US1199195A - Information-cabinet. - Google Patents

Description

A. T. LEWIS.

INFORMATION CABINET.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 20. 1915.

1 1 99, 1 95 Patented Sept. 26, 1916.

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A. T. LEWIS. INFORMATION CABINET.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 20. 1915- 1 1 99, 1 95 Q Patented Sept. 26, 1916.

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lNFORMATION CABINET.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 20, ms.

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7% i N -t:i ;l m 5 h :1 3: g Q g i E x fnz erztov Attestr v a: Alan/Wm Z'Zezals A. T. LEWIS.

INFORMATION CABINET.

- APPLICATION FILED MAY 20, 1915. 1 7 1 99, 1 95 Patented Sept. 26, 1916.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

UNITED STATES PATENT omuon 'ALPHONSO T. LEWIS, OF STAUNTON, VIRGINIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-THIRD T0 WALLACE A. PAYNE AND ONE-THIRD TO HENRY PARRENT, BOTH OF STAUN'TON, VIRGI1 TIA.

INFORMATION-CABINET.

T 0 all whom it may concern Be it known'that I, ALPHoNso T. LEWIS, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Staunton, county of Augusta, and State of Virginia, have made and invented certain new and useful Improvements in Information-Cabinets, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a new and improved form of directory cabinet and it consists in the novel features hereinafter described and claimed.

An object of. the invention is to provide a cabinet especially adapted to be used for conveniently holding the names of persons arranged in groups according to their occupations, or vocations, in order that'the same may be readily consulted to ascertain the address or telephone number of any particular person desired. The cabinet is especially designed for the convenient, use

of those employing telephone service al-' though it may be used to advantage by persons requiring other service. The general theory of the arrangement of the elements of the invention is that the persons to be called are arranged with their names and addresses in groups according to occupations; for instance, the groups may be as follows: First doctors and lawyers in a certain locality may constitute one group, hotels and churches another, theaters still another, real estate agents still another, etc. In fact there is no limit to the number of groups in which the names and addresses may be classified. The cabinet is provided with means for automatically presenting to view any particular group desired when a certain key, with which the cabinet is 'provided, is pressed and consequently allof the names, or approximately all of them, in the same group may be exposed by the depression of a key which calls for the exposure of that particular group.

The means for carrying out the foregoing object includes the following instrumentalities: The cabinet isin the form of a case of any suitable design or pattern, in which are mounted spaced rollers about which is trained a belt having clips or other suitable holding devices in which are held cards bearing the names and addresses of the persons included in the classes indicated. Means are provided for actuating the rollers whereby the belt may be moved about the Specification of Letters Patent. v Patented 26, 1916. Application filed May 20, 1915. 5

Serial No. 29,437.

same and the casing is provided with an opening through which the belt and the cards carried thereby may be observed as theyare brought to view within the said opening. The particular means as shown and hereinafter described for operating the rollers is in the form of a spring motor; however it is to be understood any other form ofmotor, as for instance an electric motor may be employed for accomplishing the desired movement of the rollers. A series of depressible or movable keys are mounted upon the casing of the cabinet and each one of these keys is adapted to cooperate with mechanism, also'mounted in the cabinet, for projecting stop pins into the path of movement of the means for turning the rollers whereby the rollers and the belt trained around the same may be brought to a state of-rest at predetermined intervals or points, thus exposing through the opening in the cabinet the desired class or group of names. WVhen one key is depressed it remains in this position until an other key is depressed and means is provided for returning the first mentioned key to a normal position, and the said means is actuated by the depression of the second mentioned key. This operation of the keys is maintained throughout the entire series, so that one key is always in a depressed position. The object of this'will be explained hereinafter.

By way of illustration let it be assumed that a person consulting the directory cabinet desires the telephone address of a doctor in a particular locality. This being the case he will consult an index card attached to the outside of the cabinet which indicates a particular key to be depressed when the list of doctors names are brought to view. The person consulting the cabinet will then depress this key and after this has been done the parts and features automatically cooperate to bring the list of doctors names, with their addresses, to view'at'the opening in the casing of the-cabinet. The person consulting the same then has an opportunity to observe the address of the particular doctor desired and may use this address for telephone or other purpose. These names remain in view at the opening of the casing until another key is operated to bring another class of names to view. By this convenient arrangement it will be seen that the necessity of using and employing the more elaborate forms of telephone directories now in vogue is eliminated, inasmuch as a simple andv convenient form for promptly bringing to view any particular class of names is provided and furthermore the manual labor of manipulating a directory is reduced to a minimum, for instead of being compelled to refer to a volume of more or less magnitude to ascertain the address of a desired person it is necessary only with the help of the cabinet hereinafter described to know the occupation of the person desired and by depressing the key which indicates or corresponds with this occupation all of the persons in the directory in the same occupation are brought to view. Consequently the particular person may be readily picked out in so far as his address or identification is concerned, and the manual labor of manipulating a volumeor a complicated directory is avoided.

