OPTICAL DISC CASE, OPTICAL DISC TRAY, CARD MEMBER, AND MANUFACTURING METHOD

• US 20080184281A1
• Filed: 01/17/2008
• Published: 07/31/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/30/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Orihara, Katsuhisa, Toyoda, Takahiro, ASHIZAKI, Koji
• Granted Patent: US 7,886,315 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 720/646
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/045 the record carrier being of the non-contact type, e.g. RFID, and being specially adapted for attachment to a disc, e.g. a CD or DVD
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07749 the record carrier being capable of non-contact communication, e.g. constructional details of the antenna of a non-contact smart card
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10178 including auxiliary means for focusing, repeating or boosting the electromagnetic interrogation field comparable booster antennas integrated on the record carrier itself G06K19/07794

Abstract

An optical disc case, in which an optical disc is stored, wherein a face cover portion and a rear-face cover portion are connected so as to be rotated with the end portion side of each of the principal faces thereof as the center, and are configured so as to form a box-shaped appearance when the face cover portion and the rear-face cover portion are closed such that the respective principal faces of the face cover portion and the rear-face cover portion face each other, the case including: a protruding holding portion, configured to fit into a central hole formed in the optical disc to hold the optical disc, provided to the inner side of the principal face of the rear-face cover portion; and a booster antenna to which a first antenna and a second antenna are connected configured to relay a signal sent/received from one antenna to the other antenna.

Claims

1. An optical disc case in which an optical disc is stored, wherein a face cover portion and a rear-face cover portion are connected so as to be rotated with the end portion side of each of the principal faces thereof as the center, and are configured so as to form a box-shaped appearance when said face cover portion and said rear-face cover portion are closed such that the respective principal faces of said face cover portion and said rear-face cover portion face each other, said optical disc case comprising:

a protruding holding portion, configured to fit into a central hole formed in said optical disc to hold said optical disc, provided to the inner side of the principal face of said rear-face cover portion; and

a booster antenna to which a first antenna and a second antenna are connected configured to relay a signal sent/received from one antenna to the other antenna;

wherein said booster antenna is disposed such that said first antenna is disposed such that the central portion thereof is identical to the center of said protruding holding portion, and also the outer shape thereof is in a state of being parallel to the principal face of said rear-face cover portion, and said second antenna is disposed such that the outer shape thereof contacts or comes close to, in a parallel state, one side face at the time of said face cover portion and said rear-face cover portion being closed.

2. An optical disc tray including a function for holding an optical disc, and being disposed within a case casing which is configured of a face cover portion and a rear-face cover portion, which are connected in a rotatable state with the end portion side of each of the principal faces thereof as the center, so as to be fitted into and attached to said rear-face cover portion with the holding face of said optical disc being directed to the inner side of said case casing, thereby configuring an optical disc case in which said optical disc is stored, said optical disc tray comprising:

a protruding holding portion configured to fit into a central hole formed in said optical disc to hold said optical disc; and

a booster antenna to which a first antenna and a second antenna are connected configured to relay a signal sent/received from one antenna to the other antenna;

wherein said booster antenna is disposed such that said first antenna is disposed in the holding face of said optical disc or the rear-face thereof and fastened such that the central portion thereof is identical to the center of said protruding holding portion, and said second antenna protrudes from the end portion of said optical disc tray.

3. A card member attachable to an optical disc case wherein a face cover portion and a rear-face cover portion are connected so as to bend at both ends of a side-face portion making up one side face at the time of closing, and are configured so as to form a box-shaped appearance when said face cover portion and said rear-face cover portion are closed such that the respective principal faces of said face cover portion and said rear-face cover portion face each other, so as to cover the outer faces of said face cover portion, said rear-face cover portion, said side-face portion, said card member comprising:

a booster antenna to which a first antenna and a second antenna are connected configured to relay a signal sent/received from one antenna to the other antenna;

wherein said booster antenna is disposed such that said first antenna is disposed in a region corresponding to said rear-face cover portion, and said second antenna is disposed in a region corresponding to said side-face portion, and also said booster antenna is bendable at a portion corresponding to the boundary between said rear-face cover portion and said side-face portion.

