US2960781A

US2960781A - Multiple card index

Info

Publication number: US2960781A
Application number: US702885A
Authority: US
Inventors: John J Olson
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1957-12-16
Filing date: 1957-12-16
Publication date: 1960-11-22
Anticipated expiration: 1977-11-22
Also published as: ES244189A1

Description

Nov. 22, 1960 J. J. OLSON 2,960,781

MULTIPLE CARD INDEX Filed Dec. 16, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTORI JOHN J. OLSON;

ATTORNEY Nov. 22, 1960 J. J. OLSON I Q 2,960,781

MULTIPLE CARD INDEX Filed Dec. 16, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 5 00 II I 4/ 7/ I! 1 /4 II If 0/ I! II (10! INVENTOR JbHN J. OLSON,

ATTORNEY United States Patent MULTIPLE CARD INDEX John J. Olson, St. Paul, Minn., assignor to Brown & Bigelow, St. Paul, Minn., a corporation of Minnesota Filed Dec. 16, 1957, Ser. No. 702,885 Claims. (Cl. 40-104) This invention relates to a simplified, compact, multiple card index having a selective operating mechanism which will enable the user to quickly and conveniently obtain tabulated information for immediate reference. It is particularly adaptable for an alphabetized telephone number list and, as such, becomes an extremely useful accessory for a desk or a home telephone station.

Manufacturers of oflice equipment and desk accessories have continually attempted to develop a compact index of simplified construction which lends itself to economical production methods. Heretofore all such attempts have resulted in devices which are either exceedingly large or which contain complex operating mechanisms and, as a result, they are lacking in utility, styling, and sales appeal. In addition, they have been difiicult to assemble and consequently disproportionately high in cost.

Certain of the prior art devices have employed either elongated operating rods or pickup bails which are subject to distortion and consequent malfunction after a short period of use. Other devices required complex spring mechanisms which are ditficult to assemble and costly to manufacture. Space limitations usually prevented the adoption of structurally reinforced parts in the prior art devices in order to keep the finished product small enough to receive favorableacceptance.

The invention disclosed herein differs from the devices previously used in that it is more compact, and is characterized by a minimum of operating parts w ich results in a more positive action. Furthermore, my index is provided With a series of fulcrumed levers that permit selection of a desired card by the vertical depression of an appropriate key affixed to one end of a fulcrumed lever. This features permits the selection of a given index card without causing relative movement of the device with respect to the table or desk upon which it is situated.

Spring loaded prior art indexes, in which the cover portion is springably urged to an open position, are objectionable because the momentum of the cover as it opens tends to lift the index from its resting position. Additionally, this type of index normally requires a bail or similar catch device and com licated latch 01' closure means. Further, in this type of index, the user must close the cover against spring pressure.

Being aware of the prior art deficiencies, this inventor sought to create a devicewhich would overcome such objections and yet possess aesthetic styling, operational simplicity, structural soundness and be adaptable to economical production practices. To meet these many and varied criteria it was evident that an entirely novel concept would be required to achieve a satisfactory product, and after considerable experimentation the hereinafter described construction was conceived.

Accordingly, it is a broad general object of this invention to provide a multiple card index which is compact, economically produced, simple to operate, structurally sound and pleasingly styled.

' A primary object of this invention is .to provide a mul- 2 tiple card index having a minimum number of different component parts. i

Another object is to provide a device which will function properly for extended periods, and is generally not subject to malfunction.

Another object is the provision of a simplified positive action closure means which are entirely dependable.

Another object is thetprovision of a fulcrumed lever system to obtain a mechanical advantage for overcoming the initial forces as the index is being opened, and in association therewith, the employment of an accelerated radial opening action after the initial opening forces have been overcome.

Another object of the invention is, the employment of structurally reinforced parts which are designed for mini mum space requirements and which will result in a finished product of a size generally acceptable for its intended purpose.

Another object is the provision of a simplified spring system to bias the primary lever selector keys in a fixed normal position.

' Another object is the provision of means which will reduce the number and complexity of the pre-a ssembly op erations and will also simplify final assembly of the index.

