GB2258635A

GB2258635A - A magazine rack or file sleeve.

Info

Publication number: GB2258635A
Application number: GB9114883A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Brenda Cina; Howard Brower
Original assignee: Ofrex Group Holdings PLC
Current assignee: Ofrex Group Holdings PLC
Priority date: 1991-07-10
Filing date: 1991-07-10
Publication date: 1993-02-17
Anticipated expiration: 2011-07-10
Also published as: FR2678904A1; GB9114883D0; GB2258635B

Abstract

A rack for magazines or a sleeve for a lever arch or box file is formed from a blank of rigid polypropylene sheet. Parts of the blank are cut so that when the blank is folded a plurality of feet 39, 41 extend beneath the bottom of the rack or sleeve. Tabs 23 engage with bar 42 for interconnecting the racks or sleeves. <IMAGE>

Description

DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION "Improvements in or relating to a Stationery Product" THE PRESENT INVENTION relates to a stationery product and more particularly relates to a holder adapted to hold, in one embodiment, magazines or similar papers and, in another embodiment, a file. Thus a holder in accordance with the invention may comprise a so-called "magazine rack" or a sleeve for a file such as a lever arch file or box file.

It has been proposed to fabricate stationery products from rigid polypropylene. Such a material does offer several commercial advantages, but suffers from the disadvantage that the material is not very strong. Thus if a holder were fabricated from a conventional design, when the holder was filled with documents the base of the holder would become rounded, thus making the holder unstable. The present invention seeks to provide an improved holder in which this disadvantage is reduced or obviated.

According to this invention there is provided a holder to hold documents or the like, said holder being formed from a blank of sheet material, the holder having a plurality of feet extending beneath the bottom of the holder to support the holder.

Preferably areas of the blank define a base and two side walls, the base being connected to each side wall by means of a hinge-line, each hinge-line having a plurality of slits associated therewith extending from the axis of the hinge-line into the area defining the base of the holder, the arrangement being such that when the portions of the blank defining the side walls are moved to a position in which they extend perpendicularly to the portion of the blank defining the base, areas defined by said slits remain aligned with the side walls and extend perpendicularly to the base extending beneath the base to form said feet.

Conveniently four feet are provided and the holder may be formed of rigid polypropylene.

The holder may comprise a magazine rack or a sleeve for a box file or the like.

Advantageously the holder defines an open mouth between the side walls, a bar being provided engageable with parts of the side walls of two adjacent containers which define said open mouths in order to connect the two holders together.

Tabs may be provided on the portion defining the mouth in order to grip the bar.

In order that the invention may be more readily understood, and so that further features thereof may be appreciated, the invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a holder in accordance with the present invention in the form of a magazine rack, FIGURE 2 is a plan view of a blank of polypropylene used to create the holder of Figure 1, FIGURE 3 is an enlarged view, from the front and below, of part of the holder of Figure 1, FIGURE 4 is a view illustrating a plurality of holders as illustrated in Figure 1 connected together, FIGURE 5 is a scrap sectional view taken on the line V-V of Figure 4, FIGURE 6 is a perspective view of another form of holder in accordance with the invention, comprising a sleeve adapted to receive a lever arch file or the like, and FIGURE 7 is a view of the blank from which the holder of Figure 6 is made.

Referring initially to Figures 1 to 3 of the accompanying drawings a holder in the form of a "magazine rack" is illustrated. Holders of this general configuration have been proposed previously and have typically been fabricated from card. The holder of Figures 1 to 3 is, however, fabricated from a single sheet of rigid polypropylene which is initially cut to form a blank as shown in Figure 2 and is then erected to form the holder as illustrated in Figures 1 and 3.

The blank comprises a central substantially rectangular area 1 adapted to form the base of the holder, and connected to opposed longitudinal edges of this central area 1 by two hinge or fold-lines 2,3 are side-wall forming portions 4,5. Four slits 6,7,8,9 are present on the hinge lines 2,3 extending into the central area 1. Each slit has a central portion which is substantially parallel with the line of the hinge 2,3, and as will become clearer hereinafter each slit serves to define a foot which when the blank is erected protrudes beneath the bottom of the holder and provides firm support for the holder even if the bottom of the holder becomes bowed in use.

The side-wall forming portion 4 has a relatively long side defined by a hinge-line 10 at the side of the blank which is to form the rear of the holder, and a first rear-wall forming flap 11 is connected to the side-wall forming portion 4 by the hinge-line 10. Two slits 12,13 are provided at positions spaced apart along the hingeline 10 extending into the area of the first rear-wall forming panel 11. The rear-wall forming panel 11 is connected by means of a hinge-line 14 which is substantially aligned with the hinge-line 2 to a bottom reinforcing tab 15.

The side-wall forming portion 4 has a relatively short side 16 defined by a hinge-line in the region of the blank that is to form the front of the holder. This hingeline 16 separates the side-wall forming portion 4 from a first front-wall forming portion 17. The side of the front-wall forming portion 17 opposed to the hinge-line 16 carry two tabs 18,19 which -project therefrom. A hingeline 20 which is aligned with the hinge-line 2 separates the first front-wall forming panel 17 from a second bottom reinforcing tab 21.

