Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
102025CA 02264111 2005-01-05INDEX SHEET WITH REMOVABLE ADHESIVE STRIPMmï¬M 'l'his invention relates to tabbed index dividers, business cards, Rolodex® cards, holidayor greeting cards, uneven sheets and the like and particularly those for use in three-ring orsimilar notebooks. It also concerns methods for printing on them by feeding them throughstandard laser or ink jet printers, photocopiets or other common printing apparatus..The width of a standard index tab divider for a three-ring notebook containing sheetsof pre-punched 8 â/2 by eleven inch notebook paper is nine by eleven inches, which includes thewidth of the tab. Unfortunately, many standard laser-jet or ink-jet printers or photocopiers canonly accept rectangular sheets of widths not exceeding 8 âA inches. Accordingly, there has beena need for an assembly and accompanying method for conveniently printing upon the face andtab portion of a nine by eleven inch divider using a laser or ink-jet printer or photocopier whichhas an 8 â/2 inch width restriction.One approach has been to print on a standard 8 â/2 by eleven inch sheet and then adhereaprt.~punched spine stripalonganedgeofthesheet. Thesheetcanthenbeinsertedintoaringed binder. However, this arrangement is somewhat inconvenient to a user for two reasons.First, for assemblies in which the spine strips are entirely separate from the divider sheets, theuser must separately store both componts, and storage areas can become cluttered and thespine strips misplaced. Second, the user must very carefully attach the pre-punched spine stripto the divider sheet. If the spine strip is misaligned, the user must reposition the strip or mayeven need to discard the entire assembly, particularly if a permanent pressure sensitive adhesiveis used on the spine. Additionally, this arrangement is somewhat user-unfriendly due to thetime it takes to remove a release liner from the spine and apply the spine strip to thedivider. âCommon printers and copiers may have a thickness restriction as well as a widthrestriction, due to interior clearances and due to the radii of bends in the sheet path thrcughthose machines. Uneven thicknesses can cause skewing in the transport of sheets through theprinter and possibly jamming. It is therefore important to nonuniformity of thicknessover the entire assembly. Holmberg, U.S. Patent No. 4,447,481 teaches that assemblies forfeeding into common printers should have a substantially uniform thickness.1015202530CA 02264111 2005-01-052Different brands of software are currently available and others are being developedfor causing laser, inkâjet and other printers to automatically print the desired indiciadirectly on tabs of dividers. The dividers can be approximately 8 1/4 inches by eleveninches when folded before printing and unfold the standard nine inches by eleven inchesafter printing, as described in U.S. Patent Number 5,558,454 issued on September 24,1996. They are typically constructed of medium weight paper reinforced along onelongitudinal edge by an adhered layer of plastic ï¬lm. This edge may include threethroughâholes or apertures for ï¬ling the divider in a ring binder. Extending out from theopposite edge is a tab, having a length of about 1 1/4 inch to 1 7/8 inch (or 1 1/8 inch to 31/4 inches) and a width of one-half inch and which may be reinforced with an adheredlayer of plastic ï¬int The tabs on different dividers in a set are typically provided atbetween three to eight different positions.In the past when such dividers were fed (in the portrait direction of the dividersheet) using multipurpose or cassette trays into inkâjet, electrophotographic or laserprinters, the dividers tended to skew as they entered the printer. This skewing occursbecause ( 1) the tabs of the dividers stick out one-half inch from the body of the paper andthus do not provide full continuous contact of each divider to the paper guide of the(multipurpose) printer tray and (2) the paper guide of the multipurpose tray is muchshorter than the paper divider itself. This means that the dividers with the last few tabpositions do not contact the paper guide, speciï¬cally, the fourth and ï¬fth tabs of a ï¬ve tabset and the ï¬fth through eighth tabs of an eight tab set.Even when an insert feed tray as described in copending U.S. Patent Number5,618,033 issued on April 8, 1997, is used, a perfectly straight feed in the portrait directionmay not result. In fact, that insert feed tray works perfectly with only about one half of theprinters. For example, it does not work well with vertical feed trays and with the olderHPII and HPIII printers where the insert tray tends to move around a bit causing shiftingof the print and skewing. The tray tends to move around when it is only 8 l/4 inches wideand the cassette tray is 8 â/2 inches. A two-sided insert tray works better in that situation.Within the past year a new ofï¬ce printer â the Hewlett Packard 4V printer â hasbeen made available. The HP4V printer is a high speed, network shared printer adapted forofï¬ce use. Unlike prior printers, except a few used in the graphic arts business for large1015202530CA 02264111 2005-01-053format printing, the HP4V printer handles sheets as wide as eleven inches. It thus allows 8â/2 by eleven inch sheets to be fed therein in the landscape direction. Thus, 8 â/2 by eleveninch tabbed divider sheets can be fed in tabbed edge or binding edge first. And theavailable software allows the printer to print bath along the tab and across the body of thesheet in a single pass through the printer.A problem, however, is that unless the tab of the sheet happens to be aligned withthe printerâs startâof-the-page sensor, the sheet, if fed in tab edge first (or sheet edge firstwith a trailing tab), will not be detected or sensed and will not be fed into the printer for aprinting operation thereon. Mare accurately, the tab will not be sensed and printing on thetab does not occur. The HP4V printer has center sensors to sense the beginning andtrailing edges of the paper. Thus, for the HP4V printer when a f1veâposition tabbed dividersystem is used, only the dividers with their tabs in the third position will be sensed forprinting on the tabs when fed in tab edge first (or as a divider with a third-position trailingtab). That is, those dividers whose tabs are in the first, second, fourth and ï¬fth positions donot cause the tabs to be sensed for printing thereon. Thus, the divider must be fed in a holepunched side ï¬rst, on the side opposite the tab. Also, if the dividers are fed in binding(hole punched) edge first, all of the sheets are fed through, but only the ones with the tabsnear the center would be printed. That is, for sheets having uncentered tabs, the printerwill