The present invention relates to ring binder technology, especially a multi-ring binder used in loose-leaf notebooks.
The loose-leaf binder can be used to fix the paper, and its structure mainly includes the front cover, the back cover and the hole clip between the front cover and the back cover. The hole clip includes a plurality of coils or half-rings for the paper with holes to pass through each coil or ring and be fixed in the binder. Common hole clips are divided into closed coils and switchable half-rings. The former closed coil (such as spiral ring binder) has the characteristics of flexible operation and can be folded in half at 360 degrees, which is easy to operate with one hand and requires less space. However, because the coil is in a closed state after the finished product is completed, it cannot be opened, so it is impossible to add or replace paper arbitrarily. The latter is a switchable half-ring (such as loose-leaf ring binder). Because the half-ring is designed to be opened and closed, so the user can arbitrarily change its inner pages. However, due to the large size of the switch structure, it lacks the flexible operation of the closed coil, and cannot be folded backwards. It is difficult to hold with one hand during use, and usually requires a large operating space. In addition, when opening and closing this type of design, it is usually necessary to use both hands to press the switches located at both ends to open, which is difficult to operate. When closing, it is necessary to press several coils at the same time to offset the internal spring tension, and then automatically bounce back to the closed state by the spring tension, which often leads to noise generation and the possibility of pinching. In addition, the half-ring design of most ring binders often creates gaps at the joint due to the problem of aging of the process or long-term use of materials, resulting in the phenomenon of paper jamming, resulting in difficulty in turning pages or damage to the holes in the inner pages.
The present invention has been accomplished under the circumstances in view. It is therefore the main object of the present invention to provide a multi-ring binder used in a loose-leaf notebook with multiple loose-leaf pages. The multi-ring binder comprises a positioning lock pin, a movable central spindle, a first bracket, a second bracket and a C-ring. The movable central spindle comprises a main body formed by alternatively connecting a plurality of cylindrical bodies and a plurality of rectangular bodies in a line, and a body top located on a top side of the main body and connected to the positioning lock pin. The rectangular body adjacent to the body top comprises a first positioning groove and a second positioning groove. The movable central spindle is drivable to move by the positioning lock pin. The first bracket comprises a plurality of first half-rings and a plurality of second half-rings staggered and arranged thereon at equal distances from each other, and a plurality of first hollow bodies and a top hollow body arranged thereon at appropriate intervals. The shapes of the first hollow bodies and the top hollow body are both outer circle and inner square. The second bracket and the first bracket being substantially complementary symmetrical. The second bracket comprises a plurality of first half-rings and a plurality of second half-rings staggered and arranged thereon equidistantly from each other, and a plurality of second hollow bodies and a bottom hollow body arranged thereon at appropriate intervals. The shapes of the second hollow bodies and the bottom hollow body are both outer circle and inner square. The shapes and positions of the second half-rings correspond to the first half-rings. The C-ring is connected to the first bracket. Through the symmetrical engagement of the first bracket and the second bracket, the first hollow bodies and the second hollow bodies are joined to each other to form a continuous hollow body. The movable central spindle is arranged in the continuous hollow body to serve as the common central axis of rotation of the first bracket and the second bracket. The external shape of the continuous hollow body is an outer circle and an inner square.
Preferably, the length of the rectangular bodies is less than the length of the first hollow bodies or less than the length of the second hollow bodies.
Preferably, the external shape of the top hollow body of the first bracket is an outer circle and an inner square, and the top hollow body of the first bracket comprises a C-ring groove that accommodates the C-ring.
Preferably, the C-ring performs a positioning action by engaging in the first positioning groove or the second positioning groove.
Preferably, after the positioning lock pin is pulled up and drives the movable central spindle, the C-ring is engaged with the second positioning groove.
Preferably, when the C-ring is engaged with the second positioning groove, the rectangular bodies on the movable central spindle move to the inside of the first hollow bodies or the second hollow bodies respectively to enter the unlocked state, thereby allowing the first half-rings or the second half-rings rotary movement to open or close the rings.
Preferably, after the positioning lock pin is pushed back and drives the movable central spindle, the C-ring is engaged with the first positioning groove.
