Information
-
Patent Grant
-
6692029
-
Patent Number
6,692,029
-
Date Filed
Friday, March 22, 200222 years ago
-
Date Issued
Tuesday, February 17, 200420 years ago
-
Inventors
-
Original Assignees
-
Examiners
Agents
- Kamrath; Alan
- Rider Bennett, LLP
-
CPC
-
US Classifications
Field of Search
US
- 281 211
- 281 29
- 281 36
- 281 51
- 402 73
- 402 75
- 402 80 R
- 402 70
- 402 500
- 402 502
- 402 2
- 402 8
- D19 26
- D19 27
- 024 67 R
- 024 6711
- 024 67 P
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International Classifications
-
Abstract
A folder apparatus includes a folder, a holder for holding leaves and a connector for attaching the holder to the folder in a detachable manner. The holder includes a number of hooks formed thereon. The folder includes two covers and an intermediate panel interconnecting the covers. The connector is formed on the intermediate panel. In a first aspect, the holder includes a base attached to the intermediate panel in a detachable manner by means of the connector. The base includes two ends. The connector includes two clips formed on the intermediate panel for engagement with the ends of the base of the holder. In a second aspect, the connector is a hook-and-loop device.
Description
BACKGROUND OF INVENTION
1. Field of Invention
The present invention is related to a folder and, more particularly, to a folder apparatus being capable of holding various types of leaves.
2. Related Prior Art
Folders are used in offices to hold leaves of documents. Referring to
FIG. 7
, a conventional folder
1
is shown. The conventional folder
1
includes two covers (not numbered) connected with each other via an intermediate panel
2
. A holder
3
is secured to the intermediate panel
2
by means of three rivets
4
. Two pairs of hooks
5
are mounted on the holder
3
. The conventional folder
1
is capable of holding leaves with two holes defined therein. However, there are various types of leaves. Each type includes a different number of holes defined therein. A leaf in which a number of holes are defined can only be held by means of a conventional folder equipped with the same number of pairs of hooks. For instance, a leaf in which four holes are defined can only be held by means of a conventional folder equipped with four pairs of hooks. A leaf in which twelve holes are defined can only be held by means of a conventional folder equipped with twelve pairs of hooks. To hold different types of leaves, different conventional types of folders must be used, thus increasing the cost for management of documents.
FIG. 8
is a top view of a box (not numbered) containing a few conventional folders
1
. As mentioned, the holder
3
is secured to the intermediate panel
2
of each conventional folder
1
, thus inevitably keeping an edge of a cover from an edge of the other cover by a distance identical to the width of the intermediate panel
2
. Each conventional folder
1
cannot be further folded, i.e., a cover cannot be moved against the other cover. Thus, only a few conventional folders
1
can be packed in a box for storage. The cost for storing and/or transportation of such conventional folders is inevitably high.
The present invention is therefore intended to obviate or at least alleviate the problems encountered in use, storage and/or transportation of conventional folders.
SUMMARY OF INVENTION
It is an objective of the present invention to provide a folder apparatus that is capable of holding various types of leaves.
It is another objective of the present invention to provide a folder apparatus that is foldable so that a large number of such folder apparatuses can be packed in a box.
In the present invention, a folder apparatus includes a folder, a holder for holding leaves and a connector for attaching the holder to the folder in a detachable manner. The holder includes a number of hooks formed thereon. The folder includes two covers and an intermediate panel interconnecting the covers. The connector is formed on the intermediate panel.
In a first aspect, the holder includes a base attached to the intermediate panel in a detachable manner by means of the connector. The base includes two ends. The connector includes two clips formed on the intermediate panel for engagement with the ends of the base of the holder.
In a second aspect, the connector is a hook-and-loop device.
Other objectives, advantages, and novel features of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The present invention is described through detailed illustration of embodiments referring to the attached drawings wherein:
FIG. 1
is an exploded view of a folder apparatus of the present invention;
FIG. 2
is a perspective view of the folder apparatus of the present invention equipped with a first type of holder for holding leaves of a first type;
FIG. 3
is a perspective view of the folder apparatus of the present invention equipped with a second type of holder for holding leaves of a second type;
FIG. 4
is a perspective view of the folder apparatus of the present invention equipped with a third type of holder for holding leaves of a third type;
FIG. 5
is an exploded view of a folder apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 6
is a top view of a box containing a large number of folder apparatuses of the present invention;
FIG. 7
is a perspective view of a conventional folder; and
FIG. 8
is a top view of a box containing a small number of conventional folders.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring to
FIG. 1
, according to the present invention, a folder apparatus includes a folder
10
, a holder
20
and a connector
30
for attaching the holder
20
to the folder
10
in a detachable manner.
