US3079923A - Arch file - Google Patents

Description

March 5, 1963 A. J. HIRS'CHLE ARCH FILE Filed Dec. 22, 1960 United fitates Patent 3,079,923 ARCH FILE Arthur J. Hirschle, 2808 S. Park Ave, Springfield, Ill. Filed Dec. 22, 1960, Ser. No. 77,541 5 Claims. (Cl. 129-23) The present invention relates to improvements in files for receiving sheets of perforated material and, more particularly, relates to the inclusion of a novel one-way stop member on arch files of the general type disclosed in my prior US. Patent No. 2,826,473 issued March 11, 1958.

Arch files, having one or more generally inverted-U- shaped standards, receive wide usage in filing and storing sheets of data, either for short or for long periods of time. One illustrative use, which will be referred to herein for the purpose of explaining the invention, is in filing prescriptions. It is common practice for a pharmacist to store a thousand prescriptions on one arch file. These prescriptions are maintained in permanent files for possible future reference such as in refilling a prescription. These files are normally kept open for a considerable period of time while the pharmacist is accumulating a thousand prescriptions, and during this period of time he is continually adding new sheets to the file. Atthe same time, the pharmacist very often must refer to a previously filed prescription which may now be some distance down in the stack of sheets which has accumulated on the file. To obtain convenient access to one such sheet, it is usually necessary to flip one or several superposed sheets back over the top of the sheet-receiving and holding standards. It is, of course, desirable to retain these superposed sheets on the standards to keep them in order and to prevent their having to be individually or collectively rethreaded onto the file after the desired information has been retrieved. It will thus be apparent that it is highly desirable to provide an arch file which permits ready filing of successive sheets of material, such as prescriptions, as the file is being accumulated but which at the same time prevents accidental removal of these sheets during searches back through the files. At the same time, it is desirable to provide for convenient removal of the sheets should this be necessary and to provide against removal of sheets by a more permanent closure means when the files are completed and ready to be relegated to stored files.

Prior filing units have included various means which may retain filed sheets on filing standards. These include a spring-biased clamp-like member forcefully abutting a standard (see Litscher U.S. Patent No. 1,154,260), hooked-end standards (see Currier U.S. Patent No. 2,814,299), or a locking-enaggement arrangement for the free ends of the standards (see my prior patent aforementioned). The noted spring-clamp-type devices resist the filing of a sheet with substantially the same force as they resist removal. Thus, to hold the weight of a large number of sheets (e.g., up .to 1,000) which may rest against the retainer, the spring would have to be quite strong and would not only make the filing of individual sheets rather difficult, but would also increase the risk of tearing the sheets being filed. Hooked-end standards provide tortuous sheet threading paths and their effectiveness toward prevention of accidental removal of sheets is thus directly related to the difficulty encountered in originally filing the sheets. A locking arrangement such as is illustrated in my prior patent is satisfactory after a file is completely filled and closed for storage, as the sheets cannot then be accidentally removed. However, while the file is open, the device must be locked closed during a search through the files to prevent accidental sheet removal, then unlocked again before additional new sheets can be filed. All of these previously suggested filing devices can be used to re- "ice sist accidental sheet removal but also impose correlative inconveniences in filing new sheets.

Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide an improvement in arch files which will permit convenient application of sheets to be filed thereon but which will prevent inadvertent removal of these sheets after they are filed.

It is a more specific object of this invention to provide a stop plate to serve as a one-way stop member permitting ready application of sheets to arch files but preventing inadvertent removal of the sheets from the file. It is a further object of this invention to provide a stop member which permits ready application of sheets onto an arch file, prevents inadvertent removal of the sheets, permits convenient intentional removal of the sheets, and provides means for locking the file in a closed sheetretaining position.

Further and additional objects will appear from the description, accompanying drawings and appended claims.

In carrying out this invention in one form a file unit is provided which comprises an arch file havinga generally horizontally disposed base, a pair of inverted-U-shaped standards wherein one leg of each standard is secured to the base and the second leg projects downwardly to a free end for receiving sheets of material to be filed on the standards, and a stop plate which is freely .tiltably mounted on the legs secured to the base and extends angularly upwardly therefrom to normally abut against the inner side of the .second legs. The stop plate is provided with suitably shaped slots in its free distal-edge portion to receive the second legs of the standards in locking'engagement.

