KR101287053B1 - Searchable binder - Google Patents

Abstract

The binder management system includes a cabinet having shelves for removably storing a searchable binder. Each binder has a body having a front cover, a rear cover and a spine. Inside the body there is a binder mechanism for removably holding the sheet medium. Each binder has upper and lower resistance contact members extending outward and resistively coupling conductive members mounted on a shelf surface adjacent to the front. Each binder has a binder identification circuit coupled to the LED mounted on the binder spine at a location that can be seen when the binder is placed on the shelf. When a binder identification signal from the host computer is presented for the shelf conductive member, it is transmitted to the binder identification circuit by the binder contact member. If the signal matches, the LED is activated to help the user find the binder. An LED and an optional audible indicator can be mounted on the shelf to further help the user find the binder they are looking for.

Description

Navigable Binder {SEARCHABLE BINDER}

The present invention relates generally to document management, and more particularly to improved document management techniques using a set of searchable binders.

Notebook binders (hereinafter referred to as "binders") are commonly used to store documents used for medical records, law offices and business offices, and in some households, for medical, legal, other business, and personal purposes. Conventional binders have a spine that joins the front cover, the rear cover and the two covers. Inside the binder, a multi-ring manually operated binder mechanism with two or three or more two-piece arcuate rings is permanently mounted to help insert, store and remove documents with a large number of holes formed along the mounting edges, The number of holes then corresponds to the number of rings of the binder mechanism. Each binder is typically removable on the shelf by placing the bottom edge of the binder cover and the spine of the closed binder on the top surface of the support shelf. Typically, several binders are installed on a given shelf, and several shelves are typically integrated into a shelf support structure such as a cabinet. In order to provide easy access to documents contained in various binders, some type of document management system is required.

Document management is usually executed by binder management. Each document is initially assigned to and located within an identified binder dedicated to a document of a particular subject matter (eg, “utility bill for a special account”). Later-generated related documents are typically assigned to this same binder and located therein. When the binder is filled with documents up to the capacity, a new binder is provided to accommodate additional documents of the same category.

Binder management is typically accomplished by providing a label to each binder at a predetermined location (typically a predetermined location on the spine of the binder), where the label is visible when the binder is stored on a shelf. The label contains readable information representing the contents of the binder. The readable information is typically a short form of identification, such as an account name, a subject name (eg, a "Bank Statement").

In order to provide easy access to the individual documents contained within the binder, some type of index arrangement is commonly used to identify the location of each binder. A simple technique commonly employed is a manually prepared critical list of all binders in a binder management system that displays each binder by label information and notifies the shelf and cabinet position of each binder. In large facilities, more complex index constructs are used, such as computer-based indexes that list all binders by their shortened identifiers and corresponding extended and more detailed descriptions of binder contents. Even such computer-based constructs still require the user to use a readable label on each binder to identify a given binder. This is very undesirable because any unauthorized user can easily search for a binder containing a specific binder name or a particular type of information. Nevertheless, in order to allow binders to be reasonably located, known binder management systems require the use of visible labels.

In such applications where some individuals have access to binders, some constructs are generally made to monitor the placement of binders. For example, in business applications, it would be convenient and often necessary to provide a sign out and takeback process so that it always knows where a given binder is located. In general, such monitoring attempts cannot accurately track binders because individuals do not faithfully follow this process. As a result, at any given time, the integrity of the binder management system can only be verified by actually looking through each shelf and comparing the binder and its contents with the master index. This requirement is both time consuming and cumbersome and therefore very disadvantageous.

In known binder management systems of the type described above, if a binder has a content identifier, the binder is permanently associated with the nature of the content. In order to change the contents to some other category, the binder must be discarded and a new, unmarked binder replaced in its place, or the identification label must be changed. In addition, the master index must be updated manually or by a computer in a computer-based index system. These processes are not always performed by office personnel, and as a result, the integrity of the binder system can be compromised.

