EP0808726B1

A ring binder

Abstract

This record has no abstract on file.

EP0808726B1, drawing sheet 1 — Sheet 1 of 27

Term

Term ended

Expired 31 July 2016, 10.1 years ago.

23 claims: 7 independent, 16 dependent

1
A ring binder (10, 100, 200, 300, 400) comprising a substantially rigid upper structure (12, 306) supporting a lower structure comprising a pair of plate members, (14 a , 14 b , 110 b , 308 a , 308 b , 416 a , 416 b ) the plate members being pivotally movable between a first position in which the angle between the upper surfaces of the plate members is less than 180°, and a second position in which the angle between the upper surfaces of the plate members is more than 180°, a lock member (22, 316, 402) to lock the lower structure and operating means (16 a , 302, 304, 410, 412) to operate the lock member, wherein the lock member acts at a first location on the ring binder and the operating means acts at a second location on the ring binder, the first location being longitudinally distal on the ring binder from said second location, wherein the lock member is movable from a locked position in which it locks the lower structure against pivotal movement and an unlocked position in which the lower structure is pivotally movable, characterized in that the ring binder further comprises actuating means (38, 330) indirectly movable by the operating means to move the lock member from the locked position to the unlocked position.
5
A ring binder according to any of the preceding claims further characterized in that the actuating means comprises an end portion (32, 324, 406) inclining at an acute angle to the lower structure when the plate members are on the same plane.
6
A ring binder according to any of the preceding claims further characterized in that a first of the pair of plate members (14 b , 110 b , 308 b , 416 a ) acts on a first side of the actuating means to unlock the lower structure.
7
A ring binder according to any of the preceding claims further characterized in that a second of the pair of plate members (14 a , 110 a , 308 a , 416 b ) acts on a second side of the actuating means to lock the lower structure.
11
A ring binder according to any of the preceding claims further characterized in that the lock member is fixedly engaged with the actuating means.
12
A ring binder according to any of the preceding claims further characterized in that the lock member comprises at least one platelet (26, 102, 104, 320, 404).
14
A ring binder according to any of the preceding claims further characterized in that the operating means comprises at least one of the pairs of half-ring members.

Independent claims7

47 paragraphs, as filed

This invention relates to a ring binder and, in particular, a ring binder including a substantially rigid upper structure supporting a pivotable lower structure, to which a number of pairs of half-rings are mounted.

Existing ring binders include different kinds of locking mechanisms for preventing accidental opening of the pairs of half-rings, thus allowing paper to fall off the binders. In the absence of a locking mechanism, if the ring binder is in a vertical position, the paper may force the pairs of half-rings to open, thus trapping one or more sheets of paper therebetween. In addition, if there is no proper locking mechanism, in case the ring binder is turned over when holding a large amount of paper, the paper may, by virtue of its weight, force the pairs of half-rings to open.

There are existing ring binders including at either end thereof a lever which is operable to pivot the lower plates to selectively open and/or close pairs of ring members mounted on the plates. Such levers are movable among a first position in which the pairs of ring members are closed and are locked against any force applied thereon, a second position in which the pairs of ring members are closed but may be opened by force applied on any of the pairs of ring members, and a third position in which the pairs of ring members are open.

DE-A-3 119 779 discloses a ring binder including a resilient mechanism cover supporting a lower structure comprising a pair of supporting members which are pivotally movable between a first position in which the angle between the upper surfaces of the plate members is less than 180°, and a second position in which the angle between the upper surfaces of the plate members is more than 180°, a bolt member to lock the lower structure, and a handle member to operate the bolt member, in which the bolt member acts at a first location on the ring binder and the handle acts at a second location on the ring binder.

According to the present invention, there is provided a ring binder comprising a substantially rigid upper structure supporting a lower structure comprising a pair of plate members, the plate members being pivotally movable between a first position in which the angle between the upper surfaces of the plate members is less than 180°, and a second position in which the angle between the upper surfaces of the plate members is more than 180°, a lock member to lock the lower structure and operating means to operate the lock member, wherein the lock member acts at a first location on the ring binder and the operating means acts at a second location on the ring binder, the first location being longitudinally distal on the ring binder from said second location, wherein the lock member is movable from a locked position in which it locks the lower structure against pivotal movement and an unlocked position in which the lower structure is pivotally movable, characterized in that the ring binder further comprises actuating means indirectly movable by the operating means to move the lock member from the locked position to the unlocked position.

