Patent Publication Number: US-2004052572-A1

Title: Post binder

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001] Field of the Invention  
       [0002] This invention relates to a post binder for holding a stack of loose-leaf pages in book-like form.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0003] The present invention is directed to a novel and advantageous post binder for holding a stack of loose-leaf pages which may change in height as pages are added to or removed from the stack.  
       [0004] A principal object of this invention is to provide a post binder having a novel arrangement for accommodating stacks of loose-leaf pages of different heights.  
       [0005] In a presently preferred embodiment of the invention the post binder comprises: a post unit having a plurality of posts spaced apart in accordance with the spacing between openings in the loose-leaf pages to be held in the binder and each having a series of paired grooves in its opposite sides which are closely spaced apart in succession along the height of the respective post; and a page retainer slightly thinner than the post grooves and having openings positioned, shaped and dimensioned to enable the retainer to be slid down over the posts holding a stack of loose-leaf pages and then shifted horizontally for locking engagement in the post grooves immediately above the top of the stack to retain the stacked pages in the binder.  
       [0006] Further aspects and advantages of this invention will be apparent from the following detailed description of two presently preferred embodiments thereof, with reference to the accompanying drawings. 
     
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
     [0007]FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a post binder in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention;  
     [0008]FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the post unit in this binder;  
     [0009]FIG. 3 is a perspective view similar to FIG. 1 and showing loose-leaf pages stacked on the post unit of the binder and the page retainer detached;  
     [0010]FIG. 4 is a perspective view similar to FIG. 3 and showing the page retainer attached to the post unit on top of a stack of loose-leaf pages;  
     [0011]FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 4 and showing a taller stack of loose-leaf pages held in the binder;  
     [0012]FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of the page retainer in the present binder; and  
     [0013]FIG. 7 is a perspective view similar to FIG. 5 and showing the page retainer of FIG. 6 holding a stack of loose-leaf pages on a post unit as shown in FIG. 2. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
     [0014] Before explaining the present invention in detail it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the particular arrangements shown and described since the invention is capable of other embodiments. Also, the terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation.  
     [0015] First Embodiment—FIGS.  1 - 5   
     [0016] Referring to FIG. 1, in this first embodiment of the invention the binder consists of a post unit  10  and a page retainer  20 .  
     [0017] The post unit  10  has an elongated, thin, flat base  11  of sheet metal or suitable plastic and a plurality of identical posts  12  extending perpendicularly up from base  11  at spaced locations along the length of the base corresponding to the spacing between successive openings  13  in loose-leaf pages  14  that are to be stacked on post unit  10 . Commonly, there will be three openings in each loose-leaf page and therefore three posts  12  are shown in post unit  10 . However, it is to be understood that there may be just two openings, or four or more, in the loose-leaf pages, in which case a corresponding number of posts  12  will be provided in the post unit of the present binder. As best seen in FIG. 2, each upstanding post  12  of post unit  10  is of solid cylindrical configuration, with a plurality of paired sets of external grooves  15  and  16  located in its opposite sides in close succession along the height of the post away from base  11 . Each of these grooves has a rectangular cross-section vertically of the post, and is formed with flat, horizontal, upper and lower faces and a flat vertical face at the base of the groove.  
     [0018] The page retainer  20  is an elongated, thin, generally flat, plate-like member of sheet metal or suitable plastic. Preferably, the page retainer is the same shape as base  11  of the post unit  10  and it has a thickness slightly less than the vertical dimension of each post groove  15  or  16 . Page retainer  20  present a plurality of keyhole-shaped openings  21  that are spaced apart along its length the same as the spacing between the posts  12  of post unit  10 . Each of the retainer openings  21  has a circular larger first portion  21   a  that is shaped, dimensioned and positioned to slide down over the corresponding post  12  of the base unit and a rectangular smaller second portion  21   b  connected to its first portion  21   a  on one side and shaped, dimensioned and positioned to snugly but slidably receive the corresponding post  12  at any of its sets of paired grooves  15  and  16 . The width of the narrower rectangular portion  21   b  of each retainer opening  21  is slightly greater than the horizontal dimension of each post  12  between the grooves  15  and  16  of each paired set and is substantially less than the circular diameter of the corresponding post, so that the page retainer is held firmly in the post grooves and it holds the stack of loose-leaf pages firmly in place.  
     [0019] In this first embodiment of the invention each opening  21  in the page retainer is formed by a punching operation which leaves an upstanding tab  22  attached at the opposite end of the opening from its smaller rectangular portion  21   b.    
     [0020] Second Embodiment—FIGS. 6 and 7  
     [0021] In FIGS. 6 and 7 elements of the post binder which correspond to elements of the first embodiment are given the same reference numerals, plus  100 , as those in FIGS.  1 - 5  so that the detailed description of these corresponding elements need not be repeated.  
     [0022] The post unit of the second embodiment is identical to the post unit  10  of the first embodiment.  
     [0023] The page retainer  120  of the second embodiment differs from the page retainer  20  of the first embodiment only in that the tabs  22  of the first embodiment are removed, so that the top of page retainer  120  is flat throughout.  
     [0024] From the foregoing description and the accompanying drawings it will be evident that the present invention enables a user to conveniently bind a stack of loose-leaf pages whose height may change as the user adds and removes pages, with the binder being constructed and arranged to accommodate whatever number of pages the user chooses to stack, limited only by the height of the grooved posts in the binder.