US972154A - Credit-account apparatus. - Google Patents

Description

4J. T. BROOKE. UREDIT AcooUNT APPARATUS. APPLIOA'IIOI FILED 123.10, 1909.

UNTTED sTATiis PATENT onirica.

JOHN T. BROOKE, or SEATTLE, WASHINGTON.

CREDIT-AGCUNT APPARATS. v

l Specification of Letters Patent.l Patented 0015-, 11, 1910.

Applation filed April 10, 1909.` Serial No. 489,170.

To all lwhom it may concern: I

Be itknown that I, JOHN T. BROOKE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Seattle, in the county of King and State of Washington, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Credit-Account Apparatus, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawing.

This invention relates to the subject of credit systems, and liaspart-icularly in view a filing cabinet therefor which is made in book form, the leaves of which may be readily removed or added to, and each leaf being provided with a plurality of sales slip holders which readily permit the slips to be removed, yet at the same time assure of the same being held in a conspicuous manner so that they may be inspected.

The invention is primarily designed .for use in connection with credit systems where duplicate or triplicate sales slips are employed, one or more to be kept within a portable filing cabinet, one to be retained by a customer, and, if three 'slips are used, the third to be kept by the'store and filed away in a ledger.

It will be understood, of course, that in the practical application of the invention to the system, the same is susceptible of changes in details and structural arrangements, but one preferred and practical ,example thereof is shown -in the accompanying drawings, wherein'- Figure 1 is a perspective view of the improved filin-g cabinet, the cover leaves thereof being opened. Fig. 2 is a detail side elevation of the hinge connection between the leaves of the cabinet. Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2, showing the binding or locking engagement between the hinge connection of the cover and the hinge connection of the leaves.

Referring to the accompanying drawings by numerals, 1 and 2 designate, respectively, the covers of the filing cabinet, which is of a book form so that the saine may be portable. Tlie cover 1 on its inner face is provided with four corner pockets 3 which receive the corners of an index sheet 4 and preferably also the corresponding corners of a transparent protecting sheet 5 for the V alphabetical and numerical'index sheet 4. The other cover 2 has a pad or ltablet 6 secured thereon, each sheet of which' may be provided with the necessary horizontal and vertical Alines for the keeping of accounts.' The pad or tablet is so arranged that its sheets may be readily torn off when desired' or necessary.

The leaves 7 are of duplicate cdjnstruction and arrangement, and they, as well as the covers may be formed of pasteboard, fiber, or metal. The leaves are provided at their longitudinal edges with protecting strips 8 which project on each side of the leaf, and are also provided with a central partition strip 9 which is arranged similar'to the side strips, so that each leaf has both sides divided into two longitudinal compartments. As is shown more clearly in Fig. 1, when the leaves are closed, the side strips of each leaf rest upon the side strips of the leaf below, and the central partition strip rests upon the central partition strip below, which arrangement assures of ample space being left between the compartments of each leaf. The strips 8 may be indexed correspondingly with the cover index. y

The covers at the inner ends of their longitudinal edges are provided with hinge straps '10, the end of each of which is in pivotal engagementwith one endof a hinge link 11, said hinge link having its other end provided with an inclined transversely" arranged slot -12 for detachable engagement' with a pivot stud 13 carried by a strap or plate 14 fastened to the longitudinal edge of the side member of each outer leaf'. This plate or strap 14 is located preferablyat one edge of the said member or strip, and a duhinge link 17. This manner of hingedly connecting the seveial leaves together, and the outer leaves thereof to the cover is oon- -tinued,-the arrangement being such that each side strip of the leaves has a hinge link connection with the leaf above and the leaf below, and the covers each have a detachable hinge connection with the outer leaves. The hinge straps and the hinge links are all provided with rounded ends and are held yin binding contact with one another when vi1 o As' has been'stated before, the leaves are divided into longitudinal compartments on each'side, by means of the side strips and the central strip, and to utilize these compartments, a plurality of holding clips are employed for retaining sales slips or the like in positionri'n the compartment so that they may be readily inspected. The holding clips are of duplicate construction, each being formed of a single length of resilient material,`such as wire, bent to'form side arms 18 and a horizontally connecting front member 19 provided with an intermediate finger grip 20 formed by upwardly, or outwardly bowing the material. The rear ends of the side arms are coiled to form a spiral spring 21, the tension of which -is constantly exerted .to retain the front connecting member 19 in contact with the bottom of the compartment. These sprin project outwardly from their arms, an their outer convolution is passed through the leaf, or bottom of the compartment and into the compartment on the opposite side of the leaf and stapled or otherwise securely fastened therein, as indicated at 22.

The edges of the` side strips opposite to the holding clips in each compartment may be supplied with an initial, letter, number, l30v or other distinguishing mark in order to readily identify the slips held by the clips.

It will be seen from the foregoing that by means of the hinge connection between the covers and the leaves, the covers may be readily detached to permit additional leaves ,to be added to the cabinet, and by the described compartment arrangement of the Y leaves a large number of sl1 s may be recabinet com rising prising covers, a plurality of leaves each having an independent hinge connection with an adjacent leaf, and a detachable hinge connection between each cover and each outermost leaf.

3. A portable filing cabinet, comprising covers each provided with hinge members one end of each of which is provided with a s lot, a lurality of leaves 'each having an indepen ent hinge connection with an adja` c ent leaf, and pivot lugs carried by the outermost leaves for detachable engagement with the slotted end of the hinge membersof the covers. j

4. A portable filing cabinet, comprising covers `each provided with hinge members the free ends of which are rounded and have transverse slots formed therein, a plurality of leaves, a rounded end link connection between each leaf and an adjacent leaf, and

pivot studs carried by each outermost leaffor detachable engagement with the slotted ends of the hinge members of the covers, the links Aof the leaves being adapted to have 'binding engagement with each other and Vwith the hinge members of the coversA when the cabinet is in a closed position.

A tiling cabinet comprising a plurality of leaves, hinge members carried by each leaf, a link connection between the hinge members of one leaf and the adjoining lea*e vcovers for said leaves, and a detachable hinge connection between said covers and the hinge members of the outermost leaves.

6. A filing cabinet comprising a pluralit of leaves, hinge members carried by 'each leaf, link connections between the hinge members of one leaf and the adjacent leaf, said links having a binding engagement when the leaves are closed, covers for said leaves, and a detachable hinge connection between said covers and the outermost leaves. In testimony whereof I hereunto alix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN T. BROOKE.

Witnesses G. lV. SEELEY, J. FRED IVRIGHT.

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