Patent Publication Number: US-8523234-B2

Title: Sheet dividers with visible tabs and corresponding covered tabs

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This disclosure is related to the subject matter disclosed in co-filed U.S. non-provisional patent applications titled “SHEET DIVIDERS WITH MULTIPLE ROWS OF OFFSET TABS”, U.S. Ser. No. 11/945,202; co-filed U.S. non-provisional patent applications titled “SHEET DIVIDERS WITH MULTIPLE ROWS OF PARTIALLY OFFSET TABS”, U.S. Ser. No. 11/945,224; and co-filed U.S. non-provisional patent applications titled “SHEET DIVIDERS WITH MULTIPLE ROWS HAVING EXTENDED PARTIALLY OFFSET TABS”, U.S. Ser. No. 11/945,237; the entire contents of which are incorporated in their entirety herein by reference thereto. 
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     This disclosure relates to sheet dividers with tabs. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Sheet dividers are widely used office products, typically inserted in a binder to separate sheets of paper into desired categories or sections and as such typically preformed with three holes along one side to receive the binder rings therein. One category of dividers are formed with tabs projecting from the side opposite from the binder rings (i.e. the side opposite from the side with pre-punched holes). As is well known, the holes and, optionally, the tabs are formed along the longer sides of the divider. 
       FIG. 1  illustrates such a typical sheet divider  100 , formed from a sheet  110  with a tab  120  and three pre-punched holes  130 . Tabs are typically labeled with some sort of indicia to identify particular sections in the binder, either by being marked with the indicia or being formed to receive a label bearing the indicia therein. The tabs project beyond the sheets of paper so that a user can easily access a desired section in the binder. As also illustrated in  FIG. 1 , such dividers are typically sold in sets of dividers that have tabs  120 ,  122 ,  124 , etc. formed along the same side but at different positions arranged in a staggered pattern that allows all tabs to be visible when the set of dividers is arranged in a stack, regardless of the order of the dividers in the stack. 
     As is apparent from  FIG. 1 , a limitation of such typical dividers is that for a given length of each individual tab  120  (as measured along the side of the divider from which the tab extends), there is a finite number of dividers that can be stacked such that all of their tabs are visible. Clearly, the longer each tab, the fewer dividers can be accommodated in such a stack. Longer tabs, however, are preferable because they can carry more indicia for labeling the individual section in the binder, are easier to be grasped by a user looking to turn to that section in the binder, and are more resistant to accidental tearing and other damage. Thus, a need currently exists for a system of tabbed sheet dividers offering a larger number of tabs visible in a stack that is preferably not constrained by the length of the divider itself. The embodiments of the present disclosure answer these and other needs. 
     SUMMARY 
     In a first embodiment disclosed herein, a set of sheet dividers comprises a first plurality of sheet dividers, each divider comprising a sheet with a tab extending therefrom at a different location and for a first length along the same side as all other dividers in the first plurality; and a second plurality of sheet dividers, each divider comprising a sheet with a tab extending therefrom at a different location and for a second length along the same side as all other dividers in the second plurality, the second length being shorter than the first length, the second plurality being divided into subsets of dividers having their tabs adjacent one another and overlaid by the tab of a corresponding one of the first plurality of sheet dividers when the subset and corresponding one of the first plurality of sheet dividers are stacked together. 
     In another embodiment disclosed herein, a method of assembling a set of sheet dividers comprises the steps of providing a first plurality of sheet dividers, each divider comprising a sheet with a tab extending therefrom at a different location and for a first length along the same side as all other dividers in the first plurality; and providing a second plurality of sheet dividers, each divider comprising a sheet with a tab extending therefrom at a different location and for a second length along the same side as all other dividers in the second plurality, the second length being shorter than the first length, the second plurality being divided into subsets of dividers having their tabs adjacent one another and overlaid by the tab of a corresponding one of the first plurality of sheet dividers when the subset and corresponding one of the first plurality of sheet dividers are stacked together. 
