AU2004289410A1

AU2004289410A1 - Binder mechanism

Info

Publication number: AU2004289410A1
Application number: AU2004289410A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Kurt Leute; Thomas Schneider
Original assignee: Esselte Leitz GmbH and Co KG
Current assignee: Leitz Acco Brands GmbH and Co KG
Priority date: 2003-11-13
Filing date: 2004-09-11
Publication date: 2005-05-26
Anticipated expiration: 2024-09-11
Also published as: ATE378192T1; HK1087671A1; CN1878680A; DE502004005528D1; NZ546531A; DE10353179A1; JP4576385B2; AU2004289410B2; EP1682357A1; ES2295911T3; PL1682357T3; JP2007510559A; CN100564067C; EP1682357B1; DE10353179B4; DK1682357T3; WO2005047015A1

Abstract

The invention relates to a binder mechanism for record binders. The binder mechanism comprises a base plate (10) having two interspaced aligning pins (12', 12''), a pivotal arched element (18) and an actuating lever (22), which is pivotally mounted on an end shield (20) of the base plate (10) and which acts upon a spring-supported bend (26) of the arched element (18). The actuating lever (22) can be locked in a first and a second open position of a respective detent part (52, 56), which is situated on a hold-down element (28), under the action of the return spring (24) on the bend (26) of the bearing web (14). In order to achieve a reliable locking also in the first open position (52) corresponding to a customary actuation, the width of the insertion gap (68) between aligning pins (12',12'') and the arched element (18) is reduced on the pivot path of the actuating lever (22) between both open positions while increasing the pretensioning of the return spring (24) in places under the passage measure for the actuating lever (22).

