US3032040A - Holder for loose leaf sheets - Google Patents

Description

May 1, 1962 A. w. WAKE MAN 3,032,040

HOLDER EOE LoosE LEAF SHEETS Filed Jan. 50, 1961 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 A7" TRNEY May 1, 1962 A. w. WAKl-:MAN 3,032,040

HOLDER FOR LOOSE LEAF SHEETS fi? f5 42 4 5 Z/ Z2 /0 ATTDRNEY' A. w. WAKEMAN 3,032,040

HOLDER FOR LOOSE LEAF SHETS May 1, 1962 O' Filed Jan. 30, 1961 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 United States Patent vOiitce 3,032,040 Patented May l, 1962 3,032,040 HOLDER FOR LOOSE LEAF SHEETS Alfred W. Wakeman, Durham, Conn., assignor to Acme Brief Case Co. Inc., Yonkers, N.Y., a corporation of New York Filed Jan. 30, 1961, Ser. No. 85,621 3 Claims. (Cl. 129-8) The present invention relates to a holder for loose leaf sheets, particularly of the type having positioning pins mounted upon a supporting base and engaged through punched holes in the margins of the sheets. An object of the invention is to provide a holder having improved means for retaining a stack of sheets upon the positioning pins, such means being in the form of auxiliary pins normally disposed in a transverse position at one side and contiguous to the outer ends of the positioning pins whereby the stack of sheets is normally retained in the holder, and which enables one or more sheets to be transferred from the stack to the auxiliary pins and individual sheets to be removed from the holder by slipping them from the top of the stack between the contiguous surfaces of the positioning and auxiliary pins. A further object is to provide a holder in which the auxiliary pins are carried by the movable closure of a container unit for pencils, pens, erasers and the like combined with the holder, whereby opening of the container closure moves the auxiliary pins out of retaining relation with the positioning pins.

Another object is to provide a holder in which the container unit is combined with a cover having hinge-dly connected front and back cover panels, and in which individual sheets may be removed while the cover panel is open and the container closure is closed with the auxiliary pins in their normal retaining relation to the positioning pins.

Other. objects and advantages will become apparent from a consideration of the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein a satisfactory embodiment of the invention is shown. However, it will be understood that the invention is not limited to the details disclosed but includes all such variations and modiiications as fall within the spirit of the invention and the scope of the appended claims.

In the drawings:

FIG. l is a top plan view of the holder according to one embodiment of the invention, shown in fully opened position;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the holder in the open position as seen in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of the holder in its position with the container closure closed and the front cover panel open and folded under the back cover panel;

FIG. 4 is a side elevational view showing the holder with the front cover panel in closed position;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view on an enlarged scale taken along the line 5-5 of FIG. 1, and showing in dot-anddash lines a stack of paper sheets in relation to the positioning pins;

FIG. 6 is a sectional view similar to FIG. 5, and showing the holder in the open position of FIG. 3, the dotand-dash lines showing the manner in which a paper sheet may be transferred from the positioning to the auxiliary pins, and also showing the manner in which a paper sheet may be removed from the holder;

FIG. 7 is a sectional view also similar to FIG. 5 and showing the holder in the closed position of FIG. 4;

FIG. 8 is a plan view on an enlarged scale of the closure part of the container unit;

FIG. 9 is a front elevation partially in longitudinal vertical section taken along the line 9-9 of FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is a plan view of the base part of the container unit; f

FIG. 11 is a front elevation of the base part;

FIG. 12 is a vertical transverse sectional view, on an enlarged scale, of the closure part taken along the line` 12-12 of FIG. 9;

FIG. 13 is a fragmentary rear elevation of the intermediate portion ofthe closure part;

FIG. 14 is a fragmentary bottom plan view of the intermediate portion of the closure part;

FIG. 15 is a transverse sectional view, on an enlarged scale, of the base part of the container unit taken along the line 15-15 of FIG. 11;

FIG. 16 is a transverse vertical sectional view showing the holder in the closed position as seen in FIG. 7, and taken along the center line of the holder indicated by the line 16-16 of FIG. l;

FIG. 17 is a sectional view similar to FIG. 16 of a modified form of the holder illustrated in FIGS. 18-23, and taken along the line 17-17 of FIG. 20;

FIG. 18 is a plan View of a modified form of the invention shown in fully opened position;

FIG. 19 is a plan view showing the front cover panel in open position and folded beneath the back cover panel;

FIG. 20 is a plan view showing the front cover panell closed; v Y

FIG. 2l is a fragmentary side elevation of the holder in the open position as seen along the line 21--21 in FIG. 18;

FIG. 22 is a fragmentary side elevation of the holder in open position as seen along the line 22-22 of FIG. 19, and showing in dot-and-dash lines the position of paper sheets upon the positioning and auxiliary pins, .and also showing in dot-and-dash lines a single sheet being removed from the holder; and

FIG. 23 is a fragmentary side elevation of the holder.

in the closed position as seen along the line 23--23 of FIG. 2o.

