WO2009065291A1

WO2009065291A1 - A paper-retaining mechanism

Info

Publication number: WO2009065291A1
Application number: PCT/CN2008/001455
Authority: WO
Inventors: Kei Cheng
Original assignee: World Wide Stationery Manufacturing Co Ltd
Current assignee: World Wide Stationery Manufacturing Co Ltd
Priority date: 2007-11-21
Filing date: 2008-08-12
Publication date: 2009-05-28
Anticipated expiration: 2010-05-21
Also published as: EP2062743A1; TW200922806A; CN201192943Y; WO2009065283A1; EP2062741A1; CN101795872A; EP2062742A1; AR069396A1; CN101795873A

Abstract

A paper-retaining mechanism (100, 200, 300, 400, 500) comprises a base (102,202,303,402,502), two posts (106, 206, 306, 406, 506) secured to the base, a pair of arches (108, 208, 308, 408, 508) joined with each other for simultaneous movement, and the arches are movable relative to the posts between a closed position in which the arches are in contact with the posts to form two closed rings and an open position in which the arches are out of contact with the posts to open the rings, and a lever assembly (120, 220, 420, 520) operable to move the arches between the closed position and the open position, and the lever assembly includes a lever (122, 222, 322, 422, 522) and a wheel (130, 230, 330) engaged with each other, and when the arches are in the closed position, the lever is pivotable in a first direction (G, H, R, S, W) to move the wheel to rotate in the first direction to allow the arches to move to the open position, and when the arches are in the open position, the lever is pivotable in the first direction to move the wheel to rotate in the first direction to move the arches to the closed position, and the lever is pivotable about an axis (L1-L1, L2-L2, L3-L3, L4-L4, L5-L5) about which the wheel member is also rotatable.

Description

A Paper-Retaining Mechanism

Field of the Invention

This invention relates to a paper- retaining mechanism and a document file incorporating such a mechanism.

Background of the Invention

Various paper-retaining mechanisms have been available. In one type of such conventional paper- retaining mechanisms generally called lever-arch type file mechanisms, a one-armed lever is pivotable to pivot a pair of arches relative to a pair of posts fixed to a base to allow pieces of hole-punched paper to be retrieved from or inserted into the file mechanism, and for closing the posts and arches to form a pair of closed rings to retain the paper therein. The pair of arches are joined by an intervening crank on which a roller attached to the lever travels during pivotal movement of the lever, to effect opening or closing of the pair of rings. In operating such a conventional file mechanism, the lever is pivoted downwardly to close the ring pairs formed by the posts and arches and is pivoted upwardly to allow a spring leaf to pivot to thereby open the rings.

Such a conventional file mechanism is not convenient in use, in that the lever has to be moved in different directions to effect opening and closing of the rings, and the rings may only be opened by moving the lever from its ring-closed position in one single direction.

Summary of the Invention

It is thus an object of the present invention to provide a paper-retaining mechanism and a document file incorporating such a paper-retaining mechanism in which the aforesaid shortcoming is mitigated, or at least to provide a useful alternative to the public.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a paper-retaining mechanism including a base; at least two post members secured to said base; a pair of arch members joined with each other for simultaneous movement, wherein said arch members are movable relative to said post members between a closed position in which said arch members are in contact with said post members to form two closed rings and an open position in which said arch members are out of contact with said post members to open said rings; and a lever assembly operable to move said arch members between said closed position and said open position; wherein said lever assembly includes a lever member and a rotatable member engaged with each other; and wherein when said arch members are in said closed position, said lever member is pivotable in a first direction to move said rotatable member to rotate in said first direction to allow said arch members to move to said open position, and when said arch members are in said open position, said lever member is pivotable in said first direction to move said rotatable member to rotate in said first direction to move said arch members to said closed position; characterized in that said lever member is pivotable about an axis about which said rotatable member is rotatable.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a document file including a substrate engaged with a paper-retaining mechanism including a base; at least two post members secured to said base; a pair of arch members joined with each other for simultaneous movement, wherein said arch members are movable relative to said post members between a closed position in which said arch members are in contact with said post members to form two closed rings and an open position in which said arch members are out of contact with said post members to open said rings; and a lever assembly operable to move said arch members between said closed position and said open position; wherein said lever assembly includes a lever member and a rotatable member engaged with each other; and wherein when said arch members are in said closed position, said lever member is pivotable in a first direction to move said rotatable member to rotate in said first direction to allow said arch members to move to said open position, and when said arch members are in said open position, said lever member is pivotable in said first direction to move said rotatable member to rotate in said first direction to move said arch members to said closed position; characterized in that said lever member is pivotable about an axis about which said rotatable member is rotatable.

Brief Description of the Drawings

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of examples only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Fig. 1 is an exploded view of a paper- retain ing mechanism according to a first embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a front view of the lever assembly of the paper- retaining mechanism in Fig.

