Documents filing systems

A document filing system including a document holder (1) provided along the top edge (3) thereof with retaining means (4) arranged to engage in complementary shaped supporting means (8), the release of the holder (1) and associated retaining means (4) from the said supporting means (8) being effected by relative movement between the retaining (4) and supporting means (8) in a direction normal to that required to locate the holder (1) and associated retaining means (4) on said supporting means (8).

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
This invention relates to document filing systems and particularly to a 
suspended filing system. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
An object of the invention is to provide a document filing and storage 
system in which documents such as plans, drawings and the like may be 
located in a document holder and suspended from supporting means such as 
to provide ease of access and retrieval. 
According to one aspect of the invention there is provided a document 
filing system including a document holder provided along the top edge 
thereof with retaining means arranged to engage in complementary shaped 
supporting means, the release of the holder and associated retaining means 
from the said supporting means being effected by relative movement between 
the retaining and supporting means in a direction normal to that required 
to locate the holder and associated retaining means on said supporting 
means. 
According to a further aspect of the invention there is provided a document 
holder having a channel-section member being adapted to engage with a 
complementary shaped channel section supporting member such as to support 
the document holder. 
In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the document holder consists of 
a transparent envelope preferably of plastics material, e.g. polythene 
which may be formed with a flap and of the self-adhesive type to allow 
documents such as plans, drawings, pamphlets leaflets and like material to 
be stored within the envelope. The top edge of the envelope is provided 
with a plastics extrusion preferably of a synthetic thermoplastic resinous 
material, e.g. polypropylene, and the extrusion is of channel-section 
having one wall of greater depth than the other, the former being secured 
to the envelope and the latter being used as the retaining means for 
locating the envelope and documents contained therein on a supporting 
member. This supporting member preferably comprises a further 
polypropylene extrusion having a shape complementary to that of the 
retaining extrusion such that the two extrusions may be snapped together 
to interlock the retaining member, and the supporting member; the 
channel-section configuration of each extrusion allowing the retaining 
extrusion to be slid with respect to the supporting extrusion when it is 
required to remove or retrieve the document holder from storage.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
Referring to FIG. 1, the document holder comprises a transparent envelope 1 
preferably of polythene, having a flap 2. The top edge 3 has secured 
thereto a plastic extrusion 4, preferably of polypropylene and having the 
channel section shown in FIG. 2. The deeper wall 5 of the extrusion 4 is 
secured to the envelope 1 whilst the shallow wall 6 of the extrusion 4 
snaps over the shallow wall 7 of a complementary-shaped extrusion 8 
constituting the supporting means. 
The actual shape of the supporting extrusion 8 is shown in FIG. 3 at A. 
The deeper wall of the supporting extrusion 8 extends downwardly and away 
from the shallow wall of the extrusion 8, to define the first inwardly 
facing engagement surface 19. The top of the shallow wall carries an 
inturned web 25 which defines an inturned abutment 23 along its inner 
extremity. The upwardly facing surface of a member joining the lower 
extremities of the walls of the extrusion 8 defines the second inwardly 
facing engagement surface 20. The entrance slot 18 is defined between the 
first inwardly facing engagement surface 19 and the inturned web 25. 
The retaining extrusion 4 has a complementary shape to the supporting 
extrusion 8. As shown in FIGS. 3C and 4C, a first outwardly facing 
engagement surface 21 is defined by the upper surface of a portion of the 
retaining extrusion 4 extending between the upper ends of the walls 5 and 
6. The lower extremity of the shallow wall 6 is in the form of an inturned 
web 24, the lower and outer surface of which defines a second outwardly 
facing engagement surface 22. The upwardly facing portion of the inturned 
web provides a complementary abutment 26. 
FIG. 3 at B and C illustrates the manner in which the two extrusions 4, 8 
are engaged and disengaged. In order to engage the two extrusions 4, 8 the 
inturned web of the retaining extrusion is fed downwardly through the slot 
18 in the direction of arrow X, until the extrusions 4, 8 snap into rigid 
interlocking engagement, with the first inwardly facing engagement surface 
19 engaging the first outwardly facing engagement surface 21 and the 
second inwardly facing engagement surface 20 engaging the second outwardly 
facing engagement surface 22. In order to disengage the extrusions 4, 8 
the retaining extrusion 4 is slid out of the supporting extrusion 8 in the 
direction of arrow Y. 
In FIG. 4 at A to D, various alternative means are provided for securing 
the supporting extrusion 8 to a surface or support. In FIG. 4 at A, an 
adhesive pad 9 is attached to extrusion 8 to allow the extrusion to be 
mounted on a planar surface. In FIG. 4 at B the upper edge of extrusion 8 
is notched as shown at 10, to allow the extrusion 8 to be supported from 
rails 11 as shown at D in FIG. 4. Similarly extrusion 8 is provided with 
holes 12 as shown at C in FIG. 4 to allow the rails 11 to pass 
therethrough and hold the extrusions 4 and 8 and the document holder 
suspended as shown in FIG. 4 at A and B. FIG. 5 at C shows the extrusion 8 
of FIG. 4 at A with adhesive pads 9 and the document holder 1 with 
extrusion 4 for attachment thereto as shown by arrow X.sub.1. 
As shown in FIG. 5 at B, the envelope 1 may be provided with an opening 13 
along one lateral edge to allow the contents 14 to be removed in the 
direction of arrow Z. 
It will be appreciated that the invention is susceptible to considerable 
modification and is not to be deemed limited to the particular details 
illustrated. In FIG. 4 at A, the supporting extrusion 8 is shown of 
cylindrical form and the extrusion 4 is shown carrying a multi-leaved 
document holder 1. As shown at C in FIG. 6, the retaining extrusion 4 is 
provided with a carrying handle 15 attached thereto or formed integrally 
therewith to allow the documents to be transported with ease.