US2957477A

US2957477A - Loose-leaf binders

Info

Publication number: US2957477A
Application number: US720878A
Authority: US
Inventors: John R Maclean
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1958-03-12
Filing date: 1958-03-12
Publication date: 1960-10-25
Anticipated expiration: 1977-10-25

Description

Filed March 12, 1958 INVENTOR. JOHN MAC LEAN, DECEASED BY JOHN R. MAC LEAN, ADMINISTRATOR ATTORNEY 2,957,477 Patented Oct. 25, 1966 LOOSE-LEAF BINDERS John MacLean, deceased, late of Pueblo, Colo., by John R. MacLean, administrator, Pueblo, Colo.

Filed Mar. 12, 1958, Ser. No. 720,878 8 Claims. (Cl. 12924) This invention relates to binders for maintaining a plurality of sheets in assembled relation, and more particularly to loose-leaf binders adapted to retain a plurality of punched sheets of paper, metal, plastic, cardboard, cloth and the like, and to permit easy addition and subtraction of punched sheets to and from the remainder of the sheets.

Loose-leaf binders for punched sheets, as commonly known, have suffered from the great disadvantage that the punched sheets carried by the binder tended to wear through and tear in the region of the punched holes, especially between the hole and the adjacent edge of the sheet. As the sheets were turned over the rings, they rubbed against the rings and caught in irregularities on the rings, with the result that they soon became torn in the region of the holes and came loose from the binder. This tendency of punched sheets to tear loose from the loose-leaf binders of the prior art was so prevalent that it became a well known expedient to reinforce the region of the holes of a punched sheet with small rings of gumrned material;

and indeed, these gummed' reinforcing rings have become a common staple of oflice equipment.

In an effort to overcome the above disadvantages, a number of expedients have been tried. For example, it has been proposed to greatly multiply the number of rings in a loose-leaf binder, thereby cutting down the amount of wear inflicted by each ring upon a given sheet. However, this expedient has resulted in greatly increased cost of manufacture, and in a rather complicated mechanical device having a number of separable rings of which only a few meet squarely and fit tightly together. The rings which did not meet or which were misaligned presented sharp edges and crevices which further tore the sheets. In other efforts to overcome these difficulties, it has been proposed to form the interengaging portions of the ring halves in such a manner as to present a minimum of interruptions in the smooth curve of the closed ring; but even so, the mere frictional wear imposed by dragging the sheets over the rings was still sufficient to tear out the sheets. Thus, persons turning the sheets inevitably tended to pull on them while doing so, with the result that no matter how smoothly the ring was constructed, the sheets would ultimately wear through and tear out.

Although a number of attempts were made to overcome the foregoing difficulties and other disadvantages of the prior art loose-leaf binders, none, so far as is known, was entirely successful when carried into practice commercially on an industrial scale, other than those heretofore proposed by the present inventor.

Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a loose-leaf binder which will receive and accommodate a plurality of sheets and will hold these in such manner as to be readily accessible, and which will retain the individual sheets and the entire quantity against accidental or casual displacement.

Another object of the invention is to provide a binder to receive and hold sheets in a position to be retained against displacement and yet to be readily available for reference, and in which one or several sheets can be added or removed to or from any desired place.

The invention also contemplates the provision of a loose-leaf binder adapted to retain a plurality of punched sheets, in which the sheets will not wear through nor tear out despite frequent or repeated use. I

It is a further object of the invention to provide a loose leaf binder in which the frictional wear between the binder and the punched sheets is practically eliminated.

Still another object of the invention is the provision of a loose-leaf binder enabling the filing and removal of sheets with marked ease, and at the same time preventing accidental or inadvertent removal or escape of the sheets.

Finally, it is an object of the present invention to provide loose-leaf binders which will be easy and inexpensive to manufacture, simple in operation, and rugged and durable in use.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from a consideration of the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a plan view of a loose-leaf binder according to the invention, showing the binder open;

Figure 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken on the line 22 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 2 but showing the binder open with the punched sheets removed;

Figure 4 is an enlarged perspective view of the ring and bracket assembly of the present invention;

Figure 5 is a further enlarged fragmentary perspective view of a portion of the bracket of the present invention; and

Figure 6 is an enlarged perspective view of a ring usable in connection with the present invention showing the ring in its open position.

Referring now to the drawing in greater detail, there is shown in Figure 1 a plan view of an open loose-leaf binder according to the present invention indicated generally at 1 and having a baseboard 3. Baseboard 3 is shown to have a cover board swingably connected to it, but the presence or absence of a cover board forms no part of the present invention. Hence, it is to be understood that the term binder as used in this specification includes binders having a baseboard only, as Well as binders having in addition a cover board. Secured in spaced apart relationship on baseboard 3 is a pair of stanchions 5 having upstanding ears with turned-over ends which carry between them a cross shaft 7 which is parallel to and spaced from baseboard 3. In the illustrated embodiment, cross shaft 7 is rigidly fixed in the turned-over ends of stanchions 5, but it is immaterial whether cross shaft 7 is fixed or rotatable therein.