With these objects in view the invention consists in the features hereinafter described and revealed in the drawings, it being understood that changes and variations may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention. as set forth in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings Figure l is a front elevation of the directory cabinet. Fig. 2 is a similar view, with the front wall or side thereof removed. Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view out approximately on the line 33 of Fig; 2. Figs. 4 and 5 are enlarged detail views of features of the invention. Fig. 6 is a detailed sectional View of the motor and adjacent parts for operating and controlling the movement of the belt and rollers of the cabinet. Fig. 7 is a detailed sectional view of portion of the cabinet cut on the line 7'7 of Fig. 6. Fig. 8 is an enlarged sectional view of part of the cabinet cut on the line 8-8 of Fig. 1. Fig. .9 is a sectional view of parts of the same cut on the line 99 of Fig. 8. Fig. 10

'is a sectional view of a portion of the belt used in the cabinet. Fig. 11 is an elevation of part of the belt shown in Fig. 10.

The directory includes a casing 1 provided'at its front side with a sight opening 2 which may be covered by a glass or any suitable transparency. A frame 3 is mounted in the casing l and rollers 4t and 5 are journaled in the frame 1 at the upper and lower ends respectively thereof. A belt -6 of any suitable flexible material is trained around thev rollers 4 and 5 and the said belt is provided at spaced intervals with transversely disposed strips or clips 7 preferably of sheet metal. Cards 8 are adapted to be slipped between the belt 6 and the edge portions of the clips 7 and the said cards may bear the names andaddresses of individuals. The cards .8 maybe arrangedin appropriate The disk 10 is carried by the shaft 12 which is operatively connected by means of a train of gear wheels 13 with a spring motor 14. A shaft 15 is connected with the spring of the motor 14 and passestransversely across the frame 3 and projects at an end portion through the side" of the casing 1 as best shown in Fig. 1 of the drawing. A key orother suitable device (not shown) maybe applied to the projecting end portion of the shaft 15 for turning the same to wind up the spring of the motor 14- when this is necessary. Stops 16 are mounted upon the outer side of the disk 10 and the said stops are located at different distances from the center of the disk. The said stops 16 are positioned upon different radii of the disk 10 and consequently the stops arespaced one from the other.

A bracket 17 is mounted at the side; of the frame 3 and extends across the disk 10. A plate 18 is mounted upon the bracket 17 in position spaced therefrom and pins 19 are slidably mounted in the bracket 17 and the plate 18. the pins 19 and springs 21 are interposed between the side ofvthe bracket 17 and the said stops and are under tension with a tendency to hold the stops 20 toward the plates 18. Arms 22 extend outwardly from the plate 18 and carry a shaft 23. Bell crank levers 24 are pivoted upon the shaft 23 and one end of the bell crank levers engages the ends of the pins 19.

A bracket 25 is mounted at the inner side of the front of the casing 1 and carries a shaft 26. Bell crank levers 27 are pivoted upon the shaft 26 and one end of thebell crank levers 27 is operatively connected; with one end of the levers 24 by means of rods 28.

Slides 29 are movably mounted atthe.

front ofthe casing 1 and rods 30 are connected at one end with one of the slides 29, and at their other ends each with one of the levers 27.. The slides-29 and levers 27 cor respond in number. Each slide 29 is provided with slots 31 which receive studs 32 fixed with relation to the casing 1 and the said studs 32 in combination with the slots direct the sliding movement of the said slides and also limit the movement of the slides. Springs 33 are located in the front of the casing 1 and bear at one end against the ends of the slides 29 and are under ten- Stops 20 are mounted uponsion with a tendency to hold one end of the slots 30 toward the studs 32. The front of the casing 1 is provided with recesses 34 across which the slides 29 are normally held under the influence of the springs 33. The keys for operating the slides consist of heads 35 mounted upon stems 36 which pass through a plate 37 attached to the front of the casing 1 and which are connected with wedge shaped plates 38. Each plate is provided at its inner end with a projecting lip 39 and at its outer end with a laterally disposed lug 40. A flexible member 41 is mounted at the inner side of the front of the casing 1 and extends transversely across the inner ends of the plates 38. An index card 42 is mounted at the front of the casing 1 as best shown in Fig. 1 of the drawing and may bear legends indicating difierent occupations and vocations with a number adjacent each legend. The heads 35 of the keys also hear numbers which numbers correspond with the numbers appearing upon the index 42. The groups of cards 8 mounted between the clips 7 are so arranged that the occupations of the individuals whose addresses appear thereon correspond with the occupations or vocations indicated by the legends upon the index 42. The cards 8 are also arranged so that a particular group of the said cards are brought to view through the opening 2 when a particular key is operated.

