GB2135244A - Binding perforated pages - Google Patents

Abstract

Perforated pages are bound by strips 400 having pegs (418, 419) which extend through holes formed in the pages. The strips are prevented from being withdrawn from the pages by a spine channel (412) which is slid over the assembly comprising page edges and strips (400). The channel (4-12) has inturned flanges (17) which engage the strips (400) to prevent withdrawal of the pages from the spine except by sliding the pages and the strips (400) longitudinally from the channel (412). In alternative embodiments; the pages are bound by wire between covers with folded over edges which are retained in the channel (Figs. 1 and 2); the pages are bound by plastics posts with enlarged ends which are retained in grooves within the channel (Fig. 3); and the pages are bound by hinged or separate strips formed with pegs and holes and retained in a channel (Fig. 4, 5 and 6). A handle and weatherproof case may be fitted to the spine. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Improvements in or relating to binding of pages in a book or file This invention relates to the binding of pages in a book or file. It is an object of the invention, in one of its aspects, to provide an improved page binding system which is particularly, but not exclusively, suitable for temporary page binding, for example, for a filing arrangement.

According to this aspect of the invention there is provided a book or file comprising a bundle of superimposed pages held together by a binding arrangement comprising a plurality of pin-like members extended through respective sets of aligned holes in the bundle of superimposed pages adjacent one edge of the bundle and connected with or integral with formations projecting outwardly on either side of the bundle of pages, the portion of said bundle of pages adjacent said one edge, together with said pin-like members and said projecting formations being held within a channel afforded by a spine of substantially uniform cross-section throughout its length, the bundle being prevented from withdrawal from said channel in a direction perpendicular to the length of the spine by engagement of said projecting formations with locating formations afforded by the spine within said channel, whereby the bundle of pages can only be withdrawn from, and inserted into, said channel in the longitudinal direction of the spine.

It is an object of the invention, in another of its aspects to provide a book or file having a convenient carrying arrangement.

According to this aspect of the invention there is provided a book or file comprising a bundle of pages having one edge of said bundle secured to a spine extending along said edge, the spine comprising a member of substantially uniform cross-section throughout its length and having, on its side remote from said bundle of pages, a longitudinal rib having a relatively narrow root portion and an edge portion which is substantially wider than said root portion, the book or file having a handle of U-shape affording two arms of which the free ends have slots therethrough which are of a cross-sectional form complementary with that of said rib and which receive the same, whereby the handle is held captive on the spine but can be detached from and re-applied to the spine by sliding longitudinally along the spine.

Embodiments of the invention are described below, with reference to the drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a fragmentary perspective view illustrating the structure of one form of book or file embodying the invention, Figure 2 is a sectional view of part of the book of Figure 1, Figure 3 is a sectional view, similar to Figure 2, but showing a variant binding arrangement, Figures 4 and 5 are fragmentary perspective views showing further variant binding arrangements, Figure 6 is a fragmentary sectional view of the binding arrangements of Figures 4 and 5, Figures 7 and 8 are fragmentary perspective and sectional views respectively showing a further binding arrangement, Figure 9 is a perspective view illustrating the book or file equipped with a carrying handle, Figure 70 is a fragmentary perspective view illustrating the assembly of the handle with the book, Figure 11 illustrates a carrying case which may be utilised in conjunction with the handle, and Figure 12 is a perspective view illustrating the book or file fitted with the handle and case.

Referring to the drawings, the book or file shown 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 be sheets of paper or card or may be in the form of clear plastics pockets, of a kind known per se, in which documents, photographs, or the like may be releasably retained to be viewed through the clear plastics.

In the embodiments shown, the binder member is of the form disclosed in our co-pending Application No. 8211071 and takes the form of an elongate member of substantially uniform cross-section 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 botton 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 18 joins with a flange or crosspiece 22 extending substantially parallel with the bottom wall 18 and spaced therefrom by the web 20.

Thus, the web 20 and flange 22 together constitute a "T"-section formation. The edge portions of the covers and pages to be received in the binder 10 are provided, in known manner, with perforations or slots at predetermined locations and may, as indicated in Figure 1, be held together by initially U-shaped lengths of soft piastics-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 in Figure 1.

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 17 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. The covers have folded over flaps at their edges received in the spine, which lie on the outside of the covers, so that the covers here are "doubled" and the free edges of these flaps engage the inwardly directed shoulders provided by ribs or flanges 17 to prevent transverse removal of the covers and pages from the binder.

These folded over flaps thus constitute projecting formations connected with the wires 16, the portions of the wires 24 extending through the aligned holes in the pages and covers constituting pin-like mem bers.

In a variant, the covers and pockets are held together not by soft wires 24, but by moulded plastics binding posts 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 1) of the head to provide a protuberance to locate in a groove in the adjacent channel side wall 16. The other channel side wall may have a groove to receive said enlarged head. The enlarged head and said protuberance, in this embodiment, constitute projecting formations integral with the binding ports.

Figure 3 is a partial sectional view, similar to Figure 2, of a book utilizing another variant of the binder member of Figure 2. 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 2.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 maligned holes in the superimposed sheets, each pin 216 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 pages or pockets and in the covers, 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 216 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, superimposed, edge portions of the pages or pockets and covers.

In a further variant, shown in Figure 4, 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 there-across a flexible region affording a "hinge", the portion ofthetag 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 4.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 pre-punched 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 FigureS, the bound pages are located by means comprising two elongate plastics strips 312 and 314 respectively, the strip 312 having, at intervalstherealong, 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 316 and pegs 318 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 316 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 2 and Figure 4, with a bundle of pages bound between the strips 312 and 314 or portions thereof, with the edge portions of the pages held therebetween, are slid longitudinally into the channel portion of the binder member 10. Figure 6 shows in section the binding arrangements of Figures 4 and 5, both of which have the same sectional appearance in cross section through the pegs.

Referring to Figures 7 and 8, in the variant illustrated therein, which is the presently preferred embodiment of the invention, the strips 312,314 of the arrangement of Figures 5 are replaced by strips 400 and 401, which may likewise be provided at intervals with lines of weakening defined by grooves 320, for the same purpose as in the embodiment of Figure 5. However, in this embodiment, both strips 400,401 carry at intervals therealong respective transverse integral pins 418,419 respectively one such pin, for example, extending from each section of the respective strips defined between adjoining grooves 320. The pins 418 are somewhat thinner than the pins 419 and the pins 419 are formed with blind holes or recesses 420 extending therealong from the free ends thereof in which, in the assembled condition, respective pins 418 are received. The bundle of pages and covers etc. are held together by forming aligned set of holes through the bundle adjacent one edge thereof in the same manner as in the previous embodiments, extending the pins 418, carried by the strip 400, through respective said sets of holes from side of the bundle and extending the pins 419, carried by the strip 401, through respective said sets of holes, from the other side of the bundle, each pin 418 being received in the recess 420 in a respective pin 419 and the strips 400,401 being pressed together, with the bundle of pages etc., therebetween, until the strips 400,401 firmly engage the sides of the bundle, as shown in Figure 8. The pins 418 are preferably a firm friction fit within the recesses 420 in pins 419.

The bundle, with the strips 400,401 and pins 418,419 is then slid into the spine 412, in exactly the same manner as described in relation to the previous embodiments. The form of the spine 412 is similar to that of the spine 10 in the embodiment of Figures 1 and 2, except that the "stem" of the "T" section rib is hollow. The inwardly directed flanges 17 at the free edges of the side walls 16 afford shoulders for engagement with the strips 400,401 to prevent transverse withdrawal of the strips 400,401, with the portion of the bundle of pages held therebetween, from the spine.

As shown in Figures 9 and 10, the book may be equipped with a carrying handle 40 in which the book is held by the spine 10.

As shown in Figure 10, the carrying handle is substantially a member of inverted U-shape, for example of synthetic plastics, each of the free ends of the arm of the U being somewhat enlarged transversely and having formed therethrough a T-section slot 42 of a cross section complementary with that of the T-section formation 20, 18 to receive the same when the handle is slid longitudinally onto the spine 10.

Figures 11 and 12 illustrate a weatherproof case which may be used for the book in conjunction with the handle 40. The case, which is of generally rectangular form when closed, comprises a lower portion affording a rectangular compartment for the book and an upper portion in the form of a lid including a spine portion 48 pivotally or flexibly connected along one side wall of the lower portion and a flap 50 pivotally or flexibly connected along one edge with the other edge of the spine portion 48.

A strap 52 extending across the other side of the lower portion serves to retain the flap 50 in the closed position. The spine portion 48 has a longitudinal slot 49 therein to receive the carrying handle 40 (see Figure 11).

The features of Figures 1 to 6 and of Figures 9 to 12 are also disclosed in our co-pending Patent Application Nos.8211071 and 8211070.

Claims (7)

1. A book or file comprising a plurality of pages held together by a binding arrangement comprising a plurality of pin-like members extended through respective sets of aligned holes in the bundle of superimposed pages adjacent one edge of the bundle and connected or integral with formations projecting outwardly on either side of the bundle of pages; the portion of said bundle of pages adjacent said one end, together with said pin-like members and said projecting formations being held within a channel afforded by a spine of substantially uniform cross-section throughout its length, the bundle being prevented from withdrawal from said channel in a direction perpendicular to the length of the spine, by engagement of said projecting formations with locating formations afforded by the spine within said channel, whereby the bundle of pages can only be withdrawn from, and inserted into said channel in the longitudinal direction of the spine.

2. A book or file according to claim 1, wherein said locating formations provided by the spine comprise, on the side walls of said channel, adjacent the free edges of said side walls, formations providing shoulders extending partially across the channel and facing towards the base of the channel, whereby a gap of reduced width is defined between said locating formations through which said bundle of pages extends, whilst said projecting formations engage said shoulders and are thereby held captive within the channel.

3. A book or file according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein said binding arrangement comprises two strips, one on either side of said bundle of pages, disposed parallel with and adjacent to said edge of said bundle, each strip having said pin-like members extending therefrom at intervals there-along, through the respective holes in the bundle of pages, each said pin-like member of one strip being releasably engaged with the opposing pin-like member of the other strip.

4. A book or file according to claim 3, wherein each pair of releasably engaged pin-like members comprises a male member carried by one strip and a female member carried by the other strip and affording, at its end, a socket receiving releasably the free end of the male member.

5. A book or file comprising a bundle of pages having one edge of said bundle secured to a spine extending along said edge, the spine comprising a member of substantially uniform cross-section throughout its length and having, on its side remote from said bundle of pages, a longitudinal rib having a relatively narrow root portion, and an edge portion which is substantially wider than said root portion, the book or file having a handle of U-shape affording two arms of which the free ends have slots therethrough which are of a cross-sectional form complementary with that of said rib and which receive the same, whereby the handle is held captive on the spine but can be detached from and re-applied to the spine by sliding longitudinally along the spine.

6. A book or file substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to, and as shown in, the accompanying drawings.

7. Any novel feature or combination of features disclosed herein.