Referring to the drawings and more particularly-to, FIGS. 1-16, the embodiment of the invention illustrated therein is particularly adapted for holding loose-leaf sheets having pin-receiving holes along one side edge, and comprises relatively stiil back and front cover panels 10 and 11 and intermediate hinge panels 12 and 12a respectively connected to the back and front cover panels along hinge lines 13 and -14 and connected to each other along a hinge line 15. The cover and intermediate panels are preferably constructed in well-known manner of relatively stii fibre board panels enclosed in thin plastic sheets heat sealed around the peripheral edges and heat sealed along the hinge lines in the spaces between the respective cardboard or libre board sheets to thus provide an attractive waterproof articulated cover. Adjacent the edge of the back cover panel 10 there is secured the receptacle part 16 of the container unit, the closure part 17 being secured to the intermediate hinge panel 12 in relation to be moved between open and closed positions through hinge movement about the hinge line 13 as will presently more fully appear. v

The container unit parts are preferably formed of suitable molded plastic material. The receptacle part 16, shown in detail in FIGS. l0, ll and l5, comprises a horizontal base wall 18, transverse end walls 19-19 and longitudinal rearward and forward vertical side walls 20 and 21 providing an elongated receptacle for pencils, pens, erasers and the like. The base wall extends outwardly beyond the side wall 21 and is beveled along its outer edge as at 22 to provide a supporting surface for the punched margin of the stack of loose-leaf sheets 23 to be contained in the holder, and adjacent the outer edge there are provided a pair of vertical positioning pins 24-24 suitably 3 spaced to register with the holes 25 punched in the looseleaf sheets.

Apertured rivet-receiving bosses 26-26 are provided in the base wall 18 for securing the receptacle part to the back cover panel by means of rivets 27 as clearly shown in FIGS. 5 and 6.

The closure part 17 of the container unit, shown in detail in FIGS. 8, 9, 12, 13 and 14, comprises a longitudinal side wall 23 and a longitudinal top wall 29 disposed substantially at a right angle to the side wall 28, the side wall being provided with apertured rivet-receiving bosses 30-30 for securing the closure part to the intermediate cover panel 12 by means of rivets 31 as clearly shown in FIGS. 5 and 6.

At its forward edge the top wall 29 is provided with a bevel flange 32, the lower edge of which is adapted to seat upon the upper edge of the longitudinal wall 21 of the receptacle part in the closed position of the closure part as seen in FIGS. 6 and 7. Reinforcing end flanges 33-33 extend between the side wall 28 and the bevel flange 32, and in the closed position engage the inner sides of the end walls 19 of the receptacle part to restrain longitudinal displacement Vofthe closure part. The end walls 19 project rearwardly from the side wall 20, as at 34, a distance corresponding to the thickness of the side wall 2S of the closure part, so that in the closed position the end edges of the side wall 28 are concealed by the projecting portions 34 of the end walls 19.

The side wall 20 is of a height at its intermediate portion so that its upper edge 35 engages the under side of the top wall 29 of the closure part in the closed position, and thus in cooperation with the bevel flange 32 engaged with the upper edge of the wall 21 positions the closure part against vertical displacement. The upper edges 36 of the end portions of the wall 20 are downwardly offset and thus provide clearance spaces through which the end flanges 33 may pass as the closure part is moved between its open and closed positions. The longitudinal walls 20 and 21 are also provided with cutouts 37 in transverse line with the rivet-'receiving bosses 26 which facilitate engagement of a riveting tool during assembly of the holder, and also provide transversely opposed clearance spaces to enable the convenient grasping of a pencil or the like within the receptacle part. The wall 20 is also provided at its center portion with a clearance cutout 33 for the magnetic retaining means `carried by the closure part as the latter moves between its open and closed position, as will presently more fully appear.

