Improvements in Means for Filing or Keeping Papers and other Objects in Desks, Consulting Tables, Escritoires, and other Articles of Office or Domestic Furniture.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 10th Oct., 1895
Complete Specification Left, 10th July, 1896-Accepted, 12th Sept., 1896
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Means for Filing or Keeping Papers and other
Objects in Desks, Consulting Tables, Escritoires, and other Articles
of Office or Domestic Furniture.
I SAMUEL BRENTNALL, Sole Agent for The Association of American
Furniture Manufacturers, North Street, Manchester, in the County of Lancaster,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My said invention relates to improved means for filing or keeping documents or
other objects or articles to which it is desired readily to refer in desks, consulting
tables, escritoires and other articles of furniture. According to my invention
I combine with the piece of furniture a wheel containing a number of lettered or
numbered compartments or pigeon holes each compartment when the wheel is
turned round, being easily accessible to the user. For example in applying my
invention to a roll top desk or consulting table, I carry the wheel upon a spindle
or on pivots, the axis being horizontal. The wheel might be arranged at or near
the back of the desk and be practically concealed from view. The wheel would
be revolved by hand or other means until the compartment containing the
papers to be referred to is brought opposite to an aperture in the desk or table.
Each compartment would preferably have a spring cover to confine the
papers, and snapping into the closed position or into the open position, in which
latter case it would serve to lock the wheel in that position. I might however
use a locking pin to hold the wheel in that position. The letter or number of each
compartment would show through the aperture or through a space made for this special
purpose. The aperture in the desk or table opposite to the wheel might be masked
by an inkstand if desired. A weight or spring on the wheel axis might be used
to bring the wheel back automatically when not in use to a constant starting point,
say for instance to the letter "A." The wheel might be of any size or I might
use more than one such wheel in a desk. Also instead of arranging the wheel with
its axis horizontal as described I might arrange the wheel with its axis in a
vertical position.
As a modification of the pigeon hole wheel herein before described, I might
employ a chain of compartments carried on a wheel or on two wheels and
operated so that any single compartment or paper holder of the chain could
be brought into such a position as to allow of its contents being examined or
removed.
Although specially suited for the filing of papers and the like, my invention
might also be used for other purposes where for instance samples of drawings,
metals, chemicals, fabrics or other articles or materials require to be quickly and
easily referred to.

page_text: MUTATION.
Improvements in Means for Filing or Keeping Papers and other
Objects in Desks, Consulting Tables, Escritoires, and other Artiolos
of Office or Domestic Furniture.
1 SAMUEL BRENTNALL, Sole Agent for The Association of American
Furniture Manufacturers, North Street, Manchester, in the County of Lancaster,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same
is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement and accompanying drawings :—
This invention relates to improved means for filing and keeping documents,
papers, specimens, samples, and the like to which it is desired readily to refer,
in desks, consulting tables, escritoires, and other articles of furniture. The
gist of my invention is the provision, in combination with the piece of furniture,
of a revolvable wheel or its equivalent fitted with, carrying, or containing a series
of lettered or numbered compartments er pigeon holes, and so fitted that when
the wheel or part is turned round each compartment is made easily accessible to
the user.
With the object of rendering the invention more clear I have attached two
sheets of drawings to this specification to which I will now refer.
On Sheet 1-
Fig. 1. is a front view of the compartment or pigeon hole wheel in vertical
section.
Fig. 2 is a side view.
Fig. 3 is an enlarged view of a portion of the wheel showing the upper part of
one of the compartments.
Fig. 4 is a vertical section of the same at right angles to Fig. 3.
On Sheet 2-
Fig. 5 is a view of a modified form of my invention in which a movable chain
of compartments is substituted for the wheel.
The sectioned portions marked a represent the adjacent parts of a consulting
table or roll top desk or escritoire or other article of furniture. The wheel A is
mounted in a compartment at the back or in any other suitable part of the piece
of furniture. The wheel A is carried on a central spindle or on pivots or
trunnions upon which the wheel can revolve.
The top of the table a is cut out to allow the wheel to project slightly above it
us clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 2. This projecting part of the wheel is or may be
covered or boxed in by a hinged box lid d the front of which may be glazed if
desired. This hinged box lid d can be turned over on its hinges so as to uncover
the protruding part of the wheel as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2. The lid d
may also be furnished with a lock and key so that when the lid is shut down and
locked the wheel with its contents is rendered absolutely inaccessible except to the
holder of the key. The wheel A is divided into compartiments e as shown in
Fig. 1 each compartment having a hinged lid f. Each compartment is identified
by n letter or number on the lid or front. A convenient place to paint such
letter or number would be on the button or knob g attached to a spring catch h
which engages with a projection from the inside of the lid as shown in Figs. 3
and 4. This knob projects through the front of the wheel and can be pressed BO
as to release the lid and allow it to be lifted by means of the knob as shown by
the dotted lines in Fig. 4 or a spring f2 may be used to throw
the lid upon
pressing the knob g. To keep the contents of the compartiments from falling out
"P
as the wheel is turned round, it is necessary that the lids should be closed and
snapped down. Any omission to do this is safeguarded by the provision that

page_text: unless the lid of the compartment last used is closed and snapped down, the wheel
cannot be revolved to either side, since the unclosed or projecting lid will not pass
through the gap in the table. Thus the unclosed lid serves to lock the wheel in
position and no mistake can be made. The wheel might be arranged with its axis.
vertical instead of horizontal as described.
It will be evident that instead of a wheel as illustrated I might use a chain of
compartments carried on a wheel or on two wheels. Ishow this arrangement on
Sheet 2 of the drawings, Fig. 5 being a front view of the apparatus.
In this case
I mount two wheels at any suitable part of the desk. These wheels carry a
chain of compartments each carrying its proper letter or number. The
compartment at the top passes through a hinged box lid d just as in the case
of the wheel. Each compartment is also fitted with a spring snap lid as in the
case of the wheel and practically there is no substantial difference between the two
arrangements.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is.
1. As an adjunct to office or domestic furniture and for facilitating ready
reference to documents, samples or the like, a revolvable wheel mounted in or
on the piece of furniture, and containing, carrying or fitted with compartments
to contain the said documents or samples substantially as described and shown.
2. As an adjunct to office or domestic furniture and for facilitating ready
reference to documents, samples or the like, a flexible chain of compartments
carried by a wheel or wheels substantially as described and illustrated.
3. For the indicated purposes a revolvable boxed-in wheel A, formed with
lettered or numbered compartments e, each compartment having a snap lid, a
portion of the said wheel projecting above the level of the table or other piece of
furniture and being covered by a hinged box lid d, secured by a lock and key
substantially as described and shown.
4. For the indicated purposes a
boxed-in flexible chain of lettered or
numbered compartments carried on wheels and closed by spring snap lids, the
uppermost compartment projecting through a gap in the table and being covered
when desired by a hinged box lid securable by lock and key substantially as
described and indicated.
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