US2160564A - Paper fastener - Google Patents

Description

May 30, 1939. E. s. ROSCOE ET AL. 2,160,564

- PAPER. FASTENER Original Filed Jan. 22, 1934 2 Sheer.sSheet 1 15,1314 2 I @F j INVENTOR 8 FRED WACKERMAN Enwnv ,5. Roscaz AT OR Y y 30,1939. E. s. ROSCOE Em. 2,160,564

PAPER FASTENER Original Filed Jan. 22, 1934 2 Sheets-Shet 2 ATTORN 33 INVENTOR Patented May 30, 1939 PAPER FASTENER Edwin' -SsRoscoe and Frederick Ackerman, Rochester,v N.- Y., assignors= to'-Yawman & -Erbe I Mfg. 00., Rochester, N.

New-York Y., a corporation of The. present invention relates to paper fasteners of the type comprising abackingimember having spaced, projecting fiexibletangs adapted to be inserted through spaced perforations in a file of'papers or.documents, and a keeperfor locking the tangs parallel to the surface of the papers after'being thus inserted.

The main feature of the invention resides in a one piece keeper for a paperfastenerwhich" is easily applied to .the' tangs' of the fastener and whichis securely held thereon'until such times as it is 'desiredto :detach the keeper, when it is easily removed.

Another feature of the invention resides in a keeper which is applied to the tangs of a paper fastener by a movement solely in the.principal plane of afile of papers on the fastener, said -keeperhaving a portion interveningbetween the tangs and the'file'of papers held thereby so that the tangs are prevented from"mutilating the top sheet of the file.

Still another feature of the "invention" relates to a" fastenerhaving retainingparts'on the ends of its tangsto interengage with co-operating parts on' a keeper to retain the keeper "on the tangs.

A further feature of the'invention relates toa keeper for a paper fastenensaid .keeper having a portionengaging an edge of the file of papers to which thefastener has been applied so that it is retained on the tangs of the fastener.

An additional feature of the invention resides in the'provision of a keeper for a paper fastener which'requires a minimumamount of materialrin themaking thereof and which is. economicalto manufacture.

These and other features of the invention will appear from the detailed description and claims when taken with theidrawings in Whi'ch'Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a, paperfa'stener of "the present invention applied toia' file of papers'inclined so'that its main plane is inclined away from the line of vision; Fig.2 is'a cross-sectional view taken along alin'e intersecting either'of the tangs of thefastenerat'either end of the keeper of'FigJ 1; Fig. 3- is a plan view ofa portion=of a file of papers withthe tangs of the -fas- .tener'bent'over into the plane of the file of papers .and. illustrating .theifirst step in applying the keeper to: the tangs; Fig: 4. is :anendviewlofa vmodified form of the keeper showing-one-of; the tangs in cross-sectionand Fig. 5 is a'longitudinai section of this'keeper taken alongethe line.-5:5 .-of-Fig.- 4 indicating the tang; partially inserted into the keeper; Fig.5 illustrates a cross-sectional view ofa keeper showing a modified arrangement. for retaining the tangsgwhich section may .be taken at any' point along the keepert preferably near one end. thereof; "Figi'7 is a cross-sectional view of a. modified form of keeper having thereon atang-retaining means in theform. or a ridge;"l*" ig.8 is a cross-sectional view of still a different form .of' keeper employing a difierent type of tang-retaining means which is provided on the top. member; Fig.9 illustrates a further modified "form of keeper in which the tangretaining' means is aifolded-over portion on the underside of "thetop memaber; 'Figs. '10 and 11 .are cross-sectional views taken through a fragment of a'file of papers and through the keeper Showing amddifiedform of means for retaining a keeper Lon the file respectively illustrating the keeper during'its'application' to the file and also when it has-been finallyadju'ste'd to its locked position thereon; -:Fig. '12 is a fragmentary top View and" Fig. i 13.. is a cross-sectional view taken on the line" l3-'l 3 of Fig; 12 showing a portion .ofxa"keeperssimilar' to that shown 'in"Fig.""8, except that the keeper has. beenchanged slightly to give greater" resilience" to the end portions of its top'member so that the tang-retaining means can be readily'idisengagedfrom the tang; Fig.'14 isanot-her'modified' form of'keeper in which" the lip on the bottom member thereof is extended slightly at? each end to' project'beyond the main portions of the'keeper an'd'thereby assist in retaining the tangs 'in' the'keeper 'Fig; 15 is a' top "view .of'a keeper showing asimilar locking arrangementwhi'ch differs from that shown in Fig. '14"'by"providing cut-outportions or recesses 'in the-bottom"member so that it-is unnecessary to extend the'lip portion of the-keeper beyond the keeper ends Figs. '16, Hand 18 represent respectively'a top viewyan end View and a side view of immodifie'dform-of keeper in which the ends-of the uppermember of the keeper project down- 'Ward'*below' the plane of the bottommember to 'enter the perforations in the upper portion of a file of papers; Fig. 19 is a top view of a modified 'form'of fastenerapplied to a file-of papers; the

