Adjustable, releasable binding fastener

• US 5,690,443 A
• Filed: 06/03/1996
• Issued: 11/25/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 06/05/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Thomas V. Sullivan
• Original Assignee: Thomas V. Sullivan
• Inventors: Sullivan, Thomas V.
• Primary Examiner(s): Fridie, Jr., Willmon
• Application Number:
  US08/657,317
• Time in Patent Office: 540 Days
• Field of Search: 402/63, 402/60, 402/62, 402/67, 402/68, 281/28
• US Class Current: 402/63
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 80/00 Products made by additive manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: B42F 13/14 with clamping or locking means pressure bars B42F13/36

Abstract

A fastening device has male and female portions, the male portion having a base and a downwardly extending post with two vertical series of horizontal ratchet teeth, one on each side of the post, and two convex lobes extending outwardly in diametrically opposing positions between the two vertical series of ratchet teeth. The female portion has a base and an upwardly extending collar consisting of two curved halves. Each collar half has a series of horizontal ratchet teeth on its inner surface. The circular space defined by the collar halves continues through an aperture in the base. The ratchet teeth may also continue on the inside wall of the aperture. To assemble the fastener the collar of the female portion is placed into a binding hole in a stack of paper, and the post of the male portion is placed into the opposite side of the binding hole, with its base mutually aligned with the base of the female portion. The post is pushed manually into the collar, where its teeth lock with the teeth in the collar. To disassemble the fastener, the opposing bases are rotated until the teeth disengage, and the portions can be withdrawn from each other and removed from the stack.

Claims

1. A releasable fastener for binding a stack of paper, comprising:

a female fastener portion having a first planar base including an aperture therethrough, and further having an arcuate shaped collar extending perpendicularly from said first planar base, said collar comprised of a pair of opposing, parallel collar halves positioned on opposing sides of the aperture, each of the collar halves including a vertical, first series of ratchet teeth facing the aperture; and

a male fastener portion having a second planar base, and a rod-like post extending perpendicularly from said second planar base, said post having an exterior surface having two vertical oppositely disposed second series of ratchet teeth oriented to engage said first series of ratchet teeth when said post is inserted between said arcuate shaped collar and towards said aperture, in a ratchet manner when the first and the second series of ratchet teeth are mutually engaged.

2. The fastener recited in claim 1 wherein said rod-like post having a pair of oppositely disposed, eccentric, convex lobes separated by said second series of horizontal teeth.

3. The fastener recited in claim 1 wherein said first planar base is elongate and wherein said second planar base is elongate and wherein said second series of ratchet teeth are oriented to engage said first series of ratchet teeth when said first elongate planar base is in parallel alignment with said second elongate planar base.

4. The fastener of claim 1 wherein the female portion further includes a pair of opposing slots in the first planar base, the slots positioned between the collar halves and lying on opposite sides of said aperture for providing resilience in the first planar base to facilitate the collar halves to move apart for withdrawal of the male portion from the female portion.

5. The fastener of claim 1 wherein each of the teeth in the collar halves comprises a sloping female tooth surface, and a lower female tooth surface planar parallel to said first planar base, and wherein each of the teeth in the post comprises a planar upper male tooth surface planar parallel to said second planar base and a sloping lower male tooth surface, said sloping surfaces of the mutually engaging male and female teeth positioned and sized to move slidingly past each other under manual force, and the tooth planar surfaces being positioned and sized for intimate engagement and preventing the fastener portions from moving apart.

6. The fastener system of claim 1 wherein the collar halves of the female portion each extend circularly along said aperture over an angular range of from approximately 90°

to about 150°

per collar half.

7. The fastener system of claim 1 wherein the ratchet teeth in the post of the male portion extend in two opposing sides of said post, each series of teeth having a radial angular extent of from about 90°

to about 150°

.

8. The fastener system of claim 1 wherein the collar halves of the female portion have a circular arcuate shape.

9. The fastener system of claim 1 wherein the collar halves of the female portion have an oval arcuate shape.

10. The fastener system of claim 1 wherein the post of the male portion has a circular cylindrical shape.

11. The fastener system of claim 1 wherein the post of the male portion has an oval cylindrical shape.

12. A releasable fastener for binding a stack of paper, comprising:

a first planar base;

a plurality of female collars supported by said first planar base, said planar base including an aperture therethrough associated with each female collar, each collar comprised of a pair of arcuate shaped collar halves, parallel to each other and extending perpendicularly from said first planar base, the collar halves positioned on opposing sides of each aperture, each of the collar halves including a vertical, first series of ratchet teeth facing the aperture; and

a plurality of male fastener portions, each having a second planar base, and a rod-like post extending perpendicularly from said second planar base, each said post having an exterior surface having two vertical oppositely disposed second series of ratchet teeth oriented to engage said first series of ratchet teeth when said post is inserted between said arcuate shaped collar of said female fastener portion and towards said aperture, in a ratchet manner when the first and the second series of ratchet teeth are mutually engaged.

13. The fastener recited in claim 12 and including a first male fastener portion having a first length of said second planar base and a second male fastener portion having a second length of said second planar base, and wherein said first length of said second planar base aligns with and contacts said second length of said second planar base when the second series of ratchet teeth of said first and said second male fasteners are mutually engaged with the first set of ratchet teeth of their corresponding female fastener portions, and wherein said first and second lengths of said second planar base can be pivoted out of alignment and contact with each other to disengage said second series of ratchet teeth of said first and said second male fasteners from the first set of ratchet teeth of their corresponding female fastener portions.

14. The fastener recited in claim 13 wherein each one of said first and second male fastener portions define an area of partial complementary overlap adjacent their area of contact.

15. The fastener recited in claim 14 wherein the area of overlap is rounded.

16. The fastener recited in claim 13 wherein each one of said first and second male fastener portions defines an area of curved contact.

17. The fastener recited in claim 13 and further including a third male fastener portion having a third length of said second planar base, and wherein said third length of said second planar base aligns with and contacts both said first and second lengths of said second planar base when the second series of ratchet teeth of said first, second and third male fasteners are mutually engaged with the first set of ratchet teeth in the corresponding collars of the female fastener portion, and wherein said first, second and third lengths of said second planar base can be pivoted out of alignment and contact with each other to disengage said second series of ratchet teeth of said first, second and third male fasteners from the first set of ratchet teeth in the corresponding collars of the female fastener portion.

18. The fastener recited in claim 17 wherein said first planar base is elongate and wherein said first, second and third lengths of said second planar base are elongate and wherein said second series of ratchet teeth are oriented to engage said first series of ratchet teeth when said first elongate planar base is in parallel alignment with said first, second and third lengths of said second planar base.

19. The fastener of claim 12 wherein the first planar base further includes a plurality of apertures, each aperture associated with a single one of said female collars, the slots positioned between the collar halves and lying on opposite sides of said aperture for providing resilience in the first planar base to facilitate the collar halves to move apart for withdrawal of the male portion from the female portion.

20. A releasable fastener for binding a stack of paper, comprising:

a female fastener portion having a first planar base including a slot of extended length therethrough, and a collar including a pair of sides extending perpendicularly from said first planar base, said pair of sides in opposing relationship and separated by said slot, each of the sides including a vertical, first series of parallel ratchet teeth sloping toward the slot;

a male fastener portion having a second planar base, and a post extending perpendicularly from said second planar base, said post having a pair of oppositely disposed exterior surfaces each having a vertical second series of parallel ratchet teeth oriented to engage said first series of parallel ratchet teeth when said post is inserted between said pair of sides of said collar in a ratchet manner when the first and the second series of ratchet teeth are parallel and are mutually engaged.

21. The fastener of claim 20 wherein the male post is generally square shaped.

22. The fastener of claim 20 wherein the slot in the first planar base extends in one direction longitudinally along said planar base and opens at the end of said planar base.

23. The fastener of claim 20 wherein said collar halves are oriented perpendicularly to a main longitudinal extent of the first planar base.

24. The fastener of claim 20 wherein the slot in the first planar base extends laterally along said planar base and opens at a side of said planar base.

25. A releasable fastener for binding a stack of paper, comprising:

a male portion having a first planar base and a plurality of male posts perpendicularly supported by said first planar base, each post having an exterior surface having two vertical, oppositely disposed first series of ratchet teeth; and

a plurality of female fastener portions, each having a second planar base including an aperture therethrough, and having a female collar perpindicular to said planar base, each female collar including a pair of collar halves, the collar halves positioned on opposing sides of said aperture, each of the collar halves including a vertical, second series ratchet teeth facing the series of ratchet teeth on the other collar half and on opposite sides of said aperture, and oriented to engage said first series of ratchet teeth of one of said male posts when one of said male posts and said collar are engaged.