Ring File

Abstract

To provide a ring file which prevents a binding state of sheets, etc. from being released when a front cover is held in a closed posture, the ring file comprising a file body which is provided with a spine cover between proximal ends of paired covers and can take a cover open and closed state capable of rotating the other cover with respect to the spine cover orthogonal to one cover, and a ring binding tool having a binding ring at a proximal end vicinity part of the one cover of the file body.SOLUTION: A ring file RF provided with a binding ring 4F which comprises first and second ring forming members 6F and 7F engaged with distal end parts 62F and 72F, and configured to release the engagement when external force for disengagement to energize the ring forming members 6F and 7F in an approaching direction acts, wherein the other cover 12 has a locking hole 123 engaged with the binding ring 4F in the middle of a cover open and closed state without providing external force for disengagement.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 16

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a ring file having a ring fastener on its cover. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, a type of ring file known from the past includes a file body having a spine between the base ends of the front and back covers, with the front cover being able to be rotated relative to the spine perpendicular to the back cover, allowing the file body to assume an open / closed state, and a ring binder having a binding ring provided near the base end of the back cover of the file body (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0003] Many of these ring files have a locking hole in the front cover that can be engaged with a binding ring of a ring binder to hold the front cover in a closed position approximately parallel to the back cover. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2018-34365 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, in the conventional device described above, it has been pointed out that, although rare, when the front cover is held in a closed position, the engagement between one engaging portion of the first and second ring forming members that form the binding ring and the other engaging portion disengages, resulting in the binding state of papers, etc. being released. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The inventors conducted various investigations to determine the cause of such a defect, and discovered that the defect occurs in a type of binding device in which the engagement between the tips of the first and second ring-forming members that form the binding ring is released by urging the first and second ring-forming members in a direction toward each other. The inventors then came to realize that in conventional binding devices, when locked, the edge of the lock hole on the side opposite the spine abuts against the first ring-forming member that is farther from the spine, so that when the lock hole is strongly fitted into the binding ring, the first ring-forming member is urged to be drawn toward the spine, and as a result, an external force acts on the first and second ring-forming members in a direction toward each other, causing one engagement portion to overcome the meshing portion with the other engagement portion, and the engagement between the tips of the two ring-forming members is released.

[0007] The present invention was made based on the results of such investigations, and the ring file according to the invention described in claim 1 comprises a file body having a spine between the base ends of a pair of covers, and capable of taking a cover open / close state in which one cover can be rotated relative to the spine perpendicular to one cover, and a ring binder having a binding ring provided near the base end of one cover of the file body, the binding ring comprising first and second ring forming members whose tip ends are engaged with each other, and configured so that the engagement is released when an external force for disengaging is applied which urges both ring forming members in a direction toward each other, an assumed rotation range of the other cover in the cover open / closed state is a range from a position where the other cover is separated from the binding ring to a position where a rotation end of the other cover abuts against the one cover, The other cover is in the cover open / close state. Within the assumed rotation range of the other cover The fastening ring has a lock hole that engages with the fastening ring without applying an external force for disengagement. The lock hole has a slit having a width dimension corresponding to the wire diameter of the binding ring and an elastic deformation portion that reduces the width of a portion of the slit, and is configured so that a portion of the binding ring of the ring binding device can be inserted into the slit by utilizing temporary elastic deformation of the elastic deformation portion. The ring binding device has a base attached to one of the covers, a first ring forming member erected at a portion of the base opposite the spine cover, and a second ring forming member erected at a portion of the base opposite the spine cover and having an extension portion at its tip end that extends in the opposite direction to the spine cover, and the tip ends of the first and second ring forming members can be engaged and disengaged by relative rotation of the first and second ring forming members. The slit of the lock hole is set to a dimension such that its longitudinal edge does not substantially come into contact with the first ring forming member within the expected rotation range of the other cover in the cover open / closed state, and the elastic deformation portion of the lock hole comes into contact with and engages with the extension portion of the second ring forming member. It is something.

[0010] In the present invention, the term "substantially no contact" is a concept that includes a state in which there is no contact at all and a state in which there is contact only to the extent that an external force for disengagement cannot be applied to the binding ring.

[0011] Claim 2 The ring file according to the invention described in the claims 1The extension portion of the second ring forming member has a base curved portion, an intermediate straight portion extending from the base curved portion in the direction opposite to the spine, and a tip curved portion curved from the intermediate straight portion toward the base and abutting the tip of the first ring forming member, and the elastic deformation portion of the lock hole engages with the intermediate straight portion.

