Binder device releasably engaging aperture or notch of sheet – Sheet
Reexamination Certificate
2001-08-20
2003-11-25
Fridie, Jr., Willmon (Department: 3722)
Binder device releasably engaging aperture or notch of sheet
Sheet
C402S08000L, C281S038000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06652178
ABSTRACT:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
Not Applicable
FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT
Not Applicable
BACKGROUND
1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to an organizational accessory, and pertains especially to a three-ring notebook binder accessory into which small cards including educational flashcards and business cards are easily inserted, sorted into groups, and transported.
My invention is called “An Organizing and Storage System for Cards,” hereafter referred to as either “Small Card Organizer” or simply “Organizer.”
2. Discussion of Prior Art
One of the problems with learning a new vocabulary such as a foreign language or with organizing vast amounts of information is the ability to organize and manage information easily to facilitate learning. One learning tool for learning vast amounts of information is flashcards. But flashcards, often used in large quantities, need to be managed and organized. For learning and using flashcards, individuals need an organizing system that:
compactly carries and stores flashcards,
provides a place in which to segregate and organize flashcards,
facilitates fast manipulation of flashcards.
There are some systems available today, such as metal key rings and rubber bands, but there is no known system that provides the ability to easily carry, categorize and reorganize cards easily.
Students learning any subject including foreign language are always looking for ways to organize information in a manner that helps them increase their retention. One learning tool for learning vast amounts of information is flashcards. Students using flashcards will often take a large stack of flashcards and divide them into smaller and manageable chunks. Out of a stack of 100 flashcards, users may easily learn 40 words, with one word per flashcard, but have problems learning the remaining 60. So from the stack of 100, they remove the first 40 flashcard, bind them together with a rubber band, and call the new smaller stack “Expert-Level”. Next, they divide the remaining 60 cards into two subgroups. If 45 flashcards are somewhat difficult to learn (but not extremely difficult), they will segregate those 45 flashcards and place them into a stack identified as “Intermediate-Level.”
The remaining 15 (and more difficult) flashcards become a third stack titled “Difficult-Level.” These 15 words will now be easier to learn because psychologically, the task looks much smaller, and tactically, problems divided are problems that have been resolved. Over a week's time, users will learn many of the Difficult-Level words and then migrate them toward the expert-level stack. Both the Difficult-Level Stack and the Intermediate-Level Stack will gradually become smaller while the expert-level stack becomes larger.
Managing and organizing many flashcards, however, can be challenging. For example, rubber bands are often used to keep the flashcard stacks intact, however, rubber bands can be cumbersome. Rubber bands hold together flashcards, but they make it difficult to insert or withdraw flashcards from a stack. This requires that one remove the rubber band. But Repeatedly banding and un-banding stacks with rubber bands is cumbersome and detracts from learning efforts, so one may intentionally leave stacks un-banded or loose while working with them. But loose stacks can get easily get mixed up with cards from other stacks, especially considering that flashcards should be handled quickly, in split-second operations, shuffled quickly from hand-to-stack and between categorized stacks. Students who use flashcards while commuting on a bus will need to give attention and account for flashcards that might have fallen to the floor. Rubber bands break if they are stretched too tightly or used frequently. Another drawback to rubberbanding is that bundled flashcards are not comfortable in one's pant pockets. In a student's backpack, cards-stacks are small enough to settle to the bottom, thus making them a nuisance to locate later. Flashcard bundles can be misplaced, left in yesterday's coat pocket, or accidentally left on the nightstand. Related flashcard stacks can get separated from each other.
Another popular solution for managing flashcards is to use flashcards that are bound together on a metal ring such as those holding car keys, house keys, etc. . . . Each flashcard has a small hole through which the ring may penetrate thereby holding all cards together. Although this method does keep cards together, the flashcards on a key ring is a serial-file and does not allow for easy management, rapid sorting, or re-categorizing of cards during the learning process.
In summary, the problem with organizing vast amounts of information on flashcards creates a demand for a management system that makes it easy to transport, store and easily categorize flashcards.
Cited below are a listing of patents that were found to be related to notebook binders or card organization.
Design Patent D340,473 (Oct. 19, 1993, Connie M. Dubs, “Loose-Leaf Binder sheet for Organizing Coupons”) is a coupon organizer. Within each coupon receptacle, however, flashcards would disperse within the envelope due to the envelope's large size, therefore users would have to reach into envelope and feel for the cards before retrieving them. It is uncertain if the envelope depth is deep enough to hold the desired quantity of cards. In any event, users would have to manipulate or “wiggle” any additional flashcards into the envelope if, already, there were flashcards held in the recesses of the large envelope. Although only a slight problem for coupon use, getting flashcards to fit in among other cards would become a nuisance; the work with flashcards ought to be quick and frequent.
Design Patent D272,748 (Feb. 21, 1984, Velma R. Kirk, “Pocket Insert for Notebook”) is a three-ring binder insert with receptacles for paper and other unspecified items. For use as a flashcard organizer, drawbacks to this patent include those encountered with D340,473 (the Coupon Organizer). An additional drawback is that this design fails to provide a satisfactory means to secure flashcards from becoming dislodged from the envelope.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,540,646 (Nov. 17, 1970, John W. Kizler, “File Envelope Having Side-By-Side Extensible Pockets”) is a two-pocket holder. It provides a curved indentation on the envelopes' front wall for improved access to enclosed items, two side-by-side pouches, and a single and a single flap to hold contents in either pocket. It is problematic, however, that a common wall is shared by two pockets. When the pockets are compressed (as if a stack of books were placed on top) the common wall between them deflects away from one of the pockets but in toward the other pocket. This would take space intended for flashcards in pocket two and introduce an obstacle against inserting flashcards. The user may be required to use one hand to spread wider the envelope opening while using the other hand to insert Flashcards. The common wall has a second drawback: the tab that secures it to the back wall of the pockets is exposed to items being inserted into one of the pockets, and it would becomes a nuisance-obstacle against frequent and rapid insertion of flashcards into that pocket.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,688,896 (Sep. 5, 1972, Strohm Newell, “Card Case”) and U.S. Pat. No. 5,992,618 (Nov. 30, 1999, Duksung Joh, “Pocket Carrier of Index Cards”) are both rigid index card boxes. While the cases are transporters of cards, they are not categorizing tools, neither do they plug into notebook binders, and they are bulky.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,042,841 (Aug. 27, 1991, Michael N. Friedman, “Combined Cover and Storage Compartment for a Ring Binder”) and U.S. Pat. No. 5,125,561 (Jun. 30, 1992, Idstein Wilfried, “Folio Including Filing Perforations”) are storage compartments for transporting contents, but they do not provide for plurality of envelopes to help sort or categorize cards.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,906,057 (Mar. 6, 1990, Richard A. Davi, “Closed Portable Card File”) is an index card case suitable for organizing cards nu
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