     In a further embodiment disclosed herein, a method of dividing a plurality of sheets comprises the steps of acquiring a first plurality of sheet dividers, each divider comprising a sheet with a tab extending therefrom at a different location and for a first length along the same side as all other dividers in the first plurality; acquiring a second plurality of sheet dividers, each divider comprising a sheet with a tab extending therefrom at a different location and for a second length along the same side as all other dividers in the second plurality, the second length being shorter than the first length, the second plurality being divided into subsets of dividers having their tabs adjacent one another and overlaid by the tab of a corresponding one of the first plurality of sheet dividers when the subset and corresponding one of the first plurality of sheet dividers are stacked together; and inserting the dividers into a stack of sheets to divide the sheets into sections so that when the divided sheets are arranged in a stack, the tabs of every divider in a single subset of the second plurality are disposed beneath the tab of the corresponding one of the first plurality of dividers. 
     In further alternative embodiments, the tabs of the second plurality of sheet dividers may extend from the opposite side of their respective sheets to the same extent to which the tabs of the first plurality of sheet dividers extend from the opposite side of their respective sheets, or the tabs of the second plurality of sheet dividers may extend from the opposite side of their respective sheets to an extent greater than that to which the tabs of the first plurality of sheet dividers extend from the opposite side of their respective sheets. 
     In a still further embodiment, the set of sheet dividers may further comprise a table-of-contents sheet bearing a plurality of delineated spaces, each space disposed on the sheet to correspond to a particular tab of the first or second pluralities of sheet dividers when the table-of-contents sheet is stacked with the first and second pluralities of sheet dividers. The spaces corresponding to the tabs of the first plurality of sheet dividers and the spaces corresponding to the tabs of the second plurality of sheet dividers may be arranged in two adjacent columns on the table-of-contents sheet. Each pair of space and corresponding tab may further bear coordinated indicia. Each space may be disposed on the sheet to be aligned with its respective tab when the table-of-contents sheet is stacked with the first and second pluralities of sheet dividers. 
     These and other features and advantages will become further apparent from the detailed description and accompanying figures that follow. In the figures and description, numerals indicate the various features, like numerals referring to like features throughout both the drawings and the description. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is an illustration of a stacked set of sheet dividers as known in the art; 
         FIG. 2   a ,  FIG. 2   b  and  FIG. 2   c  illustrate one exemplary embodiment of sheet dividers as disclosed herein; 
         FIG. 3   a ,  FIG. 3   b  and  FIG. 3   c  illustrate another exemplary embodiment sheet dividers as disclosed herein; 
         FIG. 4  is an illustration of an exemplary embodiment of a table of contents sheet for use with sheet dividers as described herein; 
         FIG. 5   a  and  FIG. 5   b  depict the table of contents sheet of  FIG. 4  in use with the embodiments of  FIGS. 2 and 3 ; 
         FIG. 6   a ,  FIG. 6   b  and  FIG. 6   c  illustrate another exemplary embodiment of sheet dividers as disclosed herein; 
         FIG. 7   a ,  FIG. 7   b  and  FIG. 7   c  illustrate another exemplary embodiment sheet dividers as disclosed herein; 
         FIG. 8   a  and  FIG. 8   b  illustrate an exemplary embodiment of a table of contents sheet for use with, and in use with, the embodiment of  FIG. 6  as disclosed herein; 
         FIG. 9   a  and  FIG. 9   b  illustrate an exemplary embodiment of a table of contents sheet for use with, and in use with, the embodiment of  FIG. 7  as disclosed herein; 
         FIG. 10   a ,  FIG. 10   b  and  FIG. 10   c  illustrate another exemplary embodiment of sheet dividers as disclosed herein; 
         FIG. 11   a  and  FIG. 11   b  illustrate an exemplary embodiment of a table of contents sheet for use with, and in use with, the embodiment of  FIG. 10  and as disclosed herein; 
         FIG. 12   a ,  FIG. 12   b ,  FIG. 12   c  and  FIG. 12   d  illustrate another exemplary embodiment of sheet dividers as disclosed herein; and 
         FIG. 13   a  and  FIG. 13   b  illustrate an exemplary embodiment of a table of contents sheet for use with, and in use with, the embodiment of  FIG. 12  and as disclosed herein. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Referring to  FIG. 2 , in a first embodiment according to the present disclosure, the needs discussed above are addressed by providing a set of dividers that includes multiple cooperating pluralities or subsets of dividers. For ease of discussion, only two such subsets of dividers are shown in  FIGS. 2(   a ) and  2 ( b ) respectively, but it must be understood that the present invention contemplates any number of such subsets of dividers cooperating as described hereinafter. A main principle of this embodiment is that the overall width of the dividers in any one subsets of dividers, as measured from the outside edge of a tab to the opposite side of the divider, is different from the overall width of the dividers in any other cooperating subset, so that when cooperating subsets of dividers are stacked according to their overall width with the narrowest width on top and the widest width on the bottom, all tabs are visible from the top of the stack. This is best shown in  FIG. 2(   c ), which illustrates the subset of dividers  200  of  FIG. 2(   a ) stacked on top of the subset of dividers  250  of  FIG. 2(   b ). 
     There are different approaches to achieving the effect described above, all of which are envisioned as within the scope of the present disclosure. In the embodiment of  FIG. 2 , the sheets  210  of the subset of dividers  200  have a width Wa as measured from the inside edge of the tab to the opposite side that is equal to the width Wb as measured from the inside edge of the tab to the opposite side of the sheets  260  of the subset of dividers  250 . However, the width TWa of the tabs  220 ,  222 , etc. of the subset of dividers  200  is narrower than the width of the width TWb of the tabs  270 ,  272 , etc. of the subset of dividers  250 . As such, and as shown in  FIG. 2(   c ), when the two subsets of dividers  200 ,  250  are stacked with the subset of dividers having narrower tabs (i.e. dividers  200 ) on top of the subset of dividers having wider tabs (i.e. dividers  250 ), the narrower tabs  220 , etc. will only partially obscure the wider tabs  270 , etc. to a viewer looking at the top of the stack. 
     An alternative to the above embodiment is depicted in  FIG. 3  and utilizes a different approach to achieve the same end result, namely providing cooperating subsets of dividers that have tabs of equal width but sheets of different widths. Thus, as shown in  FIG. 3(   a ), the sheets  310  of the subset of dividers  300  have a width Wa as measured from the inside edge of the tab to the opposite side that is narrower than the width Wb as measured from the inside edge of the tab to the opposite side of the sheets  360  of the subset of dividers  350 , while the width TWa of the tabs  320 ,  322 , etc. of the subset of dividers  300  is equal to the width of the width TWb of the tabs  370 ,  372 , etc. of the subset of dividers  350 . As such, and as shown in  FIG. 3(   c ), when the two subsets of dividers  300 ,  350  are stacked with the subset of dividers having narrower sheets (i.e. dividers  300 ) on top of the subset of dividers having wider sheets (i.e. dividers  350 ), the narrower tabs  320 , etc. will again only partially obscure the wider tabs  370 , etc. to a viewer looking at the top of the stack. 
     In a further embodiment, and with reference now to  FIG. 4 , a set of sheet dividers as disclosed herein may be further provided with a so-called table-of-contents (TOC) sheet  400  that can be inserted in the binder at the very front of the stack of divided sheets to further help identify the various sections of sheets as segregated by the dividers. The TOC sheet  400  has delineated spaces  410 ,  420  thereon that can preferably be marked with various indicia by a user, and that are disposed so that each such delineated space corresponds to a particular tab of the pluralities of dividers  200 ,  250  or  300 ,  350 . As shown in  FIG. 4 , one possible embodiment of such a TOC sheet that may be used with the embodiments of  FIG. 2  or  FIG. 3  is provided with delineated spaces  410 ,  420  arranged in two adjacent columns and are each of substantially equal height as the corresponding tabs so that when the TOC sheet is stacked together with the sheet dividers, each space thereon is aligned with its corresponding tab. Thus, in the example of  FIG. 4  together with the embodiment of  FIG. 3  which are shown stacked together in  FIG. 5(   a ), space  410   a  corresponds to and is aligned with tab  320 , space  420   a  corresponds to and is aligned with tab  370 , space  410   b  corresponds to and is aligned with tab  322 , space  420   b  corresponds to and is aligned with tab  372 , and so on. Similarly, in the example of  FIG. 4  together with the embodiment of  FIG. 2  which are shown stacked together in  FIG. 5(   b ), space  410   a  corresponds to and is aligned with tab  220 , space  420   a  corresponds to and is aligned with tab  270 , space  410   b  corresponds to and is aligned with tab  222 , space  420   b  corresponds to and is aligned with tab  272 , and so on. 
