GB1590929A - Multiring loose leaf fitment - Google Patents

Description

(54) MULTI-RING LOOSE LEAF FITMENT (71) I, CHARLES JOHN BROADHURST, of Botley Road, Oxford, a British Subject, do hereby declare the invention, for which I pray that a patent may be granted to me, and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the following statement:- The invention relates to a multi-ring fitment for use in a loose leaf binder for retaining perforated sheets therein, or for use as a loose leaf retaining device, and allowing removal, rearrangement or addition of individual sheets or groups of sheets when desired.

Loose leaf binders are known for use with sheets each having two perforations therein, such binders having two openable rings which normally retain the sheets, but which can be opened to allow insertion or removal of individual sheets or groups of sheets when desired. When loose leaf binders are to be subjected to reasonably rough usage, it is found that two binder rings do not always provide sufficient retention of the perforated sheets, the sheets frequently becoming torn or otherwise damaged at the perforation region. Thus, in many cases, it is desirable to provide a multi-ring binder and it is an object of the invention to provide a multi-ring fitment or a loose leaf binder, which is of simple and relatively inexpensive construction.

The invention consists in a multi-ring fitment for use in a loose leaf binder for retaining perforated sheets therein, or for use as a loose leaf retaining device without any binder proper, and allowing removal, rearrangement or addition of individual sheets or groups of sheets when desired, the fitment comprising a ring-forming portion and a ring-retaining portion, the ring-forming portion having at least three ring-like members arranged in a row, said ring-like members being of generally U-shape each ring-like member having two legs one of which is fixed to or integral with supporting means common to all of the ringlike members, the ring-retaining portion providing two post-like members, which are spaced apart by the same distance as the endmost ring-iike members of the ring-forming portion, the other legs of the two endmost ring-like members of the row being tubular, at least at their free end regions, and thereby being engageable on the post-like members so as to be retained thereby.

When the fitment is intended for use as a loose leaf retaining device without any binder proper, means are preferably provided forming a captive association between the ringforming portion and the ring-retaining portion.

In order to make the invention clearly understood, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings which are given by way of example and in which: Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a loose leaf binder incorporating a multi-ring fitment of the invention; Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the multiring fitment shown with the ring-forming portion thereof separated from the ringretaining portion thereof; Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the multiring fitment in the condition illustrated in Fig. 2, but shown with loose leaves in position; Fig. 4 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of a multi-ring fitment having a connecting web between its ring-forming portion and its ring-retaining portion; Fig. 5 is a sectional elevation view of an endmost ring of the multi-ring fitment of Fig. 4;; Fig. 6 is a view, similar to Fig. 5 of another embodiment of a multi-ring fitment; Fig. 7 is a perspective view showing a further modified form of the multi-ring fitment; and Fig. 8 is a view to a larger scale than Fig. 7, taken in the direction of the arrow VIII of Fig. 7.

The loose leaf binder of Fig. 1 comprises a front cover 1 and a back cover 2 and a spine region 3. A multi-ring fitment generally indi cated by reference numeral 4 is mounted on the back cover 2, the multi-ring fitment 4 serving for retaining perforated sheets 5 each of which has a row of perforations positioned so as to correspond with the positions of binder rings of the multi-ring fitment 4, the binder rings, as will be seen from Fig. 1, being arranged in a row.

As will be seen from Fig. 2, the fitment 4 comprises a ring-forming portion 6 having a plurality of ring-like members 7 and 8, each of which is of generally U-shape.

Each of the members 7 has legs 12 and 121 and each of the members 8 has legs 14 and 141.

All of the legs 121 and 141 are fixed to a spinelike strip 9 and may in fact be formed integrally therewith, the legs 12 and 14 of the respective members 7 and 8 being free.

