GB2303100A

GB2303100A - Thermoplastic reinforcement for note pad sheets with holes

Info

Publication number: GB2303100A
Application number: GB9613590A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Grazia Severini
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1995-07-11
Filing date: 1996-06-28
Publication date: 1997-02-12
Anticipated expiration: 2016-06-28
Also published as: ES2140999B1; GB2303100B; ITTO950583A0; CH690359A5; ITTO950583A1; GB9613590D0; NL1003539C1; DE29611868U1; AT1594U1; FR2736586A3; BE1009467A7; IT1306819B1; FR2736586B3; ES2140999A1

Description

2303100 1 "Reinforced sheet with holes for note pads and similar,, The

invention relates to sheets of paper material provided, in the vicinity of one side, with holes for holding the sheet in a binder with rings or similar.

Such perforated sheets may be loose, or grouped together and joined by means of bonding along one side, not necessarily the one corresponding to the holes, so as to form a note pad with detachable sheets.

In these sheets there is the technical problem relating to the low strength at the zones of the holes which are easily subject to rips and tears when the sheet is inserted, removed or simply turned again with respect to the rings of the binder or similar.

To solve this problem it is known to apply to the sheets, at the edges of the associated holes, annular reinforcement elements, also usually made of paper material, and also self-adhesive. In addition to being relatively impractical and inconvenient for the user, this solution has little functional efficacy because the annular reinforcement elements are also subject to breaks and tears which may actually involve tears of the sheet which are more extensive with respect to the case of a sheet with no such annular reinforcement elements.

A further disadvantage lies in the relative thickness of the annular reinforcement elements, which on the one hand limits the quantity of sheets that can be placed into the binder and on the other hand may impede the movements with respect to the retaining rings of the binder itself.

Finally, because the traditional annular reinforcement elements do not usually constitute an integral part of the perforated sheets but, as has been said, are applied 2 subsequently, most often their use is resorted to when the sheets are also irretrievably torn including well beyond the edges of the holes, with results which are clearly unsatisfactory.

The object of the invention is to solve the technical problem mentioned at the' outset by overcoming the typical disadvantages of the known solution which uses separate annular elements. More specifically, a main object of the invention is to produce a sheet with holes for note pads and similar, formed in such a way as effectively to prevent risks of tears or rips in the zones of the holes from the outset, i.e. from the point at which the sheet itself is manufactured.

A further object of the invention is to reinforce the sheet in the zones of the holes without involving an appreciable increase in thickness of the sheet itself but nevertheless with a production that is strong, economical and durable over time.

According to the invention these objects are achieved in that a sheet of paper material for note pads and similar of the type def ined above is provided, on at least one of its faces and along said side bearing the holes, with a reinforcement film of thermoplastic material applied at least in correspondence with the zones of the sheet surrounding each of said holes.

Preferably the reinforcement film is formed of a continuous strip which extends along substantially the entire perforated side of the sheet and is provided with perforations corresponding to such holes.

In this case the reinforcement strip may be of any suitable material such as polyethylene, polypropylene and similar, and may be self -adhesive or applied to the sheet 3 by means of heat-sealing or any equivalent system.

The reinforcement film may be transparent, colourless or coloured.

Further features of the invention will emerge in the course of the detailed description which follows, with reference to the accompanying drawings which are supplied purely by way of non-exhaustive example, in which:

Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic perspective view of a note pad formed by a group of sheets with holes according to the invention, and Fig. 2 is a sectional, enlarged view according to II-II of Fig. 1, which shows one of the sheets of the note pad.

With reference to the drawings, in its entirety 1 generically denotes a note pad formed, in generally traditional manner, by a group of sheets 2 which are superimposed and joined together in a separable manner along a respective edge 3, by means of a low-adhesion adhesive.

Holes 4, which serve, for example, to hold the sheet in a binder with rings or similar, are formed along the edge 3 of each sheet 2.

In the example shown the holes 4 are four in number: it should, however, be pointed out that the number and arrangement of such holes could be different and also that they could be formed in the vicinity of any one of the sides of the sheets 2 (not necessarily the reciprocal joining side 3), and also on several of such sides.

According to the invention, in order to reinforce the 4 zones of each sheet 2 surrounding the holes 4, and hence to prevent tears or rips to them, a reinforcement film 5 is applied at the outset to at least one face (usually the upper one) of the sheet 2, along the side 3 having the holes 4.

The reinforcement film is usually of a thermoplastic material such as polyethylene, polypropylene and similar, and can be applied in sectors in the zones of each hole 4 or more conveniently, as in the case of the example shown, it may be f ormed by a continuous strip which extends along substantially the entire side 3 of the sheet 2 and is provided with perforations 6 corresponding to the holes 4.

The film 5 may be self-adhesive, or it may be fixed to the material of the sheet 2 by means of heat-sealing or other equivalent systems.

The film 5 is preferably but not necessarily transparent, and may be colourless or coloured with the same colour as the sheet 2 or with a contrasting colour.

A possible process for producing the sheet 2 provides for the unwinding of the paper material from a first roll and the unwinding of the reinforcement film 5 from a second roll, their joining in the longitudinal direction of unwinding, the cutting to size of the sheets 2 with the associated reinforcement strips 5 thus applied, and finally the formation of the holes 4 and 6. The sheets 2 produced in this way can then be grouped together and bonded with the methods explained below, to form the note pad 1.

Although the embodiment described with reference to the drawings should be regarded as preferred, the structural particulars and the details of production may be widely 1 varied with respect to that described and illustrated without thereby departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the claims which follow.

1 6

Claims

1. Sheet of paper material (2) for note pads (1) and similar, provided in the vicinity of one of its sides (3) with holes (4) for holding the sheet (2) in a binder with rings and similar, characterized in that it is provided on at least one of its faces and along said side (3) with a reinforcement film (5) of thermoplastic material applied at the outset at least in correspondence with the zones of the sheet (2) surrounding each of said holes (4).

2. Sheet according to Claim 1, characterized in that the reinforcement film is formed of a continuous strip (5) which extends along substantially the entire side (3) of the sheet (2) with the holes (4) and is provided with perforations (6) corresponding to such holes (4).

3. Sheet according to Claim 1 or Claim 2, characterized in that the film is of polyethylene, polypropylene or similar materials.

4. Sheet according to one of the preceding Claims, characterized in that the reinforcement film (5) is applied by means of self-adhesion, heatsealing and similar.

5. Sheet according to one of the preceding Claims, characterized in that the reinforcement film (5) is transparent.

6. Sheet according to one of the preceding Claims, characterized in that the reinforcement film (5) is colourless.

7. Sheet according to one of Claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the reinforcement film (5) is 1 % 7 coloured.

8. Note pad (1), characterized in that it comprises a multiplicity of sheets (2) according to one or more of the preceding Claims, grouped and joined in a detachable manner along one side (3).