     A different approach to meeting the needs identified above that is contemplated by the present writing is illustrated in  FIGS. 6 and 7 , wherein a main principle is the provision of two subsets of sheet dividers wherein the top subset is formed with tabs that define gaps therebetween when the dividers are arranged in a stack and the bottom subset is formed with tabs that are arranged to be visible through the gaps in the top subset when both subsets are arranged in a stack. 
     With reference to  FIG. 6 , one possible implementation of this alternative principle involves a first subset of sheet dividers  600  and a second subset of sheet dividers  650 . Each divider  600  in the first subset is formed with a tab  620 ,  622 , etc. extending from the same side thereof as all the other dividers and for a length La as measured along that same side of the divider. As shown in  FIG. 6(   a ), the length La of each tab  620 ,  622 , etc. is less than the distance between adjacent tabs when the first subset of dividers is stacked together (as measured between corresponding points on adjacent tabs) so that when the first dividers  600  are stacked together a gap Ga is defined between each pair of adjacent tabs in the first subset. Similarly, each divider  650  in the second subset is formed with a tab  670 ,  672 , etc. extending from the same side thereof as all the other dividers and for a length Lb as measured along that same side of the divider. As shown in  FIG. 6(   b ), this length Lb is greater than the length of each gap Ga. As also shown in  FIG. 6(   b ), each divider  650  in the second subset is formed with a tab  670 ,  672 , etc. disposed at a location that corresponds to a particular one of the gaps Ga between each pair of adjacent tabs in the first subset of dividers  600 . In this manner, and as shown in  FIG. 6(   c ), when the first and second subsets of dividers  600 ,  650  are arranged in a stack with the first subset of dividers  600  on top of the second subset of dividers  650 , the tabs  670 ,  672 , etc. of the second subset of dividers are partially visible through the gaps Ga between the tabs  620 ,  622 , etc. of the first subset of sheet dividers. 
     In the embodiment of  FIG. 6  the length Lb of the tabs  670 ,  672 , etc. of the second subset of dividers is substantially equal to the length La of the tabs  620 ,  622 , etc. of the first subset of dividers  600 , and as such the second subset of dividers  650  also define a gap Gb between adjacent tabs when the dividers are arranged in a stack. Thus, in the embodiment of  FIG. 6 , the second subset of dividers  650  can also be arranged in a stack on top of the first subset of dividers  600  and the tabs  620 ,  622 , etc. of the first subset of dividers will be partially visible through the gaps Gb between the tabs  670 ,  672 , etc. of the second subset of sheet dividers. Among the advantages conferred by this approach is the ability to provide longer tabs, which can thus bear further indicia, and the gaps between the top tabs allow a partial but sufficient view of the bottom tabs for a user to be able to identify the desired tab without having to lift all of the first tabs and the sheets they subdivide. 
     However, the length of the tabs in the first and second subsets does not have to be equal, provided that the tabs of the dividers disposed on top provide gaps through which the tabs of the dividers disposed on the bottom can be partially viewed. Thus, in one such embodiment as shown in  FIG. 7(   a ), a first subset of dividers  700  may be substantially similar to the first subset of dividers  600  discussed above and shown in  FIG. 6(   a ), with a similar gap Ga between adjacent tabs  720 ,  722 , etc. when the dividers  700  are arranged in a stack. However, in this embodiment, a second subset of dividers  750  as shown in  FIG. 7(   b ) is formed with tabs  770 ,  772 , etc., each having a length Lb that is longer than the length La of the tabs  720 ,  722 , etc. of the first subset of dividers. Thus, as shown in  FIG. 7(   c ), when the first and second subsets of dividers  700 ,  750  are arranged in a stack with the first subset of dividers  700  on top of the second subset of dividers  750 , the tabs  770 ,  772 , etc. of the second subset of dividers are partially visible through the gaps Ga between the tabs  720 ,  722 , etc. of the first subset of sheet dividers. As the skilled reader will appreciate, among the advantages conferred by this alternative approach is the ability to provide one set of even longer tabs, which can thus bear even further indicia, and still be identifiable by a viewer from the top through the partial but sufficient view afforded by the gaps between the top tabs. 
     Similar to previous embodiments, the embodiments of  FIGS. 6 and 7  may also be provided with a TOC sheet such as sheet  800  as shown in  FIG. 8(   a ), or sheet  900  as shown in  FIG. 9(   a ). Sheet  800  is provided with delineated spaces  810 ,  820  thereon that can preferably be marked with various indicia by a user, and that are disposed so that each such delineated space corresponds to a particular tab of the pluralities of dividers  600 ,  650  or  700 ,  750 .  FIG. 8(   b ) depicts the embodiment of a TOC sheet  800  according to  FIG. 8(   a ) arranged in a stack with the embodiment of  FIG. 6 , although the TOC sheet  800  may be used equally successfully with the embodiment of  FIG. 7 . As shown, TOC sheet  800  is provided with delineated spaces  810 ,  820  arranged in two adjacent columns and are each of greater height than the lengths La, Lb of the corresponding tabs  720 ,  770 , etc., and are positioned on the TOC sheet so that when the TOC sheet is stacked together with the sheet dividers, each space thereon is aligned with its corresponding tab. Thus, in the example of  FIG. 8(   b ), space  810   a  corresponds to and is aligned with tab  620 , space  820   a  corresponds to and is aligned with tab  670 , space  810   b  corresponds to and is aligned with tab  622 , space  820   b  corresponds to and is aligned with tab  672 , and so on. Alternatively, as in the embodiment of  FIG. 4 , delineated spaces  810 ,  820  may be of substantially equal height to the lengths La, Lb of the corresponding tabs  720 ,  770 , etc. 
       FIG. 9(   b ) depicts the embodiment of a TOC sheet  900  according to  FIG. 9(   a ) arranged in a stack with the embodiment of  FIG. 7 , although the TOC sheet  900  may be used equally successfully with the embodiment of  FIG. 6 . As shown, TOC sheet  900  is provided with delineated spaces  910 ,  920  arranged in a single column and are each of substantially equal height to the length La of the corresponding tabs  720 ,  722 , etc., which are the shorter tabs of the two subsets of dividers  700 ,  750 . The delineated spaces  910 ,  920 , etc. are positioned on the TOC sheet  900  so that when the TOC sheet is stacked together with the sheet dividers  700 ,  750 , each space thereon is aligned with its corresponding tab. Thus, in the example of  FIG. 9(   b ), space  910  corresponds to and is aligned with tab  720 , space  920  corresponds to and is aligned with tab  770 , space  930  corresponds to and is aligned with tab  722 , space  940  corresponds to and is aligned with tab  772 , and so on. 
     It is further noted that the embodiments of  FIGS. 6-9  are illustrated with sheet dividers that have substantially equal overall widths as measured from the outside edge of the respective tab to the opposite side of the divider. However, as discussed immediately below, the present invention is not limited to this configuration. 
     Thus, in yet another novel approach to meeting the needs identified above, the present invention contemplates a solution that is in essence a hybrid of the embodiments of  FIGS. 2 and 3  and of  FIGS. 6 and 7 , wherein the subset of sheet dividers disposed on top is formed with both an overall shorter width than the sheet dividers disposed below as well as with tabs that define gaps between adjacent tabs when the sheet dividers are arranged in a stack to afford a partial view of the tabs underneath. In this manner, the visibility of the tabs of the sheet dividers disposed at the bottom is yet further enhanced. 
