Abstract:
A springy panel bridges the ring mechanism housing. It is mounted on the ring halves so that when the ring halves close they cam the panel up the lower curve of the segments, and bow the panel upward away from the ring mechanism housing cover. An element having an upward end cam surface for paper or for a sheet lifter is mounted through two holes in the element on a lower segment of a ring so that one end of the element is inside the ring adjacent to the ring mechanism cover, the other end is inside the ring, adjacent to a line through the widest horizontal portion of the closed ring, and the element bows out of the ring between the two ends.

Description:
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/161,590, filed Oct. 26, 1999, and U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/179,786, filed Feb. 2, 2000. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The invention pertains to the art of binder devices which releasably engage apertures in sheets, more specifically to attachments to the rings that move the sheets out from between the lateral tangency of the cover of the binder with the ring when the cover is closed to the ring. 
     2. Description of the Prior Art 
     It is a problem in ring binders that paper slides around to the backside or lower portion of the ring when the binder or book is opened. Then, when the binder is closed, the paper is trapped behind the lower portion of the ring, and between the ring and the cover by the cover against the ring, wherein the paper gets mangled and has to be dragged around to the front side of the ring. 
     The problem occurs with circular rings and is more severe with trapezoidal rings. 
     The patented art is replete with designs for preventing sheets from being trapped below and within the tangency between the ring and the closed cover. They are generally called “sheet lifters”, sometimes “sheet guides” or “paper lifters”. 
     One widely used sheet lifter prior art design which is shown and described herein, is a stiff, flat or slightly curved plate having holes along one side adjacent to the edge of the sheet. 
     The sheet lifter is made of poly, fiber, or plastic and is generally used in ring capacities over 1 ½″ on binders where the rings&#39; mechanism is on the spine of the binder, and where the ring mechanism is on a cover of the binder. It is also used on binder rings having less than 1 ½″ capacity. 
     In FIG. 1, Prior Art sheet lifter  30  is mounted on rings  31  of binder  32 . Sheet lifter  30  lays against ring mechanism housing  32  inside the rings, and lays against one of the binder covers  33  outside the rings. When the cover is rotated upward, lifted toward the rings, sheet lifter  30  slides upward  34  on each of the rings and lifts paper sheets, say loose-leaf paper (not shown), that is mounted on the rings. Sometimes edges  35  of the outer sides of ring receiving openings  36  in the sheet lifter catch under the lower portion  37  of the ring which is below the widest horizontal level  38  of the ring and prevent the lifter from moving the paper out of entrapment between the ring and the cover. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 3,191,604 patented Jun. 29, 1965 by F. Wance describes a wire wing that is hingedly attached to opposite ends of the ring mechansim longitudinal shell. The center of the wing loops back around one of the rings. When the cover is folded upward, toward the ring, the wing lifts the inner end of sheets that are mounted on the rings as the wing is lifted on the hinge axis by the cover. In one arrangement, a paper-end rest shoe containing a hole through which the ring passes, is mounted on the looped back portion of the wing. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 3,306,301 patented Feb. 28, 1967 by R. S. Mason describes a channel fastened along the center of the shield plate housing for the ring opening and closing movement or ring mechanism, having bottom hinged vertical walls hinged at their tops to laterally extending wings that are mounted near their inner ends on the rings. Closing the covers of the binder lifts the distal ends of the wings which move upward on the rings carrying the sheets upward on the ring with them. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 3,591,300 patented Jul. 6, 1971 by L. R. Beyer describes a pair of wings extending from a corrugated central hinge portion that spans the width of the ring mechanism housing, the inward end of each wing receiving an arm of the ring therethrough and having a pair of raised ribs that straddle the arm of the ring and are inclined downward toward the distal end of the wing so that they push ring-held sheets upward on the ring arm when the cover of the binder is moved upward toward the ring. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 3,366,118 patented Jan. 30, 1968 by L. R. Beyer describes a laterally extending wing receiving a plurality of the arms of the same side of the rings of the binder through an inward end of the wing, a pair of raised ribs straddling each arm, each pair being inclined downward toward the distal end of the wing so that they push ring-held sheets upward on the ring arm when the cover of the binder is moved upward toward the ring. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 4,185,934 patented Jan. 29, 1980 by H. C. Hodson describes a pair of laterally extending wings having a longitudinal broken slit creased to form a hinge, straddled by radial slits for receiving left and right arms of a plurality of rings of a ring binder. In one arrangment a longitudinal bar that is wide enough to center the hinge between the rings is fastened to the hinge. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 4,573,822 patented Mar. 4, 1986 by D. K. Allen describes a first longitudinal strip fastened lengthwise to the top of the longitudinal housing of the ring mechanism, and in mirror image on each side of the first strip, a second longitudinal strip receiving one arcuate half of each ring of the ring binder, attached by a first hinge to the first strip and laterally attached by a second hinge to a third longitudinal strip which is laterally attached by a third hinge to a fourth longitudinal strip that is fastened to the cover of the binder so that when the cover is lifted toward the ring the second hinge rises upward as it folds so that it lifts sheets of paper on the ring half that are held by the rings. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 5,503,489 patented by I. Maudal on Apr. 2, 1996 describes a laterally extending wing having a downwardly open raised curve on the inner end of the wing, one arm of the binder ring passes through the curve in two places, once through a hole in the transition arc between the curve and the lateral extending portion of the wing, and again through a U-shaped slot that opens out to the inner edge of the wing so that when the binder cover is lifted toward the ring, and the transition arc moves up the ring arm carrying mounted sheets of paper with it, the inner edge slides across the cover of the ring mechanism and laterally moves onto and straddles the ring arm. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is one object of the invention to provide a device that prevents bound sheets in a loose-leaf binder from being caught in the lower part of the ring at or below the tangency of the cover with the ring when the cover is closed. 
     It is another object that when a prior art sheet lifter is used, the invention also prevents the prior art sheet lifter from being caught in the lower part of the ring at or below the tangency of the cover with the ring when the cover is closed. 
     Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent to one reading the ensuing description. 
     A sheet positioner for supporting a sheet on a sheet binder ring comprising a first arcuate segment and a second arcuate segment movable away from the first arcuate segment for opening the ring for receiving a sheet on one of the first and second segments by a hole in the sheet, movable toward the first arcuate segment for closing the ring at a first junction, and a ring operating mechanism cover from which lower portions of the first and second segments protrude; includes a stiff generally planar plate, a first hole through the plate large enough to receive the first segment through the plate, a second hole through the plate large enough to receive the second segment through the plate, the second hole being spaced from the first hole so that the plate is moved toward the junction by the first and second segments by movement of the second segment toward the first segment when the plate is mounted on the ring, for moving a sheet toward the junction when a sheet is mounted on the positioner on the ring. 
     The second hole is spaced from the first hole so that the plate is cammed toward the junction by sliding on at least one of the first and second holes in the plate along at least one of the first and second segments when the second segment is moved toward the first segment for closing the ring. 
     The second hole is spaced from the first hole so that the plate is bowed toward the junction along a continuous arc from the first hole to the second hole by the first and second segments when the second segment is moved toward the first segment for closing the ring. 
     A loose-leaf binder ring assembly includes a first arcuate segment, a second arcuate segment movable away from the first arcuate segment for opening the ring for receiving a sheet on one of the first and second segments by a hole in the sheet, and movable toward the first arcuate segment for closing the ring at a first junction, a ring operating mechanism cover from which lower portions of the first and second segments protrude, a tube having a top, a bottom and a longitudinal opening through which the tube is mounted on a segment, mounted on at least one of the first and second segments between the cover and a line in the plane of the ring that extends through the widest horizontal portion of the closed ring. Preferably the top of the tube is approximately tangent to the line. The longitudinal opening extends laterally through a side of the tube, the tube being mountable on the ring by moving the tube laterally on to a segment through the opening. 
