You know those small annoying CDs that don’t work in slot loading machines, that marketing firms seem so keen on? Well, I suspect they have been a small annoyance to Apple too — their customer support people must be forever fishing the little blighters out of people’s MacBooks. So, the senior vice president of hardware development at Apple, Tony Fadell, came up with a solution (the senior management of Apple obviously don’t have enough to do? it’s just like Steve Jobs designing the stairs in the Apple Stores).

The answer to the small CD/DVD problem:You ship a foldable adapter with the small discs which fits around them and can be snapped on when they need to be inserted into slot loading CD drives. Thereby, you can still ship DVDs/CDs in regular envelopes and save on shipping etc. Maybe Apple need this for their video rental service, (only half joking)…

Disc adapter for slot loading drives patent details

COMPACTABLE MEMORY DISC ADAPTER AND METHODS OF USE THEREOF

Inventor: Fadell; Anthony M.; (Portola Valley, CA)
Abstract:
A compactable disc adapter having a substrate capable of effectively extending the diameter of a disc having a compacted position and an extended position. The diameter of the compacted substrate is less than the diameter of the disc whereas the diameter of the expanded substrate is greater than the diameter of the disc.

Rotating memory storage discs have become an important means of data storage. Conventional rotating memory storage discs including compact discs (CDs) and digital versatile discs (DVDs) are produced in standard (i.e. currently 12 cm) and reduced diameter (i.e. currently 8 cm) configurations (with the memory storage capacity being proportional to the disc area). However, only 12 cm memory discs are compatible with currently configured slot drives as seen in FIG. 1 showing a memory disc player 100 having a slot interface 102 suitable for receiving a standard diameter disc. It should be noted that the slot interface 102 can also be found on laptop computers, car audio systems, etc. However, there are many applications requiring less storage capacity than is available on the standard diameter (high storage capacity) disc. In such situations it would be advantageous to use a reduced diameter (lower storage capacity) disc. Such advantages include reduced shipping costs, reduced production costs, etc.

Unfortunately, these reduced diameter discs are not compatible with slot drives exclusively designed to receive standard diameter discs. One currently available solution to using reduced diameter discs in slot drives is that of a rigid adapter that when used in conjunction with the reduced diameter disc enables a memory disc player to accept and play the reduced diameter memory disc. However, this solution does nothing to reduce shipping costs since the rigid adapter (with its larger footprint) must be shipped with the reduced diameter disc and therefore a standard sized shipping container must be used to accommodate both the rigid adapter and reduced diameter disc.

What is needes is a cost effective method and apparatus for shipping reduced diameter discs that assures the end user will be able to use the reduced diameter disc in a slot drive designed exclusively for a standard diameter disc.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0007]The invention described provides for a cost effective method and apparatus for shipping reduced diameter discs that assures that the end user will be able to use such reduced diameter discs in a slot drive designed exclusively for a standard diameter disc.

[0008]In one embodiment, a compactable memory disc adapter is described. In an expanded state, the compactable memory disk adapter can be used to play a reduced diameter memory disc in a slot drive designed exclusively for a standard diameter disc. Alternatively, in a compacted state, the compactable memory disc adapter provides a footprint commensurate with a reduced diameter disc footprint.

[0009]In another embodiment, a method of playing a reduced diameter memory disc in a slot interface designed exclusively for a standard diameter memory disc is described. If a memory disc adapter is in a compacted state, then the memory disc adapter is expanded. Once the memory disc adapter is expanded, the reduced diameter memory disc is provided and placed onto the expanded memory disc adapter, and then inserted into the slot interface.

[0010]In yet another embodiment, a method of shipping a reduced diameter disc that assures that an end user can play the reduced diameter disc in a slot interface design exclusively for a standard diameter disc is described. A compactable memory disc adapter in a compacted state and a reduced diameter disc are provided. The reduced diameter disc and compacted memory disc adapter are placed in a container having a size commensurate with a reduced diameter disc footprint.

[0011]In still another embodiment, a compactable disc adapter includes a substrate capable of effectively extending the diameter of a disc having a compacted position and an extended position. In the compacted position, the substrate has a diameter that is less than the diamtere of the disc and in the extended position the substrate diameter is greater than the diameter of the disc.

[0012]Other aspects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, illustrating by way of example the principles of the invention.