An'o ther object is the provision of a card retaining member to retain the index cards in a fixed relative position, and to permit the removal of an individual card for the purposes of recordation of data thereon without necess'itating the removal of the entire set of cards.

Another object is the incorporation of an automatic locking feature in the index to prevent, when the index is open, the operation of any of the other primary selector levers except the one which was actuated to open the index.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be made apparent in the disclosure of the accompanying drawings and in the following specification and claims.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification:

Fig. 1 is a front perspective view of my multiple card index; with the cover in closed position;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary view of the index in vertical cross section along one of the primary actuating levers with the index partially opened, and showing the cooperative action between the primary and secondary levers;

Fig. 3 is a vertical cross section of the index in open position along one of the primary levers, With one such lever rotated to its open position; the cover and index cards being shown only partially;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary view in vertical cross section along the closurelever, with the closure action illustrated in dotted outline; and

Fig. 5 is an exploded view showing the various com;- ponent parts of the index with the top index card re moved and some of the parts in sub-assembly form, illustrating the manner of assembly.

Referring now to the drawings and particularly to Fig ure 5, which is an exploded view of my multiple card index, the method of assembly and the different component.

parts of my index will be more readily understood.

The base plate 10 is formed o-f metal, or other suitable material, and may be formed of molded plastic. The base plate 10 is generally fiat, rectangular in shape, and has formed thereon the transverse rib 11. The rib 11 runs parallel to the front edge of the base plate 10 and is positioned inwardly'therefrom. The rib 11 has a multiple purpose for it acts as a positioning guide for the case 4-8, and also serves as a reinforcement member to prevent distortion or arching of the base plate. A second transverse reinforcing member 12 is formed at the rear edge of the base plate 10 intermediate the sides thereof. The reinforcing member 12, preferably formed from a Patented Nov. 22, 19st 3 part of the base plate 10, extends angularly upward and tends to prevent the base plate from bending.

Disposed intermediate the ends of the base plate 10 are the upstanding shaft supports 13 having, on their uppermost ends, extending assembly lugs 14 which are utilized in the final assembly of the index. The shaft supports 13 are formed with semi-circular shaft receiving recesses 15 in their upper edge surfaces. Positioned between the shaft supports 13 is a similar spring stake 16 having an extending assembly lug 14 formed thereon. The spring stake 16 may be made identical to the shaft supports 13 with a shaft receiving recess, thereby providing an additional shaft support which serves to separate the primary selector levers into groups, or the recess may be omitted as illustrated.

Formed near the rear of the base plate 10 is another set of upstanding shaft supports 17, having an annular shaft receiving opening 18 near the top thereof. Positioned at the rear edge of the base plate 10, on either side of the reinforcing member 12, are the angular assembly brackets 19 which are engageable about the forwardly extending shoulders 57 formed on the rear wall of the case 48. This is best illustrated in Figures 2, 3 and 4. Extending upwardly from the base plate 10, near the rear thereof, are the hinge clips 20 which serve as the pivot point of the locking bar 22. If the base is formed of molded plastic the width of the shaft supports may be increased to provide equivalent structural stability, and the assembly lugs may be replaced by suitable screw receiving bosses. A mat 21 of felt, or other suitable material, is adhesively attached to the base plate 10 to reduce operational noise, to prevent marring the surface of a desk or table top, and to minimize index slippage on a smooth surface.

A unitary locking bar 22, with narrow forwardly extending arms 23 formed thereon. is positioned transversely between the shaft supports 17. The hook ends 24, formed on the narrow arms 23, are pivotally engageable with the hinge clips 20 of the base plate 10. The center portion 25 of the locking bar 22 extends angularly upward from the plane of the base plate 10, and its free edge 26 is approximately normal thereto. When force is applied to the underside of the inclined center portion 25, the locking bar 22 will pivot upwardly about the hinge clips 20 to bring the free edge 26 into engagement with the partial gears 41 of the secondary levers 38.

