IMPROVE- MENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF APPARATUS FOR FILING AND BINDING LETTERS INVOICES AND OTHER DOCUMENTS
Year: 1883

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by John Mansfield Delany at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 31st January 1883.
JOHN MANSFIELD DELANY of Manchester in the County of Lancaster.
"IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF APPARATUS FOR FILING AND BINDING LETTERS
INVOICES AND OTHER DOCUMENTS
32
The object of this invention is to construct an apparatus for facilitating the
alphabetical arrangement filing and binding of letters, invoices, and other
papers or documents so as to preserve them in alphabetical order for present or
future use.
I first provide a tray of wood or other suitable material to suit the size of the
letters or other papers, and with raised edges on the two sides and back of a
convenient height according to circumstances.
In the bottom of this tray and near to the back thereof I fix about three
stout pointed pins of metal, and in each of the raised sides I fix a metallic rack.
I now provide a number of sheets of stout paper (say 25) of a suitable size to
lie in the said tray and each having three holes made in the back edge thereof
corresponding in position to the three pointed metal pins before mentioned, upon
which they are to be placed, a strip of muslin or other suitable material being
pasted or fixed along the back edge of each sheet to strengthen the same.
The top sheet is cut a little shorter in front than the remainder and is not
lettered, and the others are cut at the front edge and lettered alphabetically so as
to form an alphabetical index. The bottom sheet is larger and is folded in the
form of an envelope, so that all the sheets can be enclosed therein when removed
from the tray.
Over this index I place a metallic plate or presser having three elongated holes
corresponding with the pins and being also provided with a double acting bolt, the
two ends of which take into the teeth of the metallic side racks above mentioned
so as to hold the papers down securely.
The letters or other papers are placed within the leaves of the alphabetical
index each under its own letter and can thus be readily referred to by unlocking
the double acting bolt and raising the metallic plate or presser.
Any letters or papers not attended to may be placed under the first unlettered
leaf and when attended to each may be transferred to its own alphabetical place.

page_text: When the tray has become filled and it is desired to bind the index and letters
together I remove the metal plate and I press aside small tongues with which the
points of the three pins are provided and taking a piece of twine I pass the same
(a few inches from one end) between the tongue and the point of the first pin, and
then close the tongue so as to nip the twine. I then proceed to pass the twine
successively between the tongue and point of the other two pins leaving a loop
of about six or eight inches between each two pins.
The tongues being all closed in a line with their respective pins I next raise the
whole index and papers above the points of the pins and draw them forwards on
the tray thus pulling a doubled thread or twine through each hole. I now proceed
to pass the other end of the twine or thread successively through the loops left
between the back of the index and the pins, after which I release the twine from
the tongues removing the whole from the tray and drawing the whole tight I tie
the ends of the twine together, and thus I forin a secure and complete binding.
The envelope forming the back sheet is now to be opened and the whole enclosed
therein.
Instead of this envelope (or in addition thereto) I sometimes employ a card
board box or case of a suitable form and size to enclose the whole and preserve the
letters or papers from dust or injury.