[0012] In the present invention, the term "intermediate straight portion" is not limited to a completely straight shape, but also includes a gently curved shape (a shape having a smaller curvature than the base end curved portion and the tip end curved portion). Effect of the Invention

[0014] According to the present invention, in a ring file in which a locking hole is provided in the front cover and this locking hole is engaged with a binding ring of a ring binder, the front cover can be held in a closed position approximately parallel to the back cover.When the front cover is held in a closed position, the engagement between one engaging portion of the first and second ring forming members that form the binding ring and the other engaging portion of the ring forming members disengages, preventing the occurrence of a malfunction in which the bound state of papers, etc. is released. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0015] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a ring file according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. 1 is a front view showing a ring file according to the embodiment; [Figure 4] 3A is a view taken along the line A in FIG. [Diagram 5] FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 1 is a front view showing the ring fastener according to the embodiment; [Figure 7] Cross-sectional view taken along line B-B in FIG. 5 . [Figure 8] Cross-sectional view taken along CC in FIG. 5 . [Figure 9]7 is a view taken along the X arrow in FIG. 6. [Figure 10] 4A to 4C are explanatory diagrams showing the operation of the ring fastener according to the embodiment; [Figure 11] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view for explaining the operation of the ring fastener according to the embodiment. [Figure 12] FIG. 11 is an enlarged view of a main part in FIG. [Figure 13] 4A to 4C are explanatory diagrams showing the operation of the ring fastener according to the embodiment; [Figure 14] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view for explaining the operation of the ring fastener according to the embodiment. [Figure 15] FIG. 4 is a plan view showing an engagement portion between the binding ring and the lock hole according to the embodiment. [Figure 16] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an assumed rotation range of the other cover sheet according to the embodiment. [Figure 17] 6A to 6C are explanatory views showing the manner in which the binding ring and the lock hole are engaged with each other according to the embodiment; [Figure 18] 6A to 6C are explanatory views showing the manner in which the binding ring and the lock hole are engaged with each other according to the embodiment; [Figure 19] 6A to 6C are explanatory views showing the manner in which the binding ring and the lock hole are engaged with each other according to the embodiment; DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0016] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0017] In this embodiment, the present invention is applied to a ring file that can realize usability equivalent to that of a lever arch file. As shown in Figures 1 to 4, this ring file RF comprises a file body 1 having a spine 13 between base ends 11a, 12a of a pair of covers 11, 12, and a ring fastener 2 according to the present invention attached to the inner surface of one cover 11 of the file body 1 near the base end 11a.

[0018] As shown in Fig. 1 and Fig. 2, the file body 1 is provided with a spine 13 between a base end 11a of one cover 11 functioning as a back cover and a base end 12a of the other cover 12 functioning as a front cover, and a main folding line 11b is provided at the boundary between the cover 11 and the spine 13. The one cover 11 has a binding tool attachment area 111 set in the vicinity of the base end 11a and a paper corresponding area 112 adjacent to the binding tool attachment area 111, and a sub-folding line 11c is formed at the boundary between the binding tool attachment area 111 and the paper corresponding area 112. The other cover 12 has a binding ring holding area 121 set in the vicinity of the base end 12a and a paper corresponding area 122 adjacent to the binding ring holding area 121. The binding ring holding area 121 is formed with lock holes 123 for holding free ends of binding rings 4F and 4B described later, and a secondary folding line portion 12c is formed at the boundary between the binding ring holding area 121 and the paper corresponding area 122. The spine 13 is formed with finger holes 13a.

[0019] It should be noted that this file is designed so that the lower side in FIG. 2 will be the front when replacing paper, and in the rest of this specification, the lower side in FIG. 2 will be referred to as the "front side" and the upper side as the "rear side."

[0020] As shown in Figures 5 to 8, 10 to 11, and 13 to 14, the ring binding device 2 comprises a base 3 attached to the file body 1, a pair of binding rings 4F, 4B provided on the base 3, and a spring 5 built into the base 3.

[0021] Here, Fig. 5 is a plan view showing the ring binder 2 with a part cut away, and Fig. 6 is a front view of the ring binder 2. Figs. 7 and 8 are cross-sectional views taken along lines BB and CC in Fig. 5, respectively. Fig. 9 is an enlarged view of the main part in Fig. 6 as seen from the arrow X. Fig. 10 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the operation of second ring forming members 7F and 7B described later, and Fig. 11 is a cross-sectional view corresponding to Fig. 7 in the state shown in Fig. 10. Fig. 12 is an enlarged view of the main part in Fig. 10. Fig. 13 is a front view showing the state in which second ring forming members 7F and 7B described later are in an open position (O) described later, and Fig. 14 is a cross-sectional view corresponding to Fig. 7 in the state shown in Fig. 13.

