Media binder arrangement and a method of manufacturing a media binder

Abstract

Media binder arrangement (10) comprising at least one spring clamp (15) attached to the spine (14) of the media binder. The spring clamp (15) having an interior cavity (19). The interior cavity (19) of said spring clamp (15) is additionally formed with a datum spacer cavity (35) having spacer walls (36, 37) limited from the sides (16, 17) by a bending. The spacer walls (36, 37) having wall surfaces facing the clamp base (18) for holding the datum spacer (30) in abutment with the clamp base (18). Method of manufacturing such a media binder arrangement (10).

Claims

1. A media binder arrangement comprising, a cover with a front, a back and a spine extending along a spine axis; at least one spring clamp attached to the spine, said spring clamp having a first side with a first clamping side edge and a second side with a second clamping side edge, said side edges exerting a spring force towards each other in an activated position; the sides being joined with a clamp base at a distance from the side edges thereby defining an interior cavity in the spring clamp, each side having an acute angle with respect to the clamp base; a tension sheet mounted inside the cavity and protruding out from the cavity next to each of the respective side edges and firmly attached to the cover; a datum spacer mounted inside the cavity holding the tension sheet against the clamp base of the spring clamp; wherein the spring clamp is provided with spacer walls, each spacer wall being separated from a respective side by a bend in the spring clamp along an axis being parallel with said spine axis, wherein the spacer walls form a datum spacer cavity in the interior cavity of said spring clamp and wherein the spacer walls have wall surfaces facing the clamp base for holding the datum spacer in abutment with the clamp base and the spacer walls.

2. The media binder arrangement of claim 1, wherein the clamp base has a flat surface.

3. The media binder arrangement of claim 2, wherein the wall surfaces of said spacer walls are parallel with the surface of the clamp base.

4. The media binder arrangement of claim 2, wherein the wall surfaces of said spacer walls each has an acute angle with respect to the surface of the clamp base.

5. The media binder arrangement of claim 4, wherein said acute angles of the spacer wall surfaces are different from the angles between the sides and the clamp base respectively.

6. The media binder arrangement of claim 1, wherein a perpendicular projection of the spacer walls on the clamp base covers from 20% to 60% of the clamp base surface.

7. The media binder arrangement of claim 6, wherein said projection covers 30% to 40% of the clamp base-surface.

8. The media binder arrangement of claim 7, wherein said projection covers 35% of the clamp base surface.

9. The media binder arrangement of claim 1, wherein said datum spacer is provided as an elongate ruler having a rectangular cross section.

10. The media binder arrangement of claim 9, wherein one end of said elongate ruler is provided with a datum stop extending perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the elongate ruler.

11. A method of manufacturing a media binder arrangement, comprising the steps of: providing a cover with a front, a back and a spine extending along a spine axis; providing at least one spring clamp configured to be attached to said spine, having a first side with a first clamping side edge and a second side with a second clamping side edge, said side edges exerting a spring force towards each other in an activated position and said sides being joined with a clamp base at a distance from said clamping side edges thereby defining an interior cavity, each side having an acute angle with respect to said clamp base, wherein said spring clamp further is provided with spacer walls, each spacer wall being separated from a respective side by a bend in said spring clamp along an axis being parallel with said spine axis, wherein the spacer walls form a datum spacer cavity in said interior cavity of said spring clamp, and wherein said spacer walls have wall surfaces facing said clamp base; providing a datum spacer configured to be held by said wall surfaces in abutment with said clamp base and the spacer walls; providing a tension sheet that is attached to said datum spacer; inserting said tension sheet and said datum spacer longitudinally into said datum spacer cavity in said spring clamp for holding said tension sheet in said datum spacer cavity; and simultaneously performing the steps of: attaching said tension sheet to said front and said back of said cover, and; and positioning said spring clamp in said spine of said cover.

12. The method of manufacturing a media binder of claim 11, wherein said tension sheet is glued to the inside of said cover.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) Now, the invention will be described in more detail, references being made in connection with the accompanying drawing figures. The drawing figures show only explanatory sketches intended to facilitate the understanding of the invention.

(2) FIG. 1 shows a section of first embodiment of a spring clamp mechanism in a media binder arrangement according to the invention.