Mounted for rotation on cross shaft 7 is a pair of spaced brackets 9. In the illustrated embodiment, brackets 9 are rotatable relative to cross shaft 7, but it is immaterial whether they rotate relative to cross shaft 7 or with cross shaft 7, and the term mounted for rotation on as used in connection with the mounting of the brackets on the cross shaft in this specification is intended to apply to either arrangement.

Each bracket 9 is comprised of an integral elongated strip of metal bent so as to have three

principal portions

11, 13 and 15. The first portion 11 is flat except at its free end which is bent to roughly cylindrical shape at 17 to provide a cylindrical sleeve which serves as a bearing sleeve for mounting bracket 9 for rotation on cross shaft 7. The remainder of portion 11 extends radially from cross shaft 7 and is disposed in a plane which includes the axis of cross shaft 7. First portion 11 tenninates away from cross shaft 7 at a bend line 19 at which it joins second portion 13. At bend line 19, second portion 13 extends at approximately a right angle from first portion 11 to its end remote from first portion a 11 where it bends about to form an eye 21; Bend line 9 19 and the bend of eye 21 are parallel to each other and to cross shaft 7. In the region of eye 21, the strip bends entirely back upon itself to commence third portion 15 which, adjacent its right end as viewed in the figures of the drawing, is coextensive and in contact with second portion 13. has a. pair of integral tabs 23 on each side edge thereof, each of which is bentup and over the corresponding side edges of second portion 13 so as to secure together second and

third portions

13 and 15 in this region.

Third portion 15 continues on beyond first portion 11 a substantial distance to the left as seen in the figures of the drawing and terminates a substantial distance on the side of first portion 11 opposite second portion 13 in a free end 25 disposed in a plane roughly perpendicular to that. of first portion 11. A pair of tabs 27 is struck up from the material of free end 25 on the same side as first portion 11, and these tabs 27 penetrate and are bent back upon a conventional throwboard 29 to secure the throwboard rigidly in assembled relationship with brackets 9.

It will also be noted that brackets 9 form in effect T-shaped members having a leg comprised by first por tion 11 and a crosspiece comprised by second and

third portions

13 and 15.

Each bracket 9 is provided with a slot 31 therethrough which extends lengthwise and centrally of the strip comprising bracket 9 intermediate the length of the strip. One end 33 of slot 31 is disposed in first portion 11 a short distance from bend line 19. Slot 31 then continues throughout the entire length of second portion 13 and the contiguous portion of third portion 15 and terminates at its other end 35 in third portion 15 a short distance on the side of first portion 11 opposite second portion 13.

A conventional loose-leaf binder. ring 37 is disposed in part in slot 31. Ring 37 is made up of a pair of

half rings

39 and 41 interconnected at one pair of adjacent ends by a pivot pin 43 which extends therethrough and extends a substantial distance on each side thereof. At their opposite ends,

half rings

39 and 41 are releasably interconnectable by the usual grooves disposed in complementary interlocking ends 45 and 47, respectively. The assembly of half rings and pivot pin as shown in Figure 6 is an ordinary item of commerce and by itself forms no part of the novel subject matter of the present invention.

In assembled relationship, ring 37 is mounted on bracket 9 substantially coaxially of cross shaft 7. Pivot pin 43 is disposed within the bend of eye 21 and is of substantially the same length a the width of the strip comprising bracket 9 in this region and hence, pin 43 bridges slot 31 and terminates at its opposite ends at the opposite side edges of the strip comprising bracket 9. The adjacent end of half ring 39 is mounted on pivot pin 43, and a substantial distance from pin 43 half ring 39 is firmly secured between ends 33 and 35 of slot 31.

Thus, half ring 39 is firmly grasped at several pointsalong its length and is held rigid and immovable relative to bracket 9. On the other hand, half ring 41 is mounted at its adjacent end on pivot pin 43 for swinging movement between open and closed ring positions relative to half ring 39 and hence relative to bracket 9. The closed ring position is shown in Figure 2 and the open ring position is shown in Figure 3. During the course of assembly of pivot pin 43 within eye 21, pin 43 will ordinarily be grasped and held firmly against rotation relative to bracket 9 so that half ring 41 will swing relative to pivot pin 43; but it makes no difference whether pin 43 rotates with swinging movement of half ring 41 or whether it remains stationary at all times. Hence, when half ring 41 is described in thi application as mounted on the pivot pin for swinging movement, it is intended that either arrangement be included.

