US2330749A - Ring binder construction - Google Patents

Description

Sept. 28, 1943.

J. SCHADE RING BINDER CONSTRUCTION Filed Dec. 3, 1942 INVEN TOR ub/w 50/412:

Patented Sept. 28, 1943 ""RING BINDER CONSTRUCTION v John schaa, Holyoke, Mass, assignor to National Blank Book Company, H01y0ke, Mass. a cor; f H

poration of Massachusetts (Application December 3, 1942, Serial No. 467,674 ZOlaims. (01.129-24) Referring to the drawin Fig. 1 is an open plan view of a finished ring binder;

Fig. 2 is a bottom view of the casing strip used for holding the rings;

Fig. 3 is a section on line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a section on line 4-4 of Fig. 5;

and

Fig. 6 is'a detail View of the ring halves of ring removed from its casing strip.

The general purpose of the improvement is to provide a simple structure, to be made at lowjcost and adapted for using various materials, as metal, wood, and plastic.

The finished binder shown in Fig. 1 consists in covers I and 2, hinged to back panel 3, the casing strip 4 riveted at 5 tothe back panel 3, and the rings 6. r

These rings 6 are each constructed to operate generally like those, for example, in Patent 901,076 of 1908 or in Patent 1,365,363 of 1921. Considering the two ring halves of Fig. 6: their respective ends are made hook-shaped incomplementary fashion, as at 1 and 8, see Fig. 1. This provides a kerf joint. When the other ends 9 and ID of the ring halves are suitably held, the ring as a whole can be closed and opened as such rings are in the prior art. For example, if ends one 9 and II] were suitably tied together by a hinge pin joint, the jointed ring would operate as shown in Patent 901,076 or Patent 1,365,363. Such operation involves the two ring halves being mounted in slightly offset planes; a slight strain will brin them together when desired, for joining the ends as at 1 and 8. The operator readily snaps the ends together, as seen in Fig. 1, and then, when released, the ring halves will strain toward their normal ofisetposition and keep the ends buttoned up until they are manipulated for release and opening. This operation is explained in more detail in said Patent 1,365,363, and is per so well known in the binder ring art. That is to say, the type of ring and the way to manipulate it are old.

The new feature of my disclosure is in the combination of this type of ring with a ring holding strip, all arranged for a particularly simple, quick, and inexpensive assembly. I will now explain this.

Fig. 5 is like Fig. 2 but with the, rings in placef I form the ring halves, each with an offset portion, 9 for one and ID for the other, one extending oppositely to the other, see Fig. 6. Thus, when the halves are brought together the offset portions extend toopposite sides of the general plane of the ring, see Fig. 5.

These offset portions are carefully positioned so that this result is attained. One lies in groove 20 with its ring half in plane indicated by line 2|. The other lies in groove 26 with its ring half in plane indicated by line 22. When the ring halves are brought together for locking, there is a slight twist, just enough to bring planes 2i and 22 together for the ring halves to lock in the same plane.

It will be seen that the ring holding strip 4 is extremely simple; it need be but a strip of wood cut to length and grooved, all of which can be done on an automatic wood working machine. Or the strip may be molded from plastic material.

The ring halves can be bent up out of metal and, of course, metal is suitable for the material of the ring halves. The structure of this kind of ring, 1. e., the'one which snap locks as described, is particularly well adapted to be made of plastic. When the rings are made of plastic the whole binder may be made without metal, even rivets of metal can be avoided.

To assemble my structure the ring halves are very easily placed in position, as indicated in Fig. 5. The ofiset 9 fits in groove 20 and offset 16 fits in groove 20. The ring portions 6 fit in transverse grooves 30. Theparts are positioned by merely placing them in the grooves, then covering the grooves with back panel 3, and riveting at points 5. Of course, the material of the rings should crowd into the grooves to give a good but not too tight a, fit. That is to say, the ring halves need to be loose enough to move. I have indicated in Fig. 5 a ring and groove fit adapted to maintain a crowding contact at point 32. With the back portion 3 covering this point and the material arranged substantially as shown, the parts will work well. It is quite possible to hold each ring half separate from the other so far as the back mounting is concerned. This assembly is placed on the back panel 3 and riveted in position. While two rings are shown, the structure is adapted to any desired number.

A characteristic of the structure is that very little strain is ever put on any part in the operation of the book. Thus, while the rings look by snap action, very little spring is needed in the material to get the action. The whole structure is adapted to be made of metal, wood, or plastic,

ends of complementary ring halves being pro-' vided with kerf joints, and a binder caseirwhosc back portion carries said holding strip.

2. A ring binder comprising a binder case, a

long solid piece forming a strip of generally flat- 15'- tened-out shape in transverse section with its bottom side curved to fit a curved back panel of the binder case, said bottom side having a longitudinal groove intersected by a plurality of transverse grooves, the latter intersecting the upper edge margins of the strip, ring halves, each one of which is bent to lie partlyvin said longitudinal groove and partly in a transvers'e'groove and be held therein for turning to 'open and close their parts, the strip with the ring halves mounted therein being mounted on the back panel of the -binder case and the under side of the grooves being closed, all for the purpose described.

JOHN SCHADE.

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