Patent ID: 7819602
Filing Date: 2010-10-26
Classification: B42F

Abstract:
1. A ring binder mechanism for holding loose-leaf pages, the mechanism comprising: an elongate housing comprising a body having a central portion and lateral sides extending downwardly along either side of the central portion; a ring support comprising a pair of hinge plates in generally side-by-side relation and hingedly connected to one another for pivoting movement relative to each other, the hinge plates being held between the lateral sides of the housing; a plurality of rings for holding the loose-leaf pages, each ring including a first ring member and a second ring member, the first ring member being mounted on the ring support for movement with the ring support relative to the housing between a closed position and an open position, in the closed position the first and second ring members forming a substantially continuous, closed loop for allowing loose-leaf pages retained by the rings to be moved along the rings from one ring member to the other, and in the open position the first and second ring members forming a discontinuous, open loop for adding or removing loose-leaf pages from the rings; and an actuator mounted for pivotal movement relative to the housing, the actuator being engageable with said hinge plates for moving the rings from their closed position to their open position during pivotal movement of the actuator relative to the housing about a pivot axis in a first direction, wherein the housing is configured to define a stop and the actuator has a surface that engages the stop after the actuator has pivoted relative to the housing in the first direction to a terminal position, the engagement between said surface of the actuator and the stop limiting pivoting movement of the actuator relative to the housing in said first direction beyond the terminal position.