US2013153A - Card filing device - Google Patents

Description

Sept. 3, 1935. HUNTER 2,U13,13

CARD FILING DEVICE Filed Sept. 4, 1954 4 Sheets-Sheet l V flvwewz/iof awdliifluder Sept. 3, 1935. DE. HUNTER CARD FILING DEVICE 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Sept. 4, 1954 WP M w W M04441, ,0;

Wit/Less Sept. 3, 1935. DEHUNTER 2,013,153

CARD FILING DEVICE Filed Sept. 4, 1934 Y 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 232 MA, *1 WW @w Sept. 3; 1935. D, E, HUNTER 2,013,153

CARD FILING DEVICE Filed Sept. 4, 1934 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Patented Sept. 3, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CARD FILING DEVICE Application September 4, 1934, Serial No. 742,533

9 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in card filing devices, and more particularly to a card container or tray for the filing of cards on which entries are made by tabulating machines, and the principal object of the invention is to provide a container which will properly preserve the cards so that they can be fed to and through the machines without difficulty.

Tabulating machines may differ somewhat in detail, but the general scheme is to make the entries by punching holes in form cards on which are printed groups of figures arranged to register with banks of key-operated punching dies of the tabulating mechanism. In making the entries a stack of cards is placed in a suitable magazine and fed to the machine one by one from the bottom of the stack through a narrow entrance slot. It is therefore quite essential that the cards be perfectly flat and their edges regular, since the slightest unevenness will prevent the cards from being properly fed into the machine.

It is therefore desirable that the cards be stored in the tray under considerably more compression than is required in the ordinary card filing system, and hence the invention pertains to a pressure plate in the form of a sliding carriage especially designed and mounted for maintaining the cards under compression in the tray or drawer.

As disclosed, the carriage or pressure plate assembly forms a part of a card-holding tray designed to fit within sliding drawers of a special type of filing cabinet, thus permitting individual trays to be more readily carried to and from the tabulating machine. However, the same equipment can be applied directly to drawers or any other type of card container.

A preferred embodiment of the invention is disclosed in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of a card tray equipped with the pressure plate;

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the pressure plate assembly removed from the tray and the cover plate removed to show the mechanism on the rear side thereof;

Figure 3 is an enlarged view in cross section through the tray as taken on line 33 of Figure 1, showing the pressure plate in rear elevation;

Figures 4 and 5 are views in vertical section taken on line 4-'l of Figure 1 showing the released and locked positions, respectively, of the pressure plate;

Figure 6 is a detail view in vertical section taken on line 6-6 of Figure 3;

Figure '7 is a. similar view taken on line 1--'! of Figure 3;

Figure 8 is a view in vertical section through the pressure plate in its modified form;

Figure 9 is a perspective view of the pawl and ratchet mechanism used in the modified form of pressure plate; and

Figure 10 is a perspective view of the automatic pressure lock lever.

The tray I is an open rectangular container, preferably constructed of sheet metal and having a capacity of several hundred cards 2 arranged to stand on edge in a single row from front to rear. The cards 2 are preferably somewhat longer than the standard cards supplied for ordinary filing systems, being, say, 7 by 3% inches, and hence the interior of the tray is dimensioned to the size of the cards and the number to be accommodated.

Except for certain details of construction to be presently described, there is nothing novel in the construction of the tray. It will therefore be described briefly. The front end wall 3 of the tray is preferably of a tapered double wall construction (as shown in Figures 4 and 5) with an intermediate space for the mounting of a vertically extensible U-shaped handle 4, which normally drops into retracted position with its slightly ofiset cross bar 4 flush with the top edge of the drawer. This handle is slidably supported in a fixed bracket 5 mounted between the front wall sections, and in extended position is used for lifting the tray from the cabinet and also for carrying the tray in a depending vertical position to and from the machine. The rear wall of the tray consists of a short wall section 6 extending upwardly from its bottom and across the top is a cross bar 6 leaving a rectangular opening of about two inches between and located substantially midway the height of the drawer. for the removal of the follower or pressure plate assembly, as will hereinafter appear.

