GB2123752A - Suspended filing system - Google Patents

Abstract

A binder spine includes a T- shaped formation cooperating with a downwardly open channel (A) with a mouth of restricted width, too narrow to allow said head portion 22 to pass through but wide enough to allow free passage of the stem portion 20. The channel in member (A) is open at one end thereof, whereby the binding device 10 can be slid longitudinally into the support member A in such a way that the head portion 22 is disposed within the channel and the stem portion 20 extends through the restricted mouth of the channel, to the remainder of the binding device and the bound pages hanging below the member 10. The channel (A) may be mounted side-by-side with other channels and suspended overhead, or on a vertical side wall. The sheets in the file are secured by flexible plastics straps. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Filing system THIS INVENTION relates to a filing system for documents, art works, photographs or other illustrations, and the like, and it is an object of the invention to provide an improved system for such items.

According to the invention there is provided a filing and storage system comprising at least one binding device including a binding portion adapted to support a plurality of pages or the like by parallel adjoining edges thereof, and providing, so disposed as to project from the device in the opposite direction from any such pages or the like so supported, a suspension formation comprising a first portion, nearer said binding portion, which is relatively narrow transversely of the planes of any such pages so supported as viewed in a direction parallel with such adjoining edges, and a second portion, further from said binding portion, which is relatively wide transversely of said planes, as viewed in said direction, the filing system further including a support member affording at least one downwardly open channel with a mouth of restricted width, too narrow to allow said second portion to pass through but wide enough to allow free passage of said first portion, the interior of said channel being wide enough to allow free passage of said second portion, and said channel being open at one end thereof, whereby said binding device can be slid longitudinally into said support member in such a way that said second portion is disposed within the channel and said first portion extends through the restricted mouth of the channel, the remainder of the binding device being disposed outside said channel.

Embodiments of the invention are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a single file, FIGURE 2 is a view, in section, of part of the file of Figure 1, and of a support member supporting the file, FIGURE 3 is an exploded perspective view showing the file of Figure 1 with a binder member thereof removed, FIGURE 4 is a perspective view of a detail showing the fitting of the binder member to the remainder of the file, FIGURE 5 is a view similar to Figure 2, but showing a variant, FIGURE 6 shows, in perspective, storage members for files of the kind shown in Figures 1 to 5, FIGURE 7 shows, in perspective, another form of storage member, FIGURE 8 is a fragmentary perspective view showing yet another form of storage member, FIGURE 9 shows, in perspective, storage cabinets of the filing system, FIGURE 10 illustrates the use of the filing system using one of the cabinets of Figure 9, FIGURE 11 is a fragmentary perspective view illustrating the application of coding tags, FIGURE 12 is a view similar to Figure 2, but showing a variant binder member, FIGURE 1 3a is a fragmentary perspective view showing a variant binding arrangement, and FIGURE 1 3b and 1 3c are fragmentary perspective and sectional views respectively showing yet another variant binding arrangement.

Referring to Figures 1 to 4, a file for use in the filing system comprises a binder member 10 affording a rigid spine and providing a channel in which are releasably received respective edge portions of a first cover 12 and a second cover 14 and, between the covers, various "pages", which may comprise clear plastics pockets, of a kind knownperse, in which documents, photographs, or the like may be releasably retained to be viewed through the clear plastics, or may simply comprise the filed documents themselves.

The binder member 10 takes the form of an elongate member of substantially uniform crosssection throughout its length, for example being formed as a length of plastics extrusion, or as a plastics moulding, the binding member being resilient and providing (see Figure 2) a channel in which the edge portions of the pages or pockets and the covers are received and which channel comprises side walls 16 and a bottom wall 18 from the middle of which extends, in the opposite direction from the side walls 16, a central web 20 which, along its edge remote from the side wall 1 8 joins with a flange or cross-piece 22 extending substantially parallel with the bottom wall 1 8 and spaced therefrom by the web 20. Thus, the web 20 and flange 22 together constitute a "T"section formation.As shown in Figure 3, the edge portions of the covers and pockets, pages or documents to be received in the binder 10 are provided, in known manner, using a standard multiple punch, with perforations or slots at predetermined locations and are held together by initially U-shaped lengths of soft plastics-coated wire 24 which are extended through respective sets of aligned apertures in the edges of the pockets and covers and bent over longitudinally on the top of the stack of pockets and covers as indicated by the arrows 26 in Figure 3. The channel portion of the binder 10 is then slid longitudinally over the edge portions of the covers and pockets and the wires 24.The side walls 16 have inwardly directed ribs or flanges 1 7 at their free edges, as shown in Figure 2, or are provided on their inner faces with longitudinally extending grooves, in order to provide space to accommodate the base and end portions of the wires 24.

In a variant, shown in Figure 5, in which the side walls 1 6 are provided with such longitudinally extending grooves on their inner faces, the covers and pockets are held together not be soft wires 24, but by moulded plastics binding posts 28 each having a stem extending through a respective set of aligned apertures in the edges of the covers and pockets and a flat enlarged head at one end adapted to overlie the stack of covers and pockets, with the stem being extended somewhat on the upper side (as viewed in Figure 5) of the head to provide a protuberance to locate in the groove in the upper channel side wall 1 6 (as viewed in Figure 5).

