US2831742A - Card-storing cabinet - Google Patents

Description

April 22, 1958 I PAPE CARD-STORING CABINET.

4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Nov. 26, 1954 April 22, 1958 pApE CARD-STORING CABINET 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov. 26, 1954 April 22, 1958 pApE CARD-STORING CABINET 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed NOV. 26, 1954 April 22, 1958 H. PAPE 2,831,742

CARD-STORING CABINET Filed Nov. 26, 1954 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 United States Patent 2,831,742 CARD-STORING CABINET Hessel Pape, Amsterdam, Netherlands Application November 26, 1954, Serial No. 471,440 4 Claims. (Cl. 312-187) This invention relates generally to card-filing equipment and more particularly to a card-storing cabinet with rotary baskets which are selectively and automatically rendered dischargeable and are adapted to move along a stationary closed track. The invention also relates to means of automatically securing the cards from dropping out. A principal object of the invention is to provide a simple flap arrangement on the baskets to prevent the cards from dropping out from said baskets when they are in an inverted position.

In the rotary filing equipment hitherto known .the cards have been prevented from dropping out by use of means for locking the cards in a manner such that on the cards being released means for locking the rotary shaft from rotation automatically come into action.

The file construction according to the present invention is characterized by means for retaining the file cards in position constituted by one or more flaps or valves pivoted on the upper edge of the leading and trailing end of each card basket and commanded or actuated by members in the form of abutments, guides or similar members of the card-storing cabinet.

According to the invention these abutments, guides or similar members may be arranged at a selected point on the card-storing cabinet and may be formed in such shape that the flaps or valves are moved into and out of the locking position a short time before or a short time after the card baskets are about to occupy an inverted position or a non-inverted position of readiness for use respectively along the rotatable track.

In preferred embodiments of the invention the flaps or valves are coupled by means of a lever-system. The flaps or the lever-system comprising at least one element which during the displacement of the baskets along the track comes into engagement with the members of the card-storing cabinet, that effect the movement of the two flaps.

In another embodiment of the invention the leversystem may comprise a circular disk having secured to its circumference, at two points, two levers which in turn are each rotatably connected to one of the flaps or a part rigidly connected thereto.

During the movement of the card baskets along the track, elements of a flap engage with an abutment, a guide or similar member of the card-storing cabinet, with the result that this flap and also the other, since the flaps are coupled through the lever-stystem are closed.

In addition, according to the invention the lever-system may be constructed as a T-shaped lever whose limbs are arranged in line with each other and are each pivotally linked at their ends to a lever. These latter levers are in turn each pivotally connected to one of the flaps or a part rigidly connected thereto, the third limb of the T-shaped lever carries a roller or similar element which during the movement of the card baskets engages an abutment, a guide or similar member of the card storing cabinet thus actuating the flaps to a closed position.

According to the invention it is therefore ensured that the cards .are automatically held in the baskets at the Fig. 1 is a fragmentary partly sectional side-elevation.

view of the card-storing cabinet according to a first embodiment in accordance with the invention.

Fig. 2 is a part sectional view taken on the line II--II of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic view of the operating mechanism of the card baskets for the rotary movement thereof on a rotatable track.

Fig. 4 is a side view of a card basket, the flaps shown occupying the non-locking position.

Fig. 5 is aside view of the card basket of Fig. 4, the flaps occupying the locking or card holding position.

Fig. 6 is a part plan view of the card basket of Figs. 4 and 5 with the flaps occupying the locking position.

Fig. 7 is a part side elevation view of the card-storing cabinet according to a second embodiment.

Fig. 8 is a part sectional view taken on the line VIII- VIII of Fig. 7.

Fig. 9 is a side view of another embodiment of a card basket, the flaps occupying the non-locking position being open to allow insertion and removal of cards.

Fig. '10 is a side view of the card basket of Fig. 9, the flaps occupying the locking position.

Fig. 11 is a fragmentary plan view of the card basket of Figs. 9 and 10, the flaps occupying the locking position. g

The two constructions shown in the drawings, wherein similar elements have the same reference numbers, two shafts 1 and 2 (Figs. 1, 3 and 7) each carrying opposite gear wheels 24 and 25 (Figs. 2, 3 and 8) journalled in a support member 3 (Figs. 1 and 7) which rests on the floor.