     A sheet positioner assembly for a sheet binder includes a first binder ring comprising a first arcuate segment, a second arcuate segment movable away from the first arcuate segment for opening the first ring for receiving a sheet on one of the first and second segments by a hole in the sheet, and movable toward the first arcuate segment for closing the ring at a first junction, a second ring parallel to and spaced from the first ring, comprising a third segment, a ring operating mechanism cover having a length, from which lower portions of the first, second and third segments protrude, a first line in the plane of the first ring that extends through the widest horizontal portion of the closed first ring, a first longitudinal wall, a second longitudinal wall a third wall connecting the first wall to the second wall forming a longitudinal channel, a first hole through the first wall, a second hole through the second wall, an axis through the first and second holes that is transverse to the longitudinal axis of the channel, each hole of the first and second holes being large enough to receive a segment of the first ring, the channel being on one of the first and second segments, the channel being elastic so that the first and second walls resile laterally so that the channel locks on the segment by the first and second holes when the channel is left unattended. The third wall and the connection of the third wall to the first and second walls is hingeless. 
     A loose-leaf binder ring assembly includes a first arcuate segment and a second arcuate segment movable away from the first arcuate segment for opening the ring for receiving a sheet on one of the first and second segments by a hole in the sheet, and movable toward the first arcuate segment for closing the ring at a first junction, a ring operating mechanism cover from which lower portions of the first and second segments protrude, a binder cover hingedly connected to the ring operating mechanism cover, a panel having a first end and a second end, comprising a first hole through the panel, a second hole through the panel, mounted on one of the lower portions by the portion through the holes so that when the ring is closed, the panel arcs from the first end being in the ring adjacent to the operating mechanism cover, to being outside the ring below a line in the plane of the ring that extends through the widest horizontal portion of the ring, to the second end being in the ring above the first end for pivoting a sheet on the second end when the sheet is mounted on the ring on the panel and the sheet is moved toward the junction by the binder cover. The second end is adjacent to the line. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     In order that the invention be more fully comprehended, it will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: 
     FIG. 1 is a schematic top view of a PRIOR ART sheet lifter on a 3-ring binder. 
     FIG. 2 is a schematic view of a positioner shown in cross section, mounted on an open trapezoidal ring of a ring binder. 
     FIG. 3 is a schematic view of the positioner and the closed ring of FIG.  2 . 
     FIG. 4 is a top view of the positioner of FIG.  2 . 
     FIG. 5 is a front view of the positioner of FIG.  2 . 
     FIG. 6 is a schematic view of the positioner and ring of FIG. 3 with a sheet lifter and paper. 
     FIG. 7 is a schematic view of a positioner shown in cross section, mounted on an open circular ring of a ring binder. 
     FIG. 8 is a top cross section view of the positioner of FIG. 7 taken along  8 — 8 . 
     FIG. 9 is a front cross section view of the positioner of FIG. 8 taken along  9 — 9 . 
     FIG. 10 is a schematic view of an positioner shown in cross section, mounted on an open circular ring of a binder. 
     FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the positioner of FIG.  10 . 
     FIG. 12 is a schematic view of the positioner of FIG. 10 mounted on two rings of a multiple-ring binder. 
     FIG. 13 is a top schematic top view of a trapezoidal ring, ring binder with two positioners of the invention installed on the rings. 
     FIG. 14 is a schematic view of the positioners of FIG. 13 viewed along  14 — 14 . The internal mechanism of the binder rings is not shown. 
     FIG. 15 is a schematic view of the positioners of FIG. 13 viewed along  15 — 15 . The internal mechanism of the binder rings is not shown. 
     FIG. 16 is a schematic front view of a sheet lifter mounted on the ring, supported at one end by a positioner, the other end of the sheet lifter being supported by the cover of the binder. 
     FIG. 17 is a schematic front view of the assembly of FIG. 16 with the cover folded up. 
     FIG. 18 is a schematic top view of another positioner. 
     FIG. 19 is a schematic front view of a pair of tubular positioners mounted on the ring of a ring binder. 
     FIG. 20 is a schematic view of another positioner mounted on a binder ring. 
     FIG. 21 is a cross section view of the positioner of FIG. 20, taken at  21 — 21 . 
     FIG. 22 is a cross section view of the positioner of FIG. 20, taken at  22 — 22 . 
     FIG. 23 is a schematic top view of another positioner of the invention. 
     FIG. 24 is a schematic front view of the positioner of FIG. 23, a sheet lifter, and sheets of paper, mounted on a loose-leaf binder ring. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Before explaining the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the detail of construction and arrangement of parts illustrated in the drawings since the invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or carried out in various ways. It is also to be understood that the phraseology or terminology employed is for the purpose of description only and not of limitation. 
