US3008582A

US3008582A - Document sorting device

Info

Publication number: US3008582A
Application number: US842888A
Authority: US
Inventors: Kent Evelyn Mix
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1959-09-28
Filing date: 1959-09-28
Publication date: 1961-11-14
Anticipated expiration: 1978-11-14

Description

E. M. KENT 3,008,582

DOCUMENT SORTING DEVICE 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR. l [Ve/yn M/X /nt BY Nov. 14, 1961 Filed Sept. 28, 1959 v y Nillllxir NOV- I4, 1961 E. M. KENT 3,008,582

DOCUMENT SORTING DEVICE Filed Sept. 28, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

United States Patent Oii ice 3,008,582 Patented Nov. 1 4, `1361 3,008,582 DOCUMENT SORTING DEVICE Mix Kent, 6853 Cornell Ave., Chicago 49, I ll. Filed pSept. 28, 1959, Ser. No. 842,888

1.Claim. (Cl. 211--11) I Evelyn This invention relates to a device for sorting business documents such as checks, purchase orders, invoices,

letters and the like.

They principal object of the present `invention is to provide a devicewhich may be of simpleand inexpensive "construction and'readily and easily handled by office workers, for facilitating the sorting of business documents according to number, `letter ofthe alphabet or r*other classifying indicia.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a device of the character set forth in the preceding object which comprises a plurality of types of classifying indicia adapted to be used selectively by an office worker as desired and as dictated by the type of documents to be sorted.

Other and lfurther objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent as this description progresses, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which:

.FIG/1 is a top plan view of a sorting device corn- -pri'sing a preferred embodiment of myinvention with a portion of the cover broken away to facilitate illustration thereof;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged, side elevational view of the sorting device shown in FIG.` 1 with the central portion thereof I being broken away;

- of the sortingv device as shown in FIG. 1; and

FIG.A 6 is a Vperspective AView of the bottom dividing sheet of the sorting'device as shown in FIG. l. -The sorting device shown inv the drawings comprises a 'flat,'e1ongated base plate10 of rectangular shape which may'be formedof metal, wood or plastic. Where the base plate 10 is composed of'clear transparent plastic, it affords; the advantage vof. permitting an oflice worker to see therethrough to determine if the lower portion of the device has been cleared of sorted documents. A pair of spaced and aligned posts 11 having integrally for-med annular flanges 12 on the bases thereof project upwardly through vertical apertures 13 extending through the plate 10 at points located adjacent the side edges thereof and between the center and one of the ends thereof. Each post 11 is provided with a screw-threaded head 14 which serves to retain the elements to be described hereinafter mounted on the posts between the heads and the plate 10.

A plurality of dividing sheets 16 vwhich in the embodiment shown in the drawings total one hundred and which are provided with classification tabs 17 numbered on the top surfaces from one to one hundred, are mounted in superimposed relation on the posts 11 which serve as sheet supporting and positioning members. The sheets 16 are somewhat narrower than the width of the base plate 10 and their length is considerably shorter. The one hundred sheets, which may vary in' number and arrangement frorn embodiment to embodiment of the present invention, are arranged in groups of ten sheets each, portions of the sheets being shown in their entire number in FIG. 3 and the groups being shown diagrammatically as thick individual units indicated Vby reference numerals 18 to 27, inclusive, in FIG; 2. v

Each sheet 116 is of substantially the samelength and is provided with pairs ofaligned holes 28 adjacentrto" but inwardly spaced from the side edgesthereof. TheV holes -28 Yof one pair are longitudinally 'spacedfrom the holes 28'of the other pair to anextent which isthe Vsame for the sheets 16 of the samegroup ,but as between the groups 18 to 27, inclusive, of thesheets16 of the spacings of the Vside pairs of holes 28 varies .for purposes to be presently explained. As' shown in FIGS.1 and ,2, the pairs ofholes 28'of the "top group 18 of sheets 16 are Yspaced farther apart than the pairs ofnholes 28 ofthe next Vgroup V19 of sheets next below, and the pairs of holes 28 of thevnext lowerrsheet groups 20; 21, Y22 and A23 become progressively closer together,l the right-hand hole of each pair being punchedfurther away from the right or rearward end of the sorting device. Thus, as

` arranged in FIGS. l and 2, the top sheetgroups18 to .23, inclusive, are secured on the, plate 10 by having the binding posts .11 extending upwardly through the left or forward holes l28 of each side pair.

As 'further seen in FIGS. 1 and 2,.the free or unoccupied holes 28 of each pair of holes of the

lower sheet groups

24, 2S, ,26 Vand V27 are located on the left Vor forward side of the posts j11 and this longitudinal spacing of the respective pairs of holes becomes progressively greater from the sheet group 24 down through the sheet group 27. This variation in the longitudinal spacing of the side pairs of holes v28'of the groups 18 to 27,

inclusive, of sheets permits the groups to be turned over and reversed in position so that the top group 18 may be disposed on the postsk1-1 in a manner similar to the bottom group27, the posts 11 being inserted in the other holes 28 of the respective pairs'.

The tabs 17 of each group of ten sheets` are arranged in transverse rows or tiers in staggered or non-overlapping relation, the tab 17 of the top sheet 16 of group 18 as viewed in FIGfl bearing the number 1 and theY numbers on the tabs increasing progressively going down through the stack of sheets, the tab 17 of the lowermost sheet of group 27 bearing the number 100. Tab 17 bearing the number 1 is located at the forward lower corner edge of top sheet 16 'while the tab 17 bearing the number is located at the forward top corner edge of the lowermost sheet.16,v .as viewed in'FIG. 1. The lowermost sheet group 27 extends forwardly or to the left to a greater extent than the superimposed groups So that .the tabs 17 affixed tothe end edges thereof will beexposed and each succeeding sheet group 26 to 18,r inclusive, is disposed farther to the right so as to expose the transverse tiers of tabs of the sheet groups positioned below.

