Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
101520253035CA 02264263 1999-02-22WO 98/07582 PCT/US97/14721PRINTABLE INDEX SHEET WITH BINDABLE MEMBERFIELD OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention relates generally to index sheetsand, more particularly, to bindable index sheets which can bedirectly printable on by machines, such as computer-operatedprinters.BACKGROUND ART OF THE INVENTIONIndex tabs for quick identification and selection ofinformation from looseleaf or hardbound binders are a commonfeature of nearly every wellâorganized office or home.Typically, these index tabs are provided as markings oncertain sheets or pages of binders, books, notebooks, orother multiple sheet material. In order to facilitate easeof scanning and selecting pages, the index tabs are typicallystaggered or spaced, along two orthogonal planes.the index tabs connected to the edge ofindex sheets are positioned just far enough awayForexample, adjacentfrom eachother so that the identifying text or characters or symbolsappearing on both index tabs can be seen simultaneously.Uses for such index tabs range from simple referencing topresentations.In general, index tabs are made in one of two ways. Thetabs may be integrally formed as protrusions of the sheetsthemselves as shown, for example, in U.S. Patent No.4,184,699 issued to Lowe on January 22, 1980. Alternatively,the tabs may be separate components which are connected tothe index sheets as shown, for example in U.S. Patent No.1990; U.S.on August 4,4,962,603 issued to Kao et al. on October 16,Patent No. 5,135,261 issued to Cusack et al.1992; U.S. Patent No. 5,340,427 issued to Cusack et al. onAugust 23, 1994; and U.S. Patent No. 5,389,414 issued toPopat on February 14, 1995.As the Kao et al. patent indicates, forming index tabsas integral protrusions of the index sheet has beendisadvantageous, since it has been difficult to machine printidentifying text on the index tabs. For example, it has been_l_101520253035CA 02264263 1999-02-22WO 98/07582 PCT/U S97/ 14721impractical to insert the entire index sheet into a standardtypewriter in order to type text sideways onto the protrudingindex tab. It has also been difficult or impossible to feedindex sheets directly through common office printers, such aslaser printers, inkjet printers or office copiers, withoutencountering jamming problems, limited feed size problems, ordistorted printing problems.It is desirable to print index sheets on laser or inkjetprinters due to the great flexibility of what can be printedas well as the high print quality provided by such printersor the like. However, such printers require the sheet stockto be uniformly dimensioned, at least widthwise, according tostandard sizes in order to be accommodated by the standardsized feeding tray and pathway of such printers. Otherwise,the sheet stock will either tend to jam within such printersor not even fit into such printers. Index sheets, havingprotruding tabs on the top or leading edge first drawn intothe printer,path.can also jam or stray from the correct feedMoreover, the sheet stock must be strong enough towithstand the stresses imposed on the sheets by the feedingmechanisms and pressure rollers, and must provide a uniformlysmooth surface that will properly take up the toner. Becauseof these requirements, conventional index sheets havingnonuniform widths due to protruding index tabs have beenpoorly suited for use in laser or inkjet printers.This drawback is all the more pronounced when the tabsare to be used to mark the pages of a hardbound or softboundbook. As a result, the identifying text is usually eitherhandwritten onto the tabs, or else the text is printed onseparate adhesive labels which are then placed on thecorresponding tabs.The present invention is directed to overcoming theproblems as set forth above. 101520253035CA 02264263 1999-02-22W0 98/07582 PCT/US97l1472lSUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONIn one aspect of the present invention, a directly-machineâprintable index sheet is disclosed. The index sheetcomprises a main body having first and second edges, abindable member extending outwardly from the first edge anddefining at least one bindable hole spaced from the mainbody, and an index tab extending outwardly from the secondedge. The bindable member has a relativelyâthin section,positioned between the bindable hole and the first edge ofthe main body, which can be folded and unfolded generallyalong the first edge. The construction of the bindablemember permits not only easy folding; but in the foldedposition, the bindable member will lay flat without requiringpressure or an adhesive. This facilitates movement of theindex sheet