WO2011048402A2

WO2011048402A2 - Ring binder

Info

Publication number: WO2011048402A2
Application number: PCT/GB2010/051694
Authority: WO
Inventors: Thomas Simon Corbishley
Original assignee: Thomas Simon Corbishley
Priority date: 2009-10-23
Filing date: 2010-10-08
Publication date: 2011-04-28
Also published as: GB2474682A; CN102596584A; GB0918595D0; WO2011048402A3; GB2474682B; BR112012009516A2

Abstract

A binder (1) for binding sheets having holes therein, the binder (1) comprising a sheet of material arranged to be bent so as to form a front panel (4) and a rear panel (6), at least one binder strip (7) extending from said sheet at a respective first position (10), an individual head (8) provided at the free end of the or each strip, an aperture (11) associated with the or each strip for permitting the or each head to be passed from one surface of the sheet to another surface of the sheet at a respective second position and means for securing the or each head in position after it has been passed from said one surface to said other surface, wherein the width of the or each head as it passes through a respective aperture (11) is no wider than that portion of the respective strip (7) which in use extends through the respective aperture and holes of sheets to be bound by the binder (1).

Description

Ring Binder

The present invention relates to a ring binder and particularly, but not exclusively, to a ring binder of the type as disclosed in UK Patent Application, publication number GB 2 222 113A.

The ring binder disclosed in GB 2 222 113A comprises a single sheet of material, such as polypropylene, with creases or score lines that define a front panel, a spine and a rear panel. The sheet is stamped to cut out at least two binder strips from the rear panel, with each strip having one end joined to the spine at a first position and a shaped head on the opposite free end. Apertures are also stamped in the spine portion at respective second positions, adjacent each strip. Each strip can then be raised from the back panel, to enable sheets to be bound in the binder to be threaded on the strips, before the strips are inserted through the respective apertures in the spine portion to form a ring. The sheets are then retained on the ring formed by the strip, with one end of the ring secured to the spine and with the other end of the strip passing through the spine. Each strip is then locked in place by the head of each strip being passed back through the slot in the rear panel from which the strip was cut, where the head is then retained in place by having a width greater than the slot. A ring binder of the type disclosed in GB 2 222 113 A, is particularly suitable for sending by post, as it may be sent completely flat as a pre-cut sheet. Thus it finds particular application for binding notes of publications sent out to individuals as a number of instalments because the binder, which is both relatively cheap to produce and post, can be sent out with the first instalment and then the recipient can subsequently insert further instalments as they are received.

The present inventor has observed that the binder disclosed in GB 2 222 113A has a head with a greater width than the strip and thus the slot. Because the maximum width of the head can not be greater than the diameter of holes in the sheets to be secured, which the binder manufacturer often has no control over and which are typically 5.5mm, the strip has a smaller width than the head, typically 3mm. Also the aperture in the spine through which the head and strip pass must also have a width at least equal to the width of the head, in order to permit the head to pass through. This results in the strip being narrow relative to the width of both the holes in the sheets and the aperture by which it is retained in position in the spine. It has been realised by the present inventor that this results in the straps having a limited lateral stability in both the spine and the sheets and that this is the reason why such binders are typically only suitable for slim ring binder applications (typically 10 to 15 mm capacity). According to the present invention there is provided a binder for binding sheets having holes therein, the binder comprising: a sheet of material arranged to be bent so as to form a front panel and a rear panel; at least one binder strip extending from said sheet at a respective first position; a shaped head provided at the free end of the or each strip; an aperture associated with the or each strip for permitting the or each head to be passed from one surface of the sheet to another surface of the sheet at a respective second position; and means for securing the or each head in position after it has been passed from said one surface to said other surface, characterised in that the width of the or each head as it passes through a respective aperture is no wider than the portion of the associated strip which in use forms a ring in the binder and extends through the associated aperture.

