Abstract:
The aim of the invention is to be able to economically manufacture a stand for a revolving card index. To this end, all of its parts ( 1, 2, 3, 4, 7, 8 ) are provided in the form of plastic parts that can be fit together.

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD  
         [0001]    The invention relates to a stand for a revolving card index having a roller-like holder for sheet-like information carriers which has two encircling T-shaped profile ridges serving for receiving the information carriers, in which rotational movements can be initiated by hand wheels, and which can be fixed in different angle positions by latching elements.  
         PRIOR ART  
         [0002]    A stand of the abovementioned type which forms a constituent part of a revolving card index which is sold throughout the world under the “ROLODEX” trademark is known. The known stand comprises a tube which has been bent a number of times, a shaft which is flattened on one side being mounted in a rotatable manner in the mutually parallel ends of said tube. The shaft bears two plastic bodies which are guided thereon such that they can be displaced in the direction of its longitudinal axis, which form the roller-like holder and which are secured against axial movements relative to one another by the information carriers. Arranged at the flattened tube ends, moreover, are cup-like abutments which have end surfaces directed toward the hand wheels fastened at the ends of the shaft. Located between one of these end surfaces and one of the hand wheels is a latching mechanism which has steel balls subjected to the action of a spring force and which is intended for fixing the holder in different positions.  
           [0003]    On account of the large number of parts and the design thereof, the construction of the known stand is comparatively complex and thus costly. In addition, the axial displaceability of the holder on the steel shaft which bears it is not fully satisfactory. This is because, if the known revolving card index is used over a relatively long period of time, on account of friction between the borders of the cup-like abutments and the lateral edges of the information carriers, this displaceability may result in undesired wear marks on the information carriers.  
         DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
         [0004]    The object of the invention is to provide a stand of the type in question which is distinguished by a straightforward and cost-effective construction and in which the holder cannot execute any axial movement in relation to the supports which bear it. This object is achieved according to the invention in that the holder comprises two parts which are connected to one another by coupling elements to form a unit and, at their ends which are directed away from the coupling location, are designed as bearing journals which are guided in a respective support and are secured against axial displacements in relation to said support.  
           [0005]    In the case of the stand according to the invention, the roller-like holder serves simultaneously as a holder and as a shaft, with the result that axial relative movements between it and a separate shaft bearing it are ruled out and there is thus no possibility of any undesirable frictional contact between the edges of the information carriers and the supports.  
           [0006]    It appears to be particularly advantageous if, on their end sides, the bearing journals have retaining tongues which are provided with latching noses which engage behind latching stops in the interior of the hand wheels. The latching connection allows quick assembly of the hand wheels, supports and holder.  
           [0007]    Further features and details of the invention can be gathered from the subclaims and the following description of a particularly advantageous embodiment of the invention illustrated in the attached drawing. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0008]    In the drawing:  
         [0009]    [0009]FIG. 1 shows the perspective view of a stand for a revolving card index,  
         [0010]    [0010]FIG. 2 shows a side view of the stand according to FIG. 1,  
         [0011]    [0011]FIG. 3 shows a plan view of the stand according to FIG. 1,  
         [0012]    [0012]FIG. 4 shows an end view of the stand according to FIG. 1,  
         [0013]    [0013]FIG. 5 shows a section along line V-V in FIG. 2,  
         [0014]    [0014]FIG. 6 shows a first side view of one of the two parts which form the holder which can be seen in FIGS.  1  to  5  and is intended for sheet-like information carriers,  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 7 shows the part shown in FIG. 6, in a position in which it has been rotated through 180°,  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 8 shows the end view of the vertex of a support of the stand according to FIGS.  1  to  7 ,  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 9 shows a latching disk for the latching mechanism for fixing the holder of the stand in different angle positions, and  
         [0018]    [0018]FIG. 10 shows a section through the latching disk according to FIG. 9, along line X-X in FIG. 9. 
