GB2065555A - Document binder - Google Patents

Abstract

A binding device, for securing together a plurality of sheets each having an opening therethrough, comprises a spindle with one enlarged end, an abutment surface generally facing said enlarged end, and a head part with an opening therethrough, said head part, when axially displaced along the spindle in the direction towards the enlarged end, presenting an abutment surface engageable with the abutment surface on the spindle to retain the head with the spindle and whereby, in use, the sheets of material are retained between the enlarged end and the said head. Several binding devices may be spaced apart along a common elongate spine member, and may cooperate with openings in a second elongate member. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Sheet binding device This invention relates to a sheet binding device, that is to say a device for binding together a stack of separated sheets at one or more locations, and has particular application to the binding of sheets of paper.

There are many sheet binding devices known in the art for binding together a plurality of sheets in stacked relationship and such binding devices fall basically into two classes, single application devices such as staples, two pronged fasteners, and the like devices which may bind the sheets together at one or a plurality of locations, a separate device being applied to each location, and so called "edge binding" devices, such as stitching, and spiral wire and the like "spines" which retain the stack of sheets along an edge region of the stack in book-like form.

Whilst most single application devices are convenient and require little capital cost in office equipment, conventional single application devices are often inadequate for maintaining a plurality of sheets in bound relationship when the bound sheets are in frequent use and a relatively long life is required, a usage often found with legal documents. Conventional sheet edge binding arrangements, when of a "permanent" nature are either times taking, and thereby expensive, as in the case of hand stitching or spiral wire binding, or require the use of relatively expensive binding apparatus.

The present invention seeks to provide a binding device capable of being used in "single" applications or combined with a spine for edge binding applications.

According to the present invention there is provided a binding device for securing together a plurality of sheets, each having an opening therethrough, comprising a spindle with one enlarged end, an abutment surface generally facing said enlarged end, and a head part with an opening therethrough, said head part, when axially displaced along the spindle in the direction towards the enlarged end, presenting an abutment surface engageable with the abutment surface on the spindle to retain the head with the spindle and whereby, in use, the sheets of material are retained between the enlarged end and the said head.

Thus, the end of the spindle remote from the enlarged end is passed through the opening in each sheet, when the stack of sheets has been assembled on the spindle the head part is applied to the spindle remote from the enlarged end, and said head part is forced along the spindle, towards the enlarged end, until the abutment surface of the head part engages the abutment surface of the spindle, whereby to retain the head part on the spindle.

Preferably the spindle presents a plurality of abutment surfaces, spaced apart in the length direction of the spindle, said abutment surfaces being selectively engageable with the abutment surface on the head part, and whereby the device can be used to bind together sheet stacks of different thicknesses.

Preferably the abutment surface, or surfaces, on the spindle lie substantially at right angles to the axis of the spindle.

Preferably the spindle reduces in cross-sectional area, from that cross-sectional area bounded by the maximum periphery for the abutment surface, towards that end of the spindle remote from the enlarged end.

In one embodiment in accordance with the invention the enlarged end may have only one dimension, at right angles to the axis of the spindle, exceeding the greatest diameter of an opening through the sheet to be immediately adajcent thereto but, in a preferred embodiment, the enlarged end has a circular configuration and is conveniently in the form of a disc in a plane at right angles to the axis of the spindle and concentric with said axis.

The spindle may be of any desired crosssection but, in a preferred embodiment in accordance with the invention, the spindle comprises a body of revolution.

The spindle, at least at the cioss-sectional area defining the maximum periphery for the, or each, abutment surface, and/or the opening through the head part is resilient to permit the head part to pass axially beyond the said cross-sectional area defining the maximum periphery for the abutment surface on the spindle and, in a preferred embodiment, the spindle, and the head part, are made from plastics materials.

In a preferred embodiment in accordance with the invention the cross-section of the opening in the head part is similar, if not identical with, the cross-section of the spindle.

In one embodiment in accordance with the invention the material defining the opening in the head part is elastically deformable to pass axially over the cross-sectional area defining the maximum periphery for the abutment face of the spindle but in another embodiment said opening may be defined by a series of semirigid blade-like elements which resiliently deflect to pass over the said spindle crosssectional area.

In one embodiment for edge binding the said enlarged end may comprise an elongate "spine" element common to a plurality of spindles, the spindles being spaced apart in the length direction of the spine member and arranged with their axes substantially parallel and at right angles to the plane of the spine.

With such an embodiment a head part may be provided individual to each spindle or the head parts of the spindles may be defined by a common "spine" part of elongated form with the head part openings spaced along its length direction to co-operate with the axes of the spindles on the other spine part.