not sense the trailing edge and print on the tab.SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONDirected to remedying the problems in and limitations of the prior art, disclosedherein are improved tabbed index divider sheets (and the like) for feeding into printers forprinting thereon. The tabbed divider sheet is provided with a removable strip attached withadhesive to the face of the sheet which preferably extends a slight distance beyond thetabbed edge thereof and extends the length of that edge (to 8 â/2 inches). Thus, with thesheet in the feed tray of the new wide format printers, disposed in the landscape directionand the tabbed edge being the leading edge, the removable strip is detected by the sensor.Since the strip extends the entire sheet length, the sheet is thereby detected no matterwhere the tab is positioned on the sheet. That is, the detector detects the leading edge stripitself and not the smaller usually offset tabs. If that sheet is fed in the portrait direction into1015202530CA 02264111 2005-01-054a printer, the strip advantageously guides the sheet along the tray guide edges, withoutskewing, into the printer.After the sheet has been fed (in either the landscape or portrait directions) into theprinter, printed thereon and expelled or ejected, the strip is removed from the sheet. Withthe strip removed, the (backside of the) tab is exposed and the sheet is ready for use.In other words, a peel off strip is releasably attached to the leading (tabbed) edgeof the divider sheet to provide a sheet edge to engage the start-of-theâpage detector of theprinter and permit imaging on the tab area. Conversely, a peel off strip is releasablyattached to the trailing (tabbed) edge of the divider to provide a trailing sheet edge toengage the sheet detector allowing imaging of the tab. The strip is temporarily ï¬xed to thedivider page with a removable adhesive and can be constructed of a lighter weight paperthan that of the divider sheet or even of plastic. Another advantage of this design is that itovercomes the non-printing âdead zoneâ at the leading edge of the sheet by providingearly engagement of the sensor. Thereby, images can be placed right up to edge of the tab.A further advantage is that rotation of the tab indicia is not necessary since it can betreated as ordinary text in conventional Wordâprocessing software applications.Alternatively, the peel off strip can be constructed as two separate peel off strips or stripportions releasably attached to the tabbed edge and positioned on opposite sides of the tab.Both tabs contact only the adjacent ends of the tab and neither extends across it. Thereby,the printer can print alternatively on either side or on both sides of the tab as desired.Accordingly, the present invention provides a tab sheet assembly, comprising: atab sheet having an edge and a tab extending out from the edge; and a strip releasablyattached with adhesive to a face of the sheet in an attached position extending out from theedge to improve feed of the sheet into or transport of the sheet through a printer or copierfor a printing operation on the sheet, the strip being removable from the attached positionon the sheet after the printing operation.The present invention also provides an assembly adapted to be passed through aprinter or copier, comprising: a substantially ï¬at object having an object edge which is atleast partially nonâlinear, uneven or non-perpendicular; and a strip releasably attachedwith adhesive to a face of the object in an attached position extending out from the edge toimprove feed of the object into or transport of the object through a printer or copier for a1015202530CA 02264111 2005-01-054aprinting operation on the object, the strip being removable from the attached position onthe object after the printing operation.The present invention also provides a tab divider sheet assembly, comprising: a tabdivider sheet having a sheet edge and an outwardly-extending tab at the sheet edge; and astrip releasably attached with adhesive to a face of the divider sheet at the sheet edge, thedivider sheet and the strip together deï¬ning a rectangle having dimensions adapted fornontractor, sheet feed of the tab divider sheet into a printer or copier, and the strip beingremovable from the divider sheet after the divider sheet and the strip attached thereto havebeen sheet fed into the printer or copier and a printing operation performed on the dividersheet.In a further aspect, the present invention provides a tab divider sheet assembly,comprising: a tab divider sheet having a sheet edge and an outwardlyâextending tab at thesheet edge, three edges of the sheet being perforation-tie free; and a strip releasablyattached with adhesive to a face of the divider sheet at the sheet edge, the divider sheet andthe strip together deï¬ning a rectangle, and the strip being removable from the divider sheetafter the divider sheet and the strip attached thereto have been sheet fed into a printer orcopier and a printing operation performed on the divider sheet.In a still further aspect, the present invention provides a tab divider sheet assembly,comprising: a tab divider sheet having a sheet edge and an outwardly-extending tab at thesheet edge; a strip; and adhesive means for releasably attaching the strip to a face of thedivider sheet at the sheet edge wherein the divider sheet and the strip together deï¬ne arectangle having dimensions adapted for nontractor, sheet feed of the tab divider sheet intoa printer or copier, and such that the strip can be removed from the divider sheet after thedivider sheet and the strip attached thereto have been sheet fed into the printer or copierand a printing operation performed on the divider sheet.The present invention also provides a tab divider sheet assembly, comprising: a tabdivider sheet having a sheet edge and an outward1yâextending tab at the sheet edge, threeedges of the sheet being perforation-tie free; a strip; and adhesive means for releasablyattaching the strip to a face of the divider sheet at the sheet edge wherein the divider sheetand the strip together deï¬ne a rectangle having dimensions adapted for nontractor, sheetfeed of the tab divider sheet into a printer or copier, and such that the strip can be removed4CA 02264111 2005-01-054bfrom the divider sheet after the divider sheet and the strip attached thereto have been sheetfed into the printer or copier and a printing operation performed on the divider sheet.Other features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparentto those persons having ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention pertainsfrom the foregoing description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.10I5202530CA 02264111 1999-02-15WO 98/07567 PCT/U S96/ 13230BRIEF !!