Classifications

• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B42—BOOKBINDING; ALBUMS; FILES; SPECIAL PRINTED MATTER
  • B42F—SHEETS TEMPORARILY ATTACHED TOGETHER; FILING APPLIANCES; FILE CARDS; INDEXING
  • B42F3/00—Sheets temporarily attached together involving perforations; Means therefor; Sheet details therefor
  • B42F3/04—Attachment means of ring, finger or claw form
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B42—BOOKBINDING; ALBUMS; FILES; SPECIAL PRINTED MATTER
  • B42F—SHEETS TEMPORARILY ATTACHED TOGETHER; FILING APPLIANCES; FILE CARDS; INDEXING
  • B42F13/00—Filing appliances with means for engaging perforations or slots
  • B42F13/16—Filing appliances with means for engaging perforations or slots with claws or rings
  • B42F13/20—Filing appliances with means for engaging perforations or slots with claws or rings pivotable about an axis or axes parallel to binding edges

Definitions

• the present invention relates to binders comprising a folder in which sheets of paper may be fastened and a binding mechanism therefor.
• a common form of binder is the type known as a ring binder and is shown in Figures 7a to 7c.
• the binder comprises a folder of rigid plastics material having front and rear covers 2, 4 joined along fold lines 6 to a rear spine portion 8.
• a binding mechanism 10 is riveted to the spine portion by rivets 12 and comprises, as more clearly shown in Figures 7a and 7b a pressing of sheet metal 14 having turned over edges 16 which enclose the outer edges of two stiff metal plates 18. The inner edges of the plates 18 are held under tension against one another by the pressing 14 and have locating lugs 20 extending to engage the underside of the inner edge of the adjacent metal strip.
• each half ring member 24 has a lower end 22 welded to the strips 18 and extending through registering apertures 26 in metal sheet 14.
• the free end 28 of each half ring member is grooved so as to inter-engage with an opposing half ring member to form a complete ring.
• a ring binder comprising a cover member having front and rear cover portions joined to a rear spine portion and a binding mechanism secured to the spine portion, the binding mechanism comprising a mounting plate means, and at least one binding ring mounted to the mounting plate means and comprising first and second ring parts pivotable about a first axis between a first upright configuration and a second configuration in which the ring parts and the mounting plate provide a generally flat configuration in which the cover member can be folded towards a flat condition, and the first and second ring parts being pivotable in the upright position about a second axis relative to one another between an open ring configuration and a closed ring configuration, and including an over-centre mechanism coupled with the ring parts to enable them to move between the open and closed configurations with a snap-action.
• a ring binding mechanism for a ring binder comprising a mounting plate means, and at least one binding ring mounted to the mounting plate means and comprising first and second ring parts pivotable about a first axis between a first upright configuration and a second configuration in which the ring parts and the mounting plate provide a generally flat configuration, and the first and second ring parts being pivotable in the upright position about a second axis relative to one another between an open ring configuration and a closed ring configuration, and including an over-centre mechanism coupled with the ring parts to enable them to move between the open and closed configurations with a snap-action.
• a ring binder mechanism comprising a plate, means pivotally supporting a pair of cooperating fingers on the plate for movement about respective parallel first axes for movement towards or away from one another between a first configuration in which they form a closed loop with the plate and a second configuration in which they form an open loop with the plate, and an over-centre mechanism for biasing the fingers into which ever of the two configurations they adopt, the pivotally supporting means also supporting the fingers for pivotal movement about a second axis extending orthogonal to the first axes to allow the fingers to be moved between an attitude in which they are upstanding from the plate and an attitude in which they lie generally flat with the plate, the two fingers having inter-engaging portions which allow relative movement between the fingers about the first axes but resist relative movement about the second axis.
• first and second axes for movement of the ring parts permits the movement of the ring parts between open and closed configurations for binding paper sheets, and also permits the ring parts to lie generally flat with the sheet metal part when the ring binder is to be stored so that the binder cover can be folded flat.
• the ring parts are coupled to metal strips forming the over-centre mechanism by means of a pivotal connection defining the first axis for movement between the first upright and second flat configurations.
• the parts are formed, in their end regions to which they are secured to the metal strips, with a straight axle portion which extends across the sheet metal strip and engages in bearing lugs in the metal strip to form a pivotal connection, and the free end portions of these end regions are formed at right angles to the axle parts and are formed so as to inter-engage with a free end portion of an opposing ring part when in the upright position.