1 ;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional view taken along the line A-A of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is an exploded view of the lever assembly of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a front view of the mechanism of Fig. 1 in a ring-closed configuration;

Fig. 6 is a rear view of the mechanism of Fig. 5;

Fig. 7 is a right side view of the mechanism of Fig. 6;

Fig. 8 is a left side view of the mechanism of Fig. 6;

Fig. 9 is a top view of the mechanism of Fig. 6;

Fig. 10 is a front perspective view of the mechanism of Fig. 5;

Fig. 11 is a rear perspective view of the mechanism of Fig. 5, with the wheel shown in dotted lines, for clarity purposes;

Fig. 12 is a rear view of the mechanism of Fig. 5 in a ring-open configuration;

Fig. 13 is a right side view of the mechanism of Fig. 12;

Fig. 14 is a left side view of the mechanism of Fig. 12;

Fig. 15 is top view of the mechanism of Fig. 12;

Fig. 16 is a front perspective view of the mechanism of Fig. 12;

Fig. 17 is a rear perspective view of the mechanism of Fig. 12, with the wheel shown in dotted lines;

Fig. 18 is an exploded view of a paper-retaining mechanism according to a second embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 19 is a front view of the lever assembly of the paper-retaining mechanism in Fig.

18;

Fig. 20 is an enlarged sectional view taken along the line B-B of Fig. 19;

Fig. 21 is an exploded view of the lever assembly of Fig. 19;

Fig. 22 is a rear view of the mechanism of Fig. 18 in a ring-closed configuration, with the wheel shown in dotted lines;

Fig. 23 is a further rear view of the mechanism of Fig. 22;

Fig. 24 is a right side view of the mechanism of Fig. 23;

Fig. 25 is a left side view of the mechanism of Fig. 23;

Fig. 26 is a top view of the mechanism of Fig. 23; Fig. 27 is a front perspective view of the mechanism of Fig. 23;

Fig. 28 is a rear perspective vie of the mechanism of Fig. 23, with the wheel shown in dotted lines;

Fig. 29 is a rear view of the mechanism of Fig. 18 in a ring-open configuration;

Fig. 30 is a right side view of the mechanism of Fig. 29;

Fig. 31 is a left side view of the mechanism of Fig. 29;

Fig. 32 is a top view of the mechanism of Fig. 29;

Fig. 33 is a front perspective view of the mechanism of Fig. 29;

Fig. 34 is a rear perspective view of the mechanism of Fig. 29, with the wheel shown in dotted lines;

Fig. 35 is an exploded view of a paper-retaining mechanism according to a third embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 36 is an exploded view of part of the lever assembly of the mechanism of Fig.

35;

Fig. 37 is a front view of the part of the lever assembly of Fig. 36 as assembled;

Fig. 38 is a side view of the part of the lever assembly of Fig. 37;

Fig. 39 is a perspective view of the part of the lever assembly of Fig. 37;

Fig. 40 is a front view of the mechanism of Fig. 35 in a ring-closed configuration;

Fig. 41 is a top view of the mechanism of Fig. 40;

Fig. 42 is a right side view of the mechanism of Fig. 41 ;

Fig. 43 is a left side view of the mechanism of Fig. 41 ;

Fig. 44 is a front perspective view of the mechanism of Fig. 40;

Fig. 45 is a rear perspective view of the mechanism of Fig. 44;

Fig. 46 is a front view of the mechanism of Fig. 40 in a ring-open configuration;

Fig. 47 is a top view of the mechanism of Fig. 46;

Fig. 48 is a right side view of the mechanism of Fig. 47;

Fig. 49 is a left side view of the mechanism of Fig. 47;

Fig. 50 is a front perspective view of the mechanism of Fig. 46;

Fig. 51 is a rear perspective view of the mechanism of Fig. 50;

Fig. 52 is an enlarged front view of the mechanism of Fig. 40;

Fig. 53 is an exploded view of a paper-retaining mechanism according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 54 is a side view of the lever assembly of the mechanism of Fig. 53; Fig. 55 is a front view of the lever assembly of Fig. 54;

Fig. 56 is a rear view of the lever assembly of Fig. 54;

Fig. 57 is a top view of the lever assembly of Fig. 54;

Fig. 58 is a front perspective view of the lever assembly of Fig. 54;

Fig. 59 is a rear perspective view of the lever assembly of Fig. 54;

Fig. 60 is a rear view of the mechanism of Fig. 53 in a ring-closed configuration;

Fig. 61 is a bottom view of the mechanism of Fig. 60;

Fig. 62 is a right side view of the mechanism of Fig. 60;

Fig. 63 is a left side view of the mechanism of Fig. 60;

Fig. 64 is a top view of the mechanism of Fig. 60;

Fig. 65 is an enlarged front view of the mechanism of Fig. 60;

Fig. 66 is left side view of the mechanism of Fig. 65;

Fig. 67 is a rear top perspective view of the mechanism of Fig. 53 in a ring-open configuration;

Fig. 68 is a front top perspective view of the mechanism of Fig. 67;

Fig. 69 is a front bottom perspective view of the mechanism of Fig. 67;

