EP1572469A2

EP1572469A2 - Device and method for tying papers

Info

Publication number: EP1572469A2
Application number: EP03703003A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Shlomo Menahem
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2002-02-18
Filing date: 2003-02-17
Publication date: 2005-09-14
Also published as: EP1572469A4; AU2003206119A1; AU2003206119A8; WO2003068529A2; WO2003068529A3; IL148213A0

Abstract

A device (20) for tying loose leaf papers (16) on a lever-arch mechanism (10) having a pair of fixed arch elements (12, 12') and a pair of pivoting arch elements (14, 14') arranged to releasably engage the pair of fixed arch elements (12, 12'), wherein the papers (16) have holes (18) punched through them for sliding onto the arch elements 912, 12'), the device (20) including an elongate tie element (24) arranged for insertion adjacent at least one arch element (12, 12') through the holes (18) punched through the papers (16), for engagement of the papers (16) during their removal from the arch element (12, 12'), and for tying the removed papers (16) in a bundle.

Description

DEVICE AND METHOD FOR TYING PAPERS FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to lever-arch loose leaf binders in general and, more particularly, to a lever-arch mechanism and an associated device for holding loose pages from a lever-arch binder so as to permit removal and binding or storage of a bundle of pages.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Loose leaf files and folders of various kinds have long been known in the art.

These generally include a front and back cover with a fastener mounted therein. One common style of binder is a so-called lever-arch binder, which employs arch-shaped posts, each having two arms separable via a lever, or in some cases manually, to allow insertion/extraction of a specific sheet. A locking mechanism for a lever-arch type file generally includes a base plate, a pair of fixed arch elements, rigidly fixed to and upstanding from the base plate, and a pair of pivoting arch elements, pivotally mounted on the base plate for movement relative to the fixed arch elements between an open position and a closed position. A leaf spring mounted on the base plate acts to bias the pivoting arch elements towards the open position, while a locking handle or other locking element forces the pivoting arch elements to engage the fixed arch elements to form a continuous arch. Inter-engaging teeth provided on the fixed and pivoting arch elements provide a smooth arch in the closed position, to permit transfer of pages from one side to the other.

The advantage of this holder is that it permits a sheet to be inserted/extracted at a given location without the removal of the overlying sheets. A disadvantage, however, is that the lever-arch type post has a standard height, not all of which can be utilized to stack sheets, as the "arch" section has to be free of sheets. Thus, this holder has a thickness greater than the stack of sheets to be stored, resulting in a waste of shelf space. During storage, too, the problem of binders requiring more volume than the actual pages inside is very serious, particularly in small offices or buildings, where space is at a premium. When it is necessary to remove old pages from such a folder for storage, the locking mechanism must be unfastened, and all the pages to be removed must be tied to one another. At present, this is carried out manually. This is a time consuming and often difficult task, since the pages may not all have holes punched in exactly the same place relative to the margins and not all the pages are of the same size, making it difficult to align all the holes for rapid mounting onto the ties. For example, this type of binder is often utilized in banks, accountants' offices, etc., where an annual record is required. Since the binders are re-used at the beginning of each new year, the old papers must be tied in bundles and carried away to long-term storage, so as to permit more efficient storage.

Alternatively, there are also known ring binders, including one or more ring members having two parts sprung towards each other, and which are movable relatively by hand or a spring operated opening device, to permit the paper sheets to be threaded thereon. (For convenience herein, the term "arch" will be used for both the arches and the ring members—except where otherwise clear from the context).

Yet another form of sheet-holder systems has been described, for example, in US Patents Nos. 1,004,777, 1,644,541, and 4,775,257, and in British Patent No. 802,577, which employ flexible cords for securing a stack of sheets within the holder. However, none of the prior art devices permits the rapid and efficient removal of pages for tying and storage.

Accordingly, there is a long felt need for a device for holding pages to be removed from a lever-arch folder or binder during removal and storage, which securely retains the pages to be removed while providing ease of threading a tie through punched holes in the paper. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

There is thus provided in accordance with the present invention a device for tying loose leaf papers on a lever-arch mechanism having a pair of fixed arch elements and a pair of pivoting arch elements arranged to releasably engage the pair of fixed arch elements, the device including an elongate tie element arranged for insertion adjacent at least one arch element through holes punched through the papers, for engaging the papers on the arch element, removing the papers from the arch element, and tying the removed papers in a bundle.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the device includes a cap member arranged for removable seating on one arch element of the lever-arch mechanism, the elongate tie element being affixed to the cap member for engaging the papers while the cap member is seated between a fixed and a pivoting arch element, and adapted for removing the papers from the arch element, and tying the removed papers in a bundle. According to another embodiment of the invention, at least one fixed arch element defines one truncated side.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the tie element is a shapeless, string-like element.

