Display and storage device

Abstract

A device for holding, storing and displaying various media articles, such as CDs, CD Cases, DVDs, DVD Cases, Audio Cassettes, Audio Cassette Cases, Computer Mini-floppies, Video Cassette, Video Cassette Cases, Books, Magazines, Pictures, Cards and the like. The device is comprised of a single sheet of relatively thin pliable, resilient material, such as a sheet of vinyl, plastic, and the like, within and through said material are cut a plurality of slits, in sets of two or more slits or slit sets. The lower ends of slit sets are spaced apart by a distance which is less than the transverse dimension of an article to be supported or held, while the upper ends are spaced apart at a distance which is greater than the transverse dimension of said article to be supported or held. The lower ends and upper ends of slit sets are longitudinally spaced apart by a distance that is less than the longitudinal dimension of an article to be supported or held. The lower ends of a slit set are even on the horizontal axis while the upper ends of a slit set has at least one slit that is uneven, shorter or offset from at least one other slit on the horizontal axis. When an article is inserted into the space between slits in a slit set, the material deforms to form a compartment that captures or holds a portion of said article. Compartments are formed from a plurality of slits and/or slit sets and are open-topped/top-loading and are integrally formed with the sheet material. Compartments are capable of receiving at least one article and maintaining the article in an upright position, relatively parallel with the overall plane of the device with at least one part of the article visible for viewing. A slit sets size, shape and spacing is relatively proportional to the size, shape and/or dimensions of the articles thereby forming compatible compartments for the article. A portion of an article is within the compartment and a portion is exposed so as to permit a single article to be easily accessible and grasped by the fingers for easy placement and/or removal there from. The device is mountable to supports, such as a wall, door, and mirror or hung from racks etc.