The primary actuating levers 27 are all identical, having a rocker-like profile, and are designed with an elongated hub 28 near the top of the enlarged center section. In cross section the primary levers 27 are substantially in the shape of an inverted L to provide additional structural strength, and transverse reinforcement members 29, shown in Figures 2 and 3, are positioned intermediate the hub 28 and each end of the lever. Formed on the front end of the primary lever 27 is the enlarged finger piece 30, while at the rear of the lever is formed an upwardly extending lifting cam 31 with a partial drive gear 32 on the vertical end surface thereof. The finger piece is elevated so that the surface will be in horizontal alignment with the top of the cover 66. Disposed across the top surface of the primary levers 27, between the hub 28 and the lifting cam 31, is the transverse spring slide 33 upon which the spring fingers 44a will rest. The elo-ngated primary levers 27 extend substantially the entire length of the index and the finger pieces 30 protrude beyond the front edge of the top platform of the case 48.

As shown, the depth of the primary levers 27 decreases toward each end from the center, and this construction is employed to distribute the strain through the material. when the index is operated. The length of the lever arm. from the pivot point to the edge of the finger piece 30 is preferably greater than the rear arm of the primary lever, so as to provide a mechanical advantage when the index is operated. The primary actuating levers 27 are self positioning and are maintained in fixed axial rel h ship because of the elongated hubs 28 which extend on each side of the levers into contact with the hubs of the adjacent levers. Additionally, the elongated hub 28 minimizes twisting moments and effectively prevents transverse movement of the ends of the primary levers, thus permitting only rotational movement about the shaft 34, and maintaining the primary levers 27 in continual alignment with the secondary levers 38. In operation, the rear portion of the primary levers 27 are biased downwardly by the multiple spring fingers 44a to maintain the finger engagement surface 30 in a normally horizontal position.

A plurality of the primary actuating levers 27 are rotatably mounted on a cylindrical shaft 34 which extends through the bores of the hubs 28. The shaft 34 has formed thereon annular grooves 35 which are engageable in the shaft receiving recesses 15 of the shaft supports 13, thereby preventing transverse movement of the shaft 34 and maintaining the primary levers 27 in a fixed relative position.

Also rotatably mounted on the shaft 34 is the closure lever 36, which is similar in construction to the primary levers 27. In the closure lever 36 an angular drive cam 37 is employed in lieu of the lifting cam 31 and the associated partial drive gear 32 is omitted at the rearmost end of the lever. The closure lever 36 is preferably positioned on the shaft 34 to the right of the primary opening levers.

The secondary levers 38 are all identical and, like the primary levers, have an elongated hub 39 which maintains the secondary levers 38 in longitudinal alignment with the primary levers. Extending tangentially from the hub 39, intermediate its ends, is the lever arm 40 having the partial driven gear 41 in radial alignment therewith. In operation, the underside of the lever arm 40 is engaged by the lifting cam 31, and the partial driven gear 41 meshes with the partial drive gear 32. The rearr'nost tooth on the secondary lever, which is engageable with the locking bar 22, is enlarged to prevent accidental disengagement from the locking bar 22 when the cover is open. The lever arms 40 extend forwardly into spaced apart recesses 52 in the case 48 and are disposed in a normally horizontal position over the lifting cams 31 when the device is inoperative.

A plurality of the secondary levers 38 are rotatably mounted on a cylindrical shaft 42 which extends through the bores of the hubs 39. The shaft ends 42a have a reduced diameter and are formed with a hollow here into which the ends of the cover retaining studs 65 fit. The ends of the shaft 42, having the reduced diameter, fit into the shaft receiving openings 18 in the upstanding shaft supports 17. Also rotatably mounted on the shaft 42, in longitudinal alignment with the closure lever 36 and cooperable therewith, is the elliptical closure cam 43.

The primary levers 27 are biased to their normal position, with the finger piece 30 substantially horizontal, by a leaf spring 44 having a multiplicity of individual lever biasing members, or spring fingers, 44a extending therefrom.

In the preferred embodiment, the leaf spring is disposed above the primary levers to urge the rear arms downwardly; however, the leaf spring can be positioned so as to urge the forward portion of the lever arms upwardly. Each of the spring fingers 44a rests upon the spring slides 33 of the respective primary levers, thus reducing sliding friction and also minimizing the area of the wearing surface. The leaf spring has a depending flange 45 disposed along the front edge thereof, which is fitted into the spring retaining hooks 56 which depend from the surface of the case 48. The leaf spring 44 has an opening 46 formed therein through which the assembly lug 14 of the spring stake 16 extends, thereby preventing transverse movement of the leaf spring. Additional openings 47 cooperable with detents depending from the top wall 51 of the case 48 may be employed to further insure the correct positioning of the leaf spring.

The case 4-8, preferably formed in one-piece of plastic, has two generally vertical side walls 49 having indented -shoulders 49a formed thereon which extend angula'rly downward toward the rear. height to a minimum slightly forward of the rear wall 50 and then increase angularly upward to the full height of the rear wall. The rear wall 50, which is inclined forwardly from bottom to top, extends between the side walls 49. The top wall 51 of the case 48 extends between the indented shoulders 49a and its rear edge has spaced apart recesses 52 formed therein into which the secondary lever arms 40 extend. As will be explained, the lifting cams 31 of the primary levers 27 also move upward through the recesses 52 when downward pressure is exerted on the finger piece 30. Suitable reinforcement members, not shown, are positioned beneath the rear edge of the top 51, between which the recesses are formed, to provide additional support. Near the front of the top 51 are the slots 53 through which the assembly lugs 14 are fitted when the index is assembled. The top surface 51 may be counter sunk in an area adjacent to the slots to provide a depression into which the assembly lugs 14 may be bent, thereby to provide a relatively smooth surface which is free of obstruct-ions. The case has an open bottom and an open front 54 through which the finger piece 30 of the primary levers 27 will extend; however, the side walls are joined at the frontal extremity by their transverse bottom bar 55.

A series of index cards 58, generally rectangular in shape and having progressively indexed notches 59, are designed to rest upon the top 51 of the case 48. The index cards are progressively notched along their rear edge, from left to right, in alignment with the recesses 52 and the secondary lever lifting arms 40. Stated otherwise, the top card has no notches, the second card has one notch along its left edge in alignment with the first of the secondary lever lifting arms, the succeeding card has two notches in alignment with the first two secondary lever arms, the succeeding card has three notches and so forth. With this arrangement the index will open to the desired card when the corresponding primary lever finger piece 30 is depressed. Each index card is dinted with one or more dints 66, not in register, thereby slightly separating the cards and minimizing the vacuum or static attraction between the cards. This provides for proper functioning of the index for an unselected card will not tend to follow the one selected. Alignment notches 61 are cut in the sides of the index cards 58 to hold the cards in proper sequence.

The arcuate tracks 63, of the card retainers 62, fit into the notches 61 of the index cards 58 and the cards are slidable thereon. By slightly arching the index cards they can be removed either individually or as a group. This feature facilitates the entry of information on the card. The card retainers 62 have an inwardly extending hub 64 into which the knurled portion of the pins 65 are press fitted.

The card retainers 62 are positioned along the side walls of the cover 66, rotate therewith, and when assembled are outward of the shaft supports 17. The hinge pins 65 are inserted through the openings 67 in the cover 66 and the hubs 64 of the card retainers 62 to hold the cover and card retainers in place. The smooth ends of the hinge pins 65 extend beyond the hub 64 into the open bore of the shaft 42. The cover 66 has depending walls on each side which house the stack of index cards 58 when the index is closed. Suitable index indicia 68, relating to a given index card, is inscribed or lettered on the cover 66 to indicate which index card will be exposed to view when the corresponding finger piece 30 is actuated.

The compact assembled index is illustrated in Figure l, and it will be seen that the objectives of simplified construction and economical production methods are achievable. by using standardized parts and subassembly pro- The side walls decrease in cedures. Referring again to Figure 5, a plurality of the primary levers 27 and, if desired, a closure lever 36, are mounted on the shaft 34. The shaft 34 is positioned on the shaft supports 13' with the annular grooves 35 fitted in the shaft receiving recesses 15. A plurality of secondary levers 38 and, if desired, a closure cam 43, are mounted on shaft 42. This assembly is placed between the shaft supports 17, and the ends of the shaft with the reduced diameter are staked into the shaft receiving openings 18. The shaft supports 17 are urged springably outward thereby permitting the shaft 42 to be properly staked. The locking bar 22 is attached to the base plate 10 by positioning the hook ends 24 through the hinge clips 20 of the base plate 10, and the locking bar rests beneath the shaft 42 containing the secondary levers 38.

The leaf spring 44 is attached to the cover by inserting the depending flange 45 in the retaining hooks 56 of the case 48. Also, when the spring 44 is positioned within the case 48 the detents depending from the top wall 51 extend into the openings 47 of the leaf spring 44 to hold it in the desired transverse position. The case 48 is fitted over the base assembly so that the finger piece 30 of the primary levers 27 will extend through the open front 50 of the case 48. The forwardly extending shoulders 57 on the rear wall of the case 48 are positioned beneath the assembly brackets 19' of the base plate 10. The case 48 is urged downwardly against the base plate 10 so that the assembly lugs 14 of the shaft supports 13 and the spring stake 16 extend upwardly through the slots 53 in the case 48. The transverse bar 55 at the front of the case 48 rests upon that poition of the base plate 10 which is forward of the transverse rib 11. The assembly lugs 14 are bent downward into contact with the case 48 to hold the case 48 in place. When so assembled, the spring fingers 44a of the leaf spring 44 extend rearward'ly and rest upon the spring slide 33- of the primary actuating levers 27, thus urging the finger piece 30 into a normally horizontal position.

The card retainers 62 are positioned inside the side walls of the cover 66 near the rear thereof. The cover together with the card retainers are placed over the case 48 so that the openings 67 in the cover 66 are in axial alignment with the shaft 42. The cover retaining studs, or hinge pins 65, are then inserted through the openings 67 in the cover 66 and the knurled portions of the hinge pin 65 are press fitted into the bores of the hubs 64. The smooth ends of the hinge pins 65 extend into the open bore of the shaft 42 and rotate therein when the cover is opened or closed.

With the cover 66 in open position, the stack of index cards 58 can be inserted into the index with the notches 59 positioned about the arcuated tracks 63 of the card retainers 62. It will be seen that an individual index card, or several cards, can be removed to insert data thereon.

Referring now to Figure 2, showing the index partially opened, the principle of operation will be more readily understood. As the finger piece 30 is depressed, the primary lever 27 rotates about the shaft 34 and upward against the spring pressure of the related spring finger 44a. The lifting cam 31 engages the under surface of the secondary lever arm 40 to lift it, the index cards 58 preceding the letter selected, and the cover 66 into a partially opened position. After the index has been partially opened the partial drive gear 32 engages the partial driven gear 41, as shown, to provide an accelerated radial opening of the index to the full open position. The initial movement of the index cards and the cover is at a slower rate of speed, and is accelerated as the gears engage to complete the opening movement.

In providing fulcrumed levers to operate the secondary levers it is possible to raise movement of the finger, thereby introducing no horizontal force components which would tend to cause the device the cover with a downward to slide relative to its supporting surface. Moreover, a minimum of finger pressure is required because of the mechanical advantage obtained with the fulcrumed lever arrangement. In addition, the initial phase of rotation of the cover requires less force due to the increased mechanical advantage obtained during the engagement of the lifting cam with the under surface of the secondary lever arm. After the cover and the cards have swung through an arc of about 30 the configuration of the lever system permits the meshing of the two partial gears thus insuring a smooth and uninterrupted movement of the cover and index cards to the fully opened position.

