Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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64725-992D
SOFT CLOSE RING BINDER MECHANISM
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[1] This appfication is a divisional of Canadian Patent Application
No. 2,494,027 filed January 24, 2005.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[2] This invention relates to a ring binder mechanism for retaining loose-leaf
pages, and in particular it relates to an improved mechanism for reducing
snapping motion of
ring members as they close and for securely locking closed ring members
together.
[3] As is known in the art, a typical ring binder mechanism retains loose-leaf
pages, such as hole-punched papers, in a file or notebook. It generally
features multiple rings
each including two half ring members capable of selectively opening to add or
remove
papers, or selectively closing to retain papers and allow them to move along
the rings. The
ring members mount on two adjacent hinge plates that join together about a
pivot axis for
pivoting movement within an elongated housing. The housing loosely holds the
hinge plates
so they may pivot relative to the housing. The undeformed housing is slightly
narrower than
the joined hinge plates when the hinge plates are in a coplanar position (180
). So as the
hinge plates pivot through this position, they deform the resilient housing
and cause
a spring force in the housing, urging the hinge plates to pivot away from the
coplanar
position either opening or closing the ring members. Thus, when the ring
members
are closed, this spring force resists hinge plate movement and clamps the ring
members together. Similarly, when the ring members are open, the spring force
holds them apart. An operator may typically overcome this force by manually
pulling
the ring members apart or pushing them together. In addition, in some
mechanisms
the operator may move a lever located at one or both ends of the mechanism for
moving the hinge plates through the coplanar position to open or close the
ring
members (in addition to manually pulling the ring members apart or pushing
them
together).
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[4] One drawback to these typical ring binder mechanisms is that when the ring
members close, the housing's spring force snaps them together rapidly and with
a force that
might cause fingers to be pinched between the ring members. The substantial
spring force
required to keep the ring members closed also makes pivoting the hinge plates
through the
coplanar position difficult, making it hard to both open and close the ring
members. Another
drawback is that when the ring members are closed, they do not positively lock
together. So
if the mechanism accidentally drops, the ring members may unintentionally
open. Still
another drawback is that over time the housing may begin to permanently
deform, reducing
its ability to uniformly clamp the ring members together and possibly causing
uneven
movements or gaps between closed ring members.
[5] To address these concerns, some ring binder mechanisms include a control
slide directly attached to the lever. These control slides have inclined cam
surfaces that
project through openings in the hinge plates for rigidly controlling the hinge
plates' pivoting
motion both when opening and closing the ring members. Examples of these types
of
mechanisms are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,566,817, 4,571,108, and 6,276,862 and
in U.K.
Pat. No. 2,292,343. Some of these cam surfaces include a stop for blocking the
hinge plates'
pivoting motion when the ring members are closed, locking the closed ring
members together.
[6] But these mechanisms still have several drawbacks, including that when the
ring members close the housing's spring force may still snap them together.
The spring force
may also still make both opening and closing the ring members difficult.
Furthermore, the
control slides in these mechanisms, specifically the inclined cam surfaces and
stops, are
complexly shaped and can be difficult and time consuming to fabricate. Also,
since the
control slides directly bias the hinge plates, they are usually relatively
wide and may need to
be constructed of a large gauge metal to withstand forces associated with
repeated use (i.e.,
repeatedly biasing the hinge plates to pivot). Therefore, the openings in the
hinge plates
receiving these control slides may also be relatively wide, possibly weakening
the hinge
plates so that they too must be made of a large gauge metal. These uses of
large gauge metal
may make mass production more costly.
[7] Other ring binder mechanisms attempt to address the issues of avoiding
snapping motion of the ring members and positively locking the ring members in
the closed
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position. For instance, some mechanisms arrange the hinge plates so that they
never pass
through the coplanar position in their pivoting motion. As a result of
avoiding the coplanar
position of the hinge plates, the ring members do not violently snap together
upon closing.
However, a closing force applied to the ring members is relatively weak so
that it is necessary
to provide a separate locking device to keep the ring members closed. One
example of this
type of ring mechanism is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,660,490. Still another
solution is to
arrange the hinge plates and housing so that the hinge plates are only weakly
biased by the
housing. This may be accomplished by adding a separate wire form spring to the
underside of
the hinge plates to provide a bias for pivoting the hinge plates to a position
in which the ring
members are open. An example of this ring binder mechanism construction is
shown in U.S.
Pat. Appl. Publ. No. 2003/0123923 to Koike, et al. In these types of
mechanisms, the ends of
the ring members are formed with hooks that are engaged upon closing to hold
the ring
members in the closed position. It requires some dexterity to manipulate the
ring members to
engage and disengage them. The manipulation becomes even more difficult if the
ring
members are filled with loose-leaf pages. Further, the hooks are more
susceptible to forces
that may unintentionally open the ring binder. Moreover, ring binder
mechanisms having
multiple ring members requiring simultaneous engagement or disengagement of
hooks may
make operation more awkward and difficult.
