US2150518A - Loose-leaf filing apparatus - Google Patents

Description

March 14,1939. R F, ER; 2,150,518-

LOOSE- LEAF FILING APPARATUS Filed NOV. 2, 1956 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Fig.1.

i- I 4 36 8 5 I fi 9 H w 28 A 12 I J I9 IHVEHTOR R.F.POWER En" v 'moswn' March 14, 1939.

R .F; POWER LOOSE-LEAF FILING APPARATUS Filed Nov 2, 1936 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Toma @1 44;

V March 14, 1939.

R. F. POWER LOOSE-LEAF FILING APPARATUS Filed Nov. 2, 1936 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 36 35 INVEHTOR R.F. ow

ATTORNEY R! F. P OWER I LOOSE-LEAF FILING APPARATUS March 14, 1939.

Filed Nov. 2, 195 5"Sheets-Sheet 4 INVEHTOR R.FI POWER ATTORNEY 'March 14, 1939. R F PQWER 2,150,518

LOOSE-LEAF FILING APPARATUS Filed Nov. 2, 1956 s Sheets-Sheet 5 m'vrmoa R.F. POWER 7 ATTORNEY PatentedMar.14,1939 i 2 50 5 8 i 12,150,518 v V g f I LO0SE-LEAF FIIJNGAPPARATUS] Richard Fitz Power, Hampstead, London, Eng-X 7 .land, tassignor to Morland & Impey Limited,

Birmingham, England p 1 b I ' Application'November 2, 1936, Serial No. 108,908 In Great Britain November 6, 1935 a o v i 14 Claims. 7 (01. 129-,-16) 1- 1 1 This invention trelatesfto ,loosele'af filing'ap the full height of the 'she'etsinthe tr'ays,which paratus... j ff, Y sheets'rest on their edgesl' In accounting machine methodsat, present in It "hasbeen proposed in patent specification use" loose sheets,generallyreferred' to as ledger 'Noq 1,330,301 dated February- 1920, Henry 5 sheets, are arranged in" trays and forreference C. Brown, to construct'a cabinet with trayswhich are separated-by index, cards, and because these hinge about the front of the cabinet when drawn sheets are normally 'resting'pn edge, have 'tojbe forward; tilt downwardly and'then" become suscut from a relatively sjtoutflmaterial; fGenerally pended, the sheets being stored flat in -the cabinet speaking the'stoutness oi such sheetsis as great on the back platezof the tray and stood onedge 10 as possible cQrnmensurateWith the capacity of Ion the floor of the tray when it is suspended. 10 ,the sheets to pass throughitypewriting machines 1 7 Such construction including a-backfplatefixedat T and, consequently; a tray ofisheetsfis of such right angles t'o the floor formsnopart of the weight that, operators cannot easily carry thempresent'inv'ention. i I about. f; 1, N The main object of the present invention is to v15 -To inake these index' traysportable, they were provide animproved filing apparatus in which vmounted .on trolleys. A V relativelythinsheets"such'as ledger sheets may Looseleafledgers are also employed in present, be employed, hence. large capacity obtains, and accounting machinemethods. to provide means "so'thatthe sheets-when'not' in A loose'leaf ledger is aubook with a binding use can be laid flat in the same way as-ii they 2O emdnismwhmn can' bereleased in jorder to ,were in a looseleaf book whilethe advantage of allow. sheets to be separated'ff or reference or to a filing cabinet is retained. I 1 moi/ sheetirorn .thefbook or" to insert :or A filing cabinet construction according to the replace a sheetl' fj present invention'cornprises'drawers which, when ,To permitfiready,referencetcthe records on 'dravvn' forvvar'd fromf'thecabinet to constitute a sheet in a"book*'the bihdin'g'mec'hanism of "trays, provides in each such tray a rear wall or 25 whichghas beenflposenedjto permit" reference,"it end plate fixed at an obtuse an'g le' to the floor is necessary to" enteriall' records outside that of the tray on which the sheets are supported marginaltarea 'of the "sheets located Within the so that the tray may be-tiltedback on the fixed binding mechanism. Suchmargin'a1 area ofv a plate to'storethe'sheetsin the cabinet inflat f sheet is accordingly not available for. recordsj condition, and a front-endplate adjustable so 30 gHowever;,,beca-use the sheets vare in book form as to be set at an obtuse angle to the floor where-- andcan belaid fiat forstora'ge it is, not necessary. by the requiredworkingw' may be obtained. to have such stout sheets aarefernployed on The invention comprises also the tray itself havtrays, accordingly a;looseleaf"b'ook offers a greating the fixed. obtuse end-plate at on'e'end and 5 er capacity for a givenivvight whilst advantage theadjustable end plate'atthe other end.

of portability'lis obtainedgl b p It may here be explained that in referring to To reduce the size of thesheets or to use fewer the sheets such-as ledger sheets in filing systems sheets on ialtray to rnake, trays more portable "of the kind referred to, after the sheet to which would result in: areduced capacity. i j reference-is requiredhas been found, the sheets 40 2' f tfi'th conten er a tray may be are separatdand'are then set at an inclination -10 readily a pft ihed, -men proposed tomake to one'another" and to the vertical. The oper- "a; cabinet withslidingjdrawers each of them oonator then separatesthe dg of the sh ts n stituted by a tray, and this has the advantage which the sheetsare rested Q that, inside that the contents a r e covered when not .in use W n Inverted truncated "triangle Obtains 0 and if the cabinet ismade from sheet metal some Ponstltuted byvthe'efiges of sheets whlch m Protecti n against the effects of fire 'is provided. separated. n the the P tray" An advanta e however of a'c'abinet is that the equal to the Space between the bottom edges of f the sheets. This inverted truncated triangleis ,m f y,? e assembled {01 'ready termed in the art a working v and is'to be, f f n i 1t Betsy 9 1 the distinguished fror'n'an ordinary v-such as would 0 ami h t eqm p I obtain whenthe pagesoia book'ha'ving'a fixed In s n t cti ns h trays are removable bindingare opened or the cards ofi-a card index ,I I d sposa KL YS. and generally Sp k are separated at their upper edgesfor reference I in u i n uct o e d p ho h mp rv while 'the" bottom edges still touch. a

t5 r nent iin't he cabinet is suchf'as' to accommodate 'The operator having foundthe sheet: required form so that in using trays or drawers according to the invention the advantage is obtained that the sheets may be front fed into a typewriter or calculating machine instead of at the backofthe platen, a process of operation which isessential where sheets are cut away in the marginal area to provide lugs interlocking with binding. mechanism. Further, as the latter type of sheet must be relatively stout to produce the desired mechanical effect it follows that the thin sheets available in constructions according to the invention provide a muchgreater capacity for such record holding devices than if the sheets are required to interlock as heretofore mentioned. Y

A further advantage arising out of constructions according to the invention is that the rolling or curving, of sheets resulting from using the sheets ina typewriter is eliminatedas the sheets are restored to fiat condition by their own weight and attitude when not inuse. Moreover, being fiat when not used, there is no tendency for the bottom edgesto roll or curve as may result when sheets are stored in vertical condition. as in the so-called vertical file.

In one practical embodiment of the invention the drawer of the cabinet includes a rear plate fixed with regard to the floor of the tray on which the sheets rest and a front plate hinged below the floor on a slidable hinge member so thatthe working V is obtained throughout variations in g the capacity of the tray.

The rear plate may be provided with lugs or rollers which co-operate with rails in the cabinet by which thetray, on being pulled out'of the cabinet, is tilted and finally suspended from the cabinet with the floor in horizontaldisposition.

, When removed the tray may, by means of the lugs on the back plate, besuspended from a stand for readyreference, and the stand may be provided with wheels. to minimise the effort of moving the tray. I

The invention comprises also a filing tray including a fixed end plateat one end, disposed at an obtuse angle to the tray fioorso that the tray may be tilted, back on to the-fixed plate to store the sheet'sin the tray in fiat condition, and

a movable end'plate at the other end, the movable plate being hinged below the floor for the sheets and comprising an abutment co-operating with the floorto dispose the movable plate to provide, the working V in the sheets; an abutment may also be provided in the movable plate to locate the movable end plate inwardly of the .tray in substantial parallelism with the fixed plate so that the. sheets on the tray lie between the plates as the pages of a book are disposed between its covers when the tray'is tilted back on the fixed end plate to store'the sheets in the 'tray in flat condition.

The floor. of the tray may overlap a channel which forms a housing for a slidable member on which the movable end plate is hinged. and

for actuating, means for the slide to enforce movement of the movable end plate to adjust the capacity of the tray. 7

The abutment for the movable end plate may ,4 are disposed in a horizontal supported.

be included in an attachment at the foot of the plate, the attachment being formed to engage against the underside of the floor andthe base of the tray on which the end plate is hinged to dis- --eXample preferred embodiments thereof.

In the drawings: Fig. 1 is a pictorial view of a cabinet formed from sheet metal and including drawers in the form of trays according to the present invention; Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation through the trays taken on the line II-II of Figure 3; Fig. 3 being a section taken on the line III-III of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is an underside plan of the tray when disposed as shown in Fig. 2, and Fig.5 is a side elevation-ofthe tray to reduced scale showing the disposition of the parts of the tray when placed back in the cabinet or'otherwise disposed to store the sheets in fiat condition.

Figs 6 and 7 show in front and side elevation respectivelythe end plate used in the construction illustrated in Figs. 1 to 5 with the slidable hinged member omitted, .and I Fig. 8 is a fragmentary pictorial detail view looking down from inside the end plate, which is indicated in broken, lines only, with parts broken away to show more clearly the end plate adjusting mechanism illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2;

Figs. 9 and 10 show in side and front elevation respectively oneform of stand which may be used with a tray accordingtothe invention, and

Figs. 11 and 12 show respectively'in'side elevation and front elevation a modified form of rear wall or end plate .for the tray to include a mov- ,a tray for ledger sheets.

Each tray includes a rear end plate 2; a base '3 and a floor 4 on which the lower edges of the ledger sheets 5 rest when the-tray is operative,

and a movable front end platefi.

When the tray is operative the base 3 and floor plane as clearly indicated in Figures 1 and 2. When, however, the tray is a drawer in the cabinet I then the rear end plate 2 is horizontal-as clearly shown in Figure 5-and the base 3 is disposed in. the drawer] opening at the front of thecabinet (see also Fig. 1).

In the construction shown the rear plate '2 is fixed to the base 3 atIan obtuse angle and the front plate 6 ishinged on the base 3, that is to say, below the floor 4' on which the sheets are The cabinet I is provided in eachdrawer space with rails l, the configuration of whichlis clearly shown ,in Figure 5, on which travel rollers 8 mounted at the top of the'rear plate 2.

To draw forwardthe tray from the cabinet it ism erely pulled. forward and the rollers 8 run along the rails 1 and because of the configuration A openings lll lsee Figure v bedrawn forward from the cabinet.

., Although the tray suspended in front of thespacing ,of the rail stop Sirom 7 drawer space, the "tray may be lifted vertically so ,asto clear the stops and be carried to a desk or To assist in keeping channel (see Figure of therails the rollers 8 rise until they engage stops 9 at the forward endof the rails. l l

Inithis drawnforward'position thetray is sus-. pended from the rails as indicated in Figure 1 and in this position the tray is in operative conditions, the floor, 4 is horizontal, the front wall 6 maybe rocked forward and the working-V created. 4

.To facilitate disposal of the tray in operative position in the cabinet" the base 3 is provided with for operation by reason. of the cabinet "is ready the top, of the tr ney, stand or the like as desired. a

Toper mit this removal of the tray from the cabinet sidewalls. I I may be provided withopen- .ings 12, thereby providing handles on the side walls H by which ried.

the tray may beeasily car- The sheets being always in a flat condition as illustratedin Figure 5, when not in use are very much thinner than the usual ledger sheet employed in a tray, these thin sheets being grouped between index plates. L3 only one of which is shown for. the sake of clearness and which, whether in the operative or flat condition of the sheets, holds the latter so that the lower edges are not crumpled or otherwisedetrimentally aflected, having in mind' that it is required'to pass these sheets into a typewriter and quite generally to introduce the sheets into the typewriter byfeeding the sheet by its lower edge in frontof the platen. I

the sheets together, partithrown back into the cularly when the tray is l3 may be cabinet, the surface of the plates serrated or roughened. to provide. a frictional surface tending to.-hold the'luxtaposed; sheet .to

the index plater Convenientlyv the index plates may be formed from aluminium and their surface roughened by sandblasting. I e r As most clearly shown-in Figures 3 and 8, the

' floor 4 of the tray at. its middle. part overlaps andnis', connected tothe walls of a channel l4 fixed on the'base 3 of the tray. This channel 7 formsa housing for a sliding member l5 (see also Figure 2) carrying a hinge pin l 6.for the. front. plate 6 and a threaded bushing 1.1 for a threaded spindle: [8. having an operating knob l9.