Description

VERIFICATION OF TRANSLATION I, Derek Ernest LIGHT BA, BDO, translator to RWS Group Ltd, of Europa House, Marsham Way, Gerrards Cross, Buckinghamshire, England, verify that the following document is a true translation of Patent Application No. PCT/EP2004/010178 to the best of my knowledge and belief. Signature of Translator: D. E. LIGHT For and on behalf of RWS Group Ltd Dated this 24th day of April 2006 WO 2005/047015 PCT/EP2004/01 0 1 7 8 Binder mechanism Description 5 The invention relates to a binder mechanism for document binders, having a base plate, having two aligning pins which are spaced apart rigidly from one another on the base plate and project beyond the 10 latter, parallel to one another, having a swing-action arched element which can be pivoted to a limited extent between a closed position and at least one open position, at a distance from the aligning pins, by means of a bearing crosspiece on the base plate and has 15 two swing-action legs which are spaced apart from one another at the same spacing as the aligning pins by the bearing crosspiece and can be coupled to these aligning pins, in pairs, in the closed position to form a closed closing ring and, in the open position, releases an 20 insertion gap for the documents, having a bearing plate which is arranged in the region between the aligning pins and the swing-action arched element and projects beyond the base plate, and having an actuating lever which is mounted on the bearing plate such that it can 25 be pivoted to a limited extent between a closed position and at least one open position about a pivot pin running transversely to the axis of the bearing crosspiece and which acts, by way of a holding-down member, on an angled portion of the bearing crosspiece 30 counter to the force of a restoring spring clamped in between the base plate and angled portion, it being the case that, by way of a lever arm, the actuating lever, in the closed position, engages laterally outward, on one side, through one of the closed closing rings and, 35 in a first open position, is oriented upward on the side of the first closing ring, which releases an insertion gap, and, in a second open position, engages laterally outward through the second closing ring, WO 2005/047015 - 2 - PCT/EP2004/010178 which releases an insertion gap, the insertion gap between the associated aligning pins and swing-action legs being of such an extent that the lever arm of the actuating lever passes freely through it during the 5 pivoting operation. The binder mechanism is intended for document binders which comprise a binder spine and a respective front cover and back cover which are articulated on this 10 spine. The binder mechanism is fastened, preferably riveted or plugged into a mount provided for this purpose, on the back cover of the document binder, in the vicinity of the binder spine, such that the swing-action arched element can be pivoted into at 15 least one open position by actuating the lever in the direction of the binder spine, the insertion gap between the aligning pins and the swing-action legs being released in the process. In this state, it is possible, in the case of conventional binders, for 20 perforated documents to be inserted or removed, on the aligning-pin side, once any document layers which may be located thereabove have been repositioned onto the swing-action arched element while the mechanism is still closed. In the closed state, the binder mechanism 25 engages, by way of its aligning pins and its swing-action arched element, through the binder from the back cover to the front cover and latches, if appropriate by way of the bent-over ends of the swing-action legs, into plug-through slots of the front 30 cover, these slots being provided with latching lugs. In order for it also to be possible to insert or remove the documents on the side of the swing-action arched element, it has been proposed, in the case of a binder mechanism of the type specified in the introduction, 35 for the actuating lever, during the opening operation, to be not just raised but swung over through a total of 1800 to the other side (DE-U 203 06 130 and DE-A 196 46 467). One disadvantage of the known binder mechanisms WO 2005/047015 - 3 - PCT/EP2004/0101 7 8 with a lever which can be pivoted through 1800 is that they do not have a defined first open position which allows the binder mechanism to be handled conventionally. Upon release of the actuating lever 5 during the opening operation, the lever, on account of its inertia, pivots into an undefined intermediate position, which does allow straightforward handling. Taking this as the departure point, the object of the 10 invention is to develop a binder mechanism which allows use both in the conventional sense, with one open position, and for a wider range of operation, with two open positions and the possibility of inserting documents on the side of the swing-action arched 15 element. In order to achieve this object, the combinations of features which are specified in claims 1, 3 and 6 are proposed. Advantageous configurations and developments 20 of the invention can be gathered from the dependent claims. The solution according to the invention is based, in particular, on the idea that the latching or retaining 25 force which acts on the actuating lever in the first open position is greater than the force of inertia which can be transmitted to the actuating lever over the opening path, during the opening operation from the closed position, under the action of the restoring 30 spring. In order to achieve this, it is proposed according to the invention that in its first and second open positions, the actuating lever can be latched in on the angled portion of the bearing crosspiece by way of a respective latching section arranged on its 35 holding-down member, under the action of the restoring spring, and in that, over the pivoting path of the actuating lever between the two open positions, the extent of the insertion gap is reduced, in certain WO 2005/047015 - 4 - PCT/EP2004/010178 regions, below the extent required for the actuating lever to pass through, the prestressing of the restoring spring being increased in the process. As a result of these measures, even in the case of a rapid 5 and automatic opening operation under the action of the restoring spring, the actuating lever is arrested in the first open position, which is customary even in the case of conventional binder mechanisms, and, in order to pivot the actuating lever further into its position 10 in which it is open through 1800, deliberate actuation is required on account of the resistance which has to be overcome over the pivoting path between the two open positions. This is aided to a considerable extent by the holding-down member, which is arranged on the 15 actuating lever and ensures that, over the pivoting path between the two open positions, the restoring spring gives rise to a noticeable resistance during lever actuation, with a simultaneous reduction in the extent of the insertion gap. 20 A preferred or alternative configuration of the invention provides that, in the first open position, the actuating lever engages, by way of its lever arm, in the insertion gap of the first closing ring. As a 25 result of this measure, the actuating lever is arrested in the first open position and it is possible for the extent of the insertion gap to be reduced, in certain regions, over the further pivoting path to the second open position without the actuating lever colliding 30 with one of the swing-action legs. The important factor is for the opening of the insertion gap to be free again for the through-passage of the lever arm when the second swing-action arched element is reached. 35 A preferred configuration of the invention provides that the holding-down member has a curved element with at least three protuberances, which act on the angled portion counter to the force of the restoring spring, WO 2005/047015 - 5 - PCT/EP2004/010178 and at least three latching sections, which are bounded at least on one side by the protuberances. The three latching sections define the closed position and the first and second open positions, while the three 5 protuberances define the pivoting path of the actuating lever during the opening operation up to the first closing ring, the pivoting operation through the second closing ring and, finally, an end stop for the actuating lever. 10 According to a further advantageous configuration of the invention, the angled portion has an upwardly directed roof shape, of which the roof edges form run-on slopes for the protuberances of the curved 15 element. On the other hand, the curved element has at least one latching hollow which forms a latching section and complements the roof shape of the angled portion. The latching hollow which is operative in the first open position is advantageously bounded by a 20 radially projecting retaining protuberance which, as the actuating lever is rotated further in the opening direction, runs on the angled portion, the extent of the insertion gap being reduced in the process. Moreover, it is possible for the latching hollow which 25 is operative in the second open position to be bounded in the opening direction by a stop protuberance. The latter ensures that, in its position in which it is open through 1800, the lever, rather than striking against the base plate or the binder cover, is arrested 30 by the binder mechanism itself and remains in a state in which it is possible to grip beneath its grip piece. An advantageous configuration of the invention provides for an intermediate catch to be formed between the first and the second open positions. In the region of 35 the intermediate catch, the actuating lever expediently engages, by way of its lever arm, in the widened insertion gap of the second closing ring.