[8] Consequently, there is a need for a ring binder mechanism that securely
locks
for retaining loose-leaf pages but has ring members that easily open and close
as pages
accumulate and do not snap together when the ring members close. The present
invention is
directed to such a ring binder mechanism.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[9] The present invention provides a ring binder mechanism having ring members
that easily open and close as pages accumulate and that securely lock together
preventing
unintentional openings. It also provides a mechanism that reduces the snapping
motion of the
ring members as they close. A ring binder mechanism according to the present
invention
retains loose-leaf pages. The mechanism generally comprises a housing, which
has
longitudinal ends, and hinge plates, which are supported by the housing for
pivoting motion
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about a pivot axis relative to the housing. The mechanism also comprises rings
capable of
holding the loose-leaf pages. Each ring includes two ring members. A first
ring
member is mounted on a first hinge plate and can move therewith relative to a
second ring member. In a closed position, the two ring members form a
substantially continuous, closed loop for allowing loose-leaf pages retained
by the
rings to be moved along the rings from one ring member to the other. In an
open
position, the two ring members form a discontinuous, open loop for adding or
removing loose-leaf pages from the rings. The mechanism further comprises a
travel bar and a locking element that are movable in translation relative to
both the
housing and the hinge plates. The travel bar moves in translation generally
lengthwise of the housing. In this mechanism, the locking element produces the
hinge plates' pivoting motion when it moves from a position that is in
registration with
an opening in at least one of the hinge plates to a position that is out of
registration
with the opening. But the locking element does not produce the pivoting motion
when it moves from a position that is out of registration with the opening to
one that
is in registration with the opening. Furthermore, the mechanism comprises an
actuating lever pivotally connected to the housing for moving the travel bar
in
translation. As the lever pivots it does not engage the hinge plates.
[10] In another aspect, a ring binder mechanism according to the present
invention
retains loose-leaf pages. The mechanism generally comprises a housing, which
has
longitudinal ends, and hinge plates, which are supported by the housing for
pivoting motion
about a pivot axis relative to the housing. The mechanism also comprises rings
capable of
holding the loose-leaf pages. Each ring includes two ring members. A first
ring
member is mounted on a first hinge plate and can move therewith relative to a
second ring member. In a closed position, the two ring members form a
substantially continuous, closed loop for allowing loose-leaf pages retained
by the
rings to be moved along the rings from one ring member to the other. In an
open
position, the two ring members form a discontinuous, open loop for adding or
removing loose-leaf pages from the rings. The mechanism further comprises a
travel bar and a locking element that are movable in translation relative to
both the
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64725-992D
housing and the hinge plates. The travel bar moves in translation generally
lengthwise of the housing. In this mechanism, the locking element is in a
position in
registration with an opening in at least one of the hinge plates when the ring
members are in the open position. And it is in a position out of registration
with the
opening when the ring members are in the closed position, thereby blocking the
hinge plates' pivoting motion. Furthermore, the mechanism comprises a spring
for
producing the hinge plates' pivoting motion when the locking element moves to
the
position that is in registration with the opening.
[11] In yet a further aspect, a ring binder mechanism according to the present
invention retains loose-leaf pages. The mechanism generally comprises a
housing, which has
a longitudinal axis, and hinge plates, which are supported by the housing for
pivoting motion
about a pivot axis relative to the housing. The mechanism also comprises rings
capable of
holding the loose-leaf pages. Each ring includes two ring members. A first
ring
member is mounted on a first hinge plate and can move therewith relative to a
second ring member. In a closed position, the two ring members form a
substantially continuous, closed loop for allowing loose-leaf pages retained
by the
rings to be moved along the rings from one ring member to the other. In an
open
position, the two ring members form a discontinuous, open loop for adding or
removing loose-leaf pages from the rings. The mechanism further comprises a
travel bar and a locking element that are movable in translation relative to
both the
housing and the hinge plates. The travel bar moves in translation generally
lengthwise of the housing. In this mechanism, the locking element is in a
position in
registration with an opening in at least one of the hinge plates when the ring
members are in the open position. And it is in a position out of registration
with the
opening when the ring members are in the closed position, thereby blocking the
hinge plates' pivoting motion. Furthermore, in this mechanism the hinge plates
are
supported by the housing such that an angle formed by the hinge plates'
exterior
surfaces never passes through 1800 during the hinge plates' pivoting motion.