In Fig. 3, a chain 4 passes over wheels 1 and 2. The cabinet is provided with two wheels 24, two wheels 25 and two chains 4. Two baskets 5 are illustrated in Fig. 3 it being understood that many baskets are placed there on. They are secured in usual manner to the chains 4.

The shaft 1 or the shaft 2 is actuated by a gear wheel or electrically driven by means not shown. Each basket 5 is supported by means of bearings 6, one of which is shown in Figures 4, 5 and 6 and 9, 1O, 11 respectively, the basket also comprises one or two bearings on its other side guided on the guide 7 (Figs. 1 and 2 or 7 and 8 respectively) and when the baskets are in the inverted position the baskets bearings are guided on the guide 8. The guides 7 and 8 are secured to the support means.

Two fiaps 15 and 16 are pivotally connected to the basket 5 leading and trailing ends at 19 and 20, with 17 and 18 designating edges of the said basket 5. The flaps 15 and 16 are pivotally connected (Figs. 4 and 5) at C1 and C2 respectively to levers 13 and 14 respectively. These levers are pivotally connected at their other ends at B1 and B2 respectively to an element 12 to be described hereinafter. in the files upright parallel to the direction of travel of the basket files (Figs. 6 and 11). A spring 22 normally biases the flaps to a lowered position rendering the files ready for use. A guide 23 also secured to support 3 by means not shown cooperates in guiding the basket files.

In addition, the embodiment shown in Figs. 1 to 6 is constructed as follows: each of the valves 15 and 16 has mounted thereon two elements 10 and 11, which may The cards are disposedare locked or held in position.

be .ball bearings. A circular disk 12 is pivoted at A on is secured to the basket at Eand also to the disk 12 tending to rotate disk 12 clockwise so .as .to raise flaps 15 and 16. It will be understood that such -a coupling and flap actuating mechanism is provided on either side of each basket.

The device operates as follows:

Upon rotation of the shaft 1 or 2 the chains 4 are rotationally driven: they carry with them the baskets 5 .5, which successively occupy the position shown in Fig. 3,

the element 11 (or '10) engages the guide 23 with the result that the flap 16 is closed and through the coupling mechanism the flap 15 is also closed so that the.cards While following the movement of the chains 4 about the chain wheel 24, along the straight underside span and about the chain wheel 25, with the baskets being supported on the guide 8, the flaps fixed in this closed position until the baskets individually rcoccupy the upright position of readiness for use. By this time the flaps are opened automatically due to the fact that the spring '22 causes the disk 12 to rotate clockwise thus actuating the levers 13 and 14 and hence also the flaps 15 and 16 into an upright position.

The embodiment shown in Figs. 7 to 11 is additionally constructed as follows: A

Two guides 9 and 26 (Figs. 7 and 8) are secured to the pedestal and constitute a guide for a rollar 27. The

.roller 27 is linked at D (Figs. 9, and ll) to a T- shaped lever 28 which is pivoted at A to a shaft secured to the basket. The T-shaped lever 28 is linked at B1 and B2 to the levers 13 and 14. The spring 22 is connected at E to the basket 5 and also to the T-shaped lever 28.

The device operates as follows:

Similarly to the first embodiment the chains 4 are driven by rotation of the shaft 1 or 2, carrying with them the baskets 5 which thus pass over the guide 7 by means of their bearings 6. A roller 27 of the baskets 5, which individually occupy the position shown in Fig. 3, pass over the guide 9 and on approaching the vertical plane (Fig. 7) passing through the shaft 1 or the shaft 2 is raised (compare Fig. 10 with Fig. 9) and the transmission mechanism 28, 13 or 28, 14 respectively actuates the flaps 15 and 16 with the result that the cards are locked in position. While following along with the movement of the chains about the chain-wheel 24, along the straight underside span and about the chainwheel 25, the basket resting on the guide 8, the flaps remain fixed in this position until the basket has reached the upright or non-inverted position of readiness for use. By this time the flaps will be opened automatically due to the fact that the roller 27 will move downwardly since the spring 22 constantly urges it downwardly by acting on lever 28.

If the mechanism should become deranged the flaps will never occupy the non-locking position untimely since in such a case the guide 23 is a safety-guide along which the flaps will trail if breakage should occur so that the trailing will prevent the fiaps from occupying the raised or non-locking position.