The side edge 22 of the first side-wall forming portion 4 extends between the end of the hinge-line 10 and the end of the hinge-line 16 remote from the bottom forming portion 1 at an inclined angle to the axis defined by the hinge-lines 2 and 3. Four protruding tabs 23 are provided at equi-spaced positions along the edge 22.

The second side-wall forming portion 5 is provided, at the region thereof that is to form the rear of the holder, with a hinge-line 24 which separates the second side-wall forming portion 5 from a second rear-wall forming portion 26. The portion 26 has an inclined edge 27 extending from the end of the hinge-line 23 which merges with a linear side 28 extending parallel with the hingeline 24. The linear portion 28 carries two protruding tabs 29,30.

The other side of the front-wall forming portion 5, that is to say the side in the region of the blank that is to form the front of the holder is provided with a hingeline 31 which separates the second side-wall forming portion 5 from a second front-wall forming tab 32. Two slits 33,34 are provided on the line of the hinge 31, these slits extending into the area of the second front-wall forming tab 32.

The second side-wall forming portion 5 has a side edge 33 which extends between the end of the crease line 24 and the end of the crease line 31. Four protruding tabs 34 are provided at equi-spaced positions.

It is to be observed that the ends of the baseforming portion 1 of the blank are slightly cut away leaving recesses 35,36.

The blank is assembled to form the holder in the condition illustrated in Figure 2 by initially folding the base-reinforcing tabs 15 and 21 upwardly so they extend out of the plane of the blank, and then folding the first rear wall forming panel 11 upwardly. The second front-wall forming tab 32 is then folded upwardly, and subsequently the two side-wall forming portions 4 and 5 are folded upwardly. This has the effect of bringing the bottom reinforcing tab into a position overlying the rear end of the base. As the side walls are lifted, so the first front-wall forming portion 17 is folded relative to the side wall 4 thus bringing the second bottom reinforcing tab into position extending under the second front-wall forming portion 32.The first front-wall forming portion 17 may be brought to lie adjacent and in contact with the second front-wall forming portion 32 and the tabs 18 and 19 may be inserted into the slots created by the slits 33,34. The second rear-wall forming portion 26 may then be folded to lie adjacent the first rear-wall forming portion 11 and the tabs 29 and 30 may be inserted into the slots created by the slits 12,13. The tabs 23 and 34 may be folded inwardly.

As can be seen most clearly from Figure 3 the sidewall forming portions 4,5 are folded to extend upwardly because the slits 6, 7, 8 and 9 are provided on the hingelines 2,3 the areas of the bottom forming portion 1 encompassed by the slits behave as extensions of the side walls 4,5 and do not behave as part of the base forming portion 1. Thus, the areas defined by the slits 6, 7, 8 and 9, when the side walls have been folded to extend upwardly actually protrude downwardly beneath the bottom 1 of the holder in the form of downwardly extending projections formed integrally with the side walls. These projections can be seen as clearly as projections 39,40 in Figure 3 which illustrates the front of the holder, but similar projections, such as the projection 41 visible in Figure 1 exist at the rear of the holder.These projections thus form feet upon which the holder can be mounted in a stable condition.

The tabs 23,34 are provided primarily to engage with an inter-connecting bar 42 shown most clearly in Figures 4 and 5 to enable a plurality of the holders to be inter-connected together. Two holders are located adjacent one another and a substantially "U"-shaped bar 42 is mounted in position over the upper edges of the adjacent side walls 4,5 of the two holders. The bar engages and is retained by the tabs 23,34. By using a number of these connector bars any selected number of holders may be connected together.

Figure 6 illustrates a second holder in accordance with the invention in the form of a sleeve for a box file and Figure 7 illustrates the blank from which the holder of Figure 6 is illustrated. The blank incorporates central substantially rectangular region 41 adapted to form the base of the holder separated by two hinge-lines 42,43 on opposed sides thereof from side-wall forming portions 44,45. Slits 46,47,48,49 are provided in the hinge-lines 42,43, these slits being directly equivalent to the slits 6, 7, 8 and 9 of the blank of Figure 2.

A first side wall forming portion 44 is, at the region that is to form the rear of the holder, separated by means of a hinge-line 50 from a rear-wall forming portion 51. Two slits 52,53 are provided in the hinge-line 50 corresponding to the slits 12 and 13 of the embodiment of Figure 1. A hinge-line 54 provided at the rear end of the bottom forming portion 41 separates the bottom forming portion 41 from a rear wall reinforcing tab 55.

The side of the first side-wall forming portion 44, which is opposed to the hinge-line 42 is again formed by a hinge-line 56 which separates the side-wall forming portion 44 from a top-wall forming portion 57. Two slits 58,59 are present in the hinge-line 56 to form slits adapted to receive tabs as will be described hereinafter.

The end of the top-wall forming portion 57 which is to form the rear of the blank is separated by means of a hingeline 60 from a second rear-wall reinforcing tab 61.

The forward-most edge 62 of the side-wall forming portion 44 is parallel with the hinge-line 50 and is provided with four equi-spaced tabs 63.

