Rotatable binder insert

A rotatable binder insert for supporting and holding such articles as calculators or other electronic devices, to-do lists and check lists, self-stick removable notes, etc., that are used to supplement, or in conjunction with, information written on the pages of the binder. Inasmuch as such information may be found on both sides of the binder rings, i.e., on both right- and left-hand pages, an article used therewith must similarly be visible and accessible on alternate sides of the binder rings. By being mounted on a support member capable of rotating 180.degree. on a frame insertable anywhere in the binder and readily attachable to the binder rings such articles can be placed alongside information found on either right or left-hand pages.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention relates to inserts for binders, and more particularly 
to inserts for supporting and holding such articles as calculators or 
other electronic devices, to-do lists and check lists, self-stick 
removable notes, and the like, that are used to supplement, or in 
conjunction with, information written on the pages of the binder 
For optimal convenience and accessibility, binder inserts of this type 
ought to be readily repositionable between selected pages of the binder 
and an article mounted thereon should be visible and readily accessible on 
either side of the binder center. Generally, simple inserts now in use, 
such as plastic page markers, dividers or rulers can be placed where 
needed within a binder, either by opening the binder rings and passing the 
rings through corresponding holes near the edge of the insert, or, if 
there are slots extending from these holes to the outer edge of the 
insert, by snapping the insert into the binder at the desired location. 
However, if an article were to be supported by an appropriately sized but 
simple insert similar to those currently available, such an insert would 
hold it in only one position in which the holes for engaging the binder 
rings would always be on a predetermined side of the article. This 
arrangement would be satisfactory only if the written information being 
accessed were consistently found on one side of the rings. In other words, 
if the information being accessed were found on the front of each page 
attached to the binder rings through holes at the left margin, the 
calculator or other article to be used in conjunction with this 
information should be located on the opposite panel, attached to the 
binder rings by holes or detents near its right edge. Conversely, if the 
information being accessed were found on a page attached to the rings by 
holes in its right margin, for accessibility and ease of use the article 
should be mounted on the opposite panel, attached to the binder rings by 
holes or detents near its left edge. 
In most situations however, written information is found on both sides of 
the binder rings. Thus, an insert of the above-mentioned type is not 
conveniently useable with all of the information. This drawback limits 
severely the utility of most binder inserts currently available. It should 
therefore be appreciated that there is a need for an improved binder 
insert for supporting and holding articles used to supplement, or in 
conjunction with, written information contained within a binder. The 
present invention fulfills that need. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention improves the accessibility of an article supported 
and held by a binder insert by allowing the article to rotate on a frame 
attached to the binder rings, making it visible and accessible on either 
side of the binder center. 
The present invention may be viewed as a combination of a conventional ring 
binder with two or more openable spring-loaded rings mounted on the inside 
of a spine connecting the front and back covers. A frame inserted into the 
binder releasably engages at least two binder rings. A support member 
rotatably mounted on the frame, and an article is supported and positioned 
on that support member. The support member can assume a first position in 
which the article is accessible on one side of the binder rings, and a 
second position in which the article is accessible on the opposite side of 
the binder rings, after the support member is rotated 180.degree. on the 
frame, and the frame is turned 180.degree. on the binder rings. The 
article is thus alternately visible and useable in conjunction with 
written information found on both right- and left-hand pages held by the 
binder rings. 
The insert frame, which in itself forms one aspect of the invention, can 
have a variety of configurations mountable and rotatable on the binder 
rings and can be made of a variety of materials. The preferred frame is 
flat and U-shaped, molded from a semi-rigid thermoplastic material. A 
particularly advantageous U-shaped frame has a center portion extending 
along the binder rings and two end portions that extend perpendicularly 
from the center portion, away from the binder rings. Collectively these 
three portions of the frame define a generally rectangular opening in 
which a generally flat and rectangular support member is received. The 
center portion of the frame includes a main section of greater thickness 
defining one side of the opening and from which the two end portions 
emanate, and a thinner (either uniformly flat or tapering towards the 
outer edge) section extending from the main section towards the binder 
rings referred to here as the dorsum. That dorsum section of the frame 
defines apertures aligned with and sized to loosely receive the rings. 
These apertures can have slots extending from the aperture to the outer 
edge of the dorsum. These slots can have resilient detents which engage 
the binder rings. In effect the dorsum defines the slots and the apertures 
which allow the insert to be placed wherever it is needed within the 
binder, without opening the rings. 
The support member is rotatably connected to the two end portions of the 
frame by pivots centered on its transverse edges so that it can assume a 
first position in which the article is accessible on one side of the 
binder rings, or a second position in which the article is accessible on 
the opposite side of the binder rings. A stop member molded integrally 
with the frame projects from the center portion of the frame and 
alternately engages a selected mating indent carried by the support member 
to retain the support member in either a left- or right-facing position. 
It is to be noted that both the projections on which the support member 
pivots and the stop member may be formed integrally with either the 
support member or the frame, and mate with corresponding indents formed 
integrally within the opposing edge of either the frame or the support 
member. In addition, it will be apparent from the foregoing description 
that if the article to be used in an insert is an electronic calculator or 
similar device with a fairly rigid housing, that housing can be considered 
the support member of this invention. 
Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent 
from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the 
accompanying drawings which illustrate, by way of example, the principles 
of the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
An exemplary combination in accordance with the invention, shown in FIGS. 1 
through 5, consists of an article 10, and an arrangement for supporting 
the article within a binder 12. 
The binder 12, shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, is of a common variety having two 
rigid, rectangular panels 14 and 16 forming front and back covers that are 
each hingedly connected along one edge to an elongated spine 18. A 
plurality of similar openable metal rings 20 that are spring-loaded, are 
evenly spaced along the spine 18, being positioned on an axis A--A that 
extends longitudinally along the center of the spine. The rings 20 can be 
opened and closed by depressing or raising two tabs 22 at opposite ends of 
the spine 18, in the conventional manner. The binder contains a plurality 
of rectangular paper pages 24 that fit between the covers 14 and 16 and 
have holes punched therein that receive the rings 20. Thus, the pages 24 
can be turned individually when the rings 20 are closed, and can be 
removed by opening the rings. 
The article 10 is a calculator contained within a housing 26. The housing 
26, which for purposes hereof is considered a separate element from the 
calculator itself, forms a support member for the calculator, i.e., the 
calculator components. The calculator 10, like the binder 12, is of a 
conventional variety, and is shown in FIG. 3. The housing 26 is generally 
thin, flat, rectangular, and plastic, having operating buttons 28 and a 
display 30 (that form part of the calculator) accessible on one side 32. 
It is intended, in accordance with the invention, that the calculator be 
used in conjunction with the written contents of the binder pages 24. It 
should be understood that, instead of a calculator 10, the article can be 
of a different nature. For example, it can be another type of electronic 
device such as a data storage device, a spell-checker, a dictionary, etc. 
The housing 26 is held within the binder 12 by an insert 34. This insert 34 
is of molded plastic construction, being generally U-shaped with rounded 
outer corners for ease of handling and an attractive appearance. It has a 
center portion 36 that extends along and parallel to the axis A--A of the 
rings 20 and two integrally formed end portions 38 and 40 that extend 
perpendicularly from the top and bottom of the center portion 36 and away 
from the rings 20, thus defining a large, generally rectangular opening 
into which the rectangular housing 26 is disposed. The size and shape of 
the insert 34 is such that it conforms to, or is slightly smaller than the 
pages 24 that it overlies when in use. 
The center portion 36 of the insert 34 includes a relatively thick main 
section 44, and a dorsum or fin-like section 46 of reduced thickness that 
extends from the main section toward the rings 20 of the binder and away 
from the end portions 38 and 40. This dorsum 46, which extends along the 
entire length of the main portion, defines a plurality of circular 
apertures that correspond in size, number and position to the rings 20 of 
the binder 12, thus allowing the insert 34 to be placed and held within 
the binder between the selected pages, such as the pages 48 and 50 of FIG. 
1 or the pages 52 and 54 of FIG. 2. 
In this embodiment there are six apertures in the dorsum 46 aligned with 
and sized to receive the rings 20 of the binder 12. Each of the six 
apertures is connected to the linear outer edge 56 of the dorsum 46 by one 
of two types of slots. The two most widely separated apertures 58, closest 
to the top and bottom of the insert, respectively, have slots 60 referred 
to as the retaining slots, as it is their function to retain the insert 34 
within the binder 12. They are defined by two opposing resilient detents 
62 that are mirror images of each other, as best shown in FIG. 5. Each 
detent 62 is a generally rounded projection of arcuate profile that is 
integrally formed with the surrounding portion of the dorsum 46. Thus, 
each retaining slot 60 has a relatively wide entry portion 64 through 
which the ring 20, upon insertion, is guided toward a narrower throat 
portion 66, being automatically centered by the curvatures of the detents 
62. The four remaining apertures 68 have slots 70 known as positioning 
slots, as they do serve a positioning function but do not serve, by 
themselves, to retain the insert 34 in the binder. The positioning slots 
70 lack detents, are generally straight sided and wider than the rings 20, 
allowing the rings 20 to pass through them freely. The plastic of which 
the insert 34 is made is selected for its resilient, non-brittle 
properties. The main section 44 of the center portion and the end portions 
38 and 40, being of substantially greater thickness than the dorsum 46, 
although formed of the same material, render the insert 34 more rigid and 
durable. 
It is important that the retaining slots 60 be of a minimum width at their 
throat, which is less than the diameter of the apertures 58 and less than 
the thickness of the binder rings 20. It is thus possible to snap the 
insert 34 into the binder 12 without opening the rings 20 by aligning the 
slots 60 and 70 with the rings 20 and applying pressure until the detents 
62 are resiliently deformed, allowing the rings 20 to pass through the 
throats 66 of the retaining slots 60 into the apertures 58, while 
positioning slots 70 loosely accept the corresponding rings 20. Similarly, 
the insert 34 can be removed by pulling it away from the binder, thus 
causing the detents 62 to again deform, after centering the rings, and 
allowing the rings 20 to pass fully through the retaining slots 60. 
It should be noted that this snap-in and snap-out feature of the invention 
provides for considerable convenience when using the insert 34, as it is 
not necessary to open the rings 20 when it is desired to remove the insert 
34 from its position between the pages 48 and 50 of FIG. 1, for example, 
and re-insert it between the pages 52 and 54 of FIG. 2. 
The calculator housing 26 has two cylindrical projections 72 that are each 
rounded at the top, formed integrally with the housing and extend 
outwardly from the centers of the top and bottom housing edges 74 and 76, 
respectively. These projections are aligned with and fit closely into 
correspondingly sized, generally cylindrical cavities 78 in the upper and 
lower end portions 38 and 40, respectively, of the insert 34. When the 
projections 72 are inserted into the cavities 78 they function as pivots 
on which the housing is rotatably mounted on the insert 34 and define an 
axis B--B, parallel to the axis A--A of the binder rings 20, about which 
the calculator 10 is rotatable relative to the insert 34. 
A convex protrusion 80 in the middle of the inward-facing vertical edge of 
the insert 34 center portion 44 is molded integrally with the insert and 
is referred to here as the stop member. When the calculator housing 26 
lays flat within the insert 34, the stop member 80 serves to restrain the 
housing 26 from rotating freely by resiliently engaging either of two 
concave depressions 82 within the mating indents 84 at the center of both 
the left and right edges of the calculator housing. 
The sequence of steps employed in using the present invention depends to 
some degree on the prior location of the insert within the binder 12 and 
the orientation of the housing 26 relative to the insert 34. Specifically, 
the insert 34 may already be inserted in front of the correct page (the 
page 48 of FIG. 1 or the page 52 of FIG. 2), or it may be inserted 
elsewhere within the binder 12. In either case, the housing 26 may face 
the correct page (the page 48 of FIG. 1 or the page 52 of FIG. 2) or away 
from it (the page 50 of FIG. 1 or the page 54 of FIG. 2). 
