US1554087A - Visible index device - Google Patents

Description

Patented Sept. 15, 1925.

UNITED STATES Ladl PATENT FFICE.

VINFIELD A.. HARDY, OF BROOKLYN, NEW' YORK.

.VISIBLE ENDE-X DEVICE.

Application filed May 12, 1921. Serial No. 468,996.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, VVINFIELD A. HARDY, a citizen of the United States, and resident 0f Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Visible Index Devices, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in visible index devices such as are now well known to bookkeepers and others accustomed to the keeping of records.

Essentially these devices consist of suitable carrying plates mounted for convenient handling, and each being adapted to removably support a number of what may be termed reference slips. The plates are usually provided with index tabs and the reference slips of each plate contain names or other data following under the head of the title appearing on the index tabs.

Various means have been heretofore proposed for the construction and support of the carrying plates and for the construction of the references slips, all endeavoring to provide means for containing the greatest number of reference slips in the least space and in the most easily accessible manner. This same object is sought to be attained by the present improvements.

A further object of the present improvements is to provide an improved form of reference slip.

Other objects and aims of the invention, more or less speciiic than those referred to above, will be in part obvious and in part pointed out in the course of the following description of the elements, combinations, arrangements of parts and applications of principles, constituting the invention, and the scope of protection contemplated will be indicated in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings which are to be taken as a part of this specification, and in which T have shown merely a preferred form of embodiment of the invention:

Figure l is a diagrammatic top plan view of a device constructed in accordance with this invention.

Figure 2 is a diagrammatic front elevational view of the structure seen in Fig. 1.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary detail view illustrating the manner in which the guides are formed for supporting the carrying plates. l

Figure 4C is a perspective view illustrating one of the carrying plates constructed in accordance with this invention.

Figure 5 isan enlarged perspective view illustrating the manner of constructing the reference slips.

Figure 6 is an end view of the structure Fig. 5, illustrating the manner in which the paper pieces are applied, and Figure 7 is a transverse sectional view illustrating the manner of supporting the reference slips upon the carrying plate.

Referring to the drawings for describing in detail the structure therein illustrated, the reference character L indicates a casing. This may be made of any suitable material but preferably is constructed of sheet metal and is shaped to provide two sets, as l and 2, of stalls 3, said sets being arranged in converging relation, as clearly seen in Fig. 1.

Each stall is adapted to contain one carrying plate 4c. Said stalls may be defined in any appropriate manner but preferably the sheet metal bottom wall 5 and sheet metal top wall 6 of the case is corrugated. in the manner as clearly seen in Fig. 3, a corrugation of the bottom wall and an opposing corrugation of the top Wall serving together to form one stall or guideway into which one carrying plate may readily slide and be held. i

The corrugations of the bottom wall preferably extend continuously between the two sets of stalls, as at 7, and thus serve as guides for the carrying plates after said carrying plates have been slid out of the stalls.

In using this device the operator takes a position in front of the device so that his view of it is as seen in Fig. 2, and in order that this view may more readily include the index tabs 8 of all of the carrying plates, it is a feature of this invention to so shape the casing L that the stalls and consequently the carrying plates and index tabs are arranged echelon; that is to say, that said sets of stalls converge backwardly toward each other thus making the nearer index tabs oft set in all instances so that those behind can be more readily seen and read.

When the operator desires to examine any particular carrying plate he has simply to locate it by its index tab and then to slide it horizontally out of its stall and into the space between the two sets of stalls in which position he can readily examine the data, as 9, appearing on any one, or all, of the refe1`- ence slips carried by the particular carrying plate. After the inspection has been completed, the carrying plate can be as readilyslid back into its stall.

In order that the carrying plates may not be accidentally drawn entirely out of their respective stalls `a suitable retaining device may be provided, and for this purpose the drawing illustrates as an example an arrangement including a lug, as 10, formed adjacent the rear edge of each carrying frame and adapted to engage against an obstructing lug 11 depending` from the top wall 6 of the stall.

The carrying plates may consist of one or more sections, as 12, 13 and 14, said sections, where more than one is used, being held together by a' suitable frame 15 which in the present instance is shown to consist merely of a length of heavy wire bent into rectangular form and having the sections 12, '13 and lt soldered thereinto, as at 16. The upper and lower leads 17 of this wire frame constitute admirable runners to slide within the corrugations, or stalls, of the casing. The front vertical lead 18 constitutes a proper protection for the adjacent edge of the section 14 and a convenient support for attaching the index tab 8, while the rear vertical lead 19 serves as an abutment to engage the rear wall 2O of the casing for limiting inward movement of the carrying plate. The leads 17 may'extend any suitable distance beyond the rear edge 21 of the section 12 so as to maintain proper guiding engagement within the stalls when the carrying plate is withdrawn for inspection.

The reference slips, as seen in Fig. 5, consist of a strip of paper 22 and a holder 23. The holder is preferably made from a shee't of' thin spring metal bent at its midpoint to provide two legs, as 2li and 25, lapping each other and adapted to grip the paper between them.

In using this device the paper, which preferably has previously had appropriate data written thereon by typewriter, is slipped into position between the legs 24 and 25', as seen in Fig. 5, and then the protruding portion of the strip is folded about the two legs in the manner as indicated in Fig. 6, the fold being, of course, made so that the typewritten data will appear upon one of the exposed faces, as for instance upon the face 26.

After the paper has been properly folded, the device is then slipped into position with its oposite ends engaging beneath the overhanging iiange portions 27 of the carrying plate, or rather of one of the sections of the carrying plate, as seen in Fig. 7

Due tothe resilient nature'of the material from which the'holder 23 is formed, it is possible to insert, or remove, any one ofthese reference slips by bowing upwardly the central portion thereof sufficiently to release one end from beneath the adjacent iange'27.

As many changes could be made in this construction without departing from the scope of the following claims, it is intended that all matter contained` inthe above descrition, or shown in the accompanying drawings, shall be interpreted as illustrative only and not in a limiting sense.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. A reference slip carrying plate for visible index devices comprising al plurality of separately formed sections, each of said sec'- tions comprising means adapting it to contain a plurality of reference slips, and a connecting frame for said sections consisting of a single piece of wire extending around said sections and being fixed to the end edge portions of'said sections.

2. A reference slip for visible index de vices comprising a strip of suitable material folded upon itself topprovide two legs, and a record bearing strip having a portion inserted between said legs and anotherl portion wrappedl about said legs.

3. A reference slip for visible index devices comprising a strip of spring metal bent upon itself' to provide'two legs, a strip of lpaper having one edger portion inserted between said legs aiid having its remaining portion wrapped about said legs.

In testimony whereof I aiiix my signature.

VVI'NFIELD A. HARDY.

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