[0022] As shown in Fig. 6, Fig. 10 and Fig. 13, the binding rings 4F, 4B are composed of first ring forming members 6F, 6B having base ends 61F, 61B supported by the base 3 and first engagement parts 63F, 63B at their tip ends 62F, 62B, and second ring forming members 7F, 7B having base ends 71F, 71B supported by the base 3 and having second engagement parts 73F, 73B at their tip ends 72F, 72B, and being rotatable between a closed position (C) as shown in Fig. 6 in which the second engagement parts 73F, 73B engage with the first engagement parts 63F, 63B, and an open position (O) as shown in Fig. 13 in which the engagement is released. The second ring forming members 7F, 7B are biased in the opening direction by the spring 5. In this specification, the binding ring on the front side is given the symbol 4F, and the binding ring on the back side is given the symbol 4B. Furthermore, each element constituting the binding ring on the front side 4F is generally given a symbol with an F at the end, and each element constituting the binding ring on the back side 4B is generally given a symbol with a B at the end. Corresponding elements of the binding rings on the front side and the back side 4F, 4B are given the same name and the same symbol except for the F or B at the end.

[0023] More specifically, the engaging portion of one of the ring forming members of each binding ring 4F, 4B is provided with at least a concave groove, and the engaging portion of the other ring forming member is provided with at least a ridge that engages with the concave groove. In this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 9 and Fig. 12, the engaging portions 63F, 63B, 73F, 73B of the first and second ring forming members 6F, 6B, 7F, 7B are provided with ridges 631F, 631B, 731F, 731B and ridges 632F, 632B, 732F, 732B adjacent to and parallel to the ridges 631F, 631B, 731F, 731B, respectively. Furthermore, the convex ribs 731F, 731B of the engaging portions 73F, 73B of the second ring forming members 7F, 7B can engage with the concave grooves 632F, 632B of the engaging portions 63F, 63B of the first ring forming members 6F, 6B, and the convex ribs 631F, 631B of the engaging portions 63F, 63B of the first ring forming members 6F, 6B can engage with the concave grooves 732F, 732B of the engaging portions 73F, 73B of the second ring forming members 7F, 7B.

[0024] The grooves 632F, 632B, 732F, 732B and the ridges 631F, 631B, 731F, 731B are inclined so as to form an angle other than a right angle with respect to the axis L1F, L1B, L2F, L2B at the tip portions 61F, 61B, 71F, 71B of the ring forming members 6F, 6B, 7F, 7B. Specifically, as shown in Fig. 12, the grooves 632F, 632B and the ridges 631F, 631B provided in the engagement parts 63F, 63B of the first ring forming members 6F, 6B are inclined by an angle θ with respect to the axes L1F, L1B at the tips 62F, 62B of the first ring forming members 6F, 6B, for example, when viewed from the front, and the grooves 732F, 732B and the ridges 731F, 731B provided in the engagement parts 73F, 73B of the second link forming members 7F, 7B are inclined by an angle θ with respect to the axes L2F, L2B at the tips 72F, 72B of the second ring forming members 7F, 7B, for example, when viewed from the front. In this embodiment, the inclination angle θ is set to 45° in this embodiment, but various values ​​other than 90° can be selected and adopted. In addition, the grooves 732F, 732B and the ridges 731F, 731B provided in the second ring forming members 7F, 7B are set to form an angle φ with respect to a rotation trajectory L3F, L3B (more precisely, tangents L31F, L31B at the points where the rotation trajectories L3F, L3B intersect with the grooves 732F, 732B and the ridges 731F, 731B) between the closed position (C) and the open position (O) of the engagement parts 73F, 73B in the second ring forming members 7F, 7B, as shown in Fig. 12. The angle φ is set to 90° in this embodiment, but can be changed to various values ​​close to 90°.

[0025] 9, the groove 632F of the engagement portion 63F of the first ring forming member 6F on the front side is a straight groove that opens toward the back side, and the groove 632B of the engagement portion 63B of the first ring forming member 6B on the back side is a straight groove that opens toward the front side. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 9, the groove 732F of the engagement portion 73F of the second ring forming member 7F on the front side is a straight groove that opens toward the front side, and the groove 732B of the engagement portion 73B of the second ring forming member 7B on the back side is a straight groove that opens toward the back side. That is, the grooves 632F, 632B of the engagement parts 63F, 63B of the pair of first ring forming members 6F, 6B are open in the direction facing each other, and the grooves 732F, 732B of the engagement parts 73F, 73B of the pair of second ring forming members 7F, 7B are open in the direction moving away from each other. Each of the protrusions 631F, 631B, 731F, 731B is provided adjacent to the tip side of the corresponding groove 632F, 632B, 732F, 732B, and the protrusions 631F, 631B of the engagement parts 63F, 63B of the pair of first ring forming members 6F, 6B protrude in the direction facing each other, and the protrusions 731F, 731B of the engagement parts 73F, 73B of the pair of second ring forming members 7F, 7B protrude in the direction moving away from each other. As shown in Figures 9, 12, 16, 19 and 20, the ridges 631F, 631B, 731F, 731B have guide inclined surfaces 633F, 633B, 733F, 733B formed on the tip side, and the tip portions 62F, 62B of the first ring forming members 6F, 6B are butted against the tip portions 72F, 72B of the second ring forming members 7F, 7B, so that the ring forming members 6F, 6B, 7F, 7B are temporarily elastically displaced in the radial direction, and the ridges 631F, 631B, 731F, 731B engage with the corresponding grooves 632F, 632B, 732F, 732B. In Figure 12, the guide inclined surface 633F is a patterned portion. To release this engagement, the tip sides of the second ring forming members 7F, 7B are pinched in a direction in which they approach each other, causing the ring forming members 7F, 7B to temporarily elastically deform in the radial direction.

