Improvements in Indexes or Directories.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 12th Jan., 1892-Accepted, 13th Feb., 1892
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
[Communicated from abroad by CHARLES FENTON PRESTON, of 25, World
Buildings, New York City, United States of America, Financial Agent.]
Improvements in Indexes or Directories.
1, HENRY HARRIS LAKE of the firm of Haseltine Lake & Co., Patent
Agents, 45 Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex, 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:—
This invention relates to indexes or directories more especially available by users
of telephones although useful to book-keepers and others.
The nature and composition of the invention will appear from the following
description, in connection with the drawings in which
Figure 1 is a face view of the index with the cover downwardly swung and the
lower portion shown broken away.
Figure 2 is an edge view.
Figure 3 is a perspective and sectional view with the cover closed.
A represents the primary support or back for the parts, of cardboard or other
suitable stiff material having near its upper edge the perforation, a, for its support.
bb represent the index leaves or tablets arranged the one in front of the other, and
all hinge connected at their lower edges as indicated at c, to the back, all so that
each tablet may swing downwardly or several of them together in a bunch, if
properly released.
The hinge connection, c, may be constituted by strips of cloth cemented or secured
to the lower edge portions and ultimately to the back.
The tablets have their upper edges somewhat below the upper edge of the back,
and each tablet is provided with an upwardly extended tab or thumb-piece, d,-said
tabs being of varying widths for the different tablets, the foremost ones being
narrower than those successively thereunder. A clip or confining device is provided
to be movable across the upper part of the back, A, which may assume a position
to engage the tabs of any of the tablets. This clip, f, is movably supported on the
runner-bar, and has the finger, h, in the offset plane to lie opposite and outside of
any adjacent tab.
B indicates the cover for the index which has substantially a hinged support on
the spring frame, D, which is formed of a single piece of wire bent twice at right
angles as at 6 6, and thence upwardly extended in the parallel nember 7 7, each
of which is outwardly bent as at 8, and continued in the members, 99, each of the
latter being provided with the return bent member, 10, which at its extremity is
formed into the ring eye 12. The sections or members, 99, and also portion of
those 77, are disposed in a common plane, and lie against the rear face of the
back, A, being secured by the staples, 13 13, or otherwise. The lower halves of
the parallel member, 7 7, are bent into offset or forwardly extended planes in
advance of the front of back, A, as indicated at 15, and constitute double inclined
spring bearings for a portion of frame, E, which is secured to the cover, B, and
which forms the other member of the cover-hinge.
The frame, E, consists of a single spring wire having the intermediate bow
member, i, and the legs, j, which are confined upon the cover: the junction of the
leg with the bow portion, i, is constituted by the loop, k, which engages the ring.
eye, 12.
The active tendency of the engagement between the bowed part, i, of the cover
frame and the inclined spring bearing, 15, of the back frame, is to maintain with an
effective amount of stress the cover in either of the positions that it may be placed,

page_text: the spring maintenance being however only necessary for the upper disposition the
cover of course remaining down by gravity.
The use and operation of the index is substantially as follows: The index being
closed, on desiring to expose a desired tablet the clip is slid so that the finger is
opposite and over the tab of the proper index tablet; then by the same hand as
was employed to slide the clip the cover is downwardly swung, when the released
tablets overlying the one desired to be inspected will downwardly swing, such
movement being ensured either by the suction between the cover and the tablet or
by the slight joggling movement, for the tablets are of stiff, or semi-rigid material
and are so poised that they will when unrestrained usually swing down upon their
hinged support. As either side of the tablet is readily rendered visible both sides
usually have indexes thereon and therefore a comprehensive directory may be
furnished upon a minimum number of tablets.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed as communicated to me by
my foreign correspondent I declare that what I claim is:-
1. In an index or directory a back adapted to constitute a vertical support, a
series of tablets of comparatively rigid material which at their lower edge portions
are hinge supported on said back and are adapted to be self supporting and to
stand upright from said hinge support and a confining device supported on said
back above said hinge support and movable to engage the upper edge portious of
the tablets for maintaining them in upright or closed positions or disengaging the
tablets for permitting their downswinging to disclose the index matter thereon,
substantially as set forth.
2. In an index or directory, a series of superposed leaves or tablets which are
substantially hinge supported at their lower portions and which are adapted to
stand upright and which tablets have the index overlapping tabs of varying widths,
substantially as described, of a back or rear support for said tablets provided with
a clip movable for an engagement with either of said tabs, substantially as and for
the purpose described.
3. In an index or directory, the combination with the back A, provided with the
runner-bar, y, of the series of superposed leaves or tablets which are hinge supported
and connected at their lower edges and supported on said back, and provided with
the overlapping tabs at their upper edges of varying widths, substantially as
described, and the clip, f, engaged with and adapted to slide on the said runner-
bar, g, and provided with the finger, h, and adapted to overlie and engage either of
said tabs, substantially as described and shown.
4. In an index or directory, the combination with a back, A, and a series of
leaves or tablets which at their lower edges are supported and hinge connected the
one on the other and all upon said back, of a front or cover adapted to be supported
on and swing from the lower portion of the said back, there being spring appliances
provided for maintaining the said cover in its upwardly swung position, for the
purpose set forth.
5. In an index or directory, the combination with the back, and the series of
hinged leaves or tablets supported thereon and said back being provided with the
frame, D, formed of a single piece of wire and comprising the members, 7 7,
having the spring bearing, 15, and the members, 10, 10, provided with the ring-
eyes, 12 12, of the cover, B, having secured thereto the wire frame, E, hinge
connected to the frame, D, and provided with a bow member, i, all substantially
as described for the purposes set forth.
6. In an index or directory, the combination with the back, A., provided near
its upper edge with the runner-bar, g, and having the wire frame, D, comprising
the members, 77, having the spring bearing portion, 15, and the members, 10 10,
provided with the ring-eyes, 12 12, formed and applied as shown, and the series
of hinged leaves or tablets supported on said back and provided with the over-
lapping tabs of varying widths at their upper edges, of the clip, f, supported and

page_text: movable on said runner-bar and having the finger, h, and the front or cover, B,
having secured thereto the wire frame, E, hinge connected to the frame, D, and
provided with the bow member, i, all substantially as described and shown for
the purposes set forth.
Dated this 19th dox of Tonu 1902
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.