US2316489A - Filing apparatus - Google Patents

Description

2 Sheets-Sheet 1 LII: A

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April 13, 1943.

R. P. SCHOLFIELD FILING APPARATUS Filed April 1, 1941 April 1943- R; P. SCHOLFIELD 2,316,489

FILING APPARATUS Filed April 1, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 a rw WWW Richag'd Patented Apr. 13, 1943 FILING APPARATUS Richard P. Scholfield, New York, N. Y., assignor to Scholfield Service, Inc., New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application April 1, 1941, Serial No. 386,326

' 7 Claims.

The present invention relates to filing apparatus of the type wherein a plurality of cards are secured upon the periphery of a rotatable filing drum, to facilitate access to a great plurality of cards by an operator. The invention includes modifications of, improvements upon and additions to filing apparatus of the types shown in the prior patent to Scholfield et al. No. 2,046,655, July 7, 1936 and in my application Serial No. 75,883, filed April 22,1936, now Patent No. 2,231,- 029, February 11, 1941.

An object of the present invention is to provide improved card retaining rail structures, adapted to perform certain new and improved functions.

A further object of the invention is to provide improved card retaining means, whereby a plurality of cards may be removed simultaneously or en bloc from the periphery of the drum.

A further object of the invention is to provide improved card retaining rail shapes and cards having novel slots therein adapted to cooperate with the rails, to secure the cards thereon in an improved manner.

With filing drums of the type shown in the aforementioned patents, the cards are placed upon the card retaining rails by flexing the material of the cards adjacent the keyhole-shaped slots therein, thereby effectively but temporarily widening the opening at the narrow throats of the slots and permitting them to move over the rail heads. For a great many uses, drums and cards of that type are entirely satisfactory, but, in some cases, it is desirable to remove, from a drum, a relatively great plurality of cards simultaneously, as a group. The present invention provides a number of different modifications wherein the cards may be readily removed from the drum periphery, by radial movement, or by combined radial and axial movement.

A number of preferred embodiments of the invention are shown in the accompanying drawings, but it must be understood that the invention is not limitedto the specific details of construction shown herein and described below, as many modifications will readily occur to one skilled in the art, from a consideration of the disclosure of this specification.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a cross-sectional view of one form of card retaining rail having a removable head.

Figure2 is a fragmentary side elevation and longitudinal section of the construction of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 1, showing a further modification and being a section along the line 8-8 of Fig. 4.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary side elevation and longitudinal section of Figure 3.

Figures 5 and 6 are fragmentary transverse sectional views of modified forms of rails, having removable portions associated therewith.

The filing drum of the present invention, a portion of which is shown in Figure 1 comprises a pair of drum heads, which may be formed of stamped or spun metal, and a cylindrical rim I 2, preferably constructed of cast aluminum, suitably machined, and secured upon shouldered portions of the drum heads by tie-bolts which draw the heads together and firmly clamp the rim I2 in place, as is shown in the above-identified Patents Nos. 2,046,655 and 2,231,029. The web 35 of the fixed, card-retaining rail 36 projects outwardly from the rim I 2 and is continuous entirely around the drum or substantially so. Certain sections of the head 36, however, are cut away, leaving the plane-sided web 35 free at its outer edge 31. A movable rail head 38, having a slot or groove 39 in its undersurface, is adapted to embrace the free edge 31 of this portion of the web 35, to constitute a continuation of the fixed rail head 36. A friction spring plate 40, pressed into a groove in the side face of the web 35, bears against the inner face of the'groove 39 in the iemovable head section 38 and retains the same in place. Thus, when the removable rail head 38 is in place, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, the card retaining rail is continuous around the entire circumference of the drum. When it is desired to remove a plurality of cards en bloc, it is simply necessary to remove the rail head 38, leaving the continuous rail flange 35 in place, and then move the cards onto that non-headed section, from which position they may be removed by radial movement.

As indicated in Figures 1 and 2, the removable head 38, as well as the fixed head 36, preferably have the same cross-sectional shape as previously described.

In accordance with the modification of Figures 3 andl4, spaced portions of the fixed rail head 45 are cut away on undercut, scarfed planes 4?, 48, downwardly to a line 49 corresponding to the outer edge 50 of the web 5|, below the head 45.

A movable rail head 52, having inclined end faces 53, 54 is adapted to be secured in alignment with the. fixed rail head sections by spring? pressed plungers 55, orthe like, disposed in sockets 56 in the undercut, scarfed faces of the fixed rail head sections. Thus, when the movable rail head 52 is in the position shown in Figures 3 and 4, it constitutes a continuation of the fixed rail head and a continuous rail is provided. When it is removed, however, the cards may be moved onto the non-headed fiange portion and removed en bloc from the filing drum.

If desired, the movable head section 52 may be pivotally secured to the fixed web for swinging movement about a radial axis, adjacent one end of the section 52 or at the center thereof. In some cases, however, it is preferred to make the section entirely removable, as shown in the accompanying drawings.

In Figure 5, a special shape of card retaining rail is disclosed. This rail comprises a fixed web (SH and a laterally projecting, substantially oval head 6! which, at the section shown, is removable from the web, to permit removal of cards en bloc. At a point spaced circumferentially from the section upon which Figure 5 is taken, the rail is solid and is provided with an integral, fixed head corresponding in cross-section to the head 6!. The removable head may be secured to the web in any approved manner, for instance, by spring-pressed plungers, similar to those shown in Figures 3 and 4.

In Figure 6, a further modified rail section is shown. In this case, the use of a keyhole-shaped slot in the card, comprising a throat having par.- allel edges leading to a circular opening is dis-. pensed with. Instead, a card having a generally, triangular, re-entrant opening 65 is provided, defined by straight inclined side edges 66, 61 and an arcuate upper edge 68. This eliminates the sharp corners between the throat and the cire cular opening in the other forms.

The card retaining rail is of similar shape. On the section shown in Figure 6, it comprises a fixed member 69 having substantially parallel side faces 76, ll, inclined outwardly toward one end of the drum, and a movable section 12 which is substantially triangular in cross-section. The movable section may be secured in place by a rib and groove connection 13 and by suitable means, such as spring-pressed plungers at the ends. When the parts are assembled, as shown in Figure 6, the rail section has outwardly diverging side faces 18, 14, corresponding generally to the edges 68, 6'! of the slots in the cards, and an upper, arcuate surface 15, similar to the edges68 of the openings.

At a section spaced circumferentially from the plane upon which Figure 6 is taken, the card retaining rail is solid and is of the same,crosssectional shape as the combined members 69, 12. This form of rail is advantageous 'in some cases, since the-cards engage the rail along an elongated line contact. The cards may be removed from the rail en bloc by removing the section 12 and then moving the cards outwardly on an inclined line as indicated by the arrow a, Figure 6. Individual cards, or cards in small groups, may be removed from the rail, as in other cases, by flexing the cards and thereby opening the slots.

The invention is not limited to the specific details of construction shown in the accompanying drawings and described above, but includes all modifications coming within the scope of the appended claims or their equivalents.

I claim:

1. A rotary filing drum having a card retaining rail associated with its rim, said rail comprising a web connected to the rim and a head the adapted to be embraced by the edges of apertures in the cards mounted on the drum, a section of said head being removable from the web whereby the cards may be removed by radial movement over the exposed end of the web.

2. A rotatable filing drum comprising a rim, a substantially continuous circumferentially extending web projected outwardly therefrom, a rail head carried by the web and adapted to be disposed within keyhole slots in cards on the rim to retain the cards thereon, certain sections of the head being removable relative to the adjacent lxgvleb, to permit removal of cards therefrom en 3. A rotary filing drum comprising a rim, a circumferentially extending web associated therewith, said web terminating at its outer end in a laterally enlarged, integral head, said head being cut away at spaced sections to provide a non headed web section, and an independent rail head removably secured to each of the lastnamed sections.

4. A filing drum comprising a substantially cylindrical rim, an outwardly projecting card retaining rail associated with the rim and bein transversely enlarged at its outer end as compared with its inner end, spaced sections of the rail being comprised of a fixed part and a movable part, the movable part constituting the outer end enlargement, whereby, when the movable part is removed, the rail is no larger at its outer end than at its inner end and the cards may be removed from the fixed rail part en bloc.

5. A rotary filing drum comprising a substantially cylindrical rim and a card retaining rail associated therewith, said rail in cross-section having straight sides diverging outwardly from the rim and providing a rail of increasing thickness from the rim toward its outer end, whereby cards having re-entrant slots therein may be retained thereon, at least one portion of said rail being made up from fixed and removable sections, the fixed section having substantially parallel side faces, whereby, when the movable section is removed, such cards may be removed from the fixed section by endwise and outward movement.

6. A rotary filing drum comprising a substantially cylindrical rim and a card retaining rail associated therewith, said rail having side faces diverging outwardly from the rim and providing a rail of increasing thickness from the rim toward its outer end, whereby cards having reentrant slots therein may be retained thereon, at least one portion of said rail being made up from fixed and removable sections, the fixed section having substantially parallel side faces and the removable section being substantially triangular in cross-section, whereby, when the last-mentioned section is removed, cards may be removed from the fixed section by endwise and outward movement.

7. A rotary filing drum comprising a substantially cylindrical rim and a card retaining rail associated. therewith, said rail having an outwardly projecting web disposed in a plane perpendicular to the drum axis, and a head projecting laterally from one face of the web toward one end of the drum, the head of the rail, at one portion, being separable from the web, whereby, when the head is removed, cards may be removed from the drum by radial movement.

RICHARD P. SCHOLFIELD.

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