The Discfolio – Solving Disc Storage

Accordian design that hangs up to save space

I was understandably a little dubious about receiving what I assumed to be another CD/DVD holder. I mean when i review things I want iPhones, Palm Pre’s, Wii games, MP3 players and other wonderous little gizmos. Not cases of all things.

But I was so pleasantly surprised to receive the Discfolio. It came to me all the way from Houston, Texas and is a smart black leather disc vault capable of storing 90 plus discs and being wall-mounted.

What is unique about is is that it folds right up to the size of an oven glove and fits inside any laptop case to make your collection instantly transportable.

The Discfolio is a creation by Jason Leal, 32 from the great state itself.

By day Jason sells banking services to business owners but wanted to put a new spin on an old product and make this mass storage unit appeal to the next generation.

Jason said, “It’s the only CD case you can hang on your wall. You can flip though it like a book, or unfold it all the way. It looks like a bunch of CD visors sewn end to end, so you can visibly access all 90 discs at a glance.”

The idea came to him while filing invoices at work and Jason rushed home to get the family involved in a prototype. His mother – a master sewer -  was able to put the unit together just as he imagined.

Once the prototype was filled with CDs, Jason worked on making the columns fold back and forth like an accordion and added a zip to lock them all away.

About the patent process Jason said, “Applying for a Non-Provisional Patent is like writing a term paper, entering an art contest and filing your taxes all at once. I quickly learned that enlisting the aid of a patent attorney would be a wise investment.” The Patent is currently pending.

Jason believes his innovation will sell to people who have large libraries of burned CDs and expecially those who buy blank CDs and burn them which would be ideal for this design. Users can label the tops of their blank discs and easily browse through their alphabetised collection.

The Discfolio has been available for purchase in various styles with limited distribution since early 2009. The standard colors are blue, pink and neon green. There is also a leather version which is all black with leather outside and fabric inside which is the one geeks were sent and it certainly looks the part in smart leather form, ideal for car journeys, taking to a meeting or generally shipping copies of discs safely.

Inventing, manufacturing and selling a product has been a great lesson in real-life business for Jason,

“I get to see firsthand every aspect of running a manufacturing, distributing and retail business. Going to Tianjin, China to pick up samples in time to attend the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas was something I never imagined myself doing. The process of turning an idea into a product for sale is truly amazing.”

This business venture has particular importance to Jason, as his mother, who sewed the first official prototype, was diagnosed with a brain tumor two years ago.

Mrs Leal is still with us but Jason is donating a percentage of his sales to the Methodist Neurological Society in Houston to thank doctors for their efforts.

Jason Leal is eager to share his product with the world; his discfolio project has been some years in the making and as Americans are switching on to the product he hopes to make inroads to Britain’s CD burners and those looking to save on space with a stylish, wall-bound Discfolio. Rumour has it that one of the Dragons Den team have had their device pushed onto their desk but time will tell if Jason’s invention will become a household necessity.