§§Cg1PTlON QF T111; DmwmgsFIG. 1 is a front elevational view of a first index divider sheet assembly of the presentinvention;FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the assembly of FIG. 1 shown in position in a feed trayof a printer for feeding in a landscape tab edge ï¬rst direction into the printer;FIG. 2a shows the assembly of FIG. 2 with an alternative binding edge first, landscapefeed direction into the printer as indicated; it is also within the scope of the invention for theassembly of FIG. 2 to be fed into the printer in a landscape feed direction with the binding edgelast, that is, with the direction of the arrow of FIG. 2a reversed;FIG. 2b is a view similar to FIG. 2a showing an alternative portrait feed direction of theinvention;F IG. 3 is a view of the assembly of FIG. 1 after having passed through the printer ofFIG. 2 and showing the strip being removed;FIG. 4 is a view of the assembly of FIG. 3 with the strip completely removed anddisposed of and showing an alternative tab printing alignment;FIG. 5 is a front elevational view of a second index divider sheet assembly of theinvention;FIG. 6 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken on line 6-6 of FIG. 5;FIG. 7 is a view similar to FIG. 5 of the second assembly in a folded over position;FIG. 8 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken on line 8-8 of FIG. 7;FIG. 9 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken on line 9-9 of FIG. 7;FIG. 10 is a view similar to FIG. 8 of a third index divider sheet assembly of theinvention;FIG. 11 is a view similar to that of FIG. 2 showing the second assembly of FIG. 7 in aprinter feed tray for feeding in a portrait direction into the printer;FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the second assembly of FIG. 7 after printing thereonby the printer of FIG. 11 and showing the folded edge unfolded and the strip being removed;FIG. 13 is a front elevational view of a fourth index divider sheet assembly of theinvention;FIG. 14 is a front elevational view of a fifth index divider sheet assembly showing theperforated strip thereof being removed;1015202530CA 02264111 1999-02-15wo 93/07557 PCT/US96I132306FIG. 15 is a front elevational view of a sixth index divider sheet assembly of theinvention;FIG. 16 is a perspective view of an alternative sheet assembly of the present inventionafter passing through a printer or copier and with the peel off strip thereof partially removed;FIG. 17 is a plan view of a business card sheet assembly of the present invention;FIG. 18 is a perspective view of one of the business cards of the assembly of FIG. 17,in a generally ï¬nished condition;FIG. 19 is a plan view of an alternative business card sheet assembly of the presentinvention;FIG. 20 is a perspective view of one of the business cards of the assembly of FIG. 19in a generally ï¬nished condition;FIG. 21 is a perspective view similar to FIG. 20 of a holiday card of the presentinvention;FIG. 22 is a plan view of a tabbed ï¬ip ï¬le (Rolodex®-type) card sheet assembly of thepresent invention; andFIG. 23 is a perspective view of the assembly of FIG. 22 after having passed througha printer or copier and showing a subsequent separation procedure.DETAILED DESCRIPTION QR PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTIONReferring to the drawings, a number of embodiments of the present invention areillustrated. A ï¬rst preferred embodiment is shown in FIGS. 1 - 4, and this embodiment or indexdivider sheet assembly is shown generally at 50. The assembly 50 includes an index dividersheet 52, as shown in isolation in FIG. 4 and having a length of eleven inches and a width upto the straight edge of eight-and-a-half (or eight and a quarter) inches and a total widthdimension including the tab 56 of nine inches. The assembly 50 can also be standard A4 paper,which is 8.27 inches by 11.69 inches not including the tabs. The sheet 52 is preferably a ï¬fty-seven pound vellum bristol, approximately 7.5 mil thick, such as that available from Wausauor Champion, or ninety pound index paper, approximately seven mil thick, such as thatavailable from International Paper. The tab 56 itself has length dimensions for laser dividersof 1 1/8 inch to 1 1/4 inch for an eight tab system, or for a ï¬ve tab system of 1 3/4 to twoinches, and oneâhalf inch width. (The tab length is measured at one half the height or width ofthe tab.) The divider sheets 52 are typically provided in a set wherein the tabs (56) are1015202530CA 02264111 1999-02-15WO 98/07567 PCT/U S96/ 132307positioned at three, ï¬ve, eight or ten different locations (1/3, 1/5, 1/8 and 1/10 cuts,respectively) along the edge 60. Thus, when the sheets are in a ring binder or other ï¬le (notshown), the tabs (56) of adjacent sheets (52) will be off-set from each other to facilitate readingof any indicia thereon and also for accessing the tab to open the ï¬le to the desired location, asis known.Attached to the sheet 52 along the edge 60 thereof is a strip of paper 64. The strip 64would typically have a length the same as the length of the divider sheet 52 and would have awidth dimension of between 3/4 and one and a half inches and with a minimum attachment of1/8 to 1/4 inch. The strip 64 can be twenty-four pound bond paper or equivalent ï¬lm, and havea thickness of approximately 3 â/2 to four mil. The strip 64 is preferably thin, thinner than theindex divider sheet 52, so that the strip plus the sheet are together not too thick to pass throughthe printer.The strip 64 is glued to the back of the divider sheet 52 along the edge 60. Referringto FIG. 3, the adhesive or glue 66 is preferably a removable pressure sensitive type of adhesive,but can also be a fugitive type of adhesive. An example thereof is the 48341 (formerly 45858)or 42995 Aqueous Fugitive Adhesive from Swift Adhesives, Division of Reichhold Chemicals,Inc. of Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, as described in detail later. The adhesive 66is deposited on one half of the length of the strip 64. Then the strip 64 and the sheet 52 arepositioned and laminated together. If a pressure sensitive adhesive 66 is used, only minimallaminating pressure is needed. The back of the tab 56 can be, but is preferably not, directlyglued to the strip 64.When glued, the strip 64 extends preferably â/2 to 3/4 inch (â/2 inch for print-on tabsand/or laser divider and 3/4 inch for laser divider) outward beyond the edge 60 of the dividersheet 52, and 0 - 1/4 inch beyond the outer edge of the tab 56. This gives the assembly 50 anoverall width of preferably nine inches (when laser dividers are unfolded), or 8 1/4 to 8 â/2inches for laser divider (when folded) and nine inches for print-on tabs, respectively. In otherwords and