AU2006100830A6 - A Divider System - Google Patents

Description

C06114i

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INO A DIVIDER SYSTEM Field of the invention 0 [001] This invention relates to tabbed dividers for use in document binders and the like.

Background of the invention S [002] Tabbed dividers include a series of document dividers each having a projecting 00 tab to facilitate visual and physical access to the related documents. The projecting tabs are staggered sequentially and may be in a single stagger, for example from January to December.

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S [003] Conventionally, tabbed dividers using chronological ordering are arranged to run S front to back. In such arrangements, the most recent information is located at the back of the binder. This means that, to access the most recent documents, it is necessary to turn through all the chronologically preceding documents in the folder.

[004] In addition, in order to file a new document, all the preceding documents must be removed from the binder and then replaced on the binder after the new document has been filed.

While some filing systems provide a two piece binding post arrangement to assist in this operation, it remains a tedious task which is exacerbated as the file contents grow.

[005] Any reference herein to known prior art does not, unless the contrary indication appears, constitute an admission that such prior art is commonly known by those skilled in the art to which the invention relates, at the priority date of this application.

[006] The terms "financial year" and "fiscal year" are used interchangeably in this specification.

Summary of the invention [007] This invention provides a set of chronologically arranged file dividers with projecting tabs adapted to be filed in a binder in a bottom-up chronological sequence.

[008] The dividers can be arranged in calendar month sequence.

[009] The dividers can be arranged in non-calendar month sequence.

[010] The dividers can be monthly dividers arranged in financial or fiscal year sequence.

[011] The dividers can be arranged in a single staggered sequence.

[012] The sequence can start with the first tab at or near the lower right corner.

C06114i 2 [013] The sequence can start with the first tab at or near the upper right comer.

[014] The dividers can be arranged in a double stagger.

[015] A double stagger can include, for example, January to June running from bottom of the divider to the top of the divider in a first series of "steps", and July to December running from the bottom of the divider to the top of the divider in a second series of "steps". In the case of a double stagger, visibility of the underlying staggered tabs is improved by the thickness of intervening documents.

[016] In addition, the distance by which the underlying staggered tabs project from the sheet can be made larger than the corresponding projection distance of the overlying staggered tabs.

[017] The divider set can be provided as a pre-packaged ordered set.

[018] The invention also provides a file binder with a set of chronologically arranged file dividers filed in a bottom-up chronological sequence.

[019] The dividers can be quarterly dividers.

[020] The dividers can be weekly dividers.

[021] The dividers can include daily dividers.

[022] There can be 53 weekly dividers.

[023] The weekly dividers can be arranged in two or more staggered rows.

[024] The weekly dividers can be arranged in four quarterly staggered rows.

[025] The invention can include additional or modified dividers indicating sub-groups within the chronological series.

[026] The additional dividers can indicate the start or conclusion of designated periods.

[027] The sub-groups can be fiscal or financial year quarters.

[028] The dividers can have an extra wide format for the tabs to remain visible when used with document pockets which are larger than documents placed in said pockets.

Brief description of the drawings [029] An embodiment or embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: C06114i [030] invention; [031] invention; Figure 1 represents a set of file dividers according to a first embodiment of the Figure 2 represents a second set dividers according to a second embodiment of the [032] Figure 3 represents a partially exploded view of the set of dividers of Figure 2; [033] Figure 4 represents a binder including a set of dividers according to a further embodiment of the in,.ention; [034] Figure 5 represents a set of dividers according to a further embodiment of the invention; [035] Figure 6 represents a set of dividers according to another embodiment of the invention.

[036] Figure 7 shows a further divider system according to an embodiment of the invention.

[037] Figure 8 shows another divider system according to an alternative embodiment of the invention.

[038] Figure 9 illustrates a first divider set including additional dividers indicating the fiscal quarters.

[039] Figure 10 illustrates a second divider set including additional dividers indicating the fiscal quarters.

[040] Figure 11 is a view of a divider set similar to that of Figure 9.

[041] Figure 12 illustrates a set of fiscal or financial year quarterly dividers.

[042] Figure 13 shows a set of dividers adapted for use with documents having a width greater than the height of the document.

Detailed description of the embodiment or embodiments [043] File dividers generally include white, coloured, manila or buff cardboard sheets with staggered projecting tabs arranged along a major edge of the sheet to provide visual and physical access to the related documents. The tabs can be arranged in various sequences such as alphabetical, numerical, or chronological. Where the tabs are chronological, monthly tabs arranged from January to December from top of the major edge to the bottom of the major edge are common.

C06114i 4 Io [044] Filing perforations are usually provided on the divider sheets on the opposite major edge of the sheet to the projecting tabs. Usually the filing perforations are provided to fit a variety of binder posts. Binders with 2, 3, or 4 binder posts are common, but binders with more O binder posts are available.

