US448052A - kietley - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.) .2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

S. B. KIRTLEY 80 H. PHILLIPS. COMBINED LEDGER AND INDEX.

No. 448,052. Patented Mar. 10, 1891 mtness 28 Inventors 5: 1? heir trarne 9 flaw (No Model.) .2 Shets-Sheet 2. S. B. 'KIRTLEY & H. PHILLIPS.

COMBINED LEDGER AN-D INDEX.

Patented Mar. 10, 1891.

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i PATENT COMBINED LEDGER AND INDEX.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 448,052, dated March 10, 1891. Application fi December 7, 1886. Serial No. 220,924. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, SIMEONVYB. KIRTLEY and HIRAM PHILLIPS, citizens of the United States, residing at Columbia, in the county of Boone and State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Combined Ledger or Book and Index of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

Figure 1 is a perspective view showing an open ledger in which this invention is embodied. Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the upper edge of the book, showing how the top edges are cut away. Fig. 3 is a perspective view in detail showing how this invention is used. Fig. 4 is a plan view showing the book opened to a particular name. Fig. 5 is a detailin plan illustrating the structure of the book, the arrangement of the vowels and consonants, as in use.

This invention relates more particularly to ledgers, but is applicable to record or any other book with which it is desirable to use an index, or to which an index can be applied, thus embracing not only books of account and official record books, but tradecatalogues or any other book which is arranged alphabetically or is capable of being so arranged, when it is desired to refer very rapidly to a given name or a particular sub- 'ect.

3 By the use of our invention a separateindex for the book is dispensed with, likewise the numbering of the pages.

It has been found an absolute necessity in books of account kept in large banking institutions, or in large commercial houses, or in trade-catalogues or like books, where there are oftentimes hundreds of names or titles of subjects under a given letter of the alphabet, to provide some easy and simple method for thebook-keeper or the party examining the books to find a given name, title, or subject with the least possible delay. vSo that the object of this invention is to supply a means and method integral with each book whereby the desired results can be obtained rapidly,

I easily, and certainly; and to this end in the present instance the novelty consists more especially in so constructing the tops of the pages under each letter of the alphabet that on opening the book the eye at a glance will readily see upon what special page under that letter a given name, subject, or title can be found, any given page under such index-letter being at once accessible to the user; and the novelty further consists in the details of construction and arrangement by which this invention is put into use.

Heretofore several attempts have been ends in view which we have above set out; but in no instance of which we are aware is there found combined with or integral with a book of account or catalogue or other similar book, an index like that shown in the present invention. \Ve are aware that it is not new to cut away the lower edges of the leaves of an index for the purpose of placing thereon the letters of the alphabet, and that the upper edges of the leaves have in like manner been sometimes cut away and for like purpose; also, that it has long been awell-known practice to attach theindex-letters to theright-hand edges of theleaves, so as tobe convenientlyaccessible .to the finger, and that such details of construction are almost invariably used in indexes which are separate from the account-book or other book in connection with which they-are used.

Having now generally stated vthe nature explainit in detail, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings, the letter A denotes a ledgenwhichis shownfor the purpose of clearly illustrating this invention and the means and the method by which it has been adapted for use. It will be observed that upon the edges of the leaves, in any usual manner, are at tached or applied the letters of the alphabet, as is common in indexes. These can be applied or attached to the edges of the leaves or in the edge of the book. It should be borne in mind, however, that in our book un der each letter it is supposed there is quite a large number of pages. each instance is attached to or placed upon the first and last of the series of pages in connection withwhich it is to be used, and the tops of each series of pages so alphabeted and object of our invention, we proceed to The index-letter in a are cut away, as illustrated in the drawings made having in a very general way the same at A B. It will thus happen that the page after the first of each series of pages to which the letters are attached-for instance, the letter C, as now shown in the open book, Fig. 3, in the drawingsis cut away at the top from 1 on a slant or incline at its left-hand side and thence horizontally, as at c, to within a short distance of the front edge of this page, that the next page is cut away in like manner at 2, except that the inclined cut begins at a remove of about a half-inch to the right from the cut 0 on the preceding page, and that each page is in like manner .cut away at the top, its cut commencing about half an inch to the right from that of the next preceding page, and thus through the entire series of pages to which the index-letter is applied, so that the series of cuts will be in a sort of step shape. At the right-hand edge the cut-away portions on all of these pages substantially coincide. Of course the space on each page between the cut-away parts will be regulated to suit convenience, the amount above specified being simply stated for illustration. Upon the cut-away portions are placed in due succession the vowels, and with each in like order the consonantsfor instance, the vowel and the first consonant following that vowel-the vowels being arranged alphabetically and the consonants likewise. On the first cut-away part and conveniently near to the right-hand edge is placed this vowel a, with the next consonant following. For instance, there is now shown in the drawing the vowel a, with the consonant 1 after it. It will therefore be in order to write upon this page all the names which a is the first vowel and l the first consonant following itas, for instance, in the present illustration the name Callahan is shown. Upon the edge of the next out near its right hand, which will project beyond the place in the preceding page where the vowel is marked, is in like manner placed the vowel a with the consonant which comes after l-namely, m-

