US20070012635A1

US20070012635A1 - Optical disc stand

Info

Publication number: US20070012635A1
Application number: US11/162,565
Authority: US
Inventors: Ta-Lung Liu
Original assignee: Lite On IT Corp
Current assignee: Lite On IT Corp
Priority date: 2005-07-13
Filing date: 2005-09-15
Publication date: 2007-01-18
Also published as: TW200703264A; TWI306240B

Abstract

An optical disc stand for storing at lease one optical disc is provided. The optical disc stand includes a base, a supporting frame, and multiple carrying members. The supporting frame connected to the base includes multiple first locking parts. The carrying members are connected to the supporting frame. Multiple spaces are formed between each carrying member and the supporting frame for storing the discs. Each carrying member includes a body, a second locking part, and a stopper. Each space is formed by the body and the supporting frame respectively. The second locking part is connected to the body and locked with at least one of the first locking parts. The stopper is connected to the body.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the priority benefit of Taiwan application serial no. 94123684, filed on Jul. 13, 2005. All disclosure of the Taiwan application is incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to an optical disc stand. More particularly, the present invention relates to an optical disc stand capable of avoiding optical disc scratching when accessing and retrieving optical disc.
2. Description of Related Art
With such advantages as low price, portability, large storage space, easy storage, long storage period, low cost and resistance to damage, the optical disc has gradually replaced the conventional magnetic memory medium and become an indispensable optical storage medium. As the optical disc is widely applied, the optical disc player for accessing the information stored in optical disc has become a common electronic product. In the manufacturing process of the optical disc player, the testing for the optical disc player is a necessary step, and the testing requires test optical discs (“optical disc” hereinafter) to test the quality of the optical disc player.
Traditionally, as the test space in the optical disc assembly line is limited, the optical discs are stored in a stack in the testing station. Two conventional apparatuses are used for storing the optical discs: a shallow plate to store the optical discs, and a custom-made plate to store the optical discs. The shallow plate is similar to household plastic plates with diameter of 14 centimeter and height of 4 centimeter. The inside of the custom-made plate is conical with wide opening and narrow bottom, so that a plurality of optical discs can slide to the fixed position, and the outside of the plate is a cylinder with diameter of 20 centimeter and height of 2 centimeter to protect the outer edge of the optical discs.
However, each optical disc testing station needs 8 to 12 optical discs for testing purpose. For 12 optical discs and each holder apparatus holding 2 optical discs, 6 holders are required. The horizontal space for these holder apparatus undoubtedly occupies a huge space in relation to the narrow space in the optical disc player testing station. Moreover, by stacking the optical discs, it is inevitable to scratch and damage some of them and, accordingly, the testing cost increases.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, the present invention is directed to an optical disc stand to avoid the optical disc from receiving any scratch and damage and to make good use of the storage space.
According to the above and other objectives, the present invention provides an optical disc stand for storing at lease one optical disc. The optical disc stand includes a base, a supporting frame, and a plurality of carrying members. The supporting frame connected to the base includes a plurality of first locking parts. Moreover, the carrying members are connected to the supporting frame. There are a plurality of spaces formed between each carrying member and the supporting frame for storing the discs. Each carrying member includes a body, a second locking part, and a stopper. A space is formed by the body and the supporting frame respectively. The second locking part is connected to the body and locked with at least one of the first locking parts. The stopper is connected to the body.
According to the embodiment of the present invention, the optical disc stand, for example, further includes a locking device to fix the supporting frame on the base.
According to the embodiment of the present invention, the supporting frame and the base are formed integrally.
According to the embodiment of the present invention, each body is, for example, a flat plate or a frame.
According to the embodiment of the present invention, each stopper is, for example, an L-shaped stopper or a block stopper.
According to the embodiment of the present invention, the body, the second locking part and the stopper of each carrying member are, for example, integrally formed.
According to the embodiment of the present invention, the supporting frame has, for example, a first side surface and a second side surface. The first side surface is opposite to the second side surface, and these first locking parts are disposed on the first side surface and the second side surface respectively.
According to the embodiment of the present invention, each first locking part has, for example, a convex, and each second locking part has, for example, a concave or an opening.
According to the embodiment of the present invention, each first locking part has, for example, a concave or an opening, and each second locking part has, for example, a convex.
According to the above and other objectives, the present invention provides an optical disc stand for storing at lease one optical disc. The optical disc stand includes a base, a supporting frame, a plurality of stopper bases and a plurality of holding modules. The supporting frame is connected to the base, and a plurality of stopper bases are connected to the supporting frame. Moreover, a plurality of holding modules are connected to the stopper bases, and each holding module includes a positioning part and a plurality of fixing parts. The positioning part connected to one of the stopper bases includes a plurality of holding slots for storing the optical discs. Each holding slot has two holding ends and two side edges, and the distance between the holding ends of the identical holding slot is equal to the diameter of the optical disc. A plurality of fixing parts are disposed between the stopper base and the positioning part.
According to the embodiment of the present invention, the optical disc stand, for example, further includes a plurality of supporting parts, wherein one of the side edges and one of the stopper bases are connected by each supporting part.
According to the embodiment of the present invention, the optical disc stand, for example, further includes a locking device to fix the supporting frame on the base.
According to the embodiment of the present invention, the supporting frame and the base are integrally formed.
According to the embodiment of the present invention, each stopper base is, for example, a flat plate or a frame.
According to the embodiment of the present invention, each positioning part is, for example, a housing with these holding slots or a frame.
According to the embodiment of the present invention, one of the stopper bases and one of the positioning parts are, for example, integrally formed.
According to the embodiment of the present invention, these stopper bases and these positioning parts are arranged in multiple layers, and these optical disc holding slots are arranged in an array.
According to the embodiment of the present invention, the width between two side edges near two holding ends of the holding slot is less than the width between the centers of the two side edges.
According to the embodiment of the present invention, each positioning part is, for example, a rubber.
According to the embodiment of the present invention, each positioning part is, for example, a silica gel.
Accordingly, the optical disc stand does not store optical discs in stack, so that the optical discs can be prevented from receiving scratches and damages, and the testing cost can be decreased. Moreover, the optical disc stand of the present invention can make good use of the vertical space. In addition, using the optical disc stand of the present invention, the testing personnel can access and store the optical discs more effectively, so that the operation time is saved.
In order to the make the aforementioned and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention comprehensible, a preferred embodiment accompanied with figures is described in detail below.
It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary, and are intended to provide further explanation of the invention as claimed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the invention, and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification. The drawings illustrate embodiments of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.
FIG. 1 is a schematic three-dimensional view of an optical disc stand according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a schematic three-dimensional view of the supporting frame in FIG. 1.
FIG. 3 is a schematic three-dimensional view of the carrying member in FIG. 1.
FIG. 4A and FIG. 4B are schematic three-dimensional views of an optical disc stand according to the second embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a schematic side view of the optical disc stand in FIG. 4A.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