through a printing machine.In another aspect of the present invention, a directly-machine-printable index sheet is disclosed. The index sheetcomprises a main body having an edge, an index tab extendingoutwardly from the edge, and a selfâsticking guide removablyconnected to at least one of the main body and the index tab.The guide has an outer (righthand) edge extending outwardlybeyond the edge of the main body generally in the samedirection as the index tab. The selfâsticking guidefunctions on the tabbed edge of the main body to provide astraight edge for feeding of the index sheet through aprinter. The selfâsticking nature of the guide facilitatesattachment and easy removal.The index sheet of the present invention has atransformable configuration allowing it to pass, in a guidedor controlled fashion, through a printing machine such as acomputerâoperated printer or copier. After the index sheetis directly printed upon by the machine, the index sheet canbe transformed, either manually or by machine, so that itsindex tab stands out for identifying, separating, orotherwise distinguishing documents or other items with whichone or more index sheets are kept.101520253035CA 02264263 1999-02-22W0 98/07582 PCT/US97/14721BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGSFig. 1 is a top plan View of an exemplary embodiment ofan index sheet of the present invention, including a bindablemember and a guide.Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1 but after thebindable member has been folded.Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 1 but after thebindable member has been unfolded and the guide has beenremoved.Fig. 4 is an isolated greatly enlarged crossâsectionalview of the unfolded bindable member shown in Figs.Fig.1-3.5 is a greatly enlarged crossâsectional partialView of the index sheet, including the bindable member, takenalong line 5-5 of Fig. 1.Fig. 6 is a greatly enlarged cross-sectional partialview of the index sheet, including the bindable member, takenalong line 6-6 of Fig. 2.Fig. 7 is a view similar to Fig. 5 but showing analternative embodiment for the location of the bindablemember.Fig. 8 is a View similar to Fig. 7 but after thebindable member has been folded.Fig. 9 is a view similar to Fig. 2 but showing analternative embodiment for the guide of the index sheet.Fig. 10 is an isolated View of the guide shown inFig. 9.Fig. 11 is a view similar to Fig. 9 but after thebindable member has been unfolded and the guide has beenremoved.Fig. 12 is a view similar to Fig. 10 but showing analternative embodiment of the guide.Fig. 13 is a perspective view of a conventional printersupplied with a plurality of index sheets of the presentinvention.Fig. 14 is a perspective view of a conventionallooseleaf binder supplied with a plurality of index sheets ofthe present invention.101520253035CA 02264263 1999-02-22wo 98/07582 PCT/US97/14721DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTIONReferring to Figs. 1-14, wherein similar referencecharacters designate similar elements or features throughoutthe Figs., there is shown multiple embodiments of agenerally-planar index sheet or divider 10,10â of the presentinvention. Referring to the embodiments shown in Figs. 1-8,the index sheet 10 comprises a generally rectangular mainbody 12, a bindable member 14, at least one index tab 16, anda guide 18.The main body 12 includes opposed spaced-apart first(lefthand binding) and second (righthand index) edges 20,22and opposed spaced-apart third (top) and fourth (bottom)edges 24,26. Each of the third and fourth edges 24,26intersect and are generally perpendicular to each of thefirst and second edges 20,22. The main body 12 of the indexsheet 10 may be formed, for example, of a substantially-purepaperâbased medium or a composite material such as apaper/plastic laminate. one example of a paper/plasticlaminate is a product known as Duralonâ which is made byArlon,Adhesives and Film Division, Santa Ana, CA. Duralonâhas a tearâresistant plastic film bonded between two layersof premier stock. It can be used with laser and dot matrixprinters, as well as office copiers.The bindable member 14 extends outwardly from the firstedge 20 of the main body 12 and defines at least one bindablehole 28, spaced from the main body 12, and a relativelyâthinsection 30. This section 30 will,function to define a fold line.as described below,The relatively§thin section30 is positioned between the bindable hole 28 and the firstedge 20 and extends between the third and fourth edges 24,26of the main body of the index sheet.Fig.As shown in Fig. 5 and7, part of the bindable member 14 is connected to eitherplanar side 32,34 of the main body 12 of the index sheet 