"keeper being'omi-ttedrFig. "-20 is'a cross-sectional 1 ..-.to a;file-. ofjpapers :and specifically indicating nibsion= the endsof-the tangs of the fastener;

Fig. 24 is a plan view of a keeper suitable for use with the fastener shown in Fig. 23 provided with openings to receive the nibs on the ends of the fasteners tangs; Fig. 25 is a cross-sectional view taken on the section line 25-45 of Fig. 24 indicating the manner in which the nibs on the tangs of the fastener interengage with the slots in the top member of the keeper; Fig. 26 is a cross-sectional view of a modified form of keeper in which the top member instead of being provided with slots is provided with a struck-up portion to receive the nibs on the tangs; Fig. 2'7 illustrates a keeper in which the top member or cover portion is cut away in the center to assist in inserting and removing the tangs therefrom; Fig. 28 represents a top view of a keeper embodying the different features shown in Figs. 12, l3, 14, 19, 20 and 21, while Fig. 29 is a cross-sectional view thereof taken on the line 29-29 of Fig. 28; Fig. 30 is a top view of a keeper combining the various features disclosed in Figs. 7, 8, 10, 11, 16, 17, 18 and 2'7; Fig. 31 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line 3l-3i of Fig. 30, Fig. 32 is a cross-section taken on the line 32-32 of Fig. 30 and Fig. 33 is an end view of this keeper.

Referring to the drawings, 5 designates the base of a fastener having the tangs 6 and 1 of resilient material which can be bent at right angles to the base for insertion through perforations such as 8 in a file of papers 9 and which can thereafter be bent parallel to the plane of the topmost sheet of the file where they are held by a detachable keeper designated in. While the fastener is herein shown as having its tangs and base member made of a single piece, it will be understood that the spaced tangs may be made of separate pieces separately fastened to a backing piece such as a binder or folder. The keeper is commonly made of one piece of sheet metal or like material and comprises a base member II with a projecting lip I2 adapted to lie on the topmost sheet of the file. This base member is folded at one edge I3 to provide a top member l4 extending in a plane parallel to the principal plane of the member, but spaced therefrom. The free edge 15 of this top member is flared outwardly away from the base member to facilitate the insertion of the tangs 6 and 1 in the keeper. In the preferred form of the invention, the spacing of the top member I4 and base member I l is such as to retain tanks 6 and 1 frictionally in superimposed relation in the keeper, when the thickness of the file papers 9 is small or to retain these tangs in alinement as shown in Fig. 1 when the thickness of the file is greater. The width of the bottom member H and its lip 12 with respect to the top member is such that the tangs 6 and 'I can be folded onto the lip or the lip can be inserted under these tangs after they have been folded into the plane of the paper as shown in Fig. 3, at any rate the tangs 6 and l are separated from the top sheet of the file by the bottom member when the keeper is completely applied to the fastener as illustrated in Fig. 1.

In the form of the invention shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the frictional engagement of the tangs 6 and I with the bottom member II and the top member I4 is relied upon to hold the keeper on the tangs. This arrangement is usually adequate for this purpose, since the bent tangs can rarely lie freely in the exact center of the space between I I and I4 but will frictionally engage one or both retaining surfaces. Also the tangs during use become bent or corrugated crosswise due to the repeated folding arising from the repeated removal and application of the keeper to the tangs on the addition of any sheets to the file. However, additional retaining means may be provided for holding the keeper on the tangs as shown in Figs. 4 and 5 wherein a portion 16 of the bottom member at each end of the keeper is depressed away from the top member as shown in Fig. 4. However, the

, lip portion l2 remains in the position shown in Fig.

2 so that during the application of the keeper 'to the tangs, the tangs engage the end portions of the lip. Each tang in passing under the top member I engages the rounded corner I! between the lip and the bottom portion and thereafter drops into the depressed portion "5 of the bottom member. When it is desired to remove the keeper from the tangs, they will first engage the corner I! which will offer considerable resistance to the passage of the tangs from their position under the top member.

In the modified form of the invention shown in Fig. 6, instead of having only the end portions of the bottom member depressed as shown in Figs. 4 and 5, the lip member I2 is raised above the plane of the bottom member I6 either near each end or throughout the length of the keeper, so that a rounded corner l9 at the entrance to the space under the top member I4, tends to resist the removal of the tangs from their position under this member.