The First Embodiment

FIG. 1 is a schematic three-dimensional view of an optical disc stand according to the first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a schematic three-dimensional view of the supporting frame in FIG. 1. Referring to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the optical disc stand 100 of the present invention is suitable for storing at lease one optical disc. The optical disc stand 100 includes a base 110, a supporting frame 120, and a plurality of carrying members 130. The supporting frame 120 connected to the base 110 includes a plurality of first locking parts 122. Moreover, the carrying members 130 are connected to the supporting frame 120. And, a plurality of spaces S are formed between each carrying member 130 and the supporting frame 120 for storing the discs D.
Referring to FIG. 3, FIG. 3 is a schematic three-dimensional view of the carrying member in FIG. 1. Each carrying member 130 includes a body 132, a second locking part 134, and a stopper 136. Referring to FIG. 1 and FIG. 3, each space S is formed by the body 132 and the supporting frame 120 respectively, and the second locking part 134 is connected to the body 132 and locked with at least one of the first locking parts 122 (as shown in FIG. 2). And, the stopper 136 is connected to the body 132.
When the user stores the optical disc D on the optical disc stand 100, referring to FIG. 1, the optical disc D is stored in the space S, so that the optical disc D is held by the body 132 of the carrying member 130 and the optical disc D is supported by the stopper 136. Moreover, in order to prevent the optical disc D from receiving any scratch, the contacting surface of the carrying member 130 with the optical disc D can be covered with flannel (not shown), or all the surface of the carrying member 130 is covered with flannel.
Referring to FIG. 1, the optical disc stand 100 of the present invention further includes a locking device 140 to fix the supporting frame 120 on the base 110. However, the supporting frame 120 and the base 110 may be formed integrally.
It can be learned from FIG. 3 that, the body 132, the second locking part 134 and the stopper 136 of the present invention can be, for example, formed integrally, and the body 132 is, for example, a flat plate, and the stopper 136 is, for example, an L-shaped stopper. Note herein that the appearance of the body 132, the second locking part 134 and the stopper 136 can vary according to design requirement as long as the function of storing the optical disc D (as shown in FIG. 1) will not be affected. For example, the body 132 can be a frame and the stopper 136 can be a block stopper; and, the strip portion 136 a of the L-shaping stopper, extending along the edge of the body 132, may be removed, and the block portion 136 b at the end may be kept instead.
Moreover, referring to FIG. 2, the supporting frame 120 includes, for example, a first side surface 124 and a second side surface 126. The first side surface 124 is opposite to the second side surface 126, and these first locking parts 122 are disposed on the first side surface 124 and the second side surface 126 respectively. Referring to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, in the present invention, the first locking part 122 has an opening (also can be designed to have a concave, but not shown herein), and the second locking part has a convex. However, as long as the first locking part 122 and the second locking part 134 have a locking function, the first locking part 122 can be designed to have a convex and the second locking part 134 can be designed to have a concave or an opening. That is, the appearance of the first locking part 122 and the second locking part 134 is exchangeable according to the design requirement, but still with the locking function between them.