Fig. 70 is a rear top perspective view of the mechanism of Fig. 53 in a ring-closed configuration with the lever in a lower position, and with the wheel shown in dotted lines;

Fig. 71 is a front top perspective view of the mechanism of Fig. 70;

Fig. 72 is a front bottom perspective view of the mechanism of Fig. 70;

Fig. 73 is a rear top perspective view of the mechanism of Fig. 70 with the lever in an upper position, and with the wheel shown in dotted lines;

Fig. 74 is a front top perspective view of the mechanism of Fig. 73;

Fig. 75 is a front bottom perspective view of the mechanism of Fig. 73;

Figs. 76 to 78 show movement of the lever from the lower position, through an intermediate position, to the upper position, with the wheel shown in dotted lines;

Fig. 79 is an exploded view of a paper-retaining mechanism according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 80 is a rear view of the lever assembly of the mechanism of Fig. 79;

Fig. 81 is a top view of the lever assembly of Fig. 80;

Fig. 82 is a left side view of the lever assembly of Fig. 80;

Fig. 83 is an enlarged sectional view taken along the line C-C of Fig. 80; Fig. 84 is a rear exploded view of the lever assembly of Fig. 80;

Fig. 85 is a front exploded view of the lever assembly of Fig. 84;

Fig. 86 is a rear view of the mechanism of Fig. 79 in a ring-closed configuration;

Fig. 87 is a left side view of the mechanism of Fig. 86;

Fig. 88 is a right side view of the mechanism of Fig. 86, with the lever removed and the wheel shown in dotted lines, for clarity purposes;

Fig. 89 is a top view of the mechanism of Fig. 86;

Fig. 90 is a rear perspective view of the mechanism of Fig. 86, with the wheel shown in dotted lines;

Fig. 91 is a front perspective view of the mechanism of Fig. 90;

Fig. 92 is a rear view of the mechanism of Fig. 79 in a ring-open configuration;

Fig. 93 is a top view of the mechanism of Fig. 92;

Fig. 94 is a right side view of the mechanism of Fig. 93, with the lever removed and the wheel shown in dotted lines, for clarity purposes;

Fig. 95 is an enlarged view of part A of the mechanism of Fig. 94;

Fig. 96 is a left side view of the mechanism of Fig. 92;

Fig. 97 is a rear perspective view of the mechanism of Fig. 92, with the wheel shown in dotted lines;

Fig. 98 is a front perspective view of the mechanism of Fig. 92;

Fig. 99 is a front view of the mechanism of Fig. 86; and

Fig. 100 is a rear view of the mechanism of Fig. 99, with the wheel shown in dotted lines.

Detailed Description of the Embodiments

An exploded perspective view of a paper-retaining mechanism in the form of a lever-arch type file mechanism according to a first embodiment of the present invention is shown in Fig. 1 , said mechanism being generally designated as 100. The mechanism 100 includes a base 102 formed by a sheet of metal. A support plate 104 integrally formed with the base 102 extends generally upwardly from the base 102.

A pair of posts 106 are fixedly secured to the base 102. A pair of arches 108 spaced apart from each other are joined with each other via and integrally formed with an intervening cranked rod 110, such that the arches 108 and the cranked rod 110 are movable simultaneously with one another.

The cranked rod 110 is engaged with the base 102 by a pair of clamps 112, of which only one is shown in Fig. 1. By way of such an arrangement, the arches 108 are pivotable about an axis M-M between a first position (called the "closed position", and as shown in Figs. 5 to 11 ) in which free ends 114 of the arches 108 mate and are in contact with free ends 116 of the posts 106 to form two closed rings, and a second position (called the "open position", and as shown in Figs. 12 to 17) in which the free ends 114 of the arches 108 are out of contact and out of mating engagement with the free ends 116 of the posts 106 such that the rings are open. When the mechanism 100 is in the ring-closed configuration, the pair of closed rings can retain sheets of hole-punched paper; and when the mechanism 100 is in the ring-open configuration, sheets of hole-punched paper may be retrieved from or inserted into the posts 106 and the arches 108.

A leaf spring 118 has one side engaged with the base 102 and another side acting on an underside of the cranked rod 110 to bias the arches 108 towards the open position.

The support plate 104 is engaged with a lever assembly, generally designated as 120 in Figs. 2 to 4. The lever assembly 120 includes a manually operable lever 122 with an arm 124 integrally formed with a circular plate 126. An end of the arm 124 is engaged with a cover 128 which is made of a soft material, e.g. rubber, so as to enhance comfort in use.

The lever assembly 120 also includes a rotatable wheel 130. The wheel 130 has a roughly circular end plate 132 and an actuating part 134. The actuating part 134 is in a six-pointed star shape, with six equi-angularly disposed teeth 136 and six intervening recesses 138.