Figure 3 also illustrates this operation, and this cross section shows the index opened to its full open position. In this figure one of the primary levers 27 is depressed to its full open position and shows the secondary lever arm 40 extending upwardly in contact with the stack of index cards 58 at its point of maximum rotational movemeat. It will be seen that with the primary lever 27 depressed, the spring finger 44a has been urged to a substantially flat position. This figure also illustrates the action of the locking bar, for as the cover 66 swings to its full open position the rearmost free end of the cover engages with the angularly inclined surface of the locking bar 22 thereby urging the free edge 26 of the locking bar 22 into the trough between two teeth of the partial driven gear 41. Therefore, if an attempt is made to opearte any of the levers other than the one selected, the secondary lever is prevented from rotating and the index will not operate until the cover has been closed to free the locking bar from its position between the teeth of the partial driven gear. This feature prevents the index from being opened to an unselected card and also prevents the secondary lifting levers from bending or distorting the cards or from jamming the index. The normal resting position of the locking bar 22 is shown in Figure 2 and when the cover toward a closed position, to bring the rearmost edge thereof out of contact with the inclined center portion 25 of the locking bar 22, the locking bar 22 will fall by gravity to its normal inoperative position as shown in Figure 2. Figure 3 also illustrates the normal position of the spring fingers 44a which bias the rear arm of the primary levers 27 downwardly so that the finger piece 30 is in a normal horizontal position. The spring retaining hooks 56 are best illustrated in these figures and are shown with the depending flange 45 inserted into the spring retaining hooks. The normal positions of the primary and secondary levers are illustrated in full outline in Figure 3.

Figure 4 shows the closure lever 36 in its normal position with the index open. As the finger piece 30 of the closure lever 36 is depressed the cam 43 will slide, along the angular face of the drive cam 37, and rotate rearwardly on the shaft 34 into engagement with the underside of the cover 66. This operation is illustrated in dotted outline and shows the closure lever 36 partially rotated into engagement with the cam 43, and also shows the cam 43 rotated rearwardly into engagement with the cover 66 thereby urging the cover 66 partially into a closed position and sufficiently forward so that the cover 66, together with the pack of index cards 58 will fall by gravity to a closed position. Although this is a novel means to accomplish the closing of the index, the index may also be closed by directing or pushing the cover 66 sufiiciently ahead of a vertical position so that it will fall by gravity to its normally closed position.

This invention provides a convenient and easily operated multiple card index and it should be understood that the inventive concept may be utilized in ways other than those shown above. Therefore, the scope of this invention should not be limited to the embodiment described but should be construed in the light of the following claims.

' I claim:

1 In a selective. card index having a base plate and 66 has been rotated sufficiently,

case, a plurality of fulcrumed primary levers, a plurality of rotatable secondary levers cooperable with said primary levers, partial gear members affixed to said primary and secondary levers in cooperative relationship to provide accelerated radial opening, a plurality of p'rogr'es sively indexed cards positioned within said index, a cover member to enclose said cards, and index card retaining means movable with said cover to retain said index cards in a fixed relative position.

2. A multiple card slective index comprising a base member, an enclosure case, cooperable primary and secondary levers rotatable on separate shafts, gear means affixed to said primary and secondary levers coacting to open said index to a desired position, unitary leaf spring means biasing said levers to a normally inoperative position, a plurality of individual index cards indexed corresponding to said primary levers, arcuated track members cooperable within notches in said index cards to maintain said index cards in a fixed relative position and cover means to enclose said index cards.

3. In a telephone index a card retainer having a plurality of arcuated tracks cooperable with a series of index cards, cover means rotatable with said card retainer, a plurality of index cards disposed within said cover, a case member for supporting said cover and said index cards, a plurality of pivotable primary levers supported on a first shaft, a plurality of rotatable secondary levers supported on a second shaft and cooperable with said primary levers, gear means affixed to cooperative portions of said primary and said secondary levers rotatably urging said index cards and said cover to a selected position of exposure when one of said primary levers is depressed, closure means to urge said cover from its open upright position to its normally closed horizontal position, locking bar means cooperable with said secondary levers to prevent the operation of all but the selected primary lever, and unitary leaf spring means to bias said primary levers to their normal inoperative position.

4. A card indexing device comprising a base, a cover hingedly attached to the base, a plurality of index cards supported upon curved tracks within the cover, a series of primary levers for selecting individual cards, said primary levers being pivotally supported within said base and having gear segments on one end thereof, a plurality of secondary levers hingedly supported within said base, said secondary levers having gear segments corresponding to the gear segments of the primary levers, locking means supported on said base in cooperative relationship to said cover unitary spring means for retaining all but the selected open key in a retracted position and closing means for closing the cover, said closing means including a cam hingedly supported beneath said cover and a closure lever pivotally supported in parallel relationship to said primary levers.