1 . A device for displaying and storing various articles comprising: 
 a single flexible planar sheet of relatively thin pliable, resilient material,    one or more cuts called slits,    a plurality of slits within and through said material,    a plurality of cut slits, in sets of two or more, within and through said material,    two or more slits called slit sets,    slit sets that are generally downwardly converging,    at least one slit set, of two or more slits, each said slit having a lower end and an upper end, and a section between said ends,    said lower ends are spaced apart at a first distance,    said upper ends are spaced apart at a second distance which is greater than said first distance,    said upper ends of each slit set lying above and outside the corresponding lower ends,    slit sets allow articles to be held securely when inserted into the device by allowing one side or portion of a slit to move opposite relative to the other side or portion of slit,    slit sets that have end segments that allow a portion of the article to be inserted into the device, without going completely through, to hold one or more said portions or parts of the article securely, and thereby singularly or collectively hold the article within the device, such that the article remains at rest or stationary and does not fall out under normal use and in the upright position,    slit sets that have upper end segments with lengths that allows for and corresponds to the article's depth, and deformity of the device and create a compartment when the article is inserted,    slit sets that have lower end segments with lengths that allows for and corresponds to the article's depth, and deformity of the device and create a compartment when the article is inserted,    slit sets that have segment lengths that allow for and correspond to the article's width and/or height, and the deformity of the device created when the article is inserted,    slit sets spacing with the distance from the bottom of one slit set to the bottom of another slit set which allows for and corresponds to the article's height, and the deformity of the device created when the article is inserted,    slit sets spacing consists of the distance from the outside of one side of the article to the outside of the opposite side of the article allows for and corresponds to the article's width, and the deformity of the device created when the article is inserted.    slit sets having one slit offset to the other, where one is lower than the other, thereby allowing the side distance between slit sets to be minimized, thereby optimizing the device's space and saving overall material, while maintaining the integral strength necessary for the device to hold the weight of the load below, said spacing or offset provides greater strength than lining up slits side-by-side, which would put the stress of the weight below onto an area with overall less material,    slit sets whose overall shape and spacing provide for the areas between the slits to work together with the areas outside the slits to provide integral strength to the device's other areas which also hold articles in a like manner,    slit sets whose shape and spacing relative to the article's shape provide for the ease of use or taking the article in and out easily,    slit sets, two or more, capable of forming compartments,    slit sets having lower ends spaced apart by a distance which is less than the transverse dimension of the article to be supported or held,    slit sets having upper ends spaced apart at a distance which is greater than the transverse dimension of the article to be supported or held,    slit sets having vertical segments in their upper ends which are longer than the depth of the article that it is meant to hold,    slit sets having horizontal segments in their lower ends which are longer than the depth of the article that it is meant to hold,    slit sets having segments between their upper and lower ends that continues from the bottom of the upper vertical segment downward and inward toward the bottom and middle of the compartment area meant to contain an article,    slit sets having segments between their upper and lower ends that continues from the bottom of the upper vertical segment downward and inward toward the bottom and middle of the compartment area meant to contain an article, in a straight line,    slit sets having segments between their upper and lower ends that continues from the bottom of the upper vertical segment downward and inward toward the bottom and middle of the compartment area meant to contain an article, in an arcuate or curved line,    arcuate or curved segments slit sets for greater capacity to hold an article more securely within the a compartment,    segments of slit sets that extends inwardly toward where an article rests for increased capacity to hold article more securely within the compartment, through increased mechanical advantage,    slit sets having lower ends spaced apart by a distance which is less than the transverse dimension of the article to be supported or held,    slit sets having upper ends spaced apart by a distance which is greater than the transverse dimension of the article to be supported or held,    slits of a set of two or more that are located or placed such that at least one is on each side of the article,    slit sets having slit segments between their upper and lower ends,    slit sets having slit segments between their upper and lower ends that continues from the bottom of the upper vertical segment downward and inward toward the bottom and middle of the compartment area meant to contain an article,    slit sets whose size, shape and spacing relate to the articles, they are meant to hold, by forming compartments compatible for holding them,    slit sets that form compartments that hold a portion of an article and allow a portion to be exposed for easy accessibility,    slit sets that allow a portion of the article to be exposed for easy placement and/or removal,    slit sets that form compartments that capture and hold the article in an upright position,    slit sets that form compartments that capture and hold the article in an upright position and relatively parallel with the overall plane of the device thereby showing at least one face of the article for viewing,    slit sets that size, shape and spacing, varying with each article size and shape,    slit sets that allow the material to deform and form compartments capable of holding articles when articles are inserted,    slit sets that allow articles to be captured and held within the material when article is inserted into the space between two or more slits,    compartments derived from slit sets that capture and hold articles in an upright position,    compartments derived from slit sets that serve to capture and hold article in an upright position relatively parallel with the overall plane of the device,    compartments derived from slit sets that serve to capture and hold article in an upright position relatively parallel with the overall plane of the device, thereby showing at least one face of the article to be viewed,    slit sets, relative in size, shape and