GB2123749A - Continuous stationery assemblies - Google Patents

Abstract

A continuous stationery assembly comprises front intermediate and rear sheets (10, 11, 12), all of the same width and all adhesively connected together at both margins as at 14, 15. Two lines of weakening (19, 21) adjacent the margins permit detachment of the sheets from the margins which are perforated for machine feeding. The intermediate sheet is adhesively connected (18) to the front and/or rear sheet at a position inboard of the line of weakening (19) to form a stub. A further line of weakening (20) permits detachment of the sheets from this stub. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Continuous stationery assemblies This invention relates to continuous stationery assemblies for use in typewriters, computers and similar machines.

Continuous stationery of the kind with which the invention is concerned comprises a series of forms or other individual units connected together as a continuous strip having lateral margins provided with holes for engagement by pins on drive wheels or equivalent feed devices. The individual units comprise a number of superposed sheets connected together, usually by glue, so that after separation from adjoining units they can be handled together as an assembly often referred to as a cut set. Connection to adjoining units is through lines of perforations or other weakened zones so that they can be easily separated and similar perforations or weakened zones are provided between the sheets of the cut set so that they can be individually separated as required.

Transfer material such as carbon paper may be used to enable printing onto the front sheet can be transferred to the other sheets below.

A great many different types of form can be devised with varying numbers and arrangements of sheets, but there are necessarily at least one of the sheets which is wide enough to have the two opposite lateral margins with the feed holes.

Others of the sheets may also have these at one or both sides and one or more sheet may be of lesser width.

In conventional continuous stationery, in one form, all the sheets are off full width and all have the feed holes along both lateral edges. At one or both side margins the sheets are connected together to make a cohesive set by gluing between them. When one complete set is to be detached from the continuous strip, this can readily be done by tearing across the width, through all the sheets together, along their perforations.

In certain sorts of machine, the drive wheels or their equivalents, are so positioned that it is necessary to wind on the strip before further printing can take place, thus wasting a complete form set.

Accordingly continuous stationery with continuous margins which can be left in the machine when a cut set is detached have been devised. With this arrangement the sheets of the cut set are interconnected by gluing at a position spaced from the margins, usually close to one of them. With this type of stationery the cut set can be detached without breaking the continuity of the whole strip.

In one example, the assembly has front and rear sheets which are of full width, having margins which are provided with the feed holes but the or all the intermediate sheets are narrower, being connected as a set to one of the sheets, for example the front sheet. The front and rear sheets are directly connected together at the two opposite margins.

It is the object of the invention to provide a continuous stationery assembly which is particularly versatile in that the margins can be maintained in continuous form, even when a cut set has been detached and various types of forms can be devised to suit varying requirements.

According to the present invention there is provided a continuous stationery assembly comprising a front sheet, at least one intermediate sheet and a rear sheet, all of which are of substantially the same width, having at opposite lateral margins, means whereby the assembly can be fed through a machine as a continuous strip, the sheets being connected together by adhesion between them at the margins, means for connecting the intermediate sheet or sheets to the front and/or rear sheet, by adhesion at a position spaced laterally from the margins whereby a cut set including said intermediate and front sheets and optionally the rear sheet can be detached as a connected set and weakened zones between the margins and the remainder of sheets respectively and between the adjoining sets of the strip to enable the respective portions to be detached.

The invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which; Fig. 1 is a cross sectional view of a stationery assembly constructed in accordance with the invention; Fig. 2 is a plan view, Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view of an alternative form of assembly, and Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view of a further alternative form of assembly.

Figures 1 and 2 show a continuous stationery assembly comprising a continuous strip made up of a number of layers of paper. The strip may be zig-zag folded or otherwise prepared for storing.

The strip is perforated at regular intervals so that individual forms from the strip may be separated as required.

In the simplest form shown in Fig. 1 there are three superimposed sheets 10, 11, 12 all having the same width. Figure 2 shows one of the lines of perforations at 13 whereby the strip can be divided across its full width.

The sheets 10, 11, 12 are secured together at their opposite lateral margins by glue lines indicated at 14 and 1 5. The margins also have rows of holes 16, 1 7. These rows extend lengthwise of the strip and the holes are spaced by a distance appropriate for engagement with drive wheels or other mechanisms whereby the strip is driven through a typewriter or other machine.

The three sheets 10, 11, 12 are also secured together by further glue lines 1 8 at a position spaced from but close to one of the margins. The glue line 1 8 is positioned between longitudinal perforation lines 19, 20. There is also a longitudinal perforation line 21 at the margin at the opposite side of the strip.

It can be seen particularly from Fig. 2 that the perforation lines 19, 20, 21 enable the strip to be divided by separating the two margins to form respective margins stubs 22, 23 and a further stub 24 can be separated at one side leaving the main body portion 25 which normally carries printing and other information relevant to the purpose for which the form has been devised.