For a more complete understanding of this invention, reference should now be had to the drawing wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an arch file employing the teachings of this invention,

FIG. 2 is an enlarged side-elevation view of the unit shown in FIG. 1 with sheets filed thereon and showing the free legs of the standard in a locked position in dashed lines,

FIG. 3 is another side-elevationviewsimilar to FIG. 2 but on a smaller scale and showing the application of a perforated sheet onto the arch file,

FIG. 4 is another side-elevation view similar to FIG. 3 but showing several sheets turned back onto the free legs, and

FIG. 5 is an enlarged front-elevation view of the stop plate.

Referring now to the particular illustrations in the various figures of the drawing, an arch-file unit is shown which includes a generally fiat, horizontally disposed base frame 10, a pair of generally inverted-U-shaped standards 11 and astop plate 12. Each of the standards includes a storage leg 13 which is secured at its lower end to the base 19, a free second leg 14 having a lower free end 15 for receiving perforated sheets to be threaded onto the storage file, and a bight portion 16 joining the two legs of the standard.

a Plate 12 is provided with two openings '17 adjacent its inner edge disposed to receive the two standards 11. These openings are of a diameter substantially larger than the diameter of the standards whereby plate 12 is rather loosely mounted on the standards and is thus freely pivotable in 'a vertical direction through a considerable arc of movement toward and away from legs 14. Plate 12 may be formed of flat-sheet stock preferably bent through an angle of about 30 adjacent openings 17 to form two angularly disposed sections 12a and 12b as shown. End portion 19 of the plate, including section 12a and a part of section 12b, extends angularly upwardly from legs 13 toward the other legs and lies with its distal edge 25 in abutting relation with the free legs 14 of the standard. The end portion 19 is provided with a pair of oppositely oriented preferably J- shaped slots 20 and 21 communicating with the edge 25 and having entry leg portions 22 spaced apart a distance slightly less than the-normal spacing between the adjacent free legs 1-4. The 'slot's also include transverse leg portions 23 and return leg portions 24 extending outwardly from portions .23 towards the free distal edge 25. Other shaped slots may be employed and if desired may communicate with opposite sides of the plate 12.

Stop member 12 is normally slipped over the standards 11 of the arch file previous to the placement thereon of sheets to be filed, as shown in FIG. 1, and is disposed with the free distal edge 25 in abutting relation with the free legs 14, the plate being held against these legs by the force of gravity. Sheets are readily applied to this file unit by threading the sheets onto the free ends 15 and passing them upward over the standards onto the storage legs. The sheets being filed readily push the stop member away from the free leg a sufficient distance to permit the sheets to pass beyond the stop member in the manner illustrated in FIG. 3. It will thus be appreciated that the stop member does not in any way hinder the application of sheets onto the files.

At such times as it is necessary to flip sheets onto the free legs, without removing them from the files, these sheets encounter the free edge portion of the lock plate 12, as indicated in FIG. 4, and urge it outwardly against the free legs. The lock plate thus prevents removal of the sheets unless the plate is intentionally tilted inwardly away from the free legs. It is apparent that While conscious effort is necessary to remove sheets from the file, thus preventing inadvertent removal, very little effort is required and the steps necessary to such removal are very simple.

The plate is bent at 18 to provide a greater amount of room for the sheets to rest in a lowermost position around vthe storage legs to thus maintain substantially the full capacity of the file. At the same time, the sheets resting on this portion of the plate serve to urge the plate somewhat more tightly against the free legs to aid in preventing the plate from resting in a non-abutting position whereby sheets could slip from the free legs.

At such time as it is desired to close the file for a period of time, such as when the file may be placed in comparatively permanent storage, the free legs 14' are sprung into the return portions 24 of the J-shaped slots where they will remain under their own spring tension.