4. A card member which is stored between a disc tray member and a rear-face cover portion within an optical disc case including a face cover portion and said rear-face cover portion which are connected so as to be rotated with the end portion side of each of the principal faces thereof as the center, and said disc tray member, which is fitted into and attached to said rear-face cover portion, configured to hold said optical disc by a protruding holding portion provided on one of the faces being fitted into a central hole formed in an optical disc, configured so as to form a box-shaped appearance when said face cover portion and said rear-face cover portion are closed such that the respective principal faces of said face cover portion and said rear-face cover portion face each other sandwiching said disc tray member, said card member comprising:

a booster antenna to which a first antenna and a second antenna are connected configured to relay a signal sent/received from one antenna to the other antenna;

wherein said booster antenna is fastened to either face of said disc tray member side or said rear-face cover portion side such that said first antenna is disposed such that the central portion thereof is identical to the center of said protruding holding portion, and also the outer shape thereof is in a state of being parallel to the principal face of said rear-face cover portion, and said second antenna is disposed such that the outer shape thereof contacts or comes close to, in a parallel state, one side face at the time of said face cover portion and said rear-face cover portion being closed.

5. A method for manufacturing an optical disc case including a face cover portion and a rear-face cover portion which are connected so as to be rotated with the end portion side of each of the principal faces thereof as the center, and a disc tray member, which is fitted into and attached to said rear-face cover portion, configured to hold said optical disc by a protruding holding portion provided on one of the faces being fitted into a central hole formed in an optical disc, configured so as to form a box-shaped appearance when said face cover portion and said rear-face cover portion are closed such that the respective principal faces of said face cover portion and said rear-face cover portion face each other sandwiching said disc tray member, said method comprising the steps of:

attaching a booster antenna, which is formed generally in flat plate shape, to which a first antenna and a second antenna are connected configured to relay a signal sent/received from one antenna to the other antenna, to said disc tray member;

wherein said step of attaching a booster antenna includes the steps of

disposing and fastening said first antenna in the holding face of said optical disc or the rear-face thereof and such that the central portion thereof is identical to the center of said protruding holding portion to cause said second antenna to protrude from the end portion of said optical disc tray, and

bending said booster antenna such that said second antenna is perpendicular to said first antenna to cause said second antenna to contact or comes close to, in a parallel state, one inner side face of said rear-face cover portion when said disc tray member fits into and attaches to the inner side of said rear-face cover portion.

6. A method for manufacturing an optical disc case including a face cover portion and a rear-face cover portion which are connected so as to be rotated with the end portion side of each of the principal faces thereof as the center, and a disc tray member, which is fitted into and attached to said rear-face cover portion, configured to hold said optical disc by a protruding holding portion provided on one of the faces being fitted into a central hole formed in an optical disc, configured so as to form a box-shaped appearance when said face cover portion and said rear-face cover portion are closed such that the respective principal faces of said face cover portion and said rear-face cover portion face each other sandwiching said disc tray member, said method comprising the steps of:

fastening a booster antenna, which is formed generally in flat plate shape, to which a first antenna and a second antenna are connected configured to relay a signal sent/received from one antenna to the other antenna, to one face of a card member; and

disposing said card member between said disc tray member and said rear-face cover portion such that said first antenna is disposed such that the central portion thereof is identical to the center of said protruding holding portion, and also the outer shape thereof is in a state of being parallel to the principal face of said rear-face cover portion, and said second antenna is disposed such that the outer shape thereof contacts or comes close to, in a parallel state, one side face at the time of said face cover portion and said rear-face cover portion being closed.

7. A method for manufacturing an optical disc case wherein a face cover portion and a rear-face cover portion are connected so as to be rotated with the end portion side of each of the principal faces thereof as the center, and are configured so as to form a box-shaped appearance when said face cover portion and said rear-face cover portion are closed such that the respective principal faces of said face cover portion and said rear-face cover portion face each other, and the inner side of the principal face of said rear-face cover portion is provided with a protruding holding portion configured to fit into a central hole formed in an optical disc to hold said optical disc, said method comprising the steps of:

attaching a booster antenna, which is formed generally in flat plate shape, to which a first antenna and a second antenna are connected configured to relay a signal sent/received from one antenna to the other antenna, to said rear-face cover portion such that said first antenna is disposed such that the central portion thereof is identical to the center of said protruding holding portion, and also the outer shape thereof is in a state of being parallel to the principal face of said rear-face cover portion, and said second antenna is disposed such that the outer shape thereof contacts or comes close to, in a parallel state, one side face at the time of said face cover portion and said rear-face cover portion being closed.

