This invention relates to a ring binder mechanism for retaining loose-leaf pages, and in particular to an improved ring binder mechanism for opening and closing ring members and for locking closed ring members together.
A ring binder mechanism retains loose-leaf pages, such as hole-punched pages, in a file or notebook. It has ring members for retaining the pages. The ring members may be selectively opened to add or remove pages or closed to retain pages while allowing the pages to be moved along the ring members. The ring members mount on two adjacent hinge plates that join together about a pivot axis. An elongate housing loosely supports the hinge plates within the housing and holds the hinge plates together so they may pivot relative to the housing.
The undeformed housing is slightly narrower than the joined hinge plates when the hinge plates are in a coplanar position (180°). So as the hinge plates pivot through this position, they deform the resilient housing and cause a spring force in the housing that urges the hinge plates to pivot away from the coplanar position, either opening or closing the ring members. Thus, when the ring members are closed the spring force resists hinge plate movement and clamps the ring members together. Similarly, when the ring members are open, the spring force holds them apart. An operator may typically overcome this force by manually pulling the ring members apart or pushing them together. Levers may also be provided on one or both ends of the housing for moving the ring members between the open and closed positions. But a drawback to these known ring binder mechanisms is that when the ring members are closed, they do not positively lock together. So if the mechanism is accidentally dropped, the ring members may unintentionally open.
Some ring binder mechanisms have been modified to include locking structure to block the hinge plates from pivoting when the ring members are closed. The blocking structure positively locks the closed ring members together, preventing them from unintentionally opening if the ring mechanism is accidentally dropped. The blocking structure also allows the housing spring force to be reduced because the strong spring force is not required to clamp the closed ring members together. Thus, less operator force is required to open and close the ring members of these mechanisms than in traditional ring mechanisms.
Some of these ring mechanisms incorporate the locking structure onto a control slide connected to the lever. The lever moves the control slide (and its locking structure) to either block the pivoting movement of the hinge plates or allow it. But a drawback to these mechanisms is that an operator must positively move the lever after closing the ring members to position the locking structure to block the hinge plates and lock the ring members closed. Failure to do this could allow the hinge plates to inadvertently pivot and open the ring members, especially if the mechanisms are accidentally dropped.
Some locking ring binder mechanisms use springs to move the locking structure into position blocking the hinge plates when the ring members close. Examples are shown in co-assigned U.S. patent application Ser. Nos. 10/870,801 (Cheng et al.), 10/905,606 (Cheng), and 11/027,550 (Cheng). These mechanisms employ separate springs to help lock the mechanisms.
Movement of the locking structure is generally linear or translational, but the actuator is moved by pivoting a lever. Accordingly, there is a need to transfer only the translational component of the lever's motion to the locking structure. There are solutions that have been proposed. For example, refer to co-owned U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/870,801. However, there is a need to accomplish the transmission of motion with structure which is inexpensive to manufacture, simple in overall construction, and reliable in repeated operation.
A ring mechanism for holding loose-leaf pages generally comprises a housing and rings for holding the loose-leaf pages. Each ring includes a first ring member and a second ring member. The first ring members are movable relative to the housing and the second ring members between a closed position and an open position. In the closed position, the two ring members form a substantially continuous, closed loop for allowing loose-leaf pages retained by the rings to be moved along the rings from one ring member to the other. In the open position, the two ring members form a discontinuous, open loop for adding or removing loose-leaf pages from the rings. An actuation system of the mechanism comprises first and second hinge plates supported by the housing for pivoting motion relative to the housing, and an actuator mounted on the housing for movement relative to the housing to cause the pivoting motion of the hinge plates. The first ring members are mounted on the first hinge plate for movement between the closed and open positions. The actuator is moveable between a first position in which the ring members are closed and a second position in which the ring members are open. A locking system is moveable by the actuator between a locked position in which the ring members are held in the closed position and an unlocked position in which the ring members can move from the closed position to the open position. The actuation system is adapted to deform upon movement of the actuator from the second position to the first position to delay the movement of the locking system from the pivoting motion of the hinge plates.
In another aspect, the ring mechanism comprises a housing and hinge plates supported by the housing for pivoting motion relative to the housing. Rings hold loose-leaf pages on the mechanism. Each ring includes a first ring member and a second ring member. The first ring member is mounted on a first of the hinge plates for movement with the hinge plate relative to the second ring member between a closed position and an open position. In the closed position, the two ring members form a substantially continuous, closed loop for allowing loose-leaf pages retained by the rings to be moved along the rings from one ring member to the other. In the open position, the two ring members form a discontinuous, open loop for adding or removing loose-leaf pages from the rings. The mechanism also comprises an actuator mounted on the housing for movement relative to the housing to cause the pivoting motion of the hinge plates. The actuator comprises a flexible first portion and a body. A locking element releasably locks the closed ring members in a locked position and releases the closed ring members to move to the open position in an unlocked position. The locking element is operatively connected to the actuator at the first portion of the actuator for conjoint translational movement with the first portion. The first portion of the actuator is adapted to flex relative to the body of the actuator during operation of the actuator to close the ring members.
Other features of the invention will be in part apparent and in part pointed out hereinafter.
Corresponding reference numbers indicate corresponding parts throughout the views of the drawings.
