GB2201639A - Files and retainer means therefor - Google Patents

Abstract

A file is disclosed in which papers (25) are retained by elongate flexible prongs (12) passing through holes in the papers. The free ends of the prongs (12), whose lateral spacing may be variable, are retained on a second cover of the file by each being passed through a pair of holes (41, 42) in blocks (40) mounted on the second cover. The two holes may be in staggered formation relative to the edge of the papers in the file. The second hole (42) of the pair acts to lock the prong (12) in position, and may join into a slot (43) extending to the edge of the block (40), for easy removal of the prong. <IMAGE>

Description

FILES AND RETAINER MEANS THEREFOR This invention relates to files (for paperkeeping) and retainer means for them.

Files of various sorts are well known wherein papers, sheets, envelopes and the like (hereinafter 'papers") to be sorted are releasably held by strings, clips, rings, clamped strips or the like which penetrate them. But all these demand that the holes in the papers through which these shall pass, and their place of attachment to the files generally correspond. For this to happen the distancing must be standardized. Where adjustability is given it is a limited one and may involve separate, separately insertable, retainers.

But for some types of papers the holes are at non-standard distances as between paper of one origin and that of another. A particular example is computer print-out paper, different makes or uses of which have various different spacings between their edges.

A solution to this problem is shown in our earlier European application EP-A-192322. It discloses a file in which papers are retained by elongate flexible prongs mounted on a cover of the file and passed through holes in the papers, the lateral spacing of the prongs being variable by any desired amount within the limits of the width of the file. The free ends of the prongs are retained on a second cover of the file by passing them through holes in blocks mounted on this cover, the spacing between the blocks also being variable. The prongs are not clamped to the blocks on the second cover and can thus slide through them.

In FR-A-2524933 a file is shown in which papers are similarly held by flexible prongs, the prongs being retained in plates having a plurality of holes through which they may be passed to clamp them. However these plates are not mounted on a file cover. In the most relevant embodiment (Figure 7) the plates can rotate in any manner; if the two plates are combined so as to avoid this as in Figure 1 for example, the alignment of the holes parallel to the edge of the paper may result in interference between the free end of a clamped prong and the holes in the paper itself. Furthermore, the only way of unclamping a clamped prong is to withdraw it successively through each hole in the plate.

The present invention provides filing means in which the effective length of paper-holding prongs, which are to pass through filed papers, is variable at will and normally be infinitesimal increments over a wide range, and means are also provided for retaining those prongs when it is desired to hold or lock them, in a particularly advantageous way. The lateral spacing of the prongs is not necessarily laterally variable even though in a preferred embodiment it will be, in the same way as in our prior application.

The retainers through which the prongs pass are holes through respective blocks mounted on a further surface of the file which may be its second cover, in a fixed angular relationship to each other; papers are fitted onto a prong by withdrawing its free end from a hole in the block entirely so that it may be passed through holes in the papers and then through a hole in such a block.

The block also has a locking aperture through which a prong may additionally pass. The locking aperture may be connected by a slot to an edge of the block - preferably the side edge laterally inner in the file - so that release from the aperture can be achieved by pushing the prong sideways through the slot.

The line through the centres of the hole and of the locking aperture may not be parallel to the edges of the file; thus when a prong is passed successively both through the hole and the aperture it is slanted relative to the edge of the paper and the free end of the prong is kept clear of entanglement with holes on the edges of paper stored in the file.

Reference has been made to our earlier European Application EP-A-0192322. The present blocks are usable in substitution for the block shown there; but in this case unlike in that, it is not essential that at least one block shall be laterally slidable - in other words both of these blocks may be fixed to one cover or board for use in otherwise conventional prong-held systems.

The prongs may be mounted on any desired filing system part, eg. on a cardboard file cover, on a suspension file or on a rigid filing drawer or board.

A particular embodiment of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein: Figure 1 is a perspective view of the spine portion of a file cover embodying the invention; Figure 2 is a sectional view on the line A-A, Fig.l, of the file cover in closed condition and containing papers; Figure 3 is the same sectional view but in half-open condition; Figure 4 is the same sectional view but in fully opened condition; Figure 5 is an end view of a modification; Figure 6 is an end view of a second embodiment; Figure 7 is a detail of one part of the second embodiment; Figure 8 is a detail of another part of the second embodiment; and Figure 9 is a perspective view showing a possible arrangement of the second embodiment.

In these embodiments, paper-holding prongs are retained on a backing surface with at least one of them being moveable on that surface by virtue of sliding interaction with a channel on that surface which directly or indirectly traps the head of the prong.

In the first embodiment to be described, which is the presently preferred embodiment, a file cover 1 has a first rigid cover 2 and a second rigid cover 3 joined by a conventional flexible spine 4.

Papers to be held within the folder are to be built up against the cover 2 which therefore acts as a supporting surface.

To retain the papers (within the term "papers" we include of course all similar essentially flat materials which may be needed to be retained in a file cover such as films, microfiche envelopes etc) there is secured a channel member 5. This may be secured by any means but particularly suitable (for reasons which will be explained) will be securing by rivets such as 6.

Similarly mounted on the other cover 3 is a similar channel member 7.

The cross-section of the channel members 5,7 can be more easily seen from Figures 2 to 5.

Each member has upstanding channel walls 8 topped by inturned ledges 9 to define a restricted mouth of the channel. There are also outwardly projecting ledges 10 to define grooves between themselves and extensions of the base of the members, the bottom of the grooves being the mutually outer surfaces of the walls 8. The ledges 10 are of tapered cross-section in order to decrease the sharpness with which any papers retained on the channel will be bent over thcse ledges.

Within the channel 5 are fitted the head ends of two elongate prongs 11. Each of these has a long substantially flexible tongue 12 terminating at its head end in a boss 13 and stud 14, the stud 14 being for slidably fitting within the channel formed by the side walls 8 of the channel member 5 and being entrapped by the overhanging ledges 9.

The prong is formed in a one piece integral whole of a material of a suitable degree of tough flexibility such as for example polypropylene or nylon.

One of the two prongs 11 is free to slide along substantially the whole of the length of the channel 5 but the other has its head entrapped and retained by a stepped bracket 15 one arm of which has an aperture 16 through which the tongue part 12 can project and which encloses the boss part 13. The stud part 14 of that prong is entrapped in the channel. A second arm 17 of the bracket 15 is held stationary in the channel preferably by being penetrated by one of the rivets 6 which hold the channel member to the backing surface 2.

An alternative manner of retaining the prongs in the channel member 5 is illustrated in Figure 5 where a prong 11' has an enlarged boss part 13 but does not itself engage directly with the channel. Rather, a hat-sectioned slider 18 may entrap the boss and be entrapped by means of its divergent flanges 19 under the overhanging ledges 9. Such a slider 18 may be continued into a tab analogous to the arm 17 of the bracket 15 so that it may be retained immobile if so wished.

The purpose of the prongs 11,11' is to penetrate through a stack of paper or the like as is shown in Figures 2, 3 and 4. They have to be retained in some way at the far side of the stack of papers and a particularly advantageous method of retention is shown in Figures 1 to 4.

In the channel members 7 mounted on the other cover 3 of the file cover there are provided retainer blocks 20,21. These are entrapped by the overhanging ledges 9 of the channel 7 so that they cannot rotate i.e. their angular relationship is fixed. They have in a part 40 which projects beyond that channel a hole 41, which is elongate in the direction perpendicular to the channel. This is to assist the introduction into and through that hole of the free end of the flexible tongue part 12 of a prong 11,11'.

Block 21 receives the free end of the tongue part 12 in exactly the same way as block 20 but this block is extended by an arm 23 (Figure 1) which is secured e.g. by riveting to the cover 3 to prevent movement of that block. (In other embodiments, both blocks are fixed in this manner). To summarize, prongs 11 (or 11') are retained at their free ends by the blocks 20,21 one of the prongs being restrained against any movement longitudinally of the channels, but the other being freely slidable at both of its ends (stud 14 and retainer 20) to any desired position along the channel members.

The closed position of the file cover is seen in Figure 2. A stack of papers 25 has been formed on the prongs 11. In a closed condition,the prong is bent by interaction with the retaining means 20 and lies under the cover 3 between it and the stack 25. It does not need any additional locking and as the file cover is opened (Figures 3 and 4), the prong is free to slide as necessary through the aperture 22 in the block and the retention means 20 until the fully opened condition as seen in Figure 4 is reached, when if necessary the stack 25 may be parted to give access to a desired portion of the paper or without parting the stack the end of the prong may be freed from the retainer 20 to allow further papers to be put on or to allow papers to be taken off. The action in respect of the retainer 21 is identical.

The spacing across the folder of the two prongs is variable by infinitemisal amounts but one of the prongs being achored, the block of papers as a whole is held in a fixed position in the file cover.

At each end of each of the channels there may be attached suspension hooks 26 having parallel fork arms 27 which are to engage snugly in the grooves on the channel members 5,7. There is also a tongue 28 which fits into the end of the channel defined by the walls 8 and under the inturned flanges 9. The head 29 of the hook 26 is designed both to allow each of handling and to act, once the hook is attached, as a suspension means for the file folder and the papers that it contains.

For additional security it may be desired to lock the prongs in the retainers when the slidability of the prongs in the retainers is not being used. An example may be when a file has been loaded and closed and is to be suspended.

For this purpose blocks 20,21 have a locking aperture 42. As can be seen from Figures 6 and 7 the hole 41 and aperture are not aligned i.e. are at an angle to the side edges of the file. Each aperture 42 is linked to its nearest lateral edge of the part 40 by a slightly narrower slot 43.

The part plan view of Figure 9 is taken on the arrow A, with the upper cover of the file 3 removed (in actual use it would be folded back at the edge of the channel). The prongs 12 having come upwards through the holes 41 are threaded back downwardly through the apertures 42. This at the same time holds or locks them and deflects them at an angle to the edges of the paper 25 held.

In this way the free ends of the prongs 12 are kept clear of entanglement in holes 44 along the edges of computer paper or the like. They also are deflected neatly towards the upper face of the stack of paper. Obviously the preferred direction of angular deflection is towards the median line of the file.

To allow the prongs to slide freely once more in the blocks, they may be pressed inwardly along the direction of arrows B, to pass through the slots 43; premature release through these slots is most unlikely since they are narrower than the apertures 42 and should be a close fit with the prongs 12.

Claims (6)

CLAIMS:

1. Filing means comprising a pair of elongate paper-holding prongs (11) each having a first end retained on a supporting surface (2) and a free end for passing through holes in papers (25) to hold them, said free ends being passed through retaining means on a further surface (3), which retaining means comprise a pair of blocks (20,21) each having a first hole (41) through which the corresponding free end of the prong (11) is passed, and a second hole (42) spaced from said first hole (41) along a line slanted relative to edges of the papers (25) to be held, through which said free end may further be passed to hold it in place, the pair of blocks (20,21) being mounted on said further surface (3) so as to be in a predetermined angular relationship to each other.

2. Filing means comprising a pair of elongate paper-holding prongs (11) each having a first end retained on a supporting surface (2) and a free end for passing through holes in papers (25) to hold them, said free ends being passed through retaining means on a further surface (3), which retaining means comprise a pair of blocks (20,21) mounted on said further surface (3) so as to be in a predetermined angular relationship to each other, and each block (20,21) having first and second holes (41,42) through both of which the corresponding free end of the prong (11) is passed to hold it in place, the second hole (42) joining into a slot (43) extending to the edge of the block (20,21) through which the prong (11) may be moved laterally.

3. Filing means according to claim 1 wherein the second hole (42) on each block joins into a slot (43) extending to the edge of the block through which the prong (11) may be moved laterally.

4. Filing means according to claim 2 wherein the second hole (42) is spaced from said first hole (41) along a line slanted relative to edges of the papers (25) to be held.

5. Filing means according to any preceding claim wherein at least one of said blocks (20,21) is movable towards or away from the other block.

6. Filing means according to any preceding claim wherein the filing means is a file (1) with a front cover (2) articulated to a back cover (3), the surface on which said pair of blocks (20,21) are mounted being the back cover (3) of the means.