US1336183A - Mechanical-draw-delivery filing-cabinet - Google Patents

Description

A. T. I. BAHIA MECHANICAL DRAW DELIVERY FILING CABINET.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 30,1919.

7 ID- j..

4 SHEETS-SHEET I.

A. T. l, BAHR.

MECHANICAL DRAW DELIVERY FILING CABINET.

APFLICAIIUII FILED JUNE 3o, 1919.

I Patented Apr. 6, 1920.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

. T. J. BAHR.

MECHANICAL DRAW DELIVERY FILING CABINET.

APPLICATION FILED IUIIEso, I9I9.

m3. Famed Apr. 6, 1920.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

AUGUST T. J'. IBAHR, OF DANVILLE, ILLINQIS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO EDGAR S. KELLER, 0F DANVELLE, ILLINOIS.

MECHANICAL-DBAW-DELIVERY FILING-CABINET.

Application led June 30, 1919.

To all whom z'zf may concern:

Be it known that I, AUGUST T. J. Beim, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Danville, in the county of Vermilion and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mechanical-Draw-Delivery Filing-Cabinets, of which the following is a specication.

My present invention relates generally to filing cabinets and more particularly to mechanical drawer delivery cabinets, my primary object being the provision of a simple, practical, economical cabinet of this character which will be convenient and time-saving in use.

A further object is the provision of an arrangement, the mechanical parts of which are constructed and disposed so as to provide for maximum life and usefulness and at the same time permit of ready accessibility for purposes of repair and the substitution of parts.

A still further object is the provision of a cabinet including` drawers movable inwardly and outwardly along an inclined plane so as to shift, in opening, downwardly toward the user and thus expose to a glance every portion of the drawer compartment, in connection with means to control and mechanically bring about such movement in an effective, unfailing and peculiarly convenient manner.

A still further object resides in the mechanical drawer latching and manually actuated latch releasing means, the construction and arrangement of which lends itself readily to almost unlimited numbers, adaptation to various cabinet bodies and characters of filing devices, and promotes uniformity and standardized operating elements.

Further objects, relating for the most part to the details of construction, as well, as the resulting advantages, of my invention, will appear in the course of the following description, referring to the accompanying drawings which form a part of this specification, and in which,

Figure 1 is a front elevation.

Fig. 2 is a rear elevation with a portion of the rear wall broken away.

Fig. 3 is a vertical transverse section.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 6, 1920.

serial no. 307,651.

Fig. 4; is an enlarged sectional detail showing the control and operating devices for each drawer.

Fig. 5 is a sectional plan view of one of the drawer latches.

Fig. G is a vertical detail section through the drawer latch on line 6 6 of Fig. 5, and,

Figs. 7 and 8 are similar views illustrating the adaptability of the operating keys to different movements.

Referring now to these figures, wherein I have shown the preferred adaptability of my invention, l propose a filing cabinet including a front wall 10 and side walls 11, the former of which inclines forwardly and downwardly in conformity with the similarly inclined forward edges of the side walls as distinguished from their perpendicular rear edges. The side walls depend below the front wall and at the lower edge of the latter is the upper rear edge of a key board 12 whose inclination is greater even than that of the front wall and along which are a series of drawer operating keys 13.

The front wall 10 is apertured opposite to the forward ends of a plurality of drawer guides 14 which are mounted in superposed and juxtaposed relation within the cabinet frame and form a part thereof. These several drawer guides incline forwardly and downwardly preferably at or about the degree of angle shown particularly in Fig. 8 and their upper rear ends terminate in the same vertical plane spaced from the rear wall of the cabinet to permit of the interposition of a plurality of cross strips 15 transversely inclined to parallel the drawer guides and arranged in a vertical series with their ends connected to the side walls 11 so as to form a part of, and strengthen, the cabinet frame in addition to their other functions as presently described.

Drawers 16 slide through the front wall openings and upon the drawer guides 14 and these drawers, corresponding in length to the drawer guides, have their bases rearwardly extended as seen at 17 and on these extended portions are secured notched latch keepers 18.

In addition to the cross strips 15 previously mentioned, the cabinet is further reinforced by lower and intermediate cross bars 19 and 20 connected at their ends to the rear edges of the side walls 11, and the rear wall is formed of upper and lower normally latched sections 21 and 22 respectively hinged at their lower edges to. the cross bar and the rear edge of the base 23 above which the lower cross bar 19 extends. The latches of these rear wall sections appear at 241 and hold the same closed under normal conditions ready for quick release to permit of access to the entire inner portion of the cabinet.

