Improvements in Temporary Binders for Loose Sheets Pamphlets or the like.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 28th Feb., 1899-Accepted, 6th May, 1899
[Communicated from abroad by META C. BAKER, of Chicago, Illinois, United
States of America, Married Woman.]
Improvements in Temporary Binders for Loose Sheets Pamphlets or
the like.
I, HENRY HARRIS LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake & Co., Patent Agents.
45, Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the
nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement; -
This invention relates to the class of temporary binders which are made in the
form of books or portfolios and are adapted to the temporary binding of loose
sheets in such manner that fresh sheets can be inserted whenever desired and
any of the sheets can be removed as occasion requires.
65
The binder which forms the subject-matter of this specification has been devised
more especially for use in what are now generally known as
perpetual led-
gers"; but it may obviously be used for other purposes than the keeping of
account-sheets.
The invention is designed to provide a very simple construction little likely to .
get out of order in use and inexpensive to manufacture.
The nature of the invention will be understood from the description given
below.
In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 shows my improved binder in per-
spective. Fig. 2 is an elevation of the metal parts of the binder, partly in sec-
tion. Fig. 3 is a plan view of the parts shown at Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a section on
line of Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a bottom view of a portion of the device.
In the drawings, A and B represent the two parallel strips which are provided
with the binding devices and which in the completed article are preferably
covered with leather or other suitable material.
CC are the covers for the ledger, portfolio, or album, and they may be flexibly
hinged to the strips A and B or to the covering material used thereon, as at c.
The strip A is preferably made of channeled metal, so as to give room to the
locking devices, as will be understood from the drawings.
The union of the strips A and B is effected as follows: In the strip B are
four upright stationary rigid hollow posts 1 D', and in the piece A are secured
four depending tubes E 2, corresponding to the posts D D. The tubes E are
stationarily attached to the strips A and are slotted longitudinally at one side,
as at E¹. They enter the posts D and are free to move vertically in them.
Within the tubes E are rotatable screws F, each having a steep thread F¹ cut
throughout its length, as will be understood from Fig. 4, and gibs or projec-
tions F, rigidly attached to the inside of the posts I), engage this thread, being
enabled to do so by the longitudinal slot E in the depending tube E. The
threads F are sufficiently deep to enable the user to rotate the screws by simply
pressing downward on the strip A. Each of the screws F carries a ratchet
wheel G upon its upper end, which, with the pawls G¹, serve to lock the screws
against rotation in one direction. The pawls G¹ are pivoted at H to the bar A,
and are adapted to be released from the ratchet G₁ by the engagement of an

page_text: $
appropriate key h. The pawl and ratchet when in engagement act to prevent
any rotation of the screws in the direction in which they would be turned by
lifting the strip A, as in opening the binder for the insertion or removal of
sheets; but such engagement does not interfere with the movement of strip A
in a downward direction. In other words, the pawl and ratchet prevent the
opening of the binder except when the pawls are intentionally withdrawn by
the key; but they do not prevent the user from closing the binder against the
sheets which may be in position in it at any time by simply exerting down-
ward pressure on the strip A. The locking devices act automatically and instantly
and retain the strip A in any position to which it may be moved, so that it is
firmly held down upon 'the contents of the binder.
For the purpose of preventing the complete detachment of strip A from
strip B, I provide the screw at its lower end with a disk J, which is preferably
notched at J, (see Fig. 5,) so as to facilitate the putting of the parts together,
this notch permitting the disk to pass the gib F2. After the screw and tube E
have been entered in the post the screw is rotated slightly to carry the notch out
of register with the slot E, and when thus turned the disk will, when the covers
are moved apart; engage the gib F and prevent total separation of the covers.
By providing the binder with interlocking posts at or near both ends of the
binding-strips A and B, I am enabled to cause pressure upon the sheets through-
out their width and thus hold them much more firmly than is possible with
binders having only. a single and centrally-located interlocking post. At the
same time these posts, being also impaling posts, render it unnecessary to employ
the posts heretofore used solely to control the position of the paper.
The interlocking devices of both are also controlled as easily as the interlock-
ing devices of a single post have heretofore been by reason of the construction
which makes them releasable by a single key.