WO 2005/047015 - 6 - PCT/EP2004/010178 According to an advantageous structural configuration of the invention, the curved element is formed on a sliding shoe which is made of plastic and, for reinforcement purposes, is plugged onto an actuating 5 lever made of sheet metal. The actuating lever here may be designed as a stamped part made of sheet metal with a sliding shoe, which forms the holding-down member, latched on its bearing end. In order to stabilize the pivoting movement of the actuating lever, it is 10 possible, on its side which is directed toward the bearing plate, for the sliding shoe to have a guide edge, which engages with guiding action in a gap between the angled portion of the bearing crosspiece and the bearing plate. Furthermore, it is advantageous 15 if, in the region of its curved element, the sliding shoe has a metal reinforcement formed, for example, by a bend in the sheet metal of the actuating lever. The invention also relates to a document binder having 20 a binder mechanism of the type described above. The invention is explained in more detail hereinbelow with reference to an exemplary embodiment which is illustrated schematically in the drawing, in which: 25 Figures la to c show a side view, an end view and a plan view of a binder mechanism in the closed state with a lever orientation of 50 in relation to the latching surface 30 of the curved element in the closed state; Figures 2a to c show, in the three illustrations corresponding to figures la to lc, the 35 binder mechanism with a lever orientation of 640; WO 2005/047015 - 7 - PCT/EP2004/010178 Figures 3a to c show, in the three illustrations of figures la to ic, the binder mechanism with an approximately vertically oriented lever arm at a pivoting angle 5 of 990; Figures 4a to c show, in the three illustrations of figures la to 1c, the binder mechanism with the lever arm oriented in an 10 intermediate position of 1350; Figures 5a to c show, in the three illustrations according to figures la to 1c, the binder mechanism with the actuating 15 lever in its 1800- position; and Figure 6 shows a diagram illustrating the angle of incidence of the swing-action arched element in relation to the base-plate 20 normals as a function of the angle position of the actuating lever. The binder mechanism illustrated in the drawing essentially comprises a base plate 10 made of sheet 25 metal, two aligning pins 12', 12'', which project beyond the base plate 10 at a spacing from one another, a swing-action arched element 18, which can be pivoted to a limited extent between a closed position (figures la to lc) and a number of open positions about a 30 base-plate-mounted pivot pin by means of a bearing crosspiece 14 on bearing lugs 16 on the base plate 10, a restoring spring 24, which is clamped in on the base plate and acts under prestressing, in the direction of open positions, against an angled portion 26 of the 35 bearing crosspiece 14, and an actuating lever 22, which is mounted in a pivotable manner on a base-plate-mounted bearing plate 20 and acts from above, by way of a holding-down member 28, against the WO 2005/047015 - 8 - PCT/EP2004/010178 angled portion 26 of the swing-action arched element 18. The swing-action arched element. 18 has two swing-action legs 18', 18'' which are spaced apart from one another at the same spacing as the aligning pins 5 12', 12'' by the angled bearing crosspiece 14 and can be coupled to these aligning pins, in pairs, in the closed position to form a respective closed closing ring 19', 19''. In the open positions, the pivoted-open swing-action legs 18', 18'' release an insertion gap 10 68, with a greater or lesser extent, for the documents. The actuating lever 22 is designed as a stamped part made of a deep-drawable sheet steel. It has a side flank 32, which is oriented essentially parallel to the 15 plane of the bearing plate, and, at its bearing end, merges into a slide-bearing surface 30 which butts against the bearing plate, and a transverse flank 36, which is angled essentially vertically at its top edge, directed away from the base plate 10, and, at its end 20 remote from the bearing end, merges, along the longitudinal extent of the actuating lever 22 and beyond the side flank 32, into a widened grip piece 34. The grip piece 34 is bent, along its longitudinal extent, in the opposite direction to the actuating 25 lever 22, toward its free end and, there, has a stamped gripping element 74 which is concave, as seen from above. The pivot pin is formed by a hollow rivet 42 which 30 projects perpendicularly beyond the slide-bearing surface 30, engages through a bearing bore of the bearing plate 20 and engages behind the latter by way of a flanged border. 