Improved Means for Temporarily Securing together Separate Papers, Letters, and the like.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 22nd May, 1890
Complete Specification Left, 21st Feb.. 1891-Accepted, 21st Mar., 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
[Communicated from abroad by MARC MAURICE ROTTEN, of Schiffbauerdamn 29ª,
Berlin, in the Empire of Germany, Engineer.]
Improved Means for Temporarily Securing together Separate
Papers, Letters, and the like.
I, OLIVER IMRAY, of No. 28, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, in the
County of London, Fellow of the Institute of Patent Agents, do hereby declare
the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to improved means for temporarily securing together
papers, letters, and the like, so that they can be readily separated again when
required, whereby the inconvenience is obviated that occurs with all appliances of
the kind at present in use, that, when covers or wrappers are employed, these must
be of a size corresponding to the ultimate maximum thickness of the packet, although
they may only contain a few papers.
For this purpose a cover, wrapper, portfolio, or other appliance for holding the
papers, has secured to its one edge, where the papers are to be attached, any desired
number of angular or curved wire loops, so arranged as to be capable of folding
down more or less flat, as upon hinges, on to the cover. Such loops may either be
of a closed triangular or other shape, divided at one point, so that the papers can
be threaded on to them, the point of division being if required, provided with a
suitable fastening for preventing the papers from getting loose, or the two ends
may merely butt against each other with serrated or otherwise formed faces.
Or the wire loops or attachments may be of a ^ shape, the ends of which are
hinge jointed to a plate, which is secured to the cover.
In this case the loop may be made removeable from the plate for threading on
the papers.
Instead of closed loops may also be employed wires of a Z or other shape that
will readily allow of the papers being threaded on to them but will not readily
allow of the papers becoming unintentionally detached.
The papers are preferably prepared with a row of punched holes along the edge
where they are to be secured, corresponding to the number of fastenings.
With the above described arrangement, when only a few papers are threaded on
to the loops, these will, on closing the cover or portfolio, fold down on their hinged
connection to the cover, assuming a slanting position with the upper part of the loop
resting on the top of the paper pile, so that the wrapper or portfolio when
closed will only present a slightly greater thickness than the pile of papers it
contains.
For removing one or more papers from or introducing one or more papers
between the others, it is only necessary to shift those above it so as to pass with
their holes on to a part of the loop beyond the joint, so that the paper or papers in
question can be removed through the latter, after which the other papers are moved
back again.
Dated this 22nd day of May 1890.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improved Means for Temporarily Securing together Separate
Papers, Letters, and the like.
I, OLIVER IMRAY, of No. 28, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, in
the County of London, Fellow of the Institute of Patent Agents, 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 improved means for temporarily securing together
papers, letters, and the like, so that they can be readily separated again when
required, whereby the inconvenience is obviated that occurs with all appliances of
the kind at present in use, that, when covers or wrappers are employed, these must
be of a size corresponding to the ultimate maximum thickness of the packet, although
they may only contain a few papers.
For this purpose a cover, wrapper, portfolio or other appliance for holding the
papers, has secured to its one edge, where the papers are to be attached, any desired
number of angular or curved wire loops, so arranged as to be capable of folding
down more or less flat, as upon hinges, on to the cover. Such loops may either
be of a closed triangular or other shape, divided at one point, so that the
papers can be threaded on to them, the point of division being, if required,
provided with a suitable fastening for preventing the papers from getting loose,
or the two ends may merely butt against each other with serrated or otherwise
formed faces.
Or the wires loops or attachments may be of a ^ shape, the ends of which are
hinge jointed to a plate, which is secured to the cover.
In this case the loop may be made removeable from the plate for threading on the
papers.
Instead of closed loops may also be employed wires of a Z or other shape that
will readily allow of the papers being threaded on to them, but will not readily allow
of the papers becoming unintentionally detached.
On the accompanying drawings are shewn various forms of the above described
improved fastening. In the constructions shewn at Figs. 1 to 5 they consist of a
single looped piece which is divided at a suitable point such as ate Fig. 1, the two
parts of the joint being sprung open to a moderate extent for the introduction of
single sheets or of a few sheets together.