     
    
     METHODS OF IMPLEMENTING THE INVENTION  
       [0019]    The stand illustrated in the figures has two supports  1  and  2 , in which is mounted in a rotatable manner a roller-like holder which comprises two identical parts  3  and  4  connected to one another by coupling elements and which is intended for sheet-like information carriers (not illustrated in the drawing). On their bottom border, the information carriers have T-shaped recesses, with the aid of which they can be anchored on encircling T-shaped profile ridges  5 ,  6  of the holder  3 ,  4 . Two hand wheels  7 ,  8  serve for initiating a rotational movement in the holder  3 ,  4 .  
         [0020]    Details of the construction of the stand can be gathered from FIGS.  5  to  10 . It can be seen from the sectional illustration according to FIG. 5 that the parts  3  and  4 , which are designed as hollow plastic injection moldings, partially overlap in the central region of the holder. Each of the two parts  3  and  4 —as explained with reference to part  4 —has, in the coupling region, a half-shell  9  which can be introduced into a likewise half-shell-like recess  10  in the interior of the respectively other part  3  or  4 .  
         [0021]    Two latching noses  11 ,  12  on the circumference of each half-shell  9 , said latching noses being offset through 90° in relation to one another, are assigned latching holes  13 ,  14  on the respectively other part  3  or  4  of the holder, said latching holes likewise being offset through 90° in relation to one another. In other words, the parts  3  and  4  are held together by a plug-in connection designed in the manner of a snap-action closure.  
         [0022]    At their ends which are directed away from the plug-in connection, the parts  3  and  4  are provided with bearing journals  15 , by means of which they are mounted in the vertex of the supports  1 ,  2 , the length of the bearing journals  15  being essentially equal to the width of the supports  1 ,  2  in the bearing zone. Projecting beyond the end sides  16  of the bearing journals  15  are pairs of retaining tongues  17 ,  18  and likewise pairs of pins  19 ,  20 . The retaining tongues  17 ,  18  have latching noses  21 ,  22 , which engage behind latching stops  13 ,  14  in the interior of the basic body  25  of in each case one of the two hand wheels  7 ,  8 , which, like the supports  1 ,  2  and the parts  3 ,  4 , are identical. The pins  19 ,  20 , which are not absolutely necessary, are assigned bores  26 ,  27  in the basic body  25 . The identical design of the parts  1 ,  2 ,  3 ,  4 ,  7  and  8 , which are advantageously designed as plastic injection moldings, makes it possible to keep the tooling costs low, and the abovedescribed plug-in or latching connections make it possible to keep the assembly costs low.  
         [0023]    In order for it to be possible to dismantle the parts again if need be, the retaining tongues  17 ,  18  are accessible from the outside of the hand wheels  7 ,  8 . The accessibility is achieved in that the basic body  25  of each hand wheel is assigned a covering cap, which comprises a dimensionally stable, cage-like outer shell  28  and a soft/resilient inset  29 .  
         [0024]    A latching disk  30  is arranged between the hand wheel  7 , which is on the left in FIG. 5, and the end side  16  of the bearing journal  15  of the part  3  of the shaft-like holder  3 ,  4 , and the construction of said latching disk can be gathered from FIGS. 9 and 10. In the region of its disk-shaped main part, the latching disk  30  has a cutout  31  for the retaining tongues  17 ,  18  and bores  32 ,  33  for the pins  19 ,  20 . Projecting over the circumference of the main part are six extension arms  34 , which are provided with hemispherical latching protrusions  35  at their free end. Arranged on the end surface  36  of the support  1 , said end surface being directed toward the latching protrusions  35 , are eight latching hollows  37 , between which are located guide grooves  38  with a depth which decreases toward their ends, with narrow crosspieces being formed in the process. Two latching protrusions  35  of the latching disk  30  and two latching hollows  37  on the end surface  36  of the support  1  are located diametrically opposite one another in each case and engage with another in pairs in each case in order to fix the holder  3 ,  4  in different angle positions. Since the respectively successive latching hollows  37  are spaced apart from one another by an angular distance of 45°, while the angular distance between in each case two successive latching protrusions  35  is 60° in each case, the pairs of latching protrusions latch into associated pairs of latching hollows twenty-four times during a revolution of the hand wheels  7 ,  8 .