     With reference to  FIG. 10(   a ), a subset of sheet dividers  1000  that are intended to be disposed on top may be essentially the same as the sheet dividers  600  shown in  FIG. 6(   a ) and discussed above. Dividers  1000  have a width Wa as measured from the inside edge of the tab  1020 ,  1022 , etc. to the opposite side of the divider, and are formed with tabs  1020 ,  1022 , etc. that are aligned so as to define gaps Ga between adjacent tabs when the dividers are arranged in a stack. The subset of dividers  1050  that are intended to be disposed underneath the sheet dividers  1000  are, as shown in  FIG. 10(   b ), formed similar to sheet dividers  650  shown in  FIG. 6(   b ), each having a tabs  1070 ,  1072 , etc. disposed at a location that corresponds to a particular one of the gaps Ga between each pair of adjacent tabs in the first subset of dividers  1000 . The width of the second subset of dividers  1050  Wb as measured from the inside edge of the tab  1070 ,  1072 , etc. to the opposite side of the divider is substantially equal to the width Wa of the first subset of dividers  1000 . However, the width TWa of each tab  1020 ,  1022 , etc. in the first subset of dividers (that is, the extent to which the tabs extend from the side of the respective dividers) is narrower than the width TWb of the tabs  1070 ,  1072 , etc. of the second subset of dividers. In this manner, and as shown in  FIG. 10(   c ), when the first and second subsets of dividers  1000 ,  1050  are arranged in a stack with the first subset of dividers  1000  on top of the second subset of dividers  1050 , the tabs  1070 ,  1072 , etc. of the second subset of dividers are partially visible through the gaps Ga between, as well as extend past the outer edge of, the tabs  1020 ,  1022 , etc. of the first subset of sheet dividers. As previously mentioned, this provides further enhanced visibility of the bottom set of dividers. Thus, it is hereby explicitly stated that the invention contemplates any combination of Wa≦Wb and TWa≦TWb.  FIG. 10  illustrates a non-limiting embodiment wherein Wa=Wb and TWa≦TWb, while  FIG. 6  a non-limiting embodiment wherein illustrates Wa=Wb and TWa=TWb. 
     As with previous embodiments, a TOC sheet  1100  with delineated spaces  1110 ,  1120  disposed in two adjacent columns as shown in  FIG. 11(   a ) may be provided to be stacked together with the dividers  1000 ,  1050  in the manner shown in  FIG. 11(   b ) and described elsewhere herein with regards to the foregoing embodiments. It is to be understood that any of the TOC sheets shown and described elsewhere herein and their equivalents without limitation may also be used with the dividers  1000 ,  1050  according to the invention. 
     With reference now to  FIG. 12 , in a final embodiment disclosed herein, two subsets of dividers cooperate in a different manner than those described above. Specifically, as shown in  FIG. 12(   a ), a first subset of sheet dividers  1200  is provided that are essentially typical sheet dividers with tabs  1220 ,  1222 , etc. extending from one side thereof as known in the art or described elsewhere herein. However, as shown in  FIG. 12(   b ), a second subset of sheet dividers  1250  is provided with tabs  1270   a ,  1270   b ,  1270   c ,  1272   a ,  1272   b ,  1272   c , etc., extending from one side thereof and formed such that each sheet divider  1220 ,  1222 , etc. from among the first subset of sheet dividers  1200  cooperates with a further subset of the second subset of sheet dividers  1250  so that the tab of the divider from the first subset of sheet dividers overlies and covers the tabs of the respective further subset of the second subset of sheet dividers when stacked together. In the particular exemplary embodiment of  FIG. 12 , first sheet divider tab  1220  covers the further subset of the second subset of sheet dividers having tabs  1270   a ,  1270   b , and  1270   c , while first sheet divider tab  1222  covers the further subset of the second subset of sheet dividers having tabs  1272   a ,  1272   b , and  1272   c , etc. Although in the exemplary embodiment of  FIG. 12  each further subset of the second subset of sheet dividers is shown as consisting of three such sheet dividers  1250 , the invention contemplates any number of such dividers greater than one. 