8. A method for manufacturing an optical disc case, comprising the steps of:

forming a case casing in an integral manner with injection molding, wherein a face cover portion and a rear-face cover portion are connected at both ends of a side-face portion making up one side face at the time of closing in bendable state;

disposing a square-shaped bright film so as to cover the outer faces of said face cover portion, said rear-face cover portion, and said side-face portion; and

attaching a booth antenna to a card member for package display which can be inserted between said bright film and said face cover portion, said rear-face cover portion, and said side-face portion;

wherein with said step of attaching said booth antenna to said rear-side cover portion, said card member to which said booth antenna is attached is inserted between said bright film and said face cover portion, said rear-face cover portion, and said side-face portion.

9. A method for manufacturing an optical disc tray which includes a protruding holding portion configured to fit into a central hole formed in an optical disc to hold said optical disc, and is disposed within a case casing which is configured of a face cover portion and a rear-face cover portion, which are connected in a rotatable state with the end portion side of each of the principal faces thereof as the center, so as to be fitted into and attached to said rear-face cover portion with the holding face of said optical disc being directed to the inner side of said case casing, thereby configuring an optical disc case in which said optical disc is stored, said method comprising the steps of:

attaching a booster antenna, which is formed generally in flat plate shape, to which a first antenna and a second antenna are connected configured to relay a signal sent/received from one antenna to the other antenna, to said optical disc tray; and

disposing and fastening said first antenna in the holding face of said optical disc or the rear-face thereof and such that the central portion thereof is identical to the center of said protruding holding portion to cause said second antenna to protrude from the end portion of said optical disc tray.

10. An optical disc case in which a plurality of optical discs are stored, wherein a face cover portion and a rear-face cover portion are connected so as to be rotated with the end portion side of each of the principal faces thereof as the center, and are configured so as to form a box-shaped appearance when said face cover portion and said rear-face cover portion are closed such that the respective principal faces of said face cover portion and said rear-face cover portion face each other;

said optical disc case comprising;

a first protruding holding portion, configured to fit into a central hole formed in a first optical disc to hold said first optical disc, provided at the inner side of the principal face of said face cover portion;

a second protruding holding portion, configured to fit into a central hole formed in a second optical disc to hold said second optical disc such that the center of said second protruding holding portion is mutually identical to the center of said first protruding holding portion when closing said face cover portion and said rear-face cover portion, provided to the inner side of the principal face of said rear-face cover portion; and

at least one booster antenna to which a first antenna and a second antenna are connected configured to relay a signal sent/received from one antenna to the other antenna;

wherein said booster antenna is disposed such that said first antenna is disposed such that the central portion thereof is identical to the respective centers of said first protruding holding portion and said second protruding holding portion, and also the outer shape thereof is in a state of being parallel to the principal face of said face cover portion or the principal face of said rear-face cover portion, and said second antenna is disposed such that the outer shape thereof contacts or comes close to, in a parallel state, one side face at the time of said face cover portion and said rear-face cover portion being closed.

11. An optical disc case in which a plurality of optical discs are stored, comprising:

a central tray member wherein a first protruding holding portion configured to fit into a central hole formed in a first optical disc to hold said first optical disc is provided on one face of the principal faces thereof, and a second protruding holding portion configured to fit into a central hole formed in a second optical disc to hold said second optical disc is provided on the other face parallel to said one face;

a face cover portion and a rear-face cover portion which are connected in a rotatable state as to said central tray member with one end side of said central tray member as the center; and

at least one booster antenna to which a first antenna and a second antenna are connected configured to relay a signal sent/received from one antenna to the other antenna;

wherein when said face cover portion and said rear-face cover portion are closed such that the respective principal faces of said face cover portion and said rear-face cover portion face each other, said face cover portion and said rear-face cover portion are configured so as to form a box-shaped appearance;

and wherein said booster antenna is disposed on at least said one face of said central tray member such that said first antenna is disposed such that the central portion thereof is identical to the respective centers of said first protruding holding portion and said second protruding holding portion, and also the outer shape thereof is in a state of being parallel to the principal face of said central tray member, and said second antenna is disposed such that the outer shape thereof is in a state perpendicular to the outer shape of said first antenna in the vicinity of one end of the principal face of said central tray member.