The invention will now be described further by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 shows a perspective view of a "single" application spindle in accordance with the invention, Figure 2 shows, in enlarged perspective view, one type of head part for use with a spindle of Fig. 1, Figure 3 shows a view, similar to Fig. 2, of a second embodiment head part for use with the spindle of Fig. 1, Figure 4 shows a view, similar to Fig. 2 and 3, of a third embodiment head part for use with a spindle of Fig. 1, Figure 5 shows, in perspective view, part of an alternative spindle constructions in accordance with the invention and, Figure 6 shows, in perspective view, a binding device in accordance with the invention for securing together an edge region of a stack of sheets.

In the embodiment illustrated in Fig. 1 a spindle 11 with an integral enlarged end 12, presents a plurality of abutment faces 13, spaced apart in the axial direction of spindle 11. The abutment faces 1 3 lie generally in planes at right angles to the axis of spindle 11 and conical surfaces 14 of spindle 11 extend from the smallest diameter of each abutment surface 1 3 to the maximum diameter of the adjacent abutment surface 1 3 in the direction of the enlarged end 1 2. At its end remote from enlarged end 1 2 the spindle 11 has a conical configuration the maximum diameter of which is equal to, and blends into, the maximum diameter of the abutment face 1 3 most remote from enlarged end 12.

The head part 1 5 illustrated in Fig. 2 for cooperation with the spindle 11 of Fig. 1 has a washer-like configuration with a bore 1 6 of smaller diameter than the maximum diameter of each abutment face 1 3 on the spindle 11.

In use the conical end of spindle 11 is located in the bore 1 6 and the head 1 5 is forced along the spindle 11, until the desired abutment surface 1 3 has been passed when the head 1 5 will engage with said last passed abutment surface 1 3 to lock the head 1 5 on the spindle 11.

The head part 1 7 illustrated in Fig. 3 is similar to the head 1 5 of Fig. 2 with the exception that the bore 1 8 is counter-sunk to facilitate passage over the maximum diameters of the abutment faces 1 3.

The head part 1 9 illustrated in Fig. 4 is similar to that illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3 with the exception that slots 20 extend radially from the bore 21 to permit those parts of head 1 9 between adjacent slots, to flex in passing over the maximum diameters of the abutment faces 1 3.

Fig. 5 shows a second construction for a spindle and wherein the spindle 22 is of basically rectangular cross-section with ratchet teeth 23 cut into two opposite side edges.

Faces 23a of the ratchet teeth on both sides of the spindle lie in common planes substantially at right angles to the axis of spindle 22 and face towards the enlarged end (not shown) on spindle 22 whilst surfaces 23b, each extending between adjacent ratchet teeth, slope from the root part of a surface 23a to the crown part of the adjacent surface 23a in the direction of the enlarged end.

The head part 24, shown partially in Fig. 5, co-operable with the spindle 22 has a rectangular opening 25 with slots 26 extending from said opening to form two blades 27 which are presented to the ratchet teeth 23 and which, when unstressed, are engageable with the surfaces 23a, in any plane at right angles to the axis of the spindle 22.

The spindles 11 and 22 may be of resilient material so as to be compressible in their cross-sections of maximum area, in which case the co-operating head parts may be of rigid material. In a second embodiment the spindle 11 or 22 may be of rigid construction, in which case the co-operating head part must be resiliently deformable, at least in the regions of its bore or opening, so that the opening can enlarge to allow the head to pass over the cross-sectional areas defining the maximum periphery for the abutment surfaces of the respective spindle.

In a further embodiment both the spindles 11 or 22 and its co-operating head are made from a plastics material of substantial rigidity and the head part has slots from its opening as shown in Figs. 4 and 5, whereby a resilient flexing of the elements of the head part defining the opening therein is necessary to allow the head part to move along the spindle.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention the head part requires substantial axial force to pass over those cross-sections of the spindle including the greatest periphery for the abutment faces and this force may conveniently be applied to a suitable tool, in the form of a G clamp or a pair of pliers, and with such an arrangement a permanent binding of sheets of material between the enlarged end and the head part will be obtained.

When the head part has been applied to a spindle to bind a stack of sheets and an excess length of spindle projects from the head part the excess length of the spindle may be readily trimmed off, by cutting with a blade or saw or, when the spindle 11 is made from a thermoplastics material, by melting the spindle outwardly of the head part to form a second enlarged end on the spindle.