¢€3 [045] When documents are filed in a binder using this system, the earliest documents are filed behind the January divider, and the most recent are filed behind the current month M€3 divider. Thus the current month documents are at the bottom of the documents for the preceding oO 00 months. This arrangement can become inconvenient, particularly as the contents of the binder builds up.

[046] Accordingly, this invention provides a set of"reverse sequence" or "bottom up" dividers, so that the current period's documents are at the top of the documents in the binder.

[047] Figure 1 shows a first set of binders 100 in which each binder includes a sheet 102 having a projecting tab 106. The tabs are arranged on successive sheets in a staggered arrangement so that each is substantially visible when viewed from the front. In this embodiment, the tabs are numbered from 1 to 12 starting from the front and descending to 1 at the rear. The "12" tab 106 is at the top of the edge 108 of its sheet 102, while the tab 112 is at the bottom of the corresponding edge of its sheet. The intermediate tabs "11" to are staggered along the corresponding edge of their sheets in a regular "step" arrangement.

[048] Where the relative size of the tab to the length of the tabbed edge is too large to permit all the tabs to be included in a single stagger, a double stagger can be used. Thus to "12" can run from the mid-stack to the top, and to can restart at the middle of the stack and run to the bottom in a second stagger as shown in Figure 8.

[049] Given that months are frequently referred to by numbers, this arrangement can be used as a "bottom up" monthly sequence. Of course, the names of months or their abbreviations can be used in place of the numbers.

[050] Figure 2 shows a set of dividers 200 in which three letter alphabetic abbreviations are used to identify the months. In addition, the months are organized to correspond with a period which starts with July and ends with June of the following year. This corresponds to the financial or fiscal year in some countries such as Australia. Various countries have different financial reporting periods. The UK uses April to March, while the USA uses an October to September fiscal year.

[051] Figure 3 shows a partially exploded view of the set of dividers of Figure 2.

C06114i Io [052] Figure 4 shows a binder 400 incorporating a set of dividers organized in the 0 manner of the dividers of Figure 2. In addition, the tabs are labelled on both sides.

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[053] The binder includes a front cover 416, a back cover 418, a spine 420, and binder rings 411. The details of the binder rings are well known and are not describe in detail herein.

[054] The advantage of double sided labelling is seen in Figure 4. In Figure 4, the dividers are open at December so that the "DEC" tab is on the left and the "NOV" tab is on the c right. However, because the tabs are labelled on both sides, the user can still immediately see 00oO where the dividers for each of the six months following December are on the left.

I [055] Figure 5 shows a further set of dividers in which the tabs run from October of one year to September of the following year.

[056] Figure 6 shows a further set of dividers in which the dividers run from April of one year to March of the following year.

[057] Figure 7 shows a July to June set of dividers in which the tab for the first period starts at the top of the non-bound edge and the remaining tabs descend to the bottom of the nonbound edge for the most recent period, while still preserving the bottom up filing sequence. The non-bound edge is the edge opposite the edge having the binding holes. The July tab 712 is at the top of the sheet while being at the bottom of the stack of dividers, while the tab for June of the following year is at the top of the stack but at the bottom of the sheet. In this embodiment, the tabs are rectangular and sized so that the top edge of each tab is contiguous with or overlaps the lower edge of the tab above it so that their outer edges form a quasi-continuous straight edge from top to bottom of the divider. In the arrangement of Figure 7, it is possible for the tab for the lowest tab in this arrangement, which, in this example, is the month of July, to run the full length of the divider, while the tabs for the other months are progressively shorter to permit the at least part of the tab below to be seen. Thus, for example, the tab for June is the shortest and exposes the label for May on the divider immediately below the June divider, and so on.

[058] Figure 8 shows a double stagger arrangement according to an embodiment of the invention. This embodiment involves tabs numbered to but is also applicable to other chronological series, such as to "31" and monthly and alphabetical. The top divider has the tab 806 labelled "12" at the top of the sheet 802. The first stagger covers the tabs labelled "12" to so that the tab 814 labelled is at the bottom of the sheet. The second stagger includes the tabs labelled to so that tab 816 labelled is at the top of the sheet and the tab 812 labelled is at the bottom of the sheet.

C06114i 6 Io [059] While the tabs shown are small in comparison with the height of the sheet, in practice, the tabs labelled to in the underlying stagger can be at least partly obscured by

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the tabs on the overlying stagger. According to a further refinement, the tabs in the underlying O stagger are made to project further from the edge of the sheet than the tabs of the overlying stagger. Thus the distance 820 which the overlying tabs project from the sheet is less than the distance 818 which the underlying tabs project from the sheet. The underlying tabs can also be of a different colour from that of the overlying tabs.