CA 02593624 2009-06-26
64725-992D
In another aspect of the invention, there is provided a ring binder
mechanism for retaining loose-leaf pages, the mechanism comprising: a housing
having longitudinal ends; hinge plates supported by the housing for pivoting
motion about a pivot axis relative to the housing; rings for holding loose-
leaf
pages, each ring including a first ring member mounted on a first hinge plate
and
moveable with the pivoting motion of the first hinge plate, each ring further
including a second ring member, the first ring member being movable relative
to
the second ring member so that in a closed position the two ring members form
a
substantially continuous, closed loop for allowing loose-leaf pages retained
by the
rings to be moved along the rings from one ring member to the other, and in an
open position the two ring members form a discontinuous, open loop for adding
or
removing loose-leaf pages from the rings; a travel bar movable in translation
relative to both the housing and the hinge plates, said translational movement
being generally lengthwise of the housing; a locking element moveable in
translation relative to both the housing and the hinge plates, the locking
element
being in a position in registration with an opening in at least one of the
hinge
plates when the ring members are in the open position and in a position out of
registration with said opening when the ring members are in the closed
position for
blocking the pivoting motion of the hinge plates; and a spring adapted to
produce
pivoting motion of the hinge plates to open the rings when the locking element
moves to said position in registration with the opening in at least one of the
hinge
plates, wherein the spring is a different structure than the housing.
[12] Other objects and features of the present invention will be in
part apparent and in part pointed out hereinafter.
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BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[13] FIG. I is a perspective of a notebook incorporating a ring binder
mechanism of
the present invention according to a first embodiment;
[14] FIG. 2A is a perspective of the mechanism at a closed and locked
position;
[15] FIG. 2B is a section taken on line 2B-2B of FIG. 2A; '
[16] FIG. 3A is a perspective similar to FIG. 2A with the mechanism at an open
position;
[17] FIG. 3B is a section taken on line 3B-3B of FIG. 3A;
[18] FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective of the mechanism;
[19] FIG. 5 is a perspective similar to FIG. 2A with a portion of a housing
and ring
members removed;
[20] FIG. 6 is a bottom perspective of a travel bar of the first embodiment;
[21] FIG. 7 is a perspective of a wire form spring of the first embodiment;
[22] FIG. 8 is a bottom perspective of the ring binder mechanism at the closed
and
locked position;
[23] FIG. 9 is a perspective similar to FIG. 5 with the mechanism at an
intermediate, transitional position between the open position and the closed
and locked
position;
[24] FIG. 10 is a perspective similar to FIG. 5 with the mechanism at the open
position;
[25] FIG. 11 is a perspective similar to FIG. 8 with the mechanism at the open
position;
[26] FIG. 12 is a bottom perspective of an alternative version of the travel
bar with
a portion of the travel bar and a portion of a locking element broken away;
[27] FIG. 13A is a perspective of a second embodiment of a ring binder
mechanism
of the present invention at a closed and locked position;
[28] FIG. 13B is a section taken on line 13B-13B of FIG. 13A;
[29] FIG. 14A is a perspective similar to FIG. 13A with the mechanism at an
open
position;
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64725-992(S)
[30] FIG. 14B is a section taken on line 14B-14B of FIG. 14A;
[31] FIG. 15 is an exploded perspective of a ring binder mechanism of the
present
invention according to a third embodiment;
[32] FIG. 16A is a perspective of the mechanism of FIG. 15 at a closed and
locl:ed
position with a portion of a housing, a travel bar, locking elements, and two
ring members
removed;
[33] FIG. 16B is a bottom perspective of a control structure of the mechanism;
and
[34] FIG. 17 is a perspective similar to FIG. 16A with the mechanism at an
open
position.
[35] Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding parts
throughout
the views of the drawings.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[37] Referring now to the drawings of the present invention, Fig. I shows a
first
embodiment of a ring binder mechanism of the present invention capable of
retaining loose-
leaf pages (not shown). The mechanism is generally designated by reference
numeral I and is
shown mounted on a spine 3 of a notebook 5 having a front cover 7 and a back
cover 9
hingedly attached to the spine 3. The front and back covers 7, 9 move to
selectively cover or
expose retained pages. Ring binder mechanisms mounted on surfaces other than a
notebook,
however, do not depart from the scope of this invention. The mechanism I of
this
embodiment generally includes a housing 11, three rings (each generally
indicated at 13), and
a control structure (generally indicated at 15). As shown in Figs. 2A-3B, the
housing 11
supports both the rings 13 and the control structure 15 for either closing the
mechanism I to
retain pages on the rings 13 or opening it to load pages on the rings 13. As
will be described
hereinafter, the control structure 15 can either directly close and lock the
mechanism I or it
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can allow wire form springs 17 attached to undersides of hinge plates 19, 21
to open the
mechanism 1.