spacing, to the articles they are to hold, thereby allowing compartments to be compatible with the article it is to receive,    slit sets, relative in size, shape and spacing, to the articles they are to hold, placed relative to a part of said article allowing it to be held within the device when the article is inserted into and between slit sets.    slit sets, relative in size, shape and spacing, to the articles they are to hold, that optimize the device's material,    slit sets, relative in size, shape and spacing, to the articles they are to hold, that optimize the device's space,    slit sets, relative in size, shape and spacing, to the articles they are to hold, that optimize the device's integral strength,    slit sets, relative in size, shape and spacing, to the articles they are to hold, that optimize the device's effectiveness holding articles,    slit sets, relative in size, shape and spacing, to the articles they are to hold, that optimize the device's effectiveness displaying article for viewing,    slit sets, relative in size, shape and spacing, to the articles they are to hold, that optimize the device's easy access to and/or removal of article,    slit sets, relative in size, shape and spacing, to the articles they are to hold, that allow article to be moved into and out of the device easily,    slit sets, relative in size, shape and spacing, to the articles they are to hold, that allow at least a portion of each article enough exposure to have easy access for placement and/or removal,    slit sets, as described above such that at least one article having a substantial thickness and a transverse dimension that is greater than said first distance and less than said second distance can be supported by each said slit sets compartment when the device is in an upright position,    slits size, shape and placement are determined by the size and shape of the article it is meant to contain,    slit sets having upper segments that are vertical,    slit sets are located so that one vertical segment is on each side of the article,    slit sets that have vertical slit segments that are offset on the horizontal axis such that one is higher than the other,    offset vertical slits segments make it easier for the article to be accessed and moved both in an out,    offset vertical slits segments also allow for multiple compartments to be moved closer together,    multiple compartments that are moved close together to economize material usage, by allowing a maximum numbers of articles to occupy a given size material,    slit sets having horizontally offset vertical slits that provide for closer spacing of multiple compartments,    slit sets having horizontally offset vertical slits also provide for closer spacing of multiple compartments that saves on overall material,    slit sets that have segments that are vertical slits and are horizontally offset,    slit having a top vertical segment that is longer than the thickness or depth of the media that it is meant to hold and continue from the bottom of the vertical slits segment in a downward and inward direction toward the bottom center of the media article,    said vertical line segments top point height, one on each side of the media, are offset on the horizontal axis such that at least one is higher than the other, the offsetting of at least one slit of a slit set provides easier access to the media and more easily allowing for the media to be moved both in and out,    slits of a slit set that are located so that at least one slit of a slit set is on each side of the media,    offset height of slits so as to allow multiple compartments to be moved closer together,    multiple compartments located close together from the offset of the top segment of at least one slit in a slit set,    at least one slit of a slit set has a top segment of that is a vertical line segment,    at least one slit of a slit set that has a top segment of that is a vertical line segment and is offset horizontally form at least one other slit of a slit set such that at least one is higher that at least one other,    said offsetting slits in a slit set that allows for moving multiple compartments closer together which saves overall material,    offset vertical line segments in a slit set to provide greater savings on overall material usage, as well as greater structural integrity,    vertical line segments that correspond to the depth of an article allowing the material to deform, such that a compartment is created,    slits being configured to fit or accept various specific media articles,    a plurality of individual, open-topped/top-loading compartments arranged on a respective face of said sheet,    each of said compartments being capable of removably receiving a plurality of articles and exhibiting substantially the front face of one of the articles received therein and including a pair of side retainer means effective to constrain movement of the articles received therein and bottom support means for engaging a substantial mid-portion of each of the bottom edges of the articles received therein to support the same,    each of said bottom support means lying generally in the same plane to the plane containing said respective face, and said side retainer means and bottom support means of each of said compartment means being integrally formed with said sheet,    one or more slits having a top vertical segment that is longer than the thickness or depth of the media that it is meant to hold and continue from the bottom of the vertical slits segment in a downward and inward direction toward the bottom center of the media article,    said vertical slit segments height, one on each side of the media, are offset on the horizontal axis such that at least one is higher than the other, the offsetting of at least one slit of a slit set provides easier access to the media and more easily allowing for the media to be moved both in and out,    slit sets that are located so that at least one is on each side of the media,    slits that are cut generally in a vertical direction,    offset height of slits that allow multiple compartments to be moved closer together,    multiple compartments located close together from the offset of the top segment of at least one slit in a slit sets,    at least one slit of a slit set has a top segment that is a vertical line segment,    at least one slit of a slit set having a top segment that is a vertical line segment and is offset horizontally form at least one other slit of the slit set such that at least one is taller that at least one other in the set,    said offset slits in a slit set allows for moving multiple compartments closer together which saves overall material,    offset vertical line segments to provide greater savings on overall material usage, as well as greater structural integrity,    slits being pre-configured to fit or accept various specific media articles,    The devise is mountable to supports, such as a wall, door, and mirror or hung from racks etc.,    The slits described can be part of a continuing pattern throughout the device,    The functionality of the slits shapes and spacing are better understood from the drawing(s).    
   