In all examples of known binder management systems, binders generally have some type of human readable or machine readable indicia, such as a label attached to the spine of each binder. In more complex systems, computers are used to assist in keeping track of binders. When a binder is removed from its normal location, some procedures may typically be used to notify that the binder has been removed from its normal location. This process generally relies on the manual entry of changes into the system computer by the operator, or the use of a label reading device (eg, a barcode reader) to enter information into the system computer. Unfortunately, not all users faithfully follow the binder tracking process, as a result of which many binders can be missed from the assigned shelf position at any given time.

A further disadvantage of known binder management systems is that they are unnecessarily time consuming to visually locate the binder, even when the binder is in the proper position. The user must visually scan the spine label of each binder on a given shelf in a given cabinet until the binder to be found is visually identified by the label information. If the finding binder was previously misplaced on the wrong shelf of the same cabinet, the user must visually scan all binders on other shelves of the same cabinet until the finding binder is visually identified. If after visually scanning all the binders on all shelves in the same cabinet, no finding binder is found, the user may be placed on the binders on the shelves in the other cabinets in the binder storage area until the finding binder is located. There may be no choice but to continue the visual scanning process for all binders on all shelves of all cabinets in the binder storage area and the binders still found may not be located.

The present invention includes a searchable binder suitable for use in a binder management system capable of locating binders in a document management system quickly and efficiently without having the aforementioned disadvantages.

In view of the device, the present invention includes a searchable binder for use in a binder management system, the binder comprising:

A binder body having a front cover, a rear cover and a spine for coupling the front cover and the rear cover;

A binder mechanism mounted inside the binder body, preferably on the inner surface of the rear cover;

Visible indicators, such as LEDs, mounted on the binder body, preferably on the spine, in a position visible from outside of the binder;

First and second ohmic contact members supported by the binder body and having contact portions partially extending out of the binder body for receiving a binder identification signal from the source; And

A binder identification mounted on the binder body and coupled to the first and second resistive contact members and a visible indicator, when a received binder identification signal indicates that the binder is a seeking binder, a binder identification for activating the visible indicator It includes a circuit.

The spine has an inner surface that terminates in the top and bottom portions; And a first resistive contact member is preferably mounted on the inner surface of the spine adjacent the upper end and a second resistive contact member is preferably mounted on the inner surface of the spine adjacent the lower end.

In a first embodiment, the first and second resistive contact members each comprise a body portion ending in a curved outer end extending outward of the spine. In a second embodiment, the first and second resistive contact members each have a housing having an inner volume, a ball contact movably received within the inner volume, and captured between the ball contact and the housing to outside the ball contact. A deflection spring for deflecting in the direction.

In a first embodiment, the binder identification signal includes a unique binder address for the associated binder; The binder identification circuit includes an addressable decoder. In a second embodiment, the binder identification signal includes an rf signal having a frequency specific to the associated binder; And the binder identification circuit includes a crystal having a resonance frequency equal to a frequency peculiar to an associated binder.

In view of the combination, the present invention includes a storage cabinet for a plurality of navigable binders, the cabinet having an upper shelf and a lower shelf, the upper shelf having a lower surface and the lower shelf having an upper surface. Cabinet;

A first ohmic conductive member mounted on the bottom surface of the upper shelf;

A second resistive conductive member mounted on an upper surface of the lower shelf, wherein the first and second resistive conductive members are configured to receive a binder identification signal from a source; And

A navigable binder configured to be removably received on the bottom shelf,

The binder includes a binder body having a front cover, a rear cover and a spine for coupling the front cover and the rear cover; A binder mechanism mounted inside the binder body, preferably on the inner surface of the rear cover; When the binder is installed on the lower shelf, a visible indicator such as an LED mounted on the binder body, preferably on the spine, in a position visible from the outside of the binder; When the binder is installed on the lower shelf such that the binder identification signal supported by the binder body and present in at least one of the first and second resistive conductive members is transmitted to at least one of the first and second resistive contact members, First and second resistive contact members having contact portions partially extending out of the binder body for resistively coupling with the second resistive conductive member; And a binder mounted on the binder body and coupled to the first and second resistive contact members and a visible display to activate the visible display when the received binder identification signal indicates that the binder is a searched binder. It includes an identification circuit.