The joint, may, in order to prevent the paper from readily passing out again
through it, be either made with abutting surfaces as at a Fig. 7, kept together by
spring pressure, or the surfaces may be sloped as at, or toothed as at c, or they
may be formed in any other suitable manner such as that shewn at d, whereby any
special means for keeping the joint closed is dispensed with.
The papers to be secured are by preference previously perforated by a suitable
punch or other device at a small distance from the edge where they are to be
attached, as indicated at Fig. 3, the perforations being made at distances apart
corresponding to those of the fastenings.
The papers are strung by means of these holes on to the fastenings after having
inserted the edge thereof through the opening of the joint. On closing the cover
of the case or wrapper, the fastenings turn down to an inclined position which is
determined by the thickness of the layer of papers strung upon them, as indicated
at Figs. 3 and 4.
papers
The loop of the fastening will then pass in a sloping direction through the
as shewn they will thus project only slightly above the total thickness of the
papers, so that the thickness of the portfolio or wrapper containing the collected
papers, and consequently also the space in which it is stored will only be
determined by the thickness of the layer of papers, and not by the height of
the fastenings.

page_text: The papers secured in the above described manner can either be opened and
turned over as with an ordinary book, by bending the pages over the more or less
inclined fastening, as at Fig. 5, or by shifting them with their holes round the loop
of the fastenings to the opposite side as at Fig. 1. This latter operation will have
to be done when it is required to remove one or more of the papers from between the
others, or when a fresh paper or papers have to be inserted in a particular position
between the others.
The fastenings are secured to the portfolio wrapper, or other foundation either
by sewing or by metal eyes, or in any manner that will permit of their being turned
into angular positions as described.
If it is not required to be able to remove and replace papers, which feature is
not absolutely necessary for the purposes of the invention, the fastening can be
formed closed at top, as shewn at Fig. 6. in which case this is formed as a loop open
at bottom and fitting with bent ends into holes or eyes formed on a separate piece as
shewn, such piece being secured to the wrapper &c.
For placing the papers upon or removing them from the fastening, this has to be
withdrawn from the said plate.
Fastenings made to open at top as at Fig. 1 may also be constructed with a
separate piece at bottom acting as pivot.
The fastening may also be made of a one sided or Z form as for example
at Fig. 8 either with or without a separate hinge piece, and a variety of other forms
be employed without departing from the nature of the invention.
may
It may in some cases be of advantage to use the arrangement shewn at
Fig. 9, in which the hinged fastenings are not connected directly to the
wrapper &c. for the collected papers, but are attached to a strip a which is
secured to the edge of the base or to the back R of the wrapper so that it can be
turned over, thus enabling it to be turned over together with the fastenings, like the
leaf of a book.
This arrangement facilitates the turning over of the separate sheets secured
to the fastening because the fastenings can adapt their position to the operation.
A second strip & may also be applied which will cover the fastenings when in their
normal position, and thus impart to the whole a better appearance.
b
It will be obvious that any suitable known means may be employed for clamping
or pressing the papers secured on the fastenings closer together at their attached
edges. Thus a perforated strip of sheet metal may be strung on the fastenings
over the papers and be pressed down on these by an arrangement of springs or
spring arms attached to the base or wrapper, so that they can be turned to project
over the metal strip for pressing this on to the papers, and be turned back so as to
leave the strip free when the papers have to be manipulated.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
Means for temporarily securing together separate papers, letters, loose sheets and
the like consisting of split or closed or open loops or equivalent devices on which
the papers &c. can be strung and which are so attached to a base or wrapper as to
be capable of turning upon the attachment as on a hinge, the part by which the
attachment is effected being either formed in one piece with or separate from the
other part of the fastening, which last named part can in that case be made
cither as a split loop or as a closed loop or as a single bent piece, substantially
as described.
Dated this 21st day of February 1891.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant..