WO2010061266A2

WO2010061266A2 - Binding element

Info

Publication number: WO2010061266A2
Application number: PCT/IB2009/007512
Authority: WO
Inventors: Guido Peleman
Original assignee: Unibind Limited
Priority date: 2008-11-27
Filing date: 2009-11-19
Publication date: 2010-06-03
Also published as: WO2010061266A3; BE1018377A5

Abstract

Binding element (1) composed of a binding back (2), whereby the binding back comprises at least a U-shaped metal back provided with a melting glue (4) on the inside for binding a bundle of leaves (11), and provided with a covering material on the outside which is fixed at least along the free longitudinal edges of the binding back by means of a layer of glue, whereby the layer of glue extends at least partly past the aforesaid free edges of the binding back and whereby the layer of glue (7) comprises a part which tapers slantingly inward so as to form a guide to introduce the bundle of leaves to be bound.

Description

Binding element .

The present invention concerns a binding element for binding a bundle of leaves .

Binding elements composed of a U-shaped metal back are already known, whereby a melting glue is provided on the inside of the back so as to fasten the bundle of leaves in the aforesaid back.

Such binding elements can be provided with a covering material on the outside of the metal back, fixed to the back by means of a double adhesive strip of glue or the like.

In the existing elements, a thin metal back is preferably used, among others because of the good heat-conducting properties and the excellent rigidity for the bound bundle.

A disadvantage is that the edges of this metal back are sharp, as a result of which the user may get hurt when putting the bundle of leaves to be bound in the back.

Another disadvantage is that when binding the leaves of the bundle, especially the outermost leaves may abut against the edges of the metal back, as a result of which they are not bound by the binding glue provided on the bottom of the back. Binding elements are also known whereby the covering material is fixed along one longitudinal edge on the outside of the metal element and is folded round a free edge of the metal element.

A disadvantage is that when folding back the covering material round the metal edge, the risk for the covering material to be damaged is considerable, as the edge is sharp .

When the covering material is made of textile, for example, the sharp edge may cause the fibres situated at the edge of the element to become worn and frayed.

When a paper coating layer is provided, this may result in the paper being torn as it is folded back.

The present invention aims to remedy one or several of the aforesaid and/or other disadvantages by providing a binding element which is mainly composed of a binding back, whereby the binding back comprises at least a U-shaped metal back provided with a melting glue on the inside for binding a bundle of leaves, and provided with a covering material on the outside which is fixed at least along the free longitudinal edges of the metal back by means of a layer of glue, whereby the layer of glue extends at least partly past the aforesaid free edges of the metal back, and whereby the layer of glue comprises a part which tapers slantingly inward so as to form a guide to introduce the bundle of leaves to be bound. A first advantage of such a binding element is that, as glue is present past the free edges of the metal back, the sharp edges of said free edges cannot damage the covering material or the bound leaves .

An additional advantage is that a very safe and user- friendly binding element is obtained, as the user cannot hurt himself to the sharp edges of the metal back, since the aforesaid edges are covered by the layer of glue.

Another advantage is that the covering material will adhere well to the metal back.

Yet another advantage is that the farthest leaves of the bundle are guided to the metal back thanks to the shape of the layer of glue and cannot get stuck on the edges of the back, such that when the melting glue is heated, all the leaves are well bound and the leaves are prevented from coming loose.

According to a preferred embodiment of a binding element in accordance with the invention, the covering material continues past the free edges of the metal back with a free part, and the layer of glue also continues on the inside of the free part of the covering material.

Such an embodiment is advantageous in that the part of the layer of glue extending past the aforesaid free edges of the metal back is also protected as such by the covering material and thus is little susceptible to being damaged or crumbling away or the like, such that the protection of the sharp free edges of the metal back is always guaranteed. .

According to an even more preferred embodiment of a binding element in accordance with the invention, the free part of the covering material additionally forms a hinge for an end leaf which is fixed to the covering material or forms a part of it.

Such an embodiment of a binding element in accordance with the invention is advantageous in that the covering material not only serves as a coating for the metal back, but also as a hinge for an end leaf.