The T-section formation on the binder of each file provides a means whereby the file may be suspended in storage, the T-section formation being received in a downwardly open, complementary, T-section slot provided in a support member.

A very simple form of such support member is indicated at A in Figure 6 and comprises a length of a constant cross-section plastics or metal (edge aluminium) extrusion affording a base wall 60, side walls 52 extending downwardly from the edges of the base wall 60 and horizontal flanges or lips 64 extending inwardly towards one another from the lower edges of the walls 62 to define therebetween a narrow slot 66, forming the restricted mouth of the T-section channel defined within the member A. In use, the member A is secured to the underside of a shelf, or of the top wall of a cabinet (Figure 9) with the channel provided thereby opening downwardly, by means of screws passed through holes 70 formed in the base 60.The channel afforded by the member A is left open at at least its outer end, so that the binder member of a file can be slid longitudinally into the channel, in the manner illustrated in Figure 10. The storage facility for the files will, of course, normally provide for storage of a plurality of similar files side-by-side, and whilst this may be achieved by securing a plurality of members A side by side to the underside of the respective shelf or cabinet top, it is convenient to utilise members such as the member B in Figure 6, which is again a length of a metal or plastics extrusion of substantially constant cross section throughout its length, and affording a plurality of parallel, downwardly open, T-section slots arranged side by side.Thus, the member B comprises a planar base 80 having side walls 81 extending downwardly from opposite edges of the base 80 and, spaced at equal intervals from one another and from the side walls 81, vertical webs 82 extending downwardly from the underside of the base 80 to meet respective horizontal flanges 83 extending laterally from each web 82, and inwardly extending horizontal flanges 84 extending from the lower edges of the side walls 81, the flanges 82 and 84 all being co-planar and parallel with the base 80 and respective slots 86 being defined between adjacent flanges 83, 84 and forming restricted mouths of respective downwardly open channels defined between the webs 82 and the side walls 81. The base 80 is provided with holes 90 to receive screws whereby the member B may be screwed to the underside of a shelf or the top wall of a cabinet.Thus, by using a combination of members B and A it is possible to provide, extending over any desired length of the underside of a shelf or width of a cabinet top, a regularly spaced row of downwardly open Tsection slots to receive the T-section formations on spines of the file.

A variant support member is illustrated partially, in perspective, at B' in Figure 8, and differs from the member B mainly in that a longitudinally extending V-section groove 110 is formed in the bottom of each T-section channel, toafford a countersink for countersink-head screws extended through apertures 90 formed through the base 80 at selected positions in register with grooves 110.

Referring to Figure 9, there is illustrated at B a cabinet comprising a horizontal top wall 100 and bottom wall 102, side walls 103 and a rear wall (not shown), the front of the cabinet being open.

Members A, B or B1 are mounted within the cabinet, secured to the underside of the top 100, so that the channels afforded thereby extend from back to front of the cabinet, allowing insertion and removal of the file from the cabinet longitudinally in the manner illustrated in Figure 1 0. The cabinet D illustrated in Figure 9 differs from that illustrated at C only in having locking doors 104 hingedly connected to the side walls 103, to close the front of the cabinet.

Figure 7 illustrates another variant support member which is in the form of a right-angle bracket, a vertical flange 105 of which is provided with holes 112 whereby the vertical flange can be secured to a vertical wall surface, and a horizontal flange 106 of which is provided on its underside with downwardly open T-section channels extending from the free end of the horizontal flange 106 towards the junction with the vertical flange, to receive the T-section formations on files.

Figure 11 illustrates how coding tabs may be applied to the ends of the binders of the files, so as to be visible when the files are suspended as illustrated in Figure 10. As shown in Figure 11 (a) each coding tab simply consists of a flat plate 120 bearing the desired marking, for example a numeral etc., and having projecting from its upper edge, at right angles thereto, a horizontal plate divided into two arms 122 by a central slot extending longitudinally from the free end of the horizontal plate towards its junction with the vertical plate. The arms 122 are dimensioned so as to fit snugly between the base 1 8 and crosspiece 22 of the binding member, with the slot between the arms 1 22 being such as to receive snugly in the central web 20 of the Tsection formation. As illustrated in Figure 11(a), the tab 120 is simply inserted in the longitudinal direction of the leg 122 longitudinally into engagement with the binder member 10, so that, as shown in Figure 11(b), when fully inserted, the vertical plate 120 extends over the end of the binder 10 at the exposed upper end of the suspended file.

The file construction disclosed herein is also disclosed in our co-pending Application No.

8211071 (Agents' Reference: Pal/1844).

