Disc-binding

Detail of the perforation-to-disc binding system

Disc-binding is a variation of notebook binding that allow pages to be added, removed, and replaced easily. Additionally pages can be transferred between notebooks of different functions and sizes.

A page perforated for a disc-bound binding system contains a row of teeth along the side edge of the page that grip onto the outside raised perimeter of individual discs. Pages can be added or removed at any time by peeling the perforations away from each disc.

As a result of the open nature of the binding mechanism, a number of resources for do-it-yourself planning and productivity management have adopted the system.

Manufacturers

Currently there are several manufacturers of disc-binding systems. In the United States, it is Levenger (which owns the Circa disc line) and Rollabind. In Europe, it is a system called Atoma with a licensee in the United States called Myndology.

Atoma thanks its name to the inventors of the system, two French by the name of Andre Tomas and Andre Martin. In 1948, they sold their patent to Georges Mottart, who founded Papeteries G. Mottart n.v., exclusive producer of disc-binding systems for Europe until the mid-nineties, when the patent expired. Currently, Atoma sells between 1 and 1.5 million paper notebooks with original Atoma binding system.^[1]

Feldman filed for a patent in 1998 and obtained it, yet in 2006 it was found that he had copied the idea from another company, for which he used to work. He modified the system, but did not do what he claimed, and thus the patent was invalidated.

Staples is selling a disc bound system under the name of Arc under their M line of products.

References

1. ^ This information is the transcript of a radio interview with Pierre-Michel Van Canneyt, grandson of Georges Mottart. The interview is taken by the national Belgian radio (VRT, Radio 1). The audio (in Dutch) is available at http://www.radio1.be/programmas/och1/735511/.

External links

• Circa Rolla Flickr pool - photographic examples of user-customized notebooks
• video illustrating the method by which page perforations grasp onto the perimeters of the discs when inserting and removing pages.