[38] Referring to Fig. 4, the housing 11 is elongate and has a symmetrical,
roughly
arch-shaped cross section with a raised plateau 23 at its center. The housing
11 is made of
metal, but may be also made of other suitable material that is sufficiently
rigid to provide a
stable mount for other components of the mechanism I while being sufficiently
resili6nt to
function as a spring. The housing 11 has a longitudinal axis, two transversely
opposite
longitudinally extending edges, and two longitudinal ends. A bent under rim 25
is formed
along each longitudinal edge margin of the housing and together the two bent
under rims 25
include six slots 27 (only three of which are visible) arranged in three
transversely opposed
pairs along the length of the housing 11 for receiving the rings 13 (see Figs.
2A and 3A). At
one housing end, two tabs 29 project upward for attaching an actuating lever
31 of the control
structure. The opposite housing end does not have a lever, although it is
understood that a
mechanism with two levers or a mechanism with the lever attached between its
ends does not
depart from the scope of this invention. The raised plateau 23 of the housing
has two
openings 33, 35 for receiving and attaching mounting posts 37, 39 capable of
securing the
mechanism 1 to the notebook 5. Different shaped housings, including
asymmetrical ones,
and housings with different numbers of openings or slots do not depart from
the scope of this
invention.
[39] The housing 11 loosely supports two hinge plates 19, 21 for pivoting
motion
to either close the rings 13 or open the rings 13. Each ring 13 includes two
ring members 41
mounted on adjacent hinge plates 19, 21 and movable therewith between a closed
position
(see Figs. 2A and 2B) and an open position (see Figs. 3A and 3B). These ring
members 41
are generally circular in cross section and are formed of suitable material
such as steel. When
they are in the closed position, each ring member 41 forms a substantially
continuous, closed,
"D"-shaped ring or loop for retaining loose-leaf pages and for allowing the
pages to move
along the rings 13 from one ring member 41 to the other. And when the ring
members 41 are
in the open position, each forms a discontinuous, open loop suitable for
adding or removing
pages. Although in the illustrated embodiment both ring members 41 can move, a
mechanism having one movable ring member and one fixed does not depart from
the scope of
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this invention. Additionally, a mechanism with more or less than three rings
or with rings
that form other shapes, such as a circular shape, when closed does not depart
from the scope
of this invention.
[40] Referring now to Figs. 4 and 5, the hinge plates 19, 21 are generally
each a
thin, elongate sheet having inner and outer longitudinal edge margins and two
longitudinal
ends. Each hinge plate 19, 21 includes five cutouts along its inner
longitudinal edge margin
so that when the hinge plates 19, 21 are interconnected, corresponding cutouts
in each plate
align to form five openings. A first opening 43, located near the housing end
having the lever
31, receives a first of the mounting posts 37 through the hinge plates 19, 21.
Second, third,
and fourth openings 45, 47, 49 receive first, second, and third locking
elements 51, 53, 55
respectively, as will be discussed hereinafter. A fifth opening 57, located
near the housing
end not having the lever 31, receives a second of the mounting posts 39
through the hinge
plates 19, 21. Each hinge plate 19, 21 also includes two notches 59 and one
cutout 61, both
located along the plate's outer longitudinal edge margin. The notches 59 are
arranged
relatively side-by-side and define a tab 63 located toward one longitudinal
end of each hinge
plate 19, 21. The cutout 61 is located toward an opposite longitudinal end.
The tab 63 and
cutout 61 are positioned in reverse order on the two hinge plates 19, 21 so
that when the
plates 19, 21 interconnect one plate's tab 63 is across from a second plate's
cutout 61. This
facilitates attaching the wire form springs 17 to the underside of the
interconnected hinge
plates 19, 21, as will be described more fully hereinafter.
[411 The interconnected hinge plates 19, 21 attach to one another in parallel
arrangement along their adjoining inner longitudinal edge margins, forming a
central hinge
having a pivot axis. The housing 11 receives the interconnected plates 19, 21
such that each
plates's outer longitudinal edge margin loosely fits in the housing's
corresponding bent under
rim 25 (see Figs. 2B and 3B). Accordingly, the hinge plates 19, 21 are
retained on the
housing 11 but the edge margins are free to move within the rims 25, allowing
the hinge
plates 19, 21 to freely pivot about their pivot axis. The pivot axis moves up
(i.e., toward the
housing's raised plateau 23) when the plates 19, 21 pivot to open the ring
members 41, and it
moves down (i.e., away from the housing's raised plateau 23) when the plates
19, 21 pivot to
close the ring members 41.
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[42] The control structure 15 of this embodiment generally includes the
actuating
lever 31, a travel bar 65, and the three locking elements 51, 53, 55. The
actuating lever 31 is
formed from a suitable rigid material or combination of materials, such as
metal or plastic. It
includes an enlarged head 67 to facilitate gripping and applying force to the
lever 31. A first
hinge pin 69 received through upper openings 71 in the lever and through the
housing's tabs
29, mounts the lever 31 on the housing 11 for pivoting relative to the housing
11. A second
hinge pin 73 is received through lower openings 75 in the lever 31 and through
openings 77
in an intermediate connector 79, transforming the lever's pivoting motion into
substantially
linear travel bar motion. Although the travel bar's motion is not perfectly
linear, it is still
considered to be translational motion for purposes of the present invention.
