US1539411A - Card-index system - Google Patents

Description

2 Sheets-Sheet 1 wwzfar E. W. DAVIS CARD INDEX SYSTEM Filed March 11, 1921 May 26 1925:

May 26, 1925. 1,539,411

. E. w. DAVIS I CARD INDEX SYSTEM,

Filed March 11, 1921 2Sheecs-Shaet 2 Patented May 26, 1925.

\ UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ELMER W. DAVIS, CHIGAGd, ILLINOIS, A SSIGNOR T0 SHAW-WALKER COMPANY, OF

MUSKEGON, MICHIGAN, A CORPORATION OF MICHIGAN.

CARD-INDEX sYs'rnM.

Application filed lllarch ll, 1921. Serial No. 451,544.

To all whom it may concern: I

Be it known that I, ELMER 1V. DAVIS, a citizen of the United'States, and a resident of Chicago, in the county of, Cook and Stateof Illinois, have "invented certain new and useful Improvements in Card-Index Systems, of which the following is a specification. 1

i This invention relates to improvements in card index systems, and more particularly to systems in whichseries of alphabetically arranged cards are mounted within a drawer or other filing compartment, these cards being capable of being withdrawn from the container for the purpose of examination, or the entering of information thereon.

The present invention pertains to a construction for a vertically-expansible card holding unit consisting of aseries of interconnected or interlocked card-holding sections, each unit containing a desired number of card-holding sections, preferably confined to a single alphabetical or other division or unit of the filing system, such as would be designated by a tabbearing the alphabetic designation or character. In general, the units is to facllitate the location and access to any desired card of a unit by the withdrawal in a vertical direction of the tabbed index card, the several card-holding sections being advanced upwardly and in stepped'relation so that; the upper margins of the individual cards. are exposed simultaneously, and the title or subject matter indication appearing thereon readily visible to the operator.

The object of the present invention is to provide an improved construction for card 1nd8X\ systems of the general type hereinbefore mentioned, these improvements involving certain departures in the construction'and arrangement of the card-holding units, and in'the' means employed for securing or anchoring the several units in the drawer or container of the filing cabinet.-

The novel features are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which-' Figure-1 is a view in front elevation of a single drawer of the filing cabinet, show-, ing one of the card-holding units in with drawn position, and the cards displayed for ready access.

Figure 2 is a, cross-sectional view of the purpose of the card-holding forward portion of a drawer as taken on line 2-2 of Figure 1,

Figure 3 is an enlarged detailed view in end elevation of several card-holding sections connected together, and cards mounted thereon, a

Figure 4 is a similar detailed view in vertical section of two card-holding sections arranged in vertical offset relation, and showing their relative positions, as well as that of the cards, when the same are in extended position,

Fi re 5 is a View in front elevationof a card-holding unit mounted within a drawer and showing the appearance there of when in contracted position, and disclosing clearly the manner in which the unit is anchored to the drawer.

Figure 6 is a perspective view of a single card-holding section showing its construction,

Figure 7 is a pers ective view of a unit in vertically extende position, and slightlyv expanded transversely to show the'arrangement of the sections and the appearance of theunit from the rear, and

Fi ure 8 is a perspective view of a socall? anchored card as detached from a 11111 aAshereinbefore indicated, a card index system embodying the features of the invention is preferably disclosed in connection with the ordinary type, of filing systems comprising a single drawer or several drawers 1, slidably mounted in a cabinet. Withn these drawers are mounted the cardholding units and index cards, the same be- ,ing preferably arranged alphabetically from front to rear of the drawer. As ordinarily constructed, the drawer. is provided with a longitudinal slot 2 extending centrally of the bottom wall from front to rear, and within this slot is mounted a rod 3. Slidably mounted on the rod. is a follower comrisin alphabetical designation. Thus, as clearly a vertical plate 4, forming an adustab e rear support forthe unit and main- -tal lower ed es 12-12 shown in Figure 1, these cards would in turn be arranged alphabetically, beginning at the rearmost card; namely, that adjacent to the tabbed card 5 bearing the letter A on the tab 6 thereof. It is to be understood, however, that the number of cards which may be filed in the unit maybe increased. at will by ex anding the samein a manner which will e clearly understood as the construction of the unit is disclosed.