This offers a major advantage in relation to the known binding elements, whereby the covering material is folded back over the free edges of the metal back, for example, after which a separate hinge needs to be provided on the covering material .

Indeed, as the free edges of the metal back are protected by a layer of glue, the covering material no longer needs to be folded back, which considerably simplifies the binding of a bundle of leaves.

In order to explain better the characteristics of the invention, the following preferred embodiments of a binding element according to the invention are described by way of example only without being limitative in any way, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: figure 1 schematically represents a preferred embodiment of a binding element according to the invention, seen in perspective; figure 2 shows a section according to line H-II in figure 1 ; figure 3 represents the section of figure 2 after a bundle of leaves has been bound with the binding element; and, figures 4 to 7 included also represent sections of alternative embodiments of a binding element according to the invention.

The binding element 1 as shown in figures 1 and 2 is mainly composed of a binding back 2 which is composed of a metal back profile 2 having a U-shaped cross section, whereby a melting glue 4 is provided on the inside 3 of the binding back 2 and whereby a covering material 6 is provided on the outside 5 of the binding back 2 by means of a layer of glue 7.

The U-shaped cross section 2 is further composed of two standing sides 8 and 9 which are connected by means of a bottom 10.

As is shown in figure 3, the binding back 2 is of course designed to serve as a back for a book or file or the like, whereby a bundle of leaves 11 is provided between the standing sides 8 and 9.

The bundle of leaves 11 is hereby bound in the binding back 2 by heating the melting glue 4 on the bottom 10 of the binding back 2, after the leaves 11 have been introduced, and by making it melt so as to make the glue 4 penetrate between the leaves 11, after which the leaves 11 are firmly fixed in the binding back 2 by cooling and solidifying the melting glue 4 again.

In order to adhere the covering material 6, the layer of glue 7 can be glued on the entire outer surface of the U- shaped binding back 2.

However, it is not excluded to apply this layer of glue 7 only on the aforesaid outer surface along the free edges 12 of the standing sides 8 and 9 of the binding back 2.

These things are already known as ^• such according to the present state of the art.

A first major characteristic of the invention, however, is that the layer of glue 7 on the binding element 1 for fixing the covering material 6 extends at least partly past the aforesaid free edges 12 of the standing sides 8 and 9 of the metal binding back 2.

Another characteristic of a binding element 1 according to the invention is that the layer of glue 7 comprises a part 13 which tapers slantingly inward so as to form a guide to introduce the bundle of leaves 11 to be bound.

It is clear that with such a binding element 1 in accordance with the invention with a layer of glue 7 extending past the free edges 12 and whereby the layer of glue 7 runs sharply towards an inner point, a bundle of leaves 11 may be provided in the binding back 2 without too much trouble, since the shape of the layer of glue 7 contributes to guiding the leaves 11 into the binding back 2.

In this way is made sure that all the leaves 11 can be guided neatly up to the bottom 10 of the binding back 2, such that they can all be firmly fixed by means of the melting glue 4, without exception.

The slantingly tapered part 13 of the layer of glue 7 moreover covers the free edges 12 which are usually very sharp, such that the outermost leaves 11 of a bundle are prevented from being damaged, as well as the covering material 6.

The risk for a person, for example a binder, to cut himself to these sharp free edges 12 is moreover very small, if not excluded, thanks to the presence of the glue part 13.

As is also the case in the example of figure 2, according to the invention, the covering material 6 preferably continues with a free part 14 past the free edges 12 of the metal back 2.

The layer of glue 7 hereby preferably also continues on the inside 15 of the free part 14 of the covering material 6.

Such an embodiment is advantageous in that the layer of glue 7 is not visible to anyone from the outside. Moreover, the covering material 6 protects the layer of glue 7, such that it cannot easily crumble away or come off or the like.

On the other hand, the wedge on the glue part 13 makes sure that the covering material 6 tends to come off the binding back 2 less easily than is the case with the known binding elements 1.