[43] The intermediate connector 79 is generally an elongate beam with a flat
web
and two side flanges. It includes a first end that is generally wider than a
second end. More
specifically, at the narrower second end the intermediate connector 79
includes a projecting
tab 85 with an enlarged end 87 that is received in a slot 89 in a first end of
the travel bar 65.
This end of the travel bar is bent down to form a shoulder 91 against one side
of which the
intermediate connector 79 can bear to push the travel bar 65. The enlarged end
87 of the
projecting tab 85 is engageable with the other side of the shoulder 91 to pull
the travel bar 65
toward the lever 31. The slot 89 in which the tab 85 is received is elongate
in the lengthwise
direction of the travel bar 65. Thus, the intermediate connector 79 is able to
freely pivot up
and down with respect to the travel bar 65. As a result, the connector 79
transmits a linear
movement to the travel bar 65 from the pivoting lever 31. Moreover, the travel
bar 65 is
allowed to move up and down without hindrance from the intermediate connector
79. The
intermediate connector 79 also includes an elongate opening 93 for receiving
the first
mounting post 37 through the connector and allowing the connector to move
relative to the
mounting post 37.
1 [44] Now referring to Figs. 4-6, the travel bar 65 receives the lever's
pivoting
motion and moves in translation generally lengthwise relative to both the
housing 11 and the
hinge plates 19, 21. The travel bar 65 is a relatively flat, elongate sheet
made of metal or
other sufficiently rigid material. It is disposed generally parallel to the
longitudinal axis of
the housing 11, under the housing's raised plateau 23 and above the hinge
plates 19, 21. The
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travel bar 65 includes three integral locking elements 51, 53, 55 that move
with the travel bar
65 in translation and, depending on the travel bar's position, can either (1)
pivot the hinge
plates 19, 21 for closing the ring members 41 and then block the hinge plates'
pivoting motion
for locking the ring members 41 closed or (2) allow the wire form springs 17
to pivot the
hinge plates 19, 21 for opening the ring members 41 (i.e., the locking
elements 51, 53, 55 can
register with openings 45, 47, 49 in the hinge plates 19, 21, thereby allowing
the wire form
springs 17 to freely act against the hinge plates 19, 21 and pivot them, as
will be discussed
hereinafter).
[45] As particularly shown in Fig. 6, in this embodiment the locking elements
51,
53, 55 each comprise two spaced apart flanges 95 formed as one piece with the
travel bar 65
and folded downward 90 from a longitudinal edge margin of the bar.
Accordingly, there are
three flanges 95 on each side of the travel bar 65, and each flange's planar
surface is
substantially parallel to that of every other flange 95 and to a longitudinal
axis of the travel
bar 65. A lower edge portion of each flange is angled, forming a cam surface
99 for engaging
the hinge plates 19, 21 and for causing them to pivot to close the ring
members 41. The angle
is such that once the ring members 41 close, the locking elements 51, 53, 55
slide into
position for locking the ring members 41 together. In addition, the locking
elements 51, 53,
55 are spaced along the length of the travel bar 65 to correspond with the
second, third, and
fourth openings 45, 47, 49 in the hinge plates 19, 21 when the ring members 41
are open. It
will be understood that locking elements may be formed as a single piece with
a travel bar, or
as more than two pieces, and that control structures using more or fewer than
three locking
elements, or differently shaped locking elements do not depart from the scope
of this
invention.
[46] As shown in Figs. 7-9, a wire form spring 17 of this embodiment is a
generally
round wire formed roughly into an elongate octagon with an open end and a
closed end 17A
(the open end forming one of the sides of the octagon). The closed end 17A is
bent upward
90 so that it fits into the notches 59 and over the tab 63 of one of the
interconnected hinge
plates 19, 21. The free end of the tab 63 is received behind the rim 25 of the
housing so that
the closed end 17A of the spring is held on the tab 63. The open end of each
spring has two
wire tips 101 that are each bent twice into a generally hook shape. A first
bend is 90 upward
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and a second bend is 90 outward. These tips 101 releasably fit into the
cutout 61 of the
second interconnected hinge plate 19, 21 so that a body of the wire form
spring 17 is
positioned substantially beneath the interconnected plates 19, 21. As
attached, the wire form
springs 17 are relaxed when the hinge plates 19, 21 are oriented so that the
ring members 41
are open. The body of the wire form spring 17 is bowed slightly upward (i.e.,
toward the
interconnected plates 19, 21 (see Fig. 3B)) so that exterior surfaces of the
interconnected
hinge plates 19, 21 form an angle A that is less than 180 (i.e., the hinge
plates' pivot axis is
above a coplanar position of the hinge plates 19, 21). When the locking
elements 51, 53, 55
move the hinge plates 19, 21 down and through the coplanar position for
closing the ring
members 41 (see Fig. 2B), each bowed wire form spring 17 flattens and becomes
stressed.
Conversely, when the locking elements 51, 53,.55 move into registration with
respective
openings 45, 47, 49 in the hinge plates 19, 21, the stressed wire form springs
17 automatically
act on the hinge plates 19, 21 and pivot them up and through the coplanar
position, opening
the ring members 41. It is understood that while the illustrated mechanism 1
includes two
wire form springs 17, mechanisms having fewer than two or more than two wire
form springs
do not depart from the scope of this invention.
[47] Now referring to Figs. 2A-3B, 5, and 8-11, the control structure 15 is
capable
of selectively controlling the mechanism's movement between a closed and
locked position
and an open position. At the closed and locked position (Figs. 2A, 2B, 5 and
8), the ring
members 41 are together and cannot be pulled apart. In this position the hinge
plates 19, 21
are oriented so that their pivot axis is slightly below the coplanar position
and the angle A
between their exterior surfaces 103 is at its greatest. Additionally, the
actuating lever 31 is
relatively vertical and the travel bar 65 is positioned closer to the housing
end having the
lever 31. As such, the first, second, and third locking elements 51, 53, 55
are positioned
between the hinge plates 19, 21 and the housing 11, substantially out of
registration with the
respective openings 45, 47, 49 in the hinge plates 19, 21. In this travel bar
locking position,
the locking elements 51, 53, 55 firmly oppose any force tending to open the
ring members 41
because they are generally sized, along with the travel bar 65, to fully
occupy the area
between the hinge plates 19, 21 and the housing's raised plateau 23. So as the
hinge plates
19, 21 push up on the locking elements 51, 53, 55 (i.e., such as when the
hinge plates 19, 21
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pivot to open the ring members 41) the hinge plates immediately engage the
locking elements
51, 53, 55, tending to force both the locking elements 51, 53, 55 and the
travel bar 65 up. The
housing's raised plateau 23 resists this movement, however, blocking the hinge
plates'
pivoting motion and preventing the ring members 41 from opening.
[48] In order to open the mechanism 1, an operator pivots the lever 31 outward
and
downward (Fig. 9). This pushes the intermediate connector 79 and travel bar 65
away from
the housing end having the lever 31, and translates the travel bar 65 out of
its locking
position. The travel bar 65 moves until the locking elements 51, 53, 55 each
substantially
register with the respective second, third, and fourth openings 45, 47, 49 in
the hinge plates
19, 21. At this intermediate, transitional position, the locking elements 51,
53, 55 no longer
block the hinge plates' pivoting motion. This allows the wire form springs 17
to
automatically act on the hinge plates 19, 21, pivoting the hinge plates 19, 21
up and through
the coplanar position (and thereby overcoming any spring force of the housing
11 that resists
hinge plate movement through the coplanar position) so that their openings 45,
47, 49 pass
over the locking elements 51, 53, 55 and the ring members 41 open. At this
open position
(Figs. 3A, 3B, 10 and 11), the cam surfaces 99 of each locking element 51, 53,
55 fully
project through the hinge plates' respective openings 45, 47, 49 and the angle
A between the
hinge plates' exterior surfaces 103 is at its smallest. The wire form springs
17 and the
housing's spring force keep the ring members 41 open, and the operator may let
go of the
lever 31 to load or remove paper from the mechanism 1.
[49] To return the mechanism 1 back to the closed and locked position, the
operator
pivots the lever 31 inward and upward (Figs. 2A, 5, and 8). This pulls the
intermediate
connector 79 and travel bar 65 back toward the housing end mounting the lever
31, causing
the cam surfaces 99 of the locking elements to engage the hinge plates 19, 21
at edges of the
respective openings 45, 47, 49. As the operator continues pivoting the lever
31 and moving
the travel bar 65, the locking elements 51, 53, 55 begin to pivot the hinge
plates 19, 21,
thereby overcoming forces opposing such hinge plate 19, 21 motion (i.e., a
sliding friction
force between the locking elements' cam surfaces 99 and the hinge plates 19,
21, the wire
form spring's force resisting flattening, and the housing's spring force
resisting hinge plate
movement through the coplanar position). Thus, the hinge plates 19, 21 slowly
slide down
13
CA 02593624 2007-07-26
each cam surface 99 and softly move the ring members 41 together. Once the
ring members
41 fully close, the travel bar 65 returns to its locking position and the
locking elements 51, 53,
55 fully return to their position blocking the hinge plates' pivoting motion.
As above
described, in this mechanism I the locking elements 51, 53, 55 bias the hinge
plates 19, 21 to
pivot only for closing and locking the ring members 41. The locking elements
51, 53, 55 are
incapable of moving the hinge plates 19, 21 for opening the ring members 41.