referring to FIG. 1, dimensions 68a, 68b and 68c can be 8 â/2, â/2 (or 3/4) and 7 3/4inches, respectively, for laser dividers.Thereby, and referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the divider sheet assembly 50 is positioned inthe feed tray 70 of the printer 72. As shown in FIG. 2, the printer 72 can be the HP4V printer,a wide format printer as previously described. The printer 72 can also be a copier, such as adigital programmable copier, like the Xerox Docutechm copier. And the assembly 50 can be1015202530CA 02264111 1999-02-15wo 93/07567 PCT/US96/132308deposited in the feed tray 70 in the landscape feed direction as shown. As previouslymentioned, the wide format printers allow for feeding of documents which are eleven incheswide into the printer (72). Alternative feed directions of this invention are illustrated by thearrows in FIGS. 2a and 2b.When the printing cycle is initiated the sensor 76 of the printer 72 shown in the centerdetects the paper strip 64 and thereby the presence of the divider assembly 50 and initiates thefeeding and printing cycle. Since the detector or sensor 76 is in the center of the eleven inchfeed of the printer 72, it would not have detected the divider sheet 52 without the strip 64because the tab 56 is off-set from the detector or sensor 76, and thus imaging would have beeninterrupted. In other words, if the detector does not sense the start of the page until the mainbody of the divider has reached it, no image is deposited on the tab. (Examples of detectors areï¬nger types and photosensors. The sensor engages interlocking electronics that tell the printerthat paper is coming in (is inbound) and thus printing may proceed or outbound so printing willstop.) The same is true if the divider is fed in binding edge first without the paper strip; theprinter would not detect the trailing edge of the sheet without the additional paper strip.With the divider sheet assembly 50 fed into the printer 72 and the printing operationconducted as directed by the printer software, the desired indicia is printed on the divider sheet52. This can be, for example, as shown in FIG. 3 with a title 80 width-wise of the divider sheet52 and another indicia title (either horizontal or vertical) 82 along the length of the tab 56.Thus, assembly 50 allows direct printing without the use of macros or special commercialgraphics software.With the printing on the divider sheet 52 completed, the divider sheet assembly 50 isexpelled or ejected from the printer 72 in a conventional manner. The user then removes thestrip 64 from the divider sheet 52. As shown in FIG. 3, this is a simple process of peeling it offto release the adhesive 66. No residue of the adhesive 66 remains on the divider sheet 52because of the type of adhesive selected. The divider sheet 52 is then ready for use as shownin FIG. 4. This can be used in a ï¬le folder, stapled or otherwise hole punched or unfolded toreveal hole punches (for Laser divider) and put into a binder. Alternatively, apertured spines canbe attached as described earlier in this disclosure.One preferred method of constructing and using the divider sheet (52) is to provide thebinding edge, the edge opposite of the tabbed edge (60), with a plurality (preferably three) ofpreformed spaced apertures or through-holes for fitting the divider sheet into a conventional1015202530CA 02264111 1999-02-15WO 98/07567 PCT/U S96/ 132309three ring binder. The binding edge can be constructed as described in the '3 70 application andas is illustrated in FIGS. 5-9, for example, and discussed below.FIG. 5 illustrates a one-piece divider assembly 110 which can be folded over at thebinding edge thereof and which includes the previously-mentioned adhesive strip 64. Theassembly 110 is suitable for printing in laser printers, inkâjet printers, photocopiers and otherprinters such as shown in FIGS. 2 and 11. The assembly 110 has a binding edge 112 and anintegral, debossed binding edge region 114 extending inwardly into the sheet from the bindingedge. The assembly also has a main body 116 with an integral, outwardly extending tab 118.A heavy paper or cardstock sheet fonns the structural basis for the entire divider assembly 110.The binding edge region 114 has a folding portion 120 which has spaced ring apertures122. The binding edge region 114 may also have a non-folding portion 124. The foldingportion 120 and non-folding portion 124 are separated by a folding line 126, about which thefolding portion may fold. Longitudinal folding line 126 is inset from and runs parallel to thebinding edge 112. In the embodiment of FIG. 5, the folding line 126 is scored to improve theregularity and proper positioning of the fold. Such scoring may consist of notches, cuts or asingle indented line as best shown in FIG. 6.FIG. 6, which is an enlarged sectional view taken on line 6-6 of FIG. 5, shows that thefolding portion 120 and the non-folding portion 124 of binding edge region 114 are debossedor calendered. That is, binding edge region 114 is reduced in thickness somewhat relative tothe main body portion 116. Binding edge region 114 is also laminated with a reinforcementï¬lm 128 which is adhered to one surface of the binding edge region. FIG. 6 further shows thatfolding line 126 is a line of indentation which extends into the divider sheet.The tab 118 can be reinforced with a tab reinforcement ï¬lm which is adhered to bothsides thereof. In this instance, the tab reinforcement ï¬lm is an adhesively-coated, symmetricalmember that is folded about and adhered to the tab 118 at a line of symmetry of thereinforcement ï¬lm member. The adhesive for the tab reinforcement ï¬lm should be stable totemperatures of up to four hundred and ï¬fty degrees Fahrenheit so as to remain stable in thehigh heat environment of a laser printer or photocopier.FIG. 7 illustrates the assembly of FIG. 5 with folding portion (or folding ï¬ap) 120having been folded over and adhesively tacked to non-folding portion 124. In thisconï¬guration, the assembly 110 is ready to be fed into a laser printer, ink-jet printer orphotocopier. The printer will print onto the tab 1 18 and/or the main body portion 1 16. The tab1015202530CA 02264111 1999-02-15wo 93/07557 PCTIUS96/132301Oreinforcement ï¬lm may be provided with a laser printable coating which will receive indiciafrom a variety of different printers.FIG. 8 is an enlarged sectional view taken on line 8-8 of FIG. 7. It shows the foldingportion 120 folded over at score line 126 and tacked with a single-use adhesive layer 132 tonon-folding portion 124. The single-use adhesive layer 132 temporarily maintains foldingportion 120 in the folded position of FIG. 8 so that the assembly 110 will pass through theprinter without jamming. In this folded conï¬guration, the