Patent Application
20100215423
The present invention relates generally to binders for containing loose leaf pages of stationery and more particularly to locking mechanisms for securing base members having rings mounted thereon to a central back portion of a binder.
Ring binders, most notably three ring binders, come in a variety of sizes and shapes. Typically, a ring binder includes two foldable, oppositely disposed, shaped generally from flat, rectangular, stiff, board-like vinyl, or cardboard members to form an outside cover enclosure for storing therebetween a number of pages that may range from just a few to a hundred or more sheets of paper, plastic, or other similar sheet-like material.
A relatively narrow, middle stabilizer connecting panel member is disposed between the two oppositely disposed, foldable cover members and provides a base for rotating the flat board members, or outside cover panels, at least ninety degrees from an open flat position to a closed position for containing therein a selected number of pages. Thus, the binder, usually as a one piece, integral unit, consists of two outside cover panel members operable to bend or fold about a middle, stabilizing, connecting panel member to form an enclosure adaptable to receive or remove paper pages, or other suitable sheet material from storage therein.
A ring binder is supplied to consumers in the marketplace in a thickness that may vary from less than an inch to as much as five or more inches. In present day commerce, a manufacturer of ring binders must install on a middle portion panel of the binder between its two cover members an elongate base member on which is mounted a ring binder mechanism.
When installed within the binder cover panels, the ring and base member mechanism will result in a binder, depending upon its size, of at least one inch or more of thickness when the outside covers are closed thereabout. The manufacturer must then pile or place together a number of closed binders, usually in a stack wherein one binder is positioned upon a lower binder with its thick portion disposed opposite from the thick portion of the lower binder. This arrangement provides a stack or pile of binders of even height that may facilitate packaging for shipment to a distributor or retail client. The height of the stack, however, depends on the cumulative thickness of each binder and results in an inordinate amount of internal wasted space and an unnecessary height of tiered bulk in a bundle of binders for delivery to a customer. Each bundle would include within each binder an internal trapezoidally shaped volume of dead air space that results in added freight costs transporting finished goods from a source of production to a retail site for purchase by a consumer. This useless and uneconomical volume of space adds greatly to the expense to deliver goods, and for larger, thicker binders, the costs become unmanageable in attempting to provide a consumer an affordable quality product.
The aforementioned observations become even more critical in the climate of today's global economy. It has become common place and ordinary to make all types of goods and products in countries off-shore from the United States in order to take advantage of lower wage rates that prevail abroad in comparison with domestic hourly compensation. Accordingly, transportation costs from countries located in other continents, such as Asia, become a salient factor in determining the price of an end product sold in the United States. Therefore, if a manufacturer can make products thousands of miles from the United States and ship them into domestic markets at minimal freight expense, a distinct competitive advantage has been accomplished and a corporate maker of goods is able to increase its profits and benefits for its shareholders.
Therefore, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide a ring binder that includes a locking device for installation within the United States after shipment from a source of manufacture located in a country foreign to the United States.
It is an additional object of the present invention to provide a ring binder that includes an internal locking assembly that avoids the need to employ rivets, eyelets, grommets, studs, and the like.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a ring binder for shipment from remote geographical locations outside of the United States and domestically install therein a locking mechanism for storage of a plurality of sheet material.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a locking mechanism for a ring binder that includes base plate members secured internally on a middle panel and a ring assembly component that is slideably affixed to the base plate members.
It is an even further object of the present invention to provide a ring binder adaptable for shipment from foreign countries to the United States in minimally sized packages and thereafter having installed therein a ring assembly locking mechanism.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a ring assembly locking mechanism for secured and permanent installation in a ring binder by slideable insertion into receiving pocket structure disposed upon base plate members affixed to a middle section panel of the ring binder.
