Patent ID: 8899866

Claim:
A ring binder mechanism for holding loose-leaf pages, the mechanism comprising: a housing having a central portion and lateral sides extending downwardly along opposite side of the central portion, the housing having a cavity formed in the underside of the central portion of the housing; a pair of hinge plates disposed between the lateral sides of the housing and supported by the housing for pivoting movement relative to the housing; a plurality of rings for holding the loose-leaf pages, each ring including a first ring member and a second ring member, the first ring member being mounted on one of the hinge plates of said pair of hinge plates for movement with the hinge plate relative to the housing between a closed position and an open position, the first and second ring members forming a substantially continuous, closed loop in the closed position for allowing loose-leaf pages retained by the rings to be moved along the rings from one ring member to the other, the first and second ring members forming a discontinuous, open loop in the open position for adding or removing loose-leaf pages from the rings; and an actuator moveable relative to the housing between an open and closed position for producing movement of the rings between the open and closed positions, the actuator comprising a body, an opening arm extending from the body, a closing arm extending from the body, and a locking finger extending from the body, the closing arm extending into a space between the hinge plates and the central portion of the housing, the hinge plates extending between the opening and closing arms, wherein the locking finger extends into the cavity in the central portion of the housing when the actuator is in the closed position.