00 [060] The invention can also be applied to other chronological filing sequences, such as daily filing. In this case, the days are numbered from 1 to 31, and the dividers are arranged so that is at the bottom and "31" is at the top. In some cases, it is preferable to use a double CI stagger with daily dividers. Quarterly dividers can also be provided.

[061] Figure 12 shows a set of four quarterly dividers. The dividers run from top to bottom as June Quarter 1210, March Quarter 1212, December Quarter 1214, and September Quarter 1216.

[062] Figure 9 shows a set of monthly dividers combined with a set of quarterly dividers. The monthly dividers run from JULY through to JUNE from bottom to top. The quarterly dividers are interposed between sequences of three months. In the embodiment of Figure 9, the quarterly dividers are located at the start of the quarter. Thus the September Quarter divider 914 is at the bottom of all the dividers below the July monthly divider the December Quarter divider 910 is between the September and October monthly dividers, the March Quarter divider is between the December and January monthly dividers, and the June Quarter divider is between the March and April monthly dividers.

[063] In Figure 10, the quarterly dividers are at the end of the quarter. Thus the September Quarter divider is between September and October, the December Quarter divider is between the monthly dividers for December and January, the March Quarter divider is between March and April, the June Quarter divider is above the June monthly divider at the top of the set of dividers.

[064] Figure 11 shows a view of an arrangement similar to that of Figure 9, with the quarterly dividers located at the start of the quarter. As can be seen, the quarterly dividers 1104, 1108, 1112, 1116 lie beneath their respective monthly dividers and do not obstruct the view of the monthly dividers.

C06114i 7 Io [065] The dividers can be sized for use with punched paper files or for use with plastic sheet protectors.

S [066] The tabs can have angular, curved or a combination of both angular and curved S edges.

[067] The tabs can have a trapezoidal shape.

[068] The dividers can be the same colour or of different colours to make them readily 00 identifiable. Alternatively, only the tabs may be coloured. The tabs can be of different colours to 0 facilitate differentiation.

I [069] The dividers and tabs can be made of a single sheet.

c [070] The tabs can have the same label on both sides.

[071] The labels on tabs can be in.landscape orientation, portrait orientation or a combination of both landscape and portrait orientation.

[072] The dividers can be made of cardboard.

[073] The dividers can be laminated in part or whole. Laminating can improve durability. For example, in Figure 1, a strip along the binding edge of the dividers can be laminated as shown at 114. Similarly, the tabs and a small adjacent area 116 of the tab can be laminated to reinforce the tab. Alternatively, a strip down the non-bound edge and covering the tabs can be laminated.

[074] The dividers can be made of a plastics material. Polypropylene is an example of a suitable material.

[075] The dividers can be in an extra wide format so the tabs remain visible when used with documents filed in clear plastic document pockets.

[076] Figure 13 shows a set of dividers adapted for use with documents having a width greater than the height of the document. Thus wide format documents such as computer printout documents can be accommodated by such a set of dividers. In addition, the dividers can be adapted for use with landscape documents.

[077] Where ever it is used, the word "comprising" is to be understood in its "open" sense, that is, in the sense of"including", and thus not limited to its "closed" sense, that is the sense of"consisting only of'. A corresponding meaning is to be attributed to the corresponding words "comprise", "comprised" and "comprises" where they appear.

C06114i 8 I [078] It will be understood that the invention disclosed and defined herein extends to all 0 alternative combinations of two or more of the individual features mentioned or evident from the text. All of these different combinations constitute various alternative aspects of the invention.

C [079] While particular embodiments of this invention have been described, it will be evident to those skilled in the art that the present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the essential characteristics thereof. The present embodiments and M examples are therefore to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, and all 00oO modifications which would be obvious to those skilled in the art are therefore intended to be embraced therein.

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Claims (4)

1. A set of chronologically arranged file dividers including projecting tabs adapted to be filed in O a binder in a bottom-up chronological sequence, wherein the dividers are arranged in INO financial or fiscal year sequence.

2. A set of dividers as claimed in claim 1, wherein the dividers are daily dividers, or weekly Sdividers, or monthly dividers. 00

3. A set of dividers as claimed in claim 2, including a series of monthly dividers and a sub-set of dividers, wherein the sub-set includes quarterly dividers which are arranged to divide the Cmonthly dividers into fiscal quarters.

4. A set of dividers as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein dividers are arranged in a double stagger. A set of dividers as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein the dividers have an extra wide format for said tabs to remain visible when used with document pockets which are larger than documents placed in said pockets. Dated this 6th day of October 2006 Trigen Pty Ltd by their patent attorneys HALFORD CO