US2962027A - Expandable post binder - Google Patents

Description

Nov. 29, 1960 F. s. SCHADE EXPANDABLE POST BINDER Filed Feb. 5, 1958 INVENTOR. :E'rnnk 51111112 Schnde BY Ciapim & 77ml ATTORNEYS United States Patent EXPANDABLE POST BINDER Filed Feb. 5, 1958, Set. No. 713,452

2 Claims. (Cl. 129-13) This invention relates to improvements in loose leaf binders of the expandable post binder type and particularly to an expandable binder for loose leaf sheets having a multiplicity of small size perforations along the marginal binding edge.

This invention meets the need for an improved expandable binder for loose leaf sheets of the type used for processing in electronic accounting machines. Form sheets of the type designed for such machines are extensively used by banks and countless other business establishments and industrial accounting departments. Such forms have a series of small diameter holes or perforations along the binding margin of the paper so that a business machine can properly lead ortrack the forms through the machine. Loose leaf binder constructions of the usual type have not been satisfactory for this type of form sheet primarily because of the small diameter of perforations. One such binder in wide use has sheet-engaging pins or posts of sufiiciently small diameter to fit the holes in the sheets but when made of sufii cient length to hold a fair sized pack of forms the posts (a U 1C6 2,962,027

securely clamping a few sheets or a large sheet pack without sacrificing the neatness and compactness of a small capacity binder and the sturdiness needed for a large capacity binder.

Another object of the invention is to provide a relatively low cost binder construction which is easy to assemble and in which additional segment means can readily be inserted. The fact that the post bars are of identical construction reduces construction costs and also facilitates assembly, since any bar may be used to start the binder or to add additional segments thereto.

Further detailed objects and advantages will be apparent from the following description and the invention clearly defined and pointed out in the appended claims.

A preferred embodiment of the invention is clearly illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a binder assembly with portions of the sheet pack and lower cover cut away to show the relationship of parts; Fig. 2 is a perspective view on an enlarged scale showing a pair of post bar units as seen in the assembly of Fig. 1 and illustrating the manner in which post bar segments are stacked together;

Fig. 3 is an exploded view of one of the post locking clamps of Fig. 1 and of a key to release the same; and

Fig. 4 is adetail perspective view illustrating a corner of a binder assembly in which the elements are arranged are spindly and thin. Thus the posts are subject to bending in use. And when in use with a small size sheet pack the extreme length of the posts protruding from the covers makes an unattractive and relatively unserviceable unit. Not only is this prior type of assembly difficult to handle for removal or addition of sheets in the pack but even when filled to capacity the binder itself is un-' .wieldy.

The principal object of this invention is to provide an improved post binder or loose sheet holder construction adapted to hold a small pack of sheets in a neat and attractive arrangement and to permit the addition of sheeets or sheet packs as necessary, by providing sectional means for expanding the capacity of the binder; Thus the binder assembly may be used for afew sheets or a relatively thick sheet pack. The number-of sheets to be contained in the binder may vary from one or two to the number in a sheet pack having a thickness on the order of 7 inches.

A further object is to provide a loose leaf binder adapted to firmly clamp a sheet pack made up of one or more distinct segments of substantially uniform thickness and bound together in a neat and secure fashion. Thus the removal or addition of single sheets in the central portions of the entire pack will be greatly facilitated.

A still further object of the invention is to provide I a binder construction kit to include a pair of cover 'members, a plurality of separable and interchangeable post bar units, and various sizes of adjustable clamping members, and in which the post bar units are of identical construction, so that with these basic elements the user can easily make a small, neat and attractive post binder for such forms in which a few sheets may first be bound and to which sheets can be added as needed .until an extremely large capacity binder pack is built up for more or less permanent storage.

expansion in the new binder makes it adaptable for The provision for to clamp a few sheets or a relatively thin pack between the binder covers as when the binder is first put to use. Referring to the drawing, Fig. 1 shows a binder in which a sheet pack 4 is made up of three segments indicated at 40 and enclosed between upper and lower covers It) and 12 respectively, the covers preferably being of stiif plastic, composition leather, cardboard or similar material. Each cover is provided with a hinge crease 11 to enable the covers to swing easily from adjacent the strip portion 13 forming a cover binding margin.

The sheet segments 40 are stacked one on top of the other and each is engaged in the assembly being sup.- ported therein by means of an elongated flat bar 14 formed with two upstanding relatively short sheet-engaging posts or spindles 16 (Fig. 2) extending therefrom. Each bar also has two small diameter spindle or post- 'receiving holes as the openings 18, these openings being in adjacent spaced relationship next to the spindles 16 (Figs. 1 and 2). Each bar is further provided with a post lock or clamp-receiving aperture as at each end, of larger diameter than the holes 18, the post bars 14 being of a length to position the apertures 20 of each in alignment beyond the end edges of the sheets. i

Each of the openings 18 in a bar 14 is correspondingly located relative to its adjacent post 16 at the same side thereof longitudinally of the bar. In other words at one end of a bar the opening 18 is outwardly of its adjacent post 16, while at the other end the opening 18 is inwardly of its adjacent post. Further, the opening 18 at one end of the bar and the post 16 at the opposite end thereof are each equally spaced from their respective bar ends. Also the spacing between each post and its adjacent opening 18 is the same and corresponds to the spacing between adjacent perforations of the sheets to be bound. It will be seen that the openings 18 of one bar will thus be in vertical alignment with the posts 16 -of another bar when successively stacked bars are superirnposed and in reversed end to end relationship to each other. In addition to the sheet holding post bar units, the binder assembly includes a cover bar as an elongated clamping plate 32 (Fig. 1) having an aperture 20 at each end. The plate 32 is of the same length as bars 14 and the diameter of holes 20' and position" thereof corresponds to that of the holes 20 of bars 14. Plate- 3 Patented Nov. 29, 1960.

is also provided with two pairs of small post-receiving holes or openings 34 of the same diameter as openings 18 of bar 14. The openings 34 are located in the same relative position on the plate as the posts and adjacent openings of the bars. Thus the openings of the cover plate may be registered with the posts of an underlying uppermost bar 14. It will further be noted that the marginal binding strip portions 13 of the covers are provided with pairs of openings (not shown) registering with the openings 34 to receive the posts of the lowermost and the uppermost post bar units. The covers are thus interchangeable.

It should also be noted that with a marginal portion 13 of a relatively stiff character the cover plate 32 may be dispensed with, the portion 13 thus serving as a top overlying clamping member in the same fashion as the plate, as will be described.

An adjustable locking or clamping means for the binder is shown by Fig. 3 as a well known type of expandable post lock. The tubular member 22 of the post lock is flanged at the bottom and fits as indicated by Fig. 1 up through the end aperture of the lowermost post bar and the registered opening of cover 12 and through the vertically spaced aligned openings 20 of one or more post bars. The headed post or peg 26 with spring ears 30 rearwardly angled at its tip is passed through aperture 20 of the cover plate 32, through the cover margin 13 and is telescopically inserted into the tube member. The ears 30 will press outwardly against opposite sides of the inner wall of tube 22 and will easily slide forwardly into the tube but will securely lock the peg against withdrawal as will be readily understood. Thus the covers and intervening pack segments may be clamped together. Post locks are at each end of the binder and located outwardly of the sheet edges. To unlock the clamping posts, a key 36 may be inserted in the open end of tube 22 to compress cars 30 by the forked prongs 37. The peg may thus slide rearwardly and out of the tube member 22.

Fig. 4 shows the manner in which the parts may be arranged to hold a thin pack comprising a few sheets only, as might be the case when initially using the binder. The spindles of a bar 14 are registered with the small holes of cover member 12, and the appropriate registered openings of sheets 40, cover 12, and cover plate 32. The locking post peg of Fig. 3 is in this arrangement first inserted through the aligned apertures 20 of these members, and the tube 22 is then telescopically fitted over the peg with its flanged end 23 foremost and so as to press directly against the plate 32. The covers and sheets are thus held together in a compact manner and the post members being of a relatively small size will not protrude above the top cover to an objectionable extent.