   
       2 . The device of  claim 1  wherein the slit size, shape and spacing partitions are evenly spaced to form uniformly sized compartments.  
   
   
       3 . The device of  claim 1  comprising a plurality of slit sets forming a plurality of compartments.  
   
   
       4 . The device of  claim 1  wherein at least some of said slit sets are arranged in a row.  
   
   
       5 . The device of  claim 1  wherein said slit sets are arranged in a plurality of rows.  
   
   
       6 . The device of  claim 1  wherein the lower ends of all of said slit sets in each said row are horizontally aligned when said device is in an upright position.  
   
   
       7 . The device of  claim 1  wherein said slit sets are formed integrally with said single flexible planar sheet of relatively thin pliable, resilient material.  
   
   
       8 . The device of  claim 1  wherein each of said slits of said slit sets is discretely formed and subsequently cut into said material.  
   
   
       9 . The device of  claim 1  wherein the device is reversible, turn backwards, to allow people to choose which way works best for their particular, left-handed or right-handed, hand preference, to aid their ease use—taking article in and out.  
   
   
       10 . The device of  claim 1  wherein each of said compartment means further includes, a pair of side means lying in a plane spaced and substantially parallel with respect to said respective face of said sheet, each of said side means being associated with and integrally formed with a respective one of said side retainer means.  
   
   
       11 . The device of  claim 1  wherein each of said compartment means further includes bottom slit means lying substantially in said plane containing said side slit means, said bottom slit means said bottom slit means being integrally formed with said bottom support means.  
   
   
       12 . The device of  claim 1  wherein said material is made of transparent material and said retainer means and bottom support means of each compartment means are integrally formed with said material.  
   
   
       13 . A display and storage device for holding and exhibiting media articles and the like, comprising, 
 a generally planar, relatively thin material made of transparent material having substantially straight and parallel side edges; and    a plurality of individual, open-topped compartment means arranged on a respective face of said material,    each of said compartment means being capable of removably receiving a plurality of media articles in the form of a stack therein and exhibiting substantially the entire front face of a respective one of the media articles received therein and including,    a pair of elongated side retainer slits spaced and substantially parallel with respect to each other and said side edges of said material, each of said side retainer slits projecting substantially normal from said respective face of said material and being integrally formed with said material, said side retainer slits being effective to constrain sideways movement of the media articles received therein, and each of said compartment means further including an connected bottom support portion between the lower portion of a slit set for engaging the bottom edges of the media articles received therein to support the same,    said bottom support portion extending in a direction substantially perpendicular to and being disposed between said side retainer slits,    said bottom support ledge projecting substantially normal from said respective face of said material and being integrally formed with said material.    
   
   
       14 . The device of  claim 13  wherein each of said compartment means further includes a pair of elongated side slits generally lying in a plane spaced and substantially parallel with respect to said respective face of said material, 
 each of said elongated side slits being associated with a respective one of said side retainer slits and having a longitudinal edge thereof integrally formed with a longitudinal edge of the side retainer slit associated therewith and each of said elongated side slits projecting toward the other elongated side slit from the respective side retainer slit associated therewith.    
   
   
       15 . The device of  claim 13  wherein each of said compartment means further includes an elongated bottom connecting portion lying substantially in said plane containing said elongated side slits, 
 said elongated bottom connecting portion having a longitudinal portion thereof, integrally formed with a longitudinal portion of said bottom support connecting portion, and said elongated bottom connecting portion projecting toward and between said side slits.    
   
   
       16 . A display and storage device for holding and exhibiting media articles and the like, comprising, 
 a generally planar, relatively thin and rectangular-shaped material made of transparent material having spaced and substantially parallel side edges and spaced and substantially parallel top and bottom edges; and    a plurality of individual open-topped compartment means arranged in a plurality of columns spaced and parallel with respect to the side edges of said material, each of said columns comprising a plurality of open-topped compartment means spaced with respect to each other and the top and bottom edges of said material,    each of said compartment means being capable of removably receiving a plurality of media articles in the form of a stack therein and exhibiting substantially the entire front face of a respective one of the media articles received therein and including, a pair of elongated side retainer slits spaced and substantially parallel with respect to each other and the side edges of said material, each of said side retainer slits being integrally formed with said material and projecting substantially normal from said respective face of said material,    said side retainer slits being effective to constrain movement of the media articles received therein, a pair of elongated side slits generally lying in a plane spaced and substantially parallel with respect to said respective face of said material,    each of said elongated side slits being integrally formed with a respective one of said side retainer slits along a longitudinal fold line spaced and substantially parallel with respect to the side edges of said material, each of said elongated side slits projecting toward the other elongated side slit from the respective side slit with which it is integrally formed,    each of said open-topped compartment means further including, an elongated bottom support portion for engaging the bottom edges of the media articles received therein to support the same,    said bottom support portion being integrally formed with said material and projecting substantially normal from said respective face of said material,    said bottom support portion being disposed between said retaining slits and extending in a direction substantially perpendicular thereto, and an elongated bottom support portion integrally formed with said support ledge along a longitudinal fold line extending substantially perpendicular to the side edges of said material.