US2574870A - Filing device - Google Patents

Description

Nov. 13, 195] Filed Feb. 25, 1950 D. A. GUNN FILING DEVICE 3 Sheets-Sheet l 3nventor (Ittor g Nov. 13, 1951 D. A. GUNN 2,574,870

FILING DEVICE Filed Feb. 25, 1950 s Sheets-Sheet 2 Srwentor Donald AGunn I By Cmoneg D. A. GUNN Nov. 13, 1951 FILING DEVICE 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Feb. 25, 1950 Imven'tor B DonaZdZ. Gunn Gttotneg Patented Nov. 13, 1951 NT OFFICE;

FILING DEVICE Donald A. Gunn, Kenmore, N Y., assignor 1 to Remington Rand Inc., New York, N. Y., a corporation of Delaware Application February 25, 1950, Serial No. 146,235

3 Claims. (01. 129-16) This invention relates to filing devices using swingable dividers. Primarily it is concerned with file drawers or like receptacles. which are provided with dividers to partition the interior of the drawer into transversely extending compartments, and in which each divider is swingable about its lower edge from a rearwardly inclined to a forwardly inclined position and vice versa. It is, however, to be appreciated that the invention is not essentially limited to file drawers and that the dividers can be used, for example, in sorters.

The invention provides a divider having a tongue extending from its lower edge for cooperation with a slot extending'transversely at the bottom of the drawer or equivalent receptacle or carrier, such tongue being bent to provide a formation extending both rearwardly and forwardly relative to the plane of the divider, said formations cooperating with the member in which the slots are provided to define the forward and rearward limits of inclination of the divider.

It is a feature of the'invention that whereas the dividers can, by deliberate manipulation, be removed from the drawer or equivalent receptacle or carrier, they are not so easily removable that in normal use they are likely to be inadvertently and inconveniently displaced so as'to interfere with the intended compartmenting.

It is also a feature of the invention that whereas the limit positions are positively defined, the divider can be moved easily from either limit position to the other.

The invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings in which:

Figs. 1 and 2 are respectively a section on the line I-I of Fig. 2, and a section on the line II-II of Fig. 1, to illustrate the invention as applied to a card filing drawer.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary side elevation partly insection corresponding to Fig. 2 but considerably enlarged, the better to illustrate how the divider attachment tongue cooperates with the base portion of the drawer to define the limit positions of rest between which the divider is movable.

' Figs. 4, 5 and 6, correspond to the showing of Figs. 1, 2 and 3, but show the invention as applied to a correspondence file drawer installation in which lugs extend laterally from the side walls of the divider for engagement with the top edges of drawer side walls to increase the rigidity of the divider when it is at rest at either limit position.

.. As cw w r fe ence i9 Fi s 9. 1. h yar filing drawer, generally indicated by the refer ence numeral l0, has a bottom ll within which transversely extending slots I2 are provided at intervals spaced longitudinally throughout the length of the drawer. The drawer is intended to be partitioned into a series of transversely extending compartments by dividers, one of which is seenin the drawings and is there generallyindicated by the reference numeral 13. Each divider is mainly constituted by a panel portion 14 and from a substantially central portion of the lower edge 15, there extends a locating tongue generally indicated by the reference number 16. It will be seen that the tongue I6 is deliberately shaped having, adjacent the edge [5, a rearwardly bent portion H which projects rearwardly out of the plane of the panel portion [4 to a con siderable extent before merging into a forwardly bent portion IE. it is noteworthy that both the rearward extension I1 and the forward extension [8 project out of the plane of the panel to a considerable extent. That is an essential feature of the invention and extent of such projection is particularly related to the width from front to back of the slot 12 so as to ensure that whereas the tongue [6 can,-by deliberate manipulation, be both engaged in, and, at any subsequent time, disengaged from the slot I2, it will not be so easily disengageable that it is likely to be inadvertently disengaged in normal use in the file. v

The normal position of rest of the divider is shown in dot and dash lines in Figs. 1 and 3. In that position as viewed from the front of the drawer, the divider panel portion is inclined rearwardly, roughly corresponding to the general inclination of the file cards, not shown. When a user wants to refer to a card in a particularcomvpartment he flicks the forward divider of that compartment forwardly into the full line position of Figs. 1 and 3 to give space .to manipulate and view the cards.