According to an alternative embodiment, the tie element is a flexible, substantially flat tongue.

There is also provided in accordance with the present invention a lever arch mechanism including a pair of fixed arch elements and a pair of pivoting arch elements arranged to releasably engage the pair of fixed arch elements, the pair of fixed arch elements being at least partially hollow posts. According to a preferred embodiment, the lever arch mechanism further includes an elongate, U-shaped tie element arranged for insertion through the hollow posts of the fixed arch elements when threaded through holes punched through papers seated on the fixed arch element, the tie element being arranged for engaging the papers as they are lifted and removed from the arch element, and for tying the removed papers in a bundle.

According to a preferred embodiment, the cap member and tie element are formed of polyethylene or polypropylene According to a further preferred embodiment, the tie element is formed with a plurality of ribs on one surface, and includes a cable tie closure at one end, an end of the tie element being adapted for insertion into the cable tie closure for tying papers together.

There is also provided a method for tying loose leaf papers on a lever-arch mechanism having a pair of fixed arch elements and a pair of pivoting arch elements arranged to releasably engage the pair of fixed arch elements, the method including inserting an elongate tie element adjacent at least one arch element through holes punched through the papers for engaging the papers on the fixed arch element, removing the papers from the arch element so that the tie element passes through the holes, and tying the removed papers in a bundle using the tie element.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention will be further understood and appreciated from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a schematic illustration of a lever-arch mechanism with a tie element constructed and operative in accordance with a first embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a schematic illustration of the lever-arch mechanism of Fig. 1, with the tie element seated thereon; Fig. 3 is a schematic illustration of the tie element of Fig. 1 passing through holes in papers being removed from the lever-arch mechanism;

Fig. 4 is a schematic illustration of the tie element of Fig. 1 tied through the removed papers; Fig. 5a is a schematic illustration of a ring binder with a tie element constructed and operative in accordance with an alternative embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 5b is a schematic illustration of the pages from the ring binder of Fig. 5a tied in a bundle;

Fig. 6 is a schematic illustration of a lever-arch mechanism constructed and ^■ operative in accordance with another embodiment of the invention with an associated tie element;

Fig. 7 is a schematic illustration of the lever-arch mechanism of Fig. 6 with the tie element threaded therethrough;

Fig. 8 is a schematic illustration of the lever-arch mechanism of Fig. 6 with papers being removed therefrom;

Fig. 9 is a perspective illustration of a post of a lever-arch mechanism constructed and operative in accordance with an alternative embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 10 is a schematic illustration of the lever-arch mechanism of Fig. 9 in operation;

Figs. 11a and lib are respective plan and side schematic illustrations of a tie element according to the invention; and Fig. 12 illustrates the operation of the tie element of Figs. 11a and 1 lb.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a device for tying papers from a lever-arch type fastener in a loose leaf binder or a ring binder, and to a novel lever-arch mechanism. In particular, it relates to devices for quickly and easily removing the papers from the lever-arch mechanism and tying them into a bundle for storage. In general, this is accomplished by a device including an elongate tie element arranged for insertion adjacent at least one arch element of the lever-arch mechanism, through holes punched through the papers. In this way, the tie element engages the papers on the arch element, which then are removed from the arch element with the tie element through the holes therein. Finally, the tie element is tied, to create a bundle of papers for storage. It will be appreciated that storing papers in this way saves up to 30% of the volume of storing the papers inside the binders.

The tie element can be a shapeless element, such as a string or a lace. Alternatively, the tie element can be a flexible but semi-rigid element, such as a flat, metal tongue, or wire.

Referring now to Fig. 1, there is shown a schematic illustration of a lever-arch mechanism 10 with a device 20 for tying papers constructed and operative in accordance with a first embodiment of the invention. As known, lever-arch mechanism 10 includes a pair of fixed arch elements 12, 12' and a pair of pivoting arch elements 14, 14' arranged to pivot about an axis, so as to releasably engage the pair of fixed arch elements 12, 12', and create a whole smooth arch. Papers 16, having holes 18 punched near their margins, are filed in the binder on lever-arch mechanism 10, and can be moved freely from fixed arch elements 12, 12' to pivoting arch elements 14, 14' when the arches are closed. As known in the art, arch elements 12 and 14 have mating edges to permit closure of the arch to form a continuous arch.

