Stacked paper fastener

• US 5,988,925 A
• Filed: 10/26/1998
• Issued: 11/23/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 10/26/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Baggett, R. Sherman
• Original Assignee: Baggett, R. Sherman
• Inventors: Baggett, R. Sherman
• Primary Examiner(s): Fridie, Jr., Willmon
• Assistant Examiner(s): Henderson, Mark T.
• Application Number:
  US09/181,225
• Time in Patent Office: 393 Days
• Field of Search: 402/60, 402/8, 402/62, 402/63, 402/64, 402/68
• US Class Current: 402/8
• CPC Class Codes: B42F 13/06 with strips or bands

Abstract

A stacked paper fastener having a pair of prongs which may be passed through a pair of holes in a top piece and affixed to the top piece to hold the stacked papers together. The fastener is preferably entirely made of plastic with no sharp edges so that it cannot readily cut a user. Each prong has notches in the outer surface which, when the prongs are passed through a ratchet member, may be pulled tight around the stack of papers. The ratchet member securely holds the stack of papers together until purposely released. The ratchet members have releases which are easily manipulated from above the top piece so that the top piece can be easily removed to add more papers to the stack or to disassemble the stack of papers.

Claims

1. A stacked paper fastener of the type having a pair of spaced prongs which may be passed through a pair of holes and affixed to a top piece comprising:

a prong unit having a first and second vertically oriented prongs held in a spaced relationship at a spaced distance at ends of a flat, elongated base, said first and second vertically oriented prongs having a plurality of spaced notches in a face thereof, each of said spaced notches having an angled side and a catch side;

a top piece having a cross member having a pair of openings also positioned at a spaced distance equal to the spaced distance of said first and second vertically oriented prongs, said cross member having an upper surface and a lower surface, said lower surface being in contact with an upper surface of a stack of papers when said stacked paper fastener is affixed through a stack of papers, said cross member having first and second ratchet members on the upper surface thereof, each ratchet member having a passageway for insertion of a one of said first and second vertically oriented prongs therethrough, said passageway having a bottom, two sides and a top thereby forming a closed ratchet passageway, said closed ratchet passageway including a pawl which rides over the angled sides of said spaced notches as the prong is tightened through said ratchet member but said pawl being shaped so that it catches against said catch side of each spaced notch if one attempts to remove said prong from said ratchet member and said pawl also having release means for raising said pawl above said catch side to permit the release of a prong from said ratchet member whereby a stack of papers having a pair of spaced holes adjacent the a side of each sheet of said stack may be fastened by passing the first and second vertically oriented prongs through the pair of spaced holes, placing the top piece over the prongs so that the prongs pass through the pair of openings in the top piece, passing the first and second vertically oriented prongs through the ratchet passageways of the first and second ratchet members and pulling the prongs tight so that the stack of papers is securely fastened together but said stack of papers may be released by operating the release means whereby the prongs may be released by the ratchet members and removed from the top piece and from the stack of papers.

2. The stacked papers fastener of claim 1 wherein the prong unit is fabricated from a polymer.

3. The stacked papers fastener of claim 1 wherein the top piece is entirely fabricated from a polymer.

4. The stacked papers fastener of claim 1 wherein said release means comprises a pawl which is supported in a biased position over said top of said closed passageway and said pawl further has a handle which extends beyond said closed passageway so that it may be raised by a user to lift the pawl out of contact with said catch side of said notches.

5. A stacked paper fastener of the type having a pair of spaced prongs which may be passed through a pair of holes and affixed to a top piece comprising:

a prong unit fabricated from a polymer having a first and second vertically oriented prongs held in a spaced relationship at a spaced distance at ends of a flat, elongated base, said first and second vertically oriented prongs having a plurality of spaced notches in an outer face thereof, each of said spaced notches having an angled side and a catch side;

a top piece fabricated from a polymer having a cross member having a pair of openings also positioned at a spaced distance equal to the spaced distance of said first and second vertically oriented prongs, said cross member having an upper surface and a lower surface, said lower surface being in contact with an upper surface of a stack of papers when said stacked paper fastener is affixed through a stack of papers, said cross member having first and second ratchet members on the upper surface thereof, each ratchet member having a passageway for insertion of a one of said first and second vertically oriented prongs therethrough, said passageway having a bottom, two sides and a top thereby forming a closed ratchet passageway, said closed ratchet passageway including a pawl which rides over the angled sides of said spaced notches as the prong is tightened through said ratchet member but said pawl being shaped so that it catches against said catch side of each spaced notch if one attempts to remove said prong from said ratchet member and said pawl also having an arm which extends beyond an inner surface of said ratchet passageway so that a user may raise said pawl above said catch side to permit the release of a prong from said ratchet member whereby a stack of papers having a pair of spaced holes adjacent an edge of each sheet of said stack may be fastened by passing the first and second vertically oriented prongs through the pair of spaced holes, placing the top piece over the prongs so that the prongs pass through the pair of openings in the top piece, passing the first and second vertically oriented prongs through the ratchet passageways of the first and second ratchet members and pulling the prongs tight so that the stack of papers is securely fastened together but said stack of papers may be released by operating the release means whereby the prongs may be released by the ratchet members and removed from the top piece and from the stack of papers.