The keys 13 have pins or shanks 25 which extend rearwardly and downwardly through openings 2G in the keyboard 12, and the upper face of which has concavities in which are seated a series of elastic buttons 27 sui'- rounding the upper portions of the pins or shanks as best seen in Fig. The lower portions of the keyboard openings 26 are enlarged as seen in Fig. 4 so that the pins or shanks'25 may either be rocked by pressing rearwardly against the keys 13, or rotated and in any event they will be normally seated singly by virtue of the tension of the operating connections to be now described.

From Fig. 1, it will be noted that each key 13 has a letter or character or similar mark corresponding to one of the drawers 16, the lower portion of the pin or shank of each key having connected thereto one end of a i flexible connection 28 as by extending the connection or wire 28 through an opening of the pin or shank and then twisting the extremity around the wire as seen in Figs. 7 and 8 in particular so as to thusv tend to shorten the connection when the shank is rocked forwardly or rotated in either direction. This flexible connection 28 extends rearwardly to the lower cross bar 19 and upwardly therefrom through a guide eye 29,

of which the crossbar has a longitudinal series in a plane slightly to the rear of the series of cross strips 15. The connection then passes vertically through a guide opening 30 of the cross bar 20 and is secured at its opposite end to one end of the respective latch lever 31 through an opening.

The latch levers 31 are arranged along the cross strips 15 upon which they are supported in line with the various drawers 16, and in particular the latch pieces 18 thereof, between the parallel upright portions of angular brackets 32 secured at their lower horizontal portions on the cross strips. Each pair of brackets 32 supports the fulcrum 33 of one of the latch levers 31, the forward end of each of which has a shouldered head 34 controlled by a spring 35 which acts to draw the engaging head downwardly to position for engaging and holding the respective latch piece 18. Each lever 31 may also be engaged at its opposite end by one end of a spring 36 anchoredon an adjacent cross strip 15, if additional ten'- sion is desired or necessary, more especially where, with the higher tiers of drawer, the flexible connections 28 are longer.

It is obvious that with the drawer in innermost locked positions, it is simply necessar in order to release a desired drawer, that the key 13 bearing the corresponding character be either rotated or pressed rearwardly, either movement serving to shorten the respective wire 28 and thus pull downwardly upon the rear upper end of the respective latch lever 31 against the tension of its spring or springs. The instant, during rock-ing of a lever 31, its shouldered head 34 is elevated free of the latch piece 18, the corresponding drawer 16 will be thrust forwardly and downwardly to its outer position by the drawer spring 37 one end of which is attached to the lower rear portion of the drawer and the other end of which is attached to a portion of the front wall 10. Each'drawer has rear stops 38 which engage the front wall to prevent the drawer from falling and each drawer when open displays every portion of its com- `partment instantly to view which is a. ma-

terial factor to be considered, especially in connection with card systems.

It is to be observed from the foregoing that my improvements are entirely inclosed and normally protected from sudden changes of climate, as well as breakage from the outside. Furthermore, although well housed and of simple strong construction capable, with good materials of a considen able length of life and effective service, my improvements are so arranged that by dropping` the sections of the rear wall, access to cach and every part for purposes of repair and substitution may be readily had.

It is also to be observed that my invention provides a cabinet of compact, pleasing appearance in addition to its efficiency from a mechanical standpoint.

1*. In a filing cabinet, a casing having side and front walls and a rear wall provided with hinged sections through which access may' be had to the space within the casing, a plurality of sliding drawers movable into the casing through the front wall, and having inner catches, a vertical series of transverse supporting strips connected at their ends to the side walls and arranged in the space between the inner ends of the drawers and the rear wall, latches supported by the said strips and arranged to engage the catches of thel drawers, a lower cross rail in front of the rear wall having a lengthwise series of guide eyes, a key board at the lower portion of the front wall, a series of drawer controlling keys on the key board, and a series of latch controlling connections between the said key'sand the said latches including a plurality of flexible wires, each of which eXtends continuously between its respective key and latch and projects through one of the guide eyes of the said cross rail and is arranged to be reached for its entire length through the hinged sections of the rear wall, as and for the purpose specified.

2. In a filing cabinet, a casing having side and front Walls and a rear wall provided with hinged sections through which access may be had to the space within the casing, a plurality of drawers having sliding guided movement in the casing and through the front wall, and provided with inner catches, a vertical series of cross strips connected at their ends to the side walls and arranged between the drawers and the rear wall, latches carried by said cross strips to engage the catches of the drawers, a lower cross rail in front of the rear wall having a lengthwise series of guides, a key board at the lower portion of the front wall, a series of drawer controlling keys on the key board, and a series of latch controlling connections between the keys and the said latches, each of said connections being in one continuous piece and extending through its respective guide of the guide rail whereby all connections may be readily exposed through the rear wall and easily traced for purposes 30 of repair and substitution.

In testimony whereof I aix my signature.

AUGUST T. J. BAHR.

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