The following 7 is an illustration of the manner in which the directory may be used: Assuming that the user desires to ascertain the address of a doctor he consults the index 42 whereon he sees that the number 1 appears adjacent the legend indicating doctors. The operator then presses in the head 35 of the key bearing the number 1. When the wedge shaped plate 38 is moved in an inward direction by the depression of the said key the slide 29 which engages the said plate 38 is moved longitudinally against the tension of the spring 33 and the said slide, which normally bears against the lip 39 of the plate, is brought to bear against the lug 40 of the plate and the said lug limits the inward movement of the plate. When the key is moved in an inward direction it assumes the position as shown at the intermediate portion of Fig. 7 of the drawings, and the inner end of the plate 38 engages the intermediate portion of the flexible member 41 and pushes the same in an inward direction while the slide 29 is held against the edge of the plate 38 by the spring 33 and consequently the plate 38 is frictionally held so.

that the key is temporarily retained in a depressed position. As the slide 29 is moved longitudinally by the movement of the wedge shaped plate 38 across the end of the same the rod 30 which is connected with the said slide swings one of the bell crank levers 27 which in turn through the rod 28 attached to the same swings one of the bell crank levers 24. When the said bell crank lever 24 is swung upon its pivot it moves the pin 19 which engages the same against the tension of the spring 21 which influences the said pin. Thus the pin'is moved in an inward direction as indicated at the intermediate part of Fig. 6 and the inner end of the pin is projected into the path of movement of one of the lugs 16. When the pin 19 is projected into the path of movement of one of the lugs 16 the motor 14 acting through the train of gear wheels 13 turns the shaft 12 and the disk 10 whereby the lug into the path of movement of which the pin 19 has been projected is moved in contact with the said pin. The said lug is held against the said pin under the influence of the motor 14 until another pin is moved into the path of movement of another lug. Then the disk 10 turns, it moves the belt 11 which in turn rotates the pulley 9 and the roller 4 whereby the belt 6 is carried across the opening 2 in the casing 1. The cards Sand clips 7 are also moved across the opening and the group of cards bearing the names and addresses of the class of doctors is brought to a state of rest at the opening 2 and is visible through said opening. Consequently the person whois using the directory may readily pick out and ascertain the address of the particular doctor desired. Now let it be assumed that when the user next consults the directory he desires the address of a hotel. By referring to the index 42 he will see that the number adjacent the classification of the hotels is 2. He therefore depresses the head 35 hearing the number -2 which manipulation of the key operates in a manner as just described to move one of the pins 19 into the path of movement of one of the lugs 16. When the second key is operated its plate 38 bears against the intermediate portion of the flexible member 41 and bows the same in an inward direction whereby the plate 38 which has previously been operated is pushed in an outward direction and the key which was previously operated is moved back to itsv normal extended position with relation to the front of the casing 1. As the said key moves in an outward direction the spring 33 of the adjacent slide 39 moves the slide longitudinally and into contact with the lip 39 of the said plate 38; consequently the bell crank levers 24 and 27 which are connected with the said slide are turned so that the, bell crank lever 24 is moved in a direction away from the pin 19 and the spring 21 which influences the said pin 19 which has been projected into the path of movement of one-of the lugs 16, moves the pin so that its inner end is disposed out of the path of movement of the said lug 16. At the same time the inner end of another one of the pins 19 is moved in the path of movement of another lug l6 and consequently the disk 10 is turned under the influence of the motor 14 as hereinbefore described, and one of the lugs 16 is brought into contact with the inner end of the pin which has just been moved into the path of movement of the said lug. At the held in this condition until another key is depressed when the first key to be depressed is returned to its normal position by the flexible member 41, and the key last depressed remains in that position until the next time the directory is used. Therefore it may be seen that the names are brought to view through. the opening of the casing by the action of the motor and that a key operated mechanism is provided for controlling the operation of the motor to cause the same to bring to View a desired group of names through the opening of the casing and that the parts cooperate with each other to return the keys to normal position during the successive operation orema-nipulation of the keys.

Having described the invention what is claimed is l. A directory comprising a casing provided with an opening, rollers journaled in the casing, a belt trained about the rollers, means carried by the belt for supporting names and addresses, a disk journaled in the casing and operatively connected with one of the rollers, stops mounted upon the disk at varying distances from the center there- Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by. addressing the "Commissioner of Patents,

of, pins located in. the casing and adapted tobe projected into the paths of movement of the stops and keyoperated means for projecting the said pins.

2. A directory comprising a casing-provided with an opening, means for presenting names and addresses to view through the opening, a disk located in the casing for. ac-' tuating said means and provided with stops 7 located at varying distances from the center 1 of the disk, spring pressed pins adapted to be projected into the paths of movement of the stops, keys movably mounted in the cas ing and means operatively connecting the keys with said pins.

3. A directory comprising a casing pro-.

vided with an opening, means for presenting 7 names to view through the opening, a diskoperatively connected with said means, means for turning the disk, stops mounted upon the disk and located at varying distances from the center thereof, said stops being located"v upon different radii of the disks, pins. lo-

cated adjacent the disks and movable into the paths of movement of the stops and key operated means for actuating the pins.

4:. A directory comprising a casing provided with an opening, means for presenting names to View through the opening, means for actuating the said name presenting ALrHoNso T. LEWIS.

WVitnesses:

WVALLACE A. PAYNE, HY PARRENT.

Washington, D. G.

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