The side walls l, i are vertical, although the upper half sections are offset outwardly by the shaping of the walls with narrow transverse offsets l' l a short distance below the horizontal center line of the drawer (Figure 3). Extending downwardly from the top edges of the side walls are angular wall segments 8, 8 with their upper edges secured between U-shaped bends I along the upper edges of the main side wall sections and thence offset inwardly with their lower vertical portions substantially in the plane of the lower sections of the side walls but spaced therefrom to form inwardly facing slots opening into narrow vertical guide or trackways extending the full length on the inside of the tray. In the upper portion of the trackways and just above The purpose of this opening is primarily the entrance slot thereto are downwardly facing rack members 9, 9 consisting of U-shaped strips welded in place, just above the lower edge of the wall segments 8, and having a multiplicity of uniformly spaced square holes punched in the transverse web 9 to form the rack bars. These inwardly facing trackways house the members which support the pressure plate assembly or carriage, the main member thereof being a vertical pressure plate iii extending transversely of the tray and supported at its ends for sliding movement in said trackways.

A horizontal shaft H is journalled on the back of the plate substantially midway between its top and bottom edges and extending beyond the side edges thereof. At each end of the shaft is fixed a pinion l2 meshing with a corresponding rack 9, while immediately inside of the pinions are plate supporting shoes i3, i3 sliding on the lower track flanges l l The shaft l l is journalled in bearing sleeves M mounted in the bearing brackets 15, E5, the same being extensions of the rearwardly bent end flanges ii] of the plate so that the shaft is spaced a short distance from the rear face, substantially midway of its height, say, of an inch therefrom. Moreover, these bearing brackets have projecting ears or lugs I5, I5 extending rearwardly beyond the bearing sleeves it, i l, with their top edges forming upwardly facing stop shoulders as shown in Figure 2, which coact with lugs on the shoes l3, presently to be identified.

. The shoes 53, i3, consisting of metal plates having outwardly projecting flanges i3, I3 along their top and bottom edges, respectively, are fixed at one end to the outer ends of the bearing sleeves It, i l and hence lie outside of the end flanges Id of the plate and substantially flush against the pinions in fact, the upper and lower flanges w !3 of the shoes extend outwardly, transversing the plane of the pinions. These shoes 13 extend longitudinally of the trackways and in a forward direction, that is, toward the front end of the tray with their lower flanges [3 in sliding contact with the bottom track surfaces l' while the pinions 12 mesh with the racks 9 above. Thus in the movement of the pressure plate assembly the shaft l I rotates in one direction or the other by reason of the intermeshing of the racks and pinions, while the plate slides on the lower flanges E3 of the shoes l3, it being noted that while the diameter of the pinions is about the same as the width of the shoes, the latter' are offset slightly below the axis of the shaft so that it is necessary to cut away the adjacent portions of the upper and lower shoe flanges to permit the pinions to mesh with the rack and at the same time clear the bottom flanges of the shoes, as shown in Figure 2.

