Smead Manufacturing Company

Dennis Bowen

Duane Christensen

Harold Peter Lindelof

Tim Blegen

Marvin J Halfen

Anthony Lee Kramer

A folder and method of making a panel with a plurality of foldable tab extensions. The extensions include first and second regions extending away from the panel, and having scored fold lines therebetween. The uppermost tab region has a releasable adhesive as does a portion of the panel. The panel has a releasable coating or surface such when the tab extensions are folded, either at the first or second region along the fold lines, adhesive on the second region will mate with surface on the panel. To reduce memory effect at the fold, the score lines can be triple scored by parallel two or three parallel score lines. The central score line can be shallower than the parallel scores on either side thereof.

User selectable file tab system and method

A stair-step, expandable file folder is disclosed, in which each pocket in the folder has the same depth, rather than the back pockets being deeper than the front pockets. The folder includes a series of dividers that form the front and back sides of the pockets of the folder. The top edges of the dividers have increasing height, from the front to the back of the folder. The dividers are folded to form the bottoms of the pockets, with the folded portions also increasing in height from the front to the back of the folder. Each divider extends downward to form the back face of a pocket, is folded forward to form the bottom face of the pocket, and is folded downward to extend toward the bottom edge of the folder. The troughs in an expandable gusset support the sides of the dividers. Above the fold portion, the divider laterally extends into one trough. Below the fold portion, the divider laterally extends into the adjacent trough toward the front of the folder.

Stair step portfolio file

A stair-step, expandable file folder is disclosed, in which each pocket in the folder has the same depth, rather than the back pockets being deeper than the front pockets. The folder is formed from a group of attached dividers. Each divider in the group is generally planar and includes two horizontal folds near a bottom edge of the divider. The divider area above the folds forms a wall of a pocket. The divider area between the folds extends to an adjacent divider and forms the bottom of the pocket. The divider area below the folds is attached to the adjacent divider. The adjacent divider forms an opposing wall of the pocket. When the group of dividers is compressed front-to-back, the dividers all have the same lateral footprint. When the group is expanded front-to-back, the dividers translate vertically, so that the tops of the dividers are all visible simultaneously from the front of the folder. During manufacturing, the group of dividers may be tilted front-to-back to ensure that the bottoms of the pockets remain in contact with their respective tooling elements.

Growing community of inventors

Ellsworth, WI, United States of America

Dennis Bowen