Advantageously, at least two pairs of half-ring members may be mounted to the lower structure and said first location may be adjacent a first pair of said half-ring members.

Conveniently, said second location may be adjacent a second pair of said half-ring members.

When in the locked position, the lock member may conveniently engage the upper surface of one of the plate members.

When in the unlocked position, at least part of the lock member may suitably extend through aperture means of the lower structure.

Advantageously, at least part of the actuating means may extend through the aperture means.

Conveniently, the actuating means may comprise an end portion inclining at an acute angle to the lower structure when the plate members are on the same plane.

Suitably, a first of the pair of plate members may act on a first side of the actuating means to unlock the lower structure.

A second of the pair of plate members may advantageously act on a second side of the actuating means to lock the lower structure.

The end portion may conveniently be acutely inclined to the longitudinal axis of the ring binder.

The aperture means may suitably comprise at least one edge angled to the longitudinal axis of the ring binder.

Advantageously, the lower structure may act on the end portion during opening of the pairs of half-ring members.

Conveniently, the lower structure may act on the end portion during closing of the pairs of half-ring members.

Suitably, the lock member may be swivellably movable relative the upper structure.

The lock member may advantageously be fixedly engaged with the actuating means.

The lock member may conveniently comprise at least one platelet.

The lock member may suitably comprise a plurality of platelets.

Advantageously, the operating means may comprise at least one of the pairs of half-ring members.

Conveniently, said pair of half-ring members may be adjacent one longitudinal end of the ring binder.

Suitably, the operating means may comprise a plurality of pairs of half-ring members.

The opening means may advantageously comprise two pairs of half-ring members each of which adjacent a respective longitudinal end of the ring binder.

The operating means may conveniently comprise at least one lever member.

The operating means may suitably comprise a plurality of lever members.

Advantageously, the operating means may comprise two lever members each at a respective longitudinal end of the ring binder.

Conveniently, the lever member may be pivotally movable to act on an under surface of the lower structure to move the actuating means to move the lock member from the locked position to the unlocked position.

Suitably, the lower structure may be pivotally movable from its first position to its second position upon pivotal movement of firstly a first of said two lever members and subsequently of a second of said two lever members, and the lower structure is locked against pivotal movement from its first position to its second position upon pivotal movement firstly of the second of said two lever members and subsequently of the first of said two lever members.

The lower structure may advantageously be pivotally movable from its first position to its second position upon pivotal movement of either of the two lever members.

