This invention relates to a new flat ringless binder for filing papers in a book-like format and where papers can instantly be inserted or removed, as an improvement over a conventional ring-binder.
A principal object of the invention is to provide a new paper ring binder type binder that does not require any preliminary steps before a paper can be secured or removed from the binder.
Another object of the invention is to provide a substitute for a retaining ring assembly in a binder that does not require papers that must be modified for the binder, such as punched holes and will immediately receive a paper.
A particular object of the invention is to provide an adhesive binder that is flat and permits immediate placement of a paper in the file, and removal of a paper by merely lifting it out of the binder.
A further object of the invention is to also provide a flat ringless paper binder that is compact and less costly as well as easier to use and carry.
Another object is to provide a simple, fasten on contact, book-type binder, where the inserted pages can be turned as pages in a book.
Referring particularly to the drawings,
A flexible bending line 13 connects the front cover panel 12 to a narrow connecting panel 14 which is slightly wider than the projected width of the binders contents. A second bending line 15 connects the other side of the narrow connecting panel 12 to the back mounting panel 16. This is the typical binder cover, but is unique because the narrow connecting panel 14 is substantially thinner than a ringbinder connecting panel. There is no need of extra width to accommodate the retaining rings of a ring binder.
The adhesive fasteners are paper-thin preferably polypropylene or similar flexible plastic material (about 2 mil), to provide the essential flexibility as well as being narrow and add less, therefore, to the width of the connecting panel.
The adhesive binder, unlike a PRIOR ART ring binder, is thinner, flat, and book-like and can be stacked and carried easily, in contrast to the generally triangular cross section of a PRIOR ART ring binder. However, the most useful feature of the binder is the ability to directly insert or remove a paper. This is the advantage of the adhesive fastener binder over the conventional ring binder. There is no need to open and close the rings and any paper can be filed. The paper does not have to be hole-punched. Additionally, papers held with adhesive fasteners will not tear out, as papers often do with papers filed in a ring binder. Also, a multi-page document is filed as a unit and held by the last page, so that it can be filed and removed as a single page.
The previously filed paper 21 is supported by narrow adhesive fastener 31 and its thin approximately one-eighth inch wide medium tack adhesive strip 33. The adhesive strip 33 can be either directly coated on the adhesive fastener or it can be an adhesive coated tape laminated to the adhesive fastener 31. The fastener 31 is a thin 2 mil polypropylene, polyethylene, or acetate narrow fastener piece, which is about one inch wide and one and a half inch long allowing for rotatable page-like mounting.
The adhesive fastener packs 30 and 50 are the same. The adhesive fasteners are held together at their inner end by a double-sided permanent adhesive tape 45, preferably. The adhesive fastener 31, as shown in
Referring to
The adhesive fastener binder 10, with the turning of previously filed page 21, is immediately ready to receive the next paper to be added. There is nothing left to do, but to place the next paper 60 on the back mounting panel inner surface 18, with the paper inner edge section on the exposed thin medium tack adhesive strips of the adhesive fastener packs 30 and 50.
This illustrates the recognition of this invention, unrealized heretofore, that in a ring binder assembly, rings were not necessary because with an adhesive fastener assembly the paper can also be filed in a book-like cover binder assembly.
Now the previously filed page could act to separate the fasteners, and also move the non-adhereable surface 32 away from its alignment and coverage of the thin medium tack adhesive strip 43, on the uppermost unattached adhesive fastener 41.
With the combining of placing the medium tack adhesive on the top surface of the adhesive fastener that will engage the next paper to be filed, and its covering by the non-adhereable surface on the adjacent paper-attached adhesive fastener above it, the action of moving of its attached paper will bend its fastener back and up to separate the two adhesive fasteners and simultaneously uncovers the medium tack adhesive, for engagement with the next paper to be filed, as shown in
In this manner, both the need to separate the next fastener, to be used, and to remove a medium tack covering strip, are both accomplished with the turning of a page.
Preferably, a commercial coated tape is used. To assure adequate bending clearance, the inner edge 61a of placed paper 60 extends only slightly over the medium tack adhesive strip, and will not interfere with the bending section 44. The non-adherable surface 42 is aligned with, and is wider than, the medium tack adhesive strip 43.
Double-coated very high tack adhesive strips 45 hold the adhesive fasteners together. A similar strip holds the adhesive fastener packs in position on the inner surface 18 of the back mounting panel 16, adjacent to the second bending line 15 and the narrow connecting panel 14. Paper 60 after engaging the unattached adhesive fastener 41 of adhesive fastener pack 50, can be turned as a page in a book, and lie flat because of its short length binding section across the narrow adhesive fastener.
The adhesive fastener binder 100 has a rigid front cover panel 102 which has an interior mounting surface and a rigid back panel 104, both flexibly connected to a narrow connecting panel, not shown. The cover panel construction is the same as that shown in
The paper 120 is then placed in position on the front cover panel inner surface 103 with its inner side edge aligned with and adhered to the thin medium tack adhesive strips 108a and 110a of the two top adhesive fasteners of the adhesive fastener packs 108 and 110.
A very significant and distinct feature of this invention is also the simple manner of removing any one of the filed papers. The paper is simply lifted out of the binder by lifting the top edge of the paper near the fastener to peel the paper off its two adhesive fasteners.
A paper that has been removed from the binder, is reinserted at its prior place in the binder in the same manner as a newly filed paper. To expose the thin medium tack adhesive strips for the returned paper, the mounting panel must be positioned as the bottom panel.
With respect to the fastener 31 of the invention, the free end section beyond the medium tack adhesive strip 32 provides some stability to aid in separation of the fasteners, and if necessary, a pull tab for release of the fastener from a paper in the file.
With respect to the binder cover, the cover panels are preferably rigid panels. But this invention also can be used in a unitary, flexible binder cover.
These and other advantages apparent from the foregoing description and drawings are considered etc.
While this invention has been described as having a preferred design, it is understood that it is capable of further modifications, and uses and/or adaptations of the invention and following in general the principle of the invention and including such departures from the present disclosure as come within the known or customary practice in the art to which the invention pertains, and as may be applied to the central features hereinbefore set forth, and fall within the scope of the invention.
This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/395,311 filed Apr. 3, 2006, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,735,872, dated Jun. 15, 2010, which is incorporated herein by reference.
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Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
Parent | 11395311 | Apr 2006 | US |
Child | 12801550 | US |