35 A sliding shoe 44 which is made of plastic, and forms the holding-down member 28, is latched on the bearing end of the actuating lever, the sliding shoe being reinforced mechanically in the interior by the sheet WO 2005/047015 - 9 - PCT/EP2004/010178 metal of the actuating lever 22. The sliding shoe 44 contains a curved element 46 which acts on the angled portion 26 from above. On its curved element 46 guided on the angled portion, the sliding shoe 44 is bounded 5 by a guide edge 48, which engages behind the angled portion 26 on the bearing-plate side and ensures parallel guidance of the lever during the pivoting operation. 10 The angled portion 26 has an upwardly directed roof shape, of which the roof edges form run-on slopes 27 for the protuberances 58 to 64 of the curved element 46. 15 One special feature of the invention is that the actuating lever can be pivoted out of the closed position into a first open position (figures 2a to 2c) and a second open position (figures 5a to 5c). In order to make this possible, the curved element 46 has a 20 first latching section 50 for the closed state, a second latching section 52 for the first opening state according to figures 2a to 2c, this latching section being designed as a latching hollow for accommodating the roof-like angled portion, an intermediate section 25 54 according to figures 4a to 4c, and a third, hollow-like latching section 56 for the second opening state according to figures 5a to Sc. A defined sharp-edged protuberance 58 is located between the first and second latching sections 50, 52, and a 30 smaller sharp-edged protuberance 60 is located between the second latching section 52 and the intermediate section 54. The intermediate section 54 is followed by protuberance 62, which bounds the third latching section 56 on one side, while the stop protuberance 64 35 is arranged at the end of the curved element 46. The latching hollow 52 with the sharply defined protuberance 58 following in the opening direction WO 2005/047015 - 10 - PCT/EP2004/010178 ensures that the actuating lever passes automatically into the first opening state according to figures 2a to 2c even if it springs up quickly under the action of the restoring spring 24. The binder mechanism can thus 5 also be operated reliably in the conventional sense. As can be seen from figures 2a to 2c, in this state, the lever arm 66 engages in the insertion gap 68, which is widened for through-passage of the actuating lever 22, between the aligning pin 12' and adjacent swing-action 10 leg 18' in the region of the first closing ring 19'. As the actuating lever 22 is pivoted up further, the lever arm passes out of the insertion gap 68 before the swing-action arched element 18, as it continues over its pivoting path, narrows the insertion gap 68 by way 15 of the protuberance 60 pressing against the angled portion 26. Further along the pivoting path, the insertion gap 68 then opens again, this ensuring the through-passage of the actuating lever 22 in the 135 0 -position on the side of the second closing ring 20 19'' according to figures 4a to 4c. As pivoting continues, the insertion gap 68 remains wide open, although the protuberance 62 causes a further slight narrowing of the gap extent before the stop protuberance 64 of the curved element 46 strikes 25 against the angled portion 26. The diagram according to figure 6 illustrates the pivoting angle of the swing-action arched element 18 as a function of the pivoting angle of the actuating lever 30 22. The figures depicted in the diagram illustrate the opening sequence in the most important intermediate positions of the lever and swing-action arched element in the manner described above. 35 In summary: the invention relates to a binder mechanism for document binders. The binder mechanism comprises a base plate 10 with two spaced-apart aligning pins 12', 12'', a pivotable swing-action arched element 18 and an WO 2005/047015 - 11 - PCT/EP2004/010178 actuating lever 22, which is mounted in a pivotable manner on a bearing plate 20 of the base plate 10 and acts on a spring-assisted angled portion 26 of the swing-action arched element 18. In a first and a second 5 open position, the actuating lever 22 can be latched in on the angled portion 26 of the bearing crosspiece 14 a respective latching section 52, 56 arranged on a holding-down member 28, under the action of the restoring spring 24. In order also to achieve a 10 reliable latching-in action in the first open position 52, corresponding to conventional actuation, over the pivoting path of the actuating lever 22 between the two open positions, the extent of the insertion gap 68 between aligning pins 12', 12'' and the swing-action 15 arched element 18 is reduced, in certain regions, below the extent required for the actuating lever 22 to pass through, the prestressing of the restoring spring 24 being increased in the process.

