Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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Ring binder mechanism
The invention concerns a ring binder mechanism with at least two rings, each
comprising two ring elements, wherein the ring elements, made from plastic
material, are pivotably fastened on a pad via hinge elements, so that in a
closed
end position their end regions are in contact with each other.
Ring binder mechanisms for folders are used in varied ways. In the case of
commercially available folders for commercial purposes, used in Europe, two
solid metallic clips are used, which can hold in the relevant folder a
plurality of
pages containing or not containing writing. These, in most cases D-shaped
rings,
are opened and closed by a mechanisms with the aid of a spring and associated
bracket. As a rule they are arranged on the spine of the folder.
For smaller quantities of pages resilient ring binder mechanisms, having two,
three or four rings, are used. Under a rigid cover, usually made from metal,
two
metal strips are inserted which are parallel to each other and are pre-
tensioned,
into which half rings are riveted in correspondingly provided holes. By
pressing
the open half-rings they can be closed, by virtue of which the two metal
strips are
transferred through their dead centre into a second stable position.
In this manner a plurality of pages, containing or not containing writing, can
be
compiled into a book spine-like cover and the single pages can be exchanged as
often as required. The metal strip is a basic rail which can be fastened in a
book
cover with two or more rings fastened on it.
Such ring binder mechanisms, made from metal, are expensive and are elaborate
to handle. For this reason appropriate ring binder mechanisms, made from
plastic
material and having the features of the type mentioned in the introduction
have
been developed, like they are described, for example, in US 4,130,368. Here a
ring binder mechanism is described, wherein a two-piece pad, that can be
firmly
screwed down, is provided and wherein the individual loose rings are joined by
displacing the two pad elements. The disadvantage of this mechanism is that it
is
very complex, while it cannot be used as a single good-looking mechanism
within
a ring binder.
AMENDED PAGE
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1a
From US 5,6128,122 a ring binder mechanism having the features of the type
mentioned in the introduction is known, which has an integral construction and
wherein the three rings provided have a press button mechanism. However, the
manufacturing process with six half-rings is elaborate, and it does not allow
in a
simple manner a fastening in a folder, since in the base strip only relevant
holes
for screws are provided for additional screws.
Based on this state-of-the-art the object of the invention is to produce a
ring
binder mechanism of the type mentioned in the introduction which can be
produced in a cost-effective manner and requires less raw material and can be
used either on its own or after the insertion of the pages by the user can be
simply fastened on the base of a ring book.
According to the invention this objective is achieved for a ring binder
mechanism
of the type mentioned in the introduction with further features of the
characterising part of claim 1 and claim 2.
AMENDED PAGE
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2
By virtue of using plastic material and in particular by using injection
moulded
plastic elements, almost no assembly is required during the production. Thus
the
mass production of ring binder mechanisms is considerably simplified.
In the case of an advantageous design of the invention the ring binder
mechanism comprises a single injection moulded plastic part.
Further advantageous embodiments are characterised in the sub-claims.
In the following various embodiments of the invention are illustrated in the
form of
examples in the drawings. They show in:
Fig.1 - a cross-sectional view of a ring binder mechanism according to a first
embodiment of the invention,
Figs.2 and 3 - a partially sectioned side view and a detailed view of a ring
binder
mechanism according to a second embodiment of the invention,
Figs.4 and 5 - a partially sectioned side view and a top view of a ring binder
mechanism according to a third embodiment of the invention,
Fig.6 - a ring binder mechanism according to a fourth embodiment of the
invention,
Fig.7 - a ring binder mechanism according to a fifth embodiment of the
invention,
Fig.8 - a ring binder mechanism according to a sixth embodiment of the
invention,
Figs.9 and 10 - various embodiments of the end regions of the half-rings for a
ring
binder mechanism according to the invention, and
Figs.11 to 14 - a side view, a cross-sectional view, a top view and a further
cross-
sectional view of the ring binder mechanism according to one of
the above described embodiments with a separate base.
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Before describing the figures some terms are explained below. Under the term
ring binder mechanism various folder devices are to be understood:
~ A folder with a front and a rear cover side, for example with an A4 form,
and a
front side which is narrower than these cover sides. The ring binder
mechanisms are usually fastened either on the front side or on the rear cover
side in the direction of the axis of the hinge between the cover side and the
front
side.
~ The folder device can be also used separately as a binder spine, while the
rear
side of the device corresponds to the above mentioned front side. In this case
one deals with the actual mechanism without cover sides.
~ Variations of both above mentioned principles, as they can be recognised
from
the following description.
Fig.1 shows a ring binder mechanism in a cross-sectional view according to a
first
embodiment of the invention. A ring binder mechanism is provided to be
fastened
in a book cover or in a folder. It accommodates paper sheets perforated on
their
edges. For this purpose in the cross-section it has a pad 1, which preferably
extends transversely along the longitudinal side of the book cover. At least
two,
for example four or even a plurality like, for example, 20 rings are provided
on this
pad 1, each ring comprising two half-rings 2 and 3. The half rings 2 and 3 can
be,
of course, of different size as far as of the radius is concerned, and
accordingly
can be described as ring elements. In the case of round half-rings a halving
of the
embraced circumference is considered advantageous. Under ring elements one
can also understand D-shaped, rectangular or polygonal elements which can be
joined together into an enclosed torus.