     In use, a user may divide sheets in a stack into Sections with the sheet dividers  1200  of the first subset of dividers, and then further divide each such Section into further Subsections with the sheet dividers  1250  in the second subset of dividers. Using the embodiment of  FIG. 12 , a user may divide each Section of sheets in a binder into up to three further Subsections. In this manner, a first sheet divider  1200  corresponding to a first Section is overlain on top of up to three of the cooperating second sheet dividers  1250  which are themselves interlaid among the sheets to divide them into respective first Subsections such that first sheet divider tab  1220  overlies all three second sheet divider tabs  1270   a ,  1270   b ,  1270   c , a second sheet divider  1200  corresponding to a second Section is overlain on top of up to three of the cooperating second sheet dividers  1250  which are themselves interlaid among the sheets to divide them into respective second Subsections such that first sheet divider tab  1222  overlies all three second sheet divider tabs  1272   a ,  1272   b ,  1272   c , and so on, as shown in  FIG. 12(   c ). In a further exemplary embodiment, and as shown in  FIG. 12(   d ), the tabs  1270   a ,  1270   b ,  1270   c ,  1272   a ,  1272   b ,  1272   c , etc., of the second sheet dividers  1250  may extend laterally past the outside edges of the tabs  1220 ,  1222 , etc. of the first plurality of sheet dividers  1200  so that a portion of these tabs is visible even when overlaid by the respective cooperating first plurality of dividers. 
     This embodiment can also advantageously be provided with a TOC sheet  1300  as shown in  FIG. 13(   a ), wherein delineated spaces  1310 ,  1320  are disposed in two adjacent columns a and b as shown in  FIG. 11(   a ) so that each delineated space  1310   a ,  1310   b , etc. corresponds to one of the tabs  1220 ,  1222 , etc. for defining user Sections in the divided sheets, each delineated space  1320   a ,  1320   b ,  1320   c  corresponds to one of the tabs  1270   a ,  1270   b ,  1270   c  for defining first user Subsections, each delineated space  1322   a ,  1322   b ,  1322   c  corresponds to one of the tabs  1272   a ,  1272   b ,  1272   c  for defining second user Subsections, and so on in the manner shown in  FIG. 13(   b ). This embodiment may be further modified by varying the relative values of Wa, Wb, TWa and TWb as described above. 
     It must be understood that although all embodiments depicted in the drawings are shown with tabs having generally the same geometric shape, the present writing contemplates pluralities of dividers that are formed with tabs of various geometric shapes, such as square, triangular, rounded, curved, oval, rhomboid, etc. It is also contemplated that the tab shapes may vary within a set of dividers or between sets of dividers. Furthermore, it is hereby explicitly affirmed that the present invention contemplates any number of subsets of dividers cooperating in the various manners as described above and is in no way intended to be limited to only two such subsets of dividers. It must also be understood that the construction of the tabs is immaterial to the practice of the present invention, and any and all manners of tabs are envisioned within the scope of the invention, including tabs formed of a single sheet of material, and tabs formed with an enclosed space for receiving a piece of paper or other indicia-bearing material therein. 
     Having now described the invention in accordance with the requirements of the patent statutes, those skilled in this art will understand how to make changes and modifications to the present invention to meet their specific requirements or conditions. Such changes and modifications may be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention as disclosed herein. The foregoing Detailed Description of exemplary and preferred embodiments is presented for purposes of illustration and disclosure in accordance with the requirements of the law. It is not intended to be exhaustive nor to limit the invention to the precise form(s) described, but only to enable others skilled in the art to understand how the invention may be suited for a particular use or implementation. The possibility of modifications and variations will be apparent to practitioners skilled in the art. No limitation is intended by the description of exemplary embodiments which may have included tolerances, feature dimensions, specific operating conditions, engineering specifications, or the like, and which may vary between implementations or with changes to the state of the art, and no limitation should be implied therefrom. Applicants have made this disclosure with respect to the current state of the art, but also contemplate advancements and that adaptations in the future may take into consideration of those advancements, namely in accordance with the then current state of the art. It is intended that the scope of the invention be defined by the Claims as written and equivalents as applicable. Reference to a claim element in the singular is not intended to mean “one and only one” unless explicitly so stated. Moreover, no element, component, nor method or process step in this disclosure is intended to be dedicated to the public regardless of whether the element, component, or step is explicitly recited in the Claims. No claim element herein is to be construed under the provisions of 35 U.S.C. Sec. 112, sixth paragraph, unless the element is expressly recited using the phrase “means for . . . ” and no method or process step herein is to be construed under those provisions unless the step, or steps, are expressly recited using the phrase “comprising the step(s) of . . . ”