Claims

1. A binder mechanism for document binders, having a 5 base plate (10), having two aligning pins (12', 12'') which are spaced apart rigidly from one another on the base plate and project beyond the latter, parallel to one another, having a swing-action arched element (18) which can be pivoted to a limited extent between a 10 closed position and at least one open position, at a distance from the aligning pins, by means of a bearing crosspiece (14) on the base plate (10) and has two swing-action legs (18', 18'') which are spaced apart from one another at the same spacing as the aligning 15 pins (12', 12'') by the bearing crosspiece (14) and can be coupled to these aligning pins, in pairs, in the closed position to form a closed closing ring (19', 19'') and, in the open position, releases an insertion gap (68) for the documents, having a bearing plate (20) 20 which is arranged in the region between the aligning pins (12', 12'') and the swing-action arched element (18) and projects beyond the base plate (10), and having an actuating lever (22) which is mounted on the bearing plate (20) such that it can be pivoted to a 25 limited extent between a closed position and at least one open position about a pivot pin running transversely to the axis of the bearing crosspiece (14) and which acts, by way of a holding-down member (28), on an angled portion (26) of the bearing crosspiece 30 (14) counter to the force of a restoring spring (24) clamped in between the base plate (10) and angled portion (26), it being the case that, by way of a lever arm (66), the actuating lever (22), in the closed position, engages laterally outward, on one side, 35 through one of the closed closing rings (19') and, in a first open position, is oriented upward on the side of the first closing ring (19'), which releases an insertion gap (68), and, in a second open position, WO 2005/047015 - 13 - PCT/EP2004/010178 engages laterally outward through the second closing ring (19''), which releases an insertion gap (68), the insertion gap (68) between the associated aligning pins (12', 12'') and swing-action legs (18', 18'') being of 5 such an extent that the lever arm (66) of the actuating lever (22) passes freely through it during the pivoting operation, characterized in that, in its first and second open positions, the actuating lever (22) can be latched in on the angled portion (26) of the bearing 10 crosspiece (14) by way of a respective latching section (52, 56) arranged on its holding-down member (28'), under the action of the restoring spring (24), and in that, over the pivoting path of the actuating lever (22) between the two open positions, the extent of the 15 insertion gap (68) is reduced, in certain regions, below the extent required for the actuating lever (22) to pass through, the prestressing of the restoring spring (24) being increased in the process. 20