• the tension provided by the sheet metal part is transmitted via the opposing metal strips to the free ends of the lower edge regions of the ring parts so that they are held together and effectively form part of the over-centre mechanism and at the same time provide some stability for the upright positions of the ring parts so that the ring parts may be open and closed together with a snap action whilst remaining in the upright position.
• Figure 1 comprises top and bottom perspective views of a preferred embodiment of a ring binder binding mechanism in the locked position
• Figure 2 comprises views similar to Figure 1 but with the binding mechanism in the open position;
• Figure 3 comprises views similar to Figure 2 but with the ring parts pivoted to a flat configuration
• Figures 4 is a sectional view along the line IY-IV of Figure 1 ;
• Figure 5 is an exploded perspective view of the component parts of the binding mechanism;
• Figure 6 is a schematic view of a ring binder in accordance with the invention including the binding mechanism of the above figures.
• Figures 7a, 7b and 7c are perspective views of a prior art ring binder and binding mechanism therefor. Description of the Preferred Embodiment
• the ring binder binding mechanism comprises a mounting plate formed as a sheet metal pressing part 40 in a generally flat strip-like form which is pressed to provide rivet apertures 42 within end recesses 44, for securing the binding mechanism to a cover by rivets, a raised central portion 46 extending the length of the sheet metal and two sets of opposed apertures 48 for accommodating the lower parts of ring parts or fingers 50.
• Stiff sheet metal strips 52 are provided with lug portions 54 extending above and below the plane of the strip to define a pivotal bearing for the ring parts 50.
• the ring parts comprise upper free ends 58 with opposing ring parts having grooves 60 and inter-engaging projections 62 respectively, the upper free ends forming an approximate right angle with straight main portions 64.
• the lower regions 66 of the ring parts have a first axial portion 68 making an angle of approximately 100° with main part 64, and a free end forming an over-centre portion 70, at right angles to the plane of portion 68 and 64.
• the inner edges of free end 70 has a rib 72 for engaging the edge of an adjoining metal strip 52, and has at its outer edge, a projection 74 for engaging a cooperating recess 76 in the opposing ring part 50.
• each ring part is inserted through the bearing formed by lug parts 54 so that axial part 68 lies within the bearing lugs and the inner free end 70 lies along the inner edge of metal strip 52 with rib 72 positioned on top of the free edge.
• the ribs and grooves 74, 76 along the outer edge of free ends 70 engage one another, as shown in Figures 1 and 4.
• the metal strips 52 have their outer edges engaged within turned over edges 80 of sheet metal pressing 40, and their inner edges are spaced from one another to permit movement of free ends 70 of the ring parts 50. However, the metal strips 52 are pressed together with free ends 70 under tension by means of the pressing 40 so as to constitute an over-centre mechanism.
• the binding mechanism is shown schematically affixed in a ring binder cover 90 in Figure 6. Thus, rivets are inserted through apertures 42 into the spine portion 92 of the cover.
• the binding mechanism has three distinct configurations as shown in Figures 1, 2 and 3 respectively.
• the ring parts 50 stand upright from metal pressing 40 and the ribs and grooves 60, 62 at their upper free ends inter-engage so as to form complete rings for holding punched paper sheets.
• the lower free ends 70 lie parallel with each other and inter-engage via ribs and grooves 74, 76, as shown more particularly in Figure 4, with the metal strips 52 making an angle of approximately 10° with the plane of metal pressing 46.
• the metal parts may then be grasped and moved apart to a configuration as shown in Figure 2.
• the binding mechanism may be moved to the configuration in Figure 3.
• the ring parts 50 may be pivoted outwardly towards the extreme ends of pressing 40 so that they lie in generally the plane of the metal pressing as shown in Figure 3.
• the inter-engaging lower free ends 70 pivot inwardly and upwardly into rib 46 of the pressing and ribs 72 disengage from the edges of metal strips 52.
• This then permits the ring binder to adopt a flat configuration with spine portion 92 parallel to rear cover 94, and with front cover 90 folded over spine portion 92 and rear cover 94.

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Applications Claiming Priority (3)

Publications (1)

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• 1998
  • 1998-09-28 GB GBGB9820995.0A patent/GB9820995D0/en not_active Ceased
• 1999
  • 1999-09-24 WO PCT/IB1999/001633 patent/WO2000018585A2/en not_active Ceased
  • 1999-09-24 CN CN99801702A patent/CN1286660A/zh active Pending
  • 1999-09-24 CA CA002311452A patent/CA2311452A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 1999-09-24 EP EP99946385A patent/EP1042131A2/de not_active Withdrawn

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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