assembly 1 10 is substantially ï¬at andhas a width of 8 1/4 inches as measured from the edge of the folded portion to the very edge ofthe index tab. The main body sheet may have a slightly reduced thickness at tab 118 to helpcompensate for the added thickness of the tab reinforcement ï¬lm, and the thickness reductionmay be accomplished using a standard calendering process.FIG. 9 is an enlarged sectional view of the binding edge region taken on line 9-9 of FIG.7. It shows that the debossing has reduced the thickness of the binding edge region such thatwhen folding portion 120 is folded over, the total thickness of the folded-over portion isapproximately the same as the thickness of the main body of the sheet. (For Laser dividerswhen folded over the total thickness of the folded portion is not the same thickness as the body.It is approximately 12.5 mil versus 7.5 mil for the body portion. If the binding edge is notcalendered, the thickness would be 17.5 mil.) Various embodiments of the present inventionmay have a greater or lesser degree of debossing. The general idea is to prevent the folded-overbinding edge region from bulging upward to any substantial extent, thereby causing jammingin the printer (72). However, the thickness of the folded-over portion may be slightly greaterthan the thickness of the main body.The following materials and dimensions are provided for purposes of illustration but notof limitation. The assembly 110 may be made from a single sheet of paper stock which isapproximately 6.5 to 8.0 mil thick and nine inches wide. One suitable type of paper stock isavailable from the Champion Paper Company in a basis weight of ï¬ftyâseven pounds per onethousand eight hundred square feet. Various laser printable cardstocks and papers of variousthickness are also acceptable.A suitable adhesive (132) for tacking down the folding portion 120 to the nonâfoldingportion 124 is the 48341 (formerly 45858) or 45992 Aqueous Fugitive Adhesive available fromSwift Adhesives Division of Reichhold Chemicals, Inc. of Research Triangle Park, NorthCarolina. When wet, this adhesive creates a good paper-to-paper bond. However, when itI015202530CA 02264111 1999-02-15WO 98/07567 PCT/U S96/ 1323011dries, the bond will still hold until it is physically broken. Once the adhesive bond is broken,as for instance after a user has unfolded the folding portion 120 from the non-folding portion124 and broken the adhesive seal, the dry adhesive is no longer tacky and will not stick toanything. When dry and tackless, the adhesive is virtually unnoticeable.The edge reinforcing ï¬lm, which serves to reinforce the hole punches 122, may be a 0.5to 1.0 or 2.0 mil thick strip of clear polyester ï¬lm, coated on one side with a thermally-activatedadhesive which remains stable at temperatures of between three hundred and seventy-ï¬ve tofour hundred and ï¬fty degrees Fahrenheit that may be generated within a laser printer. Sucha film and suitable adhesive are available from ProtectâAll, Inc. of Darien, Wisconsin. The tabreinforcing film, based on 0.5 to 1.0 or 2.0 mil polyester ï¬lm, is coated on one side with a stableheat-activated adhesive for attachment to the tab portion of the divider sheet and on the otherside with a coating that enhances laser, ink-jet or copier printability. One such coating isavailable from Precision Coatings, Inc. of Walled Lake, Michigan.A number of companies have performed the process of bonding these reinforcing ï¬lmsto index dividers, and the process is well known. One such company is Avery DennisonSpecialty Products Division of Rolling Meadows, Illinois. In the embodiment illustrated in thedrawings, the edge reinforcing adhesive coating is approximately 0.5 mil thick and the tabadhesive coating is approximately one mil thick, although thicker or thinner coats may be usedas desired.It is noted that both the edge and tab reinforcing ï¬lms should also be stable in the hightemperature environment of today's laser printers. Consequently, the reinforcement ï¬lms,coatings and adhesives should be temperature stable up to temperatures of approximately fourhundred and ï¬fty degrees Fahrenheit. However, if printers are developed that do not generatesuch temperatures, this requirement may be relaxed.With respect to dimensions, in its unfolded position, the assembly 110 may be eleveninches long by nine inches wide as measured from the binding edge 112 to the outermost edgeof the tab 118. Tab 118 may extend one-half inch outwardly of the main body 116 and mayhave various lengths for various putposes, with common lengths being 3 1/4 inches for a three-tab set, 1 7/8 inches for a ï¬ve-tab set and 1 1/4 inches for an eight-tab set.Folding portion 120 may be 3/4 inch wide so that, in the folded conï¬guration, theassembly is eleven inches long by 8 1/4 inches wide as measured from the folded edge to theoutermost edge of the tab 118. An advantage of having a folded divider width of 8 1/4 inches1015202530CA 02264111 1999-02-15W0 93/07557 PCT/US96/1323012relates to a limitation of some printers which are unable to print within â/2 inch of the edges ofan 8 â/2 inch wide sheet. This would prevent printing on a tab that extends only â/2 inch. A 1/4inch offset, possible with the narrower sheet, effectively reduces this unprintable zone by 1/4inch, allowing printing on half of the tab. By increasing the width of the folded portion to oneinch, the folded divider width decreases to eight inches, allowing printing over the full extentof the tab 118. Thus, increasing the width of the folded portion 120 increases the printable areaon the tab 118.Another consideration in choosing the width of the folding portion 120 is the need toavoid intersecting the holes 122, which extend to a distance of about 1/4 inch from the bindingedge. That is, the folding line 126 should be inset toward the main body from the inner edgeof the holes 122. With all of the aforementioned considerations in mind, a practical range forthe inset of the score line 126 is between about 5/8 inch and one inch from the binding edge1 12.The hole-reinforcing ï¬lm 128 (FIG. 6) may cover an area which includes the score line126 and which strengthens the assembly 110 against tearing along the score line and alsoenhances the appearance of the product following unfolding.The binding edge 114 can be reduced in thickness compared to the main body of thedivider sheet. This may be achieved by compression of the sheet, referred to as debossing orcalendering. Processes for debossing papers and cardstocks, which typically utilize calenderingdevices having a calendering cylinder and an anvil roll between which the sheet is fed, are wellknown in the art. Ideally, the thickness reduction would be more than 50% of the original sheetthickness so that the