     Referring to FIGS. 2-6, positioner  40  is mounted on lower portions  42 ,  43  of segments  44 ,  46  of binder ring  50 . Binder ring  50  is trapezoidal. 
     In FIG. 2, the ring is open, the segments are separated. Positioner  40  holes  52 ,  54  are positioned on plate  56  so that the plate is adjacent to housing  60  and is preferably in contact with housing  60  when the segments are separated. Housing  60  contains the operating mechanism for the ring. 
     In FIG. 3, the segments are closed. Positioner  40  holes are shaped and spaced from one another such that the positioner is lifted by the curved portions of the lower portions as the lower portions move upward and toward one another as the ring. 
     Positioner  40  is stiff enough so that when holes  52 ,  54  inward  62  sections  64 ,  66  are in contact with concave arcuate surfaces  68 ,  70  of segments  44 ,  46  so that the inward sections are cammed upward by the upwardly and inwardly  58  moving lower portions  42 ,  43 . Preferably positioner  40  is resilient enough, and holes  40  are spaced from each other a distance such that center portion  78  of positioner  40  bowes or bends up springly in response to the inward force of the inward moving ring segments  44 ,  46 . The raised positioner keeps sheets which can include loose-leaf paper and a sheet lifter, from catching under lower portions  42 ,  43  of the ring. 
     As it is clear from FIGS. 2-6, plate  56  is not hinged in a direction transverse to direction  62  inward from hole  64  to hole  66 . 
     In FIG. 6, end  72  of sheet lifter  74  is cammed upward by folding up cover  80 . End  76  of the sheet lifter is raised by plate  56  which was cammed upward by ring  50  when the ring was closed. Sheet lifter  74 , raised by positioner  40  supports paper sheets  84  from being caught under the apex  88  of the elliptical curve segment  44  of binder ring  50 . 
     Referring to FIGS. 7-9, positioners  90  are mounted on lower portions  96 ,  98  of segments  104 ,  106  of ring  110 . For explanatory purpose, only one sheet lifter, lifter  108 , is shown. Positioner  90  spaces sheet lifter  108  from ring operating mechanism housing  120 . 
     Positioner  90  spaces  118  end  128  of the sheet lifter from housing  120  while ring segment  106  is drawn inward  122  during closing of ring  110  and provides a raised pivot bead or short cylinder on the ring arm around which sheet lifter  108  rotates as end  126  of sheet lifter  108  is raised by cover  140  when the cover is closed. 
     Referring to FIGS. 10-12, positioner  130  is mounted on lower portions  132 ,  134  of parallel round rings  136 ,  138  adjacent to housing  142 . Positioner  130  is preferably elastic so that it resiliently grips the rings to prevent the positioner from moving upward  148  from vibration and handling of the loose-leaf book. 
     Positioner  130  spaces the end of a sheet comprising a loose-leaf sheet, sheet lifter, or both, from the ring operating mechanism housing. It provides a round pivot around which the inner portion of the sheet turns as a cover rotates and lifts the outward portion of the sheet. 
     Positioner  130  is mounted on the ring by squeezing the walls toward each other, sliding the positioner down on a segment of the ring until the positioner is on the lower portion of the segment and releasing the grip on the walls so that they can resile outward and grip the ring shaft. 
     Referring to FIGS. 13-17, postitioners  131 ,  133  are mounted on lower portions  135 ,  137  of segments  141 ,  143  of ring  147  and on lower portions of segments  152 ,  153  of the adjacent ring. Planes  144  of the rings are parallel. 
     Positioners  131 ,  133  are two of a plurality of positioners mounted on rings along length  151  of ring operating mechanism cover  157  on the spine of binder  181 . Two more of the plurality of positioners are seen, at  207  and  209 , in FIG.  13 . The top ends  161 ,  163  of the positioners rest against the concave arc of the ring inside the ring, preferably at the lower portion of the ring. When the ring is closed, separable junction  155  is closed at the top of the ring. The positioners are resilient or springy so that they press forcefully against the inside and outside of the rings. Preferably end portions  145 ,  146  press against ring operating mechanism cover  157 . 