This same result may be also achieved in the arrangement shown in Fig. 7 wherein a raised embossing or ridge 20 which may extend throughout the length of the bottom member or which may be of short length at each end of the bottom member, restricts the entrance to the space under the top member 14 and thereby restrains the removal of the keeper from the tangs. Still another arrangement for accomplishing this same result is shown in Fig. 8 wherein the top member l4 adjacent its free edge is provided with a depressed rib 2| which is either coextensive with the length of the top member or may extend for a short length at each end of the top member for the purpose of restricting the entrance to the space between the base and the top member of the keeper. This embodiment also illustrates the use of a raised portion lZa at the free edge of lip I2, the purpose of which is to prevent cutting of the top sheet of the file as the keeper is being moved into position along the surface of this sheet.

A further arrangement for retaining the tangs in the keeper is disclosed in Fig. 9 wherein the free margin of the top member 14 is folded on itself at its underside adjacent the bottom member II. The free edge 22 of this folded portion is rather abrupt so that it will engage an edge of each of the tangs, so that it may be necessary to spring the edge of the top member away from the bottom member by inserting a knife or other implement therebetween when it is desired to remove the keeper from the tangs.

The keeper may also be held on the tangs by the arrangement shown in Figs. 10 and 11 wherein the lip 12 is provided with a downturned flange 23. The length of this lip should be such that when the tangs 6 and 1 are in their fastening position under the top member M, the flange 23 will engage the top edge of the file as shown in Fig. 11. To apply this keeper to the fastener, the tangs are folded down on the lip I2 in the manner previously indicated. Thereafter, the keeper is forced to the right as shown in Fig. 10 until the flange 23 engages the edge of the file of papers as shown in Fig. 11. In the removal of this type of keeper from the files, the flange 23 is raised calculations show that these grooves should 'I be upward by inserting a thin blade thereunder until it will ride on the surface of the uppermost paper in the file as shown in Fig. 10.

In order to facilitate the insertion of the tangs in thekeeper, the end portions I411 of the top member I l, may be made more resilient by cutting away portions of the fold [3 between the top and base'members as indicated at (Figs. 12 and 13). Although this arrangement has been particularly applied to the arrangement shown in Fig. 8, it isalso applicable to any of the modifications shown in Figsp6, 7, and'9.

A further arrangement for resisting the withdrawal of the tangs from' the keeper is shown in Fig. 14 wherein the lip I2 is provided with extensions I2b projecting beyond the ends of the remainder of the keeper so that in applying the keeper to the fastener, the tangs will first be folded ton to the lip l2 and as the keeper is moved parallel to the plane of the papers, the tangs will first engage the ends of the extension lZb. Then as they pass under the top member M, the springiness of the paper compressed under the keeper will cause the forward lateral edges of the tangs to engage the rounded corners E20 of the extensions, thereby tending to retain the tangs in the keeper.

Instead of providing the projections l2b on the lip 12 as in the last-described arrangement, a recess I la may be cut into the bottom member H at each end thereof (Fig. 15). This arrangement functions in like manner to retain the keeper since the tangs on being inserted under the top member 3' will rest in the recesses Ha with their forward edges engaging the rounded corners of the adjacent lip 12.

A further arrangement for retaining the keeper on the tangs of the fastener, is shown in Figs. 16, 1'7 and 18 wherein the top member i4 is provided at its ends with lugs 25 which are extended outwardly and downwardly to a position below the plane of the bottom member II as shown in Figs. 17 and 18. This arrangement permits the tangs to be inserted readily under the top member M and yet allows the lugs at each end of the file to drop down into the perforations 8 in the file of papers. It will be understood that in applying this keeper to the fastener the tangs are folded down on the top surface of the lip l2, and thereafter, the keeper is moved along the surface of the top sheet of the file with the lugs 25 engaging this surface. The tangs will enter the space between the top member Hi, the lugs 25 and the ends of the base member until the tangs are under the top member. At this time these lugs will spring into their normal position so that they will engage the perforations 8, and by engaging the edges of the papers at these perforations, will resist the displacement of the keeper from this fastener. In order to increase the resilience of the top member adjacent these lugs, the fold 13 between this member and the base member may be cut away at each end as indicated at 26.

In the foregoing arrangements, the fastener including its tangs has been shown as following the usual construction, but in Figs. 19 to 22 inclusive, a modified fastener and its coopcrating keeper have been disclosed. The end portions Ed and Ya of the tangs 6 and 1 are herein provided with lengthwise grooves which are arranged to interengage or nest, as best shown in Fig. 20, when the tangs are bent parallel to the main plane of the file of papers after being inserted through the perforations 8 in the file. Since the tangs cannot be bent at the grooves,

no longer than the shortest practicable bend" at the free ends of the tangs in thea-bsence of :such 1 grooves. Then .the maximum amount of overlap of the ends of the tangs should equal the 'length 'ofthe grooved portion. This'construction nafiords i the maximum capacity for: papers on the fastener. By way of example, themaximum length of eachgroove can be about A inch, the maximum length of each tang less than 1 and r%-inches and the capacity of the fastener for papers lessthan 1 and A; inches. The keeper for use 'with'this'fastener may be similar to that shown in Figs; 1, 2 and 3, but differs therefrom in that the top member- I4 is provided with J a-groove- 21 into which the nesting grooved portionsfia and 'ia of the tangs enter to retain these tangs in the keeper.

