Filing box

The present invention refers to a filing box intended to be placed into a loose-leaf binder or folder in order to receive the contents of the folder for filing, by that the same is foldable from a flat blank to a box comprising a first side, which via a gable by aid of fold lines is linked to an opposite second side, two opposite side flaps, which are linked to and extended from the first and second side respectively via fold lines and at least one gable cover which is linkable via a fold line with the second side and said filing box comprises openings in its first side for insertion of the same into a folder, which makes a direct transportation of the contents of the folder to said filing box possible.

When folders are emptied of their contents problems can arise, which cause disorder in the paper bundle. The stack of paper then risks to slide apart, come into disorder and also get lost during the handling. A technical solution of this problem is illustrated in the patent specification WO 0132438 Al, in which a filing box is illustrated and described in transporting and filing documents from a folder and which can be folded together from a flat blank into a box. The drawback with this solution is that the storing of the blank, which shall constitute said box cannot be stored in the folder, the contents of which shall be filed and this fact means that you not always have the same at hand when the contents of the folder shall be filed.

The object of the present invention is to provide a filing box of the type mentioned above, which solves the problems of the prior art technique by that it in its flat condition can be stored in a folder, so that it always can be at hands during the very filing procedure. The characterizing features of the invention are set forth in the claims enclosed.

Thanks to the invention a filing box has now been provided, which in an excellent way fulfils its purpose at the same time as it is both cheap and easy to manufacture. The filing box, as mentioned above, consists of a flat blank, which can be folded together to a box. The flat structure with openings and grooves for the forks of a folder makes it possible that it can be stored in the folder in a flat condition, until it is time to file the contents of the folder, when the same is folded together into a box while it is remained in the folder, so that a direct transfer is made possible of the contents of the folder into

the filing box. By that said grooves are provided, so that the forks of a folder can be pushed into these, the filing box in its flat condition can be placed as well as be stored anywhere within a full folder and of course also from the beginning in an empty folder. By that the box also can be placed into and/or be stored anywhere between the documents present in the folder also thinner bundles can in an easy way be removed and filed from the same.

The invention is described closer below by aid of a preferred embodiment example with reference to the drawings enclosed, in which

Fig. 1 shows a flat blank intended to be used for constituting a filing box according to the invention,

Fig. 2 shows how the filing box in its flat condition is stored in a folder,

Fig. 3 shows the blank constituting the filing box partly in its erected and folded out condition just before the filing, and

Fig. 4 shows the filing box in its closed condition with its contents therein after that the same first has been loosen from the forks of the folder and thereafter has been closed by aid of its gable cover.

As can be seen from the drawings a preferred embodiment example of a filing box according to the invention is illustrated and in fig. 1 is illustrated how a blank 1, constituting the filing box can look like, and which in its erected condition is intended to receive the contents in a folder during filing.

The blank 1 constituting said filing box comprises a first side 2, which via a gable 3 by aid of fold lines 4 and 5 is connected in a linkable way to an opposite, second side 6. The blank 1 further has two opposite side flaps 11-14 extending via fold lines 7-10 from the first 2 and second side 6 respectively, and at least one gable cover 16 connected in a linkable way by aid of a fold line 15 from the second side 6, said gable cover 16 is intended to close the filing box after its removing from the forks of the folder. Said blank 1 comprises also openings 17 in its first side 2 for inserting the same into a folder,

which makes a direct transportation of the contents of the folder to said filing box possible.

The filing box comprises, beyond the openings 17 intended for the forks of a folder in the first side 2, grooves 18 for pushing in said forks when the filing box is in its flat condition. Said grooves 18, which in the example illustrated have a length of some centimetres, extend over said fold line 15, which connects in a linkable way the gable cover 16 to the second side 6 and in a direction in over the gable cover 16, acting as a closing up of the filing box. The grooves 18 extend about the same distance in over the other side 6 and the gable cover 16 from said fold line 15. In this way the filing box can in its flat condition be stored in said folder from the beginning or be put into the folder when it shall be used in receiving the contents of the folder during the filing procedure.

In order to limit the extension of the blank 1 constituting the filing box laterally and in a depth direction and to keep this dimension within the outer dimension of a folder is, besides that the side flaps 11-14 are foldable in a direction towards each other between the first 2 and the second side 6, the gable 3, which connects these sides together, provided with a centrally extending fold line 19, which makes a double folding of the gable 3 in a direction inwards between the sides 2 and 6 possible, with the result that the filing box in its flat condition can be present within the outer dimension of the folder.

As is mentioned above the filing box can be used in two different ways. One of these is that the box is situated in the folder from the very beginning and in this way the filing box is prepared, when it is time to file and then the same is folded together with simple hand grips without that those papers, which shall be filed, change their position. The other way of use is that the filing box is placed into the folder, when it shall be used and in this case it is in a simple way folded together in order to file with the same good result.

As illustrated closer in fig. 3 it can be seen how the folding of the blank forming the filing box can be done. First, the folder is opened having its contents secured in place by the forks of the folder. The blank 1 constituting the filing box is secured in position by aid of its openings 17 usually in the very back of the folder. Hereafter the blank 1 is folded out and its side flaps 11-14 formed as edges are folded upwards about 90 °. When

the contents of the folder are transferred into contact with the first side 2 the second side 6 is folded by aid of the fold lines 4 and 5 in a direction towards the said first side 2, so that the sides are in parallel with the contents of the folder there between. In order to arrange in position the side flaps 11-14 of the sides 2 and 6 in relation to each other in their erected position, small flaps 20, protruding from the two first of said side flaps 11,12, are used in the illustrated example, said small flaps 20 are folded inwards and are fixed from outside of the box into square formed recesses 21 in the two remaining of these side flaps 13-14. Hereafter the forks of the folder are released from the openings 17 and the filing box is closed by that the gable cover 16 is closed and the box can be finally be locked by aid of flaps 22 protruding outwards from the back, free edge of the first side 2 and which can be inserted into closing slots 24 in the fold line 15, which connects the gable cover 16 in a movable way to the second side 6.

As an alternative to the fixing into position of the side flaps in relation to each other by aid of the small flaps 20 and the square formed recesses 21, of course one also can use a glue or any other form of adhesive, which e.g. is applied directly against those surfaces of the side flaps, which contact each other during the folding together of the filing box.

The material of the filing box is of a suitable type, which is good for different demands such as e.g. that it is age constant, water-repellent, stackable or the like. The openings 17 and the grooves 18 can be arranged with distances from each other, which are required in order to suit the many different forms of folders, which exist in different countries. The blank constituting the filing box also ought to be integrally punched out and the size shall be adaptable to different types of folders. Finally the filing box shall also be able to store a different amount of paper, where the thickness varies - this, in order to save filing space.