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Description  |
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to a compact disc protector, and more
particularly, pertains to a compact disc protector which is thin, scratch
resistant, polymer material and user applied.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Compact discs are made with little physical protection for the top of the
disc making the information layer vulnerable to damage over long term use.
Damage to the information layer can result in tracking errors in the form
of distortion of the music and/or dialog, or can cause erroneous tracking
problems for the player's computer to have difficulty in focusing on the
information, thereby producing miscues and skips.
The present invention overcomes the disadvantages of the prior art by
providing a compact disc protector which is designed to be easily applied
to an optical compact disc by the consumer. It is a self-contained
structure of a peel-away back on a self-adhesive transparent member that
can be placed on the label side of the compact disc without damage to the
optical disc or optical disc player.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The general purpose of the present invention is a thin, scratch resistant,
user applied, transparent polymer disc with a self-adhesive backing
capable of negating possible damage to the information on the top surface
of the compact disc.
Optical information discs, such as compact discs, are made of a transparent
polymer, such as polycarbonate, disc with a patterned information bearing
surface, a specularly reflective metal surface, such as aluminum, and a
protective layer. The transparent base is about 0.3-1.2 mm. The thickness
of the vapor deposited metal information surface is approximately 1/10
micron. Then, a protective layer over the information layer is applied,
such as a mere 20 microns of a protective lacquer coating.
The laser beam from the pickup device shines through the transparent
polycarbonate bottom side of the disc, reading the information stored in
the form of microscopic pits, sending this data to the players circuitry
to be interpreted in the form of music, video, or computer data.
The protective lacquer side is for protecting the information layer and
preventing oxidation of the metal surface. It is also for receiving a silk
screen labeling of the disc for identification and content purposes.
Although a blemish on the bottom polycarbonate layer will hinder the
laser's ability to read the data on the disc, a more severe problem would
be to have an accidental, partial removal of the information from the top,
label side, or even affecting the metal surface and the condition of the
information digital carrying microscopic pits. This top layer is very
thin, as well as being composed of a very fragile lacquer layer which is
easily damaged by the glance of a hard object dropping on the disc or the
disc falling on an object. This layer may also deteriorate from long term
exposure to oils, such as from finger prints, acids, such as from the
hand, salts, dirt, scratches, and intentional or unintentional abuse above
normal handling.
Simple experimentation with ordinary household items, such as keys, paper
clips and screwdrivers, can show how delicate this lacquer surface is.
With little pressure from the tip of an unfolded paper clip, drawing it
across the label side, the lacquer coating and the metal layer can easily
be removed, causing a severe drop out on the disc. Dropping the disc on
stereo components and ordinary household furniture also causes drop-outs.
Over normal use, compact discs, in particular the valuable information
layer, becomes vulnerable once the supplied storage case (jewel box as
referred to in the trade) is opened. Research has shown that a simple
indicator of lost data is to hold the disc next to a light source and take
note of the approximate quantity or size of the light holes shining
through the disc. A factory-fresh disc has very few or no holes in the
information layer. By examining various user's compact disc collections,
an unusual amount of these holes can be observed. The more the disc has
been played, is proportional to the number of holes unless the user is
very meticulous. By noting when a compact disc player has had problems
tracking a particular disc, the disc was taken out and examined for
tracking error symptoms. Many of the problems of tracking errors correlate
with scratched or damaged areas on the label side. It is assumed that no
one would intentionally scratch their disc; therefore, it can be concluded
that the discs get abused unintentionally under normal use, either as they
are being removed from the case or being replaced in the case, or the disc
player itself is causing a problem.
According to one embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a
precut transparent disc shape, slightly smaller than the optical disc, to
cover the area of the disc that has the protective layer, and uses high
technology scratch resistant polymer material for optimum protection. The
disc includes a selfadhering, adhesive layer, and a peel-away backing on
the adhesive layer.
One significant aspect and feature of the present invention is a compact
disc protector made of high tech polymer material which reduces risk of
damage to an optical disc or to the informational material.
Another significant aspect and feature of the present invention includes a
self-adhesive backing that can be easily applied by the user, and may be
removed and reapplied a limited number of times without compromising the
effectiveness of the disc protector.
A further significant aspect and feature of the present invention is that
the compact disc protector is not harmful to the optical disc, the
metallized layer, the protective lacquer coating, the silk screen label
information, nor the optical disc player.
Having thus described the embodiments of the present invention, it is the
principal object hereof to provide a compact disc protector.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Other objects of the present invention and many of the attendant advantages
of the present invention will be readily appreciated as the same becomes
better understood by reference to the following detailed description when
considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which like
reference numerals designate like parts throughout the figures thereof and
wherein:
FIG. 1 illustrates a top view of a compact disc protector;
FIG. 2 illustrates a side view of the compact disc protector;
FIG. 3 illustrates a perspective view of a compact disc with the compact
disc protector; and,
FIG. 4 illustrates a vieW taken along line 4--4 of FIG. 3.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
FIG. 1 illustrates a top view of a compact disc protector 10. Referring
also to FIG. 3, the compact disc protector includes a polymer material 12,
such as a polycarbonate, an adhesive 14 which is compatible with silk
screened information on the compact disc and is compatible with the
aluminum metallized layer, and a peel-away backing 16. The polymer
material 12 can be any suitable polymer, such as 1-20 mils thick material
such as polycarbonate. The polymer layer can be color coded. Lexan is one
example and can also include a scratch resistant coating, such as MARNOT
hardcoat, or other protective finish. In lieu of the polycarbonate
material, a polyester or polyethylene, polypropylene, kapton or other like
types of material can be utilized. While it is intended that the compact
disc protector is transparent, the compact disc protector can also be
opaque. The adhesive 14 can be an appropriate adhesive, such as an acrylic
adhesive, which is compatible with the lacquer protective coating and the
vapor deposited aluminum metal layer, 3M "#400" acrylic adhesive is one
type of suitable adhesive. An additional transparent and optionally color
coated layer 13 can be provided for UV protection. Information 18 can also
be printed onto the compact disc protector 10 onto either side of the
layer 10 or on the upper side of the layer 13. In this instance,
information 18 is printed on the upper side of layer 13. The information
can also be printed on either side of the material 12.
FIG. 2 illustrates a side view of FIG. 1 where all numerals correspond to
those elements previously described.
MODE OF OPERATIONS
FIGS. 3 and 4 show a perspective view and a side view, respectively, of the
compact disc protector 10 on a compact disc 20. Prior to application, the
peel-away backing 16 is peeled off of the compact disc protector 10 and
then disposed of. The radii of the compact disc protector 10 is aligned
with the radii of the compact disc 20, and adhesively secured to the
compact disc. Compact discs are manufactured in two sizes, 31/2 inch (8
cm) and inch (12 cm) sizes. The compact disc protector will be
appropriately sized to the disc or medium. The compact disc protector may
also provide for dampening against vibration, such as by increased
thickness or the addition of a suitable filler material such as glass
fibers to enhance audio reproduction.
The compact disc protector 10 also can be used with other medium storing
information, such as optical discs and records. The use of the present
invention is not strictly limited to compact discs, nor strictly limited
to one size of compact discs. Teachings of the present invention can
further be extended to video discs or compact discs. The adhesive can be
externally applied, such as at the compact disc point of manufacture or by
the user.
Various modifications can be made to the present invention without
departing from the apparent scope hereof.
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