Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02289289 1999-11-10
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MOLDED PLASTIC BINDER
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. FSeld of Invention
The present invention relates generally to mufti-ring binders for the
educational
market.
2. Description of Related Art
Three-ring binders made of a flexible outer jacket having a spine with a metal
three
ring clip are known in the art. The edges of such mufti-ring binders are
sometimes held
together with Velcro or other such hook-and-loop fasteners Many schools have
banned
such hook-and-loop fastener binders because school children make excessive
noise opening
and closing these binders.
In addition, when mass-producing binders unit costs must be kept as low as
possible, while maintaining a high quality look and feel to the binder. One
area of cost
involves the need to cut and size plastic stock used to make binders on
conventional RF
welding binder machinery.
Further, it has been found that users prefer the texture, thermal
conductivity,
resiliency and look and feel of certain materials. Consumers are willing to
pay a premium
for products that are aesthetically pleasing to the touch. Further, consumers
are also willing
to pay a premium for products that are more durable, and have a sleek look to
them, such as
for products made from injection molded polypropylene.
At the same time, consumers want binders that are easy to use and durable.
That is,
the injection molded binder should open and close easily and be well
constructed to
CA 02289289 1999-11-10
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withstand the stress of repeated use by a user. In particular, some injoction
molded binders
have a pocket made of extruded filin designed to hold sheets of paper.
However, after some
use, the pocket made of extrudod film is too weak to hold sheets of paper. In
other words,
the extruded film pocket is not rigid enough to hold sheets of paper.
Furthermore, after
some use, the extruded film pocket tends to rip..
Thus, there still is a need for a binder made of injection molded plastic that
is easy
to use, reliable, and which has a pocket capable of holding sheets of paper
for an extended
period of time.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENT ION
Accordingly, the object of the present invention is to provide an improved
three-ring
binder that solves the above mentioned problems using both improved materials
and
improved mechanical design.
The present invention discloses a plastic binder that is made from plastic
material,
preferably injection molded polypropylene, in a novel configuration, that is
both easier to
manufacture in a single pass operation using existing machinery, which holds
down unit
costs, as well as being aesthetically pleasing.
The present design of an embodiment of the present invention, involving a
pocket
and living hinge latch and fastener, has numerous features and advantages,
including but not
limited to:
-- a non-Velcro type fastener, which makes less noise when opening;
- a living hinge fastener or binder closure that is manufactured on the first
pass of a
production process;
-- the incorporation of a pocket manufactured on a roll process, rather than
cut from
one or more sheets, to incorporate the pocket into the binder on the first
pass of a production
process;
-- the use of a perforated mechanism for attachment of a pocket allows a press
operator to easily attach the pocket by snapping it to the binder cover during
the press
operator's down time, avoiding the need for an additional assembly line
process; .
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- a contemporary, aesthetically pleasing design is made without excessive weld
lines, bumps or creases;
- the use of a strong, rigid material, such as injection molded polypropylene,
combines an impression of durability and aesthetics;
' - the use of a rigid polypropylene shell as one of the binder covers in a
unitary, one-
piece manner eliminates the need for an underlying inner chipboard for
strength;
--the' use of dual soft and hard textures on the cover, which aid to
aesthetics and
have utilitarian functions;
--cover portions may be provided with a number of design features to properly
align
one cover portion to the other cover portion;
~a pocket formed of injection molded plastic may be ultrasonically welded to
one
of the covers.
The sum total of all of the above .advantageous, as well as the numerous other
advantages disclosed and inherent from the invention described herein
increases consumer
satisfaction and helps expand the market for binders throughout, especially
from the
kindergarten to high school level.
The above described and many other features and attendant advantages of the
present invention will become apparent from a consideration of the following
detailed '
description when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Detailed description of preferred embodiments of the invention will be made
with
reference to the accompanying drawings.
FIG. 1 is a perspective plan view of the, present invention, a binder.
