Patent ID: 7762734

Claim:
A ring binder mechanism for retaining loose-leaf pages, the mechanism comprising: a housing; hinge plates supported by the housing for pivoting motion relative to the housing; rings for holding the loose-leaf pages, each ring including a first ring member and a second ring member, the first ring member being attached to a first hinge plate and moveable with the pivoting motion of the first hinge plate relative to the second ring member between a closed position and an open position, in the closed position the two ring members form a substantially continuous, closed loop for allowing loose-leaf pages retained by the rings to be moved along the rings from one ring member to the other, and in the open position the two ring members form a discontinuous, open loop for adding or removing loose-leaf pages from the rings; a hinge pin; a lever attached to the hinge pin for movement relative to the housing to pivot the hinge plates to move the ring members from the closed position to the open position, the lever having a first position corresponding the closed position of the ring members and a second position corresponding to the open position of the ring members; a travel bar operatively connected to the lever such that pivoting movement of the lever causes movement of the travel bar generally lengthwise of the housing; and a lever mount formed separately from the housing and attached to the housing, the hinge pin being attached to the lever mount.