The invention will now be described, by way of examples only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:- <ul id="ul0001" list-style="none"><li>Fig. 1A shows a top perspective view of a first embodiment of a ring binder according to the present invention with the half-rings in a closed position;</li><li>Fig. 1B shows a bottom perspective view of the ring binder shown in Fig. 1A;</li><li>Fig. 2 shows an exploded view of the ring binder shown in Fig. 1A;</li><li>Fig. 3 shows a bottom perspective view of the ring binder shown in Fig. 1A, with part of the lower structure removed for clarity purposes;</li><li>Fig. 4 shows the ring binder of Fig. 1A with its lower structure in a partly moved position;</li><li>Fig. 5 shows the ring binder of Fig. 1A with the half-rings in an open position;</li><li>Fig. 6A shows a transverse sectional view of the ring binder shown in Fig. 1A across the lock member with the half-rings in the closed position;</li><li>Fig. 6B shows a transverse sectional view of the ring binder shown in Fig. 1A across the key member with the half-rings in the closed position;</li><li>Fig. 7A shows a transverse sectional view of the ring binder shown in Fig. 1A across the lock member with the half-rings in the open position;</li><li>Fig. 7B shows a transverse sectional view of the ring binder shown in Fig. 1A across the key member with the half-rings in the open position;</li><li>Fig. 8 shows a partial transverse sectional view of the ring binder shown in Fig. 1A across the key member with the plates on the same plane;</li><li>Fig. 9 shows a top perspective view of a second embodiment of a ring binder according to the present invention with the half-rings in a closed position;</li><li>Fig. 10 shows a bottom perspective view of the ring binder shown in Fig. 9;</li><li>Fig. 11 shows an exploded view of the ring binder shown in Fig. 9;</li><li>Fig. 12 shows a bottom perspective view of the ring binder shown in Fig. 9, with part of the lower structure removed for clarity purposes;</li><li>Fig. 13 shows the ring binder of Fig. 9 with its lower structure in a partly moved position;</li><li>Fig. 14 shows the ring binder of Fig. 9 with the half-rings in an open position;</li><li>Fig. 15 shows a top perspective view of a third embodiment of a ring binder according to the present invention with the half-rings in a closed position;</li><li>Fig. 16 shows a bottom perspective view of the ring binder shown in Fig. 15;</li><li>Fig. 17 shows a top perspective view of a fourth embodiment of a ring binder according to the present invention with the half-rings in a closed position;</li><li>Fig. 18 shows a bottom perspective view of the ring binder shown in Fig. 17;</li><li>Fig. 19 shows an exploded view of the ring binder shown in Fig. 17;</li><li>Fig. 20 shows a bottom perspective view of the ring binder shown in Fig. 17 with some of the half-rings partly opened;</li><li>Fig. 21 shows a bottom perspective view of the ring binder shown in Fig. 17 with all the half-rings fully opened;</li><li>Fig. 22 shows a top perspective view of a fifth embodiment of a ring binder according to the present invention with the half-rings in a closed position;</li><li>Fig. 23 shows a bottom perspective view of the ring binder shown in Fig. 22;</li><li>Fig. 24 shows an exploded view of the ring binder shown in Fig. 22;</li><li>Fig. 25 shows a bottom perspective view of the ring binder shown in Fig. 22 with some of the half-rings partly opened; and</li><li>Fig. 26 shows a bottom perspective view of the ring binder shown in Fig. 22 with all the half-rings fully opened.</li></ul>

As shown in Figs. 1A to 8, a ring binder according to a first embodiment of the present invention is generally designated as 10. The ring binder 10 includes an upper casing 12 supporting a pair of plates 14a and 14b to which three pairs of half-rings 16a, 16b and 16c are mounted. The plates 14a and 14b are pivotally movable relative to each other, so that the pairs of half-rings 16a, 16b and 16c may be selectively opened (when the angle between the upper surfaces of the plates 14a and 14b is more than 180°) or closed (when the angle between the upper surfaces of the plates 14a and 14b is less than 180°). The half-rings 16a, 16b and 16c extend through three pairs of slots 18a, 18b and 18c on the upper casing 12, which allow the half-rings 16a, 16b and 16c to open or close. At each end of the ring binder 10 is a hole 20a and 20b, through which a rivet (not shown) may be received to secure the ring binder 10 to an article (not shown), e.g. a paperboard/plastic/metal cover.

As shown more clearly in Fig. 2, the ring binder 10 includes a lock 22 including a wire 24 with a lock element 26 fixedly crimped thereon. As shown in Fig. 3, the wire 24 includes a shaft 28 which is secured to the middle line of lower surface of the upper casing 12 by three inturned parts 30 crimped therewith. The lock 22 is thus supported by the upper casing 12 between the half-rings 16a and 16b. The lock 22, the wire 24 and the lock element 26 are thus allowed to swivel about the longitudinal axis of the shaft 28.

As shown more clearly in Figs. 6A to 7B, the lock 22 is partly received in a channel 29 on the underside of the upper casing 12. A corresponding ridge 31 is thus formed on the upper side of the upper casing 12. This arrangement also enhances the strength of the upper casing 12, and thus the ring binder 10.

In the position when all the half-rings 16a, 16b and 16c are closed, as shown in Fig. 1A, 1B, 3, 6A and 6B, a distal end 32 of the wire 24 extends slightly through an aperture 34 of the plate 14a. In this position, the lock element 26 abuts against both the upper surface of the plate 14b and a tongue 36. Any attempt to open the half-rings 16a, 16b and 16c by applying force to half-rings 16b or 16c will not be successful as the plate 14b, and consequently the plate 14a, is prevented from exhibiting any upward pivoting movement by reason of the lock element 26 acting against the plate 14b.

On the other hand, and as shown in Figs. 6A and 6B, if a pulling force is applied on the half-rings 16a, the plate 14b will act upon a bent portion 38 of the wire 24 in the direction shown by an arrow A. This will cause the lock 22 to rotate about the shaft 28 in a clockwise direction (according to Figs. 6A and 6B) to the position shown in Fig. 4. In this position, the wire 24 extends further through the aperture 34 of the plate 14a, and the lock element 26 is moved away from the upper surface of the plate 14b and the tongue 36, and aligns with an opening 40 of the plate 14b. Further pivoting movement of the plates 14a and 14b, and thus opening of all the half-rings 16a, 16b and 16c, are thus made possible by further pulling action on the half-rings 16a.

The half-rings 16a, 16b and 16c may be returned to the closed position by pushing together any one of the three pairs of half-rings 16a, 16b and 16c. When a pushing force is applied on any of the three pairs of half-rings 16a, 16b and 16c, the plate 14a will act from above on the bent portion 38 of the wire 24, as shown by an arrow B in Fig. 7B, so that the lock 22 is caused to rotate about the shaft 28 in an anticlockwise direction (according to Fig. 7B) to the position shown in Fig. 6B. As shown in Fig. 8, when the plates 14a and 14b are on the same plane, the bent portion 38 of the wire 24 inclines at an acute angle to the plane containing the plates 14a and 14b. There is sufficient space in the aperture 34 for the bent portion 38 to pass through during closing and opening of the half-rings 16a, 16b and 16c. To further enhance this action, the bent portion 38 of the wire 24 may be acutely angled to the longitudinal axis of the ring binder 10. The effectiveness of this action can be still further enhanced by arranging a side of the aperture 34 to be angled to the longitudinal axis of the ring binder 10.

The extent of return movement of the lock element 26 to its locked position is governed by the tongue 36, which prevents excessive movement of the lock element 26. This also prevents the distal end 32 of the wire 24 from being hidden in the cavity formed by the upper casing 12 and the plates 14a and 14b.

It is clear from the foregoing discussion that, in the present invention, only one pair of half-rings, namely 16a, can be actioned upon to cause the plates 14a and 14b to pivot, and thereby to open all the half-rings 16a, 16b and 16c. The ring binder 10 is thus locked from any opening movement unless this specific pair of half-rings are actioned upon. In addition, it can be seen that the pair of half-rings 16a and the lock element 26 act on different longitudinal locations of the plates 14a and 14b of the ring binder 10. On the other hand, all the half-rings 16a, 16b and 16c can be actioned upon to close the ring binder 10.

Figs. 9 to 14 show a second embodiment of a ring binder according to the present invention generally designated as 100. The major difference of this embodiment from the first embodiment discussed above is the provision of two lock elements 102 and 104. Consequently, two tongues 106 and 108 are provided on the upper surface of a plate 110b to govern the movements of the lock elements 102 and 104 back to the locked position, and two openings 112 and 114 are provided on the plate 110b for allowing part of the lock elements 102 and 104 to pass through.

Figs. 15 and 16 show a third embodiment of a ring binder according to the present invention generally designated as 200. The major difference of this embodiment from the first embodiment discussed above is the provision of two securing members 202 at each end of the ring binder 200. Each securing member 202 includes six arcuate pointed sectors 204 downwardly depending from the periphery of an orifice 206. It is thus possible to secure the ring binder 200 to a cardboard/paperboard cover without using any rivet.

Figs. 17 to 21 show a fourth embodiment of a ring binder according to the present invention generally designated as 300. The ring binder 300 includes two levers 302 and 304, each at one end of the ring binder 300. The ring binder 300 also includes an upper casing 306 supporting a pair of plates 308a and 308b to which three pairs of half-rings 310a, 310b and 310c are mounted. The plates 308a and 308b are pivotally movable relative to each other, so that the pairs of half-rings 310a, 310b and 310c may be selectively opened or closed. Each of the levers 302 and 304 includes a ledge 312 and 314 respectively. When the levers 302 and 304 are pivoted outwardly, the ledges 312 and 314 act on bottom surfaces of the plates 308a and 308b.