FIG. 2 is top view of the binder shown in FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a bottom view of the binder shown in FIG. 1;
FIG. 4 is a right side view of the binder shown in FIG. 1;
FIG. 5 is a left side view of the binder shown in FIG. 1;
FIG. 6 is a top erid view of the binder shown in FIG. 1;
FIG. 7 is a bottom end view of the binder shown in FIG. 1;
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FIG. 8 is a front view of the binder of FIG. 1 opened;
FIG. 9 is a view along the section lines 9-9 in FIG. 8;
FIG. 10 is a broken view of a pocket inlay for the binder,
FIG. 11 is a cross sectional view along the binder closure mechanism;
FIG. 12 is an another embodiment of a binder in an open position;
FIG. 13 is a cross sectional view along the section line 13-13 of the binder
in FIG.
12;
FIG. 14 is an enlarged perspective view of the bottom end of the binder in
FIG. 12;
FIG. 15 is an enlarged perspective view of the right side of the binder in
FIG. 12;
FIG. 16 is a right side view of the binder in FIG. 11 in a slightly open
position; and
FIG. 17 is a cross sectional view along the section line 17-17 of the binder
in FIG.
16.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Disclosed herein is a detailed description of the best presently known mode of
carrying out the invention. This description is not to be taken in a limiting
sense, but is
made merely for the purpose of illustrating the general principles of the
invention. The
section titles and overall organization of the present detailed description
are for the purpose
of convenience only and are not intended to limit the present invention.
FIGS. 1-11 disclose the binder of the present invention. The binder 10 has a
cover
12, with front or top portion 14, which has an outside side (as shown in FIG.
1 ) and an
inside side (as shown in FIG. 8), and a similar back or bottom portion 16,
with similar
outside and inside sides. The cover has a spine 18 in between the two covers,
and free open
end edges 20, 22, which may be curved into mating end portions 21, 23. A three-
ring metal
latch or clip 24, for holding paper, is attached to the back cover 16 to allow
the rings to face
upwards, as shown, ~or, alternatively, to the spine. One such metal latch is
described in US
Pat. No. 5,354,142, incorporated herein. Other designs, such as a clasp or
clamp, can be
used to hold paper.
Crease lines 28, 29.form'a living hinge between the front and back covers and
the
spine of the binder. The living hinge lines 28, 29 may be formed of the same
material as the
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cover, e.g., in a preferred embodiment injection molded polypmpylea~e
material, or; may be
formed of a different material fastened to the material forming the cover,
such as plastic
At the shaded portions shown in FIG. 1, such as shown by dotted shading 25, a
soft,
5 thin layer of vinyl, rubber or thermoplastic material (such as TPR) may be
adhesively
secured to the underlying polypropylene, to provide ~a non-skid surface and
for aesthetic
reasons. Similarly, for aesthetic reasons and to convey information the
polypr~opyltne may
be imprinted with printed matter or colors. When employing polypropylene as a
material,
the inks used may be of the same kind used by machinery for imprinting vinyl.
The binder has open edges 20, 22 held closed by a closure fastener flap
mechanism
31. The open ends 20, 22 have flap portions 21, 23, which may be rigid
extensions of the
covers 14, 16 respectively (i.e., the flaps may be the covers 14, 16 curved at
the open ends
to meet together) engaged by the closure flap mechanism 32 to better seal the
contends of
the binder and prevent documents from falling out.
Regarding the closure fastener or binder closure, a lower clasp or
semicircular lower
flap 32, which may be formed of the same material as the cover, has a single
latch
protrusion 36 which extends from the lower flap 32 at right angles. The flap
32 is attached
to the lower cover 16 through a living hinge. The living hinge may be formed
from the
same material constituting the lower cover 16 and lower flap 32, or, may be
formed of a
different, more flexible material to join together the more rigid lower cover
and flap
materials, which in a prefen~ed embodiment are made of injection molded
polypropylene
material.
Protrusion 36 is received by a latch aperture or depression 42 found in the
mating
semicircular recessed depression 40. The depression 40 contains a thumb well
30 for
allowing a user to engage.the tip of one's finger in the thumb well 30 and
disengage the
binder closure lower flap 32. The semicircular recessed depression 40 is
molded into the
upper portion of the binder closure, forming the mating upper fastener portion
38, and
receives the lower latch 32. Upper fastener 38 is part of the upper cover
portion 14 in the
upper flap 21. When protrusion 36 is received within aperture 42, the binder
is snapped
shut along the open edges 20, 22. The closure flap 32 foams an aesthetic oval
shape when
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viewed from the top and end, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 4. A thumb cocas 30 about
the
aperture 42 allows easy opening of the flap with one's fingernail. The lower
flap 32 allows
the open ends of the binder to close and gives an aesthetically pleasing look
to the binder, as
well as protecting the binder more completely.