The manner of engaging the tongue I6 in a selected one of the slots l2 and the manner in which each of the tongues l6 cooperates with the underside of the drawer bottom to define the' tilt limit positions will best be. understood with reference to the enlarged fragmentary showing of Fig. 3. Thus to engage the tongue It in a se; lected slot I2, an operator tilts the divider forwardly so that the upper edgeof the panel portion I4 is directed toward the front of the drawer, in other words, to about the degree of inclina- .tion of the full line showingin Figs. 1 and 3.

With that inclination, the free end of the forwards tension iisa ib int u es qb iqv y into the selected slot [2. The divider is then manipulated to swing the forward extension I8 in a forward and somewhat downwardly inclined direction until the forward projection I8 is fully entered through the slot l2. At that stage the concave surface of the curved portion 19 of the tongue whereat the rearward extension I! merges into the forward extension l8, closely engages the forward edge 20 of the slot [2. In that intermediate position of entry, the rearward projection I! of the tongue still remains above the bot Figs. 1 to 3 operates quite satisfactorily for tom II, and to achieve full engagement of the tongue through the slot, the operator tilts the panel portion rearwardly at the same time moving its lower end somewhat rearwardly and downwardly to engage the rearward projection l1 under the back edge 2| of the slot 12. The tongue is then fully engaged and it will be noted that the lower edge l of the panel portion I4 of the divider cooperates with the upper surface of the drawer bottom to prevent the divider from falling through the slot. When fully inserted, both the rearward projection I1 and the forward projection iii are intended in normal use to remain below the bottom H, and in the normal rearwardly inclined position of rest as shown in dot and dash line in Figs. 1 and 3, the upper corner of the slot back edge 2! engages the back of the panel and the weight distribution of the divider tends to keep the panel tilted rearwardly to the full extent permitted at which the upper edge of the free end of the forward projection l8 engages the under surface of the bottom of. the tray immediately in front of the selected slot [2. When the user wants to gain access to cards, he flicks the upper end of the divider forwardly thus rocking the tongue rearwardly until the upper part of the rearward projection l1 engages the bottom H immediately behind the slot 12 with the face of the divider resting against the upper edge of the front wall of the slot. The divider is thus securely located in both the extreme positions of tilt, and since the distance between the front edge 20 and the back edge 2| of the slot is less than the distance between the rearward and forward projections l1 and [8 respectively extend out of the plane of the panel portion 14, the divider cannot be inadvertently disengaged from the slot in normal use.

To remove the divider it is necessary to raise it slightly while swinging the tongue forwardly until the concave front surface of the curved portion [9 engages the front edge 20 of the slot [2. If the panel is then manipulated to swing the tongue rearwardly while continuing the lifting action, the forward projection will slide in a generally upward and rearward direction until it is clear of the slot [2, wherea'fter the dividercan be lifted as a whole right out of the drawer.

The permissible degree of tilt depends upon the relation between the dimension of the slot from the front to back thereof, the gauge, the material used for the divider and the drawer bottom H and also upon the angular setting of the rearward and forward extensions I! and [8 respectively. Thus, with the gauge and slot proportions of Fig. 3, if, in production the free end of the forward projection l8 were bent somewhat downwardly from the setting in which it is shown the permissible extent of rearward tilt would be greater than the dot and dash showing in Fig. 3. Conversely, setting the forward projection more upwardly would reduce the degree of tilt. Likewise the forward extent of tilt corresponding to the full line position in Figs.'l and-3 depends upon the angular setting of the rearward projections II.

It will be appreciated that one effect of enlarging the parts in the Fig. 3 showing is that it appears that the tilting action of the divider might be somewhat sloppy or irregular. That, however, is due to the exaggerated effect of the enlargement, for in practice the divider operates 'quite satisfactorily with the parts scaled to about the proportions shown.

Whereas the form of the invention as shown the card size drawers and other small installations, it is, in many cases, desirable in correspondence and legal size file installations to provide increased divider stability. Figs. 4 to 6 illustrate a preferred embodiment of the invention as applied to the larger installations, and similar reference numerals have been employed to indicate parts which correspond to the showing of Figs. 1 to 3.

