US1997585A - Secretary - Google Patents

Description

' April 16, 1935. G. w. HUNTER SECRETARY Filed March 26, 1954 '2 Sheets-Sheet 1 gnaw bod aarniss WHunier x u v I I9 v u m n T J. m n v u m v H a F||1|||||||||||mM/1 April 16, 1935. G. w. HUNTER SECRETARY Filed March 26, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 \\\\\\\R \EXY aarnz'ss W Hul a Patented Apr. 16, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SECRETARY Garniss W. Hunter, Columbus, Ohio Application March 26, 1934, Serial No. 717,501

6 Claims.

My invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in secretaries and it particularly has for an object to provide a secretary of the telephone-secretary type which is equipped with a secret compartment cooperatively associated with the telephone-directory section of the cabinet.

Further the invention has for an object to provide a simple means for mounting several directories separately in convenient binders and mounting those binders in a file section of the secretary in such manner that any one binder may be swung downwardly and outwardly so as to lie flat-wise on the base of the secretary for convenient reference.

Further it is an object to provide for removably mounting each binder pivotally in the pigeonhole, the pivot-bearing means serving also to camouflage the opening edge of the door of the 20 secret compartment.

Further it is an object to provide means to illuminate the interior of the secretary.

Other objects will in part be obvious and in part be pointed out hereinafter.

To the attainment of the aforesaid objects and ends, the invention still further resides in the novel details of construction, combination and arrangement of parts, all of which will be first fully described in the following detailed descrip- 30 tion and then be particularly pointed out in the appended claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawings in whichr- Figure 1 is a perspective view of a portion of a secretary embodying my invention.

Figure 2 is a vertical cross section of the same on substantially the line 2-2 of Figure 1 through one of the telephone directory file units.

Figure 3 is an enlarged perspective view of a binder back and portions of the covers.

Figure 4 is an enlarged perspective view of a portion of the base of the cabinet showing the pivot bearing strip secured thereto.

Figure 5 is an enlarged detail of a portion of the cabinet showing a pair of partitions and the associated bearing-carrying strip.

In the drawings, in which like numerals of reference indicate like parts in all of the figures, the secretary comprises a cabinet having sides I, top 2, back 3, and base 4. Beneath this base is located one or more secret boxes or chambers l and a drawer 21 may be provided beneath the base which can be pulled out from the front of the cabinet, the drawer being in the same plane as the secret box.

The cabinet includes a series of vertical partitions l3 spaced apart to provide file sections or pigeon-holes in each of which may be located a binder carrying a telephone directory. The base 4 at the bottom of one or more of the pigeon-holes for the telephone directory binders is cut away 5 and supplied with a door or doors 5 hinged at 5 to the back wall. The front edge of the door or doors and the corresponding rear portion of the base 4 are bevel cut as at 9 (see Figure 2) The rear edge of the base 4 adjacent the tele- 10 phone directory file section of the cabinet is provided with a rearwardly and downwardly inclined recess 8 in which is fastened a strip ill which has a lug I I for each partition I3, the partition being out awayto the rear of the lug to 15 cooperate with it in forming a bearing slot M for a trunnion pin l9 carried by the binder back, as will be more fully described later. The strip ID is secured to the base 4 by suitable screws 52.

Each binder consists of a binder back 55 and hinged covers l6. To one edge of the back i5 is secured a plate I 1 having trunnion carriers H3 in which are mounted the trunnion pins i9 by means of which the binder is pivotally mounted within its pigeon-hole at the bottom. front edge of the same. The plate ii is secured at to the binder back l5 by rivets or other suitable means.

2| is a rod which is swivelly mounted at 22 adjacent one end of the binder back l5 and is adapted to pass between the leaves of and overlie the back of a telephone directory 35, the free end of the pin 2i being removably engaged in a bayonet slot 24 of a lug 23 upstanding from the plate I! (see Figure 3).

25 is the door of the secretary which is hinged to the base 4 in the usual way and which may be held horizontally as a desk by means of a suitable brace 26.

In my secretary the telephone directory section is preferably arranged to occupy the midsection of the cabinet, leaving a space at one side for the reception of a telephone and at the other side there may be provided a set of filing pigeon-holes 28 and a drawer 29.

31 designates a front panel extending across the top of the door opening of the cabinet behind which panel are located lamp brackets 34 carrying bulbs 33, and also reflectors 32 for reflecting the rays of light from the bulbs downwardly and over an exposed telephone directory 35 (see Figure 1) and to illuminate the telephone dial.

From the foregoing it will be seen that when the telephone directory binders are upstanding in their respective pigeomholes the door 5 of 55 the secret compartment is covered and maintained closed by the telephone directory and its binders. When, however, the directory is swung outward and down, as shown in Figure 1, the door 5 is exposed. By reason of the recess 8 the upper edge of the beveled end 9 of the door 5 projects slightly above the plate I 0 and comprises a convenient finger-engaging portion by means of which the door 5 may be raised to open the secret compartment.

If desired anyone of the binders and contents thereof may be bodily removed from the secretary by simply lifting up slightly on it and moving it forwardly to cause the trunnion pins I9 to ride out of the upper ends of the slots 14. It should be understood that the trunnion pins iii are of a length equal to about one-half the thickness of the partition I3 so that all the trunnion pins of the various binders will lie in alignment.

In general accord with the spirit of my invention and the appended claims, as stated and as may generally fall within their broad interpretation, and also without departing from my invention, I reserve the right exclusively to make various changes, alterations and modifications in the invention, in its general form, its parts described, and in the details of construction.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, it is thought that the construction, uses and advantages of the above invention will be clear to those skilled in the art.

What I claim is:

1. In a secretary, a cabinet having a door which when opened serves as a desk, a set of partitions dividing the interior of the cabinet into a group of pigeon-holes, telephone directory binders having backs and covers one located in each pigeon-hole, means pivoting said binders within their respective pigeon-holes to enable the binders to be swung outwardly and downwardly for the purpose of opening the same to expose the directories, at least one pigeon-hole having a bottom door that may be lifted and a secret box or compartment located beneath said door, said bottom door being hidden by the telephone directory binder when the same is within the pigeon-hole.

2. In a secretary, a base, sides, back, and a top wall and a front door mounted to serve as a desk when opened; a set of parallel vertical partitions on the base within the secretary dividing a section of the secretary into a plurality of pigeonholes, the lower front edges of said partitions being cut away, said base having an inclined recess, a plate fitted into said recess and having lugs to cooperate with said cut-away edge portions to serve as pivot-bearing slots, a directory binder having back and side covers, and a hinge pin carried by said back at one end to cooperate with said bearing slots.

3. In a secretary, a base, sides, back, a top wall and a front door mounted to serve as a desk when opened; a set of parallel vertical partitions on the base within the secretary dividing a section of the secretary into a plurality of pigeonholes, the lower front edges of said partitions being cut away, said base having an inclined recess, a plate fitted into said recess and having lugs to cooperate with said cut-away edge portions to serve as pivot-bearing slots, a directory binder having back and side covers, a hinge pin carried by said back at one end to cooperate with said bearing slots, and a secret compartment built beneath said base, the bottom of at least one of said pigeon-holes being hinged as a cover for said secret compartment to be lifted while the binder of that pigeon-hole is outside of the same to expose the secret compartment beneath.

4. In a secretary, a base, sides, back, a top wall and a front door mounted to serve as a desk when opened; a set of parallel vertical partitions on the base within the secretary dividing a section of the secretary into a plurality of pigeonholes, the lower front edges of said partitions being cut away, said base having an inclined recess, a plate fitted into said recess and having lugs to cooperate with said cut-away edge portions to serve as pivot-bearing slots, a directory binder having back and side covers, a hinge pin carried by said back at one end to cooperate with said bearing slots, and a secret compartment built beneath said base, the bottom of at least one of said pigeon-holes being hinged as a cover for said secret compartment to be lifted while the binder of that pigeon-hole is outside of the same to expose the secret compartment beneath, the front edge of said hinged bottom being located adjacent said inclined recess to expose a portion of said front edge as a finger engagement.

5. In a secretary, a cabinet having a base, a plurality of vertical partitions spaced apart, a binder having a back and covers hinged thereto and located in the space between said partitions, means pivotally mounting said binder in said space to enable said binder to be swung forwardly and down on said base in front of said space, a receptacle below said base and a door in said base at the bottom of said space and normally hidden by said binder while the same is in said space but exposed when the binder is out of said space.

6. In a secretary, a cabinet having a base, a

plurality of vertical partitions spaced apart, a

binder having a back and covers hinged thereto and located in the space between said partitions, means pivotally mounting said binder in said space to enable said binder to be swung forwardly and down on said base in front of said space, a receptacle below said base and a door in said base at the bottom of said space and normally hidden by said binder while the same is in said space but exposed when the binder is out of said space, said pivotal-mounting means comprising trunnions on said binder and trunnion bearings carried by said base in cooperative relation with said partition.

GARNISS W. HUNTER.

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