US1921387A

US1921387A - Filing cabinet

Info

Publication number: US1921387A
Application number: US543469A
Authority: US
Inventors: Charles A Finley
Original assignee: Remington Rand Inc
Current assignee: Remington Rand Inc
Priority date: 1931-06-10
Filing date: 1931-06-10
Publication date: 1933-08-08
Anticipated expiration: 1950-08-08

Description

Aug. 8, 1933. c. A. FINLEY 1,921,387

FILING CABINET Filed June 10, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet l IF m M M M m M 0 8 642 e 0 i Z 3 n v K 3 MM A v 2.3 4:4..4 m 22 0 k 4 l v 4 2 m a Aug. 3, 1933. A FI Y 1,921,387

FILING CABINET Filed June 10. 19:51 2 Sheets-Shee t 2 l atented Aug. 8, 1933 UNITE STATES PATENT orries 1,921,387- FILING CABINET Charles A. Finley, North Tonawanda, N. -Y., assignor to Remington Rand Inc., Buffalo, N. Y.

Application June 10, 1931. Serial No. 543,469

8 Claims The present invention relates to improvements in filing cabinets and more particularly to improvements in cabinets for visible indexes.

In the construction of, filing cabinets of the visible type heretofore produced, a pluralityof partitions extend longitudinally of the cabinet and act as bearing surfaces for index slides or trays placed therein. Channel members are placed laterally of the cabinet for spacing the partitions and aid as guiding and retaining members for the index slides placed upon the various partitions. These channel members are prone to bulge and deform, under certain conditions of use, and produce a binding action upon the sides of the: index trays whereby the various slides or trays are removed from andreplaced in the cabinet withodifficulty. Y 7

Further, it has been found that the retaining members formed at the front end of the partitions for engaging the stop members attached to the index slide follower, under certain conditions of use, as for instance when the slides are withdrawn rapidly to the forward position, are bent and discabinet.

V The instant invention provides a cabinet of a construction wherein supplemental members are provided within the spacer channels to prevent compression of the flanges thereof and in addition to provide a "modifiedform of construction at the forward end of the cabinet to produce a compact and rigid structure therein whereby bulging of the sides of the casing of the cabinet is eliminated.

In the drawings attached hereto:

the cabinet.

Fig, 2 is a horizontal sectional view, taken substantially along the line 2-2 of Fig. 1, showing the supplemental spacer members in place. r

Fig. 3 is a perspective of a supplemental spacing member. v Fig. 4 is a view in perspective of the improved two part cabinet partition. v

Fig. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary section, taken substantially along the-line 5-5 of Fig. 2, showing the improved partition construction, the index tray follower stop member and the relationof the retaining member of the partition with respect to the spacer channels. Fig. 6 is a fragmentary view an improved channel .mer'nber.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, cabinet 10, shown herein as a visible index type in perspective of torted by unusual stress put upon the front of the cabinet, is provided with the usual top 1 1, side walls 12 and 13, and rear wall 14, of a suitable construction as for instance, sheet metal. The side walls 12 and 13, are formed with spaced ends having inwardly projecting flanges thereon at 15 and 16, and

marginal flanges

17 and 18 providing inwardly

opening channels

19 and 20 for receiving spacer channels and partition fingers therein. I The'spacer channels 25 are of the type shown in Fig. 6, and are nested and retained within the inwardly

opening channels

19 and 20 formed by the

flanged portions

15 and 16 of the side walls. The rear wall 14 is formed with flanged portionsupon the sides, as at 21 and2 2 for engagement with the flanges 15 of the side walls and with a flange 23 at the bottom thereof for attachment to the bottom of the cabinet. Partition members 24 are spaced vertically by the channel members 25. g

The spacer channel is shown in Fig; 6 and is provided adjacent its end with a portion 26 of gradually increasing width whereby a bearing surface 27 is produced for engaging with the sides cf the index tray as shown in Fig. '2. The channel is further provided with

stepped portions

28 and 29 adjacent its ends upon the flat or web portion of the channel for cooperating with the. flanges of the sidewalls as shown in Fig. 2 and for cooperatingwith the

flanges

21 and 22 of the. backplate 14 of the cabinet.

When the channel members and the partition are placed-in'position' in the cabinet, there is provided a receiving space or compartment 31 for the index slides or trays 32. As shown in Fig. 2 a tray comprises an index, card receiving portion 33 and afollower portion 34 hinged thereto so that when the tray is removed from the cabinet the index portion of the tray carrying the index. pockets and cards 35, in overlapping relationship is in a depending position so that each card may be readily observed and read. 7

As noted hereinabove, when the cabinet is sub jected to extraordinary usage the flanged portions 36 and 37 of the channel member 25-sufier compression" and distortion whereby the base plate or web 38 of the channel member is caused to bulge outwardly and bind the trays of the cabinet. To eliminate this a supplemental spacer member 39 is inserted within the channels for preventing distortion of the side flanges of the channel andfor preventing bulging of the back: or webbed portion thereof, This supplemental member, in the herein describedv embodiment, shown in Fig.3, consists ofastrip of material such as sheet metal, which has been deformed at spaced intervals to provide laterally extending portions therein. The supplemental spacer strip therefore comprises a substantially straight edge as at 41 with offset portions 40 formed in the strip.

The supplemental spacer member is placed within the channel members 25 with the straight edge of the reenforclng strip substantially in contact with the webbed portion 38 of the spacer channel and with the offset portions extending outwardly from the web and offering spaced struts for the flanges of the spacer channel whereby movement of these parts toward one another is prevented and whereby bulging of the web is prevented. The supplemental member is shown in place in Fig. 2, in the manner as described.

Bulging of the web of the channel spacer with consequent distortion thereof and of the partition member 24 is substantially reduced by providing a two part partition comprising a bearing plate 42 for the trays and a cooperating member 43 at the front of the partition which prevents any warping or bending in the front of the partition caused by bulging of the channel spacer members or by excessive pressure placed upon the partition wall by the underlying index tray follower.

This construction is shown in Fig. 4 wherein the two membered partition is provided with an offset portion 44 at the front end thereof to which a heavy cooperating strip 43 has been attached in any suitable manner. The strip 43 is provided with a retaining member 45 and two extending

fingers

46 and 47 at the ends thereof. The

fingers

46 and 47 are adapted to be retained within the inwardly extending channels found in the side walls as at 20 and to hold the partitions securely in place therein against any distortion caused by the inadvertent bulging of the spacer channels or by excessive stress and pressure of the followers 34.

The lower flange of the spacer channel is provided with recess portions, one at 48 and a second recessed portion at 49. This lower flange 3'? rests upon the partition 24 as in Fig. 5, and the offset 48 in the flange of the channel rests upon the offset portion 44 of the partition, providing a rigid and cooperating construction. The second recess 49 covers the ends of the retaining member 45-and prevents undue bending of the member in an upward direction when engagement is made with the stop member 50 of the follower 34. The upper flange of the channel member is provided with an offset portion 51 upon which the partition and the retaining member rests as shown in Fig. 5.

The showing in broken lines indicates the relation of the follower 34 between two partitions before engagement with a retaining member 45 and the full lines show the position of the follower after engagement with the retaining member and indicates the close cooperation of that member with the partition wall connected above it so that undue movements of the follower are eliminated and the strain put upon the upper partition substantially reduced.

The cooperating members 43 at the front of thepartitions serve to tie the side walls 12 and 13 of the cabinet together through cooperation of the fingers 46 and 4'? in the inwardly facing channels at the front end of the cabinet to prevent outward bulging of the side walls under the weight of the trays and record members in the cabinet and during the handling of the cabinet, or other strains or stresses to which the assembled structure may be subjected in use or transportation. These cooperating members also serve to provide a rigid stop and supporting structure for an extended tray through cooperation of the lip 45 with the complementary parts of the tail piece on the tray.

What is claimed is:

1. A cabinet for index trays comprising a casing, partitions in said casing, spacer channels between said partitions; a supplemental member in said spacer channels having a substantially straight portion adjacent the web of said channel and spaced offset portions for supplementing the flanged portions of said channel.

2. A cabinet comprising a casing, partitions in said casing, spacer channels between adjacent partitions; supplemental strip members placed in said channels longitudinally thereof, and spaced lateral projections upon said members extending between the flanges of said channels for preventing movement of the flanges thereof.

3. A cabinet for index trays comprising a cabinet casing, spacer channels placed within said casing, supplemental strips within said channels, and bi-rnemberedpartitions between said channels having a strip at the forward end thereof of greater strength than the other portions of said partitions for cooperating with said channels to prevent distortion of the cabinet when the trays V are in the withdrawn position.

4. A cabinet for index trays comprising a cabinet casing, spacer channels placed within said casing, index trays within said casing, partitions between said channels for supporting said trays having a strip at the forward ends thereof serving as retaining members for said trays and for engagement with the forward end of said channels for supporting and supplementing the same.

5. A cabinet for index trays comprising 9. casing, a plurality of partitions contained therein, spacer channels between said partitions for spacing the same, said partitions having combined supplementing and retaining members secured to the front free edges thereof and having means engaging with the sides of the cabinet for preventing distortion thereof.

6. A cabinet for index trays comprising a casing, a plurality of spacer channels in said casing; a two-part partition member between said channels, one part of said partition acting as a bearing surface for the tray of said cabinet and another part attached to said first part for engaging with the sides of the cabinet for supplementing the same.

7. A cabinet comprising side walls providing inwardly opening channels and marginal flanges, a bottom wall secured to said side walls, twopartitions having end projections extending into the channels of said side walls, one part of said partition acting as a bearing surface for the trays of said cabinet and another part attached to said first part for engaging with the sides of the cabinet for supplementing the same.

8. A cabinet for index trays comprising a casing, a plurality of spacer channels in said casing, and a strip bent to engage inner portions of said channels for maintaining the side walls thereof in constant spaced relation.

CHARLES A. FINLEY.

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