At the forward edge of the top wall 29 of the closure part and in line with the pins 24 of the receptacle part there is provided a pair of forwardly projecting auxiliary pins 39-39 which, in the closed position of the closure part, tare horizontally disposed with their free ends in opposed transverse relation to the rearward sides of the upper end portions of the pins 24 with a slight space between the opposed surfaces for a purpose presently to more fully appear. `As clearly seen in FIG. 6 the pins 24 are each upwardly tapered and provided at their free ends with an upperend surface 40 radiused in a forwardly and downwardly inclined direction with its high side substantially in line with the upper side of the opposed transverse pin 39. The free end surfaces 41 of the pins 39 are inclined downwardly and inwardly and are slightly spaced from the opposed surfaces of the pins 24 in the closed position of the closure part.

As shown Vin dot-and-dash lines in FIGS. 5-7 the stack of loose-leaf sheets 23 is etfectually retained upon the pins 24 in the open position of the front cover panel 11, FIG. V6, well as in the closed position, FIG. 7. In the open position it is possible to slip out the top sheet by lifting it upon the pins 24 and turning it to a vertical position, the inclined upper ends 40 of the pins providing clearance to allow the holes 25 in the sheet to clear the pins, as indicatedat A, whereupon the sheet may be slipped upwardly between the opposedspaced surfaces of the transverse pins 39 and the positioning pins 24, as indicated at B. If it is desired to turn back one or more sheets without removing them from the holder, or if it is desired to remove one or more sheets from the interior of the stack, the selected top sheets may be transferred from the positioning pins to the transverse pins where they may be retained in a turned back position, as indicated at C. The desired sheets may then be removed and the turned back sheets transferred back to the pins 24. In the opened position of the closure part as seen in FIGS. 1, 2 and 5 the normally transverse pins 39 are disposed vertically and may support sheets at the opposite side of the holder from the stack as shown by the dot-and-dash lines in FIG. 5.

Magnetic catch means is provided 'for releasably retaining the closure part 17 in closed position. Centrally of the receptacle part 16 there is provided a rectangular pocket formation 42 at the inner side of the wall 21, the latter being inwardly offset at its intermediate portion as at 43 for a purpose presently to more fully appear. The pocket formation is open at its lower end and is provided in its top wall with spaced slots 44-44 within which are engaged the upper shouldered end portions of a pair of pole plates 45-45 between which there is sandwiched within the pocket a permanent magnet element 46 of Alnioo or the like, the magnet parts being retained in the assembled relation of the holder by the back cover panel 10 which closes the lower end of the pocket. The intermediate upper edge 43 of the wall 21 is beveled as at 47 and in the closed position of the closure part is engaged by the inner surface of the bevelange 32 of the closure part, as clearly shown in FIG. 16, and in cooperation with the engagement of the side wall 28 of the closure part with side wall 20 of the receptacle part positions the closure part against transverse displacement.

A rectangular armature plate 48 is carried by the closure part in position to contact the upper ends of the magnetic pole plates 45 in the closed position of the cover to thus releasably retain the parts closed. While the armature plate may be riveted or otherwise suitably secured to the under side of the top wall 29, it is preferably assembled by means of interlocking formation provided upon the closure part. As clearly seen in FIGS. 8, 9, l2, 13 and 14 a longitudinal slot 49 is provided in the side wall 28 adjacent its upper edge through which the armature plate may be laterally slid into place to be engaged at its side edges by positioning ribs SI1- 50 having spacer shoulders 51-51 engaging the upper side of the plate and to be supported at its under side upon a ledge 52 provided upon the inner side of the wall 28 ilu'sh with the under side of the slot 49 and a ledge 53 provided in an intermediate handle portion 54 of the bevel flange 32. Centrally of the upper side of the slot 47 there is provided a retaining lug 55 which yields upwardly through the flexibility of the plastic materia] to allow the armature plate to be slipped into place and which projects over its rearward edge in the assembled position to thus retain it in place.

The handle portion 54 projects forwardly from the bevel flange and its upper surface is suitably flattened so that the ngers may be conveniently gripped therewith to lift the closure Vpart to separate the armature plate from the pole plates of the magnet, the inwardly offset wall portion 43 providing a clearance space to facilitate this operation.

