GB2252938A

GB2252938A - Loose leaf rivetted binding

Info

Publication number: GB2252938A
Application number: GB9102574A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Hugh Raymond Webb
Original assignee: Folders Galore Ltd
Current assignee: Folders Galore Ltd
Priority date: 1991-02-06
Filing date: 1991-02-06
Publication date: 1992-08-26
Anticipated expiration: 2011-02-06
Also published as: GB9102574D0; GB2252938B

Abstract

A binding for paper sheets comprising a cover (10) which has a front portion (12) and a rear portion (14) extending from a spine (16). There are holes (26, 28) in the front and rear portions (14), which line up with holes in the paper, and rivets (36, 38) which extend through these holes. Each rivet (Fig 3) comprises first and second parts (36, 38) which snap-fit together to thereby retain the sheets within the cover. A prizing tool (56, Figs 7 to 9) enables separation of the two rivet parts. <IMAGE>

Description

A binding The present invention relates to a binding by which a number of sheets of paper, for example, are bound together.

A previously proposed binding by which sheets of paper or similar such sheets of material are bound involves the use of a riveting machine, whereby a metal rivet is punched through sheets with or without a cover.

A hole for the rivet is thus punched at the same time as the insertion of the rivet. Such a binding therefore requires a relatively complex machine.

An aim of the present invention is to provide a relatively easily hand-operated binding to bind sheets of material, for example in the form of a folder.

Accordingly a first aspect of the present invention is directed to a binding comprising a cover which has a front portion and a rear portion extending from a spine of the cover, there being at least one hole in the front portion and at least one hole in the rear portion in registration with the said at least one hole in the front portion, and a rivet which extends through those holes, in which the rivet comprises first and second parts which have corresponding formations which snap-fit together, whereby a number of sheets to be bound, having corresponding respective holes in them, may be inserted in the cover to bring their holes into registration with those of the cover, whereafter the parts of the rivet may be snap-fitted together through the holes to hold the sheets together within the cover.

The rivet may comprise a male member and a female member. Preferably, the male member comprises a shaft portion extending from a head portion, the shaft portion having a widened end portion. The end portion may be flared in a direction towards the head portion, so as to provide a shoulder where the widened portion meets the rest of the shank. The female member may have a hole or recess in it and an inner periphery of the female member defining that hole or recess may be provided with a shoulder or an inwardly directed- lip.It will be appreciated that when the shank of such a male member is urged into the hole or recess of such a female member, the end portions of the shank, on either side of the slot, are urged towards one another until the shoulder of the male member is clear of the shoulder or inwardly directed lip of the female member, whereupon the resilience of the material of the shank springs the end portions thereof away from one another, so that the male and female parts snap-fit together with the shoulder of the male member engaging the shoulder or lip of the female member, inhibiting subsequent separation of the male and female members.

Preferably the male member and/or the female member are made of a plastics material.

A second aspect of the present invention is directed to a tool for separating the female and male members of the rivet referred to with reference to the first aspect of the present invention, the tool comprising a handle portion and a wedge portion extending from the handle portion, the wedge portion having a generally flat base with a forward edge, further from the handle portion, which is tapered in a plane perpendicular to that of the base, and side portions extending in an intended upward direction from the base.

Such a tool may be used to separate the male and female parts of such a rivet, so that the binding can be released and then re-fastened.

Examples of a binding and a tool made in accordance with the present invention are shown in the accompanying drawings, in which; Figure 1 shows a front view of a folder having such a binding; Figure 2 is an exploded cross-sectional view of the folder shown in the plane II-II in Figure 1, the folder being opened for clarity; Figure 3 shows an axial-section through male and female members of part of the binding shown in Figure 1; Figure 4 shows a cross-section through components of the folder shown in Figure 1 along the line IV-IV thereof; Figure 5 shows a part of the binding shown in Figure 1, in greater detail, from the rear of the folder; Figure 6 shows a part of the binding shown in Figure 1, in greater detail, from the front; Figure 7 shows a plan view of a blank cut out from sheet metal for making such a tool; Figure 8 shows a plan view of the finished tool; and Figure 9 shows an end view of the tool shown in Figure 8.