12. A card member attachable to an optical disc case wherein a face cover portion and a rear-face cover portion are connected so as to bend at both ends of a side-face portion making up one side face at the time of closing, and are configured so as to form a box-shaped appearance when said face cover portion and said rear-face cover portion are closed such that the respective principal faces of said face cover portion and said rear-face cover portion face each other, and an optical disc is held in the inner face of said face cover portion and the inner face of said rear-face cover portion, so as to cover the outer faces of said face cover portion, said rear-face cover portion, said side-face portion, said card member comprising:

at least one booster antenna to which a first antenna and a second antenna are connected configured to relay a signal sent/received from one antenna to the other antenna;

wherein said booster antenna is disposed such that said first antenna is disposed in a region corresponding to said face cover portion or said rear-face cover portion, and said second antenna is disposed in a region corresponding to said side-face portion, and also said booster antenna is bendable at a portion corresponding to the boundary between said rear-face cover portion and said side-face portion.

13. A method for manufacturing an optical disc case wherein a face cover portion and a rear-face cover portion are connected so as to be rotated with the end portion side of each of the principal faces thereof as the center, and are configured so as to form a box-shaped appearance when said face cover portion and said rear-face cover portion are closed such that the respective principal faces of said face cover portion and said rear-face cover portion face each other, the inner side of the principal face of said face cover portion and the inner side of the principal face of said rear-face cover portion are provided with a first protruding holding portion configured to fit into a central hole formed in a first optical disc to hold said first optical disc, and a second protruding holding portion configured to fit into a central hole formed in a second optical disc to hold said second optical disc such that the centers of said first and second protruding holding portion are identical to each other when said face cover portion and said rear-face cover portion are closed, said method comprising the step of:

attaching a booster antenna, which is formed generally in flat plate shape, to which a first antenna and a second antenna are connected configured to relay a signal sent/received from one antenna to the other antenna, to at least either of said face cover portion or said rear-face cover portion,

wherein in said step, said booster antenna is disposed such that said first antenna is disposed such that the central portion thereof is identical to the center of said first protruding holding portion or said second protruding holding portion, and also the outer shape thereof is in a state of being parallel to the principal face of said face cover portion or said rear-face cover portion, and said second antenna is disposed such that the outer shape thereof contacts or comes close to, in a parallel state, one side face at the time of said face cover portion and said rear-face cover portion being closed.

14. A method for manufacturing an optical disc case including a central tray member wherein a first protruding holding portion configured to fit into a central hole formed in a first optical disc to hold said first optical disc, and is disposed on one face of the principal faces thereof, a second protruding holding portion configured to fit into a central hole formed in a second optical disc to hold said second optical disc is provided on the other face parallel to said one face such that the center thereof and the center of said first protruding holding portion are identical to each other, and a face cover portion and a rear-face cover portion which are connected so as to each rotate as to said central tray member, and are configured so as to form a box-shaped appearance when said face cover portion and said rear-face cover portion are closed such that the principal face of said face cover portion and the principal face of said rear-face cover portion each face the principal face of said central tray member, said method comprising the step of:

attaching at least one booster antenna, which is formed generally in flat plate shape, to which a first antenna and a second antenna are connected configured to relay a signal sent/received from one antenna to the other antenna, to at least said one face of said central tray member;

wherein in said step, said booster antenna is disposed such that said first antenna is disposed such that the central portion thereof is identical to the respective centers of said first protruding holding portion and said second protruding holding portion, and also the outer shape thereof is in a state of being parallel to the principal face of said central tray member, and said second antenna is disposed such that the outer shape thereof is in a state perpendicular to the outer shape of said first antenna in the vicinity of one end of the principal face of said central tray member.