The spine has an inner surface that terminates in the top and bottom portions; And a first resistive contact member is mounted on the inner surface of the spine adjacent the upper end and a second resistive contact member is mounted on the inner surface of the spine adjacent the lower end.

In a first embodiment, the first and second resistive contact members each comprise a body portion ending in a curved outer end extending outward of the spine. In a second embodiment, the first and second resistive contact members each have a housing having an inner volume, a ball contact movably received within the inner volume, and captured between the ball contact and the housing to outside the ball contact. A deflection spring for deflecting in the direction.

In the first embodiment, the binder identification signal includes an associated binder specific address; The binder identification circuit includes an addressable decoder. In a second embodiment, the binder identification signal includes an rf signal having a frequency specific to the associated binder; And the binder identification circuit includes a crystal having a resonance frequency equal to a frequency peculiar to an associated binder.

The combination may further comprise a visual indicator mounted to one or more of the upper shelf and the lower shelf for visually indicating the presence of the binder to be found in one of the upper and lower shelves.

Similarly, the combination may further comprise an audible indicator mounted to one or more of the upper shelf and the lower shelf for audibly indicating the presence of a seeking binder in one of the upper and lower shelves.

When looking for a binder, the operator can enter the appropriate binder information into the host computer, which host binder identification information-that is, a table look-up for address or crystal frequency. Can be transferred and this information can be transferred to all binder cabinets. When the binder identification signal is matched to the binder by the binder identification circuit, the visible display on the corresponding binder is activated and the user can visually identify the binder to find. Also, in the case of large or brightly lit binder storage areas, the visible display of the shelf and the optional audible display of the shelf help the user locate the binder to find.

For a more complete understanding of the features and advantages of the present invention, reference should be made to the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

1 is a perspective view of a binder of the present invention,
2 is a top view of the binder of FIG. 1 in an open position,
3 is a perspective view of a multi-shelf binder storage cabinet pair,
4 is an enlarged partial schematic front view of a portion of a binder storage cabinet showing a removable contact arrangement and electrical components, FIG.
5 is an enlarged partial front view of a portion of a cabinet shelf showing another removable contact construct,
FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram further illustrating the contact structure of FIG. 5;
7 is a schematic diagram of a first binder identification circuit using an addressable decoder,
8 is a block diagram illustrating a binder positioning technique used with a first binder identification circuit,
9 is a schematic diagram of a second binder identification circuit utilizing a crystal resonance of a specific frequency,
FIG. 10 is a view similar to FIG. 4 showing local electrical components for use with the second binder identification circuit, FIG.
11 is a block diagram illustrating a binder positioning technique used with a second binder identification circuit.

Referring now to the drawings, Figures 1 and 2 show a single binder according to the present invention. As can be seen in these figures, the binder 10 has a front cover 12, a rear cover 14 and a spine 15 that couples the front cover 12 and the rear cover 14. A conventional multi-ring manually operated binder mechanism 16 having a plurality of (three shown) two-piece arcuate rings 18 is permanently mounted to the inner side of the rear cover 14 along the mounting edges. It aids in the insertion, storage and removal of a document having a large number of holes formed, wherein the number of holes corresponds to the number of rings 18 of the binder mechanism 16. The inner surface of the spine 15 has a binder identification circuit 20 (described in more detail below) supported by the substrate 20a, a pair of resistive conductors 21, 22, an upper resistive contact 24, a lower one. A resistive contact 25 and a visible display 27, preferably an LED, are mounted. A visible indicator 27 is mounted in the opening formed in the spine 15 so that it can be seen from the outer side of the binder 10. The upper resistance contact 24 and the lower resistance contact 25 are aligned on the spine 15 in positions extending slightly above and below the upper and lower edges of the spine 15 as shown. In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, each resistive contact 24, 25 is supported by a binder support shelf and curved coupling portion 28 to facilitate sliding engagement with a conductive strip described below. It is a spring contact. This arrangement allows the binder to be stored removable and the resistive coupling of the upper resistive contact 24 and the lower resistive contact 25 with the conductive strip mounted on the shelves described below.