Tanning attention to FIG. 11, there is shown the end flaps 21, 23, which meet
at a
ledge 110, forming a stepped recess. The latch mechanism 31 is shown in the
closed
position, with lower flap 32 received by the upper fastener portion, and
rubber or vinyl
surface layer 25 (which has shading as indicated because some of the surface
layer 25 is in
relief) forming a non-skid and aesthetic surface.
The binder 10 is preferably formed of injection molded polypropylene material,
a
substantially rigid or semi-rigid material. An optional pocket inlay may be
attached to the
upper cover through a hook and aperh~re arrangement as described herein, such
as shown by
section lines 9-9 in FIG. 9. Pocket 44 has raised finger hold 46 and a pen
hold recess 48
molded in it.
In FIGS. 9-10 show how the binder pocket 44 is attached to the upper half
portion
14 of the cover 10 during manufacture, by a tooth and aperture arrangement 50,
to help
form a mechanical interlock. Both pocket 44 and the cover 10 are made of
substantially
hard material, injection molded polypropylene, which also forms the bottom
cover 16. A
plurality of hooks or teeth 52 in the cover 14 mate with apertures or recesses
54 in the
pocket 44. The hooks are formed with outward hook portions 56 that have a flat
surface
engaging the flat portion 58 of the pocket 44.
Tanning attention now to FIG. 9, there is shown a cmss-section 9-9 ~ of a
portion of
the upper cover 14 of binder 10, which incorporates the hook and aperh>re seam
50 for
holding the pocket 44 to the upper cover 14. The pocket may be on either the
outside of the
upper cover (not shown) or, as illustrated, on the inside of the upper cover.
The inside
pocket 4<! is generally formed of the same material as the cover, preferably
injection molded
polypropylene, but optionally may be made of a different material.
Furthermore, the pocket
44 may, be attached to the binder cover by a press operator during the press
operator's down
time, in an easy snap fit manner, by taking advantage of the mechanical
interlock between
the pocket inlay and the cover.
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Other pocket designs are contemplated by the present invention, such as, in
lieu, of a
pocket inlay sheet 44 that mechanically interlocks with the cover portion,
having a pocket
flap that is formed from the same stock roll forming the cover, and attached
at the bottom
side of the cover (e.g., where section line 9-9 is shown in FIG. 8) by a
living hinge, so that
the pocket folds about this living hinge attached at the bottom side of the
cover. The pocket
flap would be prevented from flapping about by being attached at the top of
the pocket to
the cover (e.g., at the top where finger hold 46 is) by mating studs and
holes. This design
eliminates the requirement of a separate pocket inlay, at the ,~.ost of having
to provide a
wider stock of material for the cover during assembly (as the pocket inlay
would be.
attached, at its living hinge portion, to the bottom side of the cover at
section line 9-9).
The stock forming the binder 10 itself can be cut to size during manufacture
using
the RF sealing die. The binder, L'lce the pocket, can also be cut to size and
shape by the RF
sealing die, as both materials are roll fed together in contiguous layers,
avoiding the prior
techniques of heat sealing of sheets that are fed together by sheet feeding.
Thus, the method of manufacture for the two material binders of the present
invention comprises feeding into an RF sealing die a first continuous stock or
roll of PVC
material, such as injection molded polypropylene. The injection molded
polypropylene
may come in injection molded form. The injection molded polypropylene forms
the cover
10 comprising two cover portions of the binder, covers 14, 16, and spine 18.
Suitable living
hinges, such as at fold lines 28, 29, connect the covers and spine. The living
hinge may
simply comprise crease or score lines 28, 29 of the same material as the
covers 14, 16 and
spine (which may be formed of a continuous sheet of material), or, the living
hinge may be
made of a separate, more flexible material, such as a polypropylene living
hinge, which
tapes together the three portions of cover 14, cover 16 and spine 10. A second
roll of
injection molded polypropylene is then used to form the pocket, such as pocket
44 in FIG.