Thus, in a larger installation, as shown in Figs. 4 to 6, the only structural differences compared with the Figs. 1 to 3 construction are the duplication of the tongues 16 and their cooperating slots, and the provision of the laterally projecting lugs 22 for engagement with the upper edges of the drawer sides 23. 'l u h the general f rm and the manner of installing and removing the divider it of the Figs. 4 to 6 construction is similar to that already described with reference to Figs. 1 to 3, the operative relation between the lugs and the cooperating slots 12 is somewhat different in regard to the location of the divider in the limit position of rearward tilt corresponding to the dot and dash line showing of Figs. 4 to 6. In that respect, due to the fact that the bottom edges of the laterally projecting lugs 22 ride uponthe upper edges of the drawer sides, swinging the divider to the position of maximum rearward tilt, corresponding to the dot and dash line showing-in Figs. 4 and 6, automatically raises the tongues It so that the convex surfaces of the curved portion 19 of the tongues engage the rear wall -2| of each slot, with a substantial portion of the upper surface of the forward projections IB bearing fiat against the under surface of the drawer bottom ll immediately in front of the selected pair of slots as seen in the dot and dash line position in Figs. 4 and 6. In that way there is less liability to distortion of the material of the tray bottom than is the case in the Figs. 1 to 3 construction, where there is substantially line contact of the free end of the forward projection [8 with the under surface of the drawer bottom, which distortion might otherwise be liable to occur due to the heavier weight of documents in the larger file installations.

It will be seen from the full line showing in Figs. 4 and 6 that the limit position of forward tilt corresponds to that already described with reference to Figs. 1 to 3, but as will be seen with reference to Fig. 4, the lower edges of the lugs 22 cooperate with the upper edges of the drawer sides inboth limit positions of rest to provide added support increasing the general rigidity of the divider. That last feature is of importance because, without it, the larger sizes of divider have substantial flexibility in the panel portions, and thus the feature enables a satisfactorily rigid structure be provided without resort to heavy gauge material.

It will be seen that is both constructions the slots are provided in a reentrant formation pressed up directly from the drawer bottom H.

The-tongues lt-thus donet' preject beyondthe base of the drawer structure and are protected against damage by contact with the cabinet structure in which the drawers will generally be housed. In some cases, however, where the cabinet structure is not likely to be engaged by the lugs [6 in normal use of the installation, it may be feasible to have the bottom of the drawer fiat. Furthermore, in some cases the slots may be provided in a strip formation adapted to be secured in the drawers or like receptacles in any convenient manner, which expedient can be usefully adopted for converting existing file drawers and like receptacles for use in accordance with the present invention.

The invention claimed is:

1. In a filing device having a base member, transversely extending slots at spaced intervals from front to back of said base member, and a series of dividers each having depending tongue means at its lower edge cooperative with said slots for locating said dividers transversely and tiltably in spaced relation along said base member; each of said tongues having, in closely spaced relation with respect to the lower edge of its associated divider, a rearwardly bent formation merging into a forwardly bent formation, both of said formations extending out of the plane of said divider to an extent greater than the distance from the front to back edges of each of said slot, said formations, in conjunction with the body of the divider adjacent said tongue means, the slot and the material of the base member immediately behind and in front of said slot respectively, operating to define the rearward and forward limits of tilt between which the divider is movable.

2. In a file drawer having a bottom and up standing lateral side walls, transversely extends ing slot means in said bottom at intervals spaced throughout the length of the drawer, and a series of dividers each having depending tongue means at its lower edge cooperative with said slot means for locating said dividers transversely and tiltably in spaced relation along said bottom, and a lug laterally projecting from each side of each divider engageable with the upper edges of said drawer sides in the limit positions of swinging ing, in closely spaced relation with respect to the lower edge of its associated divider, a rearwardly bent formation merging into a forwardly bent formation, said formations both extending out of the plane of said divider to an extent greater than the distance from the front to back edges of each of said slot means, said formations, in conjunction with the body of the divider, the slot means, the material of the base member immediately in front of and behind the slots re spectively operating to define the rearward and forward limits of tilt between which the divider is movable and at which said lugs rest upon the upper edges of the cooperating drawer sides.

3. In combination, a filing device having transversely extending slots located at spaced intervals along the bottom of said device for the reception of dividers, a swingable divider comprising a panel having a tongue projecting from the lower edge of said panel, said tongue having, in closely spaced relation with respect to the lower edge of said panel, an upper portion projecting out of the plane of the panel and merging into a terminal portion extending in a reverse sense movement of said divider forwardly and rearwardly of said drawer, each of said tongues havto project beyond the plane of the panel on'the side thereof remote from said upper portion, said upper portion and said terminal portion both projecting out of the plane of the panel to an extent greater than the slot dimension from front to back whereby, on engagement of said tongue in a selected slot, the upper formation cooperates with the bottom adjacent said slot to define one limit position of tilt for said divider whereas the terminal projection cooperates with said bottom to define the opposite limit position of tilt.

DONALD A. GUNN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,931,891 Cooper Oct. 24, 1933 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 444, Germ ny 192?

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