10.Preferably, the free end of the bindable member 14 has arelativelyâthicker thickness, compared to the part connectedto the main body 12, which provides additional strengthagainst tearing and allows the bindable member 14 to be...5_IO1520253035CA 02264263 1999-02-22W0 98/07582 PCT/US97/14721easily folded so that it lays flat against the main body 12.The bindable member 14 can be applied to the main body stockas each is fed from a separate roll. This assembly can thenbe punched and die cut to a desired size.1~8, the bindable member 14includes a laminated subassembly connected to the main body12. As shown in Fig. 4, the bindable member 14 includes abase strip 36, having an inner portion 38 and an outerportion 40,In the embodiments of Figs.an outboard cover strip 42, and an optionalinboard cover strip 44. Each of the strips 36,42,44 may beformed substantially from a reinforced material such asmylar, a paperâbased medium, Duralonâ, or the like.The outboard cover strip 42 is overlappingly directlyconnected or laminated to an opposite planar side of theouter portion 40 of the base strip 36,like.by an adhesive or theAs shown in Figs. 5-8, the inboard cover strip 44 isgenerally aligned with the first edge 20 of the main body 12and is also overlappingly directly connected or laminated tothe opposite planar side of the inner portion 38 of the basestrip 36 by an adhesive or the like. The outboard coverstrip 42 is laterally spaced outwardly from the inboard coverstrip 44 as well as the first edge 20 of the main body 12.The bindable hole 28 extends completely through both theoutboard cover strip 42 and the outer portion 40 of the basestrip 36. 5 and 7, one planar side of theinner portion 38 of the base strip 36 is directly connectedAs shown in Figs.or laminated to the main body 12, along the first edge 20, byan adhesive or the like.In the preferred embodiment, the base strip 36, outboardcover strip 42 and inboard coverrespective width w1,w2,w3 whereinstrip 44 each have athe width w, of the basestrip 36 is greater than the sum of the width wz of thestrip 42 plus the width w3of the inboard coverthe base strip 36 has a first width wlinches (about 30 millimeters), the outboardhas a second width wz of about 0.625 inches(about 16 millimeters), and the inboard cover strip 44 mayoutboard coverstrip 44. Forof about 1.188example,cover strip 42-6-101520253035CA 02264263 1999-02-22wo 98/07582 PCT/US97/14721have a third width w3 of about 0.500 inches (about 13millimeters).The relativelyâthin section 30 of the bindable member 14is defined by that part of the base strip 36 along thelateral spacing between the inboard cover strip 44 and theoutboard cover strip 42. In the example shown in Fig. 4, therelativelyâthin section has a width w, of about 0.0625 inches(about 1.6 millimeters).The base strip 36 has a first uniform thickness t1 andthe outboard cover strip 42 has a second uniform thickness t2greater in magnitude than the first thickness t1. The inboardcover strip 44 has a third uniform thickness t3 greater inmagnitude than the first thickness t1 of the base strip 36 andless in magnitude than the second thickness t2 of the outboardcover strip 42. In the preferred embodiment, with the mainbody 12, made of Duralonâ printing stock, having a nominalthickness of between about 4 and 9 mils, the base strip 36has a first thickness tl of about 0.00057 inches (about 0.014millimeters), the outboard cover strip 42 has a secondthickness t2 of about 0.0038 inches (about 0.097 millimeters),and the inboard cover strip 44 has a third thickness t3 ofabout 0.0015 inches (about 0.038 millimeters). In analternative embodiment, the outboard cover strip 42 and theinboard cover strip 44, or even all three strips 36,42,44,may have about the same uniform thickness. In anotheralternative embodiment, the bindable member 14 may be amonolithic component having the varying thicknesses t1,t2,t3and situated as described above. In still anotheralternative embodiment, the bindable member 14 may beintegrally formed with the main body 12 of the index sheet10.As shown in Fig. 2, the relativelyâthin section 30 isoperable to be folded and unfolded along a fold line 50.when the bindable member 14 is in its folded state shown inFig. 