Locking apparatus for punch-type file
United States Patent [1 1 Takimoto LOCKING APPARATUS FOR PUNCH-TYPE FILE [76] Inventor: Yasukatu Takimoto, l Takamatu 393, Sakai-shi. Osaka. Japan [22] Filed: Aug. 31, 1973 [2]] Appl. No.: 393,448  
 [451 Apr. 22, 1975 27.235 1913 United Kingdom 402/68 Primary Examiner-Jerome Schnall Attorney. Agent. or F inn-Frank .1. Jordan 1 1 ABSTRACT A punch-type file for punching and filing documents includes a mounting plate secured to a file cover and a support plate pivotally supported on the mounting plate for pivotal movement between a locked and an unlocked position. The support plate in turn pivotally supports a pressing plate which is cooperable with punch bars on the support plate to effect a punching operation on the documents to be filed. After the punching operation is effected while the support plate is in its unlocked position, the support plate is pivoted to its locked position and the punched documents are retained on the punch bars by the punched holes. A locking means is provided to lock the support plate in its locked position.  
 3 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures LOCKING APPARATUS FOR PUNCH-TYPE FILE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a locking apparatus for a punch-type file and more particularly to an apparatus which is operable to effect punching of holes in documents during the filing operation.  
  With the tendency of increased diversity and speed with which office work is being performed. various types of files have been utilized in order to increase office efficiency. Generally, filing systems are used in which one or more holes corresponding to the spacing of the file bars are provided on one side of the documents to be filed. Each of the holes provided in the documents is inserted into the file bars and the documents are arranged on each other in a filed condition.  
  In these known systems, after one or more holes are provided in the documents by utilizing a punch or a punching machine, the punched documents are subsequently filed on the file bars. Heretofore, the aforementioned operation was carried out in two steps wherein the holes in the documents were first punched by a punching device and thereafter the documents with the holes therein were filed. Thus it was always necessary to have the punching device nearby, otherwise the speed of filing was impaired.  
  Accordingly. an object of the present invention is to overcome the aforementioned disadvantages of known prior art systems and to provide an arrangement for effecting filing of documents in which the filing operation may be accomplished rapidly while providing flexibility in handling the diverse arrangements of filing systems as may be encountered in various offices.  
  Another object of the present invention is to facilitate and increase the speed of filing by combining the punching operation with the filing operation in which the documents are filed.  
  A further object of the present invention is to provide a locking device for a punch-type file in which the operational safety of the user is insured by providing means for protecting the user from the sharp edges of the punching bars during the punching operation.  
  Yet a further object of the present invention is to provide a locking apparatus for a punch-type file which may be easily opened and closed with a simple finger operation by the user.  
  Other features which are considered characteristic of the invention are set forth in the appended claims.  
  Although the invention is illustrated and described in relationship to a specific embodiment, it is nevertheless not intended to be limited to the details shown. since various modifications and structural changes may be made therein without department from the spirit of the invention and within the scope and range of equivalents of the claims.  
 SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A punch-type file for punching and filing documents includes a mounting plate mounted on a file cover and a support plate pivotally supported on the mounting plate for pivotal movement between a locked and an unlocked position. Punch bars are provided on the support plate and a pressing plate is pivotally mounted on the support plate. The pressing plate is pivotal to a position cooperable with the punch bars to effect punching of holes in documents to be filed on the punching bars. The punching of the documents is effected when the support plate is in its unlocked position, and the support plate is pivotal to its locked position as the punched documents are retained on the punching bars by the punched holes.  
 BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The accompanying drawings illustrate the preferred embodiment of the present invention. In the drawings, the same reference numerals illustrate the same parts of the invention, in which:  
  FIG. 1 is a perspective view, partly broken away. of a punch-type file showing the locking piece in a position after the latter has just been opened.  
  FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the punch-type file showing the position of the parts after the L-shaped supporting plate has pivoted to its open position.  
  FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the pressing plate in a position before the latter is pivoted to effect punching of holes in the documents to be filed.  
  FIG. 4 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view of the central part of the device showing the documents which have been filed.  
 DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Referring to the drawings there is shown according to a preferred embodiment of the invention, file covers I and I having a back surface 2. A mounting plate 3 having an L-shaped cross section has a bottom part 4 attached to the inner central part of the back surface 2 of the file cover. The L-shaped mounting plate 3 is also provided with a side plate 5 joined to the bottom plate 4. Spaced lugs 6 and 6&#39; are provided on the outer surface of the side plate 5 and these lugs 6 and 6&#39; define an axis 7 as will hereinafter be further described. A locking piece 8 has its lower end pivotally mounted on the mounting plate 3 for pivotal movement about the axis 7. The other end or tip end of the locking piece 8 is provided with a locking part 9 which is curved like a hook. A return spring 10 is wound around the pivot axis 7 and biases the locking piece 8 to the position shown in FIG. 2.  
  The supporting plate 11 includes a bottom plate 16 and a side plate 21. Spaced punch bars 17 are provided on the upper surface of the bottom plate 16 and the top ends of the punch bars 17 are provided with punch knives 18. These punch bars 17 are used as binding bars of the documents to be filed with the documents having filing apertures in which the punch bars 17 are received.  
  There is also provided a pressing plate 19 having an inner edge which is pivotally mounted on the upper end of the side plate 21 of the L-shaped supporting plate 11 for pivotal movement about an axis 20. The pressing plate 19 is adapted to be disposed against the side plate 5 of the L-shaped mounting plate 3 as will be apparent in FIG. 4. The outer edge portion of the pressing plate 19 is curved back to extend along the general plane of the pressing plate 19 to form a back plate 22. Through holes 23 are provided in the back plate 22 for receiving the punch bars 17. A locking recess 24 is formed on the central part of the outer edge of the pressing plate 19 whereby the locking part 9 of the locking piece 8 is adapted to engage the recess 24 to lock the device in the closed position as shown in FIG. 4. A reinforcement member 25 (FIG. 3) is provided between the back plate 22 and the pressing plate 19. In FIG. 4, numeral 26 illustrates the documents which are held in position within the punch-type file of the present invention.  
  FIG. 1 shows the position of the parts after the locking part 9 of the locking piece 8 has been disengaged from the recess 24 of the pressing plate 19. Thus. as the locking part 9 is released. the locking part 8 is pivoted about the axis 7 from the locked position (FIG. 4) against the biasing action of the spring 10. At the same time, the L-shaped supporting plate 11 pivots about the axis 13 from the closed position (FIG. 1 to the position shown in FIG. 2 by the biasing action of the return spring 14. The pressing plate 19 may then be pivoted about its axis 20 and the documents which are to be filed are placed on the front ends of the punch bar 17. Thereafter, pressing plate 19 is pivoted about the axis 20 to make punched holes in the documents as the punching bars 17 are received in the holes 23 of the back plate 22 of the pressing bar 19. Thus the aforementioned operation is effective to punch holes in the documents and to file the documents on the punch bars 17.  
  After the documents have been punched and filed as hereinabove described, the L-shaped supporting plate ll is pivoted into the position shown in FIG. 4 whereby the locking part 9 of the locking piece 8 engages the recess 24 in the pressing plate 19 so that the device is locked into position as shown in FIG. 4.  
  It will be apparent that the locking part 9 of the locking piece 8 may be pressed slightly outwardly by an operators finger so that immediately after this operation is preformed, the L-shaped supporting plate 11 raises or is pivoted about the axis 13 and when the raised supporting plate ll is inclined. side plate 21 of the L- shaped supporting plate ll pushes the locking part 9 outwardly. The engagement of the locking part 9 with the recess 24 occurs at the time of the overlapping of the side plate 21 of the supporting plate 11 with the bottom plate 4 of the mounting plate 3.  
  It will be seen that from the above described perferred embodiment, that there has been described a device which is operable to punch holes in the documents as the latter are about to be filed. thereby avoiding the necessity of having to first punch the holes in a separate operation and then placing the document having the punched holes in a filing device.  
  It is to be understood that the above described embodiment is not limited to the specific example thereof and that to those skilled in the art many modifications thereof may be obtained without departing from the spirit and scope of the appended claims.  
 What is claimed is:  
  l. A punch-type file for punching and filing documents in a file cover comprising a mounting plate having a bottom part and a side part formed into a generally L-shaped configuration and secured to said file cover at its bottom part. a support plate having a first part and a second part formed into a generally L- shaped configuration, said first and second parts being joined to one another at a generally right angle juncture. means pivotally mounting said support plate at said right angle juncture to said bottom part of said mounting plate for pivotal movement between a first position and a second position in which said bottom part of said mounting plate is generally coextensive to said first part of said support plate and said side part of said mounting plate is disposed in spaced parallel relation relative to said second part of said support plate, punch bars secured to and disposed generally perpendicularly to said first part of said support plate, a pressing plate having a main section and a backing section joined to one another with a generally U-shaped part with said main section being disposed generally parallel to said backing section, said backing section having punch openings. means pivotally mounting said pressing plate on said second part of said support plate, said pressing plate being pivotal to a punching position in which said pressing plate is disposed substantially parallel to said first part of said support plate and in which said punch bars are received in said punch openings in said backing section, said pressing plate being pivotal to said punching position when said supporting plate is in said second position to effect punching of documents, said main section of said pressing plate being disposed generally parallel to and adjacent to said side part of said mounting plate, said second part of said support plate being disposed generally parallel .to and adjacent to said bottom part of said mounting plate and said punch bars being engaged in said punch openings in said backing section when said support plate is in said first pivotal position, said support plate being pivotal from said second position to said first position as the punched documents are retained on said punch bars by engagement of the latter in said punch openings in said backing section. a locking member, means pivotally mounting said locking member on said mounting plate, said locking member having a hook like part operable to engage said pressing plate to lock said support plate in said first position.  
  2. A punch-type file according to claim 1 including biasing means biasing said support plate to said second position.  
  3. A punch-type file according to claim 2 wherein said U-shaped part of said pressing plate has a recess formed therein, and biasing means biasing said locking member into a locked position in which said hook-like part of said locking member is received in said recess to lock said support plate in said locked position a s a: a a: