Patent ID: 6749357
Filing Date: 2004-06-15
Classification: B42F

Abstract:
A ring binder mechanism for retaining loose leaf pages, the mechanism comprising:a generally rigid, elongate plate having a longitudinal axis; hinge plates supported by said plate for pivoting motion relative to the elongate plate; rings for holding said loose leaf pages, the rings including ring members mounted on said hinge plates and moveable by the hinge plates between a closed position wherein the ring members of each ring form a substantially continuous, closed loop for allowing loose leaf pages retained by the rings to be moved along the ring from one ring member to the other, and an open position wherein the ring members of each ring form a discontinuous, open loop for adding or removing loose leaf pages from the rings; and a control structure supported by the elongate plate for movement relative to the elongate plate for controllably pivoting said hinge plates to thereby move the ring members between the closed and open positions, the control structure comprising a travel bar movable in translation relative to the elongate plate and a connecting link pivotally connecting the travel bar to the hinge plates for moving the hinge plates between said closed and open positions.