1. Field of the Invention
The present intervention relates to a document filing case, and more particularly to a document filing case with an externally mounted sliding cover.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A conventional document filing case or folder normally comprises a filing case body having front and back panels, a bottom, opposing side panels, and a cover. Divider panels having labeling tabs are located within the filing case body and serve to divide the interior of the filing case body into a plurality of pockets into which documents are sorted and placed by the user. Most document filing cases have a cover which is often a cover flap projecting upwardly from the back panel of the filing case body. The cover typically has a hinged connection to the back panel and may be rotated about this connection to an open position in which the contents of the filing case are exposed, and alternatively to a closed position in which the cover flap overwraps at least a portion of the front panel to enclose the contents of the document filing case. Typically, the side panels of the filing case body are pleated and fold in accordion fashion to allow the front panel to be pulled out away from the back panel, thereby drawing the mouths of the pockets open, or folded back to compress the dividers and front panel onto the back panel, thereby collapsing the pockets.
With this conventional construction, the fabrication of the filing case may be quite economical by simply forming the folder cover as an extension of the back panel. That is, the back panel and the folder cover are simply two+parts of a single sheet of stiff material, folded to delineate the back panel from the folder cover.
One problem with this type of construction, however, is that the folder cover often tends to rotate downwardly and forwardly toward the front panel, even when a user is trying to open the cover to access documents from the folder pockets. The cover thereby interferes with the accessing of documents from the filing case. The user is forced to either push back and hold back the cover with one hand, or force the cover all the way back and restrain it from opening by lying the filing case on its back with the cover folded underneath. If this is done it becomes difficult to examine the contents of the folder due to the awkward position in which the folder is lying. Also, frequent excessive bending of the cover hinge is likely to lead to a fatigue fracture at the hinge connection between the cover flap and the back panel. This reduces the service life of the document filing case. In addition, the need to constrain the cover from interfering with accessing the document pockets is inconvenient and annoying.
One primary object of the present invention is to provide a document filing case with a cover that can be temporarily stored easily and conveniently so as not to interfere with access to the document pockets. The cover, while remaining attached to the filing case body, can be slid conveniently into a storage position in face-to-face contact with the exterior surface of the filing case back panel where it does not interfere with access to the filing case interior, irrespective of the position of the filing case. That is, the filing case cover slides into a storage position directly against the back panel, thereby fully exposing the open top of the filing case body.
A further object of the invention is to provide a filing case cover that can be moved into a storage position, while still remaining attached to the filing case body, and without undue flexing and fatigue stress on the hinge connection between the filing case cover and the back panel of the filing case body.
Another object of the invention is to provide a document filing case with a storable filing case cover that remains attached to the filing case body so that it cannot be misplaced.
A further object of the invention is to temporarily secure the filing case cover in a storage position where it will not flop out behind the back panel, yet where it remains in face-to-face contact with the exterior surface thereof in its storage position.
According to the present invention all of these objectives, and others, are achieved while still maintaining considerable economy of fabrication of a basic office supply item that is used in considerable quantities.
In one broad aspect the present intervention may be considered to be a document filing case comprised of a filing case body having a back panel, and a filing case cover attached to the back panel in sliding engagement with the exterior surface thereof by means of a track and track follower arrangement.
The filing case body has an interior enclosure and an exterior bounded by front and back panels, a bottom, and opposing side panels. The enclosure has an open top and a closed bottom. The front and back panels each have a top, a bottom and opposing side edges. The side panels extend between the opposing side edges of the front and back panels. The filing case cover is located entirely on the exterior of the filing case body. The filing case cover has a closure flap for extending entirely across the open top of the filing case body, and a mounting or connecting flap secured by an articulated hinge connection to the closure flap.
The back panel of the filing case body defines at least one track situated between the top and bottom of the back panel. A track follower is secured to the mounting or connecting flap and is engaged in a track. The track follower is movable toward the bottom of the track as the closure flap is withdrawn from the open top of the filing case body. The track follower is also movable toward the top of the track when the closure flap is drawn away from the back panel to completely cover the open top of the filing case body.
In another broad aspect the invention may be considered to be an improvement to a document filing case having a filing case body with front and back panels, each having an interior and an exterior surface, and opposing side panels extending between the front and back panels. The front and back panels both have bottom edges joined together and opposing top edges. The bottom edges may be coupled directly together, or to each other by means of an intervening filing case floor. With either construction a closed bottom to the filing case body is formed. The filing case is provided with a cover that is formed with a closure flap.
According to the improvement of the invention a cover mounting or connecting flap is provided and is secured to the cover closure flap by at least one articulated hinged connection. The cover mounting flap resides in sliding contact with the exterior surface of the back panel of the filing case body. Moreover, a track follower is provided on the cover mounting flap and is directed toward the back panel. The back panel has at least one track engaged by the track follower. The track extends in opposing directions toward the top and bottom edges of the back panel. As a result, the filing case cover can be opened and will slide down to allow the closure flap of the filing case cover to be stored residing in face-to-face contact with the exterior surface of the back panel. Alternatively the filing case cover can be closed so that the closure flap extends across the top of the filing case body to reside in face-to-face contact with the exterior surface of the front panel.
The invention may be described with greater clarity and particularity by reference to the accompanying drawings.
A filing case cover 20 is located entirely on the exterior of the filing case body 30. The filing case cover 20 has a closure flap 41 extending laterally entirely across the top of the filing case body 30, and a mounting or connecting flap 21. The mounting flap 21 is secured to the closure flap 41 at the top 38 of the back panel 33 by a laterally extending, articulated, linear hinge connection 42. The closure flap 41 is divided into a pair of articulated panels 50 and 51 by another laterally expanding, articulated, linear hinge connection.
The back panel 33 of the filing case body 30 defines at least one, and preferably a pair of linear tracks 44 that extend longitudinally in between the top 38 and bottom 39 of the back panel 33. The tracks 44 are oriented perpendicular to the back panel top 38 and the back panel bottom 39 and interiorly of and parallel to the back panel side edges 40. Preferably, the tracks 44 are located proximate to the opposing back panel side edges 40 and are formed as narrow, elongated, closed ended slots 18 extending entirely through the structure of the back panel 33.
At least one, and preferably a pair of track followers 210 are secured to the mounting flap 21 and are engaged in the tracks 44. The tracks 44 may be considered to be cover engagement channels that extend parallel to and are located between the back panel side edges 40. The track followers 210 may be considered to be channel followers that are engaged with and ride along the mutually parallel cover engagement channels formed by the slots 18 in the back panel 33.
The track followers 210 are movable toward the bottoms 16 of the slots 18 when the closure flap 41 is drawn away from a covering position relative to the open top of the filing case body 30. Alternatively, each track follower 210 is movable toward the top 17 of the respective slot 18 with which it is engaged. Upward movement of the track followers 210 to the tops 17 of the tracks 44 allows the closure flap 41 to be extended from the back panel 33 to completely cover the open top of the filing case body 30, and to be folded downwardly into contact with the exterior surface of the front panel 29, as illustrated in
The elongated slots 18 forming the tracks or channels 44 in the back panel 33 are mutually parallel to each other and are aligned perpendicular to both the top 38 and bottom 39 of the back panel 33, as illustrated in both
The track followers 210 are preferably either metal, plastic or even stiff cardboard stud structures. Each of the track followers 210 has a button shaped base 211 located on the exterior surface of the mounting flap 21, and a narrower shank 212 that extends through both the structure of the mounting flap 21 and the back panel 33. Each track follower 210 has a generally I-shaped configuration and is formed with a head 213 disposed against the interior surface of the back panel 33 and within the interior enclosure of the filing case body 30. The heads 213 are enlarged and are greater in width than the slots 18 forming the tracks 44. The stud shanks 212 are narrower in width than the slots 18 forming the tracks 44, thereby forming a neck between the head 213 and the base 211 of each of the track followers 210. This construction allows the connecting panel 21 to slide easily in face-to-face contact with the back panel 33 in a direction parallel to the back panel side edges 40 and perpendicular to both the back panel top edge 38 and the back panel bottom edge 39.
It should be noted that the connecting panel 21 is located entirely on the exterior of the filing case body 30. The connecting panel 21 and the closure flap 41 are both formed from a single sheet of stiff material with a laterally extending hinge connection 42 defined therein to delineate the closure flap 41 from the mounting flap 21. As a consequence, the closure flap 41 has a width at least as great as the lateral distance between the opposing side edges 40 of the back panel 33 and the opposing side edges 37 of the front panel 29. This allows the closure flap 41 to completely cover the top of the document filing case body 30. Consequently, small or narrow loose articles, such as pencils and pens, cannot fall out of the document filing case 10 when the filing case cover 20 is in the closed position illustrated in
Typically the side panels 11 of the document filing case 10 are pleated and collapsible with accordion folds, as illustrated in
While the bottom 36 of the front panel 29 may be joined directly to the bottom 39 of the back panel 33, more typically the front panel 29 and back panel 33 are joined together by a floor 34. The front panel 29, floor 34 and back panel 33 are all typically formed as different regions or areas of a single sheet of stiff plastic or Manila card stock.
As illustrated, the document filing case 10 is provided with a female catch mechanism 15 located on the outer surface of the front panel 29 and with a male, latch mechanism 22 attached to the free edge of the closure flap 41. When the cover closure flap 41 is fully extended so that the connecting flap 21 is drawn upwardly as far as it will go in sliding relationship with the back panel 33, the prongs of the M-shaped insert member 220 of the latch mechanism 22 are engageable with a releasable coupling located in a socket in the catch mechanism 15, as illustrated in
Preferably, the latch mechanism 22 is formed with an edge engaging seat 223 in its underside, as best illustrated in
Undoubtedly, numerous variations and modifications of the invention will become readily apparent to those familiar with document filing cases. Accordingly, the scope of the invention should not be construed as limited to this specific embodiment depicted and described, but rather is defined in the claims appended hereto.