide support to hold the preprinted insert against the inside of the panel. Additionally, the jewel box contains an insert in its spine identifying the rifle of the CD in the package.
A major drawback of the jewel box is that it does not allow the use of a recording artist's original album graphics in their original form, which are highly desired. This is because the area into which the printed inserts are placed is rectangular--not square--and therefore, the printed inserts themselves must also be rectangular. Thus, because original album graphics for classic recording artists such as the Rolling Stones are square, they cannot be used with the jewel box in their original form--their dimensions must be changed to accommodate the rectangular shape of the jewel box if they are to be used. The integrity of the original album graphics cannot be maintained. Original album graphics are often greatly desirable to music fans and of tremendous value to collectors. Thus, the ability to preserve the integrity of the original album graphics when selling a recording that was originally sold as an LP record in an album jacket is of great value. The present invention overcomes this problem by allowing original album graphics to be scaled down without modification and thereby used in their original form.
The DIGIPAK.RTM. package meets the same functional needs as the jewel box, although it is easier and more flexible to manufacture than the jewel box. It is constructed from a unitary blank, typically paperboard or other rigid material, which can be pre-printed on several surfaces prior to erection of the package. Because of this feature in which the package print and graphics are customized to the artist, record companies and consumers, particularly collectors, often prefer the DIGIPAK.RTM. package as opposed to the jewel box which is a generic package into which the printed portions must be inserted. The package also includes one or more compact disc holders, depending on the number of panels--4, 6, 8, 10 or 12. A disadvantage of the DIGIPAK.RTM. package is that it is pre-printed with the CD title and is therefore not capable of reuse with a different CD title.
Thus, as described above, while the jewel box and DIGIPAK.RTM. are suitable for long term storage of compact discs, they each have limitations that have not been resolved in the prior art. Likewise, there are still other compact disc packages available, each of which are incapable of reuse in the manner of the present invention and which otherwise fail to meet packaging needs addressed by the present invention.
The present invention provides a reusable CD package with a single elongated opening on one vertical edge in which at least one square sleeve (or jacket) containing a CD may be inserted and securely stored and a compartment along the opposite vertical edge, or spine, in which a narrow spine card may be placed to display the CD title on three sides--vertically along the spine and along small portions of the front and back of the package. The dimensions of the spine are such that the remaining display area of the package is essentially square, thus allowing a scaled down exact reproduction of the original album graphics for a previously released recording to be displayed on the CD sleeve.
The package is constructed of a front and rear component, the front component including lock tabs which snap securely into correlated receptacles in the rear component. The sleeve is typically pre-printed with text and graphics identifying the CD title in which case the package may be constructed of transparent plastic. Because shelf space is at a premium in retail outlets that sell compact discs, it is important to be able to maximize the number of disc units displayed on the shelf space. This is often done by printing the CD title vertically along the spine of the CD package so the package can be displayed on the shelf with only the narrow spine visible to the consumer. The present invention accomplishes this function with the elongated rectangular spine compartment for holding a replaceable spine card identifying the CD title. The spine compartment is fully enclosed such that the spine card may not be removed from the compartment when the package is in its assembled format. The package therefore also includes two small slots at the top and bottom into which a two-pronged key may be inserted and levered in order to unhinge and separate the package into its constituent parts thereby exposing the narrow spine compartment for easy removal and replacement of the spine card.