EP2082896A1 - A paper-retaining mechanism - Google Patents
A paper-retaining mechanism Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- EP2082896A1 EP2082896A1 EP08250255A EP08250255A EP2082896A1 EP 2082896 A1 EP2082896 A1 EP 2082896A1 EP 08250255 A EP08250255 A EP 08250255A EP 08250255 A EP08250255 A EP 08250255A EP 2082896 A1 EP2082896 A1 EP 2082896A1
- Authority
- EP
- European Patent Office
- Prior art keywords
- base
- switch
- mechanism according
- further characterized
- members
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Withdrawn
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Classifications
-
- 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
- B42F13/22—Filing appliances with means for engaging perforations or slots with claws or rings pivotable about an axis or axes parallel to binding edges in two sections engaging each other when closed
- B42F13/24—Filing appliances with means for engaging perforations or slots with claws or rings pivotable about an axis or axes parallel to binding edges in two sections engaging each other when closed wherein one section is in the form of fixed rods
Definitions
- This invention relates to a paper-retaining mechanism and a document file incorporating such a mechanism.
- a one-armed lever is pivotable to pivot a pair of arches relative to a pair of fixed posts, to allow pieces of hole-punched paper to be retrieved from or inserted into the file mechanism when the arches are out of engagement with the posts, and to retain the paper therein when the arches are engaged with the posts.
- the pair of arches are joined by an intervening crank on which a roller attached to the lever travels during pivotal movement of the lever, to effect opening or closing of the pair of rings.
- the lever is pivoted downwardly to close the ring pairs formed by the posts and arches and pivoted upwardly to open the rings.
- a problem associated with such a conventional lever-arch type file mechanism is that when the lever is pivoted to an upper position to open the rings, the lever is in contact with or is at least very close to one of the arches, such that paper can only be inserted into or retrieved from the posts, but cannot be inserted into or retrieved from the arches.
- a paper-retaining mechanism including a base; at least two post members fixed to said base; and at least two arch members movable relative to said base and said post members between a closed position in which said arch members are in contact with said post members to form two closed rings and an open position in which said arch members are out of contact with said post members whereby said rings are open; characterized in including a switch reciprocatable along a substantially straight line between a first position to move said arch members to said closed position and a second position to allow said arch members to move to said open position.
- a document file including a substrate engaged with a paper-retaining mechanism, said mechanism including a base; at least two post members fixed to said base; and at least two arch members movable relative to said base and said post members between a closed position in which said arch members are in contact with said post members to form two closed rings and an open position in which said arch members are out of contact with said post members whereby said rings are open; characterized in including a switch reciprocatable along a substantially straight line between a first position to move said arch members to said closed position and a second position to allow said arch members to move to said open position.
- FIG. 1 to 5 A paper-retaining mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown in Figs. 1 to 5 , generally designated as 10.
- the mechanism 10 includes a generally planar base 12 to which are fixedly engaged two posts 14.
- a pair of arches 16 are joined with each other via a cranked rod 18.
- the arches 16 are integrally formed with and movable simultaneously with the cranked rod 18. It can be seen from Figs. 1 , 4 and 5 that the cranked rod 18 has a bent portion 20 roughly mid-point between the two posts 14.
- the arches 16 are engaged with the base 12 via a pair of clamps 22 on the base 12 for pivotal movement relative to the base 12 and the posts 14.
- a leaf spring 24 is engaged with the base 12 and acts on a lower side of the cranked rod 18.
- the arches 16 may be pivoted relative to the base 12 and the posts 14 between a closed position in which free ends of the arches 16 contact and mate with free ends of the posts 14 (as shown in Figs. 1 to 5 ) to form two closed rings for retaining pieces of hole-punched paper, and an open position in which the free ends of the arches 16 are out of contact with the free ends of the posts 14 (as shown in Figs. 7 to 11 ) to open the rings, thus allowing pieces of hole-punched paper to be retrieved from or inserted into the posts 14 and the arches 16.
- the leaf spring 24 biases the arches 16 towards the open position.
- a bracket 26 is fixedly secured, e.g. by screws or rivets, to the base 12.
- the bracket 26 has two upstanding legs 28 and a platform 30 raised above and spaced apart from the base 12.
- the platform 30 has a straight slot 32 formed therein.
- a sliding switch 34 is engaged with the bracket 26.
- the switch 34 has a push button 36 manually operable to reciprocate along the slot 32.
- the push button 36 is engaged on its underside with a block 38 with a lower surface 40 which is slanted relative to the base 12.
- the push button 36 is reciprocatable and slidable along the slot 32 of the platform 30, which lies on a plane parallel to the base 12, between the position shown in thicker lines and the position shown in thinner lines, both positions being between the rings formed by the posts 14 and the arches 16.