As can be seen in Fig. 19, the ring binder 300 includes a lock 316 including a wire 318 with two lock elements 320 fixedly crimped thereon. As in the three embodiments discussed above, the lock 316 includes a shaft 322 which is secured to the lower surface of the upper casing 306. The lock 316 is thus supported by the upper casing 306 and may swivel about the longitudinal axis of the shaft 322.

When all the half-rings 310a, 310b and 310c are closed, as shown in Fig. 18, a distal end 324 of the wire 318 extends slightly through an aperture 326 of the plate 308a. In this position, the lock elements 320 abut against the upper surface of the plate 308b and tongues 328.

In such an arrangement, the ring binder 300 can only be opened by firstly pivoting the lever 302 outward so that the ledge 312 acts on the under surface of the plates 308a and 308b. The half-rings 310a and 310b are then partly opened. The plate 308b will then act upon a bent portion 330 of the wire 318. The lock 316 will then be caused to rotate about the shaft 322 to move the lock elements 320 to disengage from the tongues 328 and the plate 308b to the position as shown in Fig. 20. In this position, the lock elements 320 are aligned with openings 332, so that the plates 308a and 308b can be fully pivoted and the half-rings 310a, 310b and 310c fully opened (as shown in Fig. 21) by subsequently pivoting the lever 304 outward. The ring binder 300 can be closed by pushing any of the pairs of half-rings 310a, 310b and 310c together. The half-rings 310a, 310b and 310c cannot, however, be opened by first pivoting the lever 304 outward, and subsequently the lever 302.

Figs. 22 to 26 show a fifth embodiment of a ring binder according to the present invention generally designated as 400. A major difference between this embodiment and the fourth embodiment discussed above is that the ring binder 400 is provided with a lock 402 including two lock members 404 and two distal ends 406. Each of the distal ends 406 of the lock 402, when in the position shown in Fig. 23, extends slightly through an aperture 408. To open the ring binder 400, either of the levers 410 and 412 may be pivoted outwardly to position as shown in Fig. 25. In this position, the lock members 404 are aligned with openings 414, thus allowing plates 416a and 416b to pivot further, by further outward pivoting movement of the same lever 410 or 412, to open three pairs of half-rings 418a, 418b and 418c to the position as shown in Fig. 26. In this arrangement, the ring binder 400 cannot be opened by actioning upon any of the pairs of half-rings 418a, 418b and 418c.

Citations
Document	Relation	Office
DE3119779A	Cites	Germany
GB2254828A	Cites	United Kingdom
US5346325A	Cites	United States of America

68 members in 19 offices

This recordMember, by publication datePriority claim9 more offices are in the list below

Priority claims6

Priority claims
Document	Office	Kind	Date
96303636	European Patent Office (EPO)	A	1996-05-21
96303636	European Patent Office (EPO)	–	1996-05-21
96305656	European Patent Office (EPO)	A	1996-07-31
96303636	–	–	–
EP19960303636	–	–	–
EP19960305656	–	–	–

