US3126891A

US3126891A - Loose-leaf binder container for

Info

Publication number: US3126891A
Authority: US
Publication date: 1964-03-31
Anticipated expiration: 1981-03-31

Description

March 31, 1964 A. A. CAPUTl 3,126,891

LOOSE-LEAF BINDER CONTAINER FOR PENCILS AND THE LIKE Filed May 51, 1962 4 /2 INVENTOR.

ALFRED A C/IPUT/ 14 7' T IPA/E Y5 United States Patent 3,126,891 LOOSE-LEAF BINDER CONTAINER FOR PENCILS AND THE LIKE Alfred A. Caputi, 71 Parkdale Ave., Buffalo 13, N.Y. Filed May 31, 1962, Ser. No. 198,871 3 Claims. (Cl. 129-1) This invention relates to a new loose-leaf notebook combination and more particularly to the combination of a loose-leaf notebook with a novel holder or receptacle for articles of stationery such as pens, pencils, erasers and the like.

The present invention provides means for holding and retaining pens, pencils, erasers, etc., in cooperation with the ring binder portion of a loose-leaf notebook and with the notebook generally, so as to provide convenient and secure storage space for such articles. The notebookreceptacle arrangement of the present invention is such as to take unusual and particularly efficient advantage of the space pecularities of a ring binder notebook of the type wherein the rings are hingedly carried by a backing member secured to the inner side of the spine of the notebook. Furthermore, the holder or receptacle of the present invention is such that, in conjunction with a flat, relatively stiff sheet which comprises a cover for the receptacle, a particularly good writing surface is provided for writing on notebook pages which are resting upon the receptacle device and its associated cover sheet.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a holder which is rugged and durable and which may be fabricated economically on a mass production basis. Furthermore, the receptacle and article holder of the present invention is so arranged that various articles of the general nature referred to above may be freely inserted and removed and will be held securely and in proper alignment and position when associated with the holder.

Other objects and advantages of the device of the present invention will occur to those skilled in the art from a consideration of the accompanying drawing and the following specification which depict and describe a specific embodiment of my invention by way of example. It is to be understood, however, that the invention is not limited to this exemplary embodiment, and that various mechanical modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention, the latter being limited only as defined in the appended claims.

In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a general elevational view of a loose-leaf notebook in open position and equipped with one form of the article holder and receptacle of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view on the line 22 of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is a bottom end elevational view of the note book of FIG. 1 in a closed position.

Like characters of reference denote like parts throughout the several figures of the drawing. The numeral designates generally a conventional loose-leaf ring binder having a back or spine portion 11, a front cover 12, a rear cover 13, rings 14 mounted upon a ring support member 15, and a filler 16 retained by the rings 14.

The main body member of the article holder element of my new combination comprises, in the instance illustrated, by way of example, a stiff sheet or panel 20 of molded plastic, fiberboard, or similar suitable material which is preferably perforated along an edge thereof as at 21 to fit interchangeably into various standard ring binders or loose-leaf notebooks of conventional construction.

The panel 20 is molded or pressed throughout its central area to provide depressions or well formations, in the present instance two in number, designated 24 and 25.

3,126,891 Patented Mar. 31, 1964 These depressions provide space for receiving and housing various writing and erasing implements and the like, as generally indicated in FIG. 1.

In the form illustrated herein, by way of example, the panel 20 has a relatively undepressed portion 27 lying between the

depressed portions

24 and 25 and this area is provided with various groove-like depressions 28 extending from one depression 24 to the other for receiving, in lengthwise position, various pencils and pens and like articles, as at 29.

In the form shown herein, by way of example, the grooves or depressions 28 are somewhat more than semicircular in cross-section so that their upper edges, adjacent to the main plane of the panel 20, somewhat overlie articles placed therein and in effect provide slightly narrowed entrance spaces. The material of which the panel 20 is made is of some degree of resilience, as in the case of molded plastic or pressed fiberboard, so that articles such as pens and pencils when pressed into the grooves 28 snap into posiiton and are resiliently held against accidental dislodgment.

Additional article holding formations are provided, in the present instance, by way of further undepressed portions or

areas

30 and 31 which are formed with depressed grooves for receiving articles such as a pencil sharpener 33 and an eraser 34, by way of example. In this case the grooves in the

portions

30 and 31 may be sufliciently narrow to frictionally grip articles pressed therein.

A relatively stiff sheet or panel member 38, likewise perforated to fit the rings 14 of the notebook, is included in the assembly in the relative position illustrated in the drawing whereby it serves as a cover for the housing portion of panel 20 by lying thereagainst when the notebook is closed or when it is open but access to the article holder or receptacle is not desired.

It will be noted that the

depressions

24 and 25 are progressively deeper from left to right as viewed in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3; that is, the depressions are shallower at the outer portion of panel 20 and deeper at the portion adjacent to the rings 14. In the illustrated instance this difierence in depth is utilized to some extent to accommodate larger or thicker articles in the deeper portions of the depressions, but in any event the difference in depth results in a conformation of the panel 20 which tapers outwardly and thus cooperates with the receptacle cover sheet 38 to provide a much better writing surface than is ordinarily provided at the left-hand side of a loose-leaf notebook when only one or a few of the pages are turned to the left for writing on the second side of the page.

