US1899763A - Loose leaf binder - Google Patents

Description

Feb. 28, 1933. A. G. LOTTER LOOSE LEAF BINDER l N VEN TOR. Azw ATM/A a A TT VE'Y.

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Filed Sept. 2, 1931 Patented Feb. 28, 1933 v UNITED, STATES P ENT orncelj;

ADOLPH .G. LOTTER, OFMILWAUKEE, "Wisconsin, Assroinoniro jsmm 'nsmas v LEAF COMPANY, or MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN! A CORPORATION or wIscoNsIN f; I

Application filed September I This invention relatesto improvements in loose leaf binders and refers moreparticular- 1 that any tendency to spread'the heads'merely increases the grip between the locking means and the post. i y t I i Another object of this invention is to pro-f vide a locking device of the character described which is so constructed as to permit the upper binder head to bemo'ved toward the body of leaves Without requiring the ac-v tuation of unlocking mechanism; I In loose leaf binders of the character here} tofore in use, the means for lielea'sing the lock-' ing device has been suchthat the normal handling of the binder caused it'to shift and release the locking device; This accidental unlocking of the binder permitted leaves to drop out and very often resulted in serious confusion of records. It is therefore a fur ther object of this invention to provide lock ing means for .securing a binder head to a post which may be released merely upon the shifting of a button brother-suitable actuating member, but which embodiesm-eans for preventing accidental shifting 1 of the button even duringjrough handling. p I

' With the above and other objec'ets in view which will appear as the descriptionproceeds; thls invention resldes lifllihGIlOVCl construe tlon, combination and arrangement of parts substantially as hereinafter described and more particularly defined by the appended claims, it being understood that such changes in the precise embodiment of'the herein-dis-- closed invention may be'made' as come withinthe scope of the claims-w In the accompanying drawing one. complete example of the physical embodiment of this invention is illustratedconstructed ac,-

cording to the best mode so far devised for trate structural details 2, 1931. Serial No. 560,?5 2

' 'rolien away and shown in section to illus 51 Figure 2 is alongitudinal section taken through Figurev 1 onthe=plane of the 1 F igure 3 is a detail section the manner of releasing the locking rneans {lis a perspective view of one ofthe Figure locking elements; and i i a. ,Figureb isa frag entarydetail view illus-- trating the manner of mounting the locking," elements. h '7 Referring ompa draw n h me ls an 8 represent the lower and upperbinder heads," respectively, of a conventionalQloose leaf binder and between which a bodyof leaves] now use, steamy aide 7 is clamped, the leaves impaled. upon. e

two rigidbinder' posts 6 extended upwardly from thelowerbinder head 5. 1 i

-The upper binder head 8 is removable; and is preferably of tubular construction having top and bottom walls 9 and 10 respectively connected by side walls 11. :In the present instance it is composed, of two channel sections secured together with the edges oftheir flanges; abutting to form the sides 11 byrivets 12. I The rivets 12 also pass through end members13 which provide means for-attach ing' a cover l ltothe binder head as is customary, The top and-bottomwalls 9 and 10;

havealigned openingsp15 and 16, respectively, to receive the posts; and within. the tubular head and adjacent each post is ailocking elementindicated generally bythe numeral 17, forreleasably locking the upper binder headv Stotheposts. Inasmuch as both locking elements 17 are identical in construction a specific description of one will suflice for both; f V f i The locking 1 element consists of a. stiff I flat platemember 18 apertured as'at 19,to receive the post. The aperture 19 is slightly greater thanthejfdiameter ofthe post. Atone ,end the plate member 18 has oppositely extending; lugs 20 which are received ;in openings '21 o m d in the s e wa ls lli that heple e member 18 is pivotally mounted for movement about an axis spaced from and at right angles to the axis of the post and elevated from the bottom wall of the binder head;

The opening 21 is preferably formed by notching the side flanges of the channel forming the upper portionof the binder headand i the location of the pivotal mounting issuch that the flat plate member normally assumes an inclined position causing the upper edge 22 and the lower edge 23 of its aperture 19 to engage the opposite surfaces of the post.