At this point it may be explained that the plate assembly is inserted into the tray from the rear end and hence the purpose of the opening in the rear wall. The trackways are likewise open at their rear ends so that by inserting the shoes end foremost into the trackways and then meshing the pinions with the rack, the plate can be slid forward into the tray, although care has to be exercised in entering the pinions into engagement with the racks since a displacement of even one tooth would throw the plate into an oblique position and cause faulty action. It should be also noted in this connection that the plate it is higher than the opening in the rear wall of the tray, so that provision is made for turning or tilting the plate into a horizontal position during the assembling operation. Normally, the plate is firmly held in a vertical position, that is, at right angles to the shoes l3, l3, which are held in horizontal positions within the trackways, this relationship being maintained by hearing contact between the lugs ifi iEi on the flanged side edges of the plate and a pair of inwardly bent lugs l3, i3 at the rear ends of the shoes it. These lugs are located adjacent the upper edges of the shoes and lie above the lugs l5, l5 with their lower edges bearing crosswise against the latter, thus holding the plate against turning or tilting forwardly in a counter-clockwise direction, as viewed in Figure 2. But in addition to these pairs of coacting lugs i3 and which can only prevent the rotation of the plate in one direction, iere is mounted on the left-hand end flange Et of the plate it (Figure 2) and directly above the shaft 3 i, a plate 66 having a finger-like projection ii: curving downwardly beyond the shaft and terminating in a stop shoulder spaced above and opposite the shoulder of the lug the space between them forming a notch in which the lug 53 of the adjacent shoe is normally locked. But this plate it? can be readily bent by using a pointed instrument, such as a screw driver, until the finger-like lug I-3' is pressed inwardly beyond the end of the lug W on the shoe, as shown in dotted lines in Figure 2, thereby releasing the same so that the entire plate can be tilted rearwardly into a horizontal position, thus permitting it to pass through the opening in the rear wall of the tray during the assembly opera tion, and when the plate has cleared the opening it is swung back to its vertical position and locked in place by bending the lug i6 back into its normal plane. This operation, however, is only performed in the initial assembling operation or when making repairs.

This completes the mounting of the plate assembly in the tray, and the following is a dis-- cussion of the mechanism associated with the pressure plate for manually operating the in the act of inserting and removing the cards from the tray. In so far as the plate serves as an adjustable support or backing for support ing varying members of cards upright and more or less closely stacked against the front end of the tray, it performs much the same function as the slidable follower plate with which the ordinary card index drawers trays are equipped. But in addition it has other functions of vital importance in the filing of cards used in tabulating machines. In the first plase, it is essential that the plate exert more than ordinary pressure upon the cards not only to keep them uniformly smooth and protect their edges against scuffing and roughness, but to hold the cards in the tray while it is being carried to and from the tabulating machine. Hence the plate must be positive in its movement and action so that once the plate is brought up against the cards with sufficient force to hold the cards in a state of compression, it will be locked in place without danger of subsequent slippage or release or" the pressure. This manifestly necessitates a positive locking mechanism and at'the same time: manually operative means for releasing the plate assembly when cards are to be removed or inserted.

The operating mechanism is located at one end of the plate or at the ri ht, as shown in ures 2 and 3, although it is normally concealed beneath a removable cover plate hereafter to be described. Mounted on the shaft ll inwardly from its right-hand end and fixed thereto is a ratchet Wheel IT, with the radial faces of its teeth facing a counter-clockwise direction (Fig. ures 4 and 5). On the back of the plate, just inwardly beyond the ratchet wheel ll, is welded a vertical L-shaped bracket I8 having a transverse web l8 supporting one end of a horizontal pin bearing 59, the other end of said pin being mounted in the adjacent end flange it of the plate. The transverse flange Id of this bracket i3 is preferably extended downwardly in the form of a foot which seats in the groove formed by the U-shaped flange Ni along the bottom of the plate and is likewise extended upwardly in a curved finger-like projection ill passing up wardly and over the shaft but not actually bearing against it, the purpose of this finger being to restrain the shaft from springing axially in case the force applied through the ratchet i5 is sufficient to overcome its natural stiffness, while additional reinforcement is given to the bracket by seating its lower end in the groove at the base of the plate.

Now the chief purpose of the pin i9 is to provide a fixed journal bearing for a pawl member coacting with the ratchet wheel ill on the shaft II. This pawl member is a combination in one piece of the pawl proper 20 and a; lever 2i having a finger-piece located at the upper righthand corner of the plate it, as shown in. Figure 2. The pawl member 2E! is preferably a onepiece stamping of sheet metal and includes also a bearing at the base of the pawl proper consisting of a U-shaped member with spaced ears 20 26 with apertures through which the pin it extends. The pawl proper 2& has the form of a wide blade extending vertically upward from the central portion of the bearing with its tip end bent at a slight angle toapproach the toothed periphery of the ratchet tangentially. Moreover, the pawl is preferably constructed of a double thickness of sheet metal by welding another blade-like segment 26 to the inner face of the main portion of the pawl with the outer ends of each being beveled to the angle of the ratchet teeth so that two adjacent teeth contact with the pawl when the ratchet is engaged thereby, thus insuring a more positive locking engagement between the pawl and the ratchet teeth.