An intermediate ring 140 is disposed between and engaged on one side with the circular plate 126 of the lever 122 and on another side with the actuating part 134 of the wheel 130. As shown more clearly in Figs. 2 to 4, the ring 140 has three fingers 142 axially extending towards the actuating part 134. When assembled, each of the fingers 142 is received within a correspondingly sized and shaped recesses in the actuating part 134 such that the actuating part 134 and the ring 140 are simultaneously movable with each other. Three coil springs 144 are disposed within a respective recess in the actuating part 134 for biasing the ring 140 towards the circular plate 126 of the lever 122. The ring 140 has three teeth 148 extending axially in a direction opposite to the fingers 142, i.e. towards the plate 126 of the lever 122.

The circular plate 126 of the lever 122 has a number of holes 146 along its periphery. As shown in Fig. 3, when the lever assembly 120 is assembled, each of the teeth 148 is releasably engaged with and received within a respective hole 146. It can be seen that each of the teeth 148 is in the shape of a triangle.

The mechanism 100 also has a spring 150 with an upper end and a lower end. The upper end of the spring 150 is fixed to the arm 124 of the lever 122 and the lower end of the spring 150 is fixed to the support plate 104 for providing an upward biasing force to the arm 124 of the lever 122 relative to the base 102. The lever assembly 120 is engaged with the support plate 104 by rivets 152, 154 such that the lever 122, the ring 140 and the wheel 130 are pivotable and rotatable about a common axis L₁-L₁.

Referring now to Fig. 5, the lever 122 is shown in an upper position. Because of the shape of the teeth 148 of the ring 140 and their engagement with the holes 146 of the circulate plate 126 of the lever 122, downward pivoting movement of the lever 122 in the direction indicated by the arrow G will bring about corresponding rotational movement of the ring 140, and thus the wheel 130, in the same direction. When the lever 122 is then in the lower position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 5, if the downward acting force is released, the upward biasing force exerted by the upper end of the spring 150 will return the lever 122 back to the upper position shown in solid lines. In this return movement of the lever 122, because of the shape of the teeth 148 of the ring 140, the holes 146 will pass over the teeth 148. The ring 140 and the wheel 130 will therefore remain stationary during the upward return movement of the lever 122.

This means that the while the lever 122 can exhibit pivotal movement both in and opposite to the direction indicated by the arrow G in Fig. 5, the wheel 130 and the ring 140 can only exhibit rotational movement in the direction indicated by the arrow G.

When the mechanism 100 is in the ring-closed configuration as shown in Figs. 6 to 11 , one of the teeth 136 of the wheel 130 acts on an upwardly bent portion 156 of the cranked rod 110, forcing the arches 108, against the upward biasing force of the leaf spring 118, into engagement with the posts 106 to form two closed rings.

When the lever 122 of the lever assembly 120 is pivoted downwardly (e.g. manually by a user) in the direction of the arrow G as shown in Fig. 5, the lever 122 brings about corresponding rotation of the wheel 130, and thus of the actuating part 134, in the same direction. This will bring the teeth 136 originally in contact with and acting on the bent portion 156 out of contact with the bent portion 156, and will bring a next succeeding recess 138 into a facing relationship with the bent portion 156.

When the wheel 130 is in this position, as the downward force acting on the cranked rod 110 is released, the rod 110 will pivot, upon the upward biasing force of the leaf spring 118, about the axis M-M to pivot the arches 108 away from the posts 106, to thereby open the rings, as shown in Figs. 12 to 17.

When the downward force acting on the lever 122 is then released, the lever 122 will return, in the direction opposite to that of the arrow G, to its upper position as shown in solid lines in Fig. 5. As discussed above, this will not bring about corresponding rotational movement of the wheel 130, and the mechanism 100 will remain in this ring-open configuration.

When the lever 122 is again pivoted downwardly in the direction of the arrow G, it will bring the wheel 130 into corresponding rotational movement in the same direction. Such an action will bring a next succeeding tooth 136 of the actuating part 134 into engagement and contact with the bent portion 156 of the cranked rod 110, to force the arches 108 to pivot back into engagement with the posts 106 to form two closed rings. Again, when the downward force acting on the lever 122 is released, the lever 122 will return to its upper position, without causing any corresponding rotational movement of the wheel 130.

As the actuating part 134 of the wheel 130 has six teeth 136 and six recesses 138, each downward pivoting movement of the lever 122 will cause the wheel 130 to rotate in the same direction by 30°. In addition, it can be seen that, during operation, the wheel 130 only rotates in one direction, namely, in the direction indicated by the arrow G.

An exploded perspective view of a lever-arch type file mechanism according to a second embodiment of the present invention is shown in Fig. 18, said mechanism being generally designated as 200. A major difference between this mechanism 200 and the mechanism 100 discussed above resides in the construction of its lever assembly 220, as shown in Figs. 19 to 21.

Figs. 19 to 21 show that the lever assembly 220 includes a lever 222 with a circular plate 226 along the circular periphery of which are provided a number of holes 246. The lever assembly 220 also includes a wheel 230 with an end plate 232 integrally formed with an actuating part 234. The actuating part 234 is in a six-pointed star shape with six equi-angularly disposed teeth 236 and six intervening recesses 238. An intermediate claw member 240 is disposed between the circular plate 226 of the lever 222 and the actuating part 234 of the wheel 230.