In this inclined position with its diagonally opposite edges 22 and 23 of its aperture engaging the post, it is observed that the extremelower end of the plate member, which is rounded as at 24 for a purpose to be later described, is above the adjacent bottom wall '10'of the binder head, so" that upon any tendency toward removal of the binderhead 8 from the post, th-eplate member is free to move toward a greater inclination causing the edges 22 and 23 of its aperture 19 to bite g5 into the post and thus prevent such movement of the binder head with respect to the post. Engagement of the binder head onto when the'binder head8 is in its normal posi- "tion, but to'positi'vely insure the maintenance of the desired inclination on theipart of the plate "member, a light spring 25 is provided.

This-spring, as best illustrated in Figure 4, is formed of a single piece of spring wire bent to substantially U shape with its closed end 26'engaging the upper face of the lower end of the plate member and with its legs 27 bent as at 28 to pass through notches 29in the opposite sides of the plate member and continue along the bottomrface of the plate member, towards the upper edge 30 of the plate member: 'The' legs 27 of the spring project beyond this edge and are curled as at 31 and then extend back toward the closed end 26 of the spring. of the spring 25 e'ngage the undersurface of the top wall 9of the binder head as-clearly shown in Figure 1 so that the action of the spring forces the free lower'end-of the plate member downwardly.

With the binder head 8 in position-on the posts, removal is impossible unless the plate members of the locking elements are'moved outof'their normal inclined position to disengage their bi-tingedges 22 and 23from the post members, and to sheet such lifting of the plate-members, a releasing member indicated generally by thenumeral 32, is provided.

This releasing member is preferably stamped from a single strip of sheet metal and is hi When in position these free ends 7 36, and upon longitudinal shifting of the member 32, engage the'lower rounded edges 24 of the plate members to lift the same out of their normal inclined position, as illustrated 1n Figure 3, and release the posts from the biting edges 22 and 23.

The major portion of the releasing member 32 slidably rests on the bottom 10 of the binder head and adjacent the center of the r binder head, the member 32 is bent up at spaced points as at 37 to position the portion 38' therebetween, directly beneath the top wall 9. A longitudinal slot 39 is cut into the portion 38' to receivethe free end of a flat spring member '40, the opposite'end of which isfriveted orotherwise secured as'at41 to the releasing member: The freeend of the flat spring member carries an actuator 42 which projects through an opening 43in the top wall of the binder head; The actuator 42 has. an enlarged finger engaging button 44' and a stem 45 provided with a lower section 46 of large diameter and an upper section 47 of smaller diameter.

The opening 43 is of'double key hole shape with large end portions 48 connected by a narrow' intermediate portion 49 of less width than the diameter of the lower section 46", and the normal position of thebutton under the action of its flat spring 40, which is comparatively stiff, is such that the lower section 46 of larger diameter is in the plane of the top wall 9. Hence when the stem is at either end of the opening 43,its portion 46 of larger diameter is in either one of the opening end portions 48 preventing longitudinal shifting of the releasing member 32 in either direc* tion until the actuating, button is, depressed to'align the uppersection 47 of small diameter with the top wall 9.

From the foregoing description takenin connection with the accompanying drawing, it will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art to which an invention of the character described appertains, that the locking means of this invention. is particularly well adapted for use with loose leafbinders of the character described and that it provides automatically operable means for locking the binder head onto the posts to permit ready engagement of the binder head with the posts but to positively preclude any movement whatsoever of the binder head from the posts, except when'the locking means is released.

It is also apparent that the releasing member cannot shift accidentally to'release the locking means, nor will the locking means handling of the binder.

within the binder head simultaneously engageable with the plate members to move the same out of their normal inclined positions to enable removal of the binder head from the posts upon movement in one direction, an actuating member for moving said releasing member, and cooperating means carried by the actuating member and the binder head for positively holding the releasing member in either of its extremities of movement.