     As it is clear from FIGS. 14-17, positioner  131  arcs from end portion  145  being in the ring adjacent to ring operating mechanism cover  157 , to being outside the ring below line  139  that extends through a portion of the ring that exhibits a wide horizontal of closed ring, to top end  161  being in the ring above end portion  145 . 
     When left cover  179  of binder  181  is opened to a generally flat position, end  189  of stiff plastic sheet lifter  175  rests on end  161  and end  187  of the lifter rests on cover  179  of binder  181 . 
     As cover  179  is folded upward about hinge  197 , end  187  is pushed upward by cover  179  and end  189  pivots downward around top end  161  of positioner  131 , and is cammed upward  201  by portion  203  of positioner  131 . This prevents sheet lifter  175  and papers  219  that are resting against surface  221  of sheet lifter  175  from sliding under lower portion  135  of the ring segment. Preferably positioner  133  extends high enough on the ring segment so that the sheet lifter rests on the positioner at the height at which a tangent to the curve is about vertical. 
     If there is no sheet lifter, the paper will rest like a sheet lifter, on end  161  of positioner  131 . The positioner will prevent sliding of the paper under lower portion  135  of segment  141 . 
     Preferably when the cover is moved to perpendicular with base  213 , sheet lifter  175  is cammed by the positioner to move paper sheets  219  to top portion  223  of the ring so that neither the sheet lifter nor the paper on the sheet lifter is caught between the cover and the outer surface of the ring at or below the widest horizontal portion  139  or diameter of the closed ring. 
     In FIG. 18, 0.05 inch thick polypropylene positioner  241  is designed to be mounted on one ring, whereas positioner  131  is designed to be mounted on a pair of rings. Preferably positioner  241  is mounted on at least one segment of each of several rings, or all the rings, of a plurality of rings along the length of the ring binder mechanism. Positioner  241  can be mounted on a ring so that either end  243 , or  245  is the top end. Preferably, its ends in the plane of the ring are positioned on the lower portion of the ring like the ends of positioner  241  is positioned on the plane of the ring. 
     In FIG. 19, tube  281  of positioner  283  is mounted on lower portion  135 . Tube  281  end  285  is preferably high enough on segment  141  so that the lower end of a sheet lifter will not be cammed past end  285  by the cover, so that the lower end of the sheet guide will not catch on end  285 , preventing the sheet guide from sliding down over inner side  287  of positioner  283 . 
     Referring to FIGS. 20-22, positioner  291  snaps laterally onto rod  309  of ring  295 . Positioner  291  is molded in one piece of plastic that is resilient enough to snap on the ring, preferably it can be snapped off the ring. The snap-on positioner tends to hold a position wherein smooth cam surface  303  is inside the curve of the positioner, facing radially inward. Extension  305  can be included. Extension  305  contacts ring mechanism cover or housing  315  wherein the extension provides resistance to rotation of positioner  291  around rod  309  of ring  295 . 
     In another design the positioner can be reversibly snapped on the ring end for end. 
     In FIG. 23, positioner  331  is made of polypropylene. It is designed for use on two adjacent four inch rings. One of the pair of rings passes through holes  339  and  341 , while the second ring passes through holes  349  and  351 . 
     In FIG. 24, four inch ring  357  opens at junction  361  when pivoted open by thumb lever  365  by way of a pivot mechanism (not shown) in housing  367 . Cover  371  is folded up, while the cover (not shown) on the other side of housing  367  is lying flat. Top  377  of positioner  331  is at the center line  337  of the lower bend of loop  341  of ring  357 . Sheet lifter  379 , after being slid up loop  347  and up positioner  331  by upward moving cover  371 , is just below and adjacent to top end  377  of positioner  331 , and adjacent to paper  389 . Paper  391  rests on sheet lifter  399  which rests on positioner  333 . 
     Positioners of the invention, made in appropriate size can be installed on spiral rings of a book so that the covers and end papers are not caught at the back of the spiral and wrapped around the sides of the spiral when the book is closed. The positioners of the invention may take other shapes including but not limited to bar, tube, and longitudinal folded strip, with transverse holes for mounting on parallel rings. 
     Although the present invention has been described with respect to details of certain embodiments thereof, it is not intended that such details be limitations upon the scope of the invention. It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various modifications and substitutions may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the following claims.