The claw member 240 has three fingers 242 extending towards and received within a recess 238 of the actuating part 234 of the wheel 230, such that, when assembled, the claw member 240 and the wheel 230 are simultaneously movable with each other. The three fingers 242 are equi-angularly disposed relative to each other, i.e. at an angle of 120° from each other. The claw member 240 also has three teeth 248 extending towards and each received within a respective hole 246 of the circulate plate 226. It can be seen from Fig. 21 that the free end of each of the teeth 248 has a slanted edge 260, the function and purpose of which will be discussed below. The teeth 248 are also equi-angularly disposed relative to each other, i.e. at an angle of 120° from each other. It should of course be understood that the number of the fingers 242 and that of the teeth 248 may be different.

The lever assembly 220 is assembled to a support plate 204 of the mechanism 200 by rivets 252, 254, so that the lever 222 is pivotable and the claw member 240 and the wheel 230 are rotatable about a common axis L₂-L₂.

As shown in Fig. 22, when the mechanism 200 is assembled, the lever 222 is pivotable about the axis L₂-L₂ (see Figs. 18 and 21 ) between an upper position (as shown in solid lines) and a lower position (as shown in dotted lines). Because of the shape of the teeth 248 of the claw member 240, in particular the slanted edge 260 of each tooth 248, the lever 222 is pivotable downwardly, i.e. in the direction indicated by the arrow H, from its upper position to its lower position, to bring about corresponding rotational movement of the claw member 240, and thus the wheel 230, in the same direction. Upon release of the downward force acting on the lever 222, the lever 222 is returned, in the direction opposite to the arrow H, to the upper position upon the upward biasing force of an upper arm of a spring 250 (see Fig. 18) During this upward return pivoting movement of the lever 222, again because of the slanted edge 260 of the respective teeth 248, the lever 222 will pivot relative to the claw member 240, without causing any corresponding rotational movement of the claw member 240, and thus of the wheel 230.

When the mechanism 200 is in the ring-closed configuration as shown in Figs. 23 to 28, one of the teeth 236 of the actuating part 234 of the wheel 230 acts on an upwardly bent portion 256 of a cranked rod 210 joining two arches 208, forcing the arches 208 into a mating engagement with two posts 206 fixed to a base 202 of the mechanism 200.

When the lever 222 is pivoted downwardly from its upper position to its lower position, such brings about corresponding rotational movement of the claw member 240 and the wheel 230, thus bringing an immediately adjacent recess 238 of the actuating part 234 to face the bent portion 256 of the cranked rod 210. As there is no downward force acting on the bent portion 256, a leaf spring 218 engaged with the base 202 is allowed to pivot upwardly to pivot the cranked rod 210, to thereby pivot the arches 208 away from the posts 206, to open the two rings formed by the arches 208 and the posts 206. When the downward forcing acting on the lever 222 is released, the lever 222 is returned to its upper position, while the wheel 230 and the claw member 240 remain stationary. The mechanism 200 will then assume its ring-open configuration as shown in Figs. 29 to 34.

When the lever 222 is again pressed downwardly to its lower position, this brings about corresponding rotational movement of the claw member 240 and the wheel 230, such that an immediately adjacent tooth 236 of the actuating part 234 comes into engagement with the upwardly bent portion 256 of the cranked rod 210, thus forcing the arches 108 back into mating relationship with the posts 206 to form two closed rings. When the downward force on the lever 222 is released, the lever 222 is returned to its upper position while the claw member 240 and the wheel 230 remain stationary. The mechanism 200 then assumes the ring-closed configuration as shown in Figs. 23 to 28. An exploded perspective view of a lever-arch type file mechanism according to a third embodiment of the present invention is shown in Fig. 35, said mechanism being generally designated as 300. The mechanism 300 includes a base 302 formed by a metal sheet. A support plate 304 integrally formed with the base 302 extends generally upwardly from the base 302. A pair of posts 306 are fixedly secured to the base 302. A pair of arches 308 spaced apart from each other are joined with each other via and integrally formed with an intervening cranked rod 310, such that the arches 308 and the cranked rod 310 are movable simultaneously with one another.

A lever assembly is assembled to the support plate 304 by rivets 352, 354. The lever assembly includes a lever 322, a wheel 330, an intermediate ratchet wheel 340 and a pair of resilient fingers 362. When the lever assembly is engaged with the support plate 304, the lever 322 is pivotable, and the wheel 330 and the fingers 362 are rotatable, about a common axis L₃-L₃.

As shown also in Figs. 36 to 39, the fingers 362 and the ratchet wheel 340 are received within a recess 364 of an actuating part 334 of the wheel 330. The ratchet wheel 340 is rotatable within the recess 364 relative to the actuating part 334. The actuating part 334 has six teeth 336 and six intervening recesses 338.

As to the fingers 362, such are engaged with the recess 364 for simultaneous movement with the wheel 330. Both fingers 362 extend into the recess 364 for engagement with a respective tooth 348 radially extending from the ratchet wheel 340. The number of the fingers 362 may of course be different, e.g. there may be one, three, four or more fingers 362.