By employing the present invention, the width of the portion of the strip which, in use, forms a ring in the binder and extends through the associated aperture may be equal to, or only slightly less than, the width of the aperture and the holes in the sheets. This greatly increases lateral stability and enables the binder to be used for binding applications in excess of 10 to 15 mm capacity. The strip may be 0.8 times the width of the associated aperture but is preferably at least 0.9 times the width of the aperture. The width of each strip is preferably between 4.5 mm and 5.5 mm and thus will pass through the standard 5.5mm hole often used on punched sheets. Advantageously, the respective first and second positions associated with the or each strip lie in a common plane (typically on the spine), when the front panel and rear panels are closed together. This avoids stresses being generated in the binder as the front and rear panels are opened and closed. Advantageously, the or each strip and its associated head are cut from said material to leave respective slots, with the first position located adjacent one end of the slot, whereby the head and strip pass through a respective aperture to enable the head to engage with edges of the slot which provides said securing means. In this manner the ring formed by the strip is retained in place at the end adjacent the aperture, both by passing through the aperture and also, due to the stiffness of the strip, by the strip being anchored in place by the head engaging with the edges of the slot. This provides a particularly stable ring structure

In accordance with one embodiment of the invention, the head of the or each strip is the same width as the strip and is defined by notches cut into the strip towards it free end, wherein the end of the associated slot adjacent the first position is narrower than the remainder of the slot and whereby the head can be passed through the slot and drawn back towards the first position, so that the narrow portion of the slot engages with the notches to retain the head in position. In this embodiment, the portion of the associated strip which in use forms a ring in the binder and extends through the associated aperture, can be as wide as the head and thus as wide as the holes in the sheets to be retained in place in the binder and the aperture. Therefore the strip may fit tightly in the aperture and provide lateral stability, as previously described. However, by having a very short narrow portion of strip immediately adjacent the first position, the corresponding portion of the associated slot also has a narrow portion to engage the notches and retain the head in place.

To assist in undoing the ring binder, to add or remove sheets, it may be desirable to have a head portion with a significant length (tail) to enable a person to easily grasp the head portion to pull it away from the first position to undo the ring binder. However, a long tail, which is no wider than the slot, may protrude through the slot in an unsightly manner when the binder is closed. It is therefore preferable that each head in accordance with this embodiment has a curved tail portion so that when the notches are engaged in the narrow portion of the slot, the tail portion of the head is not in alignment with the slot and is thus prevented from protruding through the respective slot.

In accordance with an alternative embodiment of the present invention, the or each head is preferably arranged to be manually deformed for passage through the aperture. In this manner, the head may have a natural shape wider than the width of the aperture but may be readily deformed to pass through the aperture. The head may thus be wider than the strip but the width or the strip may still be approximately equal to the width of the aperture.

In one particularly advantageous embodiment the or each head comprises a pair of wings extending from the or each respective strip, wherein each wing is no wider than the associated aperture, so that the wings may be folded together to enable the head to be passed through the aperture.

Advantageously, the or each head is in the form of two wings extending in a V- shape, with the strip joined to the base of the V of the head by a living hinge, the living hinge being arranged to permit the head, when passed through the slot, to be folded back over on the strip, such that the V-shaped head straddles and tucks under that portion of the strip adjacent the first position. This creates a neat lock at the base of the strip, which provides security by effectively locking the ring of the binder, formed by the strip, in a closed position. The living hinge may be in the form of a crease in the strip at the base of the head or near to the base of the head.

In a preferred embodiment the sheet of material is arranged to be bent so as to form a central spine between the front and rear panels, each strip is arranged for binding sheets to the binder, the respective first and second positions are located on the spine, and the apertures are formed in the spine at said second position. Two embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which:

Figure 1 is a plan view of a binder in accordance with the present invention;

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the binder of Figure 1 showing one of the strips in a raised position;

Figure 3 is a side elevation of the binder shown in Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a perspective view of the binder of Figure 1 showing the head in a folded position;

Figure 5 is a side elevation of Figure 4;

Figures 6 is a perspective view showing the head passing through aperture to form a ring binder;

Figure 7 is a side elevation of Figure 6;

Figure 8 is a perspective view showing the head emerging through the slot;