The members 7 constitute the two endmost members of the row of binder rings and the members 8 are arranged between them. In the embodiment illustrated in Fig. 2, there are six such intermediate members 8, although any number of these intermediate members, from a sirigle member upwards, can be provided The fitment 4 comprises a further, ringretaining, portion 10 which is mounted on the back cover 2 of the binder. The ring-retaining portion 10 has two upstanding post-like members 11 which are spaced apart by the same distance as the rings 7 of the ringforming portion 6, so that the posts 11 are positioned for engagement by the free legs 12 of the two ring-like members 7. To enable such engagement, the ring-like members 7, or at least their legs 12, should be tubular.It has been found to be sufficient for the tubular legs 12 to be an interference fit on the postlike members 11, although additional retaining formations may be provided, for example co-operating ribs and grooves (not shown), The post-like members 11 are yieldably flexible.

The ring-retaining portion 10 has a plurality of recesses 13 positioned in a row between the post-like members 11, the recesses 13 being spaced apart at the same spacing as the ring-like members 8 and serving as seats for receiving the ends of the legs 14 of the respective intermediate ring-like members 8.

In use of the multi-ring fitment of Fig. 2, perforated sheets are mounted on the ringlike members 7 and 8 by passing the sheets onto the ring-like members by way of the legs 12 and 14, or by placing the sheets with their perforations on the post-like members 11. Thereafter, the legs 12 are plugged onto the post-like members 11 so as to be retained thereby. The legs 14 of the intermediate ringlike members 8 enter into the recesses 13 of the fitment portion 10 and are thus loosely retained.

The mounted sheets 5 (see Fig. 1) can then be turned over and perused in the customary way with loose leaf binders. It will be appreciated that the ring-like members 7 and 8 provide smooth guidance for the perforated sheets as the sheets are turned over in leafing through the sheets, this being due to the fact that the region of opening of the ring-like members is not part way along the ring-like members as is the case in conventional looseleaf fitments, but is at the location of the recesses.

When it is desired to remove or add individual sheets or groups of sheets from the stack of sheets, the portions 6 and 10 of the fitment 4 are again separated by unplugging the legs 12 of the ring-like members 7 from the post-like members 11, and then moving the portion 6 away from the portion 10. Such a situation is illustrated in Fig. 3, and it will be seen that some sheets 5 have been left engaged on the post-like members 11. Thus, the post-like members 11 provide a means for retaining sheets in position when the two portions 6 and 10 of the fitment 4 are separated.Since all of the ring-like members 7 and 8 are bridged by the spine-like part 9, an since this part 9 extends below the sheets 5 which are retained on the ring-like members 7 and 8, the sheets 5 are movable as a group, with the ring-like members 7 and 8, when the portion 6 of the fitment 4 is moved into the position shown in Fig. 3.

It will be appreciated that when the fitment is opened, all of the sheets remain controlled, by being all carried on the post-like members 11, all on the ring-like members 7 and 8, or some on the post-like members 11 and some on the ring-like members 7 and 8 as is shown in Fig.

3.

In the embodiment of Fig. 1, 2 and 3, the fitment is opened by unplugging the legs 12 from the post-like members 11 and then bodily translating the fitment portion 6, with the retained sheets 5, to a convenient position on the back cover 2 of the binder. It is not, however, essential for the portion 6 to be movable in such a way, and an arrangement as illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5 may be provided, where the portions 6 and 10 of the fitment are joined by a flexible web 18. The web 18 allows the ring-forming portion 6 of the fitment 4 to be opened in a rocking movement away from the ring-retaining portion 10, with the web 18 flexing at substantially the region where the web 18 joins the spine-like part 9. In such a case, the spine-like part 9 may in fact be a simple continuation of the web, the ring-like members 7 and 8 thus being directly formed on an edge region of the web 18. Although the web 18 is shown in Fig. 4 as continuous, it may have interruptions, so that it is of a ladder-like construction, if desired. The fitment may be secured to the binder by riveting or adhesively bonding the web to the back cover 2 of the binder, or fixing the web or the fitment portion 10 to the back cover 2 of the binder in any other suitable way.

Although in some cases, it is sufficient for the portion 6 to be held solely by its engagement with the post-like members 11, by way of the legs 12 of the ring-like members 7, there are circumstances under which a more positive fixing of the portion 6 is desirable.

