Improvements in or relating to stationery binders

Abstract

 A method of making a loose-leaf stationery binder, which can be converted to a binder for binding stationery in a permanent fashion, the binder being made from a sheet which is folded so as to have a front cover (8) and a rear cover (11) at the spine of the binder, the sheet is folded at score lines (1-4) and a stiffened flexible strip (6) is inserted through holes in a face (10). The ends of the flexible strip (6) are bent over on a strip of card (7) and in this condition the binder can be used for loose-leaf stationery binding.
One side of a double-sided adhesive strip (12) is stuck either to the cover (11) or to the strip (7) of card, a strip of protective paper covering the other side of the adhesive strip (12). When the binder is to be used for permanently binding stationery, the protective paper is removed and the strip (7) and the inner edge of the cover (11) are stuck together thereby to entrap the stiffened flexible strip (6) and to obscure it from view.

Description

IMPROVEMENTS IN OR RELATING TO STATIONERY BINDERS

[0001] This invention relates to a method of making a stationery binder which, at an intermediate stage of manufacture, is a loose-leaf binder and which, at a final stage of manufacture, is a binder for permanently binding stationery.

[0002] If companies wish to send out, or to use internally, brochures, specifications, reports, tenders etc., they have, apart from a loose-leaf format, two main options. The first is to go to their printer and the second is to buy one of the various machines available and bind the copies themselves. For the first option to be viable, a large number of copies would be required and there would be little chance of altering the data sheets to suit one customer in particular. The second option necessitates a capital outlay for the equipment plus, of course, a separate supply of covers.

[0003] The primary object of the present invention is to provide a binder which would enable the user to bind in a permanent fashion data sheets etc. without machinery and with total flexibility of content. An intermediate stage of the manufacture of the binder according to the present invention provides a loose-leaf binder.

[0004] According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of making a loose-leaf stationary binder, comprising the steps of folding a substantially rectangular sheet along first, second and third equispaced parallel lines across the sheet to form a ridge across the sheet so that one side of the sheet has, from end-to-end, a major face, then two minor faces forming the ridge and then another major face; inserting a stiffened flexible strip through two holes in one of said minor faces so that a central portion of said strip extends along the other side of said sheet and the two ends of said strip extend out of said holes on said one side and transversely of said sheet, the ends of said strip being intended to be passed through file holes in sheets of paper in use of the binder; and joining the rear sides of said two minor faces together to form an inner spine of the binder and to hold said strip in place.

[0005] According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of making a binder for binding stationary in a permanent fashion, the method comprising all of the steps defined in the preceding paragraph and then applying one side of a double-sided adhesive strip adjacent said stiffened flexible strip, said adhesive strip being positioned so that the other side of said adhesive strip can be applied to cause part of said major face that lies adjacent the free ends of said stiffened flexible strip to entrap said stiffened flexible strip and to obscure it from view.

[0006] According to.a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a stationary binder as produced by the method essentially as defined in either of the two preceding paragraphs.

[0007] For a better understanding of the invention and to show how the same may be carried into effect, reference will now be made, by way of example, to the accompanying drawings, in which:-

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view of a first form of binder in an opened-out condition at an intermediate stage of manufacture,

Figure 2 is a diagrammatic end view of the binder shown in Figure 1,

Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 1 of a second form of binder, and

Figure 4 diagrammatically illustrates the spine of a completed binder according to Figure 1 or Figure 3 with papers permanently bound therein.

[0008] Referring firstly to Figures 1 and 2, the binder is made by providing a substantially rectangular sheet A, which can be of card, and making score or fold lines in it from top to bottom. In the Example shown, four score lines 1, 2, 3 and 4 are provided, the score lines 2, 3 and 4 being equispaced from one another. Two holes 5 are punched in the sheet A between the score lines 2 and 3. The score lines 2, 3 and 4 are gathered together to form two folds in the sheet A which thus forms a ridge across the sheet so that one side of the sheet has, from end to end, a major face 8, then two minor faces 9 and 10 forming the ridge and then another major face 11.

[0009] A stiffened flexible strip 6, which may be of metal or plastics material, is inserted in the two holes 5 so that a central portion of the strip 6 extends along the other side (outside) of the sheet A and the two ends of the strip 6 extend out of the holes 5 on one side and transversely of the sheet. The ends of the strip 6 are intended to be passed through file holes in sheets of paper in use of the binder, the ends being bent over inwardly towards one another to lie flat one on the other.

[0010] The two folds, i.e. the rear sides of the two minor faces 9 and 10, are then joined together, preferably by glueing, to form an inner spine for the binder and to hold the central portion of the flexible strip 6 in place.

[0011] A separate strip 7 of card with two holes therein is provided to strengthen the binder by helping to prevent the flexible strip 6 from tearing the puched holes in the papers in the binder, the strip 7 lying on top of the papers with the ends of the strip 6 passing through respective holes in the strip 7 and being bent over onto the strip 7.

[0012] In this condition, the binder is in a loose-leaf format so that it is possible to insert and remove at will material held by the strip 6 in the binder.

[0013] To form the binder into one for binding in a permanent fashion, one side of a double-sided adhesive strip 12 is stuck onto the major face 11 between the score lines 1 and 2. A protective paper strip is provided on the exposed side of the adhesive strip 12. In this condition, i.e. with the flexible strip 6 and the separate strip 7 of card in position and the adhesive strip 12 affixed to the face 11 alone, the binder can be sold.

[0014] In order to bind material in, data sheets, etc. with punched holes are inserted over the end of the strip 6, then the strip 7 of card is placed on the strip 6 over the data sheets and the ends of the strip 6 are bent over, preferably towards one another but they could be bent away from one another. The protective paper is lifted from the adhesive strip 12 and the back cover (11) of the binder is folded over. The adhesive adheres to the strip 7 of card which is held with the data sheets by the strip 6. The strip 7 in this condition completely obscures the ends of the flexible strip 6. The result is a binder with the internal sheets securely bound and the clip hidden. There is no plastics spiral or strip to spoil the appearance. Figure 1 shows a fourth score line 1 which is provided to enable the major face 11, which has now become the back cover of the binder, to be opened easily.

[0015] Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 1 but shows a second form of binder in which the positioning of the adhesive strip 12 has been changed from the back cover 11 (where, in Figure 1, it was lying adjacent the flexible strip 6) to being provided actually on the strip 7 of card, so that it still lies adjacent the flexible strip 6. Effectively, therefore, the position of the adhesive strip 12 has been reversed. The adhesive strip 12 is shown cross-hatched in Figure 3. In addition, both the strip 7 of card and the adhesive strip 12 are shorter in the form shown in Figure 3 as compared with the form shown in Figure 1.

[0016] It will be seen that, with the form shown in Figure 3, when the ends of the flexible strip 6 have been bent over to lie flat on one another and when the protective paper strip has been removed to expose the adhesive strip 12, the back cover 11 can be folded over so that the adhesive strip 12 will stick to the back cover 11 between the score lines 1 and 2 thereby to entrap the flexible strip 6 and'to obscure it from view as with the Figure 1 form.

[0017] If only a non-permanent binding is required, the strip 7 of card is preferable reversed so that the adhesive strip 12 with its protective paper faces downwards so that the binder can be used as a loose-leaf binder. If, at a later date, a permanent binding is required the strip 7 of card can be removed and then replaced with the adhesive strip 12 face up, the protective paper is removed and the sheet can then be permanently bound.

Claims

1. A method of making a loose-leaf stationary binder, comprising the steps of folding a substantially rectangular sheet along first, second and third equispaced parallel lines across the sheet to form a ridge across the sheet so that one side of the sheet has, from end-to-end, a major face, then two minor faces forming the ridge and then another major face; inserting a stiffened flexible strip through two holes in one of said minor faces so that a central portion of said strip extends along the other side of said sheet and the two ends of said strip extend out of said holes on said one side and transversely of said sheet, the ends of said strip being intended to be passed through file holes in sheets of paper in use of the binder; and joining the rear sides of said two minor faces together to form an inner spine of the binder and to hold said strip in place.

2. A method of making a binder for binding stationary in a permanent fashion, the method comprising all of the steps defined in claim 1 and then applying one side of a double-sided adhesive strip adjacent said stiffened flexible strip, said adhesive strip being positioned so that the other side of said adhesive strip can be applied to cause part of said major face that lies adjacent the freee ends of said stiffened flexible strip to entrap said stiffened flexible strip and to obscure it from view.

3. A method as claimed in claim 2, wherein said adhesive strip is applied on the major face that is adjacent the minor face with said stiffened flexible strip in it.

4. A method as claimed in claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein a strip of card having two holes therein is placed over said flexible strip so that the ends of said flexible strip pass through the respective holes in said strip of card.

5. A method as claimed in claims 2 and A without claim 3, wherein said one side of said adhesive strip is adhered to said strip of card along side said flexible strip.

6. A method as claimed in claim 2 or any one of claims 3 to 5 as appendant to claim 2, wherein said other side of said adhesive strip is covered with a strip of protective paper to prevent the binder being utilised for binding stationary in a permanent fashion until required.

7. A method as claimed in claim 6, wherein, to bind stationary in a permanent fashion, said strip of protective paper is removed from said adhesive strip and said major face that is adjacent said minor face with said stiffened flexible strip in it is bent over to cause said strip of card to be adhered to this major face thereby entrapping said stiffened flexible strip and obscuring it from view.

8. A method as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein said substantially rectangular sheet is folded along a fourth line, parallel to the first mentioned lines, in said major face that is adjacent the minor face with said stiffened flexible strip in it, this fourth line facilitating opening-out of the binder.

9. A stationary binder as produced by the method as claimed .in any one of the preceding claims.

Drawing