US285531A

US285531A - Staff

Info

Publication number: US285531A
Authority: US
Publication date: 1883-09-25
Anticipated expiration: 1900-09-25

Description

(No Model.)

' J. H. WAGSTAF'F.

INDEX.

No. 285,531. Patent ed Sept. 25, 1883.

WITNESSES: INVBNTOR;

I j yww/a I BY ATTORNEYS.

N. PETERS. Phtwuho nphcr, Wnhmgwn. D. c'

UNiTED STATES PATENT OFFIcE.

JOHN H. \VAGSTAFF, OF ST. JOHN, NE\V BRUNSYVI CK, CANADA.

INDEX.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters. Patent No. 285,531,.dated September 25, 1883.

Application filed September 24, 1881. I (No model.) Patented in Canada May 8, 1882, No. 14,750; extended December 26, 1882,

\ No. 16,023, and extended December 27, 1882, No. 16,024.

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that'l, JOHN HEARLE W AG- STAFF, of the city of St. John, Province of New Brunswick, Canada, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Indexes, fully described and illustrated in the following specification and accompanying drawing, forming a part of the same.

It is the object of the invention to produce a simple, compact, and comprehensive index, in which the names or subjects to be referred to shall be arranged in such order that little space will be wasted and little time required to find the reference.

To that end the invention consists in an index the pages of which are provided with exposed generic references and with the letters of the alphabet arranged in horizontal rows which terminate a sufficient distance from the right-hand edges of the pages to leave a margin of proper width to receive an ordinary name or title, said pages being also divided into vertical columns corresponding with the letters in said rows, all of which will be hereinafteriullycxplained and particularly pointed out.

By reference to the accompanying drawing, which shows one page of an index embodying the present invention, its construction and the manner in which it is used can be readily understood.

The leaves of the index are cut away, or stepped or tagged in the usual manner, so as to provide exposed portions, upon which are placed the generic references, which in this case are shown as the initial letters of the surnames of the persons to be referred to. Other generic references would, however, do just as row at the top will usually be found all that is desirable. The pages, which are preferably ruled horizontally in the usual manner, are

ing.

At a point near the top-of each page.

provided with vertical lines, by which they are divided into columns corresponding to the letters in the horizontal row.

The purpose of the arrangement ofv letters and ruling just described can be best understood by an explanation of the manner in which this index is kept and used. To make this explanation, let it be supposed that it is desired to index the names of John Bain and Bradley Bros. The first step will be to find the, page devoted to names and titles commencing with B, and this will be readily done by the aid of the exposed generic reference. Opening the index at this page, the word Bain will be entered with its initial letter in the column directly beneath the letter A (the second letter in the word Bain) in the horizontal alphabet, and the word Bradley will be entered in like manner, with its initial letters in the column below R, and so 011 with other names and titles, each name or title being entered so that its first letter will be in the vertical column corresponding to its second letter, all as clearly shown in the draw- If it is desired to refer to the word Black, for example, the index will be opened at the page devoted to names and titles coinmencing with the letter FB, and the searcher will find the letter L in the horizontal row of letters, and then look down its vertical column until the desired name is found.

The necessity for having the horizontal lines of letters terminate at some distance from the right-hand edge ofthe leaves will be quite apparent from the foregoing, as without the margin thus provided there would be no space in which to enter a name or title in which the second letter was one of the last of the alphabet. 1

The term alphabet as herein used is to be understood as meaning substantially the whole alphabet. Some of the letters may be omitted, as they occur in names so rarely as to be of no especial consequence.

WVhen the pages of the index are quite nar- 9 5 IOO What I claim 'isvided into vertical columns corresponding with An index the pages of which are provided the letters in said rows, substantially as de- 10 with exposed generic references, and with the scribed. letters of the alphabet arranged in horizontal T T 5 rows which terminate asufficient distance H vi AGSTAFF' from the right-hand edges of the pages to leave Vitnesses: margins of proper width to receive an ordi- J AMES '1. GRAHAM, nary name or title said pages being also di- 0. SEDG-WIOK.