In addition it is to be noted that in both embodiments the cards are arranged perpendicularly on the direction of movement of the files. It is highly essential that it should be possible for the capacity of a storing cabinet to be adjusted entirely as required. The cabinet is made up of three parts: the right-hand one, a left-hand one and a middle part. The capacity can be controlled entirely at will be using only a different middle part, and different chains.

The invention is especially applicable to a card-storing cabinet in which the card cases or files are mounted along the circumference of a circle on a rotary shaft.

4- What I claim is: 1. A card-storing cabinet comprising, basket files, an endless rotatable track carrying said basket files; said baskets having a leading and a trailing end, flaps one each of said ends, said flaps extending the entire width of said baskets so that cards filed longitudinally in said baskets are retained in position in said baskets when said flaps are in an operative position and when said baskets are carried along by rotating said endless track and are inverted while so being carried, guides to retain said baskets on said track; other guides to engage and actuate said flaps and maintain them in a closed position while said baskets are in an inverted position; said flaps extending substantially upright on said ends so that they may be engaged and actuated by said other guides; linkage means comprising a rotative member having linked to it at two spaced points two levers each pivotally connected to one of the flaps and arranged so that upon engagement and actuation of the flap on said leading end so as to close it said-flap on the trailing end is closed simultaneously, and resilient means to return said flaps to a substantially upright position when the baskets are no longer in engagement with said other guides.

2. A card-storing cabinet comprising, basket files for filing cards therein, an endless rotatable track carrying said baskets files, said'basket files having a leading and a trailing end with the top open, flaps pivotally mounted on the edge of each of said leading and trailing ends adjacent the open top, .saidfiaps being operable between a raised position and a lowered position extending in a direction inwardly of :the basket files and overlying said cards thereby to retain in position thecards in said baskets when said baskets are carried along by said endless track and are in an inverted position while so being carried, said flaps forming extensions of said ends across the entire width of said basket files when in said raised position, means on each basket file constantly biasing said flaps to a raised position and means for automatically and simultaneously operating the flaps of individual basket files between the raised and lowered positions when moved along .by said track including means arranged to allow said biasing means to raise said flaps automatically when said individual basket files are in a selected non-inverted position thereby rendering individual file baskets ready to receive cards when in said selected non-inverted poistion.

3. A card-storing cabinet comprising, basket files for filing cardstherein disposed with their longitudinal dimension in the direction of travel of said basket files, an endless rotatable track carrying said basket files, said basket files having a leading and a trailing end with the top open, flaps pivotally mounted on the edge of each of said leading and trailing ends adjacent the open top, said flaps being operable between a raised position and a lowered position extending in a direction inwardly of the basket files and overlying at least the ends of said cards thereby to retain in position the cards in said baskets when said baskets are carried along by said endless track and are in an inverted position while so being carried, said flaps forming extensions of said ends across the entire width of said basket files when in said raised position, means on each basket file constantly biasing said flaps to a raised position and means for automatically and simultaneously operating the flaps of individual basket files between the raised and lowered positions when moved along by said track including means arranged to allow said biasing means to raise said flaps automatically when individual basket files are in a selected non-inverted position thereby rendering individual file baskets ready to receive cards when in said selected non-inverted position.

4. A card-storing cabinet comprising, basket files for storing cards therein, said cards being disposed upright in the files and parallel to the direction of travel of said basket files, an endless rotatable track carrying said basket files, said basket files having a leading and a trailing end with the top open, flaps pivotally mounted on the edge of each of said leading and trailing ends adjacent the open top, said flaps being operable between a raised position and a lowered position extending in a direction inwardly of the basket files and overlying said cards thereby to retain in position the cards in said baskets when said baskets are carried along by said endless track and are in an inverted position while so being carried, said flaps forming extensions of said ends across the entire width of said basket files when in said raised poistion, means on each basket file constantly biasing said flaps to a raised position and means for automatically and simultaneously operating the flaps of individual basket files between the raised and lowered positions when moved along by said track including guide means arranged to allow said biasing means to raise said flaps automatically when individual basket files are in a selected non-inverted position thereby rendering individual filebaskets ready to receive cards when in said selected non-inverted position and arranged to successively engage the flap in the leading end of individual file baskets and operate them to a lowered position prior to being inverted when carried along on said endless track.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 856,862 Greenawalt June 11, 1907 1,475,555 Sargeant Nov. 27, 1923 2,343,280 Cory Mar. 7, 1944 2,447,253 Jonas Aug. 17, 1948 2,477,786 Bruen Aug. 2, 1949

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