3 is a perspective view of a multi-shelf storage cabinet pair designed for use with the binder 10 of FIGS. 1 and 2. As shown in FIG. 3, each storage cabinet 30a, 30b has a plurality of (two shown) storage shelves 31, 32 and an upper shelf 33. A plurality of binders 10-1, 10-2, 10 -N are removably received on the shelves 31, 32. Each shelf 31, 32 has an associated visible indicator 35, preferably an LED; And an optional audible display 36, such as type AT-1220-TT-R, available from PUI Audio, Inc. of Dayton, Ohio, for purposes of illustration. A unit 38 comprising a local microcomputer and a conventional wireless transponder (Wi-Fi unit) capable of transmitting information to and receiving information from the host computer are provided in a pair of storage cabinets 30a and 30b. It is mounted in the appropriate part.

4 is an enlarged partial schematic front view of a corresponding portion of the binder storage cabinet 30b including an upper shelf 33 and an intermediate shelf 31, showing removable contact structures and associated electrical components. As can be seen in FIG. 4, a first lateral extension resistance conductive strip 41 is mounted to the bottom surface of the upper shelf 33, and a second lateral extension resistance conductive strip 42 is attached to the lower shelf 31. It is mounted on the upper surface of the. Whenever the upper and lower contacts 24-i and 25-i of the binder 10-i are combined with the conductive strips 41 and 42 so that the binder 10-i is installed on the lower shelf 31. The location of each conductive strip 41, 42 is selected to form a resistive contact between the contact and the conductive strip. Intrinsically similar resistive conductive strips are mounted on the bottom surface of shelf 31 and the top surface of shelf 32 to provide the same conducting capacity. Local cabinet microcomputers (MCUs) 45, such as the type AT89C2051 device available from Intel Corporation, Santa Clara, California, or the type LPC 1766 available from NXP Semiconductors, Eindhoven, The Netherlands, have a top conductive strip ( A data output terminal 43 coupled to 41 and an input terminal 44 coupled to the lower conductive strip 42. As indicated by the leads and legends of FIG. 4, different input and output pair terminals are coupled to conductive strips 41, 42 of different shelf combinations. MCU 45 is also coupled to the visible display 35 and optional audible display 36 of each shelf pair and is shown in FIG. 4 as "shelf 1 / LED / buzzer, shelf 2 / LED / buzzer, ..., It has another pair of input / output terminals labeled "shelf N / LED / buzzer". The MCU 45 is also coupled to the host computer by the wireless transponder described above as indicated by the description table " to the computer. &Quot; As will now be clearly explained, when a binder 10-i having resistance spring contacts 24-i and 25-i is installed on a shelf, these resistance spring contacts 24-i and 25-i become conductive. It will join with the corresponding one of the strips 41, 42.

5 and 6 show alternative forms of resistance contacts for the binder 10-i. For brevity, the MCU 45 is not shown in these figures. As can be seen in these figures, the spring contacts 24, 25 are replaced by captured ball and spring units 50, 51 mounted in the binder 10 adjacent the upper and lower edges thereof. Each ball and spring unit includes a resistive conductive ball 53 and a compression spring 54 captured within the housing 55. The ball 53 in the upper spring unit 50 is resistively connected to one terminal of the binder identification circuit 20 through the conductor 21, while the ball 53 in the lower spring unit 50 is connected to the conductor ( 22 is resistively connected to the other terminal of the binder identification circuit 20. The resistive connection between the ball 53 and the conductors 21, 22 may be formed through the housing 55, the spring 54, or both. In use, when the binder 10 is installed on a cabinet shelf, the conductive strips 41, 42 are bonded to the balls 53, slightly compressing the spring 55, and ensuring effective resistance contact.