As is also shown in figure 2, such continuous free parts 14 of the covering material 6 can moreover be used to glue an end leaf 16 on with some glue 17, whereby the end leaf 16 can be provided on the inside of the parts 14 as in figure 2, as well as on the outside of the parts 14.

Again, the glue 17 on said free edges is not visible from the outside, which results in a finished look following the binding.

Further, according to the invention, the free part 14 of the covering material 6 forms a hinge for the end leaves 16, which are fixed to the covering material 6 or which, alternatively, simply form an integral part of it.

Naturally, the aim is to be able to fold open end leaves 16 many times and without much trouble and to fold them back so as to be able to leaf through the bundle of leaves 11.

To this end, the covering material 6 is best made at least partly, or at least on the free part 14 along the edges 12, of a flexible and/or easily pliable material, such as for example a thin plastic foil or the like.

On the other hand, the covering material 6 must be tough enough to avoid tearing or the like after the end leaves 16 have been repeatedly opened and closed.

In the given embodiment, the thickness of the layer of glue 7 in the part 13 decreases linearly in a direction away from the edges 12 of the binding back 2.

The slantingly tapered part 13 of the layer of glue 7 hereby has a length C which is smaller than the length C of the free part 14 of the covering material 6.

However, in alternative embodiments of the invention, it is not excluded for the layer of glue 7 to stop at the edges 18 on the covering material 6, or for the layer of glue 7 to still have a certain thickness at the aforesaid edges 18.

Although, in the given embodiment of the figures, the slantingly tapered part 13 forms a wedge, variants having other shapes , such as a conical shape or a more rounded shape and the like are not excluded, as long as the shape contributes to the leaves 11 being guided between the standing sides 8 and 9.

In order to obtain a good guide for the leaves 11 in the binding back 2, the part 13 of the layer of glue 7 which is slantingly tapered towards the inside according to the invention best covers the free edges 12 of the metal binding back 2, at least over a part of the length of the binding back 2, better still over the entire length of the binding back 2.

According to the invention, the layer of glue 7 for the covering material 6, as well as the melting glue 4, may be a heat-sensitive glue 7.

However, according to the invention, in order to avoid problems when binding, the melting point of the glue 7 should preferably be higher than the melting point of the melting glue 4 for binding, and preferably a lot higher.

It should be avoided anyway that the layer of glue 7 starts to melt as well while the melting glue 4 is being heated during the binding, as a result of which the coating layer 6 would come off the binding back 2 and the wedge-shaped part 13 of the layer of glue 7 could become distorted or could simply vanish.

Naturally, also other glues 7 than melting glues can be used, which glues 7 are not designed to be melted and of course are best not heat-sensitive or far less heat- sensitive than the aforesaid heat-sensitive glues 7.

Examples thereof are for example two-component glues, epoxy glues, cyanoacrylate glues or the like, having a melting temperature of preferably more than 14O⁰C. Glue on the basis of polyamide is appropriate. The manner in which a bundle of leaves 11 can be bound in a binding element 1 according to the invention is very simple and as follows .

The bundle of leaves 11 to be bound can be introduced as a loose bundle 11 between the free edges 14 of the covering material 6.

The outermost leaves of the bundle 11 are thereby guided by the sharp part 13 of the layer of glue 7 to the space between the standing sides 8 and 9 of the metal binding back 2.

As soon as the bundle 11 has been provided sufficiently far in the space, the leaves will make contact with the melting glue 4 on the bottom 10 of the metal binding back 2.

By heating the binding back 2 by means of the known techniques, the melting glue 4 melts, as a result of which the molten glue 4 can penetrate between the leaves 11 of the bundle, such that, after the melting glue 4 has been cooled down again, the leaves 11 are firmly fixed in the binding element 1.

Since the melting glue 4 has a lower melting point than the layer of glue 7 between the covering material 6 and the metal binding back 2 , the added heat during the binding can be restricted, thus excluding that the covering material 6 comes off the metal binding back 2. For clarity's sake, figures 4 to 7 represent a few other embodiments of a binding element 1 in accordance with the invention.

