US486434A

US486434A - Check-file

Info

Publication number: US486434A
Authority: US
Publication date: 1892-11-22
Anticipated expiration: 1909-11-22

Description

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1. A. L. O OLTON.

CHECK FILB.

No. 486,434. Patented Nov. 22, 1892.

jw I c f 773 '3' w i ;I I z II I I II I E I I I I I I I I I II I I III WOW (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2. A. L. OOLTON.

CHECK FILE.

No. 486,434. Patented Nov. 22, 1892.

w H'H'HMW" I C' AT T w vINvENTo 'v/w; W JM UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ARTHUR L. COLTON, OF OLEVELAND, OHIO.

CHECK-FILE.

SPECIFICATIONforming' part of Letters Patent No. 486,434, dated November 22, 1892.

Application filed May ll, 1892. Serial No. 432,548- (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, ARTHUR L. OoLToN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Cleveland, in the county of Cuyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Check-Files; and-I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the invention,which will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to bank-check files; and the object of the invention is to provide a check-file in which greater convenience in assorting checks, a larger saving in space occupied by the checks and their files, and economy in construction are afforded.

Prior to the introduction of bank-check files, as such, it was a com mon custom in banks to use large cases of pigeon-holes, in which Were filed the canceled checks of customers. These pigeon-hole casings are in use now in many banks, but the necessity of economizing space, as well as the desire for a more convenient system of handling, assorting, and

vkeeping checks has ind'uced many banks to adopt a more compact method than the old Way afforded of filing .their canceled checks. This invention therefore is directly in the line of improvementin this art, which is calculated to render check-files more convenient than hitherto and to afford improved facilities for keeping the checks of customers.

Theinvention therefore consists in the construction of a check-file substantially as shown and described, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

Reference being had to the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view of my improved check-file, partly filled With checks,

-and the means of holding and assorting the same. Fig. 2 is a cross-section of the front portion of the file on linex x to show the depth of the recess therein. Fig. 3 is a cross-section of a portion of the file, likewise on line x x, and designed to illustrate the position of the supporting-arm and the back board when the contents of the file are pressed together. Fig. 4 is a cross-section of a part of the file, like- Wise on line xx, and illustrating the contents 'of the file loosened and'thrown back into an inclined position' and the supporting-arm 'resting on thefioor of the file, as hereinafter described. Fig. 5 is a cross-section, say, on line y y and looking in toward the back-board and shows the same and the supporting-arm in the position disclosed in Fig. 3. Fig.6 is a perspective view of a series of partitions and of theintermediate custo mers7 dvision-sheets, illustrating the arrangement of these parts in the drawer. Fig. 7 is a detail of one of the customers7 division-sheets alone; and Fig. 8 is a detail of the back supporting board or piece and its supportingarm, the board being shown in an upright position corresponding to Fig. 3.

My improved file consists of a file-box, drawer, or receptacle`A, adapted through suitable supporting mechanism to hold and operate alphabetical partitions B and intermediate customers, division-sheets O,both said partitions and division-sheets extending entirely across the drawer or box and of substantially equal length. The alphabetical partitions B are provided centrally at their top with tabs b, upon one or both of the faces of which are placed the letters of the alphabet or other suitable distinguishing characters consecutively-as, for example, A, 13, 0, &c., or l, 2, 3, &c., and one or more characters may be placed upon each tab, according to the number of subdivisions one may desire to make. Intermediate of these partitions are the customers7 diVision-'sheets, and there may be as many of these division-sheets in any given subdivision as there are customers whose names begin with the letter or letters represented in that subdivision-that is, if the subdivision be represented by A, all the customers whose names begin with A will go in there, and if the tab bear letters A 13, then all the As and B7s would go in there, and so on. To make this clear, I will refer to Fig. 6, where I /have two partition-boards with tabs a at their ce/nter and marked with characters A and B, respectively. Intermediate of these partitions are six several customers, sheets O, and these sheets are each formed with tabs c at their top edge, said tabs in this case being cut from the material of the sheets themselves and projecting above the edge of the sheet proper, so as to clearly disclose the name they bear.

' It will be observed that, beginning at the left, the first sheet has at the base of its tab the characters A B '*C D, and diagonally at the right is a second tab bearing the characters E 'F "G H, and so on to the end of the alphabet, the successive tabs being out of line with one another for convenience of reference from front or rear. Above these characters on thetabs are blanks for the names of customers, and a few of the tabs have names written on to show the mannerof using thesheets. Thus, assuming that a customercomes whose name is John Adams, the clerk then gets a sheet which has the letter 'J on it, and writes the customerls name on the tab. The sheet is then put in the A subdivision and in its place in the line in the subdivision. If the first or Christian name commenced with 1,77 J, or K it would come in the same line, and, the surname being Adams, it would come in the A division. If the name were John Smith, a customeris sheet bearing letter J Would be selected, and when the name was written on it it would be put in the S subdivision. The customers7 sheets are kept in stock and are adapted alike to all subdivisions of the alphabet, the Christian name of the customer determining into which subdivision it should go. The checks of each customer are placed immediately before his sheet, and by arranging the tabs and names, as herein described, the eye can instantly detect any nameit wants and refer directly to the customers checks, assorted under his name.