Members68

Family members, oldest first
Document	Office	Kind
NO963768D0	Norway	D0	1996-09-09
ZA967517B	South Africa	B	1997-03-10
NO971127D0	Norway	D0	1997-03-11
NO971128D0	Norway	D0	1997-03-11
ZA973164B	South Africa	B	1997-11-05
ID16698A	Indonesia	A	1997-11-06
ID16702A	Indonesia	A	1997-11-06
ID16853A	Indonesia	A	1997-11-13
CA2199690A1	Canada	A1	1997-11-21
CA2199700A1	Canada	A1	1997-11-21
CA2184974A1	Canada	A1	1997-11-22
PL316367A1	Poland	A1	1997-11-24
PL320051A1	Poland	A1	1997-11-24
PL320052A1	Poland	A1	1997-11-24
CN1165748A	China	A	1997-11-26
EP0808725A1	European Patent Office (EPO)	A1	1997-11-26
EP0808726A1	European Patent Office (EPO)	A1	1997-11-26
EP0808727A1	European Patent Office (EPO)	A1	1997-11-26
AU1519097A	Australia	A	1997-11-27
AU1519197A	Australia	A	1997-11-27
AU6443696A	Australia	A	1997-11-27
JPH09315074A	Japan	A	1997-12-09
KR970074014A	Republic of Korea	A	1997-12-10
KR970074015A	Republic of Korea	A	1997-12-10
KR970074016A	Republic of Korea	A	1997-12-10
CN1172025A	China	A	1998-02-04
CN1172026A	China	A	1998-02-04
JPH1044667A	Japan	A	1998-02-17
JPH1044668A	Japan	A	1998-02-17
US5718529A	United States of America	A	1998-02-17
ZA973163B	South Africa	B	1998-03-02
US5755525A	United States of America	A	1998-05-26
BR9603979A	Brazil	A	1998-06-09
MX9703700A	Mexico	A	1998-06-30
MX9703701A	Mexico	A	1998-06-30
BR9703123A	Brazil	A	1998-09-08
AR003703A1	Argentina	A1	1998-09-09
BR9703128A	Brazil	A	1998-10-27
HK1008944A1	Hong Kong, China	A1	1999-05-21
EP0933232A2	European Patent Office (EPO)	A2	1999-08-04
EP0933233A2	European Patent Office (EPO)	A2	1999-08-04
EP0933232A3	European Patent Office (EPO)	A3	1999-10-27
EP0933233A3	European Patent Office (EPO)	A3	1999-10-27
US5975785A	United States of America	A	1999-11-02
EP0808726B1This record	European Patent Office (EPO)	B1	2000-04-26
AT192091T	Austria	T	2000-05-15
ATE192091T1	Austria	T1	2000-05-15
DE69607942D1	Germany	D1	2000-05-31
ES2145387T3	Spain	T3	2000-07-01
EP0808725B1	European Patent Office (EPO)	B1	2000-07-19
DK0808726T3	Denmark	T3	2000-08-07
AT194802T	Austria	T	2000-08-15
ATE194802T1	Austria	T1	2000-08-15
DE69609404D1	Germany	D1	2000-08-24
EP0808727B1	European Patent Office (EPO)	B1	2000-10-11
AT196882T	Austria	T	2000-10-15
ATE196882T1	Austria	T1	2000-10-15
ES2148684T3	Spain	T3	2000-10-16
DK0808725T3	Denmark	T3	2000-11-06
DE69610613D1	Germany	D1	2000-11-16
DK0808727T3	Denmark	T3	2000-12-18
DE69607942T2	Germany	T2	2001-01-11
ES2151994T3	Spain	T3	2001-01-16
DE69609404T2	Germany	T2	2001-01-25
CN1062218C	China	C	2001-02-21
DE69610613T2	Germany	T2	2001-05-10
CN1070120C	China	C	2001-08-29
CN1070121C	China	C	2001-08-29

