SNAP FASTENER TYPE LOOSE-LEAF FOLDER

RELIURE A PRESSIONS POUR FEUILLES MOBILES

English Abstract

ABSTRACT
This specification discloses a folder suitable,
for example, as a bank passbook for the retention or
protection of sheets of paper or other like material
comprising a pair of spaced post portions of snap fas-
teners near a fold line in the folder and attached to and
projecting from one side of the folder and adapted to
pass through holes in the sheets of paper, a pair of
spaced cap portions of the snap fasteners adapted to
cooperate with said post portions and removable to permit
removal or insertion of sheets of paper from said folder,
and a sheet of resilient, flexible plastic or like material
affixed to and projecting from said folder at or about
the fold line with one hole in register with each post.
portion and adapted to retain the sheets of paper loosely
in position on the post portions when the cap portions
are removed from the post portions.

Claims

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive
property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:
1. In a folder for the retention or protection of
sheets of paper or other like material, a combination of
such folder, a pair of spaced post portions of snap fasten-
ers near a fold line in the folder and attached to and
projecting from one side of the folder and adapted to pass
through holes in the sheets of paper, a pair of spaced cap
portions of the snap fasteners adapted to cooperate with
said post portions and removable to permit removal or
insertion of sheets of paper from said folder, and a sheet
of resilient, flexible plastic or like material affixed to
and projecting from said folder at or about the fold line
with one cut out in register with each post portion and
adapted to retain the sheets of paper loosely in position
on the post portions when the cap portions are removed from
the post portions.
2. A combination as in Claim 1 wherein the sheet
of resilient, flexible plastic or like material is made
of a clear plastic that permits reading of information
on the top sheet of paper through the said sheet.
3. A combination as in Claim 1 or 2 wherein the
folder is a bank passbook for the retention of bank
customers' account records.
4. A combination as in Claim 1 wherein the flexible
plastic sheet extends from the fold to or near the
distal end of the folder so that a thumb can be placed
across the flexible plastic sheet while the folder is

held in one hand and the other hand is used to remove the
snap fasteners by pulling on the side of the folder to which
the cap portions of the snap fasteners are attached, the sheet
of resilient, flexible plastic thus retaining the sheets of
paper or other like material in place in the folder on the
post portions of the snap fasteners.
5. A combination as in Claim 1 or 4 wherein said folder
further comprises at least one pocket means provided on either
one of inner surfaces of the folder.
6. In a folder for the retention or protection of
sheets of paper or similar material including:
a folder having two sides and a fold line between the
two sides,
at least two spaced post portions of snap fasteners near
the fold line of the folder and attached to and projecting
inwardly from one side of the folder and adapted to pass through
holes in the sheets of paper, and
at least two spaced cap portions of the snap fasteners
adapted to cooperate with said post portions and removable to
permit removal or insertion of sheets of paper from said
folder,
the improvement wherein sheet retaining means are provided
integral with the folder to retain the sheets of paper loosely
in position on the post portions when the cap portions are
removed from the post portions, said retaining means comprising
a retaining sheet of resilient, flexible plastic or similar
material of a size slightly smaller than one side of said folder,
said retaining sheet being attached on one edge to the folder
at or about the fold line and having a cut out in register with

each post portion whereby said retaining sheet normally overlies
the side of the folder having said post portions and acts to
retain a sheet of paper placed over the post portions prior to
fastening the cap portions and said retaining sheet holds said
sheets of paper in position while the side of the folder having
the cap portions is uncapped.
7. A folder according to claim 6, wherein said retain-
ing sheet is made of a clear plastic which permits reading
of information on the top sheet of paper through said retaining
sheet.
8. A folder according to claim 6 further comprising
at least one pocket means provided on either one of the inner
surfaces of the folder.
9. A folder according to claim 7 further comprising
at least one pocket means provided on either one of the inner
surfaces of the folder.
10. In a bank passbook folder for the retention and
protection of sheets of paper which comprises the bank
customer's account records including:
a folder having two sides and a fold line between
the two sides,
a pair of spaced post portions of snap fasteners
near the fold line of the folder and attached to and projecting
inwardly from one side of the folder and adapted to pass through
holes in the sheets of paper, and
a pair of spaced cap portions of the snap fasten-
ers adapted to cooperate with said post portions and removable

to permit removal or insertion of sheets of paper from said
folder,
the improvement wherein sheet retaining means are provided
integral with the folder to retain the sheets of paper loosely
in position on the post portions when the cap portions are
removed from the post portions, said retaining means comprising
a retaining sheet of resilient, flexible clear plastic which
permits reading of information on the top sheet of paper through
said retaining sheet of a size slightly smaller than one side
of said folder, said retaining sheet being attached on one
edge to the folder at or about the fold line and having a hole
in register with each post portion whereby said retaining sheet
normally overlies the side of the folder having said post
portions and acts to retain a sheet of paper placed over the
post portions prior to fastening the cap portions and said
retaining sheet holds said sheets of paper in position while
the side of the folder having the cap portions is uncapped.
11. A folder according to claim 10 further comprising
at least one pocket means provided on either one of the inner
surfaces of the folder.