It will be noted that throwboard 29 is substantially,

tangential to ring 37 In this coextensive region, third portion 15' According to a suitable method of construction of a loose-leaf binder according to the present invention, a fiat strip of metal is stamped to form slot 31 and tabs 27 and the end opposite tabs 27 is bent over as at 17. Bend line 19 and eye 21 are formed, and an open ring assembly as shown in Figure 6 is slipped through slot 31 until pivot pin 43 seats in eye 21, whereupon tabs 23 are bent up around second portion 13 and clinched. Throwboard 29 may be added to bracket 9 at any convenient stage by impaling. it on tabs 27 which are then bent away from each other down onto the throwboard, but preferably this is done before ring 37 is added. Cross shaft 7 is then inserted through the bracket bearings at 17 and secured in the earsof stanchions 5 which in turn are secured to baseboard 3 as by riveting.

In use, with the throwboard in the open position of Figures 1, 2 and 3, half ring 41 is swung open to receive a plurality of punched sheets 49 through the holes thereof and then swung closed. When throwboard 29 is swung over to closed position, rings 37 turn with it through the holes of sheets 49, but since there is no tension on sheets 49 this rotary motion of ring 37 about the axisof cross shaft 7 imposes no substantial strain or wear on the sheets. Then, when it is desired to open the binder at some location intermediate the height of the stack of punched sheets, the throwboard and the upper sheets are grasped and turned back toward open position, whereupon the rings 37 turn with the throwboard and with the upper sheets. In thus handling the upper sheets, it is inevitable that they be pulled against rings 37, but since rings 37 turn with them, there is no undue strain or wear on the sheets which are turning. As before, the sheets which remain are unstressed and remain undamaged. Accordingly, it will be clear that with regard to the sheets which would ordinarily become damaged in handling, there is no substantial movement of these sheets relative to the rings which carry them, and hence, damage to any of the sheets carried by the binder is minimal.

In view of all of the foregoing, it will be obvious that the initially cited objects of the invention have been achieved.

Although the present invention has been described and illustrated in connection with preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that modifications and variations may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of thefirst leg being rotatably mounted at its free end on the.

cross shaft, a ring comprised of a pair of separable half rings mounted on the bracket adjacent the junction of said first and second-legs and substantially coaxial with the cross shaft, and. a throwboard mounted on the second bracket leg.

2. A loose-leaf binder as claimed in claim 1, one of the half rings being rigidly secured to the bracket and the other of the half-rings being swingable relative to the bracket.

3. A. loose-leaf binder comprising a baseboard, a cross shaft supported onand parallel to the baseboard, a T- shaped-bracket having a legand a crosspiece having a pair of free endsoneon each side of the leg, the leg being rotatably mounted at its free end on the cross shaft, a ring comprised of a pair of separable half rings carried by the bracket substantially coaxial with the cross shaft, a pivot pin mounted on one free end of the crosspiece, one half ring being mounted on the pivot pin for swinging movement between open and closedvring posi-s tions relative to the other half ring, and a throwboard mounted on the other free end of the crosspiece on the side of the leg opposite said one free end of the crosspiece.

4. A loose-leaf binder as claimed in claim 3, the other ring half being rigidly secured to the bracket.

5. A loose-leaf binder comprising a baseboard, a cross shaft supported on and parallel to the baseboard, a bracket comprising a strip having three portions along its length, the first portion being rotatably mounted at its free end on the cross shaft, the second portion extending at an angle away from the first portion, the third portion extending back along the second portion and terminating a substantial distance beyond the first portion on the side of the first portion opposite the second portion, the first and second portions having a first bend therebetween and the second and third portions having a second bend therebetween, the first and second bends being parallel to each other and to the cross shaft, a ring mounted on the bracket substantially coaxially of the cross shaft, the ring being comprised of a pair of half rings, a pivot pin mounted on the bracket within the second bend, one half ring being mounted on the pivot pin for swinging movement between open and closed ring positions relative to the other half ring, and a throwboard mounted on the free end of the third portion of the bracket.

6. A loose-leaf binder as claimed in claim 5, the other half ring being rigidly secured to the bracket.

7. A loose-leaf binder comprising a baseboard, a cross shaft supported on and parallel to the baseboard, a bracket having first and second legs disposed substantially at right angles to each other, the first leg being rotatably mounted at its free end on the cross shaft, a ring comprised of a pair of separable half rings mounted on the bracket adjacent the junction of said first and second legs and substantially coaxial with the cross shaft, the second bracket leg being elongated and disposed lengthwise in a direction parallel to a tangent of the ring, and a throw board mounted on the free end of the second bracket leg.

8. A loose-leaf binder as claimed in claim 7, one of the half rings being rigidly secured to the bracket and the other of the half rings being swingable relative to the bracket.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,299,276 Whitlock Apr. 1, 1919 1,441,140 Wirt Jan. 2, 1923 1,964,252 Dawson June 26, 1934 2,724,387 MacLean Nov. 22, 1955