US991524A - Indicator for duplicate-sales-slip files. - Google Patents

Description

' H. MGGORMICK; INDICATOR FOR DUPLIGATE .SALES SLIP. PILES.

APPLICATION IILED'IEB. 16, 1905. l A

' Patented May 9, 1911.

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f 5 sz E* f H. MUGURMIGK. INDICATOR POR'DUPLIGATE sALEs'zsLIP FILES.

APPLIOATION FILED PEB. 16., 1905.

Patented May 9, 1911.

'2 SHEETS-SHBET 2.

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AHORACE MCCORMICK, OF DES MOINES, IOWA, ASSIGNOR TO TI-IE COMPLETE BOOK- KEEPER CO., OF DES MOINES, IOWA, .A CORPORATION.

INDICATOR FOR DUPLICATE-SALES-SLIP FILES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 9, 1911.

Application filed February 16, 1905. Serial No. 245,827.

T o all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HORACE MoCoRMrcK, of Des Moines, Polk county, Iowa, have 1nvented certain new and useful Improvements in Indicators for Duplicate-Sales-Slip Files, of which the following is a specification.

In the use of a short account system a case or cabinet is provided wherein the sales books or iles are kept, each bearing a customers name and containing duplicate sales slips whereon the customers account and the daily balances appear. These cabinets are usually of wood and exposed to damage or destruction by lire or other means, and it is customary to take off, daily, the cash received from a customer and the balance of the a-ccount into a book called a balance book that is kept for that purpose and which can be easily placed in the merchants safe or vault at the close of a days business. The cabinets are made of considerable size to accommodate a large number of sales books, and as it is only necessary for the bookkeeper to examine those books containing accounts which have been changed during the day, by the payment of cash or otherwise, it is desirable to provide some means whereby the bookkeeper, at a glance, can ascertain what files have been removed from the case and entries made therein and to avoid the waste of time and labor in removing all the books.

The object, therefore, of my invention is to provide an indicating device in connection with each book or file, by means of which the person in charge of the balance book can, by glancing at the cabinet, readily determine which books have been removed during the day.

The invention consists generally in an indicating device arranged to be set automatically when the clerk removes the file from the case.

Further, the invention consists in mech-anism for locking each indicating device in its open position.

Further, the invention consists in mechanism for simultaneously returning all the indicating devices to their closed position in front of the file in the case.

In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, Figure l is a front elevation of a portion of a tile case with my invention applied thereto. Fig. 2 is an enlarged view of the front of the case illustrating the mechanism for operating the indicating devices to return them to their normal position. Figs. 3 and l are detail sectional views of the indicator operating mechanism. Fig. 5 is a horizontal section through the casing showing one indicator in its normal position in front of the file and another' indicator swung to an indicating position at one side of the file. Fig. 6 is a detail view of the back side of an indicator showing the manner of supporting a name plate thereon.

In the drawing, 2 represents a case or cabinet having pigeon holes or pockets 3 wherein the books or files forthe duplicate sale slips are placed.

l represents one of the files having aname plate 5 in one end and provided with the usual securing devices forthe sale slips, the end of the file being visible at the front of the case and easily accessible for removal or inspection.

6 represents a shaft having bearings 7 on the front of the case between the vertical rows of pockets or pigeon holes therein. There are as many of these shafts as there are vertical rows of pockets in the case. At intervals upon each shaft I provide ratchet wheels 8, there being as many of these wheels as there are pockets in the vertical row. Boxes 9 are loosely mounted on said shaft and each incloses a ratchet wheel, and an indicator plate 10 is carried by each box and is arranged to partially close'the opening in the front of the contiguous pocket and prevent the removal or insertion of a file.

A spring pawl ll mounted on the box is arranged to bear on the teeth of the ratchet inclosed thereby, said teeth allowing the spring to slip over them and the indicator to be swung out to a position substantially at right angles to the front of the case, but preventing the indicator plate from being returned to its normal position. Each of the indicators may be moved to indicating position independently of all of the other indicators, thereby permitting the removal of any file from the case without setting any of the indicators except the one over the pocket containing the le that is yto be removed. The indicator may be grasped by the hand of the clerk or operator and turned out to indicating position when the file holder may be removed from the cabinet or the indicator may be turned to indicating position automatically as the file holder is removed from the case. lhen once an indicator has been set in the indicating position it Will be impossible for the clerk to return it to its normal position, and the bookkeeper can, at a glance, determine which files have been removed from the case and What customers have made purchases or payments on account during the day.

I prefer to provide a slot 12 in the indicating plate having on the back side clips or lugs 13 to hold a name plate 14 bearing the same name as the name plate of the file for that pocket. This name plate on the indicator will be plainly visible and enables the Vclerk to easily locate anyrcustomers file prior toits removal from the case and return the file to the proper pocket after the sale slip has been placed therein. In case the clerk should fail to return the file to the case for any reason, the bookkeeper noting from the position of the indicator that the tile has been removed, can readily determine to Which customer the file belongs.

It is desirable in a device of this kind to provide some means for returning all of the indicators simultaneously to their normal position. `I therefore provide gears 15 on the upper end of each of the shafts 6 meshing Wit-h similar gears 16 on a horizontal shaft 17 mounted upon the top of the case. When this shaft 17 is revolved the vertical shafts 6 Will all be operated to close the indicators. The mechanism Will be so timed that a quarter turn of the shaft 17 will move the indicators from their indicating position to a normal position in front o-f the pockets. To lock the shaft 17 against premature or accidental movement, I secure a disk 18 thereon having notches 19 in each quarter of its circumference. A spring 2O is adapted to snap into one of these notches and lock the disk and shaft 17 against revolution in either direction. The shaft 17 and the operating mechanism therefor is preferably inclosed Within the top 22 of the casing, which may be suitably ornamented by moldings to present a neat, finished appearance and completely conceal the shaft and gearing. A door 23 is provided in the front of the casing having a suitable lock 24, the key for Which Will be in the possession of the bookkeeper, so that no unauthorized person can manipulate the indicators after they have once been set in their indicating position. At the close of the days business the bookkeeper, having made a record of the sales, as indicated by the slips in the files Whose indicators have been moved by the clerk making the sale, Will unlock the door 23 and revolve the shaft 17, returning all the indicator plates to their normal position across the front of the pockets. The indicators that have not been moved during the day will not be affected by the operation of the shafts G, but those that have been set in an indicating position will be returned to their normal position.

I do not wish in this application to be confined to the particular mechanism I have shown and described for allowing the indicators to be set in an indicating position or the mechanism for returning the indicators to their normal position, as the same is capable of various modications by anyone skilled in the art Without departing from my invention as defined by the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. A device for use in keeping accounts comprising a casing, a series of file-holders therein, each adapted to carry loose files, an indicator for each file-holder normally in a position from which it must be moved in order to Withdraw a file-holder from said casing, and mechanism for simultaneously returning to their normal position all of the indicators that have been moved to indicating position.

2. The combination, with a casing having a series of pigeon holes or pockets therein and provided with a series of file holders, of indicating devices arranged in front of said pockets and adapted to be swung independently of one another to an indicating position at one side thereof, and mechanism for simultaneously returning all of said indicators to their normal position in front of said pockets, substantially as described.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this 9th day of Feb. 1905.

HORACE MCGORMICK.

Witnesses:

WV. H. LONG, I-I. E. MATHEWS.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C.

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