US2401060A - Index - Google Patents

Description

y 6- FAHLSTEDT 2,401,060

INDEX Filed Aug. 3, 1944 Patented May 28, 1946 1.:

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Application August 3, 1944, Serial No. 547,847 In Sweden September 4, 1943 4 Claims.

The present invention relates to an index consisting of a box comprising a case and a drawer displaceable relatively thereto, said drawer containing a number of cards or sheets. These cards may be arranged in alphabetical order, as 5 is the case in telephone indexes, or, they may be arranged in any other conceivable manner as, for instance, in a certain numerical order. It is the object of the invention to provide an index of this type which is easy to manage and which, if desired, may be advantageously used as a substructure for a telephone apparatus, for example.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description considered in connection with the accompanying drawing which forms a part of this specification, and of which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an index made in accordance with the invention, the top portion of the case being partly cut away and the drawer being shown in its drawn-out position.

Fig. 2' shows a section on line II--II in Fig. 1.

In the drawing, Ill designates a case, which may be made of Wood, sheet-metal or the like, and which is open at one end thereof. Movably arranged in the case is a drawer I2, which may consist of the same material as the case. Inserted in the drawer are a number of sheets or cards l4, only six of these being shown in the drawing, although the number is frequently higher in practice. The cards or sheets are preferably made from paper, but may also consist of any other suitable material. According to the invention, the cards are provided with an edge portion l6 projecting at an angle from the plane of the card, said edge portion being in its simplest'form constituted by a fold of the card, for example. The edge fold I6 is of a different length on the various cards, as will appear from Fig. l.

Arranged beside the opening of case is an abutment l8 operable from the outside, said abutment being slidably guided in a transverse slot 20 in the case. Provided adjacent the slot are markings corresponding to the various cards. The portion of the abutment l8 entering the 5 drawer is located, when the drawer takes its inner position, between the upwardly folded card edges and the adjacent wall of the drawer.

The topmost card is preferably provided with a reinforcement such as a wooden fillet 22 or 50 the like pasted thereto. This reinforcement has for its object to prevent the upwardly folded card edges Hi from being bent inwardly, after the index has been used for some time. Instead, the reinforcement may be produced, for instance, 55

from a board which is stifier than the cards, and which may then have an upwardly bent edge corresponding to the card edges I5. At the rear, the drawer is preferably provided with an abutment 24 having a bevelled or rounded upper surface. A boss 26, which is secured in the case, enters a slot 28 at the center of the abutment, when the drawer is in its moved-in position.

In the use of the index the abutment I8 is adjusted to the desired mark, Such as a certain letter. After that, the drawer I2 is drawn out with the aid of a handle 30. The abutment l8 now retains the cards or sheets situated above the card to be uncovered. While the latter card thus follows with the drawer so as to become visible, the cards thereabove slide up on the bevelled abutment 24, as will be clearly seen from Fig. 2. The stop 24 serves to keep the drawn-out cards in their proper position. When the drawer is moved in, all cards are brought into their initial position with the aid of the abutment 26.

If desired, loose sheets may be inserted between the cards. The upwardly projecting edge member I 6, which is hit by the abutment l8, may constitute a separate portion secured to the card, and may then consist of any suitable stiff material. The box may be provided with a spring device so arranged that the drawer jumps out upon the actuation of an operating member.

While one more or less specific embodiment of the invention has been shown, it is to be understood that this is for purpose of illustration only, and that the invention is not to be limited thereby, but its scope is to be determined by the ap-. pended claims viewed in the light of the prior art.

What I claim is:

1. In an index, a case, a drawer slidable into and out of said case, a plurality of sheets disposed in said drawer parallel to the bottom thereof, a member projecting from each sh'eet substantially perpendicularly to the plane of the sheet, each of said members being of a length which differs from that of the remaining members, an abutment displaceable laterally of said case, said abutment being adapted, when the drawer is slid out, to engage a member pertaining to a sheet so as to retain the latter, whereas the sheets therebeneath follow with the drawer.

2. Index according to claim 1, in which at least the topmost sheet is provided with a reinforcement adjacent its member projecting at an angle from the plane of the sheet.

3. Index according to claim 1 characterized by provision of a stop on the rear end of the drawer, said stop having a bevelled profile over ed to slide when the drawer is drawn out, said stop being formed with a recess, and a. projection formed in said case and adapted in the closed position of said drawer to enter said recess to assure correct positioning of the sheets with respect to said stop.

CURT HELGESSON FAHLSTEDT.

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