This iS
accomplished by the wire form springs 17.
[50] The ring binder mechanism of the present invention securely retains loose-
leaf
pages when the ring members 41 are closed. In this position, the locking
elements 51, 53, 55
and travel bar 65 generally completely occupy the area between the hinge
plates 19, 21 and
the housing's raised plateau 23, and the locking elements 51, 53, 55 are
positioned
substantially out of registration with the respective openings 45, 47, 49 in
the hinge plates 19,
21. Additionally, the housing 11 encases the locking elements 51, 53, 55,
providing a barrier
to outside forces from unintentionally moving the locking elements 51, 53, 55
into
registration with the openings 45, 47, 49. As a result, the travel bar 65 and
the locking
elements 51, 53, 55 fully resist any hinge plate movement tending to open the
ring members
41 and positively lock the ring members 41 together, reducing the mechanism's
chance of
accidentally opening. Furthermore, this mechanism is easier to manipulate when
the ring
members 41 are full of pages. The lever 31 can move the locking elements 51,.
53, 55 for
unlocking the ring members 41, as opposed to prior art mechanisms where the
ring members
themselves directly lock together. Moreover, the locking elements 51, 53, 55
of this
mechanism distribute a locking force generally uniformly to the ring members
41 and
minimize gaps between the closed members 41 because the locking elements 51,
53, 55 are
uniformly spaced along the length of the hinge plates 19, 21.
[51] This mechanism I also reduces the undesirable snapping motion of ring
members 41 as they close because the locking elements' cam surfaces 99 control
the pivoting
motion of the hinge plates 19, 21. As the operator pivots the lever 31 for
closing the ring
members 41, the locking elements 51, 53, 55 slowly move the hinge plates 19,
21 and gently
bring the ring members 41 together. The wire form springs 17 cause the hinge
plates 19, 21
to pivot up and through the coplanar position for opening the ring members 41.
As such, the
14
CA 02593624 2007-07-26
wire form springs 17 effectively perform the same functions as the housing's
spring force.
Consequently, the housing's spring force may be reduced, or possibly
eliminated, so that only
the wire form springs 17 act on the hinge plates 19, 21. This makes it easier
to move the
hinge plates 19, 21 down and through the coplanar position when closing the
ring members
41.
[52] Furthermore, this mechanism 1 opens more easily than prior art
mechanisms.
The operator need only move the travel bar 65 a short distance before its
locking elements 51,
53, 55 align with corresponding openings 45, 47, 49 in the hinge plates 19, 21
and the wire
form springs 17 automatically act on the hinge plates 19, 21, pivoting them to
open the ring
members 41. Similarly, the lever's pivoting movement reduces the magnitude of
force
necessary to cause this travel bar movement because of the mechanical
advantage given by
the lever 31.
[53] Now referring to Fig. 12, an alternative version of the travel bar is
generally
designated by reference numeral 105. This travel bar 105 includes three tabs
107 (only one of
which is shown) formed as one piece with the travel bar 105. Each tab 107 is
struck
downward 90 from the bar's surface and is capable of receiving a locking
element 111, which
in this embodiment is formed separately from the travel bar 105 and secured to
the tab 107.
The locking element 111 is generally block-shaped and may be made of plastic
or other
suitable material capable of resisting the hinge plates' pivoting motion and
of wedging the
hinge plates 19, 21 to move the ring members 41 together. The locking element
111 also
includes an angled cam surface 113 substantially similar to the cam surfaces
99 of the travel
bar described for the mechanism I of the first embodiment. Accordingly, each
embodiment
described herein may include this alternative version travel bar 105.
[54] Figures 13A-14B illustrate a second embodiment of the ring binder
mechanism of the present invention. The mechanism of this embodiment is
generally
designated by reference numeral 201. Parts of the mechanism of this second
embodiment
corresponding to parts of the mechanism of the first embodiment are indicated
by the same
reference numerals, plus "200". This embodiment is substantially similar to
the first
embodiment, but does not include wire form springs under hinge plates. In this
embodiment
a spring force of a housing 211 causes the hinge plates 219, 221 to pivot for
opening ring
CA 02593624 2007-07-26
members 241. The hinge plates 219, 221 pivot in the housing 211 so that a
pivot axis never
moves below a coplanar position when the ring members 241 move between a
closed and an
open position (i.e., an angle A (Figs. 13B and 14B) between exterior surfaces
of the hinge
plates is always less than 180 ). Thus, the spring force of the housing 211
only acts to open
the ring members 241 and never to close the ring members. Also in this
embodiment, the
hinge plates 219, 221 do not include notches or a cutout along their outer
longitudinal edge
margins because there are no wire form springs. But in all other aspects, the
hinge plates 219,
221 of this embodiment are identical to the hinge plates 19, 21 of the first
embodiment.