In this embodiment, device 20 includes a cap member 22 with an elongate tie element 24 affixed thereto. Cap member 22 is shaped to seat on one of the arch elements, here illustrated as fixed arch element 12, with tie element 24 adjacent arch element 12, as shown in Fig. 2. Cap member 22 can be formed of any material which can withstand the pressure during closure of the arches, and permit sliding of papers from arch element to arch element. Preferably, the cap member and tie element are formed of polyethylene or polypropylene by injection molding, or cutting and heat forming. When papers are moved from arch element 14 to arch element 12, holes 18 of the papers slide over cap member 22 and onto tie element 24, as seen in Fig. 3. When papers 16 are lifted from arch element 12, as by lifting tie element 24, papers 16 form a neat bundle, as seen in Fig. 4. Tie element 24 can now be tied, or affixed in any other fashion, about the bundle of papers.

Operation of the device of this embodiment of the invention is as follows. The papers to be tied are moved onto the pivoting arch elements 14, 14'. A cap affixed to an elongate tie element is seated on the fixed arch element 12, by placing the cap on the mating teeth of the fixed arch element 12, as in Fig. 2. The pivoting arch elements are now closed onto the cap member and the fixed arch element 12', locking the cap member between the fixed and pivoting arch elements, with the tie element extending along the fixed arch element. The papers are now moved from the pivoting arch elements to the fixed arch elements and, in the process, the holes in the margins of the papers slide over the cap member and onto the elongate tie element, as seen in Fig. 3. The tie element, with the papers thereon, is now removed from the fixed arch element, permitting removal of the papers from the lever-arch mechanism while the papers are held on the tie element. Finally, the removed papers are tied to form a bundle, as shown schematically in Fig. 4.

In the illustrated embodiment, a separate tie element is threaded through each hole and tied to itself. Alternatively, as shown in Figs. 5a and 5b, showing the example of a ring binder, a single tie element can be used, having 2 cap members, one on each end, which can be threaded through two holes in the pages.

Referring now to Fig. 6, there is shown a schematic illustration of a lever-arch mechanism 30 with a device 40 for tying papers constructed and operative in accordance with another embodiment of the invention. In this embodiment, lever- arch mechanism 30 includes a pair of fixed arch elements 32, 34, at least the upper portion of which are hollow posts. If the posts are hollow along their entire length, a pair of holes 36 may be formed through the cardboard backing of the binder underneath the hollow posts. Device 40 includes an elongate, U-shaped tie element arranged for insertion into the hollow posts of the fixed arch elements, while they are threaded through holes 38 punched through the papers, as shown in Fig. 7. It will be appreciated that U-shaped tie element 40 can be semi-rigid, as described above, or can be completely flexible, as a conventional shoe lace.

When tie element 40 has been threaded through the hollow posts, the papers can be lifted and removed from the arch element in a bundle, the tie element remaining threaded in two directions through the holes in the pages, as shown schematically in Fig. 8. The ends of the tie element are now tied so as to form a bundle of removed papers.

Operation of this embodiment is as follows. First, the papers to be tied are moved onto the fixed arch elements, which are at least partially substantially hollow posts. An elongate, U-shaped tie element is inserted through the hollow posts of the lever-arch mechanism, until it reaches the solid portion of the posts. In case the posts are hollow throughout, the tie element is inserted through the posts until they pass through the holes in the covers of the binders, and the cross-piece of the tongue is seated on the papers. The papers are now lifted and removed from the posts of the fixed arch elements, thereby engaging the papers on the tie element. The removed papers can now be tied in a bundle for storage.

According to another embodiment of the invention, a cross section of the post of the fixed arch element 50 defines one truncated side 52, as shown in Fig. 9, and the tie element 54 associated therewith is a substantially flat tongue. Preferably, the tongue is substantially the width of the truncated side. This provides a track adjacent the truncated side of the post for easy insertion of the tongue through the holes in the papers on the arch, as shown in Fig. 10 (without papers).

According to another embodiment of the invention, shown schematically in Figs. 11a and lib, the tie element 60 is formed with a plurality of ribs 62 on one surface, and includes a cable tie closure 64 at the end having not cap member. When the pages have been removed from the lever-arch mechanism, the cap member 66 is cut off as shown in Fig. 12, as along perforations, and the end of the tie element is adapted for insertion into the cable tie closure 64 for tying the papers together. In this way, the tie element can be rapidly and securely fastened through the papers to be stored, without fear of inadvertent release of the pages.

It will be appreciated that the invention is not limited to what has been described hereinabove merely by way of example. Rather, the invention is limited solely by the claims which follow.