In such a case, an arrangement as illustrated in Fig. 6 may be used. Fig. 6 is a sectional view through an endmost ring-like member 7 and shows the provision of a further postlike member 15 carried by the back cover 2 of the binder. The leg 16 of the ring-like member 7 is tubular in the same way as described above for the leg 12, and in fact the ring-like member 7 may be tubular throughout its length, the leg 16 thus being adapted to be plugged onto the post-like member 15 and thereby retained in position. The other endmost ring-like member 7 of the row of ringlike members should in such a case be similarly tubular, for plugging onto a correspondingly positioned post-like member.

Thus, for retaining the portion 6 of the fitment 4, two post-like members 15 would be provided, these being mounted directly on the back cover 2 of the binder, or, as illustrated in Fig. 6, provided on a strip 17 which itself is mounted on the back cover 2 of the binder.

Of course, it will be understood that the fitment portion 10 and the strip 17 may be recessed into the back cover 2 of the binder, or may be integrally formed therwith. Another manner of mounting the portion 6 of the fitment 4 is illustrated in Fig. 7. Here, the spine-like part 9 of the portion 6 is extended beyond the endmost ring-like members 7, so as to provide two shaft portions 19 which are retained by bearing saddles 20 which are fixed to the back cover 2 of the binder. The shaft portions 19 and bearing saddles 20 allow a rocking movement of the ringforming portion 6 away from the ringretaining portion 10 so as to disengage the ring-like members 7 and 8 from the fitment portion 10. Although it is not necessary, a detent arrangement may be provided for positively defining the closed position and open position of the ring-forming portion 6.

Such a detent arrangement is illustrated in Fig. 8, from which it will be seen that the shaft portions 19 are of hexagonal crosssection, the bearing saddles 20 having a flat region 21 for engagement with one or another face of the hexagonal shaft portion 19. In the position of the shaft portion 19 illustrated in Fig. 8, the ring-forming portion 6 is in its properly closed position. The bearing saddles 20 are constructed so as to be sufficiently yieldable as to allow rotation of the hexagonal shaft portions 19 therein, so that the portion 6 of the fitment 4 can be rocked through 60 , clockwise as viewed in Fig. 8, bringing the shaft portions 19 into a next detent held position, in which position the ring-forming portion 6 is disengaged from the ring-retaining portion 10, thus allowing access to the perforated sheets.

Modifications of the embodiment of Figs.

7 and 8 are possible. For example, the bearing saddles 20 may be replaced by any other bearing means for the shaft portions. The shaft portions 19 need not have the hexagonal detent construction. If any detent arrangement is required, it may alternatively be provided by means of engageable projections and recesses or in any other suitable way. The spine-like part 9 and its extension shaft portions 19 may be recessed in the back cover 2 of the binder, in which case the bearings for the shaft portions 19 may be flat cover members, possibly provided by regions of the back cover 2 of the binder itself.

In all of the embodiments the post-like members 11 should preferably be of yieldably flexible material, so as to allow a rocking movement of the portion 6 of the fitment, when the fitment is to be opened.

The invention makes use of the fact that in a multi-ring fitment, all of the rings do not need to be identical, it being sufficient if the two endmost rings are positively openable and closable, other rings intermediate these two endmost rings needing only to provide a lesser degree of control of the sheets, since the sheets are well controlled and positioned by the said endmost rings.

The seatings provided by the recesses 13 in the fitment portion 10 provide good location for the ends of the intermediate ring-like members 8 and, indeed, if the material from which the ring-like members 8 is constructed is sufficiently rigid, the recesses 13 may be dispensed with. They have the advantage, however, that the seated ends of the ring-like members 8 come to lie below the plane of the lowermost sheet when sheets are turned over onto the left-hand cover of the binder, as shown in Fig. 3.

In the embodiments described, the fitment is mounted on a back cover of a binder.

Appropriate modifications may be made so that the entire fitment is alternatively mounted on a spine region of a binder.

It will also be understood that the fitment is well adapted to serve as a loose leaf retaining device without any binder proper, the embodiment of Fig. 4 and obvious variations thereof, being particularly suitable for that purpose. Such an arrangement constitutes an impovement over the well known spiral and multi-tongue loose leaf binding frequently used for notebooks and catalogues, because the fitment of the invention allows access to the sheets, for removal, rearrangement or addition.

WHAT I CLAIM IS: 1. A multi-ring fitment for use in a loose leaf binder for retaining perforated sheets therein, or for use as a loose leaf retaining device without any binder proper, and allowing removal, rearrangement or addition of individual sheets or groups of sheets when desired, the fitment comprising a ring-forming portion and a ring-retaining portion, the ring-forming portion having at least three

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims (14)

1. **WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **.

   in Fig. 6 may be used. Fig. 6 is a sectional view through an endmost ring-like member 7 and shows the provision of a further postlike member 15 carried by the back cover 2 of the binder. The leg 16 of the ring-like member 7 is tubular in the same way as described above for the leg 12, and in fact the ring-like member 7 may be tubular throughout its length, the leg 16 thus being adapted to be plugged onto the post-like member 15 and thereby retained in position. The other endmost ring-like member 7 of the row of ringlike members should in such a case be similarly tubular, for plugging onto a correspondingly positioned post-like member.

   Thus, for retaining the portion 6 of the fitment 4, two post-like members 15 would be provided, these being mounted directly on the back cover 2 of the binder, or, as illustrated in Fig. 6, provided on a strip 17 which itself is mounted on the back cover 2 of the binder.

   Of course, it will be understood that the fitment portion 10 and the strip 17 may be recessed into the back cover 2 of the binder, or may be integrally formed therwith. Another manner of mounting the portion 6 of the fitment 4 is illustrated in Fig. 7. Here, the spine-like part 9 of the portion 6 is extended beyond the endmost ring-like members 7, so as to provide two shaft portions 19 which are retained by bearing saddles 20 which are fixed to the back cover 2 of the binder. The shaft portions 19 and bearing saddles 20 allow a rocking movement of the ringforming portion 6 away from the ringretaining portion 10 so as to disengage the ring-like members 7 and 8 from the fitment portion 10. Although it is not necessary, a detent arrangement may be provided for positively defining the closed position and open position of the ring-forming portion 6.

   Such a detent arrangement is illustrated in Fig. 8, from which it will be seen that the shaft portions 19 are of hexagonal crosssection, the bearing saddles 20 having a flat region 21 for engagement with one or another face of the hexagonal shaft portion 19. In the position of the shaft portion 19 illustrated in Fig. 8, the ring-forming portion 6 is in its properly closed position. The bearing saddles 20 are constructed so as to be sufficiently yieldable as to allow rotation of the hexagonal shaft portions 19 therein, so that the portion 6 of the fitment 4 can be rocked through 60 , clockwise as viewed in Fig. 8, bringing the shaft portions 19 into a next detent held position, in which position the ring-forming portion 6 is disengaged from the ring-retaining portion 10, thus allowing access to the perforated sheets.

   Modifications of the embodiment of Figs.

   7 and 8 are possible. For example, the bearing saddles 20 may be replaced by any other bearing means for the shaft portions. The shaft portions 19 need not have the hexagonal detent construction. If any detent arrangement is required, it may alternatively be provided by means of engageable projections and recesses or in any other suitable way. The spine-like part 9 and its extension shaft portions 19 may be recessed in the back cover 2 of the binder, in which case the bearings for the shaft portions 19 may be flat cover members, possibly provided by regions of the back cover 2 of the binder itself.

   In all of the embodiments the post-like members 11 should preferably be of yieldably flexible material, so as to allow a rocking movement of the portion 6 of the fitment, when the fitment is to be opened.

   The invention makes use of the fact that in a multi-ring fitment, all of the rings do not need to be identical, it being sufficient if the two endmost rings are positively openable and closable, other rings intermediate these two endmost rings needing only to provide a lesser degree of control of the sheets, since the sheets are well controlled and positioned by the said endmost rings.

