US 6,746,171 B2Granted

Modular ring binder assembly with removable rivets

AssigneeCompton Presentation Systems

InventorStephen R. Welch

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Abstract

In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a ring binder assembly that includes a cover, a ring mechanism and a means to removably secure the cover to the ring mechanism. The removable securing means includes a pair of removable rivets. The removable rivets may in a first embodiment include a pair of resilient tail members that can be pinched together in order to pass through openings in the cover and the ring mechanism. The resilient tail members tend to have a diameter larger then the openings such that when the resilient tail members pass through the openings, the resilient tail members return to their larger diameter configuration. This permits a consumer or user with the ability to disassemble the components of the ring binder assembly and interchange these components with new components similarly configured. The user may then customize and personalize the ring binder assembly to their own specifications.

Claims17

Dependent claims

A modular ring binder assembly comprising a ring mechanism, a cover having openings and including a plurality of knuckles spaced transversely across said cover, each knuckle permitting the cover to bend about said knuckle;

and a plurality of pairs of openings spaced transversely along the knuckles, each pair of openings being positioned to accommodate a ring mechanism with a predetermined ring capacity, each pair of openings further corresponding to the openings in a ring mechanism, some of which are in alignment with the openings in said cover, at least two removable rivets received in corresponding openings in the ring mechanism and in the cover securing said ring mechanism to said cover, wherein when a first ring mechanism having a ring capacity is removably secured to the cover, the cover may bend about a first set of knuckles to form a spine and two sides accommodating said first ring mechanism, and upon said first ring mechanism being replaced with a second ring mechanism having a different ring capacity than said first ring mechanism, the cover may further bend about a second set of knuckles of said plurality of knuckles forming a spine and two sides accommodating said second ring mechanism, wherein when the removable rivets are removed, the ring mechanism, the cover and the removable rivets may be interchangeable with a second ring mechanism and a second cover and additional removable rivets.

A modular ring binder assembly comprising a ring mechanism;

a cover, at least one removable rivet received in corresponding openings in the ring mechanism and in the cover securing said ring mechanism to said cover, each removable rivet having a tail portion, the pair of resilient members extending from the tail portion, the pair of resilient members has a normal configuration defined as having a diameter larger than the openings in the cover and the ring mechanism, the resilient member may further be pinched such that the pair of resilient members may pass through the openings in the cover and the ring mechanism wherein after the resilient members pass through the openings in the cover and the ring mechanism, the resilient members tend to return to the normal configuration wherein the cover secures said ring mechanism to said cover.

A modular ring binder assembly;

a ring mechanism having a pair of openings oppositely opposed;
a cover having openings corresponding to the openings in the ring mechanism;
a pair of removable rivets received in the openings in the ring mechanism and the corresponding openings in the cover removably securing said ring mechanism to said cover and means to removably attach at least one module between the ring mechanism and the cover including a pair of spool-shaped washers, each spool-shaped washer having an opening and being aligned with one of the openings in the ring mechanism, the aligned openings further being sized to receive one of the removable rivets;
and
a pair of slots defined on the module and corresponding to the spool-shaped washer, such that the slots may frictionally engage the pair of spool-shaped washers separately.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.