[0026] The first ring forming members 6F, 6B described above are substantially linear and fixed to one side edge 3a of the base 3, and the second ring forming members 7F, 7B are pivotally supported on the other side edge 3b of the base 3 and have curved ends. Therefore, the engaging portions 63F, 63B of the first ring forming members 6F, 6B and the engaging portions 73F, 73B of the second ring forming members 7F, 7B are configured to engage with each other at positions that are off the center in the width direction of the base 3. More specifically, as shown in FIG. 5, the base ends 61F, 61B of the first ring forming members 6F, 6B are inserted into the ring mounting holes 31a of the base 3 and fixed by crimping or the like. As shown in Figs. 5 and 8, the second ring forming members 7F and 7B have shaft portions 711F and 711B at their base ends 71F and 71B, and the shaft portions 711F and 711B are inserted into the cavity SP formed between the cavity forming portion 32 of the base 3 and the file body 1, and are supported by the bearings 33 of the base 3. The shaft portion 711F of the front second ring forming member 7F and the shaft portion 711B of the back second ring forming member 7B are supported by the base 3 with their axes aligned and their tips facing each other. The tips of the shaft portions 711F and 711B are connected to each other by a connecting member 8 having an eccentric middle portion 81 that is eccentric to the shaft portions 711F and 711B so as to be rotatable together. The second ring forming members 7F and 7B and the connecting member 8 are integrally molded products made of metal wire.

[0027] 9, the tips 64F, 64B, 74F, 74B of the first and second ring forming members 6F, 6B, 7F, 7B are rounded. The rounding of the tips 64F, 64B, 74F, 74B is intended to allow the bound paper P to move smoothly along the binding rings 4F, 4B in a state in which the first ring forming members 6F, 6B and the second ring forming members 7F, 7B are engaged with each other to form the binding rings 4F, 4B.

[0028] As shown in Figures 1 to 2, 5 to 8, 10 to 11 and 13 to 14, the base 3 comprises a base body 31 attached to the file body 1, and the cavity forming portion 32 formed integrally with one side edge of the base body 31.

[0029] The base body 31 has a flat shape with a mounting flange 311 on its periphery which contacts the file body 1 and is attached to the file body 1 via a fastener S such as a rivet, and is provided with ring mounting holes 31a at both front and rear ends, to which the base ends 61F, 61B of the first ring forming members 6F, 6B are fixed, respectively.

[0030] When the cavity forming part 32 is attached to the file main body 1, a cavity SP is formed between the cavity forming part 32 and the file main body 1. On the inside of the cavity forming part 32 facing the cavity SP, a bearing 33 for supporting the base ends 71F, 71B of the second ring forming members 7F, 7B and a spring bearing 34 for supporting one end of the spring 5 disposed in the cavity SP are provided.

[0031] More specifically, as shown in FIGS. 6 to 8, 10 to 11, and 13 to 14, the cavity forming portion 32 includes an upright wall 321 rising from one side edge of the base body 31, and the upright wall It comprises a top wall 322 which extends outward from the upper end of 321 while gradually becoming lower, and a descending wall 323 which descends from the extending end of this top wall 322, and the bearings 33 are formed at both ends of the lower edge of the descending wall 323, and the spring bearing 34 is formed at the middle portion of the lower edge of the descending wall 323.

[0032] As shown in FIG. 8, the bearing 33 is a partial cylindrical body curled to embrace the shaft portions 711F, 711B of the base ends 71F, 71B of the second ring forming members 7F, 7B, and is integrally formed on the lower edge 323a of the descending wall 323.

[0033] 7, 11 and 14, the spring bearing 34 is a flat plate disposed in the bottom portion of the cavity SP, located between the two bearings 33, and extends in a cantilevered state from the lower edge 323a of the descending wall 323. The spring bearing 34 is rectangular in plan view, and has a slit 34b for positioning the spring 4 near the extending end 34a.

[0034] The base 3 described above is formed by applying press working or the like to a common sheet metal material, so that the base body 31, the cavity forming portion 32, the bearing 33, and the spring bearing 34 are integrally formed. In other words, the base 3 is an integrally molded product made of sheet metal.

[0035] Also, as shown in Figures 2 and 5, one side edge 3a of the base 3, specifically the edge on the side where the ring mounting hole 31a is provided, is located away from the spine 13 of the file body 1, and the other side edge 3b of the base 3, specifically the edge on the cavity forming portion 32 side, is located near the boundary between the cover 11 and the spine 13 of the file body 1.

[0036] The spring 5 is for biasing the second ring forming members 7F, 7B in a direction toward the open position (O), and is interposed between the spring bearing 34 and the intermediate eccentric portion 81 of the connecting member 8. That is, as shown in Figures 7, 11 and 14, the spring 5 is a leaf spring integrally including a stationary portion 51 placed on the spring bearing 34, a movable portion 52 whose tip portion 521 elastically biases the intermediate eccentric portion 8 from below, and a curved connecting portion 53 that integrally connects the movable portion 52 and the stationary portion 51.

[0037] The stationary portion 51 is in the form of a flat plate having a tip bent portion 511 which engages with the extending end 34a of the spring bearing 34, and a middle bent portion 512 which engages with the slit 34b of the spring bearing 34.

[0038] The movable part 52 has a partially cylindrical shape with a tip part 521 opening upward, and the tip part 521 is adapted to embrace and urge the intermediate eccentric part 81 of the connecting member 8. The action of the spring 5 causes the second ring forming members 7F, 7B to rotate to the open position (O). In addition, in this open position (O), the connecting member 8 is set to abut against the top wall 322 of the cavity forming part 32, and the second ring forming members 7F, 7B are held in the open position (O) by the locking action of the top wall 322. That is, the cavity SP is formed in a shape that allows the operation of the connecting member 8 when the second ring forming members 7F, 7B rotate between the closed position (C) and the open position (O), specifically, in a sector shape when viewed from the front.

[0039] The ring file of this embodiment is for binding, for example, A4 size papers, and the distance d between the front and rear binding rings 4F, 4B is set to a value corresponding to the punch pitch of a general two-hole file. The position of the cavity forming portion 32 is set so that the edge Pa on the binding base side of the paper P bound by the first ring forming members 6F, 6B is close to the upright wall 321 of the cavity forming portion 32 of the base 3.

[0040] Next, the behavior of each part when the second ring forming members 7F, 7B are moved from the open position (O) to the closed position (C) or in the reverse direction will be described.

[0041] When an operating force is applied to the second ring forming members 7F, 7B in the open position (O) as shown in Figures 13 and 14 in a direction toward the closed position (C), the spring 5 is elastically deformed by receiving the operating force via the intermediate eccentric portion 81 of the connecting member 8 as shown in Figure 11, and the tip portions 72F, 72B of the second ring forming members 7F, 7B hit the tip portions 62F, 62B of the first ring forming members 6F, 6B as shown in Figures 10 and 12. At this time, the two ring forming members 6F, 6B, 7F, 7B are guided by the guide inclined surfaces 633F, 633B, 733F, 733B and are temporarily elastically displaced in the radial direction. When further operating force is applied, the ridges 631F, 631B, 731F and 731B move to positions facing the corresponding grooves 632F, 632B, 732F and 732B, respectively, and engage with each other due to an elastic restoring force. More specifically, the convex ribs 631F, 631B of the engagement portions 63F, 63B of the first ring forming members 6F, 6B face the concave grooves 732F, 732B of the engagement portions 73F, 73B of the second ring forming members 7F, 7B, and the convex ribs 731F, 731B of the engagement portions 73F, 73B of the second ring forming members 7F, 7B move to a position facing the concave grooves 632F, 632B of the engagement portions 63F, 63B of the first ring forming members 6F, 6B. Then, due to the elastic restoring force, the engagement portions 63F, 63B, 73F, 73B of the first and second ring forming members 6F, 6B, 7F, 7B move radially and toward each other, and the second ring forming members 7F, 7B assume the closed position (C) as shown in Figures 5 to 9.

[0042] When the second ring forming members 7F, 7B are pinched in a direction toward each other and an operating force is applied to release the engagement between the engagement portions 63F, 63B of the first ring forming members 6F, 6B and the engagement portions 73F, 73B of the second ring forming members 7F, 7B, the biasing force of the spring 5 is transmitted to the second ring forming members 7F, 7B via the connecting member 8, and the second ring forming members 7F, 7B are biased toward the open position (O). Then, when the second ring forming members 7F, 7B reach the open position (O), the intermediate eccentric portion 81 of the connecting member 8 hits the top wall 322 of the cavity forming portion 32, so that further rotation of the second ring forming members 7F, 7B is restricted, and the second ring forming members 7F, 7B are held in the open position (O) by the top wall 322.

[0043] As described above, this ring file RF comprises a file body 1 having a spine provided between the base ends of a pair of covers 11, 12, and capable of taking a cover open / close state in which the other cover 12, which functions as a front cover, can be rotated relative to a spine 13 perpendicular to one cover 11, which functions as a back cover, and a ring binder 2 having binding rings 4F, 4B provided near the base end 11a of one cover 11 of the file body 1.

[0044] Here, FIG. 15 is an enlarged plan view showing the lock hole 123 provided in the other cover 12 and the related part of the ring binder 2. FIG. 16 is a diagram showing the assumed rotation range of the other cover 12, in which the state in which the other cover 12 is separated from the binding ring 4F is shown by a solid line, and the state in which the rotation end 12d of the other cover 12 abuts against one cover 11 is shown by an imaginary line. FIG. 17 is a cross-sectional view along the axis of the binding ring 4F in a state in which the other cover 12 is separated from the binding ring 4F. FIG. 18 is a cross-sectional view along the axis of the binding ring 4F in a state in which the other cover 12 is parallel to one cover 11. FIG. 19 is a cross-sectional view along the axis of the binding ring 4F in a state in which the rotation end 12d of the other cover 12 abuts against one cover 11.

[0045] As described above, the binding rings 4F, 4B of the ring binding device 2 are equipped with the first and second ring forming members 6F, 6B, 7F, 7B whose tip portions are engaged with each other. With this configuration, the engagement is released when an external force for disengaging the ring forming members 6F, 6B, 7F, 7B is applied in a direction that brings them closer together. That is, in this embodiment, the first ring forming members 6F, 6B erected on the side of the base 1 opposite the spine (the side opposite the spine 13) are fixed to the base 1, and the second ring forming members 7F, 7B erected on the spine 13 side rotate to engage with the first ring forming members 6F, 6B. When an external force for disengaging acts on the tip side of the first ring forming members 6F, 6B in the direction of the spine 13 in this engaged state, the first ring forming members 6F, 6B elastically deform and their engagement portions 63F, 63B overcome the engagement portions 73F, 73B of the second ring forming members 7F, 7B, and the engagement between the first ring forming members 6F, 6B and the second ring forming members 7F, 7B is released.

[0046] The other cover 12 of the file body 1 has a lock hole 123 that engages with the binding rings 4F, 4B without applying an external force for disengagement while the cover is in the open or closed state.

[0047] The following describes the portion relating to the lock hole 123 and the ring binder 2. Note that in the following description, only the front half of the ring binder 2 and the lock hole 123 on the front side will be described.

[0048] As shown in FIG. 15, the lock hole 123 has a slit 123a having a width dimension corresponding to the wire diameter of the binding ring 4F, and an elastic deformation portion 123b that narrows a portion of the slit 123a, and is configured so that a portion of the binding ring 4F can be inserted into the slit 123a by utilizing temporary elastic deformation of the elastic deformation portion 123b.

[0049] As shown in Fig. 9 and Fig. 15, the ring binder 2 includes a base 3 attached to one cover 11, a first ring forming member 6F erected at a portion of the base 3 on the side opposite the spine (opposite the spine 13), and a second ring forming member 7F erected at a portion of the base 3 on the side of the spine 13 and having an extension portion extending at the tip end in the direction opposite the spine (opposite the spine 13). This ring binder 2 is configured to use the binding ring 4F (, 4B) in a closed position (C) or an open position (O) by performing the operation described below. That is, this ring binder 2 is configured to use the binding ring 4F in a closed position (C) or an open position (O) by performing the operation of relatively rotating the first and second ring forming members 6F, 7F (rotating the second ring forming member 7F in the direction opposite the spine 13) to bring the tip ends 62F, 72F closer to each other and engage the engagement portions 63F, 73F with each other. As described above, the ring binder 2 is configured such that the binding rings 4F, 4B are in the open position (O) when the second ring forming members 7F, 7B are pinched in the direction toward each other to apply an operating force, and the engagement portions 63F, 73F are disengaged from each other. On the other hand, when an external force acts on the first ring forming member 6F in the engaged state in the direction approaching the spine 13, regardless of the user's intention, the first ring forming member 6F is allowed to elastically deform in the direction approaching the spine 13 because the convex strips 631F, 731F and the concave grooves 632F, 732F of the engagement portions 63F, 73F are not perpendicular to the direction of the external force. Therefore, when the external force reaches a certain level or more, the engagement state between the engagement portion 63F of the first ring forming member 6F and the engagement portion 73F of the second ring forming member 7F is released.

