US1435664A

US1435664A - Index

Info

Publication number: US1435664A
Application number: US518413A
Authority: US
Inventors: Robert C Russell
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1921-11-28
Filing date: 1921-11-28
Publication date: 1922-11-14
Anticipated expiration: 1939-11-14

Description

R. C. RUSSELL.

INDEX.

APPLICATION man NOV. 28, I92].

Bay Bass Baa/7K 550w 27 77. 5-

5R0 My citizen of the United States, and

4 Indexes; and I do hereby declare the folreamed Nov. re,- 1922.

oat-rs ROBERTC. RUSSELL, or PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA;

' INDEX.

Application filed November 28 1921. Serial No. 518,413.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ROBERT C. RUSSELL, a a resident of Pittsburgh, in' the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania liave invented certain new and useful Improvements in lowing to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make anduse the same.

This invention relates to improvements in 'ind'exes, one object of the invention being to improve indexes wherein the names are arranged in accordance withphonetic subdivisions of a key rather than the alphabetical structure of thenames, 1

A further object is to provide an index of the character above outlined, in which the placing of key designations on the name cards of the index shall be avoided and in which necessity for translating the subdivisions of-the key into numerical or other b designating or arbitrarily selected equivalents shall be obviated. v

With these and other objects in view, the

invention consists in certain novel features as hereinafter set forth and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings Figure l is a view of a ortion of a card index showing an rembo lment of my invention; Figure 1 is a view of a guide member of one of the index element groups, and Figures 2 to 6 are views of name cards of certain index element groups.

My improved index comprises a phonetic key element and a plurality of index element groups, each of said index element groups comprising a guide member and any desired number of name members.

In the embodiment of my invention shown in the drawings, I have illustrated the same in a card index, but my improvements-might be embodied in an index of the book type.

The key elementl may be produced on a card held, in a suitable fr of the drawer in which thelndex elements are placed, or it may be printed on the guide members of the index element groups or both, or the key may be adapted for use in operating the index without actual phy-y sical connection with the guide membersor the container for the index elements.

In order that the names may be-grouped .which I provide a e on one end phonetically, I employ a key element 1, in phonetic arrangement comprising eight divisions, asfollows:

First: The oral resonants represented by their alphabetical equivalents a, e, 2', o, u and 3 and their combinations:

Second: The labials and labio-dentals, the former being represented by b p and sometlmes f, and the latter being represented by e and sometimes 7,-

'Third: The gutterals and the sibilants,- the former being representedby g k g and sometimes as, and the latter being represented by c s z and sometimes an.

Fourth: The dental-mutes represented by t and d:

b Fzifth': The palatal-fricative represented Sixth The labio-nasal represented by m:

Seventh: The dento or lingua-nasal repre sented by n Eighth: The dental-fricative represented The eight elements comprising the phonetic arrangement may be graphically represented as followsa b-.f-p-V. I c-g (discard gh)-k-q-x-s (discard final s)-z (discard final z).

The several divisions of the phonetic key will preferably be represented, each by one of the letters of the phonetic divisions of the key, and where a phonetic division of the key comprises more than a single letter, I prefer to employ the first letter of the division to represent the entire group of letters contained in such a phonetic division of the key. Thus the phonetic key may be represented as follows:

b=b, f, 1p, v.

I:I' In the division e of the key element, the diagraph gh is not considered repre sentative of the element, as the same is ber of a different phonetic division, only the first is regarded. Thus the phonetic valuation of Mack is M-a-c, and of Ball, B 1.

The division a of the key element (the vowels) is used only once in a name, regardless of how many times a vowel may appear in the name. Thus, the .name Carter 1s phonetically represented by C-a-r-t-e-r.

In the practical application of my invention, it is desirable to regard the initial letters of the names in their alphabetical significance. This allows the division of the index into twenty-six parts according to the initial letters of the names. Then the phonetic arrangement is applied, making the subdivisions of each surname initial letter group conform to a phonetic rather than the alphabetical standard.

In Figure 1 of the drawing, I have shown a drawer or container 2 to receive index elements 3 for names having the initial letter B.

