US 4,784,507 AGranted

Filing device for layers of sheets

AssigneeMerz und Vetter GmbH

InventorHans Vetter

Life of this patent

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Abstract

A filing device produced as a continuous one-piece body from a sheet or foil by a punching - stamping process has sequencing tongues supported as bending-elastic compression members moving easily with the folding movements of the file covers in insert strips and which are provided with locking members for easily detachable locking in their fastening position. This avoids bending of the sequencing tongues when closing the file covers and the sheets of the fastened sheet layers can be easily turned over and back along the sequencing tongues without the latter accidentally sliding out of the insert strips.

Claims32

Dependent claims

A folder for retaining punched sheets, comprising:

an integral one piece folder cut out from a flat sheet of bendable material which springs back from bending deformation, the folder having two side-pieces joined at a central folding joint zone defining a center line, the two side-pieces being foldable together and apart around the center line thereby to cover and to uncover the sheets when placed in the folder;
at least one filing tongue also cut out from the flat sheet of bendable material and integral with the side-pieces, the filing tongue being dimensioned and positioned to extend through a punched hole in the punched sheets and thereby to retain the sheets in the folder, the filing tongue being articulated to one of the side-pieces by a hinge defining a tongue joint axis parallel to the center line and spaced from the center line;
a receptacle bow defining an insert strip for receiving the filing tongue, the receptacle bow also being integrally cut out from said flat sheet, the receptacle bow being a generally U-shaped piece articulated at its ends to the other of said two side-pieces at a weakened hinge defining a strip joint axis parallel to the center line and spaced from the center line by a distance at least only slightly less than a distance between the tongue joint axis and the center line, the receptacle bow being folded upwardly from said other of the two side pieces and away from the center line, the receptacle bow slidably receiving the filing tongue and an inner surface of the receptacle bow defining a transverse boundary for the filing tongue spaced farther from the center line than the tongue joint axis is spaced from the center line;
The filing tongue sliding freely through the receptacle bow due to forces along the filing tongue, as the folder is opened and closed, the receptacle bow being folded over towards said other of the two side pieces when the folder is closed,
whereby the filing tongue remains substantially straight against said other of the two side pieces, being pushed as a non-folding compression member through the receptacle bow as the folder is closed.

2 more elements

A filing device for sheet layers (7) that have punched holes (14) for receiving filing tongues (12), said filing device (1) comprising:

a foldable member severed in one piece from a flat, flexible blank having a substantially constant thickness, said folding member being a pattern cut out from the blank;
two device side-pieces (2,3) movably connected about a folding joint zone (4), the side-pieces being movable with respect to each other into relative positions by opening and closing movements between an opened access position and a folded closed position, said side-pieces (2,3) having inside faces (8,9) opposing each other in the closed position, said side-pieces (2,3) being formed by said foldable member and each side-piece (2,3) defining a plane;
a first one of said side-pieces (2) being a filing side-piece (2);
at least two filing tongues (12) provided on said filing side-piece (2), the filing tongues (12) tending to spring back from bending deformation, said filing tongues (12) defining a longitudinal direction and having cross-sections adapted for transit through the punched holes (14) of the sheet layers, each filing tongue (12) having a hole engaging portion (25) for engaging in an associated hole (14) and having a longitudinal axis (50);
a second one of said side-pieces (3) defining a plane and forming a counter side-piece (3) having an insert strip means (13), said insert strip means (13) when in an insert position defining an insert opening (33) for each respective filing tongue (12), said insert strip means (13) being pivotable about a strip joint axis (19) of a strip hinge (18) from a folded down position towards the insert position, said insert strip means (13) being constructed in one piece with the filing tongue (12);
said filing tongues and said insert strip means having ends attached to the side pieces (2,3) at a space from the folding joint zone, whereby folding the side pieces together moves said ends toward one another, said filing tongue (12) being movable from an inserting position into a filing position by inserting a longitudinal portion (26) of said filing tongue (12) into said insert opening (33), and wherein slide means are provided for guiding said filing tongue (12) in said insert strip means (13), the filing tongue (12) being unfoldable and slidable through the strip means due to said closing movements, said slide means being provided by a combination of:
said insert opening (33) being wider than the cross-sections of the filing tongue (12), at least at said longitudinal portion (26), thereby forming a slide opening for receiving said longitudinal portion (26) having a free clearance of such an extent that said longitudinal portion in each of said closing movements of the side-pieces (2,3) is displaceable against low sliding resistances in the longitudinal direction through the insert strip means (13),
said filing tongue (12) forming a bending elastic compression member having resilient bending properties for resiliently returning from each of said bending deformations and being resiliently pretensioned to remain in the filing position, said compression member with respect to the filing said-piece (2) being supported against sliding resistances,
the insert means (13) forming separate substantially bow-like boundary edges (37,38,39) of the slide openings (33) for the filing tongues (12), said boundary edges (37,38,39) forming inner edges (37,38) of bow legs (35) having ends, and,
adjacent the slide opening (33), the counter side-piece (3) having a slideway (48,51) for closing movements of the filing tongue (12), said slideway (48,51) being substantially in a plane of the counter side-piece (3) said slide way (48,51) extending in a sliding direction corresponding to the opening and closing movements of the filing tongue (12) substantially up to the slide opening (33) on at least one side of the insert strip means (13), when in the insert position.

7 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

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Abstract

A folder for retaining punched sheets, comprising:

an integral one piece folder cut out from a flat sheet of bendable material which springs back from bending deformation, the folder having two side-pieces joined at a central folding joint zone defining a center line, the two side-pieces being foldable together and apart around the center line thereby to cover and to uncover the sheets when placed in the folder;
at least one filing tongue also cut out from the flat sheet of bendable material and integral with the side-pieces, the filing tongue being dimensioned and positioned to extend through a punched hole in the punched sheets and thereby to retain the sheets in the folder, the filing tongue being articulated to one of the side-pieces by a hinge defining a tongue joint axis parallel to the center line and spaced from the center line;
a receptacle bow defining an insert strip for receiving the filing tongue, the receptacle bow also being integrally cut out from said flat sheet, the receptacle bow being a generally U-shaped piece articulated at its ends to the other of said two side-pieces at a weakened hinge defining a strip joint axis parallel to the center line and spaced from the center line by a distance at least only slightly less than a distance between the tongue joint axis and the center line, the receptacle bow being folded upwardly from said other of the two side pieces and away from the center line, the receptacle bow slidably receiving the filing tongue and an inner surface of the receptacle bow defining a transverse boundary for the filing tongue spaced farther from the center line than the tongue joint axis is spaced from the center line;
The filing tongue sliding freely through the receptacle bow due to forces along the filing tongue, as the folder is opened and closed, the receptacle bow being folded over towards said other of the two side pieces when the folder is closed,
whereby the filing tongue remains substantially straight against said other of the two side pieces, being pushed as a non-folding compression member through the receptacle bow as the folder is closed.

2 more elements