Returning to Fig. 35, the ratchet wheel 340 has two diametrically opposed arcuate ridges 366 disposed on its major surface 368 facing a circular plate 326 of the lever 322. The circular plate 326 of the lever 322 includes two arcuate holes 346 sized and configured to each receive and engage with one of the ridges 366 of the ratchet wheel 340 for simultaneous movement. For example, the ridges 366 of the ratchet wheel 340 may be fixedly secured within the holes 346 of the circular plate 326 by force fit.

Referring to Fig. 37, by reason of the inherent resilience of the fingers 362 and the orientation of the teeth 348 of the ratchet wheel 340, the ratchet wheel 340 may rotate relative to the wheel 330 in the direction indicated by the arrow P, but the fingers 362 prevent the ratchet wheel 340 from rotating relative to the wheel 330 in the direction opposite to the arrow P.

When the duly assembled mechanism 300 is in its ring-closed configuration (as shown in Figs. 40 to 45), one of teeth 336 of the actuating part 334 acts on an upwardly bent portion 356 of the cranked rod 310, to maintain the arches 308 in a closed position in which the arches 308 mate with the posts 306 to form two closed rings.

When the lever 322 is pivoted downwardly from in its upper position (as shown in Figs. 40 to 45) to its lower position (as shown in Figs. 46 to 51 ), it brings about simultaneous rotational movement of the ratchet wheel 340. Because of the orientation of the teeth 348 of the ratchet wheel 340, and its engagement with the fingers 362 engaged with the wheel 330, the wheel 330 is also brought into corresponding rotational movement in the same direction. This will bring an immediately adjacent recess 338 of the wheel 330 facing the upwardly bent portion 356, thus allowing the arches 308 to be pivoted upwardly by a leaf spring 318 (which is engaged with the base 302), away from the posts 306 to open the rings, so as to move the mechanism 300 to a ring-open configuration.

When the downward force acting on the lever 322 is released, the lever 322 is returned (upon the upward biasing force of a spring 350) to its upper position. In this upward return pivoting movement of the lever 322, because of the arrangement between the fingers 362 and the ratchet wheel 340 discussed above, the ratchet wheel 340 will rotate within the recess 364 of, and relative to, the wheel 330, without causing any rotational movement of the wheel 330. This means that the wheel 330 remains stationary during the return movement of the lever 322.

When the lever 322 is then pivoted downwardly again, a next succeeding tooth 336 of the actuating part 334 will come into engagement with the upwardly bent portion 356 of the rod 310, thus forcing the arches 308, against the upward biasing force of the leaf spring 318, into mating engagement with the posts 306 so as to close the two rings. The lever 322 may then be allowed to return to its upper position without bringing the wheel 330 into corresponding rotational movement.

Thus, and as shown in Fig. 52, only downward pivoting movement of the lever 322 in the direction indicated by the arrow R will bring about corresponding rotational movement of the wheel 330. An exploded perspective view of a lever-arch type file mechanism according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention is shown in Fig. 53, said mechanism being generally designated as 400. The mechanism 400 has a base 402 with two posts 406 fixedly secured thereto. To a support plate 404 integrally formed with and extending generally upward from the base 402 is engaged a lever assembly 420, shown more clearly in Figs. 54 to 59.

The lever assembly 420 includes a manually operable lever 422 with an arm 424 and an end plate 426, a ratchet wheel 440, a wheel 430, two fingers 462 and two resilient wires 470. The ratchet wheel 440 is fixedly engaged with the plate 426 by three studs 472, so that the ratchet wheel 440 is simultaneously movable with the plate 426, and thus with the lever 422. When the lever assembly 420 is duly assembled, one end of each resilient wire 470 is fixed engaged with a side wall of a recess 464 of an actuating part 434 of the wheel 430. Another end of each resilient wire 470 is in contact with and acts on a respective finger 462 to bias the respective finger 462 towards the centre of the recess 464 and into engagement with a respective tooth 448 along a periphery of the ratchet wheel 440. When the lever assembly 420 is thus duly assembled, the lever 422 is pivotable about, and the wheel 430 and the ratchet wheel 440 are rotatable about, a common axis L₄-L₄.

A pair of arches 408 joined with each other via a cranked rod 410 are engaged with the base 402 for pivotal movement between a closed position in which the arches 408 mate with the posts 406 to form two closed rings and an open position in which the arches 408 are out of mating engagement with the posts 406 whereby the rings are opened.

The mechanism 400 is shown in its ring-closed configuration in Figs. 60 to 66. In this configuration, one of six teeth 436 acts on an upwardly bent portion 456 of the cranked rod 410 to maintain the arches 408 in the closed configuration. Downward pivotal movement of the lever 422 will cause the wheel 430 to rotate in the same direction to bring an immediately adjacent recess 438 of the wheel 430 facing the upwardly bent portion 456, allowing the cranked rod 410 to be pivoted to move the arches 408 out of mating engagement with the posts 406, thus opening the rings. When the downward force acting on the lever 422 is released, the lever 422 will return to its upper position (as shown in Figs. 67 to 69), without causing corresponding rotation of the wheel 430.

If the lever 422 is once again pivoted downwardly to its lower position, an immediately adjacent tooth 436 of the actuating part 434 will come into engaging relationship with and act on the upwardly bent portion 456 of the cranked rod 410 to pivot the arches 408 back into mating engagement with the posts 406, as shown in Figs. 70 to 72. When the downward force on the lever 422 is released, the lever 422 will return to its upper position as shown in Figs. 73 to 75, again without causing any corresponding rotational movement of the wheel 430.

Figs. 76 to 78 show more clearly the engagement between the fingers 462 and the ratchet wheel 440. Starting from Fig. 76, it can be seen that the fingers 462 are in engagement with teeth 448 of the ratchet wheel 440. When the downward force acting on the lever 422 is released, the lever 422 pivots upwardly. Because of the shape and orientation of the teeth 448 of the ratchet wheel 440, the lever 422 can pivot upward firstly to the intermediate position as shown in Fig. 77, in which the fingers 462 are moved away from the centre of the recess 464 of the actuating part 434, against the inward biasing force of the wires 470. The lever 422 then pivot further upward to its upper position (as shown in Fig. 78), in which the fingers 462 are again engaged with the teeth 448 of the ratchet wheel 440. As the wires 470 are resilient, the fingers 462 may be non-resilient.

It can be seen that upward pivotal movement of the lever 422 will not bring about corresponding rotational movement of the actuating part 434, and therefore of the wheel 430. Put another way, the wheel 430 and the actuating part 434 will remain stationary during upward pivotal movement of the lever 422.

On the other hand, if the lever 422 is pivoted downwardly, i.e. in the direction indicated by the arrow S in Fig. 78, because of the shape and orientation of the teeth 448 of the ratchet wheel 440 and the engagement between the teeth 448 and the fingers 462, the actuating part 434 and the wheel 430 will be brought into corresponding rotational movement in the same direction.

An exploded perspective view of a lever-arch type file mechanism according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention is shown in Fig. 79, said mechanism being generally designated as 500. The mechanism 500 includes a base 502 with an integrally formed generally upwardly extending support plate 504. Two posts 506 are fixedly secured to the base 502, and a pair of arches 508 are engaged with the base 502 for pivotal movement relative to the base 502 and the posts 506. The arches 508 are integrally formed with and joined with each other by an intermediate cranked rod 510.

The mechanism 500 also includes a lever assembly 520, shown more clearly in Figs. 80 to 85. The lever assembly 520 has a manually operable lever 522 with an arm 524 and a generally circular plate 526, a wheel 530 and an intermediate engagement plate 540.

The wheel 530 has a six-pointed star-shaped actuating part 534 with six teeth 536 and six intervening recesses 538. The actuating part 534 has a flower-shaped recess 558 on its side facing the circular plate 526 of the lever 522. The recess 558 is sized and configured to receive the intermediate engagement plate 540 for simultaneous movement. Three coil springs 544 are disposed within the recess 538 for biasing the engagement plate 540 towards the circular plate 526 of the lever 522.

It can be seen that a row of teeth 548 extend away from a major surface of the engagement plate 540 and are in engagement with a corresponding row of teeth 570 extending away from a major surface of the circular plate 526 of the lever 522.

When the lever assembly 520 is installed on the support plate 504 of the mechanism 500, the lever 522 is pivotable, and the engagement plate 540 and the wheel 530 are rotatable, about a common axis L₅-L₅.

When the mechanism 500 is in a ring-closed configuration, as shown in Figs. 86 to 91 , the arches 508 and the posts 506 are engaged with each other to form two closed rings for retaining pieces of hold-punched paper. In this position, one of the teeth 536 of the wheel 530 acts on the cranked rod 510 to maintain the arches 508 and the posts 506 in this mating relationship.

The lever 522 may then be pivoted downwardly, i.e. in the direction indicated by the arrow W in Fig. 86, away from its upper position as shown in Figs. 86 to 91. Because of the orientation of the teeth 548 of the engagement plate 540 and the teeth 570 of the lever 522, and because of their inter-engagement, this downward pivoting movement of the lever 522 will bring about a corresponding rotational movement of the engagement plate 540, and thus the wheel 530, in the same direction, thus bringing an immediately adjacent recess 538 of the wheel 530 directly facing the cranked rod 510. The cranked rod 510 may then be pivoted by a leaf spring 518 engaged with the base 502, to pivot the arches 508 away from the posts 506, so as to open the two rings.

When the downward force acting on the lever 522 is released, the lever 522 is biased upward by a spring 550. During this upward return pivoting movement of the lever 522, because of the orientation of the teeth 548 of the engagement plate 540 and the teeth 570 of the lever 522, and thanks to the resilience of the coil springs 544, the circulate plate 526 and the lever 522 can rotate relative to the engagement plate 540, and thus the wheel 530. This means that the wheel 530 remains stationary while the lever 522 returns to its upper position and the mechanism 500 remains in its ring-open configuration, as shown in Figs. 92 to 98. The lever 522 can therefore pivot relative to the engagement plate 540, and thus the wheel 530, in one direction only.