The above and further objects are achieved in accordance with the present invention wherein there is provided a binder apparatus for a loose leaf binder wherein a portion of the apparatus is installed at a first global location and the binder is thereafter shipped in a folded down condition to a second global location and another portion of the apparatus is installed thereat, comprising first and second foldable covers having a middle panel therebetween, a generally flat base member secured to said middle panel at said first global location, whereat one of the covers is folded thereover to form a discrete, compact packaging unit, said flat base member comprises a first anchor member secured to a first distal end thereof, a first receptacle member formed on said first anchor member having an open end facing outwardly toward said first distal end of said base member, a second anchor member secured to a second distal end of said base member, a second receptacle member formed on said second anchor member having an open end facing inwardly toward said first distal end of said base member, a binder assembly for attachment to said flat base member at said second global location so as to form a complete loose leaf binder, said binder assembly comprises an elongate support member substantially equal in length to said flat base member, a first connecting member extending from said support member adjacent a first distal end thereof, a second connecting member extending from said support member adjacent a second distal end thereof, said first and said second connecting members having a centerline distance therebetween substantially equal to a centerline distance measured between said first and said second receptacle members, said first and said second connecting members respectively operable to be received in secured arrangement with said open end of said first receptacle member and said open end of said second receptacle member when simultaneously inserted therein, whereby said flat base member and said binder assembly are permanently installed between foldable covers of a loose leaf binder.
Further, there is provided a method for making a loose leaf binder wherein initial assembly of the apparatus is made at a first global location and final assembly thereof is made at a second global location, comprising the steps of forming first and second covers to fold about a middle panel positioned therebetween, securing a generally flat base member to said middle panel, folding one of said covers over the other cover and said middle panel, forming said covers and said middle panel into a discrete compact packaging unit, said packaging unit being formed at a first global location, attaching a first base plate member to a first distal end of said flat base member, attaching a second base plate member to a second distal end of said flat base member, shipping said packaging unit to a second global location substantially remote from said first global location, and attaching a ring binder assembly unit to said first base plate member and said second base plate member so as to form a complete loose leaf binder, whereby final assembly of said complete loose leaf binder is accomplished at said second global location.
The foregoing and other characteristics, objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent upon consideration of the following detailed description, having reference to the accompanying figures of the drawing wherein:
Referring to the several views of the drawing wherein like parts are identified by like reference numerals, and more especially to
In
The ring binder mechanism 26 mounted on the intermediate section panel 16 is disposed so that the two side cover panels 12, 14 are operable to be bent or folded upwardly substantially ninety degrees and thereby form a complete ring binder. The ring binder assembly 26 is shown with two rings 27, operable to open and close, but it should be understood the present invention is applicable for any number of rings mounted on a support ember 32 within the binder 10.
The ring binder assembly 26 mounted on first 28 and second 30 base plates is secured to the middle section panel 16 that has a longitudinal length somewhat less than the height of the ring binder. A known binder mechanism, or operable assembly of component parts, includes a series of two, three or more circular shaped rings or prongs 27 spaced along its length, each prong being operable to rotate simultaneously from open to closed positions, as controlled by an actuating lever. The actuating lever is adaptable to open the prongs so that aperture punched sheets of material may be inserted thereover. The lever may then be operated so as to close the prongs and secure thereon sheets of paper, for example, stored within the confines of the prongs. In addition, the actuating lever has contained therein a locking member to maintain the prongs in a closed position to ensure that no sheets of paper might inadvertently fall out from mistakenly opened prongs.
Referring to the hereinbefore described arrangement for mounting the ring binder assembly on a middle section panel disposed between the binder covers, it should be noted that this description is for illustrative purposes only, as a preferred means of attachment, and should not be considered as a limiting feature. Loose leaf binders are available in many sizes of middle panel width, ranging from less than an inch to large binders having a middle section of five or more inches in width and thickness of a loose leaf binder. In such large binders, it is common place to mount the ring binder assembly at or near the inside vertical edge of the back cover adjacent the middle section panel. In this embodiment, the ring binder assembly 26 and its rings 27 comprise an overall dimensional measurement that is substantially equal to the width of the middle section panel and allows the front cover to fold over the binder assembly so as to form a loose leaf binder wherein the rings of the binder assembly nest or rest adjacent the middle section panel 18. In this mode, the rings each may be and are usually formed partially in a circular configuration with a generally flat portion disposed along the circumference. In this manner, the rings so formed are operable to receive and accept large numbers of inserted sheets of material to be contained within binders of several inches in thickness. Accordingly, ring binder assemblies of the present invention may be mounted on middle section panels of a loose leaf binder, on a back cover thereof, or other suitable location therewithin. Also, rings provided with the ring binder assembly of the present invention may be completely circular, partially so with a flat circumferential section, or any combination of circular and flat sections considered desirable for receiving and storing multiple pages of paper or other material within a loose leaf binder.
The essence of the invention lies in a preferable, rectangularly shaped first base plate member 28 having formed thereon a first pocket member 37, a likeness that resembles a horseshoe. A generally circular closed end portion 38 of the horseshoe configuration has an internal ceiling surface 40 (See
Similarly, the present invention includes a preferable, rectangularly shaped second base plate member 30 having formed thereon a second pocket member 50, a likeness that resembles a horseshoe. A second, generally circular, closed end portion 52 of the horseshoe configuration has an internal ceiling surface 54 raised somewhat from an upper surface 56 of the second base plate 30 to provide a pocket space 58 therebetween (See 7B). An open end 60 of the horseshoe configuration is adaptable to receive a second circular shaped member or collar 62 that extends outwardly from the support member 32 of the ring assembly 26. The second pocket member 50 is disposed on the second base plate 30 with an open end 60 facing upwardly or inwardly depending upon whether the binder is in a vertical or horizontal condition of repose.
Again referring to
Each circular member 48 and 62 has a diameter sized or dimensioned to be received within a respective pocket member 37, 50, formed on its base plate. The distance from a center of the bore of the first circular member 48 to the center of the bore of the second circular member 62 is substantially equal to the distance from a center of the horseshoe configuration of the first pocket member 37 to a center of the horseshoe configuration of the second pocket member 50. Accordingly, as hereinafter explained in greater detail, the first 48 and second 62 circular members of the support member are operable to be placed and secured within respective first 37 and second 50 pocket members formed on the first 28 and second 30 base plates.
The dotted lines in
Again referring to
Now referring to
The ring binder assembly 26 is poised over the foundation member 82 whereby the first circular or collar member 48 is inserted or fed into a guide track 84, urged inwardly into a first open configuration 86, a large, generally circular portion thereof comprising an aperture 88, of the first keyhole 78.
As the first collar member 48 slides into the aperture 88 of keyhole 78, the second collar member 62 drops into a second aperture 98 of keyhole 80 located at the second end 36 of foundation member 82. Upon further urging and movement of support member 32, the first 48 and second 62 collars are fitted snugly and securely into the first slot 90 of keyhole 78 and a second slot 102 of keyhole 80.
It should be noted that a generally oblong portion of the keyhole member 78 may be formed in the shape of a depressible, tongue-like extension or two-digit finger 92 (See
Referring to
In
In the operation of the present invention, a ring binder assembly is placed over a plurality of base plates mounted on a base member affixed to a middle section panel or on a back cover of a loose leaf binder, collar members of the binder assembly are inserted into pocket members or keyhole configurations, the collar members are moved and urged into a snug relationship with the pocket members or the keyhole configurations, and the collar members are locked in this position. The operation of the present invention may also be achieved by attaching a single piece foundation member directly to a middle section panel or a back cover of a loose leaf binder, thereafter inserting collar members into respective pocket or keyhole configurations, and securing the collar members in a locked position thereat.
While the present invention has been described with reference to the above preferred embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art, that various changes may be made and equivalence may be substituted for elements thereof without departing from the scope of the present invention. In addition, modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the present invention without departing from the scope of the present invention. Therefore, it is intended that the invention not be limited to the particular embodiments disclosed for carrying out this invention, but that the present invention includes all embodiments falling within the scope of the appended claims.