6, the bindable member 14 extends generally acrossopposite sides of the first edge 20. Thus, the first edge 20101520253035CA 02264263 1999-02-22â'0 93/07532 PCT/US97/14721of the main body 12 is interposed between the inner portion38 and the outer portion 40 of the folded base strip 36.Alternatively, as shown in Figs. 7-8, the relatively-thin section 30 is operable to be folded and unfoldedgenerally along only one side of the first edge 20. when thebindable member 14 is in its folded state shown in Fig. 8,the outboard cover strip 42 is interposed between the innerportion 38 and the outer portion 40 of the folded base strip36. Depending on the thickness of the index sheet relativeto the total thickness of the covor strips 42 and 44, thewidth of the thin section 30 may vary depending on whichembodiment of Figs. 6 and 7 is employed.The relativelyâthicker outboard cover strip 42 laminatedto the base strip 36 is advantageous for controlling thefolding of the relatively-thin section 30. The relatively-thicker outboard cover strip 42 laminated to the base strip36 is also advantageous for easily forming, by punching orthe like, the one or more bindable holes 28. Thethin section 30 of the bindable member 14 enablesline 50 to be uniform between the third and forthof the main body 12.relatively-the foldedges 24,2630 alsoallows the bindable member 14 to fold over and lie flatThe relativelyâthin sectionagainst the main body 12 (Fig. 6) or on itself (Fig. 8)without the need for an adhesive or the like to maintain itin that folded state. The inboard cover strip 44 helps tobetter define the location and edge at which the relatively-thin section 30 naturally folds.In both embodiments, Figs. 5 and 6, and Figs. 7 and 8,the construction of the thin section 30 between the inner andouter portions 38,40 with their cover strips, facilitates theflat positioning of the bindable member when in its foldedposition. No separate attaching means is required to holdthe bindable member in its folded position. This, therefore,facilitates easy arrangement of the index sheet into a foldedposition which will feed properly through the printingequipment.101520253035CA 02264263 1999-02-22W0 93â°7532 PCT/US97/14721Turning now to the index edge 22 of the index sheet, theindex tab 16 is integrally formed with the main body 12 andextends outwardly from the second edge 22.In the embodiments of the index sheet shown in Figs. 1-8, the guide 18 is removably connected to both the main body12 and the index tab 16. The guide 18 has an outer(righthand) edge 54 spaced or extending beyond the secondedge 22 of the main body 12. As shown in Fig. 2, the edge 54of the guide 18 is positioned at a substantially uniformdistance from the fold line 50 of the bindable member 14.Preferably, as shown in Figs. 1-2, a line of perforationsform a tearable joint between the guide 18 and the main body12 as well as between the guide 18 and the index tab 16. Theperforations are preferably micro perforations formed by diecutting the sheet stock which is formed into an index sheet10. The guide 18 enables the index sheet 10 to travelthrough a printing machine without becoming skewed.Alternatively, the guide 18 may be inwardly foldable andbonded, by an adhesive or the like, onto the main body 12along a crease line separating the guide 18 from the mainbody 12 and the index tab 16. In this alternativeembodiment, the folded guide 18 advantageously reinforces thesecond edge 22 of the main body 12 to provide more durabilityand rigidity to the index sheet 10 in that region.Referring to Figs. 1-3, the dimension dl represents adistance or length of the index sheet 10 measured between thethird (top) edge 24 and the fourth (bottom) edge 26. Thedimension d? represents a distance or width of the index sheet10 measured between the outer (lefthand) edge 56 of theunfolded bindable member 14 and the outer (righthand) edge 54of the guide. The dimension d3 represents a distance or widthof the index sheet 10 measured between the fold line 50 ofthe folded bindable member 14 and the outer (righthand) edge54 of the guide 18. For example, for indexing standard 8.5inch width by 11 inch length items, dlnmy be about 11 inches(about 279 millimeters), dz may be about 9.25 inches (about235 millimeters), and d3 may be about 8.5 inches (about 216._9._101520253035CA 02264263 1999-02-22WO 98/07582 PCT/U S97/ 14721millimeters). other appropriate values for the abovedimensions of the index sheet 10 may be chosen for indexingitems that are A4, or other sizes.legal,Preferably as shown in Fig. 2, the outer (righthand)edge 54 of the guide 18 extends or is spaced beyond the outer(righthand) edge 58 of the index tab 16 according to aselected distance d4. That portion of the guide 18,encompassed by the distance d,, functions as a margin toensure that the index tab 16 lies substantially within theprintable zone, and conversely, lies substantially away fromthe unprintable zone typically associated with machineprinters. Thus, substantially the entire planar surface ofthe index tab 16, in addition to the main body 12, isavailable to be printed upon by the machine printer. Forexample, the distance d, can be chosen to be about 