Claims

1. A device for tying loose leaf papers on a lever-arch mechanism having a pair of fixed arch elements and a pair of pivoting arch elements arranged to releasably engage the pair of fixed arch elements, wherein the papers have holes punched through them for sliding onto the arch elements, the device comprising: an elongate tie element arranged for insertion adjacent at least one arch element through the holes punched through the papers for engagement of the papers during their removal from the arch element, and for tying the removed papers in a bundle.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the device includes a cap member arranged for removable seating on a fixed arch element of the lever-arch mechanism, the elongate tie element being affixed to the cap member for engaging the papers while the cap member is seated between a fixed and a pivoting arch element, the tie element being adapted for removing the papers from the arch element, and tying the removed papers in a bundle.

3. The device according to claim 1, wherein: the pair of fixed arch elements are at least partially hollow posts; and the device includes an elongate, U-shaped tie element arranged for insertion through the hollow posts of the fixed arch elements, which extend through holes punched through the papers, for engaging the papers as they are lifted and removed from the arch element, and for tying the removed papers in a bundle.

4. The device according to claim 1, wherein a cross-section of the fixed arch element defines a truncated side.

5. The device according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the tie element is a flexible, substantially flat element.

6. The device according to any of claims 1-4, wherein the tie element is a shapeless element selected from a tie, a lace, a string, a thread.

7. The device according to any of the preceding claims, wherein said device is formed of polyethylene.

8. The device according to any of the preceding claims, wherein said device is formed of polypropylene.

9. The device according to any of the preceding claims, wherein said tie element is formed with a plurality of ribs on one surface, and includes a cable tie closure at one end, an end of the tie element being adapted for insertion into the cable tie closure for tying papers together.

10. A lever-arch mechanism comprising; a pair of fixed arch elements; and a pair of pivoting arch elements arranged to releasably engage the pair of fixed arch elements; said pair of fixed arch elements comprising at least partially hollow posts.

11. The lever-arch mechanism of claim 10, further comprising an elongate, U-shaped tie element arranged for insertion through the hollow posts of the fixed arch elements when threaded through holes punched through papers seated on the fixed arch element, the tie element being arranged for engaging the papers as they are lifted and removed from the arch element, and for tying the removed papers in a bundle.

12. The lever-arch mechanism of either of claims 10 and 11, wherein a cross-section of said fixed arch element defines a truncated side.

13. The lever-arch mechanism of claim 12, further comprising a flat, elongate, U-shaped tie element adapted for insertion along said truncated side.

14. A method for tying loose leaf papers on a lever-arch mechanism having a pair of fixed arch elements and a pair of pivoting arch elements arranged to releasably engage the pair of fixed arch elements, the method including: inserting an elongate tie element adjacent a fixed arch element through holes punched through the papers for engaging the papers on the fixed arch element; removing the papers from the arch element, while the tie element extends through the holes in the papers; and tying the removed papers in a bundle.

15. The method according to claim 14, the method including: moving the papers to be tied onto the pair of pivoting arch elements; seating a cap member, having an elongate tie element affixed thereto, on a fixed arch element of the lever-arch mechanism; closing the pair of pivoting arch elements onto the pair of fixed arch elements with the cap member therebetween; moving the papers from the pivoting arch elements to the fixed arch elements and thereby over the cap member and onto the elongate tie element; removing the cap member and elongate tie element from the fixed arch element while the papers are on the tie element; and tying the removed papers in a bundle.

16. The method according to claim 14, the method including: moving the papers to be tied onto the pair of fixed arch elements; seating a cap member, having an elongate tie element affixed thereto, on a pivoting arch element of the lever-arch mechanism; closing the pair of pivoting arch elements onto the pair of fixed arch elements with the cap member therebetween; moving the papers from the fixed arch elements to the pivoting arch elements and thereby over the cap member and onto the elongate tie element; removing the cap member and elongate tie element from the pivoting arch element while the papers are on the tie element; and tying the removed papers in a bundle.

17. The method according to claim 14, the method including: moving papers to be tied onto the fixed arch elements; inserting an elongate, U-shaped tie element through the holes in the papers and adjacent the fixed arch elements of the lever-arch mechanism; lifting and removing the papers from the posts, thereby engaging the papers on the tie element; and tying the removed papers in a bundle.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein a cross-section of the fixed arch element defines a truncated side.

19. The method according to claim 14, the method including: moving papers to be tied onto the fixed arch elements, wherein the fixed arch elements are at least partially substantially hollow posts; inserting an elongate, U-shaped tie element through the hollow posts of the lever-arch mechanism; lifting and removing the papers from the hollow posts, thereby engaging the papers on the tie element; and tying the removed papers in a bundle.

20. The method according to claim 19, wherein a cross section of the hollow posts defines one truncated side.