8. As described above, the edges where the two materials forming the cover 14
and pocket
44 meet are joined with mating structures, such as teeth 52 in FIGS. 9-10
mating with
apertures 54. The use of such a perforated mechanism for attachment of a
pocket allows a
press operator to easily attach the pocket by snapping it to the binder cover
during the press
operator's down time, avoiding the need for an additional assembly line
process. The two
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materials, once aligned so that hook and aperture mate, they can, if desired,
be radio
frequency (RF) welded, heat sealed, ultrasonically welded, mechanically
fastened,'
interlocked or otherwise further secured together. The cover can be printed
on, and PVC is
easily imprinted on with existing vinyl binder industry inks and machinery.
For final
assembly, the metal latch is attached to the cover with nuts and bolts or
rivets, or other
known technologies.
Another embodiment of the present invention is illustrated by way of example
in
FIGS. 12 thmugh 17. Here, a binder 100 has a number of features designed to
make the
binder more durable and easier to use. As shown in FIGS. 12 and 14, a pair of
guides 102
are coupled to the interior side of the spine 18' (hereinafter primed
reference numerals are
used to indicate similar elements as described in FIGS. 1 through 11 in the
previous
embodiment). As best shown in FIG. 14, the pair of guides are positioned to
mate with the
top and bottom rings of the three ring metal latch mechanism 24' as the top
cover 14' is
closed relative to the bottom cover 16'. The guides ensure that the top cover
is properly
aligned with the bottom cover. In other words, the guides prevent the top
cover from over-
extending relative to the bottom cover because of the proper spacing between
the spine and
the three ring metal latch. Preferably, the guides have a predetermined length
"L" to
provide the proper spacing between the spine and the three ring metal latch,
as shown in
FIG. 14. The length "L" of course may be varied depending on the configuration
of the
spine and the three ring latch mechanism for a particular binder.
As further shown in FIG. 14, each of the guides preferably has a notch 104 to
accommodate its respective metal ring to ensure that the guides will sxurely
mate with the
metal ring. Incidentally, at rest, that is when the binder is not being
handled, the guides
may or may not be in direct contact with the respective metal rings. However,
when the
binder is being carried such that the pressure is being applied to the spine
or the covers, the
guides will engage with its respective metal rings. Once the notch of the
guide engages
with the metal ring, the spine is prevented from moving side to side relative
to the three ring
mechanism. That is, the guides not only align the top cover relative to the
bottom cover,
but they also prevent side to side movement between the top and bottom covers
to minimize
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the stress applied to the fold lines 28', 29'. This of course prolongs the
life of the fold lines
28', 29'.
Although this embodiment discloses two guide members, an embodiment with
single or more than two guide members is within the scope of the present
invention.
. To further assist in aligning the top cover relative to the bottom cover,
FIG. 15
shows a top tooth 108 on the mating end portion 21' of the top cover, and a
pair of teeth 106
at the interior side of the bottom cover and near the end of the mating end
portion 23'. The
tooth 108 is positioned to associate in between the pair of teeth 106. As the
top cover
closes, the pair of teeth 106 guides the top tooth 108 into proper position so
that the mating
end portions 21', 23' are properly alignod. Note that the width of the top
tooth 108 is
substantially similar to the distance between the two teeth 106.
Furthermore, once the top tooth 108 is in position between the pair of teeth
106, the
top tooth is prevented from moving side to side. In other words, like the
guides 102, the top
tooth prevents the top cover from moving side to side relative to the bottom
cover. Thus,
the combination of tooth and the pair of teeth minimizes the stress that may
be applied to
the score lines 28', 29' as the binder is applied with external forces from
handling. Also,
once the top tooth is engaged between the pair of teeth, the pair of teeth
prevents the end
portion 21' from moving laterally toward the three ring mechanism.
To lock the top and bottom covers together, FIG. 15 shows a pair of latching
protrusions 110 positioned to associate with an opening 112 at the mating end
portion 21'.
