GB2267464A - Holder for retaining folded sheets in a ring or like binder - Google Patents

Abstract

A hold or for a booklet or pamphlet comprises an elongate member 2 having a slot 4 closed at both ends and through which one or more pages of the booklet or pamphlet may be passed, so that a part 8 of the holder lies between the pages, adjacent the spine of the booklet or pamphlet. To the other side of the slot 4, the holder has another part 6 furnished with a variety of holes and slots 12, 14 of appropriate configurations and dispositions to allow the holder to be connected to a ring binder or lever-arch file. <IMAGE>

Description

BINDING This invention relates generally to binding.

It is a common problem to store booklets and pamphlets, e.g. catalogues and periodicals, so that they can be retrieved conveniently for later reference.

A traditional method is to accumulate a number of the booklets or pamphlets and to then send them to a book binder for binding. This method has the disadvantages of being expensive, of necessitating removal of the booklets or pamphlets during binding, perhaps for some weeks, and that the individual booklets or pamphlets are not removable from the binding.

Another possible solution is to place the booklets or pamphlets in a looseleaf binder, e.g. a ring binder or a lever arch file. That normally requires the booklets or pamphlets to be punched with suitable holes to accept the fasteners of the binder.

That in itself is inconvenient, particularly for a booklet of any substantial thickness since it requires a heavy or industrial hole punch, catalogues can be 16mm thick for example. There is also the danger that information will be lost if the holes are punched through areas of text. Further, it is difficult to turn one booklet or pamphlet over in the binder to get to the next, and difficult to open a booklet or pamphlet in the binder.

Special binders have been proposed for booklets and are sometimes offered for sale by the publishers of, say, a periodical. In use, the booklet is placed inside the binder with its spine against the spine of the binder. The periodical is opened, say, to its centre, and a spring rod, e.g. of piano wire, is placed inside the booklet and sprung into holes provided at top and bottom of the binder to receive them. These binders suffer the disadvantages that it is fiddly and awkward to insert the booklets, and even more awkward to remove a booklet, especially when the binder is full, since the spring rod is then flat against the inside of the booklet and is difficult to grasp. The binder will not hold thick booklets since their weight pops the rod out of its holes. The binders are more difficult to obtain than, say ring binders, and are usually more expensive.

Against this background, the invention provides a holder for a booklet or pamphlet, comprising an elongate member having a slot closed at the ends of the holder, through which slot a page, pages and/or a cover of the booklet or pamphlet may be passed to position the holder at the spine of the booklet or pamphlet, so that said holder has portions extending both inside and outside said booklet or pamphlet, the outside portion being provided with means for operative engagement with a binding.

Use of the holder is simple. A booklet or pamphlet is opened, say, approximately at its centre, and the pages and cover on one side are placed in the slot in the holder which is then slid until the holder is at the spine of the booklet or pamphlet. The booklet can then easily be placed in a binder e.g. a looseleaf binder using the means provided in the holder and can equally easily be removed. Special binders are not required.

The term "spine" is not intended to imply any particular form of binding, merely the edge of the booklet or pamphlet where the pages join. Thus in the case of a pamphlet consisting of two leaves joined by a fold in a single sheet, the spine is the fold.

The holders may be made in a variety of standard sizes to accommodate booklets or pamphlets of different sizes.

In a preferred example, in order to accommodate most conventional binders, the outside portion is provided with one or more holes or slots, e.g. four, to receive fasteners of a looseleaf binding. The term looseleaf binding is intended to include any binding from which pages, or when used with the present invention the holders, can be removed and replaced.

Examples of looseleaf binders are ring binders, lever arch files, crown binders etc.

Either the outside portion or the inside portion may have a break in it so that the slot is open in a central region and so that the overall shape of the holder is somewhat like a letter C. However, both the inside and the outside portions preferably extend continuously from end to end of the holder.

The holder may be made of any suitable materials including plastics, but is preferably made of steel or an aluminium alloy.

One embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawing which is a plan view of a holder embodying the invention.

Referring to the drawings, the holder 2 is stamped from sheet steel or aluminium alloy. The holder is in the form of an elongate strip having a longitudinal slot 4 which divides the strip into two parts 6 and 8 joined by bridging sections 10 which close the ends of the slot.

In use, a booklet or pamphlet is opened approximately to its centre. The page or pages to one side of the open pamphlet, or the cover and pages to one side of the open booklet, are inserted in the slot 8 and the holder is slid to a position at the spine of the booklet or pamphlet such that it can be closed with the part 8 of the holder flat between its pages. The part 6 then extends adjacent and parallel to the spine but outside the booklet or pamphlet.

The holder is provided with means for operative engagement with a binding, in the form of holes 12 and slots 14. These are intended to receive the rings of various standard ring binders or to receive the archmembers of a lever arch file and are spaced suitably.

In other arrangements the holes are spaced suitably to receive the pins of a crown binding.

It will be appreciated that, provided the holder has sufficient residual strength, one or other of the parts 6 or 8 may be discontinuous so that the slot 4 is partly open on one side and the holder has a shape generally like that of a letter C. It is important that the slot 4 is closed at its ends, e.g. by the sections 10 in order to retain the booklet or pamphlet.

Claims (4)

1. A holder for a booklet or pamphlet, comprising an elongate member having a slot, closed at the ends of the holder, through which slot a page, pages and/or a cover of the booklet or pamphlet may be passed to position the holder at the spine of the booklet or pamphlet so that said holder has portions extending both inside and outside said booklet or pamphlet, the outside portion being provided with means for operative engagement with a binding.

2. A holder as claimed in claim 1, wherein the outside portion is provided with one or more holes or slots to receive fasteners of a looseleaf binding.

3. A holder as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein both the inside and the outside portions extend continuously from end to end of the holder.

4. A holder as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the holder is made of steel or an aluminium alloy.