7 is a schematic diagram of a first binder identification circuit using an addressable decoder circuit. As shown in Fig. 7, the address input IN of the address decoder chip 60 having a unique address whose upper contact 24 is hard wired internally by the address input terminals A0-A7. Is connected resistively). The address decoder chip 60 is preferably a type PT2272 address decoder available from Princeton Technology Corp., Taipei, Taiwan. Top contact 24 is also coupled to storage capacitor 63 via diode 62 to provide DC power to chip 60 whenever there is an incoming address signal from MCU 45. As shown in FIG. 4, contact 24 is also coupled to the output terminal of MCU 45. When the MCU 45 supplies a multi-bit address to the contact 24, this information is compared with the address coupled in series with the IN input of the address decoder chip 60 and connected by wiring to the decoder chip 60. do. If the inflow address matches the address connected by the wiring, the decoder chip 60 outputs a signal to the terminal VT for activating the LED 27. Activation of the visible display 27 causes a DC current to flow through the display 27 and back to the MCU 45 through the contact 25 and the return path shown in FIG. 4. This current flow is sensed by the MCU 45, which is then optionally audible indicator 36 for the shelf where the shelf LED 35 and the binder 10-i with the matched address decoder chip 60 are located. Activate). MCU 45 also sends a “Found” signal to the host computer when an address match is detected.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram illustrating a binder positioning technique used with the first binder identification circuit of FIG. 7. As shown in FIG. 8, the process begins at flow diagram block 81 with the operator turning on the host computer. Thereafter, in block 82 the operator enters a system identification of the binder or documents stored within the binder. Next, the host computer searches the system database for the serial number of the specified binder or the serial number of the specified binder containing the specified document (block 83). Once the binder serial number is located, the host computer generates a corresponding address code of the binder to find (block 84). This code matches the code connected by wiring to the decoder chip 60 housed in the binder to be found. This address code is then broadcast to all MCUs 45 in the system. Each MCU 45 then outputs the received address code to the code conductor 41 for each shelf and waits for a positive (positive) response from one of the decoder chips (block 86). If the MCU 45 senses a positive response (current flowing through one of the visible displays 27), the MCU 45 then activates the corresponding shelf LED 35 and optional buzzer 36. (Block 87) and generate a “Found” signal, which is then transmitted by the Wi-Fi unit in unit 38 to the host computer (block 88). The worker can then look around the binder storage area for the shelf with the activated shelf LED 35 and approach the shelf and look for the binder with the activated LED 27. If an optional audible indicator 36 is provided (typically for a relatively large binder storage area or a brightly lit area), the operator is directed in the direction of the audible sound until the illuminated shelf LED 35 is visually positioned. You will be able to proceed.

By operating the host computer in sweep address mode, the integrity of the entire collection of binders 10-i can be quickly checked. As addresses are swept across the entire range of possible addresses, all binder identification circuitry 20 optionally present in the assembly of cabinets will respond by activating the corresponding binder LED 27 which will correspond to the corresponding single board computer 45. Will be detected and a "Found" signal will be sent back to the host computer. The address of any lost or non-functional binder identification circuit 20 will not result in a "Found" signal, and this missing response will be detected by the system host computer. This absence of the operative binder identification circuit 20 of a given specific address may be correlated with binder identification in the system host computer by notifying the address of the non-responsive binder identification circuit.

9 is a schematic diagram of a second binder identification circuit using a single unique frequency crystal. As shown in FIG. 9, the upper contact 24 is resistively connected to the first terminal of the crystal 91 having a resonance frequency. The other terminal of the crystal 91 is coupled to the anode terminal of the LED 27. The cathode of the LED 27 is coupled to the bottom contact 25. When an rf signal having the crystal's frequency is applied across two crystal terminals, the crystal will resonate and current will flow through the LED 27, thus illuminating the LED. Crystal 91 in each binder identification circuit has a resonant frequency that is unique and different from crystal 91 in all other binder identification circuits in the system, and the host computer is associated with the individual binder 10-i by serial number. It contains an important list of the crystal frequencies that become.

FIG. 10 is an enlarged partial front schematic view of a portion of a binder storage cabinet, showing electrical components and removable contact constructions employed with the crystal circuit of FIG. 9. FIG. As shown in FIG. 9, the resistive conductive strips 41, 42, the shelf's visible display 35, and the optional shelf's audible display 36 are essentially the same physical manner as the alignment of FIG. 4 described above. Sorted by. However, in the embodiment of FIG. 10, MCU 45 does not supply data to conductive strip 41. Instead, an RF generator 93 is provided having a pair of rf signal terminals 94 and 95 coupled to the upper conductive strip 41 and the lower conductive strip 42 of each shelf pair in a given cabinet. The RF generator 93 is a conventional apparatus capable of generating a single frequency rf signal over a predetermined range of allowed frequencies, eg, 2-20 mHz, in response to receiving a desired frequency indication signal from a host computer. to be. MCU 45 responds to receiving a signal from RF generator 93 indicating that the crystal having the desired frequency resonates in one of the binder identification circuits on a given shelf, the shelf visible display 35 and selection. Control the operation of the typical audible display 36.

FIG. 11 is a block diagram illustrating a binder positioning technique used with the second binder identification circuit of FIG. 9. As shown in FIG. 11, the process begins at flow chart block 101 with the operator turning on the host computer. Thereafter, at block 102, the operator enters a system identification of the binder or documents stored within the binder. The host computer then searches the system database for the serial number of the binder or the binder containing the particular document (block 103). These steps are essentially the same as steps 81-83 of FIG. Once the binder serial number is located, the host computer generates the corresponding frequency code of the binder to find (block 104). This frequency matches the frequency of the crystal in the binder identification circuit accommodated in the binder to find. This frequency code is then broadcast to all RF generators 93 in the system. Each RF generator 93 then generates an rf signal of the desired frequency for all shelf pairs in the associated cabinet (block 106). If a binder identification circuit having a crystal of a particular frequency is located on one of the shelves in the cabinet, the crystal will resonate and the corresponding LED 27 will be turned on (block 107). This condition is sensed by the RF generator 93 in a cabinet containing a binder identification circuit having a resonant crystal, and such condition is reported to the MCU 45 by the RF generator 93. In response, the MCU 45 activates the shelf indicator 35 and optionally the audible shelf indicator 36 that are visible to the shelf containing the finding binder 10-i (block 108), and the unit 38. Generate a “Found” signal that is sent by the Wi-Fi device within the C) to the host computer (block 109). The worker can then look around the binder storage area for the shelf with the activated shelf LED 35 and approach the shelf and look for the binder with the activated LED 27. If an optional audible indicator 36 is provided (typically for a relatively large binder storage area or a brightly lit area), the operator is directed in the direction of the audible sound until the illuminated shelf LED 35 is visually positioned. You will be able to proceed.

The RF generator 93 in each cabinet includes a sweep frequency generator capable of generating an RF signal in a swept mode starting with the first crystal resonant frequency in the binder management system and ending with the last crystal resonant frequency in the system. can do. Using such a signal generator, by instructing the RF generator 93 to operate in the sweep mode, the integrity of the entire collection of binders can be quickly checked. Since the signal frequencies are swept over the entire range, all binder identification circuits present in a given cabinet will resonate at their respective frequencies, which are caused by the microcomputer unit 45 in each cabinet using conventional RF detector circuits. Can be detected. Any net binder will not respond, which may also be detected by the microcomputer unit 45 in each cabinet using the same circuitry. Any binder detected as lost can be reported to the system host computer by the given microcomputer unit 45 within each cabinet and by notifying the frequency of the non-responsive binder identification circuit, the computer by the system host computer Associated with a binder identification within.