- the lower surface 40 of the block 38 is in constant contact with the bent portion 20 which is bent towards the switch 34.
- the lower surface 40 As the lower surface 40 is slanted relative to the base 12, when the push button 36 is in the position shown in thicker lines, the lower surface 40 pushes the bent portion 20 downward, against the upward biasing force of the leaf spring 24, to pivot the arches 16 to the closed position, to close the pair of rings.
- Fig. 12 shows various components forming the mechanism 10.
- the mechanism 10 may be fixedly engaged with a substrate (e.g. a cardboard cover) by screws or rivets to form a document file, for releasably retaining pieces of hole-punched paper.
- a substrate e.g. a cardboard cover
- the push button 36, the block 38 and the bracket 26 may be made of plastics, metal, alloy, or a combination thereof, and the leaf spring 24 may be replaced by a resilient spring wire.
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- Sheet Holders (AREA)
Abstract
A paper-retaining mechanism (10) is disclosed as including a base (12), two posts (14) fixed to the base, two arches (16) movable relative to the base and the posts between a closed position in which the arches are in contact with the posts to form two closed rings and an open position in which the arches are out of contact with the posts whereby the rings are open, and a switch (34) reciprocable along a straight line between a first position to move the arches to the closed position and a second position to allow the arches to move to the open position.
Description
- This invention relates to a paper-retaining mechanism and a document file incorporating such a mechanism.
- Various paper-retaining mechanisms have been available. In one type of such conventional paper-retaining mechanisms generally called lever-arch type files mechanisms, a one-armed lever is pivotable to pivot a pair of arches relative to a pair of fixed posts, to allow pieces of hole-punched paper to be retrieved from or inserted into the file mechanism when the arches are out of engagement with the posts, and to retain the paper therein when the arches are engaged with the posts. The pair of arches are joined by an intervening crank on which a roller attached to the lever travels during pivotal movement of the lever, to effect opening or closing of the pair of rings. In operating such a conventional file mechanism, the lever is pivoted downwardly to close the ring pairs formed by the posts and arches and pivoted upwardly to open the rings.
- A problem associated with such a conventional lever-arch type file mechanism is that when the lever is pivoted to an upper position to open the rings, the lever is in contact with or is at least very close to one of the arches, such that paper can only be inserted into or retrieved from the posts, but cannot be inserted into or retrieved from the arches.
- It is thus an object of the present invention to provide a paper-retaining mechanism and a document file incorporating such a paper-retaining mechanism in which the aforesaid shortcoming is mitigated, or at least to provide a useful alternative to the public.
- According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a paper-retaining mechanism including a base; at least two post members fixed to said base; and at least two arch members movable relative to said base and said post members between a closed position in which said arch members are in contact with said post members to form two closed rings and an open position in which said arch members are out of contact with said post members whereby said rings are open;
characterized in including a switch reciprocatable along a substantially straight line between a first position to move said arch members to said closed position and a second position to allow said arch members to move to said open position. - According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a document file including a substrate engaged with a paper-retaining mechanism, said mechanism including a base; at least two post members fixed to said base; and at least two arch members movable relative to said base and said post members between a closed position in which said arch members are in contact with said post members to form two closed rings and an open position in which said arch members are out of contact with said post members whereby said rings are open; characterized in including a switch reciprocatable along a substantially straight line between a first position to move said arch members to said closed position and a second position to allow said arch members to move to said open position.