- and on this page the name. Campbell can be used, and so upon each succeeding page is placed a vowel and in due order the consonant that comes after it,which will enable the user of the ledger or book to tell as he glances his eye across the cut-away tops of the pages, when he has turned to a series of pages under the letter C, upon what page any given name commencing with C may be found. It will only be necessary, then, for the user to place his finger, as is shown in the drawings, upon the projecting part of the edge under the cut-away portion upon which the vowel and other letters have been placed, and then by turning back the series of pages inside of or above that where the vowel and any other letter in connection with it have been placed, the page will be found upon which the desiredv name is inscribed. It will be convenient, also, to give on the same place some marks or letters to indicate the initials of the several parties--for instance, in case of the name Callahan, this name will be found under a 1. To find J. R. Campbell, look under a in J. R. For C. C. Cline look under i n C. C. \Vhere, as often happens, there are several of the same name, as John Smith or John Brown, in the same ledger, it will be only necessary to add to the cut-away top part of the page some symbol or mark to denote the residence or occupation of each John Smith orJohn Brown. In like manner every series of pages connected with each letter is designated and constructed. It will be seen, therefore, that in such business houses as require several ledgers in constant use to keep the record of all their customers and business transactions, while they will have under each given name sometimes several hundreds of names, that our invention, as now described, will be of the greatest possible benefit in the saving of the book-keepers time, because upon reference to any letter, as has been above remarked, the book-keeper can on opening the ledger at a given letter tell instantly which particular page is to be turned to in order to find the desired name, and can at once put his finger upon that page with absolute certainty. In reference, then, to the use of the first vowel after the initiaLletter and the first consonant following it, which is the essential idea of our invention, as has been heretofore described, it will be noticed that by our invention we indicate, in connection with the mechanical structure, (not shown,) when the book is opened at the desired letter, exactly the page upon which each name can be found.

e are aware that there are systems of indexing where the second and third letter of each name or word are used; but this system in any large book of account or other large volume requiring an index does not, in fact, to any appreciable degree help the bookkeeper or other person to find rapidly a desired name. In fact, it would by no means enable the book-keeper to put his eye with any degree of quickness upon the desired subject or name, because by taking the second. and third letter there is indicated only such letters as are applicable to a very large series of names or words under a given index-letter, whereas by our invention there is indicated exactly the name or word it is desired to find, So that it will happen under the old system, to which we have referred, that a very large number of names or words will have to be gone over before the desired one is found, whereas by ours the exact name or word is indicated. For instance, let us suppose that we want to find under the old system aname or word beginning Bea. Now by reference to the directory of any large city it will be found, that in some instances there are scores of names that begin in this way. Now by our invention, using the vowel and the con sonant inthe order stated, we reach almost in stantaneo'uslyany name beginning with Bea. The substance of all these remarks is appli cable to the merchant who is desirous in find ing a particular subject or title in any of the many and very bulky trade catalogues. These catalogues not infrequently number as high as one thousand pages, very often more than one thousand. By any other construction that we are aware of it will take considerable time to find any given title or subject. In a ledger, catalogue, or book prepared by the construction and after the method we have above explained, the same at only two moves vcan be opened at the desired place.

The first move discloses the index-letter and.

will be a very large gain in the cost of construction.

Having now described our invention, what we claim is 1. A ledger or other book having integral therewith an index provided in any usual way with index-letters along or in its edges, and, at the cut-away portions at the top of each series of leaves or pages having thereon the first vowel and first consonant following to denote on which particular page of said series a particular name can be found.

2. A ledger or book having integral therewith an index arranged according to the first vowel after the initial letter and first consonant following, whereby the vowels are marked with the consonants in due succession on the several pages under each alphabetical index letter, substantially as described.

3. A ledger or book having integral therewith an index arranged by alphabetical letters and initial letters of Christian names,v according to the first vowel after the initial letter and the first consonant following, whereby under each letter any desired name can be found by two motions of the hand.

In testimony whereof we affix our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

SIMEON B. KIRTLEY. HIRAM PHILLIPS.

Witnesses:

R. J. BoUoHEM, JNo. M. SAMUEL.

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