Binder device releasably engaging aperture or notch of sheet – Combined
Reexamination Certificate
2000-06-07
2001-10-30
Fridie, Jr., Willmon (Department: 3722)
Binder device releasably engaging aperture or notch of sheet
Combined
C402S08000L, C281S015100, C412S001000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06309130
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to an organizer system for attaching documents to binders or other file storage systems. More specifically, the present invention describes a positioning tool that allows for the attachment of strips that can be adhered to documents and have openings adapted to receive the fasteners in binders so that documents can be mounted in the binders without punching them.
Documents are often kept in binders such as ring binders, personal organizers, etc. Documents usually may be altered to fit into those binders by punching holes, or by placing other storage features along edge portions of the documents. However, for certain documents, such as illustrations, transparencies or important legal documents, it may not be desirable or aesthetic to punch holes or attach permanent storage features to the documents. Moreover, punching holes in a document causes permanent damage to the document and may remove information from the document. Punched documents are susceptible to tears around the holes. Reinforcing rings may reinforce damaged areas of documents around such holes, but application of such rings to every hole is time. consuming and may further cover information on the document.
Strips are known that can be adhered to documents and have openings adapted to receive the fasteners in binders so that documents can be mounted in the binders without punching them. U.S. Pat. No. 4,800,170 describes such a strip for which the “glue needs to be heated to secure page binder with spine section with a number of closely adjacent beads of hot melt glue”. Other such strips are adhered by layers of pressure sensitive adhesive covered by liners that must be removed before the strips are used. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,248,164 describes a “binder with a stub edge, notable, for filing loose-leaf and intermediate sheets”. This “binder” has “one or two vertical strips coated with a nonpermanent adhesive layer protected by a protective film”. EP 0 266 454 B1 describes “a binder for connecting two sheet formed articles of paper or the like . . . [the] end portions being provided with an adhesive layer covered by sheet of release paper and application onto the respective article forming a strong adhesive bond therewith.” Liner-free strips for attaching loose documents into a file folder or ting-binder are described in WO87/02941 (Cheng), in FR2 543 066, and in U.S. Pat. No. 4,715,759 that describes “a system of counterfoil binding, fit in particular to classify documents in the form of loose sheets” and states that the strip “can be either transparent or opaque.”
Commonly owned U.S. Pat. No. 5,683,194, which is hereby incorporated by reference, discloses a novel organizer strip. The strip comprises (1) an elongate layer of thin flexible material having opposite major side surfaces, opposite ends, inner and outer opposite elongate edges between its ends, an inner edge portion along its inner edge, and an outer edge portion along its outer edge; and (2) a coating of repositionable pressure sensitive adhesive on one major surface along the inner edge portion, with the layer being free of adhesive on both of its side surfaces along its outer edge portion. The outer edge portion of the strip is visually distinctive, and the juncture between the inner and outer portions is visibly distinctive. The strip has at least one and typically a plurality of spaced opening through the outer edge portion of the layer that are adapted to receive portions of binders. Thus, a document to which the coating of adhesive along the inner edge portion is adhered with the edge of the document along the juncture between the inner and outer portions can be bound in a binder without punching the document by attaching the outer portion to the binder.
Traditionally, a user manually attaches the described organizer strip onto a document. As with any other manual procedure, the accuracy and repeatability of the attachment depends on the skill of the user. When organizer strips are attached to multiple sheets, alignment and positional differences tend to occur. Misaligned pages affect the professional appearance of the stored documents.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is directed to an organizer system and positioning tool to ensure repeatable positioning and alignment of organizer strips on multiple documents. The organizer system aids in attaching a document to a binder, the document having some predetermined dimensions and shape.
The system includes a strip and a positioning tool. The tool aids in aligning a document for attaching an adhesive organizer strip to the document in a desired position and alignment.
The strip includes an elongated layer of material having a first major surface and an opposite second major surface. The first major surface has an inner edge portion and an outer edge portion. The outer edge portion defines a document attachment feature. The inner portion includes a coating of adhesive.
The positioning tool includes a tray having interior document alignment means defining a desired document position and interior strip alignment means defining a desired position for the adhesive organizer strip with respect to the document.
The tray is a receiving tray having an outside border on the tray defining a document receiving recess that at least partly receives the document and a nested organizer strip receiving recess that partly receives the organizer strip. The organizer strip receiving recess has strip alignment features that place the organizer strip in a desired position. The document receiving recess has document alignment features that allow the user to align the document in a desired position with respect to the organizer strip, where at least a part of the adhesive portion overlaps the document.
In one embodiment, the document alignment means includes raised borders along three edges of the tray, the raised borders defining a slot having an open end, and interior indentation features within the slot defining a stop against which to abut the document.
The positioning tool has a strip positioning portion including strip alignment features and a document receiving potion having document alignment features corresponding to the predetermined dimensions and shape of the document. In one embodiment, the positioning tool comprises a tray having an outside border defining a recess including the strip positioning portion and the document receiving portion. Also, the document attachment feature comprises at least one through opening and the strip alignment features include at least one locator pin matching the desired position of the at least one through opening.
The strip positioning portion receives the inner edge portion of the strip and the outer edge portion of the strip overlaps the document edge alignment feature. The depth of the strip positioning portion may be sized to retain and package a plurality of the strips arranged in a pad.
The document alignment features include at least one lip against which the document abuts when in the document receiving portion and side rails aligning the document within the recess.
For certain embodiments where the document comprises a traditional rectangular sheet having a longitudinal straight edge having a first longitudinal dimension, the strip comprises a rectangular elongated layer of material having a second longitudinal dimension smaller than the first longitudinal dimension. The strip positioning portion comprises a first U-shaped rectangular recess having a generally flat bottom, a longitudinal rail, an opposite open end, and two side rails spaced a distance generally the same or slightly larger than the second longitudinal dimension. The document receiving portion comprises a second U-shaped rectangular recess adjacent the open end of the first recess. The second recess has two side rails spaced a distance generally the same or slightly larger than the first longitudinal dimension and a first longitudinal side including the open end of the first recess. The difference in the long
Johnson Steven Philip
Mason Bruce Shields
3M Innovative Properties Company
Florczak Yen Tong
Fridie Jr. Willmon
Ho Nestor F.
LandOfFree
Organizer strip system, tool and method of use does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Organizer strip system, tool and method of use, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Organizer strip system, tool and method of use will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2578551