[0050] As shown in Figure 16, the slit 123a of the locking hole 123 is set to a dimension such that its longitudinal edge 123x does not substantially come into contact with the first ring forming member 6F within the expected rotation range R1 of the other cover 12 in the cover open / closed state, and the elastic deformation portion 123b of the locking hole 123 contacts and engages with the extension portion 75F of the second ring forming member 7F.

[0051] Specifically, as shown in Figures 17 to 19, the first ring forming member 6F has a tip end 62F that is an inclined portion inclined toward the spine 13. In other words, the first ring forming member 6F has an inclined portion on the tip side that is inclined toward the spine 13. On the other hand, the second ring forming member 7F has a base end 71F supported by the base 3, and this base end 71F stands up almost perpendicular to the base 3, and an extension 75F is provided extending from the standing end toward the first ring forming member 6F. The extension portion 75F comprises a base end curved portion 751F, an intermediate straight portion 752F extending from the base end curved portion 751F in the anti-spine direction (the opposite direction to the spine 13), and a tip curved portion 753F curving from the intermediate straight portion 752F toward the base 3 and abutting the tip of the first ring forming member 6F, and the elastic deformation portion 123b of the lock hole 123 engages with the intermediate straight portion 752F.

[0052] Here, the expected rotation range R1 of the other cover 12 (front cover) means the range from the position where the other cover 12 is separated from the binding ring 4F to the position where the rotation end 12d of the other cover 12 abuts against the one cover 11, as shown in Figure 16.

[0053] The rear half of the ring binding device 2 and the rear locking hole 123 have a shape that is symmetrical from front to back to the front half of the ring binding device 2 and the front locking hole 123 described above and have a similar configuration, so corresponding parts are given symbols with the suffix F changed to B and their explanations are omitted.

[0054] With this configuration, as shown in Figure 1, the ring binder 2 is fully exposed by unfolding the pair of covers 11, 12 and the spine 13 in a plane. Therefore, by opening and closing the pair of binding rings 4F, 4B of the ring binder 2, paper can be inserted and removed from the ring binder 2.

[0055] From this open state, the spine 13 is raised perpendicular to one cover 11 (back cover) and the other cover 12 (front cover) is rotated relative to the spine 13, thereby closing the ring file RF.

[0056] During this process, a cover opening / closing state can be achieved in which the other cover 12 can be rotated relative to the spine cover 13 perpendicular to the one cover 11, and during this cover opening / closing state, as shown in Fig. 18, a pair of locking holes 123 provided in the other cover 12 engage with the binding rings 4F, 4B of the corresponding binding device, respectively, and the other cover 12 is held in a closed position approximately parallel to the one cover 11. Specifically, when an operating force in the closing direction is applied to the other cover 12, the extensions 75F, 75B of the second ring forming members 7F, 7B in the binding rings 4F, 4B corresponding to each locking hole 123 enter, and the elastic deformation portion 123b of the locking hole 123 temporarily deforms to engage with the inner peripheral sides of the intermediate linear portions 752F, 752B of the extensions 75F, 75B.

[0057] If the other cover 12 is released in this engaged state, the other cover 12 will be held in a closed position approximately parallel to the one cover 11. However, if the other cover 12 continues to be biased in the closing direction after the elastic deformation portion 123b of the locking hole 123 engages with the inner side of the binding rings 4F, 4B, the binding rings 4F, 4B may further penetrate into the slits 123a of the locking hole 123, and the other cover 12 may rotate until its tip 12d reaches the one cover 11, as shown by the imaginary lines in Figure 16 and Figure 19.

[0058] However, in this ring file RF, as shown in Figures 15 and 17 to 19, the slit 123a of the lock hole 123 is set to a dimension such that its longitudinal edge 123x does not come into contact with the first ring forming members 6F, 6B within the assumed rotation range R1 of the other cover 12, so that even if the other cover 12 is closed too quickly, the end of the slit 123a will not come into contact with the first ring forming members 6F, 6B. Therefore, no external force for disengagement is applied to the first ring forming members 6F, 6B, and it is possible to prevent the occurrence of an unexpected situation in which the engagement between the first ring forming members 6F, 6B and the second ring forming members 7F, 7B constituting the binding rings 4F, 4B is unexpectedly released when the other cover 12 is closed.

[0059] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications are possible without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

[0060] For example, the number of binding rings of a ring binder is not limited to two, and may be one or three or more. Also, the binding ring may be one in which the first and second ring forming members rotate in the direction in which they approach and separate. However, the problem of the present invention is particularly evident in a binder in which the binding ring is formed by a first ring forming member fixed to a base and standing linearly, and a second ring forming member having an extension portion at its tip side that extends toward the opposite side to the spine, and therefore it is particularly meaningful to apply the present invention to such a type of ring file.

[0061] In addition, even when using such a type of binding tool, the first ring forming member is not limited to one having an inclined portion at the tip end that inclines toward the spine, but if the present invention is applied to one having such an inclined portion, a particularly remarkable effect can be obtained. That is, if the front cover is further closed with the edge of the slit abutting the inclined portion, the guiding action of the inclined portion can strongly bias the first ring forming member toward the spine, which can easily cause the binding ring to open, but if the present invention is applied, such a problem can be reliably eliminated.

[0062] In addition, in the above-described embodiment, the inclination angle θ of the grooves and ridges provided in the engagement portions of the first and second ring forming members when viewed from the front relative to the axis at the tip of the ring forming members is set to 45°, but as described above, this inclination angle θ may be set to any angle other than 90°, such as 60°, etc. Also, in the above-described embodiment, the angle φ that the grooves and ridges provided in the second ring forming member make with respect to the rotation trajectory between the closed position and the open position of the engagement portion of the second ring forming member is 90°, but this angle φ may also be set to any angle, such as 120°, etc. In particular, when the aforementioned inclination angle θ is 60° or greater and close to 90°, or when the angle φ that the aforementioned grooves and ridges make with respect to the rotation trajectory is 120° or greater and close to 180°, the grooves and ridges become shorter, so there are fewer areas to regulate the external force applied to the spine, making it easier for the engagement to come off in a state similar to lateral sliding.However, if the present invention is applied to a ring file of such a configuration, no external force acts on the spine when the front cover is held in a closed position, so the main effect of the present invention can be preferably obtained.

[0063] Furthermore, the extension of the second ring forming member is not limited to that shown in the drawings, and may be curved as a whole. However, as in the above-mentioned embodiment, if the extension of the second ring forming member has a straight intermediate portion and the elastic deformation portion of the lock hole is engaged with the straight intermediate portion, it is possible to minimize the protruding dimension of the binding ring from the base, and it is possible to reduce the thickness of the entire ring file without deteriorating the binding performance.

[0064] It is preferable that the dimensions of the slit of the locking hole be set to a value that does not touch the first ring-forming member at all anywhere within the expected rotation range of the front cover, as in the illustrated example, but the present invention also includes a configuration in which the end of the slit lightly touches the ring-forming member but cannot be biased strongly enough to apply an external force for disengaging the ring-forming member within the expected rotation range.

[0065] In addition, various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0066] RF…Ring file 1...File body 11…One side of the cover 11a…Base end of one cover 12…The other cover 123...Lock hole 123a…Slit 123b...Elastic deformation part 123x...Longitudinal edge of slit 13...Spine 2…Ring fastener 3. Base 4F, 4B…Binding ring 6F, 6B...First ring forming member 62F, 62B...Tip of the first ring forming member 7F, 7B...Second ring forming member 72F, 72B...tip portion (extension portion) of second ring forming member 721F, 721B... Base end curved part 722F, 722B…Intermediate straight part 723F, 723B...curved tip R1: Expected rotation range

Claims

1. The file includes a file body having a spine between base ends of a pair of covers, the spine being perpendicular to one cover and capable of rotating the other cover relative to the spine, and a ring binder having a binding ring provided near the base end of one cover of the file body, The binding ring is provided with first and second ring forming members whose tip portions are engaged with each other, and is configured such that the engagement is released when an external force for disengagement is applied to bias the two ring forming members in a direction toward each other, an assumed rotation range of the other cover in the cover open / closed state is a range from a position where the other cover is separated from the binding ring to a position where a rotation end of the other cover abuts against the one cover, the other cover has a lock hole that engages with the binding ring within the assumed rotation range of the other cover in the cover open / closed state without applying an external force for disengagement to the binding ring; The lock hole is provided with a slit having a width dimension corresponding to the wire diameter of the binding ring, and an elastic deformation portion that reduces a portion of the slit, and is configured so that a portion of the binding ring of the ring binding device can be inserted into the slit by utilizing temporary elastic deformation of the elastic deformation portion, The ring binder comprises a base attached to the one cover, a first ring forming member erected at a portion of the base opposite the spine, and a second ring forming member erected at a portion of the base opposite the spine and having an extension at its tip end extending in the direction opposite the spine, and the tip ends of the first and second ring forming members can be engaged and disengaged by relative rotation of the first and second ring forming members, the slit of the lock hole is set to a dimension such that the longitudinal edge of the slit does not substantially come into contact with the first ring forming member within the assumed rotation range of the other cover in the cover-open / closed state, A ring file in which the elastically deformable portion of the lock hole contacts and engages with the extension portion of the second ring forming member.

2. A ring file as described in claim 1, wherein the extension portion of the second ring forming member has a base curved portion, an intermediate straight portion extending from the base curved portion in a direction opposite to the spine, and a tip curved portion curving from the intermediate straight portion toward the base and abutting the tip of the first ring forming member, and the elastic deformation portion of the locking hole engages with the intermediate straight portion.

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