The folder shown in Figures 1 and 2 comprises a cardboard sheet cover 10 having a front flap 12 and a rear flap 14 extending from a spine 16 of the cover 10. The spine 16 is divided from the flaps 10 and 12 by score lines 18 and 20 respectively. A further score line 22 is provided at least on the front flap 12 much closer to the spine 16 than to the free end of the flap 12, to provide a binding region 24 thereof. Two holes 26 are punched through this binding region 24, spaced apart by substantially 80mm along a line parallel to the spine and positioned between the score lines 20 and 22. The size and spacings of this hole 26 is standard, as produced by a readily available office hole-punch.A further pair of holes 28 is provided in the rear flap 10 precisely in registration with the holes 26 in the front flap, and clearly it is possible to punch both pairs of holes 26 and 28 simultaneously by one action of an office hole-punch.

The folder also comprises a plurality of sheets of paper 30, or other sheet material, which have holes 32 punched in them corresponding in position and size to the holes 26 and 28 in the cover 10. The sheets 30 are positioned within the cover 10, with their holes 32 in registration with the holes 26 and 28, and those sheets 30 are bound in that position in relation to the cover by means of two plastics clips or rivets 34 each of which comprises a male part 36 and a female part 38. The male and female parts of each rivet are snap-fitted together through the holes 26, 28 and 32 to complete the binding.

Figures 3 to 6 show each rivet 35 in greater detail. Thus each rivet comprises a male member 36 having a head portion 40 which is generally circular viewing the rivet along an axis thereof, and which in the section shown in Figure 3 creates a T-shape with a shank portion 42 of the male member. The latter is formed with a widened end 44, the latter being flared in a direction towards the head 40, a slot 46 extending inwardly from the tip of the widened portion 44 in to the shank 42.

The female member 38 of the rivet 34 is generally disc shaped when viewed along the axis of the rivet. It has an axially extending hole 48 through it.

The latter extends into an axially extending raised cylindrical portion 50 on one side of the female member 38, and is widened on the other side of the female member 38 to form a shoulder or inwardly directed lip 52 therein. The cylindrical portion 50 is chamfered around its rim 54 so that the hole 48 is flared at that end.

As can be more readily seen from Figure 4, the front and rear flaps 12 and 14, together with the sheets 30 are bound together by means of each rivet by insertion of the shank 42 of the male member 36 through one aperture constituted by the holes 26, 28 and 32, whereafter the female member 38 is pushed on to the widened end 44 of the male member 36.The flared construction of that end causes the two halves thereof on either side of the slot 46 to be urged towards one another until the shoulder 45 of the male portion passes over the shoulder or inwardly directed lip 52 of the female member whereupon the two halves of the widened end part 44 are free to spring outwardly under the resilience of the material of the shank 42 so that the male and female members 36 and 38 snap-fit together, with the shoulders of the two parts engaging one another to inhibit subsequent separation of the male and female members 36 and 38.

Whilst such separation is inhibited, it is not entirely prevented, and may in fact be effected by the tool 56 shown in Figures 7 to 9. This tool is made of sheet metal initially stamped out in the shape shown in Figure 7 with a handle portion 58 and, extending therefrom, a wedge portion 60 provided with two flaps 62 on either side of it. The flaps 62 are divided from the wedge portion 60 by score lines 64 to enable those flaps 62 to be bent in an intended upward direction to form two sides 66 of the finished tool as shown in Figures 8 and 9.

The leading edge 68 of the wedge portion 60 is coined or chamfered at an angle of substantially 30 to the plane of the bottom surface of the wedge portion 60. The leading edges of the flaps 62 and correspondingly the sides 66 in the finished tool extend at an angle of substantially 45 to the score line 64, and in the finished tool, to the plane of the upper surface of the wedge portion 60.

The handle portion 58 of the tool may be shaped as a truncated equilateral triangle with the line of truncation meeting the wedge shape portion 60, and the two corners further therefrom being aligned.

In use, the leading edge 68 of the wedge portion 60 (which with the sides 66 is shaped like a shovel) is inserted underneath the rim of the female member 38 of a rivet 35, between the latter and the rear flap 14, and the whole tool is twisted about its longitudinal axis to prise the female member 38 away from the shank portion 42 of the male member 36.

Numerous variations and modifications to the illustrated tool may be made without taking either of them outside the scope of the present invention. For example, whilst the flaps 12 and 14 are shown to extend as far from the spine 16 as do the sheets, they may instead extend only a little way from the spine 16, for example no further than where the illustrated score line 22 is positioned.

In the illustrated folder, a score line may be provided in the rear flap 14 in registration with the score line 22.

Whilst the cover has been referred to as made of cardboard sheets, it may alternatively be made of plastics sheet or a combination of cardboard and plastics. The plastics material may be translucent or even transparent.

Whilst the rivets have been described as made of a plastics material, they may alternatively be made of a resilient metal material.

The number of holes in each flap and each sheet, the size of the holes, the spacing between them and the length of the shank portion of the male member of each rivet, may all be varied. Any appropriate colour, finish and material may be used for the rivets and the cover.

Claims

1. A binding comprising a cover which has a front portion and a rear portion extending from a spine of the cover, there being at least one hole in the front portion and at least one hole in the rear portion in registration with the said at least one hole in the front portion, and a rivet which extends through those holes, in which the rivet comprises first and second parts which have corresponding formations which snap-fit together, so that when a number of sheets to be bound, having corresponding respective holes in them, is inserted in the cover to bring their holes into registration with those of the cover, the parts of the rivet are snap-fitted together through the holes to hold the sheets together within the cover.

2. A binding according to claim 1, in which the rivet comprises a male member and a female member.

3. A binding according to claim 2, in which the male member comprises a shaft portion extending from a head portion, the shaft portion having a widened end portion.

4. A binding according to claim 3, in which the end portion is flared in a direction towards the head portion, so as to provide a shoulder where the widened portion meets the rest of the shank.

5. A binding according to any one of claims 2 to 4, in which the female member has a hole in it and an inner periphery of the female member defining that hole is provided with a shoulder.

6. A binding according to any one of claims 2 to 4, in which the female member has a recess in it and an inner periphery of the female member defining that recess is provided with an inwardly directed lip.

7. A binding according to claim 5 or claim 6, read as appended to claim 3 or claim 4, in which there is a slot in the shank of the male member so that when the shank of such a male member is urged into the hole or recess of such a female member, the end portions of the shank, on either side of the slot, are urged towards one another until the shoulder of the male member is clear of the shoulder or inwardly directed lip of the female member, whereupon the resilience of the material of the shank springs the end portions thereof away from one another, so that the male and female parts snap-fit together with the shoulder of the male member engaging the shoulder or lip of the female member, inhibiting subsequent separation of the male and female members.

8. A binding according to any one of claims 2 to 7, in which the male member and/or the female member is made of a plastics material.

9. A binding substantially as described herein with reference to and as shown in Figures 1 to 6 of the accompanying drawings.

10. A tool for separating the female and male members of the rivet referred to with reference to claims 2 to 8 of the present application, the tool comprising a handle portion and a wedge portion extending from the handle portion, the wedge portion having a generally flat base with a forward edge, further from the handle portion, which is tapered in a plane perpendicular to that of the base, and side portions extending in an intended upward direction from the base.

11. A tool substantially as described herein with reference to and as shown in Figures 7 to 9 of the accompanying drawings.