The lever 522 may be pivoted downward again to move a next succeeding tooth 536 of the wheel 530 into engagement with the cranked rod 510 to pivot the arches 508 to engage with the posts 506 to close the rings. When the downward force acting on the lever 522 is released, the lever 522 will return to its upper position, while the wheel 530 remains stationary.

Figs. 99 and 100 show the movement of the lever 522 between its upper position (shown in solid lines) and its lower position (shown in dotted lines).

Each of the paper-retaining mechanisms 100, 200, 300, 400, 500 discussed above may be secured, e.g. by rivets or screws, to a substrate, e.g. a cover made of cardboard, plastics, metal or a combination thereof, to form a paper-retaining device, e.g. a document holder or box file.

It should be understood that the above only illustrates examples whereby the present invention may be carried out, and that various modifications and/or alterations may be made thereto without departing from the spirit of the invention.

It should also be understood that certain features of the invention, which are, for clarity, described in the context of separate embodiments, may be provided in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features of the invention which are, for brevity, described in the context of a single embodiment, may also be provided separately or in any appropriate sub-combinations.

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. A paper-retaining mechanism (100, 200, 300, 400, 500) including: a base (102, 202, 302, 402, 502); at least two post members (106, 206, 306, 406, 506) secured to said base; a pair of arch members (108, 208, 308, 408, 508) joined with each other for simultaneous movement, wherein said arch members are movable relative to said post members between a closed position in which said arch members are in contact with said post members to form two closed rings and an open position in which said arch members are out of contact with said post members to open said rings; and a lever assembly (120, 220, 420, 520) operable to move said arch members between said closed position and said open position; wherein said lever assembly includes a lever member (122, 222, 322, 422, 522) and a rotatable member (130, 230, 330, 430, 530) engaged with each other; and wherein when said arch members are in said closed position, said lever member is pivotable in a first direction (G, H, R, S, W) to move said rotatable member to rotate in said first direction to allow said arch members to move to said open position, and when said arch members are in said open position, said lever member is pivotable in said first direction to move said rotatable member to rotate in said first direction to move said arch members to said closed position; characterized in that said lever member is pivotable about an axis (L_rLi, L₂-L₂, L₃-L₃, L₄-L₄, L₅-L₅) about which said rotatable member is rotatable.

2. A mechanism according to Claim 1 further characterized in that said rotatable member is engaged with said lever member via an intermediate member (140, 240, 340, 440, 540) which is rotatable about said axis.

3. A mechanism according to Claim 2 further characterized in that said intermediate member is engaged with said rotatable member for simultaneous movement.

4. A mechanism according to Claim 3 further characterized in that said intermediate member includes at least an engagement member (148, 248) releasably engaged with at least a hole (146, 246) of said lever member.

5. A mechanism according to Claim 4 further characterized in that when said engagement member of said intermediate member is received within said hole of said lever member, said lever member is pivotable in said first direction to cause said intermediate member to rotate in said first direction, to thereby cause said rotatable member to rotate in said first direction.

6. A mechanism according to Claim 4 or 5 further characterized in that when said engagement member of said intermediate member is received within said hole of said lever member, said intermediate member remains stationary upon pivotal movement of said lever member in a second direction which is opposite to said first direction.

7. A mechanism according to any one of Claims 2 to 6 further characterized in that said intermediate member is biased towards said lever member.

8. A mechanism according to Claim 2 further characterized in that said intermediate member (340, 440) is engaged with said lever member (322, 422) for simultaneous movement.

9. A mechanism according to Claim 8 further characterized in that said intermediate member includes a number of radially extending engagement members (348, 448).

10. A mechanism according to Claim 9 further characterized in that said rotatable member (330, 430) includes at least one finger member (362, 462) engaged with said intermediate member.

1 1. A mechanism according to Claim 10 further characterized in that said finger member allows said intermediate member to rotate relative to said rotatable member in one direction (P) only.

12. A mechanism according to Claim 10 or 11 further characterized in including a plurality of finger members.

13. A mechanism according to Claim 10, 11 or 12 further characterized in that said finger member is resilient.

14. A mechanism according to Claim 13 further characterized in that said finger member (462) is biased towards said intermediate member.

15. A mechanism according to Claim 10, 11 or 12 further characterized in that said finger member is biased towards said intermediate member by resilient means (470).

16. A mechanism according to Claim 3 further characterized in that said intermediate member (540) includes a plurality of engagement members (548) extending from a major surface thereof and in engagement with a plurality of engagement members (574) of said lever member (522).

17. A mechanism according to Claim 16 further characterized in that said lever member is pivotable relative to said intermediate member in one direction only.

18. A document file including a substrate engaged with a paper-retaining mechanism according to any of the preceding claims.