The folder
10
includes two covers
11
connected with each other via an intermediate panel
12
.
The holder
20
includes a base
21
. The base
21
may be a laminate consisting of a first strip (not numbered) and a second strip (not numbered). The first strip is secured to the second strip by means of three rivets (not numbered). The second strip includes two ends
22
. Two pairs of hooks
23
are formed on the first strip of the base
21
. A holder of this type is suitable for holding leaves that include two holes defined therein.
The connector
30
includes two clips
31
formed on the intermediate panel
12
at two ends. Thus, a space
32
is defined between each of the clips
31
and the intermediate panel
12
.
To attach the holder
20
to the folder
10
, the base
21
made with elasticity is bent so that its ends
22
can be inserted into the spaces
32
as shown in FIG.
2
. After the insertion of the ends
22
in the spaces
32
, the base
21
is released so that the ends
22
are engaged with the clips
31
. Thus, the holder
20
is attached to the folder
10
. It is obvious that the holder
20
can be removed from the folder
10
easily.
Referring to
FIG. 3
, the folder
10
is equipped with another type of holder
20
′ on which four pairs of hooks
23
are formed. The holder
20
′ is suitable for holding leaves that include four holes defined therein.
Referring to
FIG. 4
, the folder
10
is equipped with another type of holder
20
″ on which twelve pairs of hooks
23
are formed. The holder
20
″ is suitable for holding leaves that include twelve holes defined therein.
Referring to
FIG. 5
, a folder apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention includes a folder
10
, a holder
20
and a connector
30
′ for attaching the holder
20
to the folder
10
in a detachable manner. The folder
10
and the bolder
20
will not be described in detail with respect to this embodiment since they have been described in detail with reference to the embodiments of
FIGS. 1-4
. The connector
30
′ is a hook-and-loop device. The hook-and-loop device consists of a first strip
33
and a second strip
34
. The first strip
33
is secured to the intermediate panel
12
on a side and formed with a number of hooks or loops (not numbered) on an opposite side. The second strip
34
is secured to the base
21
on a side and formed with a number of loops or hooks (not numbered) on an opposite side. Thus, the first strip
33
can be engaged with and disengaged from the second strip
34
, i.e., the holder
20
can be attached to and detached from the folder
10
. The hook-and-look device is conventional and therefore will not be described in detail.
Referring to
FIG. 6
, a large number of folder apparatuses of the present invention can be packed in a box. Before the folder apparatuses are packed in the box, each of them is dissembled, i.e., the holder
20
is removed from the folder
10
and the folder
10
is completely folded. The term “completely folded” means that a cover
11
is moved against the other cover
11
and the intermediate panel
12
for each folder apparatus. The completely folded folders
10
and the holders
20
are packed in the box. Thus, a large number of folder apparatuses of the present invention can be packed in a box.
The preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail for purposes of illustration. Those skilled in the art can derive a lot of variations from these embodiments after a study of this patent specification. Therefore, these embodiments shall by no means limit the scope of the present invention. The scope of the present invention can only be defined in the claims attached to and taken as a portion of this patent specification.
Claims
- 1. A folder apparatus including a folder, a holder for holding leaves and a connector for attaching the holder to the folder in a detachable manner, wherein the holder includes a base attached to the folder in a detachable manner by the connector, wherein the base includes two ends, wherein the connector includes two clips formed on the folder for engagement in a detachable manner with the ends of the base of the holder.
- 2. The folder apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the holder includes a number of hooks formed thereon.
- 3. The folder apparatus according to claim 2 wherein the holder includes two pairs of hooks formed thereon.
- 4. The folder apparatus according to claim 2 wherein the holder includes four pairs of hooks formed thereon.
- 5. The folder apparatus according to claim 2 wherein the holder includes twelve pairs of hooks formed thereon.
- 6. The folder apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the folder includes two covers and an intermediate panel interconnecting the covers.
- 7. The folder apparatus according to claim 6 wherein the connector is formed on the intermediate panel with the two clips formed on the intermediate panel.
US Referenced Citations (8)