Improvements in Clips, Fasteners, Binders, or Devices for Filing Letters, Papers, and the like.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 20th June, 1899
Complete Specification Left, 20th Mar., 1900-Accepted, 21st Apr., 1900
PRUVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Clips, Fasteners, Binders, or Devices for Filing
Letters, Papers, and the like. ⚫
I, GEORGE COUSINS, of The "Seabreeze" Cycle Works, Birchington-on-Sea,
in the County of Kent, Cycle Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows;-
This invention relates to clips, fasteners, binders or devices for filing letters,
papers and the like, and it has for its objects the production of such devices
which can be readily used either as ordinary paper fasteners for attaching one
or more sheets of paper or the like together or can be either attached to a board
or backing or not and used as either a temporary or permanent binder or file
for letters or the like, allowing for ready reference or removal of one or more
of its contents and which devices moreover are simple and cheap to manufacture.
A clip, fastener or like device according to the present invention comprises
essentially a hinged clip, one part of which in the form of a loop embraces the
corners of the papers or the like and is held in engagement therewith by means
of the other part which passes through the said papers and is then bent over
to engage the looped part.
A convenient form of clip consists of a trapezoidal or triangular shaped loop
of wire or the like, to the shortest parallel side or apex of which is hinged
preferably by means of a simple fold on itself, a blank or piece of soft sheet
brass or other ductile metal or material and of such a shape at its opposite un-
attached end as to readily perforate the papers or the like which it is to bind
or be attached to. This end is then bent up at right angles at a distance corre-
sponding to the width of the wire loop.
The length of this upstanding entrant end will depend to a certain extent
on the number or thicknesses of papers required to be fastened or filed together
but in all cases it should be sufficiently long, after passing through such papers
to be bent over and engage the opposite side of the wire loop to which it is
attached.
To use such a clip or fastener the upstanding pointed or entrant end is first
pushed through the corner of the paper or papers from the back, the loop is
then folded over from the back on to the face of the paper or papers and the
pointed end pressed or folded down over the loop to keep the same in engagement.
When it is required to file further papers or remove some of those already filed the
pointed end is bent up, thus allowing the loop to be folded back ready for the
further filing or removal of the papers.
As a modified form of clip or binder more particularly for use as a letter file,
I prefer to form the blank on that portion situated between the hinge and the
bent upstanding end with one or more prongs or other devices whereby it can
be securely and permanently attached to a permanent backing of wood cardboard
or the like.
To make the entrant or pointed end of the clip capable of readily piercing

page_text: the papers without bending, prefer to stiffen the point either by longitudinal
corrugations or ribs or by beading or overlapping the edges.
As a further modification the wire hinged loop may be dispensed with and
the clip formed from a Y or T-shaped blank, the head or arms in this case
being bent over the corners of the paper, and in some cases on themselves pre-
ferably overlapping each other, are kept in such position by the upstanding end
being bent down as above described.
It will be understood that the above described clips or fasteners may be attached
to a backing in other ways than those above described, for example, the entrant
pointed end may first be inserted from the front of the backing, then after
traversing a short distance be passed again through to the front.
Dated this 20th day of June 1898
OBERT E. PHILLIPS, Assoc.M.Inst.C.E., M.I.Mech.E.,
Chartered Patent Agent,
70, Chancery Lane, London, W.C.,
Agent for the Applicant.
Improvements in Clips, Fasteners, Binders, or Devices for Filing
Letters, Papers, and the like.
I, GEORGE COUSINS, of The "Seabreeze" Cycle Works, Birchington-on-Sea,
in the County of Kent, Cycle Manufacturer, 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 clips, fasteners, binders or devices for filing letters,
papers and the like, and it has for its objects the production of such devices
which can be readily used either as ordinary paper fasteners for attaching one
or more sheets of paper or the like together or can be either attached to a hoard
or backing or not and used as either a temporary or permanent binder or file
for letters or the like, allowing for ready reference or removal of one or more
of its contents and which devices moreover are simple and cheap to manufacture.
A clip, fastener or like device according to the present invention comprises
essentially a hinged clip, one part of which in the form of a loop embraces the
corners of the papers or the like and is held in engagement therewith by means
of the other part which passes through the said papers and is then bent over
to engage the looped part.
In the accompanying drawing which shews some methods of carrying my inven-
tion into effect:-
Figures 1 and 2 are views in plan and side elevation respectively of a clip or
fastener constructed according to the present invention.
Figures 3 and 4 are plan views showing the clip or fastener in use in an open
and closed or fastened positions respectively.
Figures 5 and 6 are views in plan and side elevation of a modified form of clip
or fastener.
Figure is a plan view thereof in use in the closed or fastened position.
Figures S, 9, 10, 11 and 12 are views showing further modifications.
Throughout the views similar parts are marked with like letters of reference.
The clip or fastener consists essentially of a loop A of wire or the like of a
trapezoidal shape as shown by Figures 1, 3, 4, 8 and 10, or of a triangular shape
as shown by Figures 5 and 7. To the shortest parallel side or apex a of the