The pawl is thus mounted for a limited rocking movement on the pin i9, and in order to hold the pawl in alignment with the ratchet wheel and prevent it from sliding endwise on the pin, a stop member 22 is welded to the back of the plate Hi just above the pin and to the right of the pawl. This stop member is simply an l,- shaped strip of metal having a vertical lug 212 at its inner end projecting outwardly from the plate just beyond the right-hand ear 2t of the pawl bearing, so that the latter is confined between said lug and the bracket 98.

The lever completes the one-piece pawl member 26 and consists of a vertical bar 2% extending edgewise between the shaft H and the back of the plate ill, and having at its extremity an enlarged rectangular plate bent transversely thereto to form the finger-piece 2 l spaced from but parallel with the upper right-hand corner of the plate.

Immediately behind the finger-piece 2t and in vertical alignment therewith is a leaf spring 23 formed of a strip of spring steel and bent into a general 8-shape, but more specifically into an elongated W when observed edgewise (Figure The upper portion of the spring thus has the form of a rearwardly facing V with its upper free end bearing against the back of the fingerpiece Ri its apex against the plate being substantially midway of its height, and continuing downwardly the lower branch of the V-portion bears against the pin it, having a half rounded bend 23 to provide a fulcrum on said pin l9, whereupon the lower extremity of the spring extends downwardly and inwardly bearing at its end against the lower edge of the plate It. Perhaps the shaping of the spring may be simplified by merely explaining that its purpose is to exert pressure outwardly against the end of the lever ill and thus hold the pawl in toothed engagement with the ratchet wheel which in turn holds the shaft l I against rotation in a clockwise direction, that is, the direction it would turn in sliding the plate rearwardly or away from the contents of the tray. Manifestly, however, the pawlengaged ratchet does not prevent the shaft from rotating when the plate is shifted forwardly, inasmuch as the pawl would simply click over the ratchet teeth when the pawl is released unless the operator presses forwardly on the fingerpiece M while sliding the plate forwardly at the same time, as shown in Figure l.

And finally, to complete the operating mechanism of the plate assembly, provision is made for preventing the accidental release of the pawl while the loaded tray is being carried in a vertical position by the handle l. Should this occur, it is apparent that the plate would drop and allow the cards to fall out. To avoid such an occurrence a gravity locking member 2&3 is mounted on the end flange Hi of the plate It just behind the finger-piece Zi and consisting of a short bar loosely pivoted on a transverse pin 24 When the tray is in its normal horizontal position the bar hangs vertically and is inoperative, as shown in full lines in Figure 5, but when the tray is in vertical position rear end downwardly, the bar 2 swings freely into a position above and transversely of the finger piece, as shown in dotted lines in Figure 5, thus automatically locking the same so that it cannot be released while the tray is in vertical position.

As heretofore stated, the exposed moving parts of the pressure plate operating mechanism, with the exception of the finger-piece 2 l of the pawl release lever, are enclosed by a removable cover plate 25 extending vertically from a point just above the shaft 9 l downwardly to the bottom edge of the plate and horizontally from the left end of the plate to and slightly beyond the bracket i8 for supporting the inner end of the pin bearing I9. Cross sectionally, as shown in Figure 8, the cover plate extends rearwardly at right angles to the back of the plate along its upper edge and thence downwardly and inwardly around the shaft l I terminating in a vertical panel fitting into the groove at the bottom of the plate. The removable mounting of this cover plate is accomplished by first inserting its lower flanged edge into said groove formed by the wide U-shaped flange 99'" along the bottom of the plate it and then springing its upper edge beneath the slightly upturned bottom edge of a locking plate 25 welded to the back of the plate it! and extending the length of the upper edge of the cover plate. Thus with the cover plate in place it not only protects the operator against contact with the parts carried on the back of the pressure plate, but the rounded portion provides a convenient hand-hold for shifting the pressure plate and particularly for drawing it firmly against the cards.

