Scope of the Invention

The present invention, for which a patent for invention is sought, relates to a BOOKBINDER OF PERFORATED SHEETS, conceived to manually bind, and without the intervention of a binding machine, blocks of paper sheets previously perforated.

More specifically, the present invention relates to a bookbinder belonging to the type of those comprising an elongated base carrying a set of split rings, through which the block of perforated sheets is retained. In this particular case, the invented bookbinder is characterized in that it combines the use of an independent base, substantially flat and elongated, receiving a set of anchoring hooks that match a global format such as an inverted "U".

With the combination of these two elements of cooperative action, it is possible to perform the binding process in an efficient way, standing out because it does not require the use of any machine.

With the bookbinder of the present invention, the same user can perform the binding in a manual way with a simple and direct work, without requiring the intervention of a machine.

For this, said flat and elongated base is characterized in that it includes a plurality of pairs of supporting cavities that are transversely distributed to receive said anchoring hooks. Each of said supporting cavities, which have a special configuration, is designed to receive the end section of each of said anchoring hooks, and thereby resulting in the binding of the block of sheets that pass through them.

It is emphasized that said supporting cavities are open and include a respective projection, matching its upper edge, provided to lock by anchoring with the internal tooth that is defined at both ends of each hook.

Said special configuration defined in said supporting cavities, in combination with the shape of the locking teeth that are defined in the free ends of each anchoring hook, ensure that they remain firm and stable in the vertical plane, without affecting the assembly and mobility of the block of sheets it contains.

In the manner set forth, for positioning said anchoring hooks, it is sufficient to apply a vertical pressure from the top downwards; the elasticity of the material allows that they enter and tightly fit in their respective supporting cavities, resulting in the anchorage. To remove each hook, simply take one end to press it out slightly taking advantage of the aforementioned elastic capacity, and rotate it to release it from the anchorage.

To use this novel bookbinder the user proceeds as follows:

1. The user first perforates the block of sheets.

2. Once the sheets are perforated, the hooks are placed, passing through perforations, so that all sheets are properly contained in them.

3. Then we proceed to place all the hooks with the incorporated sheets, in the base of the binding, so that they are properly bound.

It can be seen that, the great advantage of the bookbinder of this invention is that, in order to generate the binding of the block of sheets, it was not necessary to resort to the use of a machine. It is the user who could manually work in an extremely quick, simple and effective way.

It is an invention that defines a new combination of means designed to achieve a superior result, being the same unpredictable and surprising even for an expert in the field. Consequently, in addition to being new, its constructive and functional conception shows a clear inventive activity, so that it meets the conditions required by Law to be considered a patent for invention.

Prior art

As it is known per se, various bookbinders designed to contain blocks of perforated sheets are currently known.

In most cases they are machines that work on elongated supports made of plastic material, usually called "bead", characterized in that they carry a succession of split rings that are flexible, so that they can be opened by arching outwards to receive the block of perforated sheets, and then closed to form rings that hold them with some slack to allow them to run smoothly in rotating movements.

In this regard, sheet-block perforating machines specially designed to generate an alignment of through holes extending adjacent a marginal edge are known.

For binding, binding machines are used that take the referred "bead" and generate the opening of their split rings. The user then proceeds to place the block of sheets by threading each ring in a corresponding through hole generated by the perforating machine. Then the same machine allows the closing of the rings to finish the binding.

Other known machines perforate the alignment of holes in the block of sheets and then hold it for the user, or in more industrialized cases, a ring binding machine to move a helical spring with a rotary movement through which it advances passing through each through hole one by one.

From the above it is clear that, at present, to perform the binding of a block of sheets it is necessary to resort to perforating machines combined with binding machines that work on the "beads" that will be the support of the block of perforated sheets.

Undoubtedly, although many of these perforating machines and bookbinders are ideal to work in printing houses and book shops where the binding work is very often presented, they are very over sized when it is a user who shall do an individual and isolated work. There are no known manual devices that allow fast and direct binding of a block of sheets individually.

Brief Description of the Invention - Advantages

With the Bookbinder of perforated sheets to which this invention refers, the above- mentioned problems are effectively solved, especially since it is an ideal option for minor and individual bindings.

The bookbinder of this invention may be purchased in shops that sell library articles and accessories, offering users an individual binder capable of holding blocks of perforated sheets in a simple manner, without it being necessary to resort to a machine. The bookbinder of this invention comprises the combination of a flat and elongated base carrying pairs of transverse cavities provided for anchoring an equal number of anchoring hooks that match a general shape such as an inverted "U". Said anchoring hooks are characterized in that they have teeth of special configuration at their free ends, which lock in said cavities of the flat and elongated base.

Said cavities of the flat and elongated base are defined in pairs on the longitudinal margins thereof, maintaining a mutual separation that is slightly greater than the mutual separation that is determined between the free ends of each anchoring hook.

There may be flat bases containing two, three or more pairs of cavities that receive the hooks, which shall match perforations in the block of perforated sheets.

Said cavities that receive the free ends of the anchoring hooks, are open and include a respective protrusion, matching its upper edge, provided to lock with the internal tooth that is defined in both ends of the hook.

As set forth above, both free ends of the hooks are enclosed by side walls of each cavity and also by said projection of the upper edge that locks on each tooth. In this way, when the anchoring occurs, it is ensured that each hook remains firm in the vertical plane, perpendicular to the base, allowing the sheets of the bound block to be angularly displaced with some clearance.

Brief description of the drawings

To specify the advantages briefly discussed, to which users and those skilled in the art may add many others, and to facilitate understanding of constructive, constitutive and functional characteristics of the invented bookbinder, a preferred example of the embodiment is described below, which is schematically illustrated and without a specific scale, in the attached sheets, expressly explaining that, precisely because it is an example, it is not appropriate to assign to it a limiting or exclusive nature of the scope of protection of this invention, but it is simply intended to explain and illustrate the basic conception on which it is founded.

Figure 1 is a view showing a block of sheets bound with the bookbinder of this invention.

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the bookbinder without the block of sheets, with an enlarged detail (A) showing the anchoring of a hook on the flat base.

Figure 3 is a perspective view showing an anchoring hook.

Figure 4 is a top plan view of the flat, elongated base.

Figure 5 is a cross-section view according to the trace plane V-V indicated in the previous figure, in which an enlarged detail of a section of the anchoring lock being established is added.

It is explained that, in all figures, the same numbers and letters of reference, correspond to the same or equivalent parts or constituent elements of the set, according to the example chosen for the present explanation of the invented bookbinder.

Detailed description of a preferred example

As it can be seen in Figure 1 , the present invention relates to a bookbinder (E) designed to hold a block of sheets (H) in an orderly manner and with a certain clearance. It can be seen that the invented binder is constituted with a flat and elongated base (B) on which a plurality of anchoring hooks (G) are fixed, each of which pass through respective perforations (1 ) adjacent to a longitudinal edge (2) made in the block of sheets (B). As previously indicated, the invented bookbinder incorporates the option of binding on a direct and manual basis, without the need to resort to the use of a binding machine, this option being very useful for users who do not have such machines.

Now observing Figure 2, it can be seen that said anchoring hooks (G) have their free ends (3) and (4) fixed on the pairs of supporting cavities (5) and (6) defined in said flat and elongated base. (B).

These cavities (5) and (6) are arranged in pairs, on the edges of said base (B), according to transverse alignments, as many pairs as perforations are included in the block of sheets (H), for which they are distributed equally spaced apart from each other.

The enlarged detail (A) has been incorporated to show that said cavities (5) and (6) enclose the free ends (3) and (4) of each hook to ensure its stable verticality, preventing unwanted angular turning movements from occurring.

Observing now Figure 3, we can see that each anchoring hook (G) has a general shape such as an inverted "U" which free ends (3) and (4) include respective locking teeth (7) defined on the inner face.

In the same figure 3 and also in the enlarged detail shown in figure 5, it can be seen that each locking tooth (7) has an inner face in an inclined plane (8) that originates from the free end and finishes in an upper support ( 9). Especially in the V-V cut shown in Figure 5, it can be seen that said supporting cavities (5) and (6) of the flat and elongated base (B), include an upper projection (10) that locks over the reference support (9) of each tooth (7) of the anchoring hook (G), and in that way a stable fixation is ensured, which is very simple to remove.