The embodiment of figure 4, for example, is entirely analogous to the preceding embodiment, save for the fact that the layer of glue 7 is only provided along the free edges 12 of the standing sides 8 and 9 of the binding back 2, indeed also on the outside 5.

The layer of glue 7 hereby has a sharp, tapered part 13 as well, covering the free edges 12 and forming a guide for the leaves 11 to be bound, such that the properties of such binding element are further entirely similar.

By the embodiment of figure 5 is made clear that the covering material 6 must not necessarily be provided with free parts 14 extending above the edges 12 of the binding back 2.

What is essential to the invention is that the layer of glue 7 is provided above said edges 12 and also provides for a guide for the leaves 11.

It is clear that the layer of glue 7 of figure 5 also meets these conditions, although in practice it may possibly lead to a somewhat less finished product.

Such an embodiment might for example be interesting in cheaper applications, whereby for example the first and last leaf 11 of the bundle serve as end leaves 16. Another way to nevertheless provide end leaves 16 to a binding element 1- according to the latter embodiment may consist, as is represented by means of the embodiment of figure 6, in gluing a separate hinge 20 on the outside of the covering material 6 by means of additional layers of glue 19, whereas an end leaf 16 can be glued on the inside of the hinge 20.

Finally, a variant of the embodiment of the invention is represented in figure 7, whereby the slantingly tapered part 13 of the layer of glue 7 continues over the longitudinal edges 12 of the metal binding back 2 and covers a part of the inside 3 of the standing walls 8 and 9 of the binding back 2.

In other variants of the embodiment, the aforesaid layer of glue 7 on the inside 3 may possibly reach up to the bottom 10 of the binding back 2 so as to obtain an optimal guide for the leaves 11 when binding.

Although, in the given embodiment, this part forms an extension of the slantingly tapered part 13, other variants are not excluded of course, whereby this part is made as a layer having a constant thickness or as a layer with an arbitrary shape.

The slantingly tapered part 13 may possibly be covered by a strip or a lining. The present invention is by no means restricted to the embodiments of a binding element 1 described by way of example and represented in the accompanying drawings; on the contrary, such a binding element 1 according to the invention can be made in all sorts of shapes and dimensions while still remaining within the scope of the invention.

Claims

Claims .

1.- Binding element (1) which is mainly composed of a binding back (2), whereby the binding back (2) comprises at least a U-shaped metal back provided with a melting glue (4) on the inside (3) for binding a bundle of leaves (11), and which is provided with a covering material (6) on the outside (5) which is fixed at least along the free longitudinal edges (12) of the binding back (2) by means of a layer of glue (7), characterised in that the layer of glue (7) extends at least partly past the aforesaid free edges (12) of the binding back (2), and in that the layer of glue (7) comprises a part (13) which tapers slantingly inward so as to form a guide to introduce the bundle of leaves (11) to be bound.

2.- Binding element (1) according to claim 1, characterised in that the covering material (6) continues with a. free part (14) past the free edges (12) of the metal binding back (2) and in that the layer of glue (7) continues on the inside (15) of the free part (14) of the covering material (6) .

3.- Binding element (1) according to claim 2, characterised in that the free part (14) forms a hinge for an end leaf (16) which is fixed to the covering material (6) or is a part of it.

4.- Binding element (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the covering material (6) is at least partly made of a flexible material .

5.- Binding element (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the inwardly slantingly tapered part (13) is wedge-shaped.

6.- Binding element (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the inwardly slantingly tapered part (13) covers the free edges (12) of the metal binding back (2) at least over a part of the length of the binding back (2) .

7.- Binding element (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the edges (12) of the binding back (2) are covered as the layer of glue (7) continues over the inside (3) of the binding back (2) .

8.- Binding element (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the layer of glue (7) for the covering material (6) consists of a heat- sensitive glue whose melting point is higher than the melting point of the melting glue (4) for binding.

9.- Binding element (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the layer of glue (7) for the covering material (6) is provided over the entire outside (5) of the binding back (2) .

10.- Binding element (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterised in that the layer of glue (7) for the covering material (6) is only provided on the free edges (12) of the binding back (2) .