Patent GB-752649-A (GB)
Title: Card container
IPC: G06K13/14
Filed: 1954-11-19
Abstract: 752,649. Filing papers. BURROUGHS CORPORATION. Nov. 19, 1954 [Sept. 1, 1954]. No. 33588/54: Class 146(1) A container 10 for filing record cards C, used for the control of business, machines, includes a body portion having a base member 12 and side members 16 defining a card pathway and a closure assembly, 17 or 18, disposed to define a limit of a space within the pathway for containing cards, the closure assembly being provided with pivot means in co-operation with the body portion to give it a pivotal movement sufficient to displace it out of the pathway of the cards, and means for retaining the assembly in its pivoted or open position to allow cards to be fed from a business machine into the container or to be fed to the business machine. The base 12 is formed into grooves 13, two side runners 14 on which the cards C rest and a central runner 14a of slightly less height and the base 12 is integral with or welded to the sides 16 which are formed with grooves 32 at their bases and are secured to, or formed integrally with, members 19 at their upper edges having parallel grooves 21, 22. A plate 20 is secured to each member 19 to overlap part of the grooves 21, 22, the top edges of groove 22 being turned over and the top edge of side 16 overlapping the groove 21 to define guide tracks for pivot rods. The tracks 21, 22 and 32 are open at each end except for the rear of groove 21 which is closed by an extension 72 of the side 16, having a track 74 connecting the two grooves 21, 22 with an opening 76 behind it. The upper and lower parts of the plate 20 are extended at 68, 69 into the grooves 21, 22 at the front end to prevent the passing of washers on certain of the pivot rods. Similarly at the rear, the extension 72 is extended at 78 into the track 22. The front closure assembly 17 comprises a face plate 23, extending right across the body 10, connected at the upper and lower edges 33 to a plate 24 extending between the sides 16, the plate 24 being formed at top and bottom with curled portions 25, .30 and staked portions 26, 31 to enclose rods 27, 29 respectively, the central lower part of plate 24 being cut out at 42 to pass.over a curved card guide 43 secured to the base 12. The rod 27 engages the guide tracks 22 and has washers 28 to retain the ends of the rod in the tracks. The rod 29 in the normal position of the assembly 17 engages the grooves 32 and in this position a latch 36 on each side 16 engages with its hook 37 the lower edge of a slot 41 through which it passes, each latch 36 being pivoted at 38 for movement in a strap 39 and being pressed into latching position by a spring 40. A handle 34 is secured to the face plate 23 by screws accessible through holes 35 in plate 24.. The assembly 17 is moved into the position shown in Fig. 2 for record cards to be fed into 'the .container, by releasing the latches 36, pivoting the assembly about the rod 27 so that rod 29 moves out of the grooves 32 and sliding the whole with the front plate 23 resting on the top edges of the container, the rod 29 being engaged with the upper track 22 in this position. To receive the cards C, the rear compressor assembly 18 is moved under the assembly 17 to adjacent the card guide 43. The rear assembly 18 comprises a runner base 44 integral at its front end with a slanted plate 45, sections between the two being staked back to receive a guide rod 46, which normally slides in the grooves 32. An upper rod 48 is secured to plate 45 by straps 47 and has washers 49 at each end normally lying in guide track 21. Springs 50 at each end of the rod 48 urge a friction washer 51 against the sides 16 and plates 20. The assembly is stiffened by end guides 52 having side guide surfaces 53 to engage the sides 16 and at the rear edges of guides 52, curled portions 54 enclose a rod 55 to ride in the grooves 32 in the normal position of the assembly. A handle 56 is secured between brackets 57 on the runner 44 for manipulating the movement of the assembly 18 or, in conjunction with handle 34 for carrying the container. The assembly 18 may be moved to the position shown in Fig. 4, to act as a feed hopper for the cards C to a business machine, by moving to the rearward position, pivoting the assembly about the rod 48 to move the rods 46, 55 out of grooves 32, moving the whole upwardly with rod 48 in guide tracks 74 and then forwardly with rod 48 in guide in tracks 22, the rod 46 also being engaged with the tracks 22. The rear assembly 18 also comprises a tiltable compressor plate 58 pivotally mounted on rod 46 by attached loops 59, and operated by a finger grip 60 mounted between arms 61 extending through apertures in the plate 45 and connected to hinge pins 63 of hinges 64 secured to the plate 58. Springs 65 coiled over the pins 63 and arms 61 urge the arms 61 downwardly so that notches 62 therein engage the lower part of the apertures in the plate 45 when the plate 58 is in the compressing position, as in Fig. 5, and the arms 61 engage the apertures in the tilting position, as in Fig. 2. Notches 66 in the top of plate 58 assist movement to the compressing position. The bottom edge of the plate 58 is formed centrally with a cam locking surface 67 to engage the central runner 14a in the compressing position and prevent movement of the assembly 18.