Referring to the drawings,
As shown in
The three rings 13 of the ring binder mechanism 1 are substantially similar and are each generally circular in shape (e.g.,
As also shown in
Referring to
As shown in
Referring again to
The locking elements 49 of the illustrated travel bar 45 are each substantially similar in shape. As shown in
The ring binder mechanism 1 in assembled form will now be described with reference to
As shown in
As shown in
As shown in
As shown in
Operation of the ring mechanism 1 will now be described with reference to
In
To unlock the ring mechanism 1 and open the ring members 23a, 23b, an operator applies force to the grip 33 of the lever 15 and pivots it clockwise (arrow A as viewed in
The lever channel 41, now closed, no longer shields the lower lip 37 from the pivoting movement of the grip 33, body 35, upper lip 36, and connecting arm. Continued opening movement of the lever 15 causes the body 35 to conjointly pivot the lower lip 37. The lower lip 37 causes the interconnected hinge plates 27a, 27b to pivot upward over the locking elements 49 at the locking element openings 29a-c and relative to the mounting post 79a at the mounting post opening 29d. Once the hinge plates 27a, 27b pass just through the co-planar position, the housing spring force pushes them upward, opening the ring members 23a, 23b (
To close the ring members 23a, 23b and return the mechanism 1 to the locked position, an operator can pivot the lever 15 upward and inward as shown in
Continued closing movement of the lever 15 causes the upper lip 36 to pivot the interconnected hinge plates 27a, 27b downward. Once the hinge plates 27a, 27b pass just through the co-planar position, the housing 11 spring force pushes them downward, closing the ring members 23a, 23b. Pivoting the hinge plates 27a, 27b slightly downward while allowing the travel bar 45 and locking elements 49 to remain stationary allows the locking elements to subsequently move more easily relative to the hinge plates and avoids jamming the lever 15. The connecting arm 38 flexes until it engages the body 35, as illustrated in
In the illustrated mechanism 1, the ring members 23a, 23b can also be closed by manually pushing the free ends 25a, 25b of the ring members together.
It should be apparent that the flexibility of the lever bridge 39 allows the grip 33 and body 35 of the lever 15 to move relative to the lower lip 37 during opening operation. In addition, the flexibility of the connecting arm 38 allows the upper lip 36, grip 33, body 35, and lower lip 37 to move relative to the travel bar 45 and locking elements 49 during closing operation. These lost motion features allow the lever 15 to move between the relaxed position (
When the lever 15 pivots to open the ring members 23a, 23b, the travel bar 45 and locking elements 49 move immediately and prior to the lower lip 37 pivoting the hinge plates 27a, 27b upward. This lost motion caused by the open channel 41 allows the locking elements 49 to move into registration with the locking element openings 29a-c of the hinge plates 27a, 27b before the hinge plates pivot. They do not interfere with the desirable pivoting movement of the hinge plates 27a, 27b. After the locking elements 49 move into registration with the respective openings 29a-c, the channel 41 closes and the grip 33, body 35, upper lip 36, and lower lip 37 conjointly pivot to move the hinge plates 27a, 27b upward.
In addition when the ring members 23a, 23b are open and the lever 15 is relaxed, the locking elements 49 and travel bar 45 are free of forces tending to move them to the locked position. Thus, there is no tendency for the open ring members 23a, 23b to inadvertently close under the influence of the lever 15, locking elements 49, or travel bar 45 as an operator loads or removes pages from the ring members 23a, 23b.
Similarly when the ring members 23a, 23b are moved to the closed position, the flexible connecting arm 38 allows the upper lip 36 to pivot the hinge plates 27a, 27b downward before pushing the travel bar 45 and locking elements 49 to the locked position. Thus, movement of the travel bar 45 and locking elements 49 are delayed from movement of the lever 15 and hinge plates 27a, 27b and do not interfere with the pivoting movement of the hinge plates 27a, 27b. In addition, the tension produced in the connecting arm 38 during closing operation ensures that the locking elements 49 are moved fully to the locked position after the ring members 23a, 23b close through the recoil action of the connecting arm 38 without the use of additional spring features.
In addition, continuous engagement between the lever lower lip 37 and the lower surfaces of the hinge plates 27a, 27b during closing operation ensures that the body 35 and grip 33 of the lever 15 move fully to their vertical position when the hinge plates 27a, 27b are pivoted downward (and the ring members 23a, 23b are closed).
Thus, the ring binder mechanism 1 effectively retains loose-leaf pages when ring members 23a, 23b are closed, and readily prevents the closed ring members 23a, 23b from unintentionally opening. The lever 15 positions the travel bar 45 and its locking elements 49 in the locked position when the ring members 23a, 23b close, eliminating the need to manually move the lever 15 to positively lock the mechanism 1. The ring mechanism 1 incorporating the locking lever 15 requires no additional biasing components (e.g., springs) to perform the locking operation, and requires no specially formed parts to accommodate such biasing components.
Components of ring binder mechanisms of the embodiments described and illustrated herein are made of a suitable rigid material, such as a metal (e.g. steel). But mechanisms having components made of a nonmetallic material, specifically including a plastic, do not depart from the scope of this invention.
When introducing elements of the ring binder mechanisms herein, the articles “a”, “an”, “the” and “said” are intended to mean that there are one or more of the elements. The terms “comprising”, “including” and “having” and variations thereof are intended to be inclusive and mean that there may be additional elements other than the listed elements. Moreover, the use of “forward” and “rearward” and variations of these terms, or the use of other directional and orientation terms, is made for convenience, but does not require any particular orientation of the components.
As various changes could be made in the above without departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description and shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/827,205, filed Sep. 27, 2006, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
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