For the purposes of appearance and neatness, the sorting device may be provided with a exible cover 29 of substantially the same size and shape as the base plate 10 and being mounted on the posts .11.

Where the device of the present invention is being used to sort checks, `purchase orders, invoices or the like in numerical groups according to the numbers contained on the documents, the documents being sorted may be inserted under the respective sheets 16 bear-ing the tab number relating to that carried on the respective documents. As the number of documents increases between the respective dividing sheets 16, the sheets 16 will be forced farther apart with the result that the sheets 16 will move upwardly on the posts 11 to accommodate the stack of documents. The posts are of substantially greaterheight than the combined thickness of the dividing sheets 16 and the cover 29. When the documents have been sorted according to number, they are removed in the sorted groups and thereafter may be posted or put through other bookkeeping operations. Because the sheets 16 are transparent, the bookkeeper using the sorting device may rapidly determine whether all the sorted documents have been cleared and removed.

To permit the sorting device to be used to sort documents alphabetically rather than numerically, the tabs 17 are provided on their other or under surfaces with letters of the alphabet or combinations of letters of the alphabet running, for example, from Aa to Z. The tab 17 of the top sheet 16 as viewed -in FIG. 1 bears the numeral 1 on one side and the letter Z on the other whereas the tab 17 of the bottom sheet bears the numeral 100 on the top side and the letters Aa on the bottom, all as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 of the drawings.

To reverse the sorting sheets 16 for use of the alphabetical tab classilication, the heads 14 may be unscrewed from the tops of the posts 11 and the cover 29 and the groups 18 to 27, inclusive, of sheets 16 lifted upwardly off the posts, the sheets being maintained in their respective groups. Then, group 18 of sheets 16 may be turned over and remounted on the posts 11 but with the posts 11 extending through the right-hand holes 28 which are closer to the right end of the sheets than are the left-hand tabs 28. Thus, the group 18 of sheets will be caused to extend further to the left in a manner similar to group 27 when the latter was on the bottom as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. Similarly, groups 19, Z0, 21, 22 and 23 of sheets 16 are also turned over as separate groups and remounted on the posts 11 by inserting the posts also in the right-hand holes of these groups so that they also will project more to the left than before.

However, upon turning over the

groups

24, 25, 26 and 27 of dividing sheets 16, these `groups will be remounted on the posts 11 by inserting the post 11 in the left-hand holes in these

groups

24, 25, 26 and 27 thus causing these groups to extend more to the right than before. When the sheet groups 18 to 27, inclusive, have been so reversed and remounted as above described, the group 27 will be on the top and the group 18 on the bottom and the tabs 17 showing the letters of the alphabet in various classiiications will be exposed in tiers. The tab 17 bearing the numeral 100 on one side and the letters Aa on the other will now occupy the former position once occupied by the tab 17 bearing the numeral 1 and the letter Z, as viewed in FIG. 1, and the tabs on the sheets therebelow will progress through the letters of the alphabet to Z. Similarly, the tab 1 with the letter Z on the reverse side will 0ccupy the position formerly occupied by the tab 17 bearing the number 100.

The cover Z9 may then be replaced over the reversed sheets 16 and the retaining heads 14 screwed down into the posts into retaining position. The use of the sorting device with the alphabetical indicia of the tabs exposed is then the same as previously described with respect to sorting according to numbers.

Although I have shown in the drawings and described above a preferred embodiment of my invention, it is to be understood that changes in the details of construction and mode of operation may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of the appended claim.

I claim:

A device for sorting documents and the like comprising a base plate, sheet supporting and positioning members comprising upright posts carried by said base plate at the marginal edges thereof respectively and extending upwardly in spaced relation from the upper surface thereo-f, a plurality of dividing sheets arranged in superimposed relation on said sheet supporting and positioning members and adapted to be raised one from the other to permit the insertion therebetween of documents being sorted, and tab means secured on one of the end edges of each of said sheets in staggered relation from the tab means of the other sheets and having classifying indicia on each side thereof, each of said sheets being provided with longitudinally spaced pairs of means adjacent the marginal edges thereof respectively for engaging selectively said sheet supporting and positioning members, one pair of said sheet engaging means permitting the respective sheets to be positioned on said supporting members for one length of extension therefrom and the other pair of said sheet engaging means permitting the respective sheets t0 be positioned on said supporting members for a diierent length of extension therefrom whereby the sheets may be disengaged from the supporting members, inverted and reengaged with said supporting members to expose selectively the other sides of said tab indicia, and the longitudinal spacing of said pairs of engaging means along the marginal edges of the sheets differing as between said respective dividing sheets whereby said respective sheets may be mounted on said supporting members in superimposed relation with the tabs on the marginal end edges of the sheets being exposed.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 807,783 Shreiner Dec. 19, 1905 1,488,962 Ward Apr. 1, 1924 1,564,772 Fischer Dec. 8, 1925 1,607,829 Johnson Nov. 23, 1926 1,631,986 Ruscher .Tune 14, 1927 2,652,059 Wassell Sept. 15, 1953 2,876,907 Amberg Mar. 10, 1959 FOREIGN PATENTS 590,915 Great Britain July 31, 1947