- An embodiment of the present invention will now be described, by way of an example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:
-
Fig. 1 is a front view of a paper-retaining mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention in a ring-closed configuration; -
Fig. 2 is a top view of the mechanism shown inFig. 1 ; -
Fig. 3 is a side view of the mechanism shown inFig. 1 ; -
Fig. 4 is a front perspective view of the mechanism shown inFig. 1 ; -
Fig. 5 is a rear perspective view of the mechanism shown inFig. 1 ; -
Fig. 6 is a front view of the mechanism shown inFig. 1 , showing the principle of operation of the mechanism; -
Fig. 7 is a front view of the mechanism shown inFig. 1 in a ring-open configuration; -
Fig. 8 is a top view of the mechanism shown inFig. 7 ; -
Fig. 9 is a side view of the mechanism shown inFig. 7 ; -
Fig. 10 is a front perspective view of the mechanism shown inFig. 7 ; -
Fig. 11 is a rear perspective view of the mechanism shown inFig. 7 ; and -
Fig. 12 is an exploded view of the mechanism shown inFig. 7 . - A paper-retaining mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown in
Figs. 1 to 5 , generally designated as 10. Themechanism 10 includes a generallyplanar base 12 to which are fixedly engaged twoposts 14. A pair ofarches 16 are joined with each other via acranked rod 18. Thearches 16 are integrally formed with and movable simultaneously with thecranked rod 18. It can be seen fromFigs. 1 ,4 and5 that thecranked rod 18 has abent portion 20 roughly mid-point between the twoposts 14. - The
arches 16 are engaged with thebase 12 via a pair ofclamps 22 on thebase 12 for pivotal movement relative to thebase 12 and theposts 14. Aleaf spring 24 is engaged with thebase 12 and acts on a lower side of thecranked rod 18. By way of such an arrangement, thearches 16 may be pivoted relative to thebase 12 and theposts 14 between a closed position in which free ends of thearches 16 contact and mate with free ends of the posts 14 (as shown inFigs. 1 to 5 ) to form two closed rings for retaining pieces of hole-punched paper, and an open position in which the free ends of thearches 16 are out of contact with the free ends of the posts 14 (as shown inFigs. 7 to 11 ) to open the rings, thus allowing pieces of hole-punched paper to be retrieved from or inserted into theposts 14 and thearches 16. Theleaf spring 24 biases thearches 16 towards the open position. - A
bracket 26 is fixedly secured, e.g. by screws or rivets, to thebase 12. Thebracket 26 has twoupstanding legs 28 and aplatform 30 raised above and spaced apart from thebase 12. Theplatform 30 has astraight slot 32 formed therein. - A
sliding switch 34 is engaged with thebracket 26. In particular, theswitch 34 has apush button 36 manually operable to reciprocate along theslot 32. Thepush button 36 is engaged on its underside with ablock 38 with alower surface 40 which is slanted relative to thebase 12. - In operation, as shown in
Fig. 6 , thepush button 36 is reciprocatable and slidable along theslot 32 of theplatform 30, which lies on a plane parallel to thebase 12, between the position shown in thicker lines and the position shown in thinner lines, both positions being between the rings formed by theposts 14 and thearches 16. During movement of thepush button 36 between these two positions, thelower surface 40 of theblock 38 is in constant contact with thebent portion 20 which is bent towards theswitch 34. - As the
lower surface 40 is slanted relative to thebase 12, when thepush button 36 is in the position shown in thicker lines, thelower surface 40 pushes thebent portion 20 downward, against the upward biasing force of theleaf spring 24, to pivot thearches 16 to the closed position, to close the pair of rings. - When the
push button 36 is moved in the direction indicated by the arrow L inFig. 6 to the position shown in thinner lines, thearches 16 are allowed to be pivoted, by the upward biasing force of theleaf spring 24, away from theposts 14 to the open position to open the pair of rings, as shown inFigs. 7 to 11 . -
Fig. 12 shows various components forming themechanism 10. Themechanism 10 may be fixedly engaged with a substrate (e.g. a cardboard cover) by screws or rivets to form a document file, for releasably retaining pieces of hole-punched paper. - It should be understood that the above only illustrates an example whereby the present invention may be carried out, and that various modifications and/or alterations may be made thereto without departing from the spirit of the invention. For example, the
push button 36, theblock 38 and thebracket 26 may be made of plastics, metal, alloy, or a combination thereof, and theleaf spring 24 may be replaced by a resilient spring wire. - It should also be understood that various features of the invention which are here, for brevity, described in the context of a single embodiment, may also be provided separately or in any appropriate sub-combinations.
Claims (9)
- A paper-retaining mechanism (10) including:a base (12);at least two post members (14) fixed to said base; andat least two arch members (16) movable relative to said base and said post members between a closed position in which said arch members are in contact with said post members to form two closed rings and an open position in which said arch members are out of contact with said post members whereby said rings are open;characterized in including a switch (34) reciprocatable along a substantially straight line between a first position to move said arch members to said closed position and a second position to allow said arch members to move to said open position.
- A mechanism according to Claim 1 further characterized in that said substantially straight line along which said switch is reciprocatable lies on a plane generally parallel to said base.
- A mechanism according to Claim 1 or 2 further characterized in that said arch members are joined with and movable simultaneously with a portion (20) bent towards said switch.
- A mechanism according to Claim 3 further characterized in that said switch is in constant contact with said bent portion during movement of said switch between said first and second positions.
- A mechanism according to Claim 3 when dependent on Claim 2 further characterized in that said switch includes a surface (40) which is slanted relative to said plane.
- A mechanism according to Claim 5 further characterized in that said surface is in constant contact with said bent portion during movement of said switch between said first and second positions.
- A mechanism according to any of the preceding claims further characterized in that both said first and second positions are between said rings.