In the first embodiment the pad 1 is often constructed with a U-shape,
tapering
upwards with a trapeze shape and fastened in the folder with the wider base.
Thus two inclined lateral flanks 4 and 5 will occur. The semi-circular half
rings 2
and 3 are attached to these. As this can be seen from Fig.1, the imaginary
extension lines of the sides 4 and 5 intersect in a straight line 6 which in
Fig.1 is
perpendicular to the plane of the drawing and simultaneously forms the centre
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point of the half-rings 2 and 3. Preferably the half rings 2 and 3 have
complementary fastening elements 7 and 8, with which the end faces 9 and 10,
respectively, of the half rings 2 and 3 abut against each other. The fastening
element 8 is a press button that engages the complementary hollow space 7.
Thus a locking of the half-rings 2 and 3 to form an enclosed ring is achieved
in a
simple manner.
In a preferred manner the entire ring binder mechanism is made from plastic
material, by injection moulding, for example. This is valid both for the
plurality of
half rings 2 and 3 and for the pad 1. The half rings 2 and 3 are fastened on
the
pad 1 preferably with the aid of a thin injection moulded film 11, the
thickness of
which is shown exaggerated in Fig.1. The film 11 forms a film hinge. The
individual rings 2 and 3, respectively, provided adjacent to each other may be
fastened on a continuous small plate on the surface 4 and 5 and extend away
from this.
After closing the individual rings 2 and 3, the ring book holds securely the
inserted pages. To release the rings it is sufficient to push a longish
object, e.g. a
pencil or a finger, into the opening around the axis 6, so that the individual
half
rings 2 and 3 open one after the other in the direction of the axis 6.
Instead of the advantageously inclined and trapeze-shaped lateral surfaces 4
and
5 these may extend vertically or be aligned in one plane, i.e. arranged
horizontally adjacent to each other. The half rings 2 and 3 can form a perfect
circle or have a thickened cross-section in the region of the pad.
Figs.2 and 3 show a second embodiment of the invention. In all drawings the
same features are designated using the same reference numerals. The two half
rings 2 and 3 can be seen here also, which with their end faces nestle against
the
trapeze-shaped pad 1. At the same time the hinge is produced in each case by a
pivot bearing 21, a top view of which is shown in Fig.3. This hinge 21
comprises a
bracket 22, fastened on the lateral surface 5. The half rings 2 and 3 have L-
shaped hooks 12 which can engage the openings 23 of the hinges. The bottom
portion 13 of the half rings 2 and 3 is preferably wider, so that sufficient
room
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remains for the hinge 21. Accordingly, the rings 2 and 3 themselves could be
thinner as in known binder spine arrangements.
At the same time the inclined planes 4 and 5 form the stop for the half rings
2 and
5 3, which, by virtue of this, abut against each other with their top end
surfaces 9
and 10. These end regions and end surfaces 9 and 10 of the half-rings 2 and 3
are preferably provided with the elements 7 and 8 shown in Fig.l.
Figs.4 and 5 show a third embodiment of the invention is a side view and top
view
of a half ring 3. In this case in addition to the inclined surfaces 4 and 5
two
transversely extending webs 31 and 32 are provided, which on their top have
grooves 33 running in the direction of the longitudinal axis 6 of the ring
binder
mechanism. To complement these grooves pegs 34 are provided on the half-
rings 2 and 3, which pegs are preferably made of one piece and are pushed
through a corresponding hole in the half rings 2 and 3. These pins 34 protrude
laterally from the half rings 2 and 3 in such a manner that when the half
rings 2
and 3 are resting on the pad 1, the pins 34 slide over the lugs 35 of the webs
and
come to rest in the groove 33 in a locked position. By pretensioning the half
rings
2 and 3 in this manner on the lateral surfaces 4 and 5, in the case of this
simple
construction no press button mechanism is necessary on the end surfaces 9 and
10 of the half-rings 2 and 3.
Fig.6 shows a side view of a ring of a ring binder mechanism according to a
fourth embodiment, in the closed state. In this case the U-shaped pad 1 is
made
up from individual elements in the region of the ring. It comprises a rigid
first
lateral portion 41 and on the other side a second rigid lateral portion 42. On
the
covering surface, facing the centre 6 of the ring, a movable tab 43 with a
groove
44 is provided, which is engaged by a lug 45 of the section 46 of the half
ring 2.
In accordance with the second embodiment this section 46 has a hook 12, that
passes around a hinge eyelet 21. Instead of hooks 12, the ring elements 2 and
3
may have corresponding eyelets on a thin, passing through, peg.
