Patent Publication Number: US-6705793-B2

Title: Binder with hole punch

Description:
The present invention is directed to a binder for receiving loose papers, and more particularly, to a binder for receiving loose papers, the binder having a hole punch. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Binders are used by students and professionals to store loose leaf papers and other loose items. The binders typically include a binding mechanism, such as a conventional three ring binder, to bind the papers together. However, many papers, such as hand-outs, photocopies, large or irregular-sized papers, and the like do not have pre-punched holes. In these cases, holes must be punched in the papers using a hole punch mechanism before the papers can be received in the binder. However, a hole punch may not always be readily available, and it can be difficult to predict when a hole punch may be needed. Furthermore, standard hole punches can be quite bulky and heavy, and therefore inconvenient to carry. Accordingly, there is a need for a binder that can form holes into a paper such that the papers can be received in the binding mechanism of the binder. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is a binder having a hole punch mechanism. The hole punch is preferably mounted to the cover of the binder, and is configured to punch holes in a piece of paper such that the punched paper can be received in the binding mechanism of the binder. The present invention eliminates the need to carry a separate hole punch, and ensures that a hole punch mechanism is available whenever unpunched papers are desired to be placed into the binder. 
     In one embodiment, the invention is a binder for receiving and retaining loose leaf papers comprising a cover, a binding mechanism coupled to the cover, and a hole punch coupled to the cover. The hole punch is configured to punch a set of holes in a sheet of paper such that the binding mechanism can be received through the set of holes to receive and retain the paper in the binder. 
     Other objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description and the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a top view of the binder of the present invention, with the hole punch, receptacle and pencil sharpener in their closed positions; and 
     FIG. 2 is a top view of the binder of FIG. 1, with the hole punch, receptacle and pencil sharpener in their open positions. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     As shown in FIG. 1, the binder  10  of the present invention includes a cover  12  having an inner surface  14  and a binding mechanism  16  coupled to the inner surface of the cover. The binding mechanism  16  is shown as a conventional three ring binder, although a variety of binding mechanisms may be used without departing from the scope of the present invention. The illustrated binding mechanism  16  includes a set of openable rings  18 ,  20 ,  22  that are actuable by a set of triggers  24 ,  26 . The rings  18 ,  20 ,  22  are preferably generally evenly spaced apart a distance of about 4¼ inches. 
     The cover  12  includes a pair of opposed outer edges  28 ,  30 , and a hole punch  32  is located adjacent the outer edge  30 . The hole punch  32  includes a movable handle  34  having a set of protrusions  36  on the lower surface of the handle  34  (FIG.  2 ). The hole punch  32  also includes a base  40  having a set of recesses  42  that are aligned with the protrusions  36 . In order to punch a hole in a sheet of paper  46 , the handle  34  is moved to its open position, as shown in FIG. 2. A paper  46  is then slid on top of the base  40  such that the paper is located between the handle  34  and the base  40 . The handle  34  is then moved to the closed position such that the protrusions  36  are received in a respective recess  42 , thereby punching a set of holes in the paper  46 . The handle  34  and base  40  are preferably made of a light weight plastic material, such as acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) to provide a light weight hole punch  32 . 
     The protrusions  36  and recesses  42  are preferably aligned such that the hole punch  32  forms a set of holes in the paper  46  that correspond to the spacing of the rings  18 ,  20 ,  22 . In this manner, a sheet of paper punched with the hole punch  32  can be received in the binding mechanism  16 . Of course, various other holes punches besides the hole punch  32  shown herein may be used without departing from the scope of the present invention. For example, the protrusions  36  may be located on the base  40  and the recesses  42  may be located on the handle  34 . Furthermore, many other mechanisms beyond cooperating protrusions and recesses may be used as a hole punch mechanism. Preferably the hole punch  32  is configured to punch holes in a sheet of paper  46  such that the binding mechanism  16  can pass through the holes to receive and retain the paper in the binder  10 . Further preferably the hole punch  32  forms the requisite holes in a single motion of the hole punch  32 , such that multiple punchings of the paper  46  are not required. 
     The binder  10  further includes a receptacle  50  having a closable lid. The receptacle  50  can be used to hold various loose items (such as the paper clips  54  shown in FIG. 2) in a location that is convenient to the user. The binder  10  also has a pencil sharpener  56  located adjacent the receptacle  50 . The pencil sharpener  56  includes a blade  58  mounted into a blade holder  60 , and has a shavings receptacle  62  adjacent the blade holder  60  to receive the shavings generated by sharpening a pencil  64 . The shavings receptacle  62  includes a closable lid  70  such that the shavings in the shaving receptacle  62  can periodically be emptied. 
     The pencil sharpener  56  and the receptacle  50  are located along the edge  28  of the cover  12 . As shown in FIG. 1, when in the closed position the pencil sharpener  56  and receptacle  50  form a shape along the edge  28  that is similar to the shape of the hole punch  32  (in its closed position) along the edge  30 . Furthermore, when the binder  10  is in a closed configuration, the handle  34  of the hole punch  32  engages lid  52  of the receptacle and the lid  70  of the pencil sharpener  56 , which helps to maintain the alignment of, and prevent excess bending of, the cover  12  of the binder  10 . 
     Having described the invention in detail and by reference to the preferred embodiments, it will be apparent that modifications and variations thereof are possible without departing from the scope of the invention.