From the foregoing description of the pressure plate assembly its operation in applying pressure against the cards will be readily understood from the following:

Assuming that the tray has its full complement of cards and it is desired to place them under pressure, the operator grasps the plate with one hand and pulls it forwardly with sufficient physical force to compress the cards and hold them firmly in place. During this forward movement of the plate the pinions on the ends of the shaft meshing with the racks along the trackways cause the shaft l l to rotate in a clockwise direction in Figures 4 and 5, so that the pawl, merely clicks over the ratchet wheel. However, when the plate reaches its extreme forward position the pawl locks the ratchet and prevents the shaft from turning in opposite direction and hence the plate is positively anchored in place. Only by pressing on the release lever is it possible to shift the plate rearwardly and thus relieve the pressure on the cards so that they can be removed. Similarly by applying a continuous pressure on the release lever 2f the plate can. slide freely in either direction, thus suggesting the desirability of pressing the finger piece while drawing the plate up against the cards and thus avoid the clicking sound that would otherwise be objectionable.

However, with a slight modification in the corn struction of the pawl and ratchet mechanism, the pawl can be normally held out of engagement with the ratchet except when the plate is in actual contact with the cards, thus permitting the plate to shift freely in the tray exceptwhen actually brought into contact with the cards. This modified design or arrangement is disclosed in Figures 3 to 10, and the essential difference in construction is the addition of a card actuated pressure lock lever mounted on the bearing pin i9 and located between the spring 28 and the plate l0. As shown in Figure 10 this lever has a U-shaped bearing portion Zi providing pair of parallel ears 27 2'i with aligned apertures through which the pin it passes, and extending upwardly is a contact finger ii'i having its lower portion bent to project forwardly toward the plate ill at an angle of 45 and an upper or top portion bent rearwardly at an angle of 90 thus providing a knuckle which projects through a vertical slot 29 cut in the plate near its upper right-hand corner. The spring 28 is of practically the same shape as the spring 23 previously described, except that the upper end portion, that is, the portion above the fulcrum point is somewhat shorter because the spring now bears at the apex of the upper V- portion against the lock lever 2? just below the base of the finger Zl instead of against the back of the plate, although the tip end of the spring contacts at the same point on the back of the re lease lever 2 i.

Thus it will be seen that by exerting pressure against the lock lever from the front side of the plate 58, as actually occurs when the plate is drawn up against the cards 2, the said lever is swung rearwardly until the knuckle of the finger 2'. is flush with the plate, and by this movement the spring 28 is flexed at its fulcrum. on the bearing pin it! forcing its upper V-portion rearwardly and simultaneously swinging the release lever ti rearwardly to its dotted line position as shown in Figure 8. Now this movement of the release lever Zil swings the pawl into engage dent with the ratchet wheel il with the result that when the lock lever is pressed inwardly (and this is done automatically when the plate is drawn up against the cards), the pawl and release lever are operative in exactly the same way as they would operate with the lock lever omitted or as previously described, that is to say, the release lever 2! can be manipulated in the usual way to disengage the pawl and thus permit the plate to be shifted rearwardly. And also, when the pressure of the cards against the trip lever is relieved, as when the release lever is manually operated to allow the plate to be shifted rearwardly, the said lock lever 21 resumes its normal position under the tension of the spring 2% by a slight forward rocking movement. Now this rocking movement is transmitted to the release lever 2i through the coaction of a lug 2'3' projecting upwardly and outwardly from the top edge of the left-hand ear El of the bearing portion Iiiof the lock lever, this lug overlying the front edge of the vertical arm 2| of the release lever as clearly shown in Figure 9.

Hence it will be seen that the essential difference between the two arrangements is the fact that in the latter form the pawl is out of engagement with the ratchet when the plate is out of contact with the cards, permitting the entire plate assembly to slide freely in either direction and it is only when the pressure of the cards presses the loclr lever inwardly that the plate is locked against rearward movement. The plate, however can be moved forwardly to still further increase the pressure on the cards, but with the pawl clicking over the ratchet teeth, unless the fingcr-piece of the release lever is manually pressed forward at the same time. Moreover, the release lever El is operative independently of the lock lever 2'1, but only when the latter is pressed against the cards, since the primary function of the lock lever is to hold the pawl out of engagement with the ratchet wheel at all times, except when the plate is actually pressed against the cards.

Of the two arrangements, the first form is perhaps the more positive in that the pawl and ratchet are always in engagement except when thrown out or tripped by the pressure of the finger against the release lever. In the modified arrangement the pawl and ratchet are disengaged except when the plate is in actual contact with the cards, and while this eliminates the objectionable clicking of the pawl over the ratchet (unless the operator remembers to press the release lever), there are conditions under which the plate might not be pressed against the cards quite firmly enough to press the lock lever inwardly to its fullextent, with the result that the pawl might slip over the ratchet teeth and permit the plate to slide rearwardly by accident, which would be quite inconvenient should the operator be carrying the tray in vertical position when this occurred. However, the probability of this occurring is quite remote, so that it is largely a matter of choice whether the automatic feature is to be supplied or omitted, depending on the wishes of the user.

The device may be otherwise modified without departing from the spirit of the invention, and therefore it is to be understood that I do not intend to be confined to the precise disclosure herein except is so far as set forth in the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a card-holding device, the combination with a container, of a pressure plate extending crosswise of said container and slidably mounted therein, a transverse shaft journalled on said plate having pinions mounted at its ends and a ratchet wheel intermediate its ends, said pinions meshing with racks extending lengthwise of said container, a pawl mounted on said plate for movement into and out of engagement with said ratchet wheel, tension means acting to yieldingly hold said pawl in ratchet engaging position, a lever operative manually to release said pawl from said ratchet wheel, and a locking member loosely pivoted on said plate behind said lever and adapted to move by gravity into position to lock said lever against movement when the container is carried in vertical position.

2. In a card-holding device, the combination with a container, of a pressure plate extending crosswise of said container and mounted thereon for sliding movement lengthwise thereof, a transverse shaft journalled on said plate and having pinions mounted at its ends and a ratchet wheel intermediate its ends, said container having racks extending lengthwise thereof and adapted to be engaged by said pinions, a pawl mounted on said plate for rocking movement into and out of engagement with said ratchet wheel, a release lever connected with said pawl, a spring acting on saidlever to resist its movement in a direction to disengage said pawl and ratchet wheel, and means for automatically locking said release lever when said container is carried in vertical position.

3. In a card-holding device, the combination with a tray having inwardly facing trackways extending lengthwise of the sides thereof, of a shiftable carriage extending transversely of said tray and comprising a pressure plate slidably mounted at its ends in said trackways, a transverse shaft journalled on the rear face of said plate and having pinions fixed to its ends beyond the side edges of said plate, said trackways including downwardly facing racks meshing with said pinions, a ratchet wheel fixed on said shaft, a pawl mounted on said plate adjacent said ratchet wheel for rocking motion into and out of engagement with the teeth thereof, a pawl release lever integral with said pawl and having a finger-piece located adjacent the upper edge of said plate and spaced therefrom, and a leaf spring mounted between said plate and said lever and bearing at vertically spaced points on said plate and lever to normally hold said pawl in ratchet engaging position thereby locking said carriage against movement in one direction.

