US3910708A

US3910708A - Securing device for loose-leaf binders

Info

Publication number: US3910708A
Application number: US532467A
Authority: US
Inventors: Benedikt Rohner
Original assignee: Krause Kg Robert
Current assignee: Robert Krause GmbH and Co KG
Priority date: 1973-12-13
Filing date: 1974-12-13
Publication date: 1975-10-07
Anticipated expiration: 1992-10-07
Also published as: FR2254443B1; JPS50106716A; FR2254443A1; CH571957A5; GB1453758A

Abstract

A strip of material comprising slots and fastening means is designed to be folded and assembled with a ring of a loose-leaf binder in such a way as to prevent the unintentional opening of the ring and to hold down the loose-leaf pages.

Description

United States Patent [1 1 [111 3,910,708 Rohner 1 Oct. 7, 1975 SECURING DEVICE FOR LOOSE-LEAF BINDERS Inventor: Benedikt Rohner, Zurich,

Switzerland Assignee: Robert Krause KG, Espelkamp,

Germany Filed: Dec. 13, 1974 Appl, No.1 532,467

Foreign Application Priority Data Primary ExaminerJerome Schnall Attorney, Agent, or FirmStewart and Kolasch, Ltd.

[ 57] ABSTRACT A strip of material comprising slots and fastening means is designed to be folded and assembled with a ring of a loose-leaf binder in such a way as to prevent the unintentional opening of the ring and to hold down the loose-leaf pages.

1 Claim, 4 Drawing Figures Dec. 13, 1973 Switzerland 17464/73 US. Cl. 402/ R; 402/68 Int. Cl. B42F 3/04 Field of Search 402/80 R, 80 L31, 24, 402/4, 68, 69, 60; 24/16 PE, 30.5 P, 91, 245 FF SECURING DEVICE FOR LOOSE-LEAF BINDERS This invention relates to a securing device for looseleaf binders.

Loose-leaf binders require both a means of keeping the rings from opening unintentionally and a means of holding the pages together. For this latter purpose, there are strips wrapped around the pages when the loose-leaf binders are sold, while slidable clamps on the ring-halves of one side are known for such binders when in use. Aside from the fact that the aforementioned strips can hold the pages together only until the binders are first put to use, the known holding means do not prevent the rings from opening unintentionally, as very often happens during transportation, or when the binders are pushed into upright file containers.

It is the object of this invention to provide a securing device for loose-leaf binders which is economical to produce, which holds the pages down, and which at the same time prevents any unintentional opening of the rings.

To this end, the securing device according to the present invention, for a loose-leaf binder having rings each formed of two ring-halves, comprises a strip of material having three fold-lines disposed at right angles to the longitudinal axis of the strip, two elongated slots, two resilient lobes at one end of the strip, and a hole disposed at the base of the lobes, wherein the fold-lines are so disposed that the strip can be folded into four sections by bending it at a 90 angle in one direction along the first two fold-lines and folding it back by 180 in the opposite direction along the third foldline so that the first, third, and fourth sections thus formed then lie in substantially parallel planes, the slots are then situated in the first and third sections, lie upon one another, and are adapted to cooperate with a ring, the width of the slots being greater than the thickness of the ring, the slot in the first section being longer and the slot in the third section being shorter than the diameter of the ring, the free end of the fourth section is adapted to form a fastening head comprising the lobes, the lobes being adapted for positioning under the uppermost portion of the ring, and the hole is adapted to receive one of the ring-halves, the length of the third section being such that it forms a holding-down tongue together with the fourth section.

A preferred embodiment of the invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of the device before folding,

FIG. 2 is a corresponding side elevation,

FIG. 3 is a side elevation of the securing device in use, and

FIG. 4 is a corresponding top plan view.

In the embodiment illustrated, the loose-leaf securing device consists of a strip 1 of polypropylene which is divided by fold-lines 2-4, running at right angles to its longitudinal axis, into four sections 5-8, the third of which (7) is the longest. The fold-lines 2-4 are formed by suitable cross-sectional weakenings which are so disposed that, as viewed in FIG. 2, the strip 1 can be folded downwards along the

foldlines

2 and 3, but upwards about the fold-line 2. In the

sections

5 and 7, which are separated from one another by the section 6, there are

slots

9 and 10 disposed along the longitudinal axis of the strip 1. Slot 9 extends into section 6. The

slots

9 and 10 are of different lengths, that of the slot 9 being greater and that of the slot 10 being less than the diameter of a loose-leaf binder ring 11. The free end of the section 8 takes the form of a fastening head and comprises two outwardly extending end lobes 12 which define between them a hole 13 for the passage of one of the two ring-halves 11a of the ring 11. The lobes 12 also comprise on their facing edges two inwardly projecting holding portions 12a, the space between which is less than the thickness of a ring-half 11a.