The generally wedge-shaped end conformation of a loose-leaf notebook assembly is thus utilized to house a receptacle or holder of tapered conformation, as shown best in FIG. 3, and the holder is at the same time utilized to overcome the difficulties ordinarily encountered in writing on the surface which results, in conventional notebooks, when only one or a few pages have been turned over and a user attempts to write on the lefthand side of the notebook and the thus turned pages.

What is claimed is:

1. In combination with a looseleaf notebook having a pair of covers hinged to opposite edges of a back, binder rings secured to said back, an article holder comprising a relatively thin sheet of moderately rigid material of substantially the same dimensions as said covers and having a base panel portion lying in a single plane, said sheet having undulating formations extending away from said plane to provide article receiving depressions, said panel portion having perforations along one edge engaged by said rings of the notebook, the depression portions closest to the panel edge bearing said perforations being substantially deeper than the depressions remote from said edge 3 whereby the holder is substantially wedge-shaped as viewed from the end thereof, and a flat stiif panel likewise having perforations along one edge engaged by said rings of said notebook at the open side of said depressions and having substantially the same dimensions as said sheet to'form a cover member for said article holder and a writing surface for pages of said notebook.

2. In combination with a looseleaf notebook having a pair of covers hinged to the opposite edges of a back, binder rings secured to said back, an article holder com prising a relatively thin sheet of moderately rigid material of substantially the same dimensions as said covers and having a base panel portion lying in a single plane, said panel portion having perforations along one edge engaged by said rings of the notebook, said sheet having undulating formations extending away from said plane to provide spaced article receiving depressions, said depressions being of channel cross-section and having restricted entrance portions adjacent to the plane of the base panel portion adapted to receive and resiliently retain pens, pencils and like articles, and a fiat stiff panel likewise having perforations along one edge engaged by said rings of said notebook at the open side of said depressions and having substantially the same dimensions as said sheet to form a cover member for said article holder and a writing surface for pages of said notebook.

3. In combination with a looseleaf notebook having a pair of covers hinged to opposite edges of a back, binder rings secured to said back, any article holder comprising a relatively thin sheet of moderately rigid material of substantially the same dimensions as said covers and having a base panel portion lying in a single plane, said panel portion having perforations along one edge engaged by said rings of the notebook, said sheet having undulating formations extending away from said plane to provide a pair of spaced article receiving depressions and further undulating formations in said panel of channel cross-section connecting said pair of depressions, said channel formations having restricted entrance portions adjacent to the plane of the base panel portion adapted to receive and resiliently retain pens, pencils and like articles with the end portions of the articles projecting into said spaced depression for ready grasping to remove the same from the holder, and a flat stifi" panel likewise having perforations along one edge engaged by said rings of said note- 'book at the open side of said depressions and having substantially the same dimensions as said sheet to form a cover member for said article holder and a. writing surface for pages of said notebook.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,607,863 Betts Nov. 23, 1926 2,048,980 Vanhoosen July 28, 1936 2,194,003 Brooks Mar. 19, 1940 2,223,560 Friedlaender Dec. 3, 1940 2,228,493 Will Jan. 14, 1941 2,318,192 Boelerna May 4, 1943 2,699,865 Bowen Jan. 18, 1955

Claims

1. IN COMBINATION WITH A LOOSELEAF NOTEBOOK HAVING A PAIR OF COVERS HINGED TO OPPOSITE EDGES OF A BACK, BINDER RINGS SECURED TO SAID BACK, AN ARTICLE HOLDER COMPRISING A RELATIVELY THIN SHEET OF MODERATELY RIGID MATERIAL OF SUBSTANTIALLY THE SAME DIMENSIONS AS SAID COVERS AND HAVING A BASE PANEL PORTION LYING IN A SINGLE PLANE, SAID SHEET HAVING UNDULATING FORMATIONS EXTENDING AWAY FROM SAID PLANE TO PROVIDE ARTICLE RECEIVING DEPRESSIONS, SAID PANEL PORTION HAVING PERFORATIONS ALONG ONE EDGE ENGAGED BY SAID RINGS OF THE NOTEBOOK, THE DEPRESSION PORTIONS CLOSEST TO THE PANEL EDGE BEARING SAID PERFORATIONS BEING SUBSTANTIALLY DEEPER THAN THE DEPRESSIONS REMOTE FROM SAID EDGE WHEREBY THE HOLDER IS SUBSTANTIALLY WEDGE-SHAPED AS VIEWED FROM THE END THEREOF, AND A FLAT STIFF PANEL LIKEWISE HAVING PERFORATIONS ALONG ONE EDGE ENGAGED BY SAID RINGS OF SAID NOTEBOOK AT THE OPEN SIDE OF SAID DEPRESSIONS AND HAVING SUBSTANTIALLY THE SAME DIMENSIONS AS SAID SHEET TO FORM A COVER MEMBER FOR SAID ARTICLE HOLDER AND A WRITING SURFACE FOR PAGES OF SAID NOTEBOOK.