As has already been suggested, the unit is made up of a plurality of card-holding sections, and it is proposedfirst to describe in detail the construction of each section. Figure 6 clearly shows the manner in which one of the sections 7 ismade. A blank is first cut from a sheet of paper in the shape and size of a rectangular body portion 8 conforming substantially in size tothat of the cards, At the lower edge of the body portion is formed an upturned tongue 9, which is folded forwardly and upwardly along the fold line 10, constituting the lower edgeof the section. The length of-the tongue is less than the width of the body portion 8 Along the side edges of the body portion are formed flaps 1111, which extend substantially thruout the full width of the body portion, but terminate in spaced relation from the fold line 10 along horizonparallel with said fold line. T e fia s are folded inwardly and a ainst the sur ace of the body portion 8, the1r vertical and parallel edges 1313 being spaceda'part centrally of the section. Along the upper edge of t e body portion is formed a com aratively narrow flap 14 adapted to be fold constitutin the upper edge of the body portion, and gagement with the up er marginal portions of the flaps 11--11, said flap 14 being sealed by the a plication 'of adhesive. Thus a pocket is ormed at the rear'of the body portion Sfacing or openin in a downward direction. As a prefera 1y formation, the free corners of the flaps 11-1'1 are removed by the provision of diagonal cuts 1616.

The several card-holding sections 7 'are connected to ether. or interlocked in the manner clear y shown in Figures 4 and 7; namely, by insertin the upturned tongue 9 of each card into the pocket formed at the back of the receding card, as hereinbefore described. s clearly shown, a card 17 is inserted downwardly between the up-turned tongue 9 and the body portion 8 of each section, these two arts of each section forming in efit'e'ctj a older which is open at its sides, and restrains the cards from downward movement only.

In order to permit a vertical relative movement of displacement between two adjacent card-holding sections, it is necessary to provide for a limited free sliding moveed along the fold line- 15,

ownwardly in overlapping enment of the upturned ton ue 9"of one section within a pocket of t e preceding section. Provision is made for this movement by spacing the lower longitudinal edges 1212 a predetermined distanceabove the fold line 8, as hereinbefore pointed out in connection with Figure 6. This distance is preferably an amount equal to the title margin of the index cards 17; that is to say, a portion of the upper margin of each card of sufiicient width to receive the titl or subject matter of the card. Thus, if t e rearmost card-holding section .in' Figure 4 is.

lifted u wardly, this upward m vement will be limited by the engagement etween the lower edges 1212 of the pocket-form- .ing flaps 1111 with the base of the tongue 9, asindicated by the fold line 10. It fol-.

.lation in a vertical direction from front to ing sections, an d along its upper edge with a a p or tongue-.20, which is folded over the upper edge of the index card 5 and pasted downagainst the rear surface thereof. There is preferably a portion of the flap 20 cut away in order to accommodate the tab 6. In this manner, the index card 5 is made an integral art of each unit or alphabetical division of the filing system.

It is desirable, in order to prevent the unit being completely withdrawn from the drawer 1, when the unit is expanded vertically for the purpose of referring to a card' thereof, that the foremost section be anchored to the drawer, and to thereby prevent the complete removal of the unit in the act of operating the unit. This is accomplished by the use of what may be termed an anchor card 21, Figures 5 and 8. An anchor card is preferably made of a rectangular sheet of paper, altho stiff cardboard is perhaps to be preferred. Along the upper edge of the anchor card .21 is secured aflap 22, which may be formed either bya stri of paper pasted alongthe top edge of t e card, as shown in Figures 2nd 5, or b folding the top mar inal portion over, as s iown in Figure 8. long the lower edge of the anchor card and at a;,hook 23 which projects downwardly beyond the lower edge of the card. As before suggested, the anchor card is connected with the foremost card-holding sectionfLthis being accomplished by means of the flap '22 which is adapted to engage the upper edge of the tongue 9 of said foremost card-holding section 7. The anchor card in turn is connected to the. rod 3 of the drawer 1 by means of the hook 23 at the lower edge of the anchor card, this being clearly shown in Figure 5. It is also to be observed that the anchor card is somewhat less in length than the card-holding sections 7, as well as less than the width of the drawer 1. This reduction in size of the card is resorted to in order to facilitate the engagement ofthe book 23 and the rod 3, as will be understood from the following.

Assuming that it is desired to anchor the.

card 21, 1t would be inserted into the drawer so that the hook is offset to the right of the rod, and thus freely enter the slot-2 in the bottom wall. Then vby sliding the card to the left, the hook 23 engages the rod and holds the card in a central position.

The anchor card may be connected with' the adjacent or foremost card holding sectionin either of two ways; first,'by the interlocking of the flap 22 with the tongue 9 of said section as it is withdrawn vertically with the remaining sections, in the manner shown in Figure2; or, second, by engaging flap 22 over the top edge of the foremost section without using the tongue 9 at all. The method used is'a matter of choice; the difference being that in the first instance the entire unit can be displaced vertically the distance to which the first section can be V raised before the tongue 9 engages the flap 22, whereas, inthe second-method the first section is held stationary in its normal position and only the remaining sections are displaced, said first .section in this instance being an extra ordummy section between the anchor card and the active card holding sections. a Having described a preferred construction embodying the invention, I claim as new and novel: 2

'1. A card index system comprising a container, a file unit consisting of a lurality of card-holdin sections adapted to be mounted in vsai container, said sections being provided with interlocking arts adapt ed to permit a limited vertica isplacement of each section relative toan adjacent section,and means at one end of the unit for a int midway between its side' edges is fixed limiting the extent of vertical displacement of the adjacent end section relative to its normal position in said container, whereby the vertical withdrawal of a section at the opposite end arranges said sections in uniform staggered relation from end to end.

2. A card index unit comprising a, lu-' rality ofcard-holding sections adapte to be arranged in predetermined order in a suitable container, each section being provided with a locking member adapted to engage a coacting locking member of an ad-' 3. A card index system comprising a container, a series of individual" card-holding members adapted to be normally retained in said container in registering relation from front to rear thereof, said card-holding members being interconnected whereby each member may be displaced vertically a predetermined distance relative to the preceding member, by the vertical withdrawal of one of said card-holding members.

4. In a filing system, the combination of a plurality of card-holding sections havin interlocking connection with each other, and adapted to be arrangedin stepped relation by the vertical withdrawal of one" of said card-holding sections, and means for anchoring one of the card-holding sections in said container.

5. A Gard index system com rising a container, a plurality of card-ho ding sections having interlocking connection with each other, whereby the vertical withdrawal of one card will arrange the preceding cards in stepped relation, and means for anchoring the foremost card-holding section in said container.

6. In a card index system, the combination of a container, acard-holdin unit adapted to be mo nted in said contalner, and comprising a eries of-interconnected card-hold- ,ing sections adapted to be disposed in vertically stepped relation from front to rear,

by the withdrawalof the rearmost section from the container, and means for detachably securing the foremost section in its normal osition within the container.

"1' card index system comprising a container, a card-holding unit mounted in said container, and comprising a series of individual card-holding sections having interlocking connection with each other, permitting a predetermined vertical displacement of each section relative to the preceding section, a tabbed section forming the rearmost member of the unit, and connected with the adjacent card holding section, and a section detachably connected with the foremostcardholding section, and provided with a memher adapted to be detach-ably connected to the container.

8. A card index system comprising a container and a card-holding unit mounted in said container, and comprising a series of individual card holding sections having interlocking connection with each other, permitting a predetermined "ertioal' displacement of each section relative to the preceding at itslower edge adapted to be detaehably connected with the container.

10. A card index system comprising a plurality of card-holding sections, each consisting of a blank folded longitudinally to forman upturned tongue along its lower edge, and overlapping flaps along upper and side edges of said body portion, forming a rearwardly and downwardly facing pocket adapted to receive the tongue of the preceding section, said section being adapted to receive a card between said tongue and body portion.

11. In a filing. system, the combination of a oontainer, a'filing unit. mounted in said container and comprising a series of card- .liolding sections, each consisting of a sheet of paper having an upturned tongue along its lower edge, and flaps along its top-and side edges folded to form a downwardly facing pocket adapted to receive the upturned tongue of the succeeding card-holding section, the lower edges of said pocketforming flaps terminating short of the lower edge 0 each section a predetermined distance, thereby effecting a vertically stepped arrangement of said sections when one is withdrawn vertically.

12. A cardindex system comprising a series of card-holding sections, each con sisting of a folded sheet ofv material having a tongue along its lower edge, and marginal flaps along its side edges folded to form a downwardly. facing ,pocket adapted to receive the' upturned tongue of an adjacent card-holding section, the lower edges of said pocketforming flaps terminating short of the lower edge of each section a distance permitting the vertical stepped arrangement of said sections when the rearmost section is displaced vertically.

13..A card index system comprising a plurality of card-holding members, each consisting of a sheet having an upturned tongue along its lower edge, and side, marginal flaps along its side edges, and terminating short of said lower edge, each tongue being.

inserted beneath the flaps of the member adjacent thereto.

14:. A card index system comprising a plu= rality of card-holding members consisting of sheets having an. upturned tongue at their lower edges, and flaps along their side edges, havingbottom ed es extending parallel to and spaced a predetermined distance above said lower edge, said tongue and flaps being folded on opposite sides of said sheets, and the tongue of each member engaging within the flaps of the member adjacent thereto.

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this 7th day of March, A. D., 1921,

ELMER W. DAVIS.

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