Storage system for storing, accessing and transporting planar media

Abstract

A storage system comprises multiple units with combined features for storing, transporting and accessing planar media. The system comprises a container (library unit), modules, and a transport case. The module has expandable linked pockets for separating and protecting planar media elements. The modules allow a library of the planar media to be partitioned and stored into identifiable units. The container has particular features for guiding modules into parallel locations and retaining the modules in a substantially upright and closed position. Each container is configured to accept a plurality of the modules for storage. Removed modules may be fanned open in an accordian fashion exposing stored media for access. The modules are adapted to operate stand alone and adapted for inserting into and coupling to the covers of the transport case such that opening the transport case in-turn fans open the module allowing access for media retrieval or storage.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION [0001] This application is related to the commonly owned copending U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60 / 524,608, “Storage System for Storing, Accessing and Transporting Planar Media,” filed Nov. 24, 2003, and claims the benefit of its earlier filing date under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e).TECHNICAL FIELD [0002] The present invention relates in general to systems for storing, retrieving, and transporting planar media comprising paper documents, business cards, credit cards, compact disks (CDs) and digital versatile disks (DVDs). BACKGROUND INFORMATION [0003]“Planar media” means media for storing information on a two dimensional plane surface in a human or machine readable form, wherein the dimension of the plane surface is substantially larger than a thickness dimension of the media, such as CDs, DVDs, sheets of printed material, and plastic cards having magnetic strips. For example, compact disks (CDs) are a popular planar media for storing au...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0008] The bottom of each the modules has a guiding feature. The bottom of the container has a corresponding mating feature that allows the modules to be guided into the container to insure that placement of the modules in a desired position in the container is repeatable. The mating features in the container define identifiable locations for module placement. The container additionally has retaining features along the back section that couples to a module placed in one of the identifiable locations. The retaining features hold a so coupled module in a substantially vertical and upright position and keeps the stiff planar sections of the module from hinging open. Thus the container alone may keep a single stored module in an upright, closed position when inserted and retained. In one embodiment, the stiff planar sections of the module are hingedly coupled with a living hinge and the bottom of the module is configured in the shape of a “V” having sloped portions and a flat bottom portion at the tip of the “V” for placing the living hinge and providing a flat surface for the bottom of the module. In this embodiment, the bottom of the container has a corresponding “V” shaped slot extending from the front side to the back side of the container. In this manner, the modules may be stacked parallel and upright in the container with no additional space between modules required to retain the modules in a vertical position. The combination of the V shaped slot and the corresponding V shaped bottom of the modules allow one or all of the modules to be placed in an identifiable location, retained in an upright position, and held closed for storage without requiring a latch on the modules.

[0009] In one embodiment, the container also has storage features that allow the individual V shaped slots to be identified with a label which has one side visible when the door is opened and another side when the door is closed. The door has a window that allows a portion of the stored modules to be viewed when the door is closed. Likewise, the modules have label features that allow individual modules to be labeled for identification. In this manner, a module may be labeled the same as a mating slot for organization of groups of stored planar media. The modules stack in the container with little or no space between modules. To facilitate module removal from the container, the modules may have an addition finger hold feature that allows a module to be grasped from the front when it is stored between adjacent modules for easy removal from the container.

[0011] In another embodiment, the modules have guiding features on the side edges of the stiff planar section that allow the modules to be guided into mating features in the container that has a top section that opens. In this embodiment the container may be placed in a drawer that is best accessed from the top. The modules may then be guided into the container in this embodiment with the guiding features and the pocket openings face upwards such that stored planar media will not slip from the pocket when accessing and storing the modules in the container. Since the features are on the side edges of the modules, they do not interfere with the pocket openings in any way when storing and accessing planar media. In this embodiment, the features that allow a module to be grasped for removal from the container are placed on the top edges of the module. Once the module is partially extracted, the stiff planar sides may be grasped further for removing the module from the container. The container mating features for guiding the module also hold the module in a closed position a stored module with no adjacent modules will not fan open keeping the modules upright and closed. In other embodiments, the container has a handle that is recessed allowing the container to be easily transported.

[0012] In yet another embodiment, the modules may have features that allow them to hang from parallel rails placed in a top loading container like a drawer. In this embodiment, the modules may be free open allowing the linked pockets to expand and separate for medial access much like a Pendaflex® hanging files. However, this embodiment of the present invention allows a module to have multiple pockets for organizing planar media. For example, a module may have 12 pockets, one for each month, where the module stores a year's worth of receipts. Multiple modules covering multiple years may be placed in a single container (drawer). Likewise, the modules may be closed, latched and placed in a long term storage unit for safe keeping.

Problems solved by technology

Jewel cases are difficult to open and take up considerable space when used to store a single CD.

While there is a proliferation of storage units for individual there has been no systems approach for organizing, transporting and storing CDs and DVDs.

Likewise there has been no systems approach for storing the general class of planar media including other elements such as paper, credit cards, business cards, recipe cards, etc.

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