FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a binder assembly which is openable in the opposite directions.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The prior art turnable type binder assembly includes one side plate that is fixed in place and the other side plate that is turnable, and is openable in one direction alone. However, it is desired to open the binder in the opposite direction depending upon the state of papers.

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION A primary object of the present invention is, therefore, to provide a novel binder assembly which is openable in the opposite directions, and is of highly practical value.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Other objects and features provided by the present invention will become apparent from the ensuing detailed description of the invention's presently preferred embodiment with reference to the accompanying drawings, which are given for the purpose of illustration alone, and in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the binder assembly according to the present invention, Figure 2 is a perspective view of the turnalble

unit,

Figure 3 is a view illustrating a combination of the side plate with sliding plate,

Figure 4 is a view showing of the keep plate, Figure 5 is a perspective view showing the bottom plate alone, and

Figure 6 is a perspective view illustrating another turnable unit.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring now to Figure 1, there is generally shown a doublebinding binder assembly according to the present invention, wherein reference numeral 1 denotes a left cover, 2, a back cover, and 3 indicates a right cover.In the binder assembly generally shown at 10 a bottom plate portion 30 is fixedly provided to the back cover 2. Turnable members 40 and 50 are pivotally provided on both sides of the bottom plate portion 30, and are designed to be attachable to or detachable from the bottom plate portion. As will be described later, provision is made of a side plate 41, binding pipes 42, a keep plate 80, a notch 82, a sliding plate 60 and a side plate 51. The side plate 51 is provided with another binding rods 52, which are not exposed to view, since they are inserted through the first binding pipes 42.

In Figure 2, the side plate 41 for the turnable member 40 is illustrated. Reference numeral 42 stands for the binding pipes, as already mentioned. A notch, lower rounded and hollow portions and rivet holes are indicated

at 43, 44 and 48, respectively. The rivet holes 48 and 48 are provided for locking the keep plate 80 in place, as will be explained later. As indicated by a two-dotted line, an engaging rod 45 is slidably inserted into the rounded and hollow portion 44.

Figure 3 shows the sliding plate 60 inserted within the side plate 41. The sliding plate 60 is formed of a synthetic resin material or the like, and includes therein elongated slots 61 and 62 and a void 66. Within the slot 61 there is desposed a spring 63, which is hooked at one end on a stop 49 of the side plate 41 and at the other end on a spring hook 64 provided on the sliding plate. In this manner, the spring 63 pulls the sliding plate 60 in the lefthand direction. A locking member 70 is pivotally supported at 73, and is constantly pressed down by an elastic rod 74. It is understood that a U-shaped leaf spring or the like may be used in place of the elastic rod

74. The locking member 70 is formed of a synthetic resin such as polycarbonate, and includes a locking catch 71 and a keep plate 72 in addition to the elastic rod 74.

The engaging rod 45 is inserted through the rounded portion 44 of the side plate 41. The engaging rod 45 is in the L-shaped form, which includes an upright portion 46 designed to be inserted into a slit 65 in the sliding member 60 and to be slidable with the sliding member. The keep plate 80 is more clearly shown in Figure 4, and includes a locking member 81 attached to the rear side thereof. The keep plate 40 of Figure 4 is fixed in place with its rivet holes 88 being in alignment with the rivet holes 48 in 60 in a state shown in Figure 3. In Figure 4,

reference numeral 83 is a notch in coincidence with the notch 43 in the side plate 41, whence the corner portion of the sliding plate 60 is exposed to view, as illustrated in Figure 1. The bottom plate member 30 is more clearly shown in

Figure 5 with its bottom plate 31 being fixed to the back cover 2. Reference numeral 32 stands for fixing rivet holes. On both sides of the bottom plate, there are provided rounded and hollow portions 33, 34 and 35 at the symmetrical positions.

Figure 6 illustrates the turnable member 50 positioned in opposition to the turnalbe member 40. Binding rods 52 and 52 are attached to the side plate 51. The sliding plate 60, as shown in Figure 3, is positioned on the farther side of the sliding plate 51 in Figure 6, with its corner portion 53 being exposed to view in the notch 53. The turnable members 40 and 50 are opposite in their direction, but are all the same in the structure. To put it in another way, the turnable members of the same structure are disposed back to back, or the binding pipe of the turnable member 40 faces that of the turnable member 50.

In use, opening of one turnable member 60 is effected in the following manner. Referring to Figures 1 and 3-5, a push is given to the corner portion 67 of the sliding plate 60 exposed to between the notches 43 and 83 to cause sliding movement of the sliding plate 60 against the action of the spring 63 in the righthand direction in Figure 3. Thereupon, the upright portion 46 of the engaging rod 46, now inserted into the slit 65 in the

sliding plate 60, slides with the sliding plate 60 through the rounded portion 44 in the righthand direction, until the end 47 of the horizontal portion disengages the rounded portions 33 and 34 of the bottom plate 31. Since the turnable member 40 then becomes turnable, it is possible to turn that member 40 around the engaging rod 45 of the other turnable member 50 in the counterclockwise direction in Figure 1 for disengagement of the binding rods from the binding pipes. When the sliding plate 50 slides in the righthand direction, the right-end locking pawl of the locking member turns in the counterclockwise direction against the action of the elastic rod 74, and overrides the engaging projection 81 on the back side of the keep plate 80 for engagement therewith, so that the sliding plate 60 is locked in place at its righthand position.

Referring then to the fitting of the turnable member 40 onto the bottom plate portion 30, the former is positioned onto the latter after papers have been kept in file. Thereupon, the keep rod 72 of the locking member 70 abuts against the middle rounded portion 34 of the bottom plate 31, which is positioned on the righthand side, so that the locking member 70 is pressed and turns in the counterclockwise direction, whereby the locking catch 71 disengages the engaging projection 81. Then, the sliding plate 60 is pulled as a whole by the spring 63, and returns in the lefthand direction. Finally, the end of the horizontal portion of the engaging rod 45 enters the rounded portions 33 and 34 for engagement, whereupon the binder assembly is closed.

The same operations are repeated to turn the opposite turnable member 50 for removal of the binding rods 52 from the binding pipes 42.

As explained in detail above, the binder assembly of the present invention is of relatively simple construction, can be opened in either one of the opposite directions, and is thus of highly practical value.