Preferably, when the C-ring is engaged with the first positioning groove, a part of the rectangular bodies on the movable central spindle is moved to the inside of the first hollow bodies and the other part of the rectangular bodies is moved to the inside of the second hollow bodies to enter a locked state, in turn, the first half-rings and the second half-rings are prohibited from rotation to open or close the rings.
Preferably, when the positioning lock pin is pulled up and drives the movable central spindle into the unlocked state, the user manually rotates the first bracket or the second bracket around the movable central spindle to open or close the rings.
Preferably, the movable central spindle has one end thereof provided with a limit portion and an opposite end thereof connected to the positioning lock pin, and the opening and closing states of the movable central spindle are controlled through the positioning lock pin.
Preferably, the first half-rings are semi-circular, each having a convex top and a concave bottom.
Preferably, the second half-rings are semi-circular, each having a convex bottom and a concave top.
Preferably, when the movable central spindle is in the closed state, the first half-rings on the first bracket and the second half-rings on the second bracket are respectively snapped with each other to form a respective ring, and the second half-rings on the first bracket and the first half-rings on the second bracket are respectively snapped with each other to form a respective ring.
Preferably, the positional layout of the half-rings of the first bracket is a staggered pattern of the first half-ring, the second half-ring and the first half-ring in sequence.
Preferably, the positional layout of the half-rings of the second bracket is a staggered pattern of the second half-ring, the first half-ring and the second half-ring in sequence.
To sum up, the multi-ring binder for a loose-leaf notebook with a plurality of loose-leaf pages disclosed in the present invention can bring the following effects:
1. High security and high stability.
2. Make it easy for users to operate the switch and replace the inner page.
3. The page turning is smooth, and it can effectively avoid the tearing and damage of the paper holes, which can prolong the service life of the notebook.
4. The notebook is easy to fold back, easy to hold with one hand, and highly flexible.
5. The structure is relatively simple, which can reduce the process and cost, and reduce the failure rate.
The following describes in detail by specific embodiments, to make it easier to understand the purpose, technical content, characteristics and effects of the present invention.
In order to solve many problems of the current loose-leaf ring binder, the inventor has made many years of research and development to improve the criticism of the existing products. The follow-up will introduce in detail how the present invention uses a multi-ring file hole folder to achieve the most efficient function.
Please refer to
One side of the movable central spindle 120 has a limit portion 129, the function of which will be described later. The main body of the movable central spindle 120 is formed by alternatively connecting a plurality of cylindrical bodies 122 and a plurality of rectangular bodies 124 in a line. In one embodiment, the entire movable central spindle 120 can be made in one piece, but it is not limited to this. The main body of the movable central spindle 120 also has a rectangular body 126 having a shorter length L4 (as shown in
The main body of the first bracket 130 has a plurality of first half-rings 132A and a plurality of second half-rings 132B that are staggered and arranged on the first bracket 130 at equal distances from each other. The first bracket 130 also has a plurality of first hollow bodies 134 and a top hollow body 138 that are arranged on the first bracket 130 at appropriate intervals. The shapes of the first hollow bodies 134 and the top hollow body 138 are both outer circle and inner square, and the rectangular hole completely penetrates the cylindrical body. The first bracket 130 also has a first hollow body 136 with a shorter length L5 (as shown in
In addition, regarding the second bracket 140, the second bracket 140 and the first bracket 130 are substantially complementary symmetrical. The second bracket 140 also has a plurality of first half-rings 142A and a plurality of second half-rings 142B that are staggered and arranged on the second bracket 140 equidistantly from each other. The second bracket 140 also has a plurality of second hollow bodies 144 and a bottom hollow body 149 that are arranged on the second bracket 140 at appropriate intervals. The shapes of the second hollow bodies 144 and the bottom hollow body 149 are both outer circle and inner square, and the rectangular hole completely penetrates the cylindrical body. The second bracket 140 also has a second hollow body 146 with a shorter length L6 (as shown in