4. In a card-holding device, the combination with a tray having inwardly facing trackways extending the length of its side walls, of a shiftable carriage extending transversely of said tray and comprising an upright plate supported by said trackways for sliding movement lengthwise of said tray, a transverse shaft journalled on said plate substantially midway of its height, pinions fixed to the ends of said shaft, racks included in said trackways and meshing wtih said pinions whereby said shaft is rotated in the sliding movement of said carriage, pawl and ratchet mechanism carried by said plate and shaft and including tension means for normally holding the pawl in engagement with said ratchet, whereby said plate is locked against movement in a rearward direction, a release lever connected with said pawl and having a finger-piece spaced from the plate, and a locking member consisting of a bar loosely pivoted on said plate adjacent said finger-piece and adapted to swing by gravity into a position in the path of movement of said finger-piece to automatically lock the same against movement when said tray is supported in a vertical position.

5. In a card-holding device, the combination with a container, of a pressure plate extending transversely of said container and slidably supported therein, a transverse shaft journalled on said plate, pinions fixed to the ends of said shaft and engaging racks extending lengthwise of said container, whereby said shaft is rotated in the sliding movement of said plate, a ratchet wheel fixed to said shaft, a pawl carried by said plate and shiftable into and out of engagement with said ratchet wheel, and a lever operatively connected with said pawl and extending forwardly of said plate to be actuated by the pressure of said cards thereagainst to shift said pawl into engagement with said ratchet wheel.

6. In a card-holding device, the combination with a container, of a pressure plate extending transversely of said container and slidably supported therein, a transverse shaft journalled on said plate, pinions fixed to the ends of said shaft and engaging racks extending lengthwise of said container, whereby said shaft is rotated in the sliding movement of said plate, a ratchet wheel fixed to said shaft, a pawl journalled on said plate engageable with said ratchet wheel, a spring acting on said pawl to normally hold the same out of ratchet-engaging position, and a lever operatively connected with said pawl and having a portion projecting through an aperture in said pressure plate, whereby said lever is actuated by the pressure of said cards to automaticaL- ly shift said pawl into engagement with said ratchet wheel.

7. In a card-holding device, the combination with a tray having inwardly facing trackways exending the length of its side walls, of a shiftable carriage extending transversely of said tray and comprising an upright plate supported by said trackways for sliding movement lengthwise of said tray, a transverse shaft journalled in said plate substantially midway of its height, pinions fixed to the ends of said shaft, racks included in said trackways and meshing with said pinions whereby said shaft is rotated in the sliding movement of said carriage, a ratchet wheel fixed to said shaft, a pawl mounted on said plate to rock into and out of engagement with said ratchet wheel, a release lever integral with said pawl, a spring acting on said release lever to oppose its movement to release said pawl, and a lock lever pivotally mounted on said plate and having a finger projecting forwardly of the front face thereof, said lock lever acting through said spring to shift said pawl into engagement with the ratchet when said plate is shifted into contact with the cards.

8. In a card-holding device, the combination with a container having trackways extending lengthwise of its side walls and a transverse opening in one of its end walls, of a pressure plate comprising a horizontal shaft on which said plate is journalled and having shoes at each end thereof shiftably mounted on said trackways, and interlocking members on one of said shoes and said plate for normally retaining said plate in vertical position on said shaft and capable of being disconnected to permit said plate to be tilted toward a horizontal position for passage through said opening in the end of said container.

9. In a card-holding device, the combination with a container in which the cards are stacked in upright position, of a pressure plate assembly slidably mounted in said container and comprising a normally vertical plate, a horizontal shaft on which said plate is journalled and having radially disposed shoes mounted at each end thereof for sliding movement in trackways ex tending lengthwise of the side Walls of said container, the rear end Wall thereof having a transverse opening exposing the ends of said trackways, and means for effecting the ready removal and replacement of said pressure plate assembly in said container including contacting lugs on one of said shoes and the adjacent end of said plate and acting to lock the latter from turning on said shaft in one direction, and a complementary lug on said plate normally engaging said lug on the shoe for holding the plate against turning in the opposite direction, said last mentioned lug being movable out of the path of said lug on the shoe to permit said plate to be tilted into horizontal position during its passage through the opening on the end Wall of the container.

DAVID E. HUNTER.

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