reinforced and folded-over thickness would equal that of the original sheet.The difficulty of increasing the density of paper beyond the density of the constituentï¬bers, however, limits the thickness reduction for a 6.5 - 8.0 mil sheet to less than about 1.5 -2.5 mils. This yields, after reinforcing and folding, a thickness on the folded edge in theneighborhood of ten to thirteen mils. While not perfectly coplanar, such sheets will reliably runthrough common laser and ink-jet printers. If a higher degree of coplanarity is desired, analternative method of creating a thickness step at the binding edge may be employed in whichthe body of the divider sheet is constructed as a laminate totalling less than ten mils in thicknessover the main body of the sheet, and a partial laminate totalling less than about ï¬ve mils in thebinding edge region.1015202530CA 02264111 1999-02-15WO 98/07567 PCT/US96/1323013In the embodiments shown, both the edge reinforcing ï¬lm and the calendering ordebossing are done on the top side of the divider. However, the debossing can be done on theback side of the divider, and the edge reinforcing ï¬lm can be provided on the back side as well.By putting the reinforcing ï¬lm on the backside of the assembly, there is ï¬lm-to-ï¬lm laminationwhen flap or folding portion 120 is folded over onto non-folding portion 124. This may bedesirable in some embodiments.A further example of this invention (which is not illustrated in the drawings) is analternative, laminated two-ply embodiment having a lower sheet and an upper sheet that ispermanently adhered to the lower sheet. As with the previous embodiments, this embodimentincludes a binding edge region, which, however, is an extension of the lower sheet and is notnormally debossed. The upper sheet is somewhat narrower than the lower sheet, so that theupper sheet does not cover binding edge region. The tab extends outwardly from the main bodyof the divider, and is reinforced with polyester tab reinforcement ï¬lm.The upper and lower sheets are typically bonded together with an adhesive that is stableagainst ï¬ow and degradation at the high temperatures encountered in laser printers and copiers.One suitable adhesive for laminating the two sheets together is Nicomelt L-2274, manufacturedby Malcom Nicol & Co. Other hot melt adhesives may also be used, such as that sold by Bostikunder the trade identiï¬cation Bostik 4101.Binding edge region (1 14) includes a folding portion (120), a scored folding line (126)and a non-folding portion (124). Like the embodiment of FIGS. 5-9, the manufacturer providesthe embodiment to the end user with the folding portion folded over and adhered with a single-use adhesive to the non-folding portion.The upper and lower sheets are typically each approximately three to four mils thick andare made of sheet paper. Alternatively, the upper sheet and/or lower sheet may be made ofpolyester or other plastic. With at least one of the sheets being a strong plastic sheet, there isless of a need to provide the binding edge reinforcement ï¬lm that is required for all-paperembodiments. Preferably, the sheets are both made of the same material so that the divider willnot be prone to curling when subjected to changing humidity conditions.With the lower and upper sheets having approximately the same thickness, the dividerhas a substantially uniform thickness across the folded-over binding edge region and the mainbody of the divider. That is, there is no sudden increase in thickness at the juncture of thefolded-over portion and the main body, as there typically is in the one-sheet embodiment shown1015202530CA 02264111 1999-02-15WO 98/07567 PCT/US96/ 1323014in FIG. 8. Thus, by way of example and not of limitation, any of a variety of materials may beused. For example, thinner or thicker paper material may be used for the main sheet portion ofthe laser printable index divider. Tab 118 is generally integral to the main sheet 1 16. However,index tab 118 may be a separate component that is simply adhered to an edge of the assembly.Index tab 118 is shown in the drawings as being on the right hand side of the assembly.However, the tab 118 may be on other sides of the assembly, such as on the top or bottomthereof.The binding edge reinforcement 128 may extend the entire width and length of theassembly. Alternatively, a second binding edge reinforcement layer may be provided on thebackside of the sheet.Tab sheet assemblies of various dimensions may also be provided. For example, somebinders are only ï¬ve inches wide by ten inches long. Dividers may be sized appropriately foruse in such binders, or may be sized to meet the size requirements of any of a variety of otherbinders. Additionally, the base sheet may be made of temperature stable plastic sheet orpolymer material.A further alternative (a less preferred embodiment though) is to delete the adhesivebetween the folding layers, such as shown by the embodiment of FIG. 10. The binding edgeregion would then be preferably constructed with materials that allow for a secure ï¬at foldingusing a folding machine, not tending to pop up and be caught in the printer.A further example is to not make the binding region thinner than the adjacent sheet, suchas by not calendering. However, then when it is in a folded position, as shown in FIG. 10, itwill be thicker, perhaps twice the thickness of the adjacent sheet. This may not be a problemwhen a lighter weight paper such as twenty-eight or thirty-two pound ledger is used. Themaximum recommended paper thickness for passing through printers can be eight, twelve orï¬fteen mils, for example, using a printerâs multipurpose tray or by manual feeding.The assembly 110 of FIG. 7, for example, can then be fed into a printer 180 with thesheet in a portrait feed direction, as shown in FIG. 11. (More appropriately, the tab should beillustrated on the left in FIG. 11 since the dividerâs binding edge is shown therein.) The foldedover portion 120 by decreasing the width of the overall assembly allows for feeding into a 8 â/2inch feed printer 180 where the overall (unfolded) width as shown in FIG. 5 would be nineinches, for example.20CA 02264111 2005-01-0515The strip 64 attached to the tabbed edge of the sheet then provides an even guidingsurface for contact with the feed tray guides 184, to prevent skewing of the divider sheetassembly 110 (or 50) relative to the printer 180. This divider sheet assembly 110 (without thepeel oï¬' strip) can also be used with insert feed tray as described in the previously-mentioned'879 patent application.Aï¬erthetabbeddividersheetassembly llohaspassedthroughtheprinter 180 of!"