In the embodiment as illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4, the securing device is used with a loose-leaf binder of the type having a ring-supporting strip 15 attached to the inside of the back cover, adjacent to the spine. The securing device is assembled with a ring 11 of such a binder in the following manner: first the slot 9 of the strip 1 is pushed down over the closed ring 11 of the as yet empty binder. A further fold-line 14 enables the section 5 to fit against the slightly cambered ringsupporting strip 15. A bevel 9a in the outer edge of the slot 9 serves to facilitate gripping behind the respective ring-half 11a and thus helps to keep the unfolded strip 1 from falling off the ring 11. The ring 11 may now be opened, loose-leaf pages 16 inserted, and the ring 11 re-closed. The strip 1 is then bent at a angle along each of the fold-

lines

2 and 3, and the section 7 is pushed over the closed ring 11 as far as the length of the slot 10 allows, with the ring 11 passing partially through the slot 10. Finally, the end section 8 is folded back by in the opposite direction, and the two end lobes 12 are pressed down on each side of the projecting portion of the ring 11 so that one of the ring-halves 11a passes into the hole 13, while the two holding portions 12a of the lobes l2 lie beneath the uppermost portion of the ring 1 1 and thus hold the strip 1 securely in place.

When the strip 1 is in the position of use as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, where it is held by the lobes 12 which have snapped in under the upper portion of the ring 1 1, the two ring-halves 11a are resting against respective ends of the slot 10, so that it is impossible for the ring 11 to open unintentionally. The length of the section 7 causes it, together with the section 8 which is lying upon it, to project laterally beyond the ring 11 for a certain distance and thus to form a holding-down tongue for the pages 16. To release the securing device, it suffices to pull up on one of the lobes 12, thereby disengaging both lobes 12 from the closed ring 11 and then removing the section 7 from the ring 11. In this position, the ring 11 may easily be opened, and the pages that are turned then rest against the inner side of the section 7, which thus serves as a support for the stack of turned pages 16 and, to a limited extent, also serves as an aid in turning the pages.

In this way, it is possible to provide with the simplest means a securing device for loose-leaf binders which not only holds down the stack of loose-leaf pages but at the same time secures the rings in their closed position as well.

What is claimed is:

1. A securing device for a loose-leaf binder having rings each formed of two ring-halves, said device comprising a strip of material having three fold-lines disposed at right angles to the longitudinal axis of said strip, two elongated slots, two resilient lobes at one end of said strip, and a hole disposed at the base of said lobes, wherein said fold-lines are so disposed that said strip can be folded into four sections by bending it at a 90 angle in one direction about the first two of said fold-lines and folding it back by 180 in the opposite direction along the third of said fold-lines so that the first, third and fourth of said sections thus formed then lie in substantially parallel planes, said slots are then situated in said first and third sections, lie upon one another, and are adapted to cooperate with a said ring, the slot in said first section extends into said second section, the width of said slots being greater than the thickness of said ring, said slot in said first and second sections

Claims

1. A securing device for a loose-leaf binder having rings each formed of two ring-halves, said device comprising a strip of material having three fold-lines disposed at right angles to the longitudinal axis of said strip, two elongated slots, two resilient lobes at one end of said strip, and a hole disposed at the base of said lobes, wherein said fold-lines are so disposed that said strip can be folded into four sections by bending it at a 90* angle in one direction about the first two of said foldlines and folding it back by 180* in the opposite direction along the third of said fold-lines so that the first, third and fourtH of said sections thus formed then lie in substantially parallel planes, said slots are then situated in said first and third sections, lie upon one another, and are adapted to cooperate with a said ring, the slot in said first section extends into said second section, the width of said slots being greater than the thickness of said ring, said slot in said first and second sections being longer and said slot in said third section being shorter than the diameter of said ring, the free end of said fourth section is adapted to form a fastening head comprising said lobes, said lobes being adapted for positioning under the uppermost portion of said ring, and said hole is adapted to receive one of said ring-halves, the length of said third section being such that it forms a holding-down tongue together with said fourth section.