The system may initially be configured for binders in several different ways. The most basic approach is to place a single binder 10 on a shelf in the cabinet, cause the cabinet RF signal generator 93 to sweep the allowed frequency range, note the frequency at which the crystal in the binder resonates, and Enter the number into the list in the microcomputer unit 45 memory, remove the binder, insert another binder 10 and repeat this process for all the desired binders on the series of bases. Once all the binders have been processed, the appropriate binder identification information is sent from the microcomputer unit 45 of the given cabinet to the system host computer. This method works well for new systems that initially require a relatively small number of binders and do not have existing binders. More useful techniques include inserting the first binder onto a shelf, sweeping the allowed RF frequency, informing the first binder of the resonant frequency of the crystal, and entering a number in a new list; Inserting the second binder onto the shelf without removing the first binder, sweeping the frequency, and adding the resonant frequency of the crystal in the new binder to the list; Inserting a third binder onto the shelf, sweeping the frequency, and adding the resonant frequency of the crystal in the third binder to the list; And so on. As each new binder is inserted onto the shelf, the microcomputer unit 45 has a running list of frequencies already identified, and since each crystal frequency is unique, there can be no duplication.

The system using the addressable decoder circuit described above may be initially configured in a manner similar to that described above with respect to the RF binder identification circuit using a single crystal of a specific frequency. The essential difference is that instead of employing the swept frequency technique, it employs the swept address technique. In the case of this technique, the host computer sequentially generates the full set of allowable addresses in the system, notifies the response from each MCU 45 in the system and correlates it with binder identification information.

The binder management system described above provides several advantages over known binder management systems. First, a given binder can be quickly positioned within the binder storage area without having to visually inspect all the binder labels until the finding binder is located. In addition, in order to find misfilled binders and to identify lost binders from the system, the integrity of the binder management system can be remotely fully tested.

Although the foregoing provides a complete and complete description of the preferred embodiments of the invention, various modifications, alternative configurations, and equivalents will be devised by those skilled in the art. For example, the present invention is directed to certain R.F. Although described with reference to frequency, other frequencies may be employed depending on the preference of the system designer. Furthermore, although conductive strips 41 and 42 are shown laterally disposed along the shelf, each strip extends inwardly of the associated shelf surface and laterally spaced apart by a predetermined amount. It may be configured as parts. In such a change, in order to provide greater mechanical stability for the binders and a predetermined lateral spacing for the binders, the contacts 24, 25 are grooves formed therein to provide a shape bond with the conductive strip portions. It may be provided. In addition, although the binder mechanism 16 has been described and shown to be mounted on the inner surface of the rear cover 14, if necessary, such a binder mechanism may be mounted on the inner surface of the front cover 12, or It may be mounted on the inner surface of the spine 15. If mounted on the inner surface of the spine 15, care will generally be taken to ensure that the conductive binder mechanism is electrically insulated from the elements 20, 20a, 21, 22, 24, 25, 27 and 28. In addition, where necessary, the invention may be used to manage binder management systems in many cabinets located in other physical locations using internal or external computer networks. Accordingly, the foregoing is not to be considered as limiting the invention as defined in the claims.

Claims (19)

As a searchable binder for use in a binder management system:
A binder body having a front cover, a rear cover and a spine for coupling the front cover and the rear cover;
A binder mechanism mounted inside the binder body;
A visible display unit mounted on the binder body at a position visible from the outside of the binder;
First and second resistive contact members supported by the binder body and having contact portions partially extending out of the binder body to receive a binder identification signal from a source; And
Mounted on the binder body and coupled to the first and second resistive contact members and the visible display to activate the visible display when a received binder identification signal indicates that the binder is the binder being searched for. A binder identification circuit for
Navigable Binder.
The method of claim 1,
The binder mechanism is mounted to the inner surface of the rear cover
Navigable Binder.
The method of claim 1,
The visible indicator is mounted on the spine
Navigable Binder.
The method of claim 1,
The spine has an inner surface that terminates within the top and bottom portions; The first resistance contact member is mounted on the inner surface of the spine adjacent to the upper end and the second resistance contact member is mounted on the inner surface of the spine adjacent to the lower end.
Navigable Binder.
The method of claim 4, wherein
The first and second resistance contact members each comprising a body portion terminating in a curved outer end extending outwardly of the spine;
Navigable Binder.
The method of claim 4, wherein
The first and second resistance contact members each have a housing having an inner volume, a ball contact movably received within the inner volume, and captured between the ball contact and the housing to deflect the ball contact in an outward direction. With deflection spring
Navigable Binder.
The method of claim 1,
The binder identification signal includes an associated binder specific binder address; The binder identification circuit includes an addressable decoder
Navigable Binder.
The method of claim 1,
The binder identification signal comprises an rf signal having an associated binder specific frequency; The binder identification circuit includes a crystal having a resonance frequency equal to a frequency specific to the associated binder.
Navigable Binder.
The method of claim 1,
The visible display portion includes an LED
Navigable Binder.
As a combination:
A storage cabinet for a plurality of searchable binders, the cabinet having an upper shelf and a lower shelf, the upper shelf having a lower surface and the lower shelf having an upper surface;
A first resistive conductive member mounted on the lower surface of the upper shelf;
A second resistive conductive member mounted on the upper surface of the lower shelf, wherein the first and second resistive conductive members are configured to receive a binder identification signal from a source; And
A navigable binder configured to be removably received on the bottom shelf,
The navigable binder comprises: a binder body having a front cover, a rear cover and a spine coupling the front cover and the rear cover; A binder mechanism mounted inside the binder body; A visible display unit mounted on the binder body in a position visible from the outside of the binder when the binder is installed on the lower shelf; First and second resistive contact members, wherein a binder identification signal supported by the binder body and present in at least one of the first and second resistive conductive members is transmitted to at least one of the first and second resistive contact members. First and second resistive contact members having contact portions partially extending out of the binder body to resistively engage the first and second resistive conductive members when the binder is installed on a lower shelf; And is coupled on the binder body and coupled to the first and second resistive contact members and the visible display to activate the visible display when a received binder identification signal indicates that the binder is the binder being searched for. A binder identification circuit for
Combination.
11. The method of claim 10,
The visible indicator is mounted on the spine
Combination.
11. The method of claim 10,
The spine has an inner surface that terminates within the top and bottom portions; The first resistance contact member is mounted on the inner surface of the spine adjacent to the upper end and the second resistance contact member is mounted on the inner surface of the spine adjacent to the lower end.
Combination.
13. The method of claim 12,
The first and second resistance contact members each comprising a body portion terminating in a curved outer end extending outwardly of the spine;
Combination.
13. The method of claim 12,
The first and second resistance contact members each have a housing having an inner volume, a ball contact movably received within the inner volume, and captured between the ball contact and the housing to deflect the ball contact in an outward direction. With deflection spring
Combination.
11. The method of claim 10,
The binder identification signal includes an associated binder specific binder address; The binder identification circuit includes an addressable decoder
Combination.
11. The method of claim 10,
The binder identification signal comprises an rf signal having an associated binder specific frequency; The binder identification circuit includes a crystal having a resonance frequency equal to a frequency specific to the associated binder.
Combination.
11. The method of claim 10,
The visible display portion includes an LED
Combination.
11. The method of claim 10,
And further comprising a visual indicator mounted to at least one of the upper shelf and the lower shelf to visually indicate the presence of a binder looking on one of the upper and lower shelves.
Combination.
11. The method of claim 10,
And further comprising an audible indicator mounted to at least one of the upper shelf and the lower shelf to audibly indicate the presence of a binder looking on one of the upper and lower shelves.
Combination.

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