If the insert 34 is already in front of the page on which the requisite 
information is found (such as the page 48 of FIG. 1), and the housing 26 
is facing that page (as it does in FIG. 1), all that remains is to open 
the binder 12 between that page and the insert 34, so that the correct 
page is one side of the rings 20 while the calculator 10 is on the other 
side of the rings 20, making both visible and conveniently useable. 
Similarly, if the requisite information were found on the page 52 of FIG. 
2, all that remains to be done is to open the binder 12 between the 
correct page (the page 52 of FIG. 2) and the insert 34, so that the 
required page is on one side of the rings 20 and the calculator 10, is on 
the other side of the rings, facing that page. 
The second possibility is that while the insert 34 may already be located 
adjacent to the appropriate page, (the page 50 in FIG. 1 or the page 54 of 
FIG. 2), the housing 26 is turned away from that page and faces the page 
beneath the insert 34 (the page 48 in FIG. 1 or the page 52 in FIG. 2). 
Under these circumstances all that is required is to re-orient the housing 
26 so that it faces the correct page (the page 50 in FIG. 1 or the page 54 
in FIG. 2). This is best accomplished by lifting the free end of the 
insert 34 along with the housing without pulling the dorsum 46 off the 
rings 20 so that the insert is roughly perpendicular to the covers 14 and 
16 of an open binder 12, and while holding the insert 34, applying 
sufficient lateral force near the left or right edge of the housing 26 to 
disengage the stop member 80 from the depression 82 within the mating 
indent 84 on one side of the housing, rotate the housing 180.degree. 
clockwise or counterclockwise about the B--B axis, and engage the stop 
member 80 with the mating depression on the opposite side of the housing. 
At this point the insert 34 and the housing 26 within it may be laid flat, 
on the other side of the rings 20, across from the page being accessed 
(the page 50 in FIG. 1 or the page 54 in FIG. 2), making the calculator 
available for use in conjunction with information found on that page. 
The third possibility is that the insert 34 is mounted on the rings 20 
somewhere other than adjacent to the page containing the requisite 
information, (for example the insert may be mounted adjacent to the page 
50 of FIG. 1 whereas the required information is found on the page 52 of 
FIG. 2), and the calculator is oriented towards the correct page. The 
fourth and last possibility is that the insert 34 is mounted in the binder 
12 somewhere other than adjacent to the page containing the requisite 
information and the calculator 10 is facing away from the correct page 
(for example the insert could be needed for use with information found on 
the page 52 of FIG. 2 whereas it is located next to and facing the page 48 
of FIG. 1). 
The first step in rectifying either of the latter two situations is to 
remove the insert 34 from the binder 12 in order to make it available for 
reinsertion where it is needed. This is accomplished by pulling on the 
housing 26 or the insert 34 with sufficient force to deform the detents 62 
of the retaining slots 60 allowing the rings 20 to pass through these 
slots, thereby releasing the insert from the rings 20 and the binder 12. 
The insert 34 is then introduced in front of the page containing the 
information to be used in conjunction with the calculator 10 (such as the 
page 52 of FIG. 2), with the dorsum 46 pointing towards the rings 20. Once 
the retaining slots 60 and the positioning slots 70 in the dorsum 46 are 
aligned with the respective rings 20, sufficient inward pressure is 
applied to the housing 26 or the insert 34 to deform the detents 62 in the 
retaining slots 60 to allow the rings 20 to pass through the throat 66 of 
the retaining slots 60 and be received by apertures 58. At this point the 
insert 34 is located next to the correct page (the page 52 of FIG. 2) and 
the calculator 10 may be facing that page (as it does in FIG. 2), in which 
case the task of placing the calculator 10 alongside information found on 
that page is accomplished. If, on the other hand, the required information 
is found on the page at the back of the housing face 32 (such as the page 
54 of FIG. 2) then the steps to rotate the housing on the insert outlined 
in the second situation are repeated here. 
As will be appreciated from the above description, the present invention 
allows an article such as an electronic calculator to be seen and 
conveniently used alongside information printed on either left-hand or 
right-hand pages held within a binder, on the opposite side of the binder 
rings. 
While a particular form of the invention has been illustrated and 
described, it will be apparent that various modifications can be made 
without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, 
it is not intended that the invention be limited, except as by the 
appended claims.