[55] Figures 15-17 illustrate a third embodiment of the present invention. The
mechanism of this invention is generally designated by reference numera140,1.
Parts of this
embodiment which correspond to parts of the first embodiment are indicated by
the same
reference numerals, plus "400". This embodiment is similar to the second
embodiment in that
a housing 411 supports hinge plates 419, 421 for pivoting motion such that a
pivot axis of the
hinge plates 419, 421 never moves to or below a coplanar position when ring
members 441
move between a closed and locked position and an open position. In this
embodiment,
however, a lever 431 of a control structure 415 is located between two
symmetrical ends of
the housing 411. To accommodate this, the housing 411 includes two tabs 515,
extending
upward from a raised plateau 423 of the housing. The tabs 515 are capable of
receiving a
hinge pin 517 for pivotally mounting the lever 431 on the housing 411. In this
embodiment,
the lever 431 is generally an elongate, bowed beam that includes a web and two
downward
turned side flanges. At one end, the side flanges taper into the web, forming
a flat surface
523 to grasp and pivot the lever 431. At the other end, cam surfaces 525
project downward
from the side flanges. Also at this end, a hole 527 passes through both side
flanges for
receiving the hinge pin 517 that mounts the lever 431 on the housing 411.
[56] The mechanism 401 of this embodiment uses no intermediate connector to
transfer the lever's pivoting movement into linear movement of a travel bar.
Instead, the
lever's cam surfaces 525 loosely fit between opposing shoulders 529 formed in
the travel bar
465 so that the lever's pivoting movement directly translates the travel bar
465 relative to the
housing 411. The loose reception of each cam surface 525 between a respective
pair of
shoulders 529 allows the cam surfaces 525 to pivot and yet bear against one or
the other of
16
CA 02593624 2007-07-26
the shoulders 529 for linearly moving the travel bar 465. The shoulders 529
are located
toward one end of the travel bar 465, along longitudinal edge margins of the
travel bar, and
are positioned so that one shoulder 529 is directly opposite the other. Each
shoulder 529 is
formed by bending two opposing pieces downward 90 so that a plane of each
piece is
perpendicular to the travel bar 465. In this embodiment the travel bar 465
does not include an
end flange or a slot because there is no intermediate connector for it to
receive.
[57] Referring particularly to Figs. 16A-17, operation of this embodiment is
substantially similar to the operation of the second embodiment. In this
embodiment,
however, at a closed and locked position of Fig. 16A, the lever 431 is
relatively horizontal
and generally parallel to the housing's raised plateau 423. In order to open
the ring members
441, an operator pivots the lever 431 upward and inward (i.e., toward the
center pair of ring
members 441). The lever's cam surfaces 525 engage the travel bar's shoulders
529 and
linearly move the travel bar 465 toward the lever 431. This moves locking
elements 511 into
registration with corresponding openings 445, 447, 449 in the hinge plates,
allowing the
housing's spring force to pivot the hinge plates 419, 421 and open the ring
members 441. The
hinge plates 419, 421 include an.additional opening 531 between second and
third openings
445, 447 for receiving the lever's cam surfaces 525 and the travel bar's
shoulders 529 through
the interconnected plates 419, 421 (Fig. 17). Accordingly, there is no
interference between
the hinge plates 419, 421 and either the lever 431 or the travel bar 465
during operation. To
close the ring members 441, the operator pivots the lever 431 downward and
outward,
reversing the opening action, so that the cam surfaces 525 again bear against
the shoulders
529 to move the travel bar 465 away from the lever 431. As in the second
embodiment, cam
surfaces 513 of each locking element 511, which in this embodiment are
identical to the cam
surfaces 113 of the locking elements described for the alternative version of
the travel bar 105
above, engage the hinge plates 419, 421 and cause them to pivot to close the
ring members
441. It is understood that while in this embodiment the housing's spring force
pivots the
hinge plates 419, 421 for opening the ring members 441, wire form springs may
alternatively
be attached to the underside of hinge plates for pivoting the plates as was
described for the
first embodiment.
17
CA 02593624 2007-07-26
[58] Components of the mechanism of the present invention according to the
several discussed embodiments are made of a suitable rigid material, such as
metal (e.g.,
steel). But mechanisms made of a nonmetallic material, specifically including
plastic, do not
depart from the scope of this invention.
[59] When introducing elements of the present inventiori or the preferred
embodiment(s) thereof, the articles "a", "an", "the" and "said" are intended
to mean that there
are one or more of the elements. The terms "comprising", "including" and
"having" are
intended to be inclusive and mean that there may be additional elements other
than the listed
elements. Moreover, the use of "up" and "down" and variations thereof is made
for
convenience, but does not require any particular orientation of the
components.
[60] As various changes could be made in the above without departing from the
scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the above
description and
shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and
not in a limiting
sense.
= .
. /b