The Second Embodiment

Referring to FIG. 4A and FIG. 4B, schematic three-dimensional views of an optical disc stand according to the second embodiment of the present invention are shown. The optical disc stand 200 of the embodiment is suitable for at least one optical disc D. The optical disc stand 200 includes a base 210, a supporting frame 220, a plurality of stopper bases 230 and a plurality of holding modules 240. The supporting frame 220 is connected to the base 210, and a plurality of stopper bases 230 are connected to the supporting frame 220. Moreover, a plurality of holding modules 240 are connected to these stopper bases 230.
Each holding module 240 includes a positioning part 242 and a plurality of fixing parts 244. The positioning part 242 connected to one of the stopper bases 230 includes a plurality of holding slots 242 a for storing the optical discs. And, each optical disc holding slot 242 a has two holding ends E and two side edges R. Moreover, the distance between the holding ends E of the identical optical disc holding slot 242 a is equal to the diameter of the optical disc D. A plurality of fixing parts 244 are disposed between the stopper base 230 and the positioning part 242.
Referring to FIG. 5, a schematic side view of the optical disc stand in FIG. 4A is shown. When the user stores the optical disc D on the optical disc stand 200, the optical disc D is stored in the optical disc holding slot 242 a, so that the optical disc D is supported by the holding ends E of the optical disc holding slot 242 a and the stopper base 230 simultaneously. That is, the stopper base 230 and the supported orientation by the two holding ends E are substantially perpendicular to each other.
Note that in the embodiment, the fixing part 244 (taking the form of a convex, and the material is, for example, plastic or silica gel) is disposed on the holding end E and perpendicular to the positioning part 242, so as to support the optical disc D. However, the fixing part 244 can also be a groove disposed on the stopper base 230, so that the optical disc can be inserted into the groove to be located, but not shown in the Figure. It can be learned from the above that the fixing part 244 and the positioning part 242 can be formed integrally, or the fixing part 244 and the stopper base 230 can be formed integrally, or the fixing part 244 is a positioning convex manufactured separately. Moreover, in order to completely avoid the scratching of the optical disc, the contact surfaces between the holding module 240 and the stopper base 230 and the optical disc D can be covered with flannel (not shown), or all the surface of the holding module 240 and the stopper base 230 is covered with flannel.
Referring to FIG. 4A and FIG. 4B, the optical disc stand 200 of the present invention includes, for example, a plurality of supporting parts 250, wherein one of the side edges R and one of the stopper bases 230 are connected by each supporting part 250 (also as shown in FIG. 5), and the supporting part 250 is suitable for keeping the relative positions of the stopper base 230 and the positioning part 242. Moreover, referring to FIG. 4B, the optical disc stand 200 of the present invention, for example, further includes a locking device 260 to fix the supporting frame 220 on the base 210. However, note that the supporting frame 220 and the base 210 can also be formed integrally.
It can be learned from FIG. 4A and FIG. 4B that, one stopper base 230 and one positioning part 242 of the present invention are, for example, formed integrally, and each stopper base 230 is, for example, a flat plate, while each positioning part 242 is a housing with these optical disc holding slots 242 a. Note that, the appearance of the stopper base 230 and the positioning part 242 can vary according to the design requirement as long as the function of storing the optical disc D (as shown in FIG. 4A) is not affected. For example, the stopper base 230 can be a frame and the positioning part 242 can also be a frame, and both of them can be made separately and then assembled, which are not shown in the Figure.
Finally, referring to FIG. 4A, note that, these stopper bases 230 and these positioning parts 242 are arranged in multiple layers, and these optical disc holding slots 242 a are arranged in an array. Moreover, the width w1 between the two side edges R near the two holding ends E of the holding slot 242 a is less than the width w2 between the centers of the two side edges R.
In summary, the optical disc stand of the present invention has the following advantages:
1. The optical disc stand of the present invention does not store the optical discs in stack, so that the optical discs can be prevented from receiving any scratches and damages, and the testing cost can be decreased.
2. The optical disc stand of the present invention can make good use of the vertical space.
3. Using the optical disc stand of the present invention, the testing personnel can access and store the optical discs more effectively, so that the operation time is saved.
It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made to the structure of the present invention without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention. In view of the foregoing, it is intended that the present invention cover modifications and variations of this invention provided they fall within the scope of the following claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. An optical disc stand for storing at lease one optical disc, comprising:

a base;

a supporting frame, connected to the base, the supporting frame comprising a plurality of first locking parts; and

a plurality of carrying members, connected to the supporting frame, the carrying members and the supporting frames forming a plurality of spaces for storing the discs, each carrying member comprising:

a body, wherein the spaces are formed by the body and the supporting frame;

a second locking part, connected to the body and locked with at least one of the first locking parts; and

a stopper, connected to the body.

2. The optical disc stand as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a locking device to fix the supporting frame on the base.

3. The optical disc stand as claimed in claim 1, wherein the supporting frame and the base are formed integrally.

4. The optical disc stand as claimed in claim 1, wherein each body is a flat plate.

5. The optical disc stand as claimed in claim 1, wherein each body is a frame.

6. The optical disc stand as claimed in claim 1, wherein each stopper is an L-shaped stopper.

7. The optical disc stand as claimed in claim 1, wherein each stopper is a block-shaped stopper.

8. The optical disc stand as claimed in claim 1, wherein the body, the second locking part and the stopper of each carrying member are formed integrally.

9. The optical disc stand as claimed in claim 1, wherein the supporting frame has a first side surface and a second side surface, the first side surface is opposite to the second side surface, and the first locking parts are disposed on the first side surface and the second side surface respectively.

10. The optical disc stand as claimed in claim 1, wherein each first locking part has a convex, and each second locking part has a concave or an opening.

11. The optical disc stand as claimed in claim 1, wherein each first locking part has a concave or an opening, and each second locking part has a convex.

12. An optical disc stand for storing at lease one optical disc, comprising:

a base;

a supporting frame, connected to the base;

a plurality of stopper bases, connected to the supporting frame; and

a plurality of holding modules, connected to the stopper bases, each holding module comprising:

a positioning part, connected to one of the stopper bases, the positioning part comprising a plurality of holding slots for storing the optical disc, wherein each holding slot has two holding ends and two side edges, and the distance between the holding ends of the holding slot is substantially identical to the diameter of the optical disc; and

a plurality of fixing parts, disposed between the stopper base and the positioning part.

13. The optical disc stand as claimed in claim 12, further comprising a plurality of supporting parts, wherein one of the side edges and one of the stopper bases are connected by each supporting part.

14. The optical disc stand as claimed in claim 12, further comprising a locking device to fix the supporting frame on the base.

15. The optical disc stand as claimed in claim 12, wherein the supporting frame and the base are formed integrally.

16. The optical disc stand as claimed in claim 12, wherein each stopper base is a flat plate.

17. The optical disc stand as claimed in claim 12, wherein each stopper base is a frame.

18. The optical disc stand as claimed in claim 12, wherein each positioning part is a housing with the holding slots.

19. The optical disc stand as claimed in claim 12, wherein each positioning part is a frame.

20. The optical disc stand as claimed in claim 12, wherein one of the stopper bases and one of the positioning parts are formed integrally.

21. The optical disc stand as claimed in claim 12, wherein the stopper bases and the positioning parts are arranged in multiple layers, and the optical disc holding slots are arranged in an array.

22. The optical disc stand as claimed in claim 12, wherein the width between the two side edges near the two holding ends of the holding slot is less than the width between the centers of the two side edges.

23. The optical disc stand as claimed in claim 12, wherein the material constituting the positioning part is rubber.

24. The optical disc stand as claimed in claim 12, wherein the material constituting each positioning part is silica gel.