2. The binder mechanism as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the latching or retaining force in the first open position of the actuating lever (22) is greater than the force of inertia which is transmitted to the actuating lever (22) over the 25 opening path, during the opening operation from the closed position, under the action of the restoring spring (24).

3. A binder mechanism for document binders, having a 30 base plate (10), having two aligning pins (12', 12'') which are spaced apart rigidly from one another on the base plate and project beyond the latter, parallel to one another, having a swing-action arched element (18) which can be pivoted to a limited extent between a 35 closed position and at least one open position, at a distance from the aligning pins, by means of a bearing crosspiece (14) on the base plate (10) and has two swing-action legs (18', 18'') which are spaced apart WO 2005/047015 - 14 - PCT/EP2004/010178 from one another at the same spacing as the aligning pins (12', 12'') by the bearing crosspiece (14) and can be coupled to these aligning pins, in pairs, in the closed position to form a closed closing ring (19', 5 19'') and, in the open position, releases an insertion gap (68) for the documents, having a bearing plate (20) which is arranged in the region between the aligning pins (12', 12'') and the swing-action arched element (18) and projects beyond the base plate (10), and 10 having an actuating lever (22) which is mounted on the bearing plate (20) such that it can be pivoted to a limited extent between a closed position and at least one open position about a pivot pin running transversely to the axis of the bearing crosspiece (14) 15 and which acts, by way of a holding-down member (28), on an angled portion (26) of the bearing crosspiece (14) counter to the force of a restoring spring (24) clamped in between the base plate (10) and angled portion (26), it being the case that, by way of a lever 20 arm (66), the actuating lever (22), in the closed position, engages laterally outward, on one side, through one of the closed closing rings (19') and, in a first open position, is oriented upward on the side of the first closing ring (19'), which releases an 25 insertion gap (68), and, in a second open position, engages laterally outward through the second closing ring (19''), which releases an insertion gap (68), the insertion gap (68) between the associated aligning pins (12', 12'') and swing-action legs (18', 18'') being of 30 such an extent that the lever arm (66) of the actuating lever (22) passes freely through it during the pivoting operation, characterized in that the latching or retaining force in the first open position of the actuating lever is greater than the force of inertia 35 which is transmitted to the actuating lever over the opening path, during the opening operation from the closed position, under the action of the restoring spring. WO 2005/047015 - 15 - PCT/EP2004/010178

4. The binder mechanism as claimed in either of claims 2 and 3, characterized in that the latching or retaining force in the first open position is greater 5 than the abovementioned force of inertia by at least the factor of 1.5.

5. The binder mechanism as claimed in one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, in the first open 10 position, the actuating lever (22) engages, by way of its lever arm (66), in the insertion gap (68) of the first closing ring (19').