5. A loose leaf card indexing device comprising in combination, a case having a platform for index cards, a bottom plate secured to said case, said bottom plate having upstanding lugs, a first and second shaft supported upon said base in spaced parallel relation to each other, a cover having index card retainers rotatably mounted on said second shaft, a plurality of index cards mounted within said card retainers, a plurality of card levers each engageable with a discrete index card, said card levers being rotatably mounted on said second shaft and having gear teeth, a plurality of open keys fulcrumed on said first shaft and in register with said card levers for opening said cover at a selected index card, each open key having a toothed portion engageable with the gear teeth of the card lever in register therewith, a cam rotatably mounted on said second shaft in cooperative relationship with said cover, a close key fulcrumed on said first shaft cooperable with said cam to close said cover, locking bar means secured to said bottom plate for locking the unselected card levers, and a return spring attached to said case for biasing said keys to a normally closed position.

6. In a telephone number index having a base plate and a case to enclose the operating mechanism, a series of fulcrumed levers rotatably mounted upon a first shaft, a corresponding number of secondary levers rotatably mounted upon a second shaft, cooperable gear means formed on said fulcrumed and secondary levers to urge said index to an open position when the index is operated, cooperating closure lever and cam means to urge said index from an open to closed position, leaf spring means biasing said fulcrumed levers to a normal inoperative position, cover means rotatable on said second shaft to enclose a plurality of index cards, card retainer means associated with said cover means, a multiplicity of individually removable index cards slidable on said card retainer and rotatable with said cover.

7. A multiple card index having a cover to enclose a plurality of index cards, card retainer means associated with said cover having arcuated tracks upon which the index cards will slide, a plurality of index cards slidable along the arcuated tracks of said card retainer, case means adapted to support said index cards and said cover and enclosing a lever system adapted to open and close said index, a multiplicity of fulcrumed primary levers rotatable about their individual hubs, a multiplicity of secondary levers having a lever arm formed thereon rotatable about their individual hubs, gear means associated with said lever system to provide continuous positive opening of said index to a selected index card, unitary spring means biasing said lever system to a normally inoperative position, said spring means formed with a plurality of individually movable spring fingers, locking means cooperable with said lever system to prevent the operation of all but the selected lever when said index is open, and a base for said index.

8. In a multiple card index a lever system adapted to open and close said index comprising cooperable primary and secondary levers rotatably mounted on separate shafts, unitary resilient means positioned within said index to urge said lever system to a predetermined disposition of inaction, one or more indicia receiving index cards selectively movable by individual levers of said lever system to an open exposed position, card retainer means cooperable with said index cards and enclosure means for enclosing said lever system and said index cards.

9. A multiple card index comprising a plurality of elongated levers pivotally mounted upon a base, a plurality of lifting levers cooperable through gear means with said elongated levers to positively urge said index to an open position, one-piece spring means biasing said elongated levers to a fixed horizontal position, means to enclose said elongated levers and said lifting levers, support means to retain a plurality of index sheets in a fixed relative position, one or more individually removable index sheets pivotally mounted upon said support means, enclosure means for said index sheets and movable therewith, and means adapted to permit the operation of only one of said elongated levers when said device is in an open position.

10. An information file comprising a series of primary members fulcrumed about a pivot point, a series of secondary members fulcrumed about a second pivot point, cam and partial gear means associated with said primary and secondary members to provide continuous positive opening action, resilient leaf spring means urging said primary and secondary members to a normal inoperative position, a rotatable cover member having guide means formed thereon, a plurality of index sheets movable on the guide members of said cover, dual cam elements cooperable with each other and said cover to move said index to a closed position, and enclosure means for said index.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,536,544 Gordenier et al. Jan. 2, 1951 2,541,881 Menning Feb. 13, 1951 2,573,534 Bauer Oct. 30, 1951