Improvements in Letter and Bill Files.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application (in United Kingdom), 21st Aug., 1891
Complete Specification Left, 21st Aug., 1901 Accepted, 31st Oct
1891
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Letter and Bill Files.
I, BENJAMIN LAWRENCE of No. 224 Center Street in the City, County and
State of New York, U.S.A., Inventor and Manufacturer, 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:-
My invention has for its main object to provide a simple, durable and effective
letter or bill file and consists in the various features of construction and com-
binations of devices hereinafter more fully described and particularly set forth in
the appended claims.
In the accompanying drawings,
Figure 1 is a top plan view of a letter or bill file embodying my improvements,
the board or tablet being broken away to economize in space.
Figure 2 is a vertical section taken at the line a, x, of Fig. 1 and looking in the
direction of the arrow.
Figure 3 is a similar section with the file in an open condition.
Figure 4 is a side elevation of a modification in detail construction of my
improved file, and
Figure 5 is a top plan view thereof.
In the several views the same part will be found designated by the same numeral
of reference.
1 is the board or tablet upon which the file is mounted. 2 is the base-plate of
the file which is perforated at suitable places to enable the file by means of screws 3
to be firmly secured upon the board or tablet, and said base-plate is provided with
an extension 4 having a hole 5 by which the contrivance may be suspended. At
the front of the base-plate are arranged two vertical, hollow wires or tubes 6 at
suitable distances apart adapted to receive the letters or bills to be filed. Centrally
of the base-plate is affixed a vertical, cylindrical post or pillar 7 upon which is
adapted to slide a hollow stem or sleeve 8 preferably provided at its upper end
with a knob or finger-piece 9. The lower end of the said hollow stem or sleeve 8
is driven into or otherwise securely attached to a plate 10 which supports and
carries the arched or transfer-wires 11.
The post or pillar 7 is arranged mid-way between the set of receiving or impaling
wires and the set of transfer-wires, and is slotted or milled at one side at 12 to
accommodate wire-spring 13 whose lower end is riveted to the post at 14 and whose
upper end is provided with a bend 15. The said spring is adapted to sustain the
arched or transfer-wires and their connections when raised or when the file is open,
and will also assist in locking or holding together the receiving and transferring-
wires when it may be desired to have the file remain in a closed condition.
When the file is closed, as shown at Fig. 2, the bent upper end 15 of the spring
is adapted to take into a recess or opening 16 in the sleeve 8 and by its tension
or friction operate to keep the receiving-wires and the transfer-wires in close
contact against accidental separation.

page_text: When the file has been opened, as shown at Fig. 3, the lowermost end of the
sleeve 8 is adapted to rest upon the upper bent end of the spring and be supported
thereby against dropping due to the weight of the said sleeve and the transfer
wires and their connections, as well as against the additional weight of any papers
which, in practice, may happen to be upon the transfer wires.
When the transfer-wires have been raised to their full extent the bent-end of the
spring is adapted to fly outwardly to catch under the lower end of the sleeve, as
shown at Fig. 3, and when the transfer-wires are depressed to their lowermost
position the said bent end of the spring by reason of its outward tendency is
adapted to fly into the recess or opening in the sleeve 8.
In order to facilitate the opening and closing of the file, an air-hole or vent is
provided at 17 in the sleeve. The transfer-wires are prevented from rotating or
losing their alignment with the receiving or impaling wires by means of a guide-
pin 18, driven into or otherwise firmly secured to the base-plate 2 and extending up
vertically through a perforation in the carrier-plate 10 to the desired height.
In order to limit the raising of the transfer-wires, a stop is provided at the upper
end of said guide-pin. In this instance the said stop consists of a removable pin 19
which is passed through a transverse perforation at or near the upper extremity of
the guide-pin, but instead of this form of stop the said guide-pin may be simply
headed or enlarged. I employ the removable stop or pin 19 for the purpose of
enabling the transfer-wires and their appendages to be removed from the con-
trivance so as to enable the letters or other papers on the receiving-wires to be all
bodily removed, and if desired, transferred to a binding case.
In practice when the transfer-wires have been detached from the contrivance
I prefer to employ a transfer-frame such as patented by me in the United States
August 28, 1888, No. 388,421. The legs of this frame are inserted into the
tubular receiving-wires 6, and the pile of papers thereupon are then transferred to
said frame which may then be returned to the binding case and the papers shifted
onto the tubular filling-wires thereof. After transferring the papers from the
receiving-wires 6 the transfer-wires are then re-adjusted by sliding the sleeve 8
down upon the post 7 and re-inserting the stop-pin 19.
The free ends of the arched transfer-wires are reduced in diameter to form
short tapering studs or pins 20 capable of entering the upper ends of the tubular
receiving-wires so as to afford a perfectly flush and smooth joint at the junction
of the receiving and transfer-wires and thus prevent effectually the enlargement
of the holes in the papers in constantly moving them from one set of wires to
the other.
The carrier or plate 10 upon which the transfer-wires are mounted, in the
manufacture, is preferably arranged to stand a slight distance above the base-
plate 2 when the file is closed, and the upper ends of the receiving-wires abut
against the shoulders 21 formed by reducing the free ends of the arched transfer-
wires. By this construction provision is made for the proper interlocking of the
receiving and transfer-wires to obtain the smooth joint referred to in the event in
the use of the file that the transfer-wires should become bent and shortened to an
extent such that when the plate 10 has been brought to the position shown at
Fig. 2, the shoulders 21 will not quite rest upon the ends of the receiving-wires 6.
In this contingency the plate may be forced further down, and if necessary, in
contact with the base-plate 2 in order to fully close the joint between the free
ends of the receiving-wires and the free ends of the transfer-wires.
In the modification shown at Figs. 4 and 5, the plate 10 is made straight or like
a bar and the transfer-wires are bent horizontally at their lower ends and extended
forwardly to connect with said plate. This is the only difference in construction
existing between the file shown at Figs. 4 and 5 and that shown in the other views.
The plate 10 of the file shown at Figs. 1, 2 and 3 is bent or shaped to extend from
the center of the base-plate diagonally on opposite sides rearwardly to the points at
which the lower ends of the vertical portions of the transfer-wires are to be
attached, and this plate 10 is made in skeleton form, or as consisting of two arms