In operation, the closure part 17 is moved to its open position as seen in FIGS. 1 and 2 by first exerting lifting force upon the handle portion 54 to separate the armature of the magnetic catch from the pole plates. In the open position the auxiliary pins 39 are vertically disposed, with the front cover panel 11 either extended at the opposite side from the back cover panel 10, as shown, or folded Vbeneath the back cover panel. In the open position of the closure part access may be had to pencils, pens, erasers or the like contained in the receptacle part and 4loose leaves may if desired be transferred from the stack upon the positioning pins 24 to the vertically disposed auxiliary pins 39 as shown in FIG. 5. In the closed position of the closure part as seen in FIGS. 3 and 6, with the front cover panel 11 either folded beneath the back cover panel 10, as shown, or .extended to one side, the top sheets of the stack positioned upon the pins 24 may be transferred to the auxiliary pins 39 or removed through the space between the positioning and auxiliary pins. In the closed position as seen in FIGS. 4 and 7 the front cover panel 11 cooperates with the auxiliary pins to retain the stacked sheets upon the positioning pins in any position in which the holder may be carried, for instance, in a sidewise or upside down position, the cover 11 retaining the sheets upon the stack so that they will not slip upon the positioning pins 48 beyond the under side of the auxiliary pins 39.

In FIGS. 17-23 there is illustrated a modification of the invention particularly adapted for holding looseleaf sheets having pin-receiving holes along the top edge. It comprises back and front cover panels and 11 and intermediate hinge panels 12, 12a, 12b and 12C connected to the back and front cover panels along hinge lines 13 and 14 and to each other along hinge lines 15. The receptacle part 16a and the closure part 17a are generally similar to the receptacle and closure parts 16 and 17 of the iirst embodiment, except for certain alterations adapting these parts to the altered cover arrangement employing the four hinge panels as distinguished from the two hinge panels of the first embodiment.

The receptacle part 16a is secured to the back cover panel 10 adjacent the hinge line 12 in similar manner to the first embodiment and is identical therewith except that the closure clearance cutout 38 of the side wall 20' is dispensed with, and the side wall 20a is of such height throughout its length that its top edge 35a provides a seat for the lower edge of the side wall of the closure part, as will presently more fully appear. Also, the projecting flange portions 34 of the end walls 19 are dispensed with, the end walls 19a being flush at their rearward edges with the rearward surface of the side wall 20a.

The closure part 17a is substantially identical to the closure part 17 of the first embodiment, except that the side Wall 28a is shorter than the side wall 28 so that its lower edge is ush with the lower edges of the end walls 33 and the apertured rivet-receiving bosses 30-30 are provided in the top wall 29 for securing the closure part by rivets 31-31 to the second hinge panel 12a, as distinguished from the first embodiment where the side wall 28 of the closure part is secured to the rst hinge panel 12.

In view of the arrangement of the side wall 28a with its lower edge in ush relation with the under side of the armature plate 48 the retaining means for the armature plate is also modified. Instead of the slot 49 the side wall 28 is provided with a notch 49a open at its lower side and having the retaining lug 55 at its upper side which yields upwardly through flexing of the top wall 29 during insertion of the armature plate. Instead of the supporting ledge 52 there are provided upon the ribs 50-50 inwardly extending lugs 52a-52a engaged with the under side of the armature plate, these lugs being of such length, as clearly shown in FIG. 17, that in the closed position of the closure part their ends engage the side wall Ztla of the receptacle part 16a and the side wall of the pocket formation 42 to thus restrain transverse displacement of the closure part.

The operation is substantially like that of the first embodiment except that in the open position of the closure part as seen in FIGS. 18 and 2l the auxiliary pins 39 are disposed horizontally instead of vertically as in the rst embodiment.

What is claimed is:

l. In a holder for stacked sheets having a plurality of longitudinally spaced holes adjacent one edge, a cover comprising back and front cover panels and hinge panel means hingedly connected between the inner edges of said back and front cover panels, a receptacle part comprising a horizontal base wall secured to said back cover panel adjacent its hinged edge, a pair of vertical end walls and forward and rearward vertical side walls carried by said base wall and defining with said base wall a receptacle open at its upper side, said forward side wall being rearwardly spaced from the forward edge of said base wall, and a plurality of vertical hole-engaging positioning pins carried by said base wall in spaced relation along a line parallel to and in forwardly spaced relation to said forward side wall having free ends for entry into the holes of said stacked sheets, a closure part comprising wall means secured to said hinge panel means for movement between an open position outwardly of said hinged edge of said back cover panel and a closed horizontal position overlying said receptacle with its forward edge seated upon the upper edge of said forward side wall of said receptacle part in rearwardly spaced relation to said positioning pins, and a plurality of auxiliary holeengaging retaining pins rigidly carried by said wall means in spaced relation along and projecting from its forward edge having free ends for entry into the holes of said stacked sheets, and which in said closed horizontal position are horizontally disposed with their upper sides in substantial alignment with the free ends of said positioning pins and with their free ends in opposed relation to the rearward sides of said positioning pins, whereby the top sheet of stacked sheets positioned on said positioning pins may be transferred to said auxiliary pins, the lengths of said retaining pins being such that in said closed position their free ends are spaced from the rearward sides of said positioning pins to provide vertical spaces sufiicient to allow the top sheet of said stacked sheets to be removed by slipping through said spaces, and catch means cooperatively carried by said receptacle and closure parts for releasably retaining said closure part in closed position.