In assembling a binder as shown by Fig. 4 or 1 it is noted that either cover has two pairs of spaced openings so that the relative positioning of the pins or posts 16 of the bar 14 makes no difference. As will be appreciated from Figs. 1 and 2 a pack of sheets of any desired thickness less than the capacity of posts 16' may be threaded on the posts with the edges of the sheets lying inwardly of the apertures 20 of the bar. If a binder pack being made up is of somewhat less thickness than the capacity of the posts 16 the top cover and plate are registered on the posts and the clamping means arranged as in Fig. 4. If the pack is of greater thickness, the first bar is loaded with sheets until only the tip ends of post 16 are exposed (see Fig. 2) and a second post bar 14 is then stacked on top of the first by reversing the end to end relationship of the posts and capturing the exposed tip ends of the underlying posts in the openings 18 of the second bar. The resulting staggered relationship of two or more successively stacked post bar units will be appreciated from Fig. 1. Additional sheets can thus be located on the spindles of each succeeding uppermost bar 14 until another segment of the pack is built up.

cover and cover plate 32 may, of course, be

assembled with the end clamping posts for any given pack thickness by providing different sizes. Preferably the spindles or posts 16 are on the order of one inch in height in the actual embodiment of the invention as shown by the drawings. In the assembly of Fig. 4 the tube 22 may also be one inch high for the smallest size of clamping unit. With its peg 26 this unit will thus serve for a sheet pack of from one to one and one half inches in thickness. For larger sizes of binder sheet packs, more or less standard sizes of locking posts can be used for packs ranging from one and one half to two and one half; from two and one half to four; and from four to seven inches in thickness.

In Fig. 1 three segments are shown and the locking tube 22 will indicate provision for an expansion to a four inch pack. It will further be seen that the paired openings 34 of the cover plate 32 and underlying cover strip 13 will receive the tips of post 16 of an uppermost bar 14 in either of the alternative positions, such positions, as will be appreciated, being dependent on the relative position assumed at the outset by the first bar and the number of segments required for any particular size of sheet pack. It will also be realized that post clamping or locking means of any other suitable type could be used to extend through the aligned openings at the ends of the covers and bars for securing the same together.

It will also be seen particularly from Figs. 1 and 2 that the temporary removal of a single sheet or sheets from the central portions of a large binder sheet pack will be greatly facilitated. If such is desirable for any reason the user need only remove the clamping posts and expose the top of the segment 40 in which the particular sheets are positioned. Then only the overlying sheets need to be removed from the binding posts 16 and later replaced when those desired are separated.

What is claimed is:

1. A loose leaf binder assembly for securing sheets used in bookkeeping record machines and having a series of closely spaced machine tracking perforations along a marginal binding portion thereof into one or more sheet pack segments in said binder, said assembly adapted for expansion from a relatively small to a relatively large binder capacity and comprising in combination a plurality of identical elongated stacking bars each having relatively short sheet-engaging spindle posts extending from one side thereof, spaced from opposite ends of the bar and of sufiiciently small diameter to pass through the perforations of said sheets, said bars being of suflicient length such that the ends thereof extend beyond the upper and lower edges of said sheets, a spindle post receiving opening adjacent each spindle post and spaced therefrom to register with other perforations of said sheets, each said opening being positioned to the same side of its adjacent post, the post adjacent one end of the bar and the opening adjacent the other end of the bar being equidistant from the opposite ends of the bar, whereby the openings of one bar register with and receive the posts of the next underlying bar when in superposed stacked position and in reverse end-to-end relation thereto, clamp receiving openings through the portions of said bars which extend beyond the upper and lower edges of said sheets, and elongated clamp members of sufiicient length to be disposed in the clamp receiving openings of a plurality of stacking bars and engaged with each of the bars when in assembled condition with sheet segments disposed therebetween, said clamp members being of sufiicient rigidity to hold said bars in fixed relation.

2. A loose leaf binder assembly as set forth in clairn 1 including a cover bar overlying the binder margin of the uppermost of said sheets and engaging the upstanding posts of the underlying bar, said cover bar being of the same length as said bars and including clamp receiving openings at each end registrable with the clamp receiving openings of said bars, and openings through said cover 5 6 bar registrable in vertical alignment with both the posts 1,131,648 Ahearn Mar. 16, 1915 and adjacent openings of the underlying bar. 1,817,930 Phillips Aug. 11, 1931 1,841,894 Impey Jan. 19, 1932 References Cited in the file of this patent 1,958,852 Hamill May 15, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENTS 5 FOREIGN PATENTS 583,335 Rosenthal May 25, 1897 375,056 Italy Sept. 20, 1939

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