. The spindle I8 is secured in a bracket 20 at the back of the tray by a nut member 20a'constructed'to. prevent axial displacement so that rotation of the member l8-causes longitudinal displacement of the sliding member l5 and a consequential-lateral displacement of thehinge obtain the working-V (while the edges 24 of the wings are formed so that when theedges 24 he on the base of the .channell l, the front plate'li is substantially parallel with the, fixed-rear plate 2.

It will be observed that in such a construction 1) by which the traylcan through the attachment 2| material just referred to.

' pulled open. .plates l3 and the wings 22 locate thef front plate'6 in its two limit positions regardless of whatever, adjustment of the front plate .6 hasbeen effectcdby operating the knob 19 to-varythe capacity of the tray.

. As most clearly, shown inFigures Band 8 the floor 4 of/the tray includesfldepressions 25, on which ride lugs Z IYforrn ed at the lower edge. of the front plate'fi. vSimilar lugs l3darelalsoprovided on the. index plates l3, which latter also include lugs 21 (see Figures 2 ;and3)- which depend into the channel l4 and areaper tured in order to be threaded over a, rod 28 secured/just below the floor of the tray and which Qpasses also of the front plate 6.

It will be noted that, the loweredges of the index plates I3 and l the lugs l3aand 26 respectivelyQraised from the floorsofthetray n 2 of the front plate 6, are, .by l

The base 3 of the tray. mayinclude depressions ZQKsee particularly. Figs. land ,3) for the reception of labels or other indicating means.

From the foregoing, it will be understoodthat when an operatorhas drawn forward the] tray and disposed it in suspended'position in front of the cabinet or has withdrawn the drawer'..and placed it on a desk or table for referencehe then merely has to swing forward the front "plate 6 on itshinge pin l6 in order to create the desired working-V...;-The operator will thenopen the,

file at the desired. index plate 13' and will move the plate 13 and the sheets in front of the plate, that is towards the operator, up to theend. plate 6, thereby producing the working-V between .the index plate and the sheets 5 immediately to the rear of it which v are the sheets to which the operator wishes to refer. In this ope-ration the lugs I30; on the index plates will move along the de= pressions 25,the lower edges proper of-the plates l3 being clear of the-floor 4, and the index plates =will turn about their points of support in the depressions 2 5,,that is to say, the index plates will hinge below the floor 4 whatever their position thereon and accordingly assist whenbeing turned'to pushthe ledger sheets. 5v between them and thereby open the file.

In order to assure this pivoting orjhinging of the, index plates below the floorsurface; 4,,that

is, below the plane containing the lower edgesfof 1 the sheets in the file, the depressions 25 may be providedvwith strips of serrated or roughened fabric or metal. For instance, the strips maybe made of that fabric material termed ,corduroy, in which. case the fabric would be 50 arranged that the ribs of the materiallie parallelly withthe edges of the sheet to form a series of teeth between which the lugs l3a of the index plates may be lodged .to prevent them slipping in a movement. r q r Alternatively, as indicated inFiguresB and..8, the depressions 25 maycarry a corrugated metal strip 30 which will operate similarly as the fabric Where abutments or-teeth' are provided in the depressions 25 the operator may have-to lift the index plates clear of the ridges in the'material in order to move these plates l3 and interposed sheets towards the end plateS when this has been 'To this end the apertures in the plate 6 are of elongated io'rrn' to' perrni t this vermerely pushes forward the front plate 6, thereby in the attachment 2| of the front turning closing up theme, and then returns the file into the cabinet in horizontal position; i

It has heretofore been stated that the plates l 3 may be roughened to prevent the sheets moving out of the file when his pushed back into the cabinet and it will benoted that asthe plates ii? are anchored to the'rod 28 their roughened surface tends to prevent the sheets slipping from the file clue to'the'effort exterted in returning the tray into the cabinetwhile at the same time the weight of the index plates I3 acts as an ancillary means preventing the slipping movement," When the tray is returned the sheets 'are flat and should'there have been any curling or rolling resulting from the use of the sheets this defect,

inthe'sheets will be removed While they lie compressed in a'flat condition. l

In using looseleaf books and such files it is common practice to insert between the sheets invoices and equivalent documents and this process is known as stufiing. In books the binding has a tendency to force the stuffed documents but. Constructions according to the present invention allow of a greater amount of'stufling to be effected without the possibility of the inserted documents being ejected from the file.