-âIG.ll andtheprinting 186, 188 onthebodyandthetabbedportionhasbeenmade,the strip64ispulled or peeled away fromthe divider sheet itself as shown in FIG. 12, similar to that of FIG.3, and the folding portion 120 is folded out _as shown in FIG. 12 (and depicted in FIG. 5). Theunitary sheet with its prepunched binding edge and the body and tab with the desired indiciaprinted thereon is then ready for use. For example. it can be ï¬tted into a three ring binder. Aswould be appreciated by those skilled in the art, diï¬erent numbers of prepunehed holes and/ordiï¬erent placements thereof can be provided as needed by the ultimate user. For example, itis within the scope of the invention to have the holes at the top of the sheet and the tabbedportions either on the side or at the end to fit different sizes and types of binders.The divider assemblies described above show the releasable attachment of the strip 64to the divider sheet as being by adhesive 66. However, it is also within the scope of the_ invention to have a microperforation attachment, instead of that adhesive attachment. This isshown by the embodiments 200 and 202 of FIGS. 13 and 14, respectively. The microperforatedline 206 is âformed in a die procedure with the shape shown in FIGS. 13 and 14. Namely, theline 206 is straight with the exception of the outwardly bulging area deï¬ning the shape and sizeof the tab 208.An embodiment for a ï¬rll page laser, ink-jet printable or photocopiable dividercomprises paper having a thickness of approximately 6.0 mil for the divider sheet . Thesheets would usually be formed of fairly heavy paper or light cardboard stock. Themicroperforations consist of cuts which vary in size from 0.0125 to 0.0135 inch and which areseparated by ties that vary in size from 0.0045 to 0.0050 inch. Thus, there are between ï¬fty-three and fiï¬y-nine perforations per inch, with about fiï¬y-six perforations being an averagetherebetween. For convenience -the perforations can be referred to as in excess of about ï¬ftyperforations per inch or at least about ï¬fty perforations per inch. It is also within the scope ofthe invention for the perforations to be only thirty-ï¬ve pï¬forations per inch, or in the range offrom thirty-ï¬ve to ï¬fty-nine perforations per inch.10202530CA 02264111 2005-01-0516FIG. 13 shows an embodiment 200 of the present invention similar to that of FIG. 1wherein no prepunched holeâ: or folded-over binding edge is provided. On the other hand, FIG.14 shows generally at 202 a microperforated embodiment employing the binding edgetechnology shown generally at 220 and as illustrated in FIGS. 5 - 12, for example. FIG. 14 alsoillustrates the strip or strip portion 224 as being separated from the divider sheet assembly bysimply tearing along the mieroperforated line 206.The line of microperforations 206 does not affect the sheet's ï¬atness or suitability ofprocessing by a standard printer. The line is not straight as one zone protrudes away from theopposite side, the protrusion being shaped to outline the shape of a conventional index tab, asmentioned above. The excess strip portion 224 is to be discarded alter the sheet has beenprocessed by the printer and the strip removed (torn away) from the sheet.A ï¬nther embodiment of the present invention is illustrated generally at 230 in FIG. 15.It is similar to the embodiment of FIG. 5, for example, except in the construction of the paperstrip (64). The paper strip in embodiment 230 is formed of two pieces, namely, paper stripportions 234 and 236. The paper strip portions 234 and 236 are releasably adhered to the bodyportion 1 16with glue (66) or the like as previously described. They are dimensioned andpositioned on the body portion 116 along the tab edge thereof so that their adjacent ends 240,242 are spaced apart with the tab 118 in between. That is, no part ofthe strip (234, 236) coversor extends across the tab 118. Thus, both sides of the tab 118 are uncovered (not covered) bythe strip and the printer advantageously can print on either or both sides of the tab as it passestherethrough. This is similar to the microperforated attachment embodiments 200 and 202. Ofcourse, the two piece â(paper strip portions 234 and 236) construction can be used without adebossed binding edge region 114 (such as in FIGS. 1, 3 and 4).The present invention thus includes, generally speaking, one or more strips releasablyattached to a ï¬at object (such as a paper sheet). The strip is attached so as to extend out froman uneven or non-linear or non-perpendicular edge or side of the object so that the assemblyformed by that object and strip(s) has a straight linear perpendicular edge corresponding to andin place of the objectâs uneven edge. The assembly can then be passed through a printer orcopier with reduced likelihood of skewing or jamming. After the printing on the ï¬at object, thestrip is cleanly removed therefrom. â1015202530CA 02264111 1999-02-15WO 98/07567 PCT/U S96/ 1323017One preferred embodiment of this invention as discussed in detail above includes theï¬at object being an index divider sheet with the uneven edge being the outwardly protrudingtab thereof. However, the present invention can be used with generally any ï¬at object havingone or more uneven, non-linear or nonâperpendicular edges. Further examples thereof areshown in FIGS. 16-23 and discussed in detail below.FIG. 16 shows generally at 300 an embodiment including an odd shaped or odd sizedsheet 304, having a wavy or non-linear side (die cut) edge 306. The paper strip 308 having, forexample, a width of one inch and a length of eleven inches, is releasably adhered to the sheet304 on the back side thereof with an adhesive 310, such as the previously mentionedadhesive(s). The adhesive 310 can be applied to the paper strip 308 in a pattern conforming tothe uneven edge of the sheet 304 using a gravure-type application process. The sheet 304 canhave a thickness of two to ï¬fteen mil and can be a one hundred pound weight vellum such asthat available from Simpson Paper Company. The paper strip 308 can be twenty-four poundbond paper or equivalent ï¬lm, having a thickness of approximately 3 â/2 to four mil. It ispreferably thin, thinner than the sheet 304, so that the strip plus the sheet are together not toothick to pass through the printer.The assembly 300 is passed through the printer or copier (72) and the desired indicia316 printed on the sheet 304. The strip 308 is then peeled off the sheet 304 as is shown in thelower right of FIG. 16. Because a small/ï¬ne detailed edge, preferably die cut, is likely neededfor the uneven (wavy) edge, the microperforated strip alternative attachment is less desirablefor this embodiment.FIGS. 17-23 show embodiments of this invention wherein each sheet to be individuallypassed through the printer or copier has microperforated or other weakened or tear linesdividing the sheet in separate individual