page_text: branching from the center, but it, of course, may be made oblong or triangular in
shape.
The function of this device is to support and carry the transfer-wires, and its
shape is, therefore, immaterial.
The post 7 is arranged about mid-way between the set of receiving-wires and
the set of transfer-wires considered transversely of the file, in order that the papers
may be carried over freely from the receiving-wires onto the transfer-wires in the
operation of filing or removing individual papers.
If desired, the knob or handle 9 may be omitted, though I prefer to employ it,
and the post 7 and the sleeve 8 may be shortened and the file opened and closed by
taking hold directly of the transfer-wires.
From the foregoing it will be understood that when the file is in the condition
shown at Fig. 3 the papers may be readily placed upon the receiving-wires, and
that when the file is in the condition shown at Fig. 2 the papers are held upon said
wires against casual detachment and in a manner such that they may be readily
transferred to the arched wires for the usual purposes of adding new papers or
removing some of those already on file.
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. The combination of a base-plate provided with a set of receiving or impaling
wires, a carrier-plate adapted to move vertically up and down and provided with a
set of transfer-wires, and a post arranged between the two sets of wires and
adapted to guide said carrier-plate in its vertical movements; substantially as set
forth.
2. The combination of a base-plate provided with a set of receiving or impaling
wires, a carrier-plate provided with a set of transfer-wires, a post arranged between
said two sets of wires, and a sleeve attached to said carrier plate and adapted to
slide up and down on said post; substantially as set forth.
3. The combination of a base-plate provided with a set of receiving or impaling-
wires, a carrier-plate provided with a set of transfer-wires, a post arranged between
said two sets of wires, a sleeve attached to said carrier-plate and adapted to slide
up and down on said post, and a friction or holding spring; substantially as set
forth.
4. The combination of a base-plate provided with a set of receiving or impaling
wires, a carrier-plate provided with a set of transfer-wires, a post arranged between
said two sets of wires, a spring attached to said post, and a sleeve attached to said
carrier-plate and adapted to slide up and down on said post; substantially as set
forth.
5. The combination of a base-plate provided with a set of receiving or impaling-
wires, a carrier-plate provided with a set of transfer-wires, a post arranged between
said two sets of wires, a spring attached to said post and having a bend at one end,
and a sleeve attached to said carrier-plate and provided with a depression to
receive the free bent end of said spring when the file is closed; substantially as set
forth.
6. The combination of a base-plate provided with a set of receiving or impaling
wires, a carrier-plate provided with a set of transfer-wires, a post arranged between
said two sets of wires and having a slot extending lengthwise thereof, a spring
secured to said post and extending lengthwise of the same and bent at its upper
free end, and a sleeve attached to said carrier-plate and adapted to slide up and
down on said post and provided with a depression, the arrangement being such that
when the file is closed the free end of said spring is adapted to enter said depression
and when the file is open the said spring is adapted to prop or support the carrier-
plate and its appendages; substantially as set forth.
7. The combination of a base-plate provided with a set of receiving or impaling
wires, a carrier-plate provided with a set of transfer-wires, a post arranged between

page_text: said two sets of wires for said carrier-plate, and a guide-pin to prevent rotation of
said carrier-plate about said post; substantially as set forth.
8. The combination of a base-plate provided with a set of receiving or impaling
wires, a carrier-plate provided with a set of transfer-wires, a post arranged between
said two sets or wires, a guide-pin fastened to said base-plate and a sleeve attached
to said carrier-plate and adapted to slide up and down on said post; substantially
as set forth.
9. The combination of a base-plate provided with a set of receiving or impaling-
wires, a carrier-plate provided with a set of transfer-wires, a post arranged between
said two sets of wires, a guide-pin, a sleeve, and a spring; substantially as set
forth.
10. The combination of a base-plate provided with a set of receiving or impaling
wires, a carrier-plate provided with a set of transfer-wires, a post arranged between
said two sets of wires, a sleeve adapted to slide on said post and having at one end
a knob or handle and attached at the other end to said carrier-plate, and means for
preventing rotation of said carrier-plate; substantially as set forth.
11. The combination of a base-plate provided with a set of receiving or impaling-
wires, a carrier-plate arranged to stand normally above said base-plate in the
closed condition of the file and provided with a set of transfer-wires, and means,
substantially as described, for guiding said carrier-plate in its up and down
movements; substantially as set forth.
12. The combination of a base-plate provided with a set of hollow receiving or
impaling-wires, a carrier-plate arranged to stand normally above said base-plate in
the closed condition of the file and provided with a set of transfer-wires the free
ends of which are reduced in diameter to enter said receiving or impaling wires, a
post arranged between said two sets of wires, a sleeve attached to said carrier-
plate and adapted to slide up and down on said post, a guide-pin, and a spring;
substantially as set forth.
Dated this 21st day of August 1891.
FELL & WILDING,
Agents for the Applicant.