As an alternative construction of thefastener and keeper illustrated in Figs. 23, 24 and 25, the

tangs B and? may be provided near their ends with raised nibs fib and lb which respectively enter slots 28 'and 2H' -in the'top member i l-of the keeper. In this construction, the operator's fingers or some hard object is used to press the 5 nibs out of the mentioned slots so that the tangs can be disengaged from the keeper. Instead of providing the slots 28 and 29, two correspondingly arranged: grooves or a single continuous groove #32 may be formed in the top member a M of the keeper. It should-be noted that in these modified tang constructions, the tangs cannot overlap.

If desired the top member l4 may be cut away as indicated at-3lin Fig. 27 to facilitatethe posir tioni-ng of the tangs 6 and! in superimposed re- 'lation under this member. As herein shown the embossed nibs 32 inthe bottom member-near each end thereof help to retain the tangs in the keeper. This arrangement of the nibs is similar to that indicated in cross-section in Fig. 7.

While the several arrangements previously described may be used in various combinations, one possible combination is shown in Figs. 28 and 29 wherein the tang construction of Fig. 19 is used with a keeper having the tang-retaining elements of Figs. 12, 14 and 21. In Fig. 29 the grooves in the tangs and the keeper are inverted as compared with their construction in Figs. 20, 21 and 22 but it will be understood that this arrangement is optional.

Another possible combination of the numerous constructions is shown in Figs. 30, 31, 32 and 33 wherein the features of Figs. 6, 7, 8, 10, 16 and 27 are combined in one keeper. this modification, that the rib 2| in the margin of the top member I4 extends into the end portions or lugs 25 of this member. This rib in addition to strengthening the lugs 25 and the margin of the top member l4 restricts the entrance to the tang-receiving space, the free edge of the top member flaring upwardly from. this rib to guide the tangs to said entrance.

What we claim is:

1. A keeper for use with the base and end tangs l It will be noted in '2. In combination with a file of papers having spaced perforations adjacent one edge thereof, a keeper for use with a paper fastener comprising a base having spaced flexible tangs insertible through said perforations with the free ends of the tangs folded against the top surface of the file, said keeper being provided with a top member and a base member in spaced relation thereto to define a space for receiving the tangs laterally, said base member having a lip projecting laterally therefrom, said lip having a flange adapted to engage the adjacent edge of said file when said tangs are inserted under said top member.

3. In combination with a file of papers having spaced perforations therein, a keeper for use with a paper fastener comprising a base having spaced flexible tangs insertable through said perforations, said keeper being formed of a single piece of sheet material folded lengthwise to provide a base member and a top member in spaced relation whereby a lateral opening is provided in the keeper for laterally receiving said tangs, said top member at each end thereof being provided with an outwardly and downwardly extending lip adjacent the end of the base member projecting across the plane of said base member to enter perforations in said file and thereby retain said keeper on the tangs.

4. A keeper for use with the base and end tangs of a paper fastener, said keeper being made of a single piece of sheet material formed to provide a base member and a top member in superimposed spaced relation thereby defining a recess with a lateral opening for laterally receiving said tangs and for retaining the same, said base member at each end thereof having portions depressed away from said top member, a substantial portion of the longitudinal free margin of said top member being provided with a depressed rib extending parallel to the free edge of said margin and projecting toward said bottom member to restrict said lateral opening and to reinforce said margin, the portion of said margin between the rib and the longitudinal free edge of said margin flaring away from said bottom member to facilitate the guiding of the tangs toward said lateral opening on application of the keeper to said tangs, the end portions of said top member being extended longitudinally beyond said bottom member and being turned downward toward said bottom member to cover the respective bends in said tangs.

5. A keeper for use with the base and end tangs of a paper fastener, said keeper being made of a single piece of sheet material formed to provide a base member and a top member in superimposed spaced relation thereby defining a recess with a lateral opening for laterally receiving said tangs and for retaining the same, the end portions of said top member being extended longitudinally beyond said bottom member to form lugs turned downward toward said bottom member to cover the respective bends in said tangs, a substantial portion of the longitudinal free margin of said top member being provided with a depressed rib extending parallel to the free edge of said margin and projecting toward said bottom member to restrict said lateral opening and to reinforce said margin, the portion of said margin between the rib and the longitudinal free edge of said margin flaring away from said bottom member to facilitate the guiding of the tangs toward said lateral opening on application of the keeper to said tangs, said rib extending into said lugs.

EDWIN S. ROSCOE. FREDERICK W. ACKERMAN.

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