IMPROVEMENTS IN AND RELATING TO MEANS FOR FACILITATING REFERENCE TO DICTIONARIES ENCYCLOPEDIAS AND OTHER BOOK
Year: 1882

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Adolf Gerken, of Fassett Road, in the County of
Middlesex, for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN AND RELATING TO MEANS
FOR FACILITATING REFERENCE TO DICTIONARIES ENCYCLOPEDIAS AND OTHER
BOOK"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Adolf Gerken at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents on the 28th July 1882.
ADOLF GERKEN, of Fassett Road, in the County of Middlesex, " IMPROVEMENTS
IN AND RELATING TO MEANS FOR FACILITATING REFERENCE TO DICTIONARIES,
ENCYCLOPEDIAS, AND OTHER BOOKS
"
This invention is designed to afford means for facilitating reference to
dictionaries, encyclopedias, and other books whose contents are classified alpha-
betically or otherwise.
Much inconvenience and loss of time are incurred with ordinary dictionaries and
the like, by reason of having no accurate indication of the page on which any word
is to be found, and in the case of large dictionaries and other comprehensive works,
the inconvenience is proportionately increased
My invention is designed to remedy this inconvenience and to provide means
whereby the exact page on which any word in the book is contained may be seen
at a glance and the book