When the multi-ring binder 100 of the present invention is in the closed state, the first half-rings 132A on the first bracket 130 and the second half-rings 142B on the second bracket 140 will form complete rings when engaged, or the second half-rings 132B on the first bracket 130 and the first half-rings 142A on the second bracket 140 will form complete rings when engaged. The engagement mode and the number of complete rings are not used to limit the embodiments of the present invention. It is worth noting that, in the embodiment of the present invention, the first bracket 130 and the second bracket 140 are symmetrically engaged with each other, and the plurality of first hollow bodies 134 and the plurality of second hollow bodies 144 are engaged with each other to form a continuous hollow body, like forming a long tunnel. For example, each second hollow body 144 is placed between two first hollow bodies 134. Afterwards, the movable central spindle 120 is inserted and assembled inside the continuous hollow body as the common center spindle of the first bracket 130 and the second bracket 140. The shape of the continuous hollow body is an outer circle and an inner square, and the overall length of the movable central spindle 120 is greater than the length of the continuous hollow body. Finally, the positioning lock pin 110 is installed on the top of the movable central spindle 120, and the bottom cover 160 is installed on the bottom hollow body 149 to complete the multi-ring binder 100 of the embodiment of the present invention. In addition, the length L1 of the rectangular bodies 124 of the movable central spindle 120 is smaller than the length L2 of the first hollow bodies 134, so that the hollow body can completely accommodate the corresponding rectangular body.
It is worth mentioning that the above-mentioned combination of the appearance and shape of the rectangular bodies 124 and the rectangular first hollow bodies 134 and second hollow bodies 144 is used as the description of this embodiment. But in other embodiments, the original rectangular bodies and the rectangular hollow bodies can be triangles, polygons, stars or other shapes to match each other, for example, triangular bodies and triangular hollow bodies, or star bodies and star-shaped hollow bodies.
Next, the operation mechanism of the multi-ring binder 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention will be further described in detail.
Please refer to
Finally, as shown in
The closed state or unlocked state of the present invention is all performed according to the above-mentioned working principle, and as long as it conforms to the above-mentioned working principle to perform the closing or unlocking movement, it falls within the equivalent scope of the patent application scope of the present invention.
Next, please refer to
It should be further noted that, on one side of the first bracket 130, the positional layout of the half-rings thereof is a staggered pattern of the first half-ring 132A, the second half-ring 132B and the first half-ring 132A in sequence. On the other side of the second bracket 140, the positional layout of the half rings is a staggered pattern of the second half-ring 142B, the first half-ring 142A and the second half-ring 142B in sequence. Each complete ring is formed by the symmetrical snap-fit of the first half-ring 132A (or 142A) and the second half-ring 142B (or 132B), and each complete ring is that the upper convex portion of the first half-ring 132A (or 142A) is snap-fitted to the upper concave portion of the second half-ring 142B (or 132B), and the lower concave portion of the first half-ring 132A (or 142A) is snap-fitted to the lower convex portion of the second half-ring 142B (or 132B).
Please refer to
Further, it can be seen from
To sum up, the multi-ring binder for a loose-leaf notebook with a plurality of loose-leaf pages disclosed in the present invention can bring the following effects:
1. High security and high stability.
2. Make it easy for users to operate the switch and replace the inner page.
3. The page turning is smooth, and it can effectively avoid the tearing and damage of the paper holes, which can prolong the service life of the notebook.
4. The notebook is easy to fold back, easy to hold with one hand, and highly flexible.
5. The structure is relatively simple, which can reduce the process and cost, and reduce the failure rate.
The above descriptions are only preferred embodiments of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the scope of implementation of the present invention. Therefore, all equivalent changes or modifications made according to the features and spirit described in the scope of the present invention shall include within the scope of the patent application of the present invention.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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111105106 | Feb 2022 | TW | national |
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
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734474 | Sheridan | Jul 1903 | A |
743114 | Trussel | Nov 1903 | A |
20120288322 | Tanaka | Nov 2012 | A1 |
Number | Date | Country |
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190738 | May 1937 | CH |
973113 | Feb 1951 | FR |
5792405 | Oct 2015 | JP |
6516275 | May 2019 | JP |
WO-2013191216 | Dec 2013 | WO |