units. Printing by the printer or copier would likelybe, but need not be, on each of the units. It may also be on the front and/or back sides of thesheet. The sheets can also be provided with scored fold lines, along which the units can befolded into the desired shapes. For example, the folded units can be holiday or greeting cardsand the non-folded units can be tabbed ï¬ip ï¬le cards, as discussed below.FIG. 17 shows generally at 400 a sheet assembly including a sheet 404, having anuneven (wavy, similar to edge 306 of FIG. 16) edge 408 and an adhesive strip 412, along theedge, and extending out therefrom to deï¬ne a linear edge 416 for the sheet assembly. Again,the linear edge 416 helps feed the sheet 404 through the printer or copier.1015202530CA 02264111 1999-02-15wo 93/07567 PCT/US96/1323018After being fed through the printer or copier and the desired indicia (e.g., 420, 424),printed thereon, the strip 412 is peeled off, the sheet 404 is torn along the existingmicroperforation lines 430, 434, into the (three) individual units, and each of the units is foldedin half along its score line 438. Three holiday or greeting cards are thereby formed. Anexample of one of them is shown generally at 440 in FIG. 18.The sheet 404, for example, can have the following size and speciï¬cations: 3 â/2 by fourinches, twelve mil thick, made from heavy card stock such as one hundred pound TiaraStarwhite Vicksburg Text Vellum Finish paper. The microperforation lines 430, 434 canconsist of cuts which vary in length from 0.0125 to 0.0135 inch and which are separated by tiesthat vary in length from 0.0045 to 0.0050 inch. Thus, there are between ï¬fty-three and ï¬fty-nine perforations per inch, with an average being ï¬fty-six, or alternatively between thirty-ï¬veand ï¬fty-nine perforations per inch.A variation of the assembly and card is shown in FIGS. 19 and 20 at 450 and 454,respectively. The main difference is that the uneven edge 460, instead of having a wavyconï¬guration, has a jagged conï¬guration.A further card embodiment of this invention is shown generally at 500 in FIG. 21. Ascan be understood from the drawings, it differs from cards 440 and 454 in that instead of ajagged (or wavy) conï¬guration it has a series of very ï¬ne and detailed shapes 504 cut in atspaced locations along the (bottom) edge 510. In FIG. 21 these shapes 504 are shown as beingtrees such as pine or Christmas trees. Of course, other shapes as would be apparent to thoseskilled in the art are within the scope of the invention. An adhesive peel off strip (412) is usedto make the edge continuous and straight. A microperforated strip embodiment would likelynot work well for the card 500 of FIG. 21 because it would not provide the needed ï¬ne detailfor the shapes 504. Rather, the shapes 504 would be die cut and an adhesive peel off strip (412)would be used.If more than one side is âuneven,â then separate peel off or tear off strips can beprovided for each side. The strips need not be separate, but rather can be connected orcontinuous in an âLâ or âUâ or even a picture frame shape. An example of using more than onestrip for a single sheet is shown in FIG. 22.Assembly 550 in FIG. 22 has strips 554, 558 adhered to both side edges 560, 564,respectively. As can be understood from FIGS. 22 and 23, sheet 570 of assembly 550 hascentral horizontal and vertical microperforation lines 574, 578, dividing the sheet into four1015202530CA 02264111 1999-02-15WO 98/07567 PCT/U S96/ 13230l9quadrants or units. Each unit has its own outwardly extending tab 580, 582, 584, 586. Byhaving the tabs extending outwardly, relative to the sheet, clean dieâcut deï¬ning edge lines arepossible. The strips 554, 558 on the tabbed edges make those edges 590, 592 straight forpassing through a printer or copier. The paper sheet 570 can be heavy card stock, such as onehundred pound Tiara Starwhite Vicksburg Vellum Finish paper. The microperforation lines574, 578 can have speciï¬cations similar to the previously-described microperforation lines 430,434. The strips 554, 558 can be eight inches long by one inch wide and have speciï¬cations thesame as the previously-described strips 64 and 308.After passing through the printer or copier and the desired indicia printed on each of theunits, the further forming steps are illustrated in FIG. 23. The strips are peeled off and the unitsare separated from one another along the microperforation lines. Four units are thereby formed,each one conï¬gured and dimensioned as a tabbed, ï¬ip ï¬le card.In summary, laser and inkâjet printers, standard and wide tray, use mechanical, opticalor a combination of two systems to sense paper or other materials feeding into and through theprinters. The sensors are located in different positions across the pathway in the printer asdetermined by the make and model thereof. When the printer is integrated with a personalcomputer, the software used determines the area/location of printing. When a specific papersize is selected from the software such as tabloid, eleven inch by seventeen inch, the printersensor conï¬rms the presence of the sheet for printing. If the printer "senses" the material, thesoftware instructions to print in an area will be carried out. On the other hand, if the printer"senses" the non-presence of the material, printing in the area will not occur. The HewlettPackard 4V paper sensor is in the center of the paper pathway. The third tab position is always"sensored" and the tab area is printed. Positions one, two, four and ï¬ve will not print accordingto the prior art since the sensor signals that a divider is not present even though the software hasprinting instructions for the tab position as a tabloid area. When the divider is ï¬xed to a tabloidsheet, printing occurs at positions one, two, four and ï¬ve, since position three sensor contactsignals that a sheet of paper is present. Instead of using a full size tabloid, a strip of paper ï¬xedto one side of the divider running the length of the tab edge at the tab height will perform thesame function. The paper strip signals paper presence to the sensor and effects printing inpositions one, two, four and ï¬ve. The strip is cleanly removable after printing of the tab sideof the divider and discarded. Alternatively, the strip can be formed as two strip portions, oneon either side of the tab.CA 02264111 1999-02-15WO 98/07567 PCT/U S96/ 1323020From the foregoing detailed description, it will be evident that there are a number ofchanges, adaptations and modiï¬cations of the present invention which come within the provinceof those skilled in the art. However, it is intended that all such variations not departing fromthe spirit of the invention be considered as within the scope thereof as limited solely by theclaims appended hereto.