6. A binder mechanism for document binders, having a 15 base plate (10), having two aligning pins (12', 12'') which are spaced apart rigidly from one another on the base plate and project beyond the latter, parallel to one another, having a swing-action arched element (18) which can be pivoted to a limited extent between a 20 closed position and at least one open position, at a distance from the aligning pins, by means of a bearing crosspiece (14) on the base plate (10) and has two swing-action legs (18', 18'') which are spaced apart from one another at the same spacing as the aligning 25 pins (12', 12'') by the bearing crosspiece (14) and can be coupled to these aligning pins, in pairs, in the closed position to form a closed closing ring (19', 19'') and, in the open position, releases an insertion gap (68) for the documents, having a bearing plate (20) 30 which is arranged in the region between the aligning pins (12', 12'') and the swing-action arched element (18) and projects beyond the base plate (10), and having an actuating lever (22) which is mounted on the bearing plate (20) such that it can be pivoted to a 35 limited extent between a closed position and at least one open position about a pivot pin running transversely to the axis of the bearing crosspiece (14) and which acts, by way of a holding-down member (28), WO 2005/047015 - 16 - PCT/EP2004/010178 on an angled portion (26) of the bearing crosspiece (14) counter to the force of a restoring spring (24) clamped in between the base plate (10) and angled portion (26), it being the case that, by way of a lever 5 arm (66), the actuating lever (22), in the closed position, engages laterally outward, on one side, through one of the closed closing rings (19') and, in a first open position, is oriented upward on the side of the first closing ring (19'), which releases an 10 insertion gap (68), and, in a second open position, engages laterally outward through the second closing ring (19''), which releases an insertion gap (68), the insertion gap (68) between the associated aligning pins (12', 12'') and swing-action legs (18', 18'') being of 15 such an extent that the lever arm (66) of the actuating lever (22) passes freely through it during the pivoting operation, characterized in that in the first open position, the actuating lever (22) engages, by way of its lever arm (66), in the insertion gap (68) of the 20 first closing ring (19').

7. The binder mechanism as claimed in one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the holding-down member (28) has a curved element (46) with at least three 25 protuberances (58 to 64), which act on the angled portion (26) counter to the force of the restoring spring (24), and at least three latching sections (50 to 56), which are bounded at least on one side by the protuberances. 30

8. The binder mechanism as claimed in one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the angled portion (26) has an upwardly oriented roof shape, of which the roof edges form run-on slopes (27) for the protuberances (58 35 to 64) of the curved element (46).

9. The binder mechanism as claimed in claim 8, characterized in that the curved element (46) has at WO 2005/047015 - 17 - PCT/EP2004/010178 least one latching hollow which forms a latching section (52) and partially complements the roof shape of the angled portion (26). 5

10. The binder mechanism as claimed in claim 9, characterized in that the latching hollow (52), which is operative in the first open position, is bounded by a radially projecting retaining protuberance (58) which, as the actuating lever (22) is rotated further 10 in the opening direction, runs on the angled portion (26), the extent of the insertion gap being reduced in the process.

11. The binder mechanism as claimed in claim 9 or 10, 15 characterized in that the latching hollow (56), which is operative in the second open position, is bounded in the open position by a stop protuberance (64).

12. The binder mechanism as claimed in one of claims 9 20 to 11, characterized in that an intermediate catch (54) is formed between the first and the second open positions.

13. The binder mechanism as claimed in claim 12, 25 characterized in that, in the region of the intermediate catch (54), the actuating lever (22) engages, by way of its lever arm (66), in the widened insertion gap (68) of the second closing ring (19''). 30

14. The binder mechanism as claimed in one of claims 1 to 13, characterized in that the curved element (46) is formed on a sliding shoe (44) which is made of plastic and is plugged onto an actuating lever (22) made of sheet metal. 35

15. The binder mechanism as claimed in claim 14, characterized in that the actuating lever (22) is designed as a stamped part made of sheet metal with a WO 2005/047015 - 18 - PCT/EP2004/010178 sliding shoe (44), which forms the holding-down member (28), latched on its bearing end.

16. The binder mechanism as claimed in claim 14 or 15, 5 characterized in that, on its side which is directed toward the bearing plate (20), the sliding shoe (44) has a guide edge (48).

17. The binder mechanism as claimed in one of claims 10 14 to 16, characterized in that, in the region of its curved element (46), the sliding shoe (44) has a metal reinforcement formed by a bend in the sheet metal on the actuating lever (22). 15

18. A document binder having a binder mechanism as claimed in one of claims 1 to 17.