It is believed that from the foregoing description the nature, operation and general construc- 'Ba, including at the foot curls 6b which form bearings in the plate 6 for the hinge pin it carried by the sliding member l5, the'lug 6a being cut away at the top so that clearance is thereby provided for that'part of the floor 4 which overlaps the channel l4. l

The attachment 2| is connected, for example by riveting or spot welding, to the plate 6 and as clearlyshown in Figure 8', its lower part, depending from the plate 6, taking a similar form to the lug 6a ofthe plate and' then extending downwardly as clearly shown in Figure 2.

The sliding member 15 is preferably ofa composite nature including two L-shapedplates, spot welded togethenand'formedto embrace and mesh with the threads on the rod IS, the feet of these two plates being covered by a bifurcated plate l5a, which is secured, for instance by spot welding to the feet of the L-shaped members and includes at one end a curl l5b which forms the bearing for the middle portion of the pin i6 (Figs. 2 and 3) that is disposed between the bearings 6b of the end-plate 6, thereby in a simple and effective manner the plate 6 is hinged to the sliding member I5. r

The construction of the tray may take the form most clearly shown in Figures 2, 3 and 8, that is to say the bottom 3 of the tray may be made from sheet metal providing side spacing ribs 3a, this sheet metal member being spot permits the assembly of lap being clearly shown in Figure 2. The space between the end of the overlap and the rear plate of the tray at the top of the channel [4 M I the end plate by the slide 15 and of the adjusting mechanism for the front plate 6. a

A reinforcing member 32, see Figures 2-a nd3, may run from the front of the floor 4 up to the top of the back plate 2. The back plate 2 may be integral with the member 3 and reinforced at the back by'track bars 33,'these bars running over rollers 34 mounted on rodsj35 disposed at the frontof; the cabinet, see Figl, so as to facilitate movement of'the tray. As indicated in Figures 1 and-5, the rollers 34 and'their rods 35 may be duplicated and connected by a narrow shelf 36 which: localizes the rollers and which acts as a partition which with the'bottomplates I 3 of the several trays closes up'the front of the cabinet when the trays are all returned therein.

Although the particular embodiment described refers to the employment of a tray as adrawer in a cabinet theinvention covers the form of the construction of the tray itself, as in some cases a cabinet 'need not be used, for example,

the trays could be kept on shelves in a strong room and merely brought from the strong room when required.

One form of thestand construction is shown in Figures 9 and '10. The stand comprises a back 31 and a foot 38 as indicated in the drawings. These members may be made in one piece from steel tubing, 'the ends oi the tubing being connected by a cross member 39"provided with terminal hooks'or ears 40. Y

As clearly shown in Figure9 the'tray is disposed on the stand so'that the rollers 8 of the tray (or, equivalent lateral lugs may be provided on the tray) rest behind and on the hooks 40, therear plate" 2 of the tray resting against the back 31 of the'stand. 1

"The arrangement is such 'thatthe center of gravity of the'tray and sheets is disposed above the foot 38 so that stable equilibrium exists.

Clearly; the 'traymight be supported on wall brackets provided with horizontal member such as 39 including ears, 40 and a support for the rear-plate 2 of the tray so that the tray could be suspended from 'a wall 'or'such form of support' might be comprised in a swivelling bracket formed a calculating machine in order'to make entries I On the sheet, 4

Although the stand construction shown in Figures 9 and 10 is such as could be skidded over a fiat surface, thisis by way of example only, as

rollers or wheels maybe provided on afoot such as 38 so as to provide means for carrying the tray from a cabinet or from a strong room over varying floor surf-faces to the'operator.

- The cabinet itself may be made from sheet metal and the front portion ofthe base 3 of the tray may be inclined upwardly as indicated at 13b, Figure 2, so as to lie; flush with the front of the cabinet, as clearly illustrated in Figs. 1 and5.

Itwill be noted also with reference'to Figures land 2 that immediately abovethe portion 3b a the sheet metal is inturned inwardly as indi cated at 30 to overlie the reinforcement member 32 and that the portion 30 is recessed to form a housing forthe operating knob I9.

a the corners of the said end plates.

and 12 the back 2 "of thetray isfprovidedwith a movable'face 4| which may be'in the form of a plate connected by links42 and 43 to the rear plate '2, the links being slidable up and down on the rear face of the plate 2. When the tray is full the face plate 4l may-be folded beckon to the. rearplateZ but when the tray is only; say, half full this faceplate 4| ,may be rocked down on to the floor 4 of the tray, and

there forms a'rear support for the sheets, and index plates in the file in such position that stable equilibriu'm'obtains.

Ashlearly'indicatedin Figure 12, the plate 4| may be provided with lugs 44 which enter the depressions-25 m .the floor 4 and may be .sup-

ported in this extended position by the serrations on the stripmaterial' 30' if provided in those depressions. V I

The unit including the floor 4 may include depressions'such as 25, beiorementioned, preferably furnished with corrugated strips inforder. to cause the index plates to turn on ahingeline below the fioor surface. Wherethedepressions. 25 are not 'provid'edin the floor 4 the floo124 may be prootherwise roughened, to hinder slipping of sheets or index plates after they have been turned to open the file.

Various refinements may also be incorporated in the cabinet'itself, forexample, the trackway comprising the rails 1 along which the rollers 8 run when a tray is being moved may also include an upper-flange to provide 'a' channel for.

the rollers 8 Referring'morejparticularly to I 1 Figure 5'of the drawings it willlbe observed'that the rail I -is divided into three zones, each of which fulfilsa distinct function with respect to the tray, 1. el'the rail I maybe looked upon as consistingof a supporting portion a, a controlling portion b, and a constraining portion, 0.

In orderto'minimise noise during movement of the trays the rollers 34 may be padded or may be made of fibre. I I

It will be appreciated that other refinements. may be incorporated in the tray, for example the 7 front plate 6 may be modified in 'various ways,

for example, if desired the said end plate lugs 26 may be dispensed with, the wire reinforcement or beading being extended along the bottom of the said plate and in order to facilitate the construction of the end plates the metal thereof may not be rolled over around the-beading 3| at Further, the attachment 2| which is secured to the front plate 6 instead of being of substantially rectangular formation may be extended upwardly in V or heart formation in o'rder to afford greater strength to the said front plate 6, and if desired the attachment may be reinforced by beading or the like similar to heading 3|.

In using looseleaf books andsuch files it is common practice to insert between the sheets invoices and equivalent documents and this process is known as stuffing. In books the binding has a tendency to force the stuffed documents out. Constructions according to the present invention allow of a greater amount of stumng to be effected without the possibility of the inserted documents being ejected from the file.

What I claim is:

1. A filing cabinet comprising drawers which, when drawn forward from the cabinet to constitute trays, provides in each such tray a rear wall or end plate fixed at an obtuse angle to the to be setatan obtuse angle to the floor whereby the required working V may be obtained.

2. A.filing cabinet comprisi g drawers which, when drawn forward from the "cabinet to constitute trays, provides in each such tray a rear wall or end plate fixed at an obtuseangle to' the floor of the tray on which the sheets are supported, and a front end plate adjustable so as to be set at an obtuse angle to the floorsaid front plate being hinged below the floor on a slidable hinge member so that the working, V is obtained throughout variations in thecapacity of the tray. 6

'3. A filing ,tray comprising a fixed end plate atone end of'the tray disposed at an obtuseangle to the tray floor so that the tray may be tilted back onto the fixed plate to store the sheets in the tray in fiat condition and a front end plate hinged-below the fioor on a slidable hinge member and comprising an abutment-co-operating with the .floor to limit-pivoting of the plate to provide the working Vin the sheets.

4, A.filing tray including afixed end plate at one end, disposed atan'obtuse angle to the tray floor so that the tray may be vtilted back on the fixed plate to store sheets in the tray in fiat condition, and agmovable end plate at the other end, the movable plate beinghinged below thefioor for the sheets and comprising an abutment co-operating with the fioor to limit pivoting of the movable plateto provide the working V in the sheets.

5. A filing tray including a fixed end plate at one end, disposed at an obtuse angle to the tray floor so that the tray may be tilted back on'the fixed plate to store sheets in the trayi n fiat condition, a movable end plate at the other end, the

movable plate being hinged below the floor for thesheets and comprising an abutment co-operating with the floor to limitpivoting of the movable vfixed plate to store sheets in the tray in fiat condition, a movable end plate at the other end, the movable plate being hinged below the floor for the sheets and comprising an abutment co-operating with the floor to limit pivoting of the movable plate to provide the working V in the sheets, and wherein the floor of the tray overlaps a channel which forms a housing for a slidable member on which the movable end plate is hinged and for actuating means for the slide to enforce movement of the movable end plate to adjust the capacity of the tray.

'7. A filing tray including a fixed end plate at one end, disposed at an obtuse angle to the tray floor so that the tray may be tilted back on the fixed plate to store sheets in the tray in fl t condition, a movable end plate at the other e d, the movable plate being hinged below the floor for the sheets and comprising an abutment co-operating with the floor to limit pivoting of the movable plate to provide the working V in the sheets, and wherein the floor of the tray overlaps a channel which forms a housing for a slidable member on which the movable end plate is comprising at the foot triangular wings set athinged and for actuating means for the slide to enforce movement of the movable end plate to adjust the capacity of the 'tray, said abutment right angles to the movable'plate formed to engage the overlap of the channel by the upper edges of the wings thereby setting the plate in open position, said movable plate being hingedly connected to a slide member movable along the base of the tray.

8. A filing tray including a fixed end plate at one end, disposed at an obtuse angle to the tray floor so that the tray may be tilted back on the fixed plate to store sheets in the tray in flat con dition, a movable end plate at the other end, the movable plate being hinged below the fioor for the sheets and comprising an abutment co-operating with the floor to limit pivoting of the movable plate to provide the working V in the sheets, and wherein the floor of the tray overlaps a channel which forms a housing for a slidable member on which the movable end plate is hinged and for actuating means for the slide to enforce movement of the movable end plate to adjust the capacity of the tray said abutment comprising triangular wings set at right angles to the movable plate formed to engage the overlap of the channel by the upper edges of the wings and the base of the tray bythe lower edges of the wings thereby setting the plate in open and closed 'position, said movable plate being hingedly connected to a slide membermovable along the base of the tray. i

9. A filing tray according to claim 8 wherein the abutment for the movable end plate is included in an attachment at the foot of the plate, the attachment being formed to engage against the underside of the floor and the base of the tray on which the end plate is hinged to limit ivoting of the end plate accurately in the two directions of movement.

1Q. A filing tray according to claim 4 wherein index plates are anchored'to the tray by a rod threaded through them and the plates are rough- 1 ened to assist in holding the sheets in the-tray hen turned on to the rear plate with the sheets fiat 11. A filing tray according to claim 4; wherein the floor of the tray is formed with channels and the tray is provided with a plurality of index plates each comprising lugs depending into the channels to provide pivots for the plates below the floor of the tray to assist in producing the working V when the'tray is moved into open position the lower'edges of said plates being disposed above said floor. A

1 2. A filing tray according to claim 8 wherein the floor of the tray is formed with channels and the tray is provided with a plurality of index plates each comprising lugs depending into the channels to provide pivots for the plates below the floor of the tray to assist in producing the working V when the tray is moved'intoopen position the lower edges of said plates being disposed :above said floor and wherein the index plates are anchored to the tray by a rod threaded through them' and the plates are roughened to assist in holding the sheets in the tray when turned on to the rear plate with the sheets flat.

13. A filing tray according to claim 4 wherein with the lugs on the index plates in order to prevent slipping thereof when the said index plates are being pivoted. i I I a 14. A filing tray according to claim 8 wherein the floor of the tray is formed with channels and the tray is provided with a pluralityof index plates each comprising lugs depending into the channels to provide pivotsfor the plates below the floor of the tray to assist in producingthe working V when the tray is moved into open position the lower edges of said plates being disposed above said fioor, and wherein the index plates are anchored to the tray by a rod threaded through them and the plates are roughened to assist in holding-the sheets in the tray when turned on to the rear plate with the sheets flat and a rackdevice arranged in the channels for the index plates to cooperate with lugs on the index plates in order to prevent slipping thereof when the said index plates are, being pivoted.

RICHARD FITZ POWER. 7

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