Figure 12 is a partial sectional view of a file utilising a variant of the binder member of Figure 3. In this variant, the side walls 200 of the channel are connected with the base wall 210 by portions 212 of reduced thickness which form lines of flexing or "hinges" effectively pivotally connecting the side walls 200 with the base 210. In this variant, each of the side walls 200 is provided, on its inner side, with a formation 214 providing a channel with a restricted mouth opening in the direction towards the formation on the other side wall 200, the binder. being substantially symmetrical about a vertical central line as viewed in Figure 12.In this variant, instead of the sheets or pockets being held together by plastics coated wire, they are held together by a series of pins 216 each extending through a set of aligned holes formed in the superimposed sheets by means of a standard multiple punch, each pin 21 6 having an enlarged head part at either end thereof, one of which head parts is detachable to allow insertion of the pin in the respective apertures in the sheets, the head portions of said pins being too large to pass through the channels afforded by formations 214, so that the head portions are held captive in said channels and the pins 21 6 serve to hold the two side walls 200 together with the superimposed sheets therebetween. In this variant also, the binder member 210 is applied by sliding longitudinally over the aligned edge portions of the sheets.

In a further variant, shown in Figure 13a, instead of utilising individual binding posts 28 with respective heads, there may be utilised a one-piece flexible retaining insert 300 of flexible plastics material, comprising an elongate flat strip 302 having at intervals therealong apertures 304, the strip 302 having, in the region of each such aperture 304, an integral tab 306 extending therefrom, each tab 306 having extending transversely thereacross a flexible region affording a "hinge", the portion of the tag 36 on the side of said hinge remote from the strip 302 being provided with an integral upstanding peg 308 adapted to fit tightly into or snap into the respective aperture 304, in the manner indicated at 400 in Figure 13a.The apertures 304 and tags 306 are preferably disposed at intervals along the strip 302 corresponding to the spacing between the holes formed in operation of the standard multiple punch (multi-punch). In use, the prepunched pages to be bound are laid in a bundle with their edges lying on the portions of the tags 306 adjoining the strip 302, with the strip 302 extending along one face of the bundle and the apertures in the pages of the bundle aligned with the respective apertures 304. The tags 306 are then bent upwardly on the face of the bundle remote from the strip 302 and the pegs 308 inserted through the aligned apertures in the pages of the bundle into the respective apertures 304, whereupon the flexible insert, with the pages held therein, is slid longitudinally into the channel portion of the binder.

In a further variant, shown in Figure 1 3b, the bound pages are located by means comprising two elongate plastics strips 312 and 314 respectively, the strip 312 having, at intervals therealong, apertures 316 and the strip 314 having, at corresponding intervals therealong, integral pegs 318 extending transversely from the strip 314.The spacing of the apertures 31 6 and pegs 31 8 corresponds with the spacing of the apertures formed by a standard multiple punch used to punch binding apertures in the edges of pages to be bound so that the edges of the pages to be bound can be accommodated between the strips 314, with the pegs 318 extended through the apertures in the pages to be bound and inserted, at their free ends, as a close or snap-fit in the respective aperture 31 6 in the strip 312. The strips 312 and 314 are formed, at positions intermediate the apertures 316 or pegs 318 respectively; with grooves 320 which define lines of weakening whereby the strips can be broken in the regions of these grooves to allow shorter binding elements to be used or to allow the portions between adjoining grooves 320 to be used individually. As in the variants of Figure 5 and Figure 13a, with a bundle of pages bound between the strips 312 and 314 or between respective portions broken from such strips, the strips 312 and 314 or portions thereof, with the edge portions of the pages therebetween, are slid longitudinally into the channel portion of the binder member 10 (see Figure 13c).

The filing system described with reference to the drawings is suitable for art works, photographs and other illustrations, and other items taking the form of sheets, whether these are of standard size and thickness or of non-standard size, and can accommodate items of various thicknesses, e.g.

whether paper or thick board, and even items of variable thickness. This filing system is particularly suited to art and studio use.

Claims (5)

1. A filing and storage system comprising at least one binding device including a binding portion adapted to support a plurality of pages or the like by parallel adjoining edges thereof, and providing, so disposed as to project from the device in the opposite direction from any such pages or the like so supported, a suspension formation comprising a first portion, nearer said binding portion which is relatively narrow transversely of the planes of any such pages so supported by the binding portion, as viewed in a direction parallel with such adjoining edges, and a second portion, further from said binding portion, which is relatively wide transversely of said planes, as viewed in said direction, the filing system further including a support member affording at least one downwardly open channel with a mouth of restricted width, too narrow to allow said second portion to pass through but wide enough to allow free passage of said first portion, the interior of said channel being wide enough to allow free passage of said second portion, and said channel being open at one end thereof, whereby said binding device can be slid longitudinally into said support member in such a way that said second portion is disposed within the channel and said first portion extends through the restricted mouth of the channel, the remainder of the binding device being disposed outside said channel.

2. A filing and storage system according to claim 1 wherein said support member provides a plurality of parallel, similar such downwardly open channels for such binding devices.

3. A filing and storage system according to claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the or each said binding device is of generally uniform crosssection throughout its length and wherein said binding portion is of generally channel-section and said suspension member is of generally T-section, with said first portion of said suspension member being upstanding from the base of said channel in the direction opposite to that in which the walls of the channel extend, and forming the stem of the r and said second portion forming the crossmember of the "T".

4. A filing and storage system substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to, and as shown in, the accompanying drawings.

5. Any novel feature or combination of features described herein.