Figure 9 is a side elevation of Figure 8;

Figure 10 is a perspective view of the binder of Figure 2 showing a strip forming a ring in a locked position;

Figure 11 is a side elevation of Figure 10;

Figure 12 is a perspective view of the outside of the binder of Figure 1 when in a closed position with the strip as shown in Figure 10;

Figure 13 is a plan view of an alternative embodiment of binder in accordance with the present invention in an open position;

Figure 14 is a perspective view of the binder of Figure 13 showing one strip formed into a ring and in a locked position;

Figure 15 is a perspective view of the outside of the binder of Figure 13 when in a closed position with the strip as shown in Figure 14.

Referring now to Figure 1, a binder 1 is shown formed of a cut sheet of

polypropylene into which creases 2 and 3 have been impressed to form a front panel 4, a spine 5 and rear panel 6. The sheet has also been cut to form four strips 7, each having a corresponding head 8. Each head 8 is joined to a strip 7 by a flexible living hinge 9, each formed by a compression line in the sheet. Each strip 7 is joined to the spine 5 at positions 10. Adjacent to each of these positions is a respective aperture 11 cut out of the sheet. The aperture 11 has the same maximum width as the width of strip 7 so that strip 7 can pass through it.

Referring to Figures 2 and 3, there is shown one strip 7 in a raised position, leaving a corresponding slot 12 in the rear panel. The strip 7 has, at a distal end, a head 8 attached thereto, the head being in the form of two wings arranged in a V-shape. As illustrated in Figures 4 and 5, these can be pressed together, (between finger and thumb), such that the diameter of the head 8, folded as shown in Figures 4 and 5, is the same as the diameter of the strip 7 and the aperture 11, typically 5.5 mm. In the folded position shown in Figures 4 and 5, the head can be threaded through standard punched holes in pages (not shown) to be bound in the binder 1. The head 8 can then be passed through the aperture 11 shown in Figures 6 and 7, with the strip 7 drawn through the same aperture 11. The head 8 is then passed through the slot 12 in the rear panel 6, shown in Figures 6 and 9 where, once released, the wings of the head 8 adopt their natural planer V-shape.

As show in Figures 10 and 11, the head 8 can then be folded, at living hinge 9, back on itself so that wings of the head 8, as most clearly shown in Figure 10, straddle the strip 7 where it joins the spine at the first positionlO. The head 8 can now be tucked under the strip 7 to lock the strip 7, as shown.

With the binder in the position shown in Figure 7, the ring, formed by the strip 7, to which pages are secured is itself secured in the binder 1 at the first position 10 and the second position 11, where it passes through the aperture. In addition the planar nature of the strip, which is relatively stiff, anchored at the slot 12 also provides rigidity to the ring formed by the strip 7, because it resists any turning motion in the aperture 11 and acts to maintain the circular form of the ring by causing the strip to exit the aperture 11 in a similar angular plane to that of the spine 5.

The strip 7 is secured at the first position 10 and the second position (aperture) 11 and these are both on the spine 5. This reduces stresses on the strip that may otherwise be caused by opening and closing of the binder. Furthermore, it is seen from Figures 10 and 11 that the arrangement is particularly "tidy" with the head 8 being neatly tucked up against the inside of the spine, while permitting the wings of the head 8 to be easily accessed to enable the head to be drawn back from its locked position and released and, threaded back through the slot 12 and aperture 11 to enable further pages to be added to the ring before again being secured in the manner shown in Figures 10 and 11. The binder in the closed position is as illustrated in Figure 12, where the head (shown in broken line) is in the locked position as shown in Figure 10. An alternative embodiment of the present invention is described below with reference to Figures 13 and 14.

Figure 13 shows an embodiment where the strap 7 has a head 8 attached thereto which head has a curved tail portion. Between the strip 7 and head 8 are two notches 13 protruding in from the sides of the strip. The head 8 and strip 7 are the same width as aperture 11, except for a portion 14 immediately adjacent the position 10, where the strip is joined to the spine 5. The portion 14 has a narrower width substantially equal to the reduced width of the strip 7 between the notches 13. In use, the embodiment illustrated in Figures 13 and 14 is secured in a similar manner to that previously described with reference to Figures 1 to 12. The head 8 is threaded through sheets to be secured in the binder 1 before being passed through aperture 11 and slot 12 (left by removal of the strip 7 and the head 8 from the rear panel 6). The portion of the strip 7 with the notches 13 in it, see Figure 14, is then drawn back towards the first position 10, until the notches 13 engage with the narrow portion 14 of the strip 7 to retain the head in place. The head portion 8 then provides for easy release of the binder 1 by having an extended tail which can be pulled to release the notches 13 from the narrow portion 14. The tail portion of the head 8 could be straight but this is not preferred as the head 8 could then protrude through the slot 12. Therefore, in the embodiment illustrated in Figures 13 and 14, the head 8 has a curved tail portion such that the end of the tail acts to prevent the head protruding through the slot 12.

The binder in the closed position is as illustrated in Figure 15 with the head (shown in broken line) in the locked position, as shown in Figure 14.

The embodiments described above with reference to the accompanying drawings have been described by way of example only. Various alternative embodiments will be evident to a person skilled in the art, which embodiments fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A binder for binding sheets having holes therein, the binder comprising a sheet of material arranged to be bent so as to form a front panel and a rear panel, at least one strip extending from said sheet at a respective first position, a head provided at the free end of the or each strip, an aperture associated with the or each strip for permitting the or each head to be passed from one surface of the sheet to another surface of the sheet at a respective second position and means for securing the or each head in position after it has been passed from said one surface to said other surface, characterised in that the width of the or each head as it passes through a respective aperture is arranged to be no wider than the portion of the associated strip which, in use, forms a ring in the binder and extends through the associated aperture.

2. A binder as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the or each strip has a width of at least 0.9 times the width of the aperture associated with that strip.

3. A binder as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the width of the or each strip is between 4.5 mm and 5.5 mm.

4. A binder as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein said respective first position and said respective second position associated with the or each strip lie in a common plane when the front panel and rear panels are closed together.

5. A binder as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the or each strip and its associated head are cut from said material to leave respective slots, with the first position located adjacent one end of the slot, whereby the head and strip may pass through a respective aperture to enable the head to engage with edges of the slot which provide said securing means.

6. A binder as claimed in Claim 5 wherein the head of the or each strip is the same width as the strip and defined by notches cut into the strip towards its free end, wherein the end of the associated slot adjacent the first position is narrower than the remainder of the slot and whereby the head can be passed through the slot and drawn back down towards the first position, where the narrow portion of the slot engages the notches of the head to retain the head in position.

7. A binder as claimed in Claim 6 wherein the or each head has a curved tail portion so that when the notches are engaged in the narrow portion of the slot, the tail portion of the head is not in alignment with the slot and thus, in normal use, the tail portion is prevented from protruding through the slot.

8. A binder as claimed in Claim 5 wherein the or each head is arranged to be manually deformed for passage through the aperture.

9. A binder as claimed in claim 8 wherein the or each head comprises a pair of wings extending from the respective strip, each wing is less than or equal to the width of the aperture and the wings are arranged to be folded together to permit the head to pass through the aperture.

10. A binder as claimed in Claim 9 wherein the or each head is in the form of two wings extending in a V- shape with the strip joined to the base of the V of the head by a living hinge, the living hinge being arranged to permit the head, when passed through the slot, to be folded back over on the strip, such that the V-shaped head straddles and tucks under that portion of the strip adjacent the first position.

11. A binder as claimed in any preceding claim, having at least two strips arranged for binding the sheets to the binder.

12. A binder as claimed in Claim 11, wherein the sheet of material is arranged to be bent so as to form a central spine between the front and rear panels, each strip is arranged for binding sheets to the binder, the respective first and second positions are located spine and the apertures are formed in the spine at said second position.

13. A binder as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the sheet of material is polypropylene.