(3) FIG. 2 shows a section of a second embodiment of a spring clamp according to the invention.

(4) FIG. 3 shows a section of a third embodiment of a spring clamp according to the invention.

(5) FIG. 4 shows a section of a fourth embodiment of a spring clamp according to the invention.

(6) FIG. 5 shows a section of a fifth embodiment of a spring clamp according to the invention.

(7) FIG. 6 shows mounting of a datum spacer into a spring clamp according to a first embodiment of the invention.

(8) FIG. 7 shows mounting of a datum spacer of a second embodiment into a spring clamp according to the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

(9) FIG. 1 shows a schematic cross sectional view of the spine region of a media binder arrangement 10. Parts of the arrangement is disclosed with dashed lines for illustrative purposes of the elongated binder arrangement. In the disclosed section the arrangement 10 comprises a cover 11 with a front part 12, a back part 13 and a spine part 14. All of these parts extends in a direction parallel to a spine axis 141 up to the actual dimension of the media binder product as is illustrated by the dashed lines in the figure. The media binder arrangement 10 is provided with a spring clamp 15 of a first embodiment which spring clamp is attached to the spine part 14 of the binder. Inside the spring clamp 15 a tension sheet 20 is applied and which tension sheet has a first side part 201 and a second side part 202. Each of these side parts of the tension sheet 20 is firmly connected to the front part 12 and to the back part 13 of the cover respectively. The connection is made so that when bending the front part 12 of the cover and the back part 13 of the cover backwards as indicated by the arrows against its closing spring force the spring clamp 15 will open. When the front part of the cover and the back part of the cover are released from its backbending the spring clamp will close with a certain amount of spring force. The spring clamp is disclosed in the figure in a half open position.

(10) With such an arrangement of a spring clamp media binder, it is possible to icy collect a bundle of papers aligned in a binding position only by bending the binder backwards and thereafter let the binder close by its spring clamp.

(11) The spring clamp 15 is provided with a first side 16 with a first clamping side edge 161 and a second side 17 with second clamping side edge 171. Each side edge 161, 171 is preferably curved outwards in order to provide a smooth surface onto which the tension sheet 20 abuts. The side edges 161, 171 are exerting a spring force towards each other in an activated position in order to press a bundle of papers together in the media binder arrangement 10. The sides 16, 17 of the media binder connects the side edges 161, 171 with a clamp base 18 at a distance from the side edges thereby defining an interior cavity 19 in the spring clamp 15. The tension sheet 20 is mounted inside the cavity 19 and is protruding out from the cavity 19 next to each of the respective side edges 161, 171 and is firmly attached to the cover 11.

(12) Each side 16, 17 of the spring clamp 15 having an acute angle towards the clamp base 18 in an inactivated position. The interior cavity 19 at the bottom of the spring clamp 15 is designed with a spacer cavity 35. This spacer cavity is in FIG. 1 formed as a cavity with a rectangular shape having rounded corners with 90 angles between neighbouring sides. However other shapes can be chosen, for example elliptical shapes or rectangular shapes that have curved corners. The purpose of the spacer cavity is to hold a datum spacer 30 together with a tension sheet 20 in the spacer cavity. Thus, the datum spacer 30 is mounted inside the cavity 19 holding the tension sheet 20 towards the clamp base 18 of the spring clamp 15.

(13) For this purpose the spacer cavity 35 is provided with spacer walls 36, 37 which wall surfaces are facing the clamp base 18 for holding the datum spacer 30 in abutment with the clamp base 18 even when the binder and thus the spring clamp is opened. The spacer walls 36, 37 of the spring clamp covers an inner side surface 21 of the datum spacer with 15-25% of the total inner side surface 21, preferably 20%.

(14) FIG. 2 shows a schematic cross sectional view of a second embodiment of a spring clamp 152 covering a datum spacer 301 schematically illustrated by dashed lines. This spring clamp 152 is provided with a spacer cavity 351 having, compared to the first embodiment, larger spacer cavity walls 361, 371 which covers an inner side surface 211 of the datum spacer with 25-75% of the total inner side surface 211, preferably 55%, when the spacer cavity walls are projected perpendicular towards the inner side surface 211 of the datum spacer 301. In this embodiment the datum spacer 301 is designed similar to the datum spacer 30 disclosed in FIG. 1.

(15) FIG. 3 shows a schematic cross sectional view of a third embodiment of a spring clamp 153 enclosing a datum spacer 302 in a spacer cavity 352 where the datum spacer is schematically illustrated by dashed lines in the figure. In this embodiment the inner side surface 212 of the datum spacer 302 is divided into three surfaces consisting of a middle surface and two sloping side surfaces. In this embodiment the spacer cavity side surfaces 362, 372 of the spring clamp 153 are parallel with the sloping side surfaces of the datum spacer 302. The spacer cavity walls 362, 372 covers the whole of the sloping side surfaces of the datum spacer when the spacer cavity walls are projected perpendicular towards the sloping side surfaces of the datum spacer 302.

(16) FIG. 4 shows a schematic cross sectional view of a fourth embodiment of a spring clamp 154 enclosing a datum spacer 303 in a spacer cavity 353 where the datum spacer is schematically illustrated by dashed lines in the figure. The cross sectional form of the datum spacer 303 is ellipsoidal. The surfaces of the spacer cavity 353 facing the datum spacer 303 is illustrated in the figure as flat surfaces, however these datum spacer facing surfaces can also be corresponding ellipsoidal in another embodiment. Moreover, the outer surface of the spring clamp is in this embodiment provided with a central bending 401.

(17) FIG. 5 shows a schematic cross sectional view of a fifth embodiment of a spring clamp 155 enclosing a datum spacer 304 in a spacer cavity 354 where the datum spacer is schematically illustrated by dashed lines in the figure. The cross sectional form of the datum spacer 304 is in this embodiment mainly ellipsoidal. However, a centre region of the inner surface 214 of the datum spacer is provided with an indentation of the ellipsoidal shape either as a flat surface or as a concave surface as in the figure. The surfaces of the spacer cavity 354 facing the datum spacer 304 is illustrated in the figure as flat surfaces, however these datum spacer facing surfaces can also be corresponding ellipsoidal to the datum spacer in another embodiment.

(18) The clamp base disclosed in the embodiments might as alternative embodiments be designed concave with an inward protruding curve.

(19) FIG. 6 illustrates a method of manufacturing a media binder arrangement 10. The media binder arrangement is provided with at least one spring clamp 15 having an interior cavity 19 designed with a datum spacer cavity 35. The datum spacer cavity 35 is formed with two spacer walls 36, 37 for holding a datum spacer 30.

(20) A tension sheet 20 is attached to the datum spacer 30 so that both the tensioning sheet 20 and the datum spacer can be mounted into the spring clamp in a longitudinal motion illustrated by the arrow in the figure. For illustrative purposes the datum spacer ii FIG. 6 is shown longer that the tensioning sheet. Normally the tensioning sheet and the datum spacer are levelled with each other so that they can be longitudinally displaced into position simultaneously.

(21) Thus, the tension sheet 20 together with the datum spacer 30 is inserted longitudinally into the datum spacer cavity 35 in the spring clamp 15 for holding the tension sheet in the datum spacer cavity 35. Preferably this mounting of the tensioning sheet and the datum spacer is being made while the spring clamp is forced towards opening.

(22) When the tensioning sheet and the datum spacer is in a correct position, which means levelled with the spring clamp, the tension sheet 20 is attached to a front 12 and a back 13 of a binder cover 11. At the same time the spring clamp 15 is positioned in a spine position of the binder cover 11. Preferably the tension sheet 20 is glued to the inside of the binder cover 11.

(23) In the disclosed FIGS. 1-6 one purpose of the datum spacer is to align the inner side of a bundle of papers towards the surface of the datum spacer.

(24) FIG. 7 discloses a mounting procedure identical to the one disclosed in FIG. 6 but with another type of datum spacer 71. This datum spacer is provided with a first side 72 similar to the datum spacers previously disclosed. However this datum spacer also have an end surface 73 extending perpendicular from the first side 72. The purpose of this end surface 73 is to also align the bundle of papers in a perpendicular direction. The longitudinal mounting described in FIG. 6 is however the same for this embodiment and illustrated by the arrow.

(25) In all the disclosed embodiments the common design factor is that the spring clamp is designed with a clearly defined datum spacer cavity.