Refillable notebook with release mechanism

A binding mechanism assembly for binding a plurality of sheet items comprising:

• a backing member;
• a binding member directly or indirectly coupled to said backing member, said binding member including a protrusion shaped and located to protrude through a hole of a sheet item to be bound thereto, said binding member further including a generally flexible flange that is manually deformable to engage the protrusion to form a generally closed loop and thereby bind said sheet item thereto, wherein said binding member is pivotally mounted relative to said backing member such that said binding member is pivotable to a position wherein at least part of said closed loop is located below said backing member;
• and
• a locking mechanism moveable between a locked position and an unlocked position, wherein when said locking mechanism is in said locked position and said flange and protrusion form said generally closed loop, said locking mechanism being configured to engage a free, distal end of said flange to hold said flange in said generally closed loop configuration.

A binding mechanism assembly comprising:

• a generally flat, planar backing member;
• a binding member directly or indirectly coupled to said backing member and including a protrusion shaped and located to protrude through a hole of a sheet item to be bound thereto, said binding member further including a generally flexible flange that is manually deformable to engage in the protrusion to form a generally closed loop therewith, wherein said flange has a base portion and a free distal end, and wherein said distal end is manually deformable from a first position wherein said distal end is positioned generally parallel to said backing member to a second position wherein said distal end is positioned generally perpendicular to said backing member while said base portion does not move relative to said backing member regardless of whether said distal end is in said first position or said second position due to said flexibility of said flange;
• and
• a locking mechanism moveable between a locked position wherein said locking mechanism retains said flange in place engaging said protrusion and an unlocked position in which said locking mechanism does not retain said flange in place with respect to said protrusion.