Container for circular disk-shaped objects

Abstract

A container for the storage and the protection of essentially circular disk-shaped objects, especially circular disk-shaped data-recording media such as floppy disks, compact disks (CDs), removable hard disks, gramophone records, optical filter disks, lenses, holograms or semiconductor wafers, with a shallow (flat) containment portion having a receptacle to at least partially accommodate a circular disk-shaped object and a closure portion attached to the containment portion in such a way that the closure portion can be swiveled in and out in order respectively to remove and insert the circular disk-shaped object into the containment portion, and whereby the circular disk-shaped object is completely surrounded by the containment portion and by the closure portion when the container is closed.

I claim:  
     
         1 . A container for the storage and protection of circular disk-shaped objects, the container comprising a flat (shallow) closure portion having a receptacle to at least partially accommodate a circular disk-shaped object having a center point and a containment portion attached to the closure portion in such a way that the closure portion can be swiveled in and out in order to remove and insert the circular disk-shaped object into the containment portion, and the circular disk-shaped object is completely surrounded by the containment portion and the closure portion when the container is closed, wherein the closure portion comprises an approximately cylinder segment shaped closure sleeve and the containment portion is an approximately square-shaped containment sleeve and the inner contour of the closure sleeve has the same or a slightly larger circular radius and the same or a slightly greater thickness than the circular disk-shaped object, and the outer contour of the closure sleeve has the same or a slightly smaller circular radius than the width of the inner contour of the approximately square-shaped containment sleeve and the same or a slightly smaller thickness than the unobstructed width of the inner contour of the containment sleeve and the closure sleeve is arranged on the containment sleeve and is borne on the latter rotatably and optionally so as to slide, whereby the axis of rotation of the closure sleeve is located vertically on the plane of the circular disk-shaped object and has a separation distance from a centerpoint of the circular disk-shaped object of 1/x of the radius of the circular disk-shaped object, and whereby the axis of rotation can be slid along a guide track whose projection onto the lower surface of the containment sleeve has a length of 1/x of the radius of the circular disk-shaped object and wherein x>1.5.  
     
     
         2 . The container of  claim 1 , wherein the centerpoint of the circular disk-shaped object is arranged outside the internal contour of the closure sleeve and the value of x lies between 1.5 and 10.  
     
     
         3 . The container of  claim 1 , wherein the guide track is defined by apertures arranged in the containment sleeve and the axis of rotation is arranged in a fixed position relative to the closure sleeve and pins are arranged on the closure sleeve along the axis of rotation and engage in the apertures.  
     
     
         4 . The container of  claim 1 , wherein the guide track is defined by apertures arranged in the closure sleeve and the axis of rotation is defined in a fixed position relative to the containment sleeve by pins on the containment sleeve, whereby the pins engage in the apertures of the closure sleeve.  
     
     
         5 . The container of  claim 1 , wherein the internal cavity of the closure sleeve comprises shoulders running along the circular periphery which hold the circular disk-shaped object at its edge.  
     
     
         6 . The container of  claim 1 , wherein the container is stackable with other containers by means of openings, depressions or apertures and corresponding counterparts on the containment sleeves or are interconnectable through means of attachment.  
     
     
         7 . The container of  claim 1 , wherein the closure sleeve comprises two approximately circular segment shaped parts, wherein each part is attachable to the other part by means of apertures, recesses or apertures and corresponding counterparts or are interconnectable through means of attachment.  
     
     
         8 . The container of  claim 1 , wherein x>100 and the aperture is a drilled hole.  
     
     
         9 . The container of  claim 1 , further comprising a lid arranged on the containment sleeve, which together with the sidewall of the containment sleeve forms a compartment.  
     
     
         10 . The container of  claim 1 , wherein the circular disk-shape object comprises an object selected from the group consisting of floppy disks, compact disks, optical lenses, fittings, and semiconductor wafers.