page_text: loop A is hinged, preferably by means of a simple fold on itself as sliown, a
blank B of soft sheet brass or other ductile metal or material. This blánk B is
of any suitable shape and has its opposite or unattached end formed so as to
readily perforate the papers or the like which it is to bind or be attached to.
The end b is then bent up at right angles at a distance from its attached or hinged
end corresponding to the width of the wire loop A.
The length of this upstanding entrant end will depend to a certain extent
on the number or thicknesses of papers required to be fastened or filed together
but in all cases it should be sufficiently long, after passing through such papers
to be bent over and engage the side a or apex a of the wire loop A.
To use such a clip or fastener the upstanding pointed or entrant. end is first
pushed through the corner of the paper or papers X from the back, the loop A
is then folded over from the back on to the face of the paper or papers X, the
sides a¹ of the said loop tending to keep the papers square with each other. The
pointed end 6 is then pressed or folded down over the loop A to keep the same
in engagement see Figures 4 and 7. When it is required to file further papers
or remove some of those already filed the pointed end 6 is bent up, thus allowing
the loop A to be folded back ready for the further filing or removal of the papers.
In a modified form of clip or binder more particularly for use as a letter file,
I provide means whereby the blank B may be readily and securely fastened to
a permanent backing Y of wood, cardboard, leather or other material. A con-
venient method of attaining this end is to form the blank B with two or more
holes whereby it may be sewn, stapled or rivetted (as shown by Figure 8) on
to its backing Y; another way is to form the blank B with prongs (see Figure 10)
either by punching them out from the centre of the blank or by forming them on
each side thereof as shown by dot and dash lines on Figure 10. These prongs b
are first bent at right angles with the blank then inserted through suitably disposed
holes in the backing Y and again bent at right angles or clinched.
Instead of providing separate means for attaching the clips or fasteners to
a backing, the blank may be made sufficiently long to allow of it being passed
through from the front of the backing to the back and then again through the
backing from the back to the front as shewn by Figure 9.
To render the entrant or pointed end capable of readily piercing the papers
without bending I prefer to stiffen the point either by conical flutings or corruga-
tions arranged longitudinally as shown by Figure 11 or by beading or by over-
fapping the edges preferably as shown by Figure 12 in which the dotted lines on
the end 6 represent the lines on which the metal is to be bent on itself.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:
(1) A clip or fastener for papers and the like, consisting of a hinged clip, one
part of which in the form of a loop embraces the corners of the papers or the
like and is held in engagement therewith by means of the other part, which passes
through the said papers and is then bent over to engage the looped part, as set
forth.
(2) A letter file or binder, consisting of a clip as claimed by Claim 1 per-
manently attached in any suitable manner to a backing of wood, cardboard, leather
or other material, as set forth.
(3) A clip or fastener for papers and the like constructed and arranged substan-
tially as hereinbefore described, and shown by Figures 1, 2, 3 and 4 of the accom-
panying drawing.
(4) A clip or fastener for papers and the like constructed and arranged substan-
ially as hereinbefore described and shown by Figures 5, 6 and 7 of the accom-
anying drawing.
(5). A clip, binder or letter file constructed and arranged substantially as herein-
before described and shown by Figure 8 of the accompanying drawing.
:

page_text: (6) A clip, binder or letter file constructed and arranged substantially as herein-
before described and shown by Figure 9 of the accompanying drawing.
(7) A clip, binder or letter file constructed and arranged substantially as herein-
before described and shown by Figure 10 of the accompanying drawing.
(8) A clip or fastener for papers and the like constructed and arranged sub-
stantially as hereinbefore described and shown by Figure 11 of the accompanying
drawing.
(9) A clip or fastener for papers and the like constructed and arranged substan-
tially as hereinbefore described and shown by Figure 12 of the accompanying
drawing.
Dated this 20th day of March 1900.
ROBERT E. PHILLIPS, Assoc.M.Inst.C.E., M.I.Mech.E.,
Chartered Patent Agent,
70, Chancery Lane, London, W.C.,
Agent for the Applicant.