The spindle 11 illustrated in Fig. 1, and the spindle 22 illustrated in Fig. 5, are single application devices, that is to say each spindle 11 or 22 may be used with one co-operating head part to bind together a stack of sheets of material, at one location, the spindle 11 or 22 passing through an opening in each sheets in the stack. However, it will be apparent, that a plurality of such binding devices may be used in spaced relationship along an edge of a stack of sheets to retain the sheets in booklike form.

In an alternative arrangement, illustrated in Fig. 6, a plurality of spindles are supported in spaced apart, parallel, relationship by a continuous strip 32 defining a "spine" for a book-binding application, and whereby the spine 32 comprises a common ''enlarged end" for spindle 31. The spindles 31, with the common spine 32, may be used with individual head parts 33, there being one head part to each spindle 31, or, after the spindles 31 have been passed through cooperating openings in the edge of a stack of sheets, a second spine part 34, of elongate form with openings 35 in spaced apart relationship co-operating with the spacing of the spindle 31, may be applied to the spindles 31 before the separate head parts 33 are applied to spindles 31.With such an embodiment the openings 35 will have such clearance dimensions as to allow the spindle 31 to pass readily therethrough but, in an alternative embodiment, the spine 34 may comprise a common "head part" for all the spindles 31, in which case each opening 35 will, unstressed, be of smaller cross-sectional area than the cross-sectional areas defining the maximum peripheries for the abutment faces of the spindle 31, so that the spine 34 is locked onto the spindles 31 without the use of additional head parts 33.

The spindle 31 presented by each spine 32 are preferably of equal length but different spines 32, may present different uniform lengths of spindle 31 co-operable with common spines 34, whereby to selectively accomodate different thicknesses of stacks of sheets. However, in like manner to the Figs. 1 and 5 embodiments, the spindles 31 may be of such material that excessive lengths of the spines 31 can be reduced, after the head parts have been applied thereto.

Although the present invention has been described by way of example with reference to specific embodiments many modifications and variations in the shape, configuration and arrangement of the spindle, or spindles, or the head part or head parts will be apparent to persons skilled in the art.

Claims (16)

1. A binding device, for securing together a plurality of sheets each having an opening therethrough, comprising a spindle with one enlarged end, an abutment surface generally facing said enlarged end, and a head part with an opening therethrough, said head part, when axially displaced along the spindle in the direction towards the enlarged end, presenting an abutment surface engageable with the abutment surface on the spindle to retain the head with the spindle and whereby, in use, the sheets of material are retained between the enlarged end and the said head.

2. A binding device as claimed in claim 1 in which the spindle presents a plurality of abutment surfaces spaced apart in the length direction of the spindle, said abutment surfaces being selectively engageable with the abutment surface on the head part.

3. A binding device as claimed in claim 1 or 2 in which the abutment surface, or surfaces, on the spindle lie substantially at right angles to the axis of the spindle.

4. A binding device as claimed in claim 1, 2 or 3 in which the spindle reduces in crosssectional area from that cross-sectional area bounded by the maximum periphery for the, or each, abutment surface towards that end of the spindle remote from the enlarged end.

5. A binding device as claimed in claim 1, 2, 3 or 4 in which said enlarged end has one dimension greater than the other in the plane at right angles to the axis of the spindle.

6. A binding device as claimed in claim 1, 2, 3 or 4 in which the enlarged end has a circular configuration in the plane at right angles to the axis of the spindle and concentric with said axis.

7. A binding device as claimed in any preceding claim in which the spindle comprises a body of revolution.

8. A binding device as claimed in any preceeding claim in which the cross-sectional configuration of the opening in the head part is similar to the cross-section of the spindle.

9. A binding device as claimed in any preceeding claim in which the material defining the opening in the head part is elastically deformable to pass axially over the cross-sectional area defining the maximum periphery for the abutment face of the spindle.

10. A binding device as claimed in any preceeding claim in which the head is made from a resilient material.

11. A binding device as claimed in any preceeding claim in which the spindle is made from a resilient material.

1 2. A binding device as claimed in claim 10 or 11 in which the spindle, and the head part, are made from plastics materials.

1 3. A binding device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 8 in which the opening in the head is defined by a series of semi-rigid blade-like elements which resiliently deflect to pass over the periphery of the abutment surfaces of the spindle.

1 4. A binding device as claimed in any preceeding claim in which the said enlarged end comprises an elongate spine element common to a plurality of spindles, the spindles being spaced apart in the length direction of the spine member and arranged with their axes substantially parallel and at right angles to the plane of the spine.

1 5. A binding device as claimed in claim 14 in which the head parts for said spindles are defined by a common "spine" part of elongated form with the head parts openings spaced along its length direction to co-operate with the axes of the spindles on the other spine part.

16. A binding device substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.