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	Event	Code	Office
2005-07-31	Lapsed in a contracting state [announced via postgrant information from national office to epo]LapsedPG25	PG25	EP
2004-05-16	Announcement of lapse in spainLapsedFD2A	FD2A	ES
2003-05-02	Notification of lapseLapsedST	ST	FR
2003-04-01	Nl: lapsed or anulled due to non-payment of the annual feeLapsedNLV4	NLV4	EP
2003-03-31	Lapsed in a contracting state [announced via postgrant information from national office to epo]LapsedPG25	PG25	EP
2003-03-26	Gb: european patent ceased through non-payment of renewal feeCeasedGBPC	GBPC	EP
2003-03-03	Ep patent lapsedLapsedEBP	EBP	DK
2003-02-01	Lapsed in a contracting state [announced via postgrant information from national office to epo]LapsedPG25	PG25	EP
2003-02-01	Lapsed in a contracting state [announced via postgrant information from national office to epo]LapsedPG25	PG25	EP
2002-08-01	Lapsed in a contracting state [announced via postgrant information from national office to epo]LapsedPG25	PG25	EP
2002-07-31	Lapsed in a contracting state [announced via postgrant information from national office to epo]LapsedPG25	PG25	EP
2002-07-31	Lapsed in a contracting state [announced via postgrant information from national office to epo]LapsedPG25	PG25	EP
2002-07-31	Lapsed in a contracting state [announced via postgrant information from national office to epo]LapsedPG25	PG25	EP
2002-01-01	European patent in force as of 2002-01-01IF02	IF02	GB
2001-07-30	Annual fee paid to national office [announced via postgrant information from national office to epo]GrantedPGFP	PGFP	EP
2001-07-25	Annual fee paid to national office [announced via postgrant information from national office to epo]GrantedPGFP	PGFP	EP
2001-07-23	Annual fee paid to national office [announced via postgrant information from national office to epo]GrantedPGFP	PGFP	EP
2001-07-19	Annual fee paid to national office [announced via postgrant information from national office to epo]GrantedPGFP	PGFP	EP
2001-07-12	Annual fee paid to national office [announced via postgrant information from national office to epo]GrantedPGFP	PGFP	EP
2001-07-12	Annual fee paid to national office [announced via postgrant information from national office to epo]GrantedPGFP	PGFP	EP
2001-07-12	Annual fee paid to national office [announced via postgrant information from national office to epo]GrantedPGFP	PGFP	EP
2001-05-02	Patent lapsedLapsedMM4A	MM4A	IE
2001-04-11	No opposition filedOpposition26N	26N	EP
2001-02-23	No opposition filed within time limitOppositionORIGINAL CODE: 0009261PLBE	PLBE	EP
2001-02-23	Information on the status of an ep patent application or granted ep patentGrantedSTATUS: NO OPPOSITION FILED WITHIN TIME LIMITSTAA	STAA	EP
2000-10-31	Patent ceasedCeasedPL	PL	CH
2000-08-07	Ep patent with danish claimsT3	T3	DK
2000-07-31	Lapsed in a contracting state [announced via postgrant information from national office to epo]LapsedPG25	PG25	EP
2000-07-31	Lapsed in a contracting state [announced via postgrant information from national office to epo]LapsedPG25	PG25	EP
2000-07-31	Lapsed in a contracting state [announced via postgrant information from national office to epo]LapsedPG25	PG25	EP
2000-07-26	Lapsed in a contracting state [announced via postgrant information from national office to epo]LapsedPG25	PG25	EP
2000-07-26	Lapsed in a contracting state [announced via postgrant information from national office to epo]LapsedPG25	PG25	EP
2000-07-01	Definitive protectionFG2A	FG2A	ES
2000-05-31	European patents granted designating irelandGrantedFG4D	FG4D	IE
2000-05-31	Corresponds to:REF	REF	EP
2000-05-19	Fr: translation filedET	ET	EP
2000-04-28	European patent takes effect as a national patent in ch/liEP	EP	CH
2000-04-26	Designated contracting statesAK	AK	EP
2000-04-26	Lapsed in a contracting state [announced via postgrant information from national office to epo]LapsedPG25	PG25	EP
2000-04-26	Lapsed in a contracting state [announced via postgrant information from national office to epo]LapsedPG25	PG25	EP
2000-04-26	Lapsed in a contracting state [announced via postgrant information from national office to epo]LapsedPG25	PG25	EP
2000-04-26	Lapsed in a contracting state [announced via postgrant information from national office to epo]LapsedPG25	PG25	EP
2000-04-26	Lapsed in a contracting state [announced via postgrant information from national office to epo]LapsedPG25	PG25	EP
2000-04-26	Corresponds to:REF	REF	EP
2000-04-13	It: translation for a ep patent filedITF	ITF	EP
2000-04-13	It: translation for a ep patent filedITF	ITF	EP
2000-03-10	(expected) grantORIGINAL CODE: 0009210GRAA	GRAA	EP
1999-12-16	Despatch of communication of intention to grant a patentORIGINAL CODE: EPIDOS IGRAGRAH	GRAH	EP
1999-10-05	Despatch of communication of intention to grantORIGINAL CODE: EPIDOS AGRAGRAG	GRAG	EP
1999-10-05	Despatch of communication of intention to grant a patentORIGINAL CODE: EPIDOS IGRAGRAH	GRAH	EP
1999-07-27	Despatch of communication of intention to grantORIGINAL CODE: EPIDOS AGRAGRAG	GRAG	EP
1999-01-27	First examination report despatched17Q	17Q	EP
1998-04-29	Request for examination filed17P	17P	EP
1997-11-26	Designated contracting statesAK	AK	EP
1997-10-10	Public reference made under article 153(3) epc to a published international application that has entered the european phaseORIGINAL CODE: 0009012PUAI	PUAI	EP

A ring binder

Abstract

Term

Priority claims6

Members68

Over the term

Events

Numbers

Titles3

Classification

Designated states1