The second side-wall forming portion 45 is separated by means of a hinge-line 64 at the portion that is to form the rear of the holder from a second rear-wall forming flap 65. This flap has an inclined edge 66 extending from the rearward end of the hinge-line 43 to a linear portion 67 of the edge which extends parallel with the fold-line 64. Two tabs 68,69 project from the linear portion 67.

The side of the second side-wall forming portion 45 that is opposed to the hinge-line 43 comprises a hingeline 70 which separates the second side-wall forming portion 45 from a second top-wall forming portion 71. The second top-wall forming portion 71 has an inclined edge 72 extending from the end of the hinge-line 64 and a linear edge portion 73 carrying two protruding tabs 74,75.

The remaining edge of the second side-wall forming portion 45 is a linear edge 76 which is parallel with the hinge-line 64 and which carries four projecting tabs 77, these tabs being equi-spaced.

In order to assemble the holder initially the rear wall reinforcing tabs 55 and 61 are bent upwardly and then the first top-wall forming flap 57 is bent upwardly and the side wall 44 is bent upwardly. The back reinforcing tabs 55 and 61 are then located in contact with the back 51 but on the "inside" of the back. Subsequently, the side wall 45 is bent upwardly. Then the second rear-wall forming flap 65 and the second top-wall forming flap 71 are bent to lie adjacent, respectively, the first rear-wall forming flap 51 and the first top-wall forming flap 57 and the tabs 68,69 are inserted into the slots left by the slits 52 and 53 and the tabs 74 and 75 are inserted into the slots left by the slits 58 and 59. The tabs 63 and 77 may be bent inwardly to have the condition illustrated in Figure 6.

As the side walls are bent upwardly, so feet 78,79 are established in a manner similar to that of the feet 39 and 40 of the embodiment of the invention described with reference to Figures 1 and 3.

A plurality of box file sleeves as illustrated in Figure 6 may be inter-connected by means of the clips 42 as illustrated in Figures 4 and 5.

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. A holder to hold documents or the like, said holder being formed from a blank of sheet material, the holder having a plurality of feet extending beneath the bottom of the holder to support the holder.

2. A holder according to Claim 1 wherein areas of the blank define a base and two side walls, the base being connected to each side wall by means of a hinge-line, each hinge-line having a plurality of slits associated therewith extending from the axis of the hinge-line into the area defining the base of the holder, the arrangement being such that when the portions of the blank defining the side walls are moved to a position in which they extend perpendicularly to the portion of the blank defining the base, areas defined by said slits remain aligned with the side walls and extend perpendicularly to the base extending beneath the base to form said feet.

3. A holder according to any one of the preceding Claims wherein four feet are provided.

4. A holder according to any one of the preceding Claims formed from rigid polypropylene.

5. A holder according to any one of the preceding Claims in the form of a magazine rack.

6. A holder according to any one of Claims 1 to 4 in the form of a sleeve for a box file or the like.

7. A holder according to any one of the preceding Claims wherein the holder defines an open mouth between the side walls, a bar being provided engageable with parts of the side walls of two adjacent containers which define said open mouths in order to connect the two holders together.

8. A holder according to Claim 7 provided with tabs on the said portion defining the mouth in order to grip the bar.

9. A holder substantially as herein described with reference to and as shown in Figures 1 to 3 of the accompanying drawings.

10. A holder substantially as herein described with reference to and as shown in Figures 6 and 7 of the accompanying drawings.

10. A holder substantially as herein described with reference to and as shown in Figures 1 to 3 as modified by Figures 4 and 5 of the accompanying drawings.

11. A holder substantially as herein described with reference to and as shown in Figures 6 and 7 of the accompanying drawings.

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

CLAIMS: 1. A holder to hold documents or the like, said holder being formed from a blank of sheet material, the holder having a plurality of feet extending beneath the bottom of the holder to support the holder, wherein areas of the blank define a base and two side walls, the base being connected to each side wall by means of a hingeçli.ne, each hinge-line having a plurality of slits associated therewith extending from the axis of the hinge-line into the area defining the base of the holder, the arrangement being such that when the portions of the blank defining the side walls are moved to a position in - which they extend perpendicularly to the portion of the blank defining the base, areas defined by said slits remain aligned with the side walls and extend perpendicularly to the base extending beneath the base to form said feet.

2. A holder according to Claim 1 wherein four feet are provided.

3. A holder according to any one of the preceding Claims formed from rigid polypropylene.

4. A holder according to any one of the preceding Claims in the form of a magazine rack.

5. A holder according to any one of Claims 1 to 3 in the form of a sleeve for a box file or the like.

6. A holder according to any one of the preceding Claims wherein the holder defines an open mouth between the side walls, a bar being provided engageable with parts of the side walls of two adjacent containers which define said open mouths in order to connect the two holders together.

7. A holder according to Claim 6 provided with tabs on the said portion defining the mouth in order to grip the bar.

8. A holder substantially as herein described with reference to and as shown in Figures 1 to 3 of the accompanying drawings.

9. A holder substantially as herein described with reference to and as shown in Figures 1 to 3 as modified by Figures 4 and 5 of the accompanying drawings.