The spaces between the division-sheets adjust themselves in width to the number or quantity of checks placed therein, so that with a file equipped, for example, like the one shown in Fig. 1, and having corresponding length there is room for the bestowal of a great number of checks. Of course the size or length of the drawer or box may be greater or less than that shown, if desired. The file-box is of suitable width and height to hold checks filed on their edges crosswise of the file; but usually is made wider than the length of a check, which adapts it to re' ceive a more liberal subdivision of the alphabet between the several partitions A B C, dac., or other corresponding characters.

Both the partition-boards B and the customers* division-sheets C are shown here with projections b' and c', respectively, at their ends, which are adapted to rest upon the cleats or strips E,along the inside of the drawer on both sdes thereof. These cleats are of such elevation from the bottom of the drawer that when the said division-sheets or partitions are resting at an inclination, say, as shown in Fig. the project-ions b' and c' thereof will rest upon said cleats and help to sustain the said partitions and sheets; but when the said parts are in Vertical position-as, for example, in Fig. 3--the projections b' and e' will of course be up from the said cleats and will not rest thereon. Now in order that the said partition'and division-sheets may be .held in any desired position, whether compacted, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3, or loose, so as to incline and make the checks between them available to be handled, as shown in Fig. 4,1 employ a back supporting board or plate or its equivalent D, which is constructed, essen- 'tially, like one of the partitions B and is pro- Vided at about its center on the back with an eye d, adapted to receive an arm G. This arm is made, preferably, of heavy Wire, With its outer extremity bent down substantially at right angles from the point of engagement with part D and adapted to serve as a brace to the said part when it is inclined, as in Fig. 4. At its opposite end the said wire is bent spirally several times around the rod I-I, which runs lengthwise of the drawer beneath the cleat E on one side of the drawer. By bending the wire, as shown at g', several times somewhat closely around the said rod H an extended friction-bearing is given to the arm G, which admirably serves my purpose. Thus when the holding devices and the checks are to be forced compactly together, as when the file is closed, the back board D and its supporting-arm are carried forward by the hand until the file is made as compact as desired. Then the hand is released and the parts are held firmly in position by the said arm,which is free from the board D, except at the eye or plate (Z. By reason of the back-pressure of the file being thus brought against the extremity of the arm, where it passes through the eye cl, the bearing g' is caused to have such tight frictional engagement upon the rod H that it is held firmly thereon, and the greater the pressure against the board D the tighter the arm holds upon its bearing. Then in case it be desired to release the file and remove a check the bearing g' is seized by the fingers and the parts are carried back as far as desired, when the file becomes loose and the check can easily be removed. In this latter operation, when the back piece D is thrown into an inclined position, as seen in Fig. 4, the extremity g of the rod comes down and rests upon the bottom of the file and forms a firm brace to said back piece and helps to support the said back piece in an inclined position against any pressure that may come against it.

It will be observed that the tabs of the customers7 division-sheets come upon opposite sides of the longitudinal center of the drawer which is occupied by the tabs of the partitions, so that an unobstructed view of the tabs on the partitions is aifordefhwhether one looks from the front or the rear. By constructing the parts as herein shown I am enabled to bestow a number of customers7 division-sheets between each of the partitions, and if lettered as here shown three will come on one side of the center and three on the other. This gives me a system of double indexing, and the customers names are shown in six distinct places or columns instead of all following each other in one column. Again, by

this system of double indexing the proper column is known and the eye in its search has to cover but one-sixth of the names it would need to cover if the names were all placed in one column. The customers7 division-sheets being preferably made of tag-board, they occupy the least possible space, yet are strong and firm enough for every purpose. Much room is thus saved for liling purposes between them. Any of the partitions may be changed from one file to another.

In Figs. 1 and 2 I show a recess a' at the front of the file-box, which is cut to a point below the top of the partitions. This prevents the contents of the file getting out of easy reach by lying closely against the front of the file-box and enables one to insert the finger and press the contents back to loosen up the contents.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a check-file, the construction herein described, consisting of the rigid drawershaped holder,and a series of movable partitions in said holder, disconnected therefrom and provided with tabs centrally at their top edge and projecting above said edge and lettered or numbered consecutively, in combination with intermediate customers7 divisionsheets having tabs at their top at either side of the line of tabs on the said division-sheets, substantially as described.

2. A bank-check file consisting of a drawershaped holder, a series of separate removable partitions lettered or numbered consecutivelyl and disconnected from said holder, and a series of independent customers, division-sheets between said partitions, each of said sheets having a tab projecting above said edge and provided with one or more characters and a blank space for a customer's name, substantially as described.

3. The receptacle or holder having a fixed rod lengthwise at one side, the back supporting piece or plate for the contents of the file, and an arm having pivoted and sliding connection upon said rod and bearing against said back plate, substantially as described.

4. The receptacle and a rod longitudinally along inside thereof, a supporting-arm having a sliding lbearing on said rod, and aback plate or piece to support the contents of the file held by said arm, substantially as described.

5. The file-holder and the rod lengthwise at one side thereof, in combination with the back plate, an arm having a slidin g bearing on said rod,pivotally engaged with the back plate at about its center, and said arm provided with a downwardly-extending portion to brace the back plate in inclined position7 substantially as described.

6. The file-holder having ledges along its sides and the partitions and division-sheets constructed at their ends to rest on said ledges when inclined, in combination with the back plate forxning a support for the contents of the file and an arrn to hold said back plate, having a leg to rest on the bottom of the holder and arranged to slide back and forth in the holder on a friction-bearing at the side of said holder, substantially as described.

ARTHUR L. OOLTON.

W'itnesses:

H. T. FISHER, NELLIE L. MOLANE.