- A mechanism according to any of the preceding claims further characterized in that a platform (30) is fixedly engaged with and spaced apart from said base and that said switch is reciprocatable along a substantially straight slot (32) of said platform.
- A document file including a substrate engaged with a paper-retaining mechanism according to any of the preceding claims.
Priority Applications (5)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
EP08250255A EP2082896A1 (en) | 2008-01-21 | 2008-01-21 | A paper-retaining mechanism |
PCT/CN2008/001210 WO2009092179A1 (en) | 2008-01-21 | 2008-06-20 | A paper-retaining mechanism |
CN200880023003A CN101687429A (en) | 2008-01-21 | 2008-06-20 | paper-retaining mechanism |
CNU2008201370237U CN201283710Y (en) | 2008-01-21 | 2008-09-27 | Paper retainer |
CNA2008101488197A CN101491987A (en) | 2008-01-21 | 2008-09-27 | A paper-retaining mechanism |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
EP08250255A EP2082896A1 (en) | 2008-01-21 | 2008-01-21 | A paper-retaining mechanism |
Publications (1)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
EP2082896A1 true EP2082896A1 (en) | 2009-07-29 |
Family
ID=39149358
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
EP08250255A Withdrawn EP2082896A1 (en) | 2008-01-21 | 2008-01-21 | A paper-retaining mechanism |
Country Status (3)
Country | Link |
---|---|
EP (1) | EP2082896A1 (en) |
CN (3) | CN101687429A (en) |
WO (1) | WO2009092179A1 (en) |
Families Citing this family (2)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
CN101913300B (en) * | 2010-09-03 | 2012-04-18 | 林春海 | Folder with sliding plate |
CN102717626B (en) * | 2012-06-29 | 2014-10-29 | 钱丰武 | Folder |
Citations (4)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
DE1066179B (en) * | 1959-10-01 | Fa. F. Socnnecken, Bonn | Mail folder mechanism | |
DE3004830A1 (en) | 1979-02-17 | 1980-08-21 | King Jim Co Ltd | Holding device for ring binder - includes fixed holding rods with one swivelling holding rod with U=shaped bend and sliding guide with movable slider |
DE19602099A1 (en) * | 1995-05-06 | 1996-11-07 | Alexander Schmid | Sliding mechanism for document file with divided wire brackets |
DE19821315A1 (en) * | 1998-05-13 | 1999-11-18 | Markus Uihlein | File mechanism for document file |
Family Cites Families (6)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US5618121A (en) * | 1995-09-28 | 1997-04-08 | Welter's Co., Ltd. | File clip with punching function |
GB2309424A (en) * | 1996-01-24 | 1997-07-30 | Leco Stationery Mfg | A lockable ring binder |
GB0018986D0 (en) * | 2000-08-02 | 2000-09-20 | Leco Stationery Mfg | Device for retaining a stack of papers in a file |
US20030044221A1 (en) * | 2001-08-30 | 2003-03-06 | To Chun Yuen | Binder device with linked arches |
CN2772829Y (en) * | 2004-09-28 | 2006-04-19 | 同春纸品彩印有限公司 | Arch clamp with positioning card products |
CA2550751A1 (en) * | 2006-03-09 | 2007-09-09 | Hung Yu Cheng | Ring binder mechanism spring biased to a locked position |
-
2008
- 2008-01-21 EP EP08250255A patent/EP2082896A1/en not_active Withdrawn
- 2008-06-20 CN CN200880023003A patent/CN101687429A/en active Pending
- 2008-06-20 WO PCT/CN2008/001210 patent/WO2009092179A1/en active Application Filing
- 2008-09-27 CN CNA2008101488197A patent/CN101491987A/en active Pending
- 2008-09-27 CN CNU2008201370237U patent/CN201283710Y/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
Patent Citations (4)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
DE1066179B (en) * | 1959-10-01 | Fa. F. Socnnecken, Bonn | Mail folder mechanism | |
DE3004830A1 (en) | 1979-02-17 | 1980-08-21 | King Jim Co Ltd | Holding device for ring binder - includes fixed holding rods with one swivelling holding rod with U=shaped bend and sliding guide with movable slider |
DE19602099A1 (en) * | 1995-05-06 | 1996-11-07 | Alexander Schmid | Sliding mechanism for document file with divided wire brackets |
DE19821315A1 (en) * | 1998-05-13 | 1999-11-18 | Markus Uihlein | File mechanism for document file |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
CN101491987A (en) | 2009-07-29 |
CN201283710Y (en) | 2009-08-05 |
CN101687429A (en) | 2010-03-31 |
WO2009092179A1 (en) | 2009-07-30 |
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