That is, the closure flap mechanism 32' is flipped over to engage the pair of
latching
protrusions 110 into the opening 112. Having a pair of latching protrusions
independent of
one another provides a more positive latching mechanism and strength to resist
the covers
from being pulled off unintentionally. As shown in FIGS. 16 and 17, all the
features
discussed above in this embodiment ensures that the front cover self adjusts
relative to the
back cover for proper alignment. That is, as shown in FIG. 16, as the front
cover is closed
relative to the back cover, the guides 102 ensure that the front cover does
not over-extend
beyond the back cover. ~ Furthermore, the guides also allow the spine to rest
against the
three ring metal latch to provide additional support for the front cover when
the binder is
CA 02289289 1999-11-10
compressed, handled or carried. As the front cover moves closer to the back
cover, the pair
of teeth 106 in conjunction with the upper tooth 108 help to further assist in
aligning the
front cover to the back cover, to tasure that there is no lateral misalignment
between the
two covers. Once the front and the back covers are in the closod position, the
closer flap
5 mechanism 32 is flipped over to lock the front and back covers together via
the pair of
latching protrusions 110 engaging with the opening 112 as shown in FIG. 17.
Thus, the
guides, the upper tooth, the pair of teeth, all work together to properly
align the front and
back covers together.
As shown in FIG. 14, the spine 18' is curved like the upper left quadrant of a
quarter
10 circle. As such, the transition between the spine and the top cover is much
smoother than
the transition between the bottom cover and the spine. Accordingly, as the top
cover is
opened and closed relative to the bottom cover, the hinged line 29' has a
greater play than
the hinged line 28'. In other words, the binder 100 with the curved spine 18'
pivots mostly
along hinged line 29'. One of the advantages of having a top cover that pivots
substantially
about the hinged line 29', rather than both hinged lines 28', 29', is that the
top cover is more
surely constrained to align with the bottom cover as they are closed. For
example, a box
with a single hinged top will always close in the same position; but if there
were two
equally active hinged lines, there is greater chance of misalignment. Thus,
where there is a
single hinge where most of the pivoting occurs, there is more accuracy in
aligning the top
cover relative to the bottom cover.
Of course, a spine with a plainer surface is within the scope of this
invention.
Preferably, in this instance, one hinge has greater play over the other hinge
line, so that the
two covers will align more accurately.
With regard to the pocket 44', as discussed above, the pocket 44' is
preferably
ultrasonically welded to the front cover 14, along the contact areas 114 as
shown in FIG. 13.
That is, the pocket 44' is ultrasonically welded to the cover 14 along the
contact areas rather
than being snapped on as disclosed in one of the previous embodiments.
Preferably, a
continuous ultrasonic weld is used; however, periodic spot welds are within
the scope of
this invention. One advantage to the ultrasonic weld is that it provides a
strong coupling
CA 02289289 1999-11-10
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effect between the pocket and the cover. Strong coupling provides rigidity to
the pocket
itself so that it is better able to hold sheets of paper within the pocket, so
that even if the
binder is held upside down, the paper will not fall out. Preferably, outer
edges of the pocket
44' is coupled to the cover along the bottom and the left-hand sides 116, 118,
respectively,
as shown in FIG. 12. This allows a user to easily rosert and remove papers
from the pocket,
and allows the pocket to expand to hold more papers. Alternatively, a
combination of
mechanical interlocks, as shown in FIGS. 9-10, and ultrasonic weld may also be
used to
couple the pocket to the cover.
With regard to the material and welding process, any combination of material
and.
the welding process may be used that is known to one of ordinary skill in the
art. For
example, materials may include (but are aot limited to): rigid or semi-
flexible polyvinyl
chloride (PVC), ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA), polyurethane and nylon. With
regard to the
welding process, the pocket may be welded to the binder via a radio frequency
welding or
ultrasonic welding, for example. Additional coupling means such as heat
sealing and
adhesive may also be used. Also, the pocket need not be made of the same
material as the
binder.
Although the present invention has been described in terms of the preferred
embodiments above, numerous modifications and/or additions to the above-
described
preferred embodiments would be readily apparent to one skilled in the art.
Thus, by way
of example but not of limitation, the mechanical interlock for holding the
pocket in place
could be an enlarged stud or mushroom shaped stem mating with a slightly
smaller
opening in the pocket. Also, a binder without the latching mechanism is within
the scope
of the present invention. Furthermore, where the three ring latching mechanism
is
coupled to the spine, the guides may protrude from one of the top or bottom
covers to
associate with the ring mechanism., With respect to.the claims, it is
applicant's intention
that the claims not be interpreted in accordance with the sixth paragraph of
35 U.S.C. ~ 112
unless the term "means" is used followed by a functional statement.