Although I have shown four pairs of posts-DE-E-it-will-be-understood a
greater number may be used. The posts D' E, like the posts D) and E, are
arranged to slide freely up. and down upon one another except when locked by
the screw F, and when so locked they are free to move in one direction only.
It will be noticed, that the outer tubes D of one pair of posts are attached to
the lower, bar B, while the outer posts D¹ of the other pair are attached to the
upper strip A; and that when said bars are fully separated, the length of the
outer tubes is somewhat greater than half the distance between the bars. The
object of this arrangement is to maintain at all times at least two of the outer
tubes in the perforations of cach sheet. These perforations should be made of
a size to snugly fit the said outermost tubes, and of necessity therefore will be
too large to snugly fit the tubes of smaller diameter telescoping therein. By
this arrangement, the sheets are kept from lateral movement on the posts, and
are true in position when the binder is unlocked. A spring S tends to how
the bars apart.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this in-
vention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to
me by my foreign correspondent, I declare that what I claim is:-
1st. A temporary binder embodying two parallel strips of suitable material,
each having a section projecting toward the other strip, such sections entering
one within the other and one of them being provided with a screw-thread and
the other with means engaging said thread, one section being. also rotatable,
the screw-thread being sufficiently steep to permit the binder to be closed upon
its contents by pressing the strips together, substantially as specified.
2nd. A temporary binder embodying two parallel strips of suitable material,
each having a section projecting toward the other strip, such sections entering
one within the other and one of them being provided with a screw-thread and
the. other with means engaging said thread, one section being also rotatable, and

page_text: provided with means for locking it against rotation in one direction, the screw-
thread being sufficiently steep to permit the binder to be closed upon the con-
tents by pressing the strips together and then locked in the closed position,
substantially as specified.
3rd. A temporary binder embodying two parallel strips of suitable material, each
having a section projecting toward the other strip, such sections entering one
within the other and one of them being provided with a screw-thread and the
other with means engaging said thread, one section being also rotatable and pro-
vided with means for automatically locking it against rotation in one direction
the screw thread being sufficiently steep to permit the binder to be closed upon
the contents by pressing the strips together and then automatically locked in
the closed position, substantially as specified.
4th. A temporary binder embodying two parallel strips of suitable material,
each having a section projecting toward the other strip, such sections entering
one within the other and one of them being provided with a steep screw-thread
and the other with means engaging said thread, one section being also rotatable
and provided with a ratchet and pawl for locking it against rotation in one
direction, substantially as specified.
5th. A temporary binder embodying two parallel strips of suitable material,
each having a section projecting toward the other strip, such sections entering
one. within the other and one of them being provided with a steep screw-thread
and the other with means engaging said thread, one section being also rotatable
and provided with a ratchet and pawl for locking it against rotation in one
direction, such pawl being movable away from the ratchet at will, substantially
as specified.
6th. The temporary binder embodying two parallel strips of suitable material
provided with projecting sections entering one within the other, and consisting
of the post 1, the slotted tube E, and rotatable screw E, engaged by a projec-
tion on the post, substantially as specified.
7th. The temporary binder embodying two parallel strips of suitable material
provided with projecting sections entering one within the other, and consisting
of the post 1), the slotted tube E, rotatable screw F, and notched disk J, substan-
tially as specified.
8th. The combination in a temporary binder of two parallel clamping-strips
each provided with two posts upon which the contents of the binder are impaled,
the posts of one strip having a sliding engagement with the posts of the other
strip, and each pair of engaging posts being provided with locking devices act-
ing to lock the posts together in any position, and the pawls adapted to be
operated simultaneously by a key and serving to release said locking devices,
substantially as specified.
9th. The temporary binder for perforated slitted sheets, consisting of covers
provided with telescoping standards, part of which have the exterior tube
attached to one cover and part to the other cover, substantially as and for the
purpose specified.
10th. The combination with the covers, of the telescoping standards, two of
which are supplied with locking mechanism and means for limiting the separa-
tion of the covers, and the other two of which are provided with springs for
causing separation of the covers, substantially as specified.
Dated this 28th day of Wahna 1000
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.