Description

~0733Q5
The present invention relates to a folder, more particularly, to
a folder for the retention or protection of sheets of paper or like material.
The folder of this invention is, for example, adaptable as a bank passbook.
Many banks have been extensively using a loose-leaf Eolder binding
sheets of paper which record the deposits made by a customer into his
account. These conventional bank passbooks exhibit difficulties to open
and insert or remove the sheets which record the deposits made, without the
sheets being displaced.
The inventor has found that a flexible plastic sheet will overcome
the difficulties or inconvenience which accompany the use of the conventional
passbooks, when a resilient, flexible plastic sheet is placed on the top
sheet of paper retained in the folder. It is obvious that this idea may
be useable not only for bank passbooks but also for various kinds of folders
such as notebooks, catalogues, and the like.
The ob~ect of this invention is therefore to provide a loose-leaf
folder which facilitates easy insertion or removal of sheets of paper from
the folder.
Another object of the invention is to provide a loose-leaf folder
which can be produced at a low cos-t and also be suitable for mass production.
Thus the present invention provides, in a folder for the retention
or protection of sheets of paper or other like material, a combination of
such folder, a pair of spaced post portions of snap fasteners near a fold
line in the folder and attached to and projecting from one side of the
folder and adapted to pass through holes in the sheets of paper, a pair of
spaced cap portions of the snap fasteners adapted to cooperate with said
post portions and removable to permit removal or insertion of sheets of
paper from said folder, and a sheet of resilient, flexible plastic or like
material affixed to and projecting from said folder at or about the fold
line with one cut out in register with each post portion and adapted to retain
the sheets of paper loosely in position on the post portions when the cap
portions are removed from the post portions.
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In a further embodiment the present invention provides, in a folder
for the retention or protection of sheets of paper or similar material
including: a folder having two sides and a fold line between the two sides;
at least two spaced post portions of snap fasteners near the fold line of
the folder and attached to and projecting inwardly from one side of the
folder and adapted to pass through holes in the sheets of paper; and at
least two spaced cap portions of the snap fasteners adapted to cooperate
with said post portions and removable to permit removal or insertion of
sheets of paper from said folder; the improvement wherein sheet retaining
means are provided integral with the folder to retain the sheets of paper
loosely in position on the post portions when the cap portions are removed
from the post portions, said retaining means comprising a retaining sheet of
resilient, flexible plastic or similar material of a size slightly smaller
than one side of said folder, said retaining sheet being attached on one
edge to the folder at or about the fold line and having a cut out in register
with each post por~.ion whereby said retaining sheet normally overlies the
side of the folder having said post portions and acts to retain a sheet of
paper placed over the post portions prior to fastening the cap portions and
said retaining sheet holds said sheets of paper in position while the side
of the folder having the cap portions is uncapped.
According to further aspect of this invention, there is provided ~ :
such folders as set out above where the folder is a bank passbook for the
retention of bank customers' account records.
The invention, its objects and its various advantages will become
more apparent to those skilled in the art from the ensuing detailed
description of the preferred embodiment which follows, references being made
to accompanying drawings wherein like numerals denote like parts.

1~733C~S
Fig. 1 shows a top plan view of one embodiment
of a bank passbook, with the fasteners completely opened.
Fig. 2 illustrates a side-elevational view of the
same bank passbook as in Fîg. 1, with the fastener~
completely closed and the front sheet of the folder opened.
Referring to the figures3 the sheets of paper 7
bear a pair of spaced holes 9, 9 therethrough. Placed on
the top sheet of paper, is a transparent, resilient, flex-
lble plastic sheet 3 through which a pair of matching holes
5, S are provided. A transparent sheet is preferred to a
translucent or opaque plastic sheet because the informa~ion
on the top sheet of paper is readable through the trans-
parent sheet without turning it. The transparent plastic
sheet 3 is integrally attached to folder 1 near the fold
line 1~ thereof along the proximal side of the plastic sheet.
~he folder i~ preferably made of a single sheet of plastic.
Through the holes 9, 9 of the sheetSof paper and the
matching holes 5, 5 of the plastic sheet, there are provided
a pair of spaced post portions 11, 11 of snap fasteners,
which posts are secured to the back sheet of the folder a~
the bottom ends thereof. A pair of spaced cap portions 13,
13 of the snap fasteners are provided and are attached to
~he front sheet o~ the folder.
In this embodiment a pocke~ 15 is provided on the
inner surface of the front sheet of the folder. Another
pocket may be provided on the inner surface of the back
sheet of the folder. The pocket is made of flexible,
resilient plastic sheet, preferably being transparent,
and is heat-sealed to the folder along the peripheral side
and edges thereof.
When sheets of paper are to be inserted in or re-
moved from the folder9 ehe snap fasteners are opened by
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11~733~S
placing the thumb on the flexible plastic sheet while the
folder is held in the hand, and pulling with the other
hand the front sheet of the folder. The resilient, flex-
ible plastic sheet thus retains the sheets of paper or
other like material in place in the folder on the post
portions of the snap fasteners. Because of the flexible
nature of the resilient plastic sheet, the sheets of paper '
are loosely kept in position between the resilient, flex-
ible plastic sheet and the back sheet of the folder,
thereby retaining the sheets of paper on the post portions
of the snap fasteners while the fasteners are in an open
position.
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