Preferably each ring is symmetrically constructed from its ring elements 2 and
3,
this meaning that they have a cross-section, which is slightly displaced
through
these ring elements 2, 3 in the longitudinal direction of the ring binder
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mechanism, a further tab 43 (not illustrated in the drawing) is present, which
runs
exactly antiparallel to the illustrated tab 43, and wherein the lateral
portion 47 also
has a hook 12 and a lug 45 (not illustrated in the drawing), that engages the
tab
43 (not illustrated here).
Fig.7 shows a fifth embodiment of the invention, wherein both half rings 2 and
3
have symmetrical construction. The same is valid for the pad 1, that has an
inclined extending element 51, which in cross-section leaves an opening 52
open
in the position of the ring. The base has a transversely extending web 53.
Hooks
54 with a lug 55 engage the openings 52, illustrated in the drawing, as this
is
illustrated on the example of the half ring 2. The lug 55 engages from behind
the
L-shaped lateral element 51, so that due to the pretensioning produced by this
the sides 4 and 5 will contact each other.
Figs.B, 9 and 10 show embodiments of the end regions of the half-rings 2 and 3
as far as their joining is concerned. Fig.8 shows that the half-ring 2 may
have a
pyramid-shaped tip 61, which for the purpose of centring protrudes into a
corresponding hollow space 62 of the half ring 3. In addition, in Fig.8 a ring
binder
mechanism is shown, which can be used as binding spine without cover pages.
To enable to write on the ring binder mechanism, a viewing window 90, made
from a transparent plastic material, is provided on the rear side 19 of the
base 1.
This viewing window 90 may be held on lateral insertion edges and has a small
hollow space facing the rear side 19 to accommodate a label. A flat base 1
could
be, for example, be directly written on by using a self adhesive label.
In the case of another embodiment according to Figs.9 and 10, the ends of the
half-rings 2 and 3 are made as interlacing fingers 71 and 72, which can be
especially recognised in the top view in Fig.10. By virtue of the openings 73,
existing between the fingers, the complementary fingers of the other ring
element
can hook into each other and thus produce at the tip of the ring a firm joint
withstanding normal loads.
Individual elements of the half rings can be, of course, combined with any
other
hinge connection, while there is always the advantage that a cost-effective
mass
producible article can be produced allowing the fitting of a ring book in an
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environment-friendly manner. It is particularly feasible to glue the rear side
19 of
the pad 1 into a book cover. The illustrated ring binder mechanism has
considerable economical advantages when compared with the state-of-the-art.
The construction using the thin film 11 or a one-piece construction, in
particular
when using injection moulding, are intended especially for small ring book
diameters with many rings, and the solutions using press button mechanisms and
centring means like pyramid heads, are intended for larger diameters. The
design
according to Fig.4 is intended more for a small number of rings.
Figs.11 to 14 show a side view, a cross-sectional view, a top view and a
further
cross-sectional view of the ring binder mechanism according to one of the
above
described embodiments with a separate base. The rings 2 and 3 are fastened on
the pad 1 in the described manner, the pad being fastened in this case on a
base
81, made, for example, from plastic material or metal. The base is a flat
parallelepiped, while the pad 1 has in this case a concave shape. On the one
hand this allows a reduction of material and a round shape, which is provided
around the axis 6, on the other.
The pad 1 is fastened to the base 81 with the aid of at least two injection
moulded
hooks 82, as this becomes particularly apparent from Figs.12 and 14. The unit,
producible in this manner, is fastened to a book spine by means, for example,
of
a pin 83, which, for example, can be riveted into the base 81.
Fig.12 shows the hooks 82 that are moulded onto the base 81. To construct the
opposite situated resilient hook elements 84, the base 81 has openings 85. The
two hook elements 84 have between them a web 86, connecting them with the
base 81. The hooks 82, 84 extend through a hole in the pad 1. In accordance
with Fig.13, the hooks 82 may be provided in the intermediate spaces between
the rings 2, 3; however, at least two hooks and associated openings should be
present on the opposite situated ends.
The base 81 itself is then fastened according to Fig.14 by means of pins 83 on
a
book spine or the like. This modular solution allows even the use of various
pads
1 with varying binding heights in the same book spines. For this purpose the
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, . .
bases 81 are pre-assembled and the various binding mechanisms/pads 1 merely
have to be clipped in. Since the bases 81 are very thin, two or more may be
pre-
assembled in one book spine in depth and, for example, on the side, so that
the
user needs to fasten only the binder spines in the colour and size desired in
the
desired position. The base 81 can, of course, can also have openings and the
hooks 82 can be formed on the pad 1.
A particularly simple folder, having all advantages of the ring binder
mechanism,
can be constructed as follows. A single cover side forms the bottom of the
folder.
The pad 1 is fastened on this, for example on the left edge. If, in an
advantageous manner, a distance of 2 to 3 cm is maintained between the left
edge of the cover side and the pad, then on the one hand this edge serves as a
grip to pull out such a folder vertically placed on the bottom of a shelf and
on the
other hand this region can be written on, so that standing next to the shelf
on the
side this writing of each folder can be read corresponding to the known glued
on
tab. In this case the individual cover sides form at the same time the cover
sheet
of the adjacent folder arranged behind it.