   The seatings provided by the recesses 13 in the fitment portion 10 provide good location for the ends of the intermediate ring-like members 8 and, indeed, if the material from which the ring-like members 8 is constructed is sufficiently rigid, the recesses 13 may be dispensed with. They have the advantage, however, that the seated ends of the ring-like members 8 come to lie below the plane of the lowermost sheet when sheets are turned over onto the left-hand cover of the binder, as shown in Fig. 3.

   In the embodiments described, the fitment is mounted on a back cover of a binder.

   Appropriate modifications may be made so that the entire fitment is alternatively mounted on a spine region of a binder.

   It will also be understood that the fitment is well adapted to serve as a loose leaf retaining device without any binder proper, the embodiment of Fig. 4 and obvious variations thereof, being particularly suitable for that purpose. Such an arrangement constitutes an impovement over the well known spiral and multi-tongue loose leaf binding frequently used for notebooks and catalogues, because the fitment of the invention allows access to the sheets, for removal, rearrangement or addition.

   WHAT I CLAIM IS: 1. A multi-ring fitment for use in a loose leaf binder for retaining perforated sheets therein, or for use as a loose leaf retaining device without any binder proper, and allowing removal, rearrangement or addition of individual sheets or groups of sheets when desired, the fitment comprising a ring-forming portion and a ring-retaining portion, the ring-forming portion having at least three

   ring-like members arranged in a row, said ring-like members being of generally Ushape each ring-like member having two legs one of which is fixed to or integral with supporting means common to all of the ring-like members, the ring-retaining portion providing two post-like members, which are spaced apart by the same distance as the endmost ring-like members of the ring-forming portion, the other legs of the two endmost ringlike members of the row being tubular, at least at their free end regions, and thereby being engageable on the post-like members so as to be retained thereby.
2. 2. A fitment as claimed in claim 1, wherein there are more than three ring-like members.
3. 3. A fitment as claimed in Claim 2, wherein the ring-retaining portion has formations for engagement by free end regions of the other legs of those ring-like members which are intermediate the said endmost ringlike members.
4. 4. A fitment as claimed in claim 3, wherein the engagement formations are recesses in said ring-retaining portion.
5. 5. A fitment as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the said one leg of each endmost ring-like member is tubular whereby to enable its engagement with a further postlike member for retaining the fitment in a normal position of use in a binder.
6. 6. A fitment as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein all of the ring-like members are joined together, in a mutually spaced apart row by a spine-like formation constituting said common supporting means.
7. 7. A fitment as claimed in claim 6, wherein the spine-like formation is formed on or fixed to or is part of a flexible web joining the ring-forming portion to the ring-retaining portion, the ring-forming portion being rockable about the longitudinal axis of the spinelike formation for disengaging the ring-like members from the ring-retaining portion.
8. 8. A fitment as claimed in claim 7, wherein the web is continuous, or is interrupted so as to form a ladder-like structure.
9. 9. A fitment as claimed in claim 6, wherein the spine-like formation, at regions between individual ring-like members, or at extensions beyond the row of ring-like members, is adapted to be retained in association with a back cover of a binder, by engagement of bearing means at said regions.
10. 10. A fitment as claimed in claim 9, wherein the said regions of the spine-like member co-operate with the said bearing means in such a way as to define two detent positions, one position being a position in which the ring-like members engage the ringretaining portion of the fitment, and the other position being a position in which the ringlike members are opened away from the said ring-retaining portion so as to give access to the retained sheets for insertion or removal thereof.
11. 11. A fitment as claimed in claim 9, wherein the detent positions are defined by hexagonal or other non-rotationally-symmetrical shaping of the said regions of the spinelike member, and appropriate shaping of the bearing means.
12. 12. A fitment as climed in any on of claims 7 to 11, wherein the post-like member of the ring-retaining portion of the fitment are yieldably flexible.
13. 13. Multi-ring fitments for use in loose leaf binders for retaining perforated sheets therein, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
14. 14. A loose leaf binder comprising the fitment of any one of claims 1 to 13.