Environmentally friendly information storage disc packaging system

Abstract

A packaging system is provided for shipping optical media, such as compact discs (CDs), digital video discs (DVDs), and compact disc recordables (CDRs), in an environmentally responsible and cost effective manner. The packaging system's construction uses primarily recyclable material and requires far less raw material than other shipping packaging options. The packaging system is also lightweight and suitably durable for passage through the normal shipping channels, such as the United States Postal Service. The packaging system may be easily configured to accommodate different numbers of optical media discs.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTIONThis invention relates to packaging devices for optical media, and more particularly, to an environmentally responsible and cost effective packaging system to distribute large quantities of related optical media to customers through mail services, such as the United States Postal Service, UPS, Federal Express, and the like.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONOptical media are small optical discs upon which large amounts of digital information, such as audio-visual data and software, are encoded. Common examples of optical media include, but are not limited to, the common compact disc (CD), the digital video disc (DVD), and the compact disc recordable (CDR). Other types of optical media using different formats than those listed above to store encoded data will likely be developed in the future.The invention will be explained in reference to storing optical media. However, just as new types of optical media formats are likely to be developed in the future, so are other fo...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

Accordingly, it is a purpose of the present invention to provide an optical media package which minimizes excess material in its construction.

The cover and sleeves may be housed in an appropriately sized shipping box for delivery. The shipping box should just be large enough to accommodate the cover and sleeves, thus reducing the excess shipping material and the need to use packaging filler to secure the contents of the shipping box. This small and lightweight shipping box may contain any number of optical media, and it is durable enough to be inexpensively shipped through the mail. In contrast to the prior example, there is no product box or extra filler material needed in this packaging system.

Problems solved by technology

This jewel case, though attractive in appearance, is cumbersome, expensive to construct, and not sufficiently durable to send through the mail without additional packaging.

Additionally, the jewel case is not suited to address the problem of disseminating and storing mass quantities of optical media, as it was designed to be a personal storage container for the individual consumer upon purchase of a single optical media disc.

Further, the construction and use of a jewel case requires a significant amount of plastic, which is a non-biodegradable material that can pose environmental problems.

While the described storage device in the '081 patent uses less non-biodegradable material in its construction, it still requires the use of plastic and a shrink-wrapped exterior.

Further, the construction of the storage device would not be suitable or sufficiently durable for passage through the mail, as it was designed to be used strictly in retail outlet stores.

As limited environmentally responsible packaging is available to address the needs of distributors of optical media, less than ideal shipping practices are accepted as a matter of course.

For example, the process of shipping a single optical media disc from the distributor to a customer is both unnecessarily expensive and requires far too many non-biodegradable shipping materials.

Each jewel case is shipped in a product box, which is sufficiently larger than the jewel case and has an expensive high gloss finish exterior with lettering and artwork.

The product box construction is expensive, requires excess amounts of raw materials, and is quite heavy.

The extra weight of the product box increases the cost of shipping.

This process uses far to much non-biodegradable raw material to produce a package that is costlier to produce and ship than need be.

This problem is compounded when more than one related optical media disc is shipped.

This process is inefficient and undesirable on multiple fronts.

The process requires the use of raw materials that are not sustainable, and thus, harmful to the environment.

The process also requires much more packaging material per optical media disc than need be, which results in a higher cost to package an optical media disc for shipment.

The process also yields a package that is far heavier than need be, which results in a higher cost to ship the package of compact discs.