Technical field

The present invention relates to a method for providing a case for multimedia discs, such as CDs, DVDs, Blu-Rays and the like.

Background art

As is known, a currently felt problem in the field of providing cases for multimedia discs, such as CDs, DVDs, Blu-Rays and the like, is that of providing the user with a product that can be easily recycled and which, consequently, is not almost completely made of plastic material as presently.

A number of attempts have been made to provide products in which the plastic material is substituted by a paper-like material but, quite often, these solutions are poorly accepted by the user.

In particular, a case is known in which a sheet-like element made of paper-like material is provided which defines a base element and a lid element joined together by means of a backing strip which is connected with folding lines.

At three sides and, more specifically, at the three sides which are not covered by the backing strip, containment rims are provided which extend at right angles to the base element and to the lid.

A drawback in this embodiment is that the rims that are not contained in the area of the hinge between the base and the lid tend to splay and to split, thus creating an appearance for the case that is not very attractive.

Another drawback is that the covering element that provides the final finishing of the case is in practice missing in all the cut areas, for example at the longitudinal ends of the backing strip, and in the area where the containment rims are interrupted.

Disclosure of the invention

The aim of the present invention is to solve the above mentioned problems by devising a case that is ecologically compatible and which makes it possible to have an outer surface that is free from interruption lines of any kind.

Within this aim, an object of the invention is to provide a method that makes it possible to provide cases for multimedia discs that are particularly functional and practical, thus ensuring the achievement of all the features required for a case, while being made entirely of paper-like material.

Still an aim of the invention is to provide a method that, thanks to its distinctive implementation characteristics, is capable of offering the widest guarantees of reliability and safety in use.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a method that can be easily implemented using elements and materials that are easily sourced on the market and which, moreover, is competitive also from a merely economical viewpoint.

This aim and these and other objects which will become better evident hereinafter, are achieved by a method for providing a case for multimedia discs, such as CDs, DVDs, Blu-Rays and the like, according to the invention, comprising the step of providing a containment body constituted by a base element and a lid which are mutually hinged, characterized in that said base element and said lid are obtained by means of steps of providing a die-cut base made of paper-like material and a die-cut lid made of paper-like material, which are provided perimetrically with foldable edges, folding said edges substantially at right angles to the corresponding central portion, mating within the edges of the die-cut base a coupling rim which protrudes with respect to said folded edges, superimposing said lid on said base element, applying a covering layer made of paper-like material, which covers said die-cut lid and the edges of said die-cut base, scoring said covering layer between said edges except for the hingeing side, and applying, inside said containment body, an element for retaining at least one disc.

Brief description of the drawings Further characteristics and advantages of the invention will become better apparent from the description of a preferred, but not exclusive, embodiment of the method for providing a case for multimedia discs, such as CDs, DVDs, Blu-Rays and the like, illustrated by way of non-limiting example in the accompanying drawings wherein:

Figure 1 shows an exploded perspective view of the elements making up the case;

Figure 2 shows the base element in the formation step, with the coupling rim exploded;

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the base element with the coupling rim;

Figure 4 is an exploded view of the lid and the base element;

Figure 5 is an exploded view of the covering layer to be applied to the case;

Figure 6 shows the step of scoring the covering layer for the partial separation of the lid from the base;

Figure 7 shows a detail of the hingeing between the base element and the lid;

Figure 8 shows the finished containment body;

Figure 9 shows the containment body in the open position with the disc retaining element exploded;

Figure 10 shows an element for retaining a further disc, exploded with respect to the case;

Figure 11 shows the case with the containment element inserted therein.

Ways of carrying out the invention

With reference to the figures, the method for providing a case for multimedia discs, such as CDs, DVDs, Blu-Rays and the like consists in providing a containment body, generally indicated with the reference numeral 1, constituted by a base element 2 and a lid 3 which are mutually hinged.

One of the features of the invention consists in that the base element is obtained by means of a die-cut base 10 made of paper-like material and a die-cut lid 11 also made of paper-like material which is advantageously constituted by a card that has a finished side.

Perimetrically the die-cut elements 10 and 11 have, respectively, edges 12 of the base and edges 13 of the lid, which can be folded substantially at right angles to the central portion.

Preferably the edges 12 are folded in such a way that the finished side remains facing outward while the edges 13 of the lid 11 are folded in such a way that the finished side remains facing inward.

Once the base element of the lid has been shaped inside the base element, a coupling rim 20, also made of paper-like material, is inserted inside the edges 12, so as to be perfectly complementary with their inner shape, and has a width that is such as to protrude from the edges, so as to create a coupling zone for the edges 13 of the lid 3.

Once the lid has been coupled to the base element, as schematically shown in figure 5, a covering layer 30 made of paper-like material is superimposed, which has a central portion 30a which is superimposed on the lid, and superimposition edges, indicated with 30b, which are superimposed on both the edges 13 and the edges 12.

The covering layer is connected by means of the interposition of a layer of adhesive material, thus rendering the coupling stable.

In practice the coupling is executed on the non-finished side of the lid and on the edge 12 which is folded in such a way as to have the finished side facing outwards.

Once the superimposition has been carried out, a cut is made of the covering layer between the edges 12 and 13, except for the hingeing side, whereby the superimposition edge 30b for that side in practice will constitute a hingeing element, which makes it possible to easily open the lid with respect to the base element.

It should be noted that, advantageously, the central portion of the lid can have a slight drawing with outward convexity so as to constitute a stiffening element for the lid and also to achieve an improved aesthetic image for the container. Moreover, an improvement is achieved in planarity and containment of any deformations as a result of the glue.

Once the containment body 1 has been formed, as indicated in figure 8, an element is provided for retaining at least one disc, indicated with 50, known per se, which is advantageously applied to the inner bottom of the base element, thus covering its non- finished side. It is also possible to apply the disc retaining element to the inner surface of the lid.

With the solution as described, it is possible to provide a supplementary containment element 60 substantially constituted by an envelope-like body 61 which has an area 62 for containing the disc and a closure flap 63 which is folded so as to close the area 62 and so as to remain slightly spaced from the envelope-like body, thus constituting a grip element for the easy extraction of the supplementary containment element 60 from the containment body 1.

From the foregoing it can be seen that the invention achieves the intended aim and, in particular, attention is drawn to the fact that a case is provided which is completely made from paper-like material and in which a base element and a lid are provided which are mutually hinged, thus perfectly reproducing the characteristics of a case with a box-like shape with a continuity on the edges that makes the case particularly functional and attractive.

The invention thus conceived is susceptible of numerous modifications and variations, all of which are within the scope of the appended claims.

Moreover, all the details may be replaced by other technically equivalent elements. In practice the materials employed, provided they are compatible with the specific use, as well as the dimensions and the contingent shapes, may be any according to requirements.

The disclosures in Italian Patent Application No. MI2009A001895 from which this application claims priority are incorporated herein by reference.

Where technical features mentioned in any claim are followed by reference signs, those reference signs have been included for the sole purpose of increasing the intelligibility of the claims and accordingly, such reference signs do not have any limiting effect on the interpretation of each element identified by way of example by such reference signs.