Permanently locking ring binder

Details Permanently locking ring binder Permanently locking ring binder

1999-12-10

2001-01-30

Wellington, A. L. (Department: 3722)

Binder device releasably engaging aperture or notch of sheet

Sheet retainer travels arcuate path

Travel in plane perpendicular to axis of rotation

C402S002000, C402S065000, C402S08000L

Reexamination Certificate

active

06179507

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a permanently locking ring binder for loose-leaf papers.
The common ring binder has a metal shell containing a pair of hinged plates, each supporting a number of semi-circular ring segments that protrude through or around the shell. The plates can be toggled, by manipulating either the rings or a release lever, between a closed configuration in which the ends of the ring segments meet, and an open position where the ends of the rings are spaced apart, permitting papers that have been inserted to be removed. The ability to toggle between open and closed configurations repeatedly is normally a requirement, and certainly the great advantage of this type of binder.
Sometimes, however, papers ought not to be removed from ring binders. An example is at a sales counter catalog binder, where the value of catalogs in a binder is diminished if any papers (e.g., price lists) are removed from the binder. People are won't to borrow papers for various reasons; the papers may then be lost or improperly refilled, notwithstanding the good intentions of the borrower. Archival collections would also benefit from permanently locking binders.
It would therefore be beneficial to have a binder which could be permanently locked to prevent removal of papers from the binder.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the invention is to provide a ring binder which can be opened and closed repeatedly only until a permanent lock has been activated to prevent further opening of the binder.
Another object is to provide a permanent lock for a ring binder which can be activated simply by pressing on the lock with the finger.
A further object is to provide a permanent ring binder lock which can be applied to existing ring binder designs with no alterations except for forming apertures in the binder shell.
These and other objects are attained by a permanently locking ring binder comprising a housing, a pair of hinged plates within the housing, each supporting a plurality of ring segments arranged so that, when the plates are in one position, the ends of the ring segments are spaced apart, so that one can insert loose-leaf papers over the segments, and a second position, in which the ends of opposing ring segments meet, forming closed rings for retaining the papers, and an initially inactive lock which can be activated once papers have been placed in the binder, to prevent movement of the rings to their open position, which lock cannot be manually deactivated.


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