Each index element group or section comprises any desired number of name cards 4 and a guide card 5,the cards 4' being hereinafter referred to as name members and the guide cards 5 being designated guide members. The name members of each index element group is intended to contain the surnames of persons (preferably one on each name member) and these members may also have written thereon such reference data as the character and purpose of a particular index may require. The guide member of each index element group will preferably be made of heavier card board than thatemployed for the name members, and each guide member is provided with a tab 6 to receive letters emblematic or representing divisions of the key element. A guide member may contain a letter representing one division of the key element, or it might con-- tain letters representing two or more divisions of the key ,element. Thus in an index of considerable size, it will be found desirable to sub-divide the index so that names containing phonetic elements in accordance with two or more divisions of the phonetic key element, may be grouped together and thus segregate such names from those which may contain a less'number of phonetic divisions of the key so that the time required to construct the index or to search for a particular name may be minimized.

Each phonetic division of the key may be combined with one or more other phonetic divisions according to the phonetic structure of names to be indexed. In Figure 1 of the drawings, I have illustrated how the phonetic division a of the indexmay be combined with each of the other phonetic divisions and instances in which a third phonetic division may be combined with two of the others. The first index element group shown in Figure 1 has upon its guide member, the designation (a) which represents the first phonetic division of the key. The name cards in this index element group will contain names which contain only (after the initial letter), a letter of the phonetic division afof the key. Thus the. name Bay may be entered on a name card of this index element group, and also such names asmay contain any one of the vowels without also containing any of the other phonetic divisions of the key. The second index element group is shown as intended to receive names which contain phonetic divisions a and b of the key, such for example as, Babb, Bobb, and Bibb. The next index element group shown in Figure 1 is designated to contain names which contain three phonetic divisions of the key, such as a, b and c. In this index element group, such names as Babak or names containing any one of each of the letters of the phonetic divisions a, b and c of the key. Such names as Brow would appear in the index element group designated on its guide member by the phonetic division 1' of the .key', and such names as Brown would be found in the index element group having the phonetic key divisions r and a and n designated on its guide member.

In any case, re ardlessof the minuteness of subdivisions 0 the index, all'names containing phonetic divisions of the key, between the key designations on the guide member of one index element group and the key designations on the guide member of the next succeeding index element group would be entered. Thus in the example shown in Figure 1, should the index element group designated by the phonetic key divisions a b be omitted, all names which would otherwise be entered in such index element group, would be found in the index element group having the phonetic division 2a of the key designatedon its guide mem- By employing letters contained in the divisions of the key as emblematic or representative of the phonetic divisions of the key, I minimize the possibility 0f error which might arise from the accidental'transposition of numerical equivalent key designations and I also avoid the danger of error arising out of the translation of phonetic key division into the division equivalents.

By confining the phonetic key designations I name members for names and to the guide members of the key element groups, I save the time, labor and expense of applying such designations to the name members of the index element-groups and at the same time reserve the space on the other matter which they must contain.

Having fully described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters-Patent, is

1. An index comprising a key element and index element groups, said key element having inscribed thereon aplurality of. ph0 netic divisions of letters of the alphabet and designations for said divisions each consisting of a letter contained in the phonetic division which it designates, and the index element groups provided with designations corresponding to designations of the phonetic divisions of the key.

2. An index comprising a key element and index element groups, said key element having inscribed thereon a plurality of pho netic divisions of letters of the alphabet and designations for said divisions each consisting of a letter contained in the phonetic division which it designates, each index element group comprislng guide and name members, the guide members of the index element groups having thereon key designations in accordance with the letter designations of the phonetic divisions of the key and in accordance with the names indexed on the name members of the index elements.

3. An index comprising akey element and index element groups, said key element having inscribed thereon a plurality of phonetic divisions of letters of the alphabet and designations for said divisions each consisting of a letter contained in the phonetic division which it designates, and the index element groups provided with designations corresponding to designations of the phonetic divisions of the key, index element groups into sub-index element groups, such means being provided with designations consist-ing of combinations of designations of phonetic divisions of the key.

In testimony whereof, I have signed this specification in the presence of two subscrib ing witnesses.

ROBERT C. RUSSELL. Witnesses:

J. CLIFFORD RUssELL, ROBERT A. Donn's.

means subdividing said