2. In a loose leaf binder including a post and a. hollow binder head apertured to receive the post, means for locking the binder head against removal from the post including an inclined plate member having an aperture to receive the post, the inclination of the plate member causing opposite edges of the aperture to bite into the post, a releasing member for moving the plate member out of its inclined position, said releasing member being movable within the binder head, an actuating member having a portion without the binder head for moving the releasing member, cooperating means carried by the actuating member and the binder head for holding the releasing member at either of its limits of movement, and spring means mounting the actuating member on the releasing member and maintaining the actuating member in a position with the said cooperating means in operative relation.

3. In a loose leaf binder including a post and a hollow binder head engageable with the post, locking means carried by the binder head for securing the same on the post, a lon gitudinally shiftable releasing member for releasing the locking means and mounted within the binder head, an actuating member for shifting the releasing member and having apart projecting through an opening in one wall of the binder head to position a portion thereof outsidethe binder head,

said actuating member part extending through the opening in thebinder head wall having portions of different diameters and the opening being substantially of double key hole shape whereby the engagement of the actuating member part of larger diameter with either end of the opening precludes shifting of the releasing member, and spring means mounting the actuating member on the releasing member and urging the same to a position with-its part of larger diameterin theplane of the binder 'hea'd Wall; 1;. 51 R 4a. Ina loose leafbinder including a post and a hollow binder head engageable' with the post, locking: means for isecuring 'the binderon the-post, releasing means shiftable within the binder head for releasing the lock ing means,- an actuating member for the releasing means, a flat' spring member fixed. to the releasing means and mountingthe actuating member with a.- portion' thereofprojecting through an openinginone wall .of the binder head, said opening being of substantially double key hole shape with enlarged ends connected by a narrow intermediate slot, and theactuating member part projecting through the opening having portions of large and small diameters, shifting of the releasing member being prevented by the: engagement of the actuating membervpart of large diameter with eitherend portion oftheopening and the spring yieldably urging the actuating member to a position with its-part of large diameterfin the plane of said binder head 3 wall.

5. In a loose leaf binder including a post and a hollow binder head engag'eable therewith, a. fiat element apertured to receive the post, means hingedly mounting said flat element on the binder head in such a manner that the flat element, when the binder head is in its normal position, assumes an inclined position causing the walls of said aperture to bite into opposite sides of the post, releasing means for moving said fiat element out of its inclined position to release the locking engagement between the walls of said aperture and the post, an actuator carried by the releasing means and extending through an opening'in one wall of the binder head, and

means onthe actuator selectively engageable behind abutments formed by enlargements at opposite ends of the opening in the binder head 'wall to hold the actuator and the-releasing means against accidental actuation from either of their positions of adjustment.

6. In a loose leaf binder including a'post and a hollow binder head engageable therewith, a locking element within the binder head and engageable with the post for sec-uring the binder head andpost against relative movement in one direction, means mounting said locking element for movement to and from operative position, a releasing member within the binder head and shiftable to'move the locking element out of one position and towards the other, an actuator carried by the releasing member and extending externally of V the binder head, and a connection between the actuator and the binder head for securing the releasing member against accidental actuation from either of its limits of movement,- said connection requiring depression of part of said actuator intothe binder head to efi'ect its release.

'7. .In aloose leaf binder including-a post and a hollow binderhead engageable there- With,.1locking means Within thebinder head adapted to secure the binder head against -movement in one direction with respect to .the post, a releasing member longitudinally shiftable within the binder head to actuate the locking means, an actuator carried by the releasing means and havinga part yieldably projected through an elongated opening one Wall of the binder head, said actuator part and the elongated opening, being of such relative configuration and size as to effect an interlocking connection When the actuator is at either end portion of the slot to secure the actuator and consequently the releasing I member against accidental actuation from either positionof adjustment and said interloc-kingconnection requiring depression of the actuator to release the same.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto affixed my signature.

Y ADOLPH G} LOTTER.

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