Preferably, carbon or other transfer material is positioned between the sheets 10, 11, 12 so that data applied to the front sheet 10 is transferred to the intermediate sheet 11 and to the rear sheet 12. Where separate carbon paper is used this is interleaved in a manner not shown between the sheets but alternatively transfer material may be contained within or on the sheets or source of them in various ways generally referred to as self copying paper.

In use, the strip can be fed through a machine which is used to apply data to the successive forms. A form can be separated from the strip by tearing along the perforation line 1 9 between the margin stub 22 and the further stub 24. Tearing also takes place along the perforation line 21 between the margin stub 23 and the main body portion 25. The cut set thus separated from the margins is torn from the remainder of the strip along the perforation line 13.

A perforation line 13 which extends right across the width of the strip is left intact in the margin stubs 22, 23 so that these two margins continue to drive through the machine. The cut set thus separated can be handled as a unit since its sheets 10, 11, 1 2 are attached by the glue lines 18 but anyone of the individual sheets can be detached as required so that those remaining are still attached to the stub 24. However, when all sheets are detached the stub can be discarded.

As the two margin stubs 22, 23 feed through the machine and when their purpose of driving the strip has been served they can also be discarded.

It is equally possible to separate the strip right across its width by tearing right across the perforation line 13 including through the margin stubs 22, 23.

Figure 3 shows an alternative arrangement in which there is a front sheet 10 and a rear sheet 12 similar to those shown in Fig. 1. Between these are five intermediate sheets 25 to 29. In this example three of those sheets 25,27 and 29 are shorter than the other two 26, 28. The shorter sheets terminate adjacent to but spaced from the position of the perforation line 21 which is at the margin remote from that at which the further stub 24 is provided. The sheets 26, 28 are however of full width and are glued by glue lines 30 positioned in the margin stub 23 in a position similar to the glue line 1 5 in the Fig. 1 construction.

All the sheets are included in the margin stub 22 and in the adjacent further stub 24.

It is possible with this arrangement to separate the complete cut set as described in relation to Fig. 1 or alternatively it may be possible by separating front sheet 10 to obtain access to the first of the shorter intermediate sheets 25.

In the alternative the shorter sheets 25, 27 and 29 may represent carbon interleaved strips which do not extend over the whole of the areas of the other sheets.

In the Fig. 4 construction there is shown a further alternative arrangement having a front sheet 10 and a rear sheet 12 with three intermediate sheets 31, 32, 33. In the further stub 24 the glue lines 34 equivalent to the glue line 18 in the Fig. 1 construction are disposed between sheets 10, 31, 32 and 33 but there is now glue line between the sheet 33 and the rear sheet 12. It is thus possible with this arrangement to separate a cut set comprising front sheet 10 and intermediate sheets 31, 32, 33 but leaving the rear sheet 1 2 connected to the margin stubs 22 and 23. The rear sheet may form a permanent record sheet in each form and will therefore be retained as the strip with the attached margins.

The margins can of course be discarded leaving the record sheets attached to each other by means of the perforation lines 1 3.

A number of other combinations are possible depending upon the purpose for which the forms are designed but in all cases front and rear as well as at least one intermediate sheet are attached at both lateral margins.

Perforation lines in the different sheets may be the same or different strengths to provide for easier or harder tearing through the various sheets, as may be required. For example, the perforations on the rear sheet may be harder so that this sheet may be retained with the margins, as in the Figure 4 construction.

Claims (5)

1. A continuous stationery assembly comprising a front sheet, at least one intermediate sheet and a rear sheet, all of which are of substantially the same width, having at opposite lateral margins, means whereby the assembly can be fed through a machine as a continuous strip, the sheets being connected together by adhesion between them at the margins, means for connecting the intermediate sheet or sheets to the front and/or rear sheet, by adhesion at a position spaced laterally from the margins whereby a cut set including said intermediate and front sheets and optionally the rear sheet can be detached as a connected set and weakened zones between the margins and the remainder of sheets respectively and between the adjoining sets of the strip to enable the respective portions to be detached.

2. A continuous stationery assembly as claimed in claim 1 further comprising at least one additional intermediate sheet which is of a width less than that of said front, intermediate and rear sheets and which has one margin aligned with one margin of each of the front, intermediate and rear sheets, said additional intermediate sheet being connected by adhesion at said margin to said adhesively connected front, intermediate and rear sheets, and being also adhesively connected to said front and/or intermediate and/or rear sheet at said position spaced laterally from the margins, said additional intermediate sheet terminating short of and being free from connection at the opposite margin.

3. A continuous stationery assembly substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as shown in Figures 1 and 2 of the accompanying drawings.

4. A continuous stationery assembly substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as shown in Figure 3 of the accompanying drawings.

5. A continuous stationery assembly substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as shown in Figure 4 of the accompanying drawings.