Abstract:
A combination three-ring binder and hole punch is provided. The binder includes a housing upon which the rings are mounted and in which the punch assembly is mounted. A pivotal lever on the housing actuates the punch assembly which uses a slide cam to simultaneously punch three holes in one or more sheets of paper.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119 to provisional application Ser. No. 61/831,192 filed Jun. 5, 2013, herein incorporated by reference in its entirety. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    Three-ring binders for holding papers have been used in schools and businesses for many years. A three-hole punch machine is often used to simultaneously punch three holes in one or more sheets of paper which can then be stored in the three-ring binder. 
         [0003]    Prior art is also known which combines the three-ring binder and the three hole punch machine into a single, integrated unit. For example, see U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,749,297; 5,273,370; 5,429,445; 5,409,319; 6,261,020; and 6,705,793, and published U.S. Application No. 2011/0305499. Each of these prior art combination binders and hole punch assemblies utilize manual downward force on a push button or arm to force the punch through the paper. This manual force can be difficult for young students or for people with physical hand impairments. Therefore, there is a need for an improved combination three-ring binder and hole punch which is easier to operate than the prior art devices. 
         [0004]    Accordingly, a primary objective of the present invention is the provision of a three-ring binder having a lever actuated punch assembly for punching three holes simultaneously in one or more sheets of paper. 
         [0005]    Another objective of the present invention is the provision of a three-ring binder with a built-in hole punch assembly which is easy to operate. 
         [0006]    A further objective of the present invention is the provision of a three-ring binder with an integral hole punch mechanism and having a cavity for storing the punched-out paper pieces. 
         [0007]    A further objective of the present invention is the provision of a three-ring binder having a clear protective cover, one or more storage bins, a moveable clear flap to house one or more pictures or photos, and/or a white erase board. 
         [0008]    Still another objective of the present invention is the provision of a three-ring binder having a slide cam to actuate hole punchers. 
         [0009]    Yet another objective of the present invention is the provision of a three-ring binder having hole punchers which are easily pulled upwardly to prevent jams. 
         [0010]    A further objective of the present invention is the provision of a three-ring binder having a pivotal lever to actuate a hole punch mechanism. 
         [0011]    These and other objectives will become apparent from the following description of the invention. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0012]    A three-ring binder and hole punch combination is provided for holding papers and supplies for school and work. The combination includes a punch assembly which is actuated by a lever to simultaneously punch three holes in one or more sheets of paper. The punch assembly includes a slide mechanism which forces the punches downwardly through the paper when the lever is actuated. When the slide mechanism is returned to the non-operative position, the punches are pulled upwardly to preclude jams. A storage compartment is provided in the punch assembly housing to catch the paper punches. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0013]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of the three-ring binder and hole punch combination according to the present invention with the covers of the binder in an open position. 
           [0014]      FIG. 2  is an exploded view of the punch assembly with the front and back binder covers removed for clarity. 
           [0015]      FIG. 3  is a sectional view of the punch assembly taken along line  3 - 3  of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0016]      FIG. 4  is a sectional view of the punch assembly taken along lines  4 - 4  of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0017]      FIG. 5  is a side elevation view of the slide mechanism of the punch assembly in a non-operative position. 
           [0018]      FIG. 6  is a view similar to  FIG. 5  showing an operative hole-punching position of the slide mechanism. 
           [0019]      FIG. 7  is a perspective view of the base and slide bar of the punch mechanism. 
           [0020]      FIG. 8  is another exploded perspective view of the housing, ring clips, and punch mechanism. 
           [0021]      FIG. 9  is an assembled perspective view of the housing, rings, and actuation levers. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0022]    In the drawings, the three-ring binder and hole punch combination of the present invention is generally designated by the reference numeral  10 . The binder  10  includes front and back covers  12 ,  14 , respectively, which can be moved between open and closed positions. The binder  10  includes housing  15  having a base  16 , a cap  18  mounted on the base  16 , and three-rings  20  for holding punched papers. The three-rings are mounted on the cap  18 , and can moved from the closed position to an open position by a lever  22  pivotally mounted at one end of the cap  18 , as is known in the art. The cap  18  may be fixed or removably mounted on the base  16 . 
         [0023]    A punch assembly  24  is mounted within the housing  15  between the base  16  and the cap  18 . The punch assembly  24  includes a frame  26  with a bar  28  slidably mounted thereto. The bar  28  is longitudinally slidable relative to the frame  26 . This sliding movement of the bar  28  is controlled by a lever  30  mounted opposite the lever  22  and pivotally connected to the bar  28  via a hinge  32  and pivotally connected to the housing cap  18  via pin  33 , as seen in  FIG. 3 . 
         [0024]    The base  16  guides or tracks the movement of the bar  28  between the neutral, non-operative position and the operative punch position. More particularly, the base  16  includes tabs  17  which overlie opposite side flanges  29  on the bar to help guide the sliding movement of the bar, as best seen in  FIG. 7 . The frame  26  has an elongated base plate  34  and three flexible or resilient fingers  36  residing beneath the bar  28 . The slide bar  28  extends above the fingers  36 , and is slidably coupled to the fingers  36  by clips  37 . A paper punch  38  is mounted in a bushing  39  on each finger  36  and is adapted to move from a neutral position above the plate  34  to a punching position extending through a hole  40  in the plate  34 . 
         [0025]    The bar  28  includes three depressions or ramps  42 . When the bar  28  is in a neutral position, the depressions or ramps  42  are slightly offset from the fingers  36  and paper punches  38 , as seen in  FIG. 5 . When the lever  32  is actuated, the bar  28  slides longitudinally relative to the body  26  so as to engage the finger  36  and force the fingers  36  downwardly, which in turn, forces the paper punches  38  through the holes  40  and through paper  45  residing in the slot  44  within the punch assembly  24 , as seen in  FIG. 6 . Thus, the paper  45  is punched by the sliding cam action of the bar  28 , which aligns the ramps  32  with the paper punches  38 . The punched out paper pieces are collected in the cavity  46  of the housing  15 . A plug  47  may be removably mounted in one end of the base  16  and can be pulled out so that the residual paper punches can be emptied from the base  16 . The clips  37  help pull the fingers  36  and punches  38  upwardly when the bar  28  is slid back to the neutral position by the lever  30  and thereby avoid jamming of the punch assembly  24 . 
         [0026]    The front and rear covers  12 ,  14  of the ring binder  10  may include one or more storage compartments. For example, the outside and/or inside of one or both of the covers may include a pocket with a clear protector  48  to receive an identification page, photograph, or other piece of paper. Storage compartments  50  can be formed in one of the covers, as shown in  FIG. 1 . Also, either or both of the covers may have a flap which can be opened to allow a photograph or other picture to be inserted, similar to the back of a picture frame. A white erase board  52  can also be provided on the inside or outside of either cover  12 ,  14 . 
         [0027]    The invention has been shown and described above with the preferred embodiments, and it is understood that many modifications, substitutions, and additions may be made which are within the intended spirit and scope of the invention. From the foregoing, it can be seen that the present invention accomplishes at least all of its stated objectives.