0.25 inches(about 6.4 millimeters).Referring to Fig. 3, the dimension d5 represents adistance or width of the index sheet 10 measured between theouter (lefthand) edge of the unfolded bindable member 14 andthe outer edge 58 of the index tab 16. When indexingstandard 8.5 inch wide by 11 inch length paper, d5 will begreater than 8.5 inches by about the width of the index tab.The dimension d6 represents a distance or width of the indexsheet 10 measured between the outer (lefthand) edge 56 of theunfolded bindable member 14 and the second edge 22 of themain body 12. With 8.5 by 11 inch paper, it will be about8.5 inches.In the alternative embodiment shown in Figsl 9-10, theguide 18â is a self-sticking separate component removablyoverlappingly connected to the main body 12.has an outer (righthand) edge 54âThe guide 18âextending outwardly beyondthe edge 22 of the main body 12 in the same direction as theindex tab 16.In the embodiment shown, the guide 18âoverlaps both the main body 12 and the index tab 16.Referring to Fig. 10, the guide 18â includes first and secondportions 59,60. The first portion 59 of the guide 18â iscoated with a low-tac selfâsticking adhesive 62 and is101520253035CA 02264263 1999-02-22â'0 98/07532 PCT/US97/14721removably overlappingly connected to the main body 12. Thesecond portion 60 extends outwardly beyond the second edge 22of the main body 12. The edge 54 of the guide 18' ispositioned at a substantially uniform distance from the foldline 50 of the bindable member 14. The guide 18â extendsalong substantially the entire length of the second edge 22of the main body 12. The edge 54 of the guide 18â extendsoutwardly at least as far as the edge 58 of the index tab 16.Preferably, the edge 54 of the guide18â extends outwardly beyond the edge 58 of the index tab 16.In the alternative embodiment of the guide 18" shown inFig. 12, the second portion 60 is also partially coated withthe lowâtac selfâsticking adhesive 62 in order to removablyoverlapping connect to the index tab 16 of the index sheet10' shown in Figs. 9 and 11.The connection of the guide18" to the index tab 16 advantageously provides additionalstrength and stabilization for the edge 54 when the indexsheet 10â passes through a printing machine.The index sheets of the present invention enables one toprint directly on the tabs 16 using commonly available laseror inkjet printers.In directly printing upon the index sheet with acomputer operated printer 64 having a maximum feed distanceor width dB (Fig. 13), the index sheet 10 or 10â is firstformed according to a first configuration. In thisconfiguration, shown, for example, in Fig. 2, the third (top)edge 24 of thethat the indexindex sheet is uniformly straight to ensuresheet 10 is fed into and through the printer64 in a proper and controlled manner.The index sheet 10also has a uniform width d3 which is equal to or smaller thanthe maximum feed width d8 of the printer 64.13, the index sheet 10 is fed to the printer 64 and printeddirectly upon. The printer 64 preferably uses a softwareprogram which is capable of selectively formatting text areason the index tab 16 and/or on the main body 12 of the index_]_l_As shown in Fig.101520253035CA 02264263 1999-02-22WO 98/07582 PCT/US97/ 14721sheet 10. Next, the index sheet is transformed according toa second configuration shown in Fig. 3 by completely removingthe guide 18 along the borderline of perforations. The indexsheet 10 is now ready for insertion in a looseleaf binder 66,14,index tab 16 physically and visually extends beyond thesecond edge 22 according to a selected distance dras shown in Fig. or other binding device so that theForexample, the selected distance d, may be about 0.50 inches(about 13 millimeters). Preferably, the dimension d, extendsbeyond the items placed between the index sheets 10.In directly printing upon the index sheet 10â shown in9-11, the sheet 10â is fed to the printing machine 64,which prints directly upon the index sheet 10',Figs.The self-sticking guide 18â is then removed from the index sheet 10'.The guide 18â advantageously provides the index sheet 10'with a uniform edge in the vicinity of the index tab 16 inorder to maintain correct alignment of the index sheet 10' asits is being processed through the printer 64.The present invention is not limited to index sheets ordividers but may also be applied to other bindable itemswhich may have to be printed upon. The index sheets,dividers, or other bindable items may also be accommodated byand printed upon by other machines, such as xerographiccopiers or photocopiers.Other aspects, objects, and advantages of this inventioncan be obtained from a study of the drawings, the disclosure,and the appended claims.