2. In a holder for stacked sheets having a plurality of longitudinally spaced holes adjacent one edge, a cover comprising back and front cover panels and hinge panel means hingedly connected between the inner edges of said back and front cover panels, said hinge panel means cornprising a hinge panel adjacent said back cover panel adapted in one position to lie in a plane at right angles to said back cover panel and in another position to lie in thesame plane with said back cover panel, a receptacle part comprising a horizontal base wall secured to said back cover panel adjacent its hinged edge, a pair of vertical end walls and forward and rearward vertical side walls carried by said base wall land defining with said base wall a receptacle open at its upper side, said forward side wall being rearwardly spaced from the forward edge of said base wall, and a plurality of vertical hole-engaging positioning pins carried by said base wall in spaced relation along a line parallel to and in forwardly spaced relation to said forward side wall having free ends for entry into the holes of said stacked sheets, a closure part comprising a side wall secured to said hinge panel in parallel relation thereto and a top wall substantially at right angles to said side wall, said top wall adapted in said one position of said hinge panel to assume a closed horizontal position overlying said receptacle with its forward edge seated upon the upper edge of said forward side wall of said receptacle part in rearwardly spaced relation to said positioning pins, and a plurality of auxiliary holeengaging retaining pins rigidly carried by said top wall in spaced relation along and projecting from its forward edge having free ends for entry into the holes of said stacked sheets, and which in said closed horizontal position are horizontally disposed with their upper sides in substantial alignment with the free ends of said positioning pins and with their free ends in opposed relation. to the rearward sides of said positioning pins, whereby the top sheet of stacked sheets positioned on said positioning pins may be transferred to said auxiliary pins, the

lengths of said retaining pins being such that in said closed position their free ends are spaced from the rearward side surfaces of said positioning pins to provide vertical spaces suflicient to allow the top sheet of said stacked sheets to be removed by slipping through said spaces, and catch means cooperatively carried by said receptacle and closure parts for releasably retaining said closure part in closed position.

3. In a holder for stacked sheets having a plurality of longitudinally spaced holes adjacent one edge, a cover comprising back and front cover panels and hinge panels means hingedly connected between the inner edges of said back and front cover panels, said hinge panel means comprising a first hinge panel adjacent said back cover panel and a second hinge panel adjacent said first hinge panel, a receptacle part comprising a horizontal base Wall secured to said back cover panel adjacent its hinged edge, a pair of vertical end Walls and forward and rearward vertical side walls carried by said base Wall and defining with said base wall a receptacle open at its upper side, said forward side wall being rearwardly spaced from the forward edge of vsaid base wall, and a plurality of vertical hole-engaging positioning pins carried by said base wall in spaced relation along a line parallel to and in forwardly spaced relation to said forward side wall having free ends for entry into the holes of said stacked sheets, a closure part comprising a top wall secured to -said second hinge panel for movement between an open position outwardly of said hinged edge of said back cover panel and a closed horizontal position overlying said receptacle with its forward edge seated upon the upper edge of said forward side wall of said receptacle part in rearwardly spaced relation to said positioning pins, and

ing pins, whereby the ytop sheet of stacked sheets positioned on said positioning pins may be transferred to said auxiliary pins, the lengths of said retaining pins being such that in said closed position their free ends are spaced from the rearward sides of said positioning pin to provide vertical spaces sufficient to allow the top sheet of s said stacked sheets to be removed by slipping through said spaces, and catch means cooperatively carried by said receptacle and closure parts for releasably retaining said closure part in closed position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS McCormick June 14, 1904 Osteen Sept. 27, 1960

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