Document fastener and file or folder

• US 8,419,308 B2
• Filed: 03/20/2007
• Issued: 04/16/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/27/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sekisui Seikei, Ltd. (Sekisui)
• Original Assignee: Sekisui Seikei, Ltd. (Sekisui)
• Inventors: Koike, Seiichi, Fukimoto, Yukinori
• Primary Examiner(s): Ross, Dana
• Assistant Examiner(s): GRABOWSKI, KYLE ROBERT
• Application Number:
  US12/294,484
• Publication Number:
  US 20100225101A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,219 Days
• Field of Search: 402/14, 24/679
• US Class Current: 402/14
• CPC Class Codes: B42F 13/10 of plastics
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 24/205 One piece

Abstract

In order to newly provide a folder that facilitates insertion of a document fastener into a narrow slit and that is improved in durability by making use of a property of a document fastener whose folded state can be kept due to resin, the document fastener is so arranged to comprise a plate material (a) made of resin having a body part (11) extending longitudinally and a pair of folded pieces (12) extending from the body part (11), wherein a thickness of both end portions (14) of the plate material (a) is formed to be thinner than a thickness of other portions of the plate material (a), a boundary (13) between the body part (11) and the folded piece (12) is made to be foldable, and the folded state on the boundary (13) can be kept by making use of the properties of the resin itself.

Claims

1. A document fastener comprising:

a plate material made of resin having a body extending in a longitudinal direction and a pair of foldable pieces located at end portions of the body,

wherein said plate material is obtained by rolling a polyorefin resin sheet and then drawing the polyorefin resin sheet, said plate material having a width in a transverse direction to the longitudinal direction,

wherein tip portions of the foldable pieces are each formed by rolling so as to have a thickness that is less than a thickness of other portions of the foldable pieces, and so as to have a hardness which is greater than that of other portions of the foldable pieces,

wherein at least a portion of each foldable piece is curved so as to have a concave shape in cross-section,

wherein a boundary between the body part and each foldable piece is made to be foldable,

wherein said plate material has a property of maintaining a folded state at a time when the plate material is folded in a direction of its thickness,

wherein a folded state on each boundary can be held by making use of the properties of the resin itself without engaging either foldable piece with the body part and without engaging each of the foldable pieces with each other,

wherein a length of said plate material in the longitudinal direction is greater than the width in the transverse direction, and

wherein the width in the transverse direction is greater than the thickness of the plate material.

2. The document fastener described in claim 1, wherein ribs are arranged on the boundaries between the body and the foldable pieces.

3. The document fastener described in claim 2, wherein the ribs are arranged on a face opposite to a folding direction, and a folding operation guidance part is arranged on a face which faces the folding direction.

4. The document fastener described in claim 3, wherein each foldable piece is foldable further at an arbitrary position.

5. The document fastener described in claim 1, wherein the plate material is so formed that each foldable piece is almost entirely curved to have a concave shape in cross-section.

6. The document fastener described in claim 5, wherein the plate material is so formed that almost an entire width of each foldable piece is narrower than a width of the body part.

7. The document fastener described in claim 1, wherein the plate material is curved to have a concave shape in cross-section so that a surface to be an inner surface in case of folding the plate material becomes concave.

8. The document fastener described in claim 1, wherein the tip portions are tapered.

11. A file or a folder comprising:

a front cover body; and

the document fastener described in claim 1 engaged with the front cover body.

9. A document fastener comprising:

a plate material made of resin that extends in a longitudinal direction and that is foldable at an arbitrary position,

wherein said plate material is obtained by rolling a polyorefin resin sheet and then drawing the polyorefin resin sheet, said plate material having a width in a transverse direction to the longitudinal direction,

wherein a pair of portions located on outer sides of foldable portions of the plate material at a time when the plate material is folded at two portions are formed as a pair of foldable pieces, and a portion located between the foldable pieces is formed as a body part,

wherein tip portions of the foldable pieces are each formed by rolling so as to have a thickness that is less than a thickness of other portions of the foldable pieces, and so as to have a hardness which is greater than that of other portions of the foldable pieces,

wherein at least a portion of each foldable piece is curved so as to have a concave shape in cross-section,

wherein a folded state of the plate material can be held by making use of the properties of the resin itself without engaging either foldable piece with the body part and without engaging each of the foldable pieces with each other,

wherein a length of said plate material in the longitudinal direction is greater than the width in the transverse direction,

wherein the width in the transverse direction is greater than the thickness of the plate material, and

wherein said plate material has a property of maintaining a folded state at a time when the plate material is folded in a direction of its thickness.

10. The document fastener described in claim 9, wherein the tip portions are tapered.