The term generally U-shaped as used in the specification and claims herein is intended to include reverselybent elongated members of various forms such as the U-shape illustrated, square-based U-shaped, V-shaped, and the like.

It will be obvious that certain other modifications of the Specific embodiment shown may be made by those skilled in this art in light of the foregoing teachings of the preferred embodiment without departing from the spirit and scope of this invention. For instance, the stop member could be mounted on a separate suppon't apart from storage legs 13, the locking slots 20 and 21 could be designed with other tortuous path configurations and the stop member could be formedof a rod or wire framework similar to the illustrated base frame, as by providing eyes for receivingthe storage standards, legs extending toward the free legs, and a crossbar for abutting the free legs. Also, while the most common usage of these units is with pre-perforated sheets and blunt ends 15, the invention can be utilized with unperforated material and sharp points at placed on the file. The invention can also be embodied in single-standard file units.

It will thus be seen that an improved file unit has been 15 to perforate the sheets as they are provided with a stop member which does not interfere with normal filing of sheets on the file unit but which automatically and without conscious effort on the part of the operator assumes a position to prevent inadvertent removal of sheets from the file. At the same time, it is very simple to remove sheets therefrom when it is intended to do so. A simple expedient means has been provided for locking the standards in a sheet-retaining position for temporary or permanent storage.

While a particular embodiment of this invention is shown above, it will be understood, of course, that the invention is not to be limited thereto since many modifications may be made by those skilled in this art in light of the teachings illustrated and described herein. It is contemplated, therefore, by the appended claims to cover any such modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of this invention.

I claim:

l. A file unit comprising a base, a generally inverted- U-shaped free standard having two legs joined by a bight portion, and a stop member; the lower end of one leg of said standard being attached to said base and the second leg having a free end for admission of perforated sheets onto the standard, said stop member being freely slidably and tiltably mounted on said one leg and having an end portion of a length greater. than the normal distance between said legs, said end portion extending from said one leg, in a direction toward the bight portion of said standard, into abutting relation with said second leg.

2. The improvement as in claim I and wherein said stop member is formed with a tortuous path locking slot in said distal portion for receiving the second leg in'locking engagement. 7

3. A file unit comprising a normally horizontally disposed base, a pair of parallel generally inverted-U-shaped free standards extending upward from said base and each having a first leg with its lower end attached to said base and a second leg with a free end for admission thereon of perforated sheets, a stop plate freely slidably and tiltably mounted on said first legs and having an end portion extending from said first legs angularly upwardly toward said second legs, said end portion being of a lengthgreater than the normal distance between the legs of each standard and normally abutting said second legs;

4. -A file unit as in claim 3 and wherein said plate is formed with a pair of J-sh-aped slots in said end portion for receiving said second legs'in locking engagement.

5. A file unit comprising a normally horizontally disposed base, a pairof parallel generally inverted-U-shaped free standards extending upward from said base and each having a first leg with its lower end attached to said base and a second leg with a free end for admission thereon of perforated sheets, a stop plate provided with a pair of openings corresponding to and larger than said first legs, said stop plate freely slidably and tiltably mounted on said legs with said first legs extending through said openings, and said stop plate having an end portion extending from saidfirst legs angularly upwardly towards said second legs, said end portion being of a length greater than the normal distance between the legs of each standa'rd and normally abutting said second legs.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS France Apr. 24, 1955

Claims (1)

1. A FILE UNIT COMPRISING A BASE, A GENERALLY INVERTEDU-SHAPED FREE STANDARD HAVING TWO LEGS JOINED BY A BIGHT PORTION, AND A STOP MEMBER; THE LOWER END OF ONE LEG OF SAID STANDARD BEING ATTACHED TO SAID BASE AND THE SECOND LEG HAVING A FREE END FOR ADMISSION OF PERFORATED SHEETS ONTO THE STANDARD, SAID STOP MEMBER BEING FREELY SLIDABLY AND TILTABLY MOUNTED ON SAID ONE LEG AND HAVING AN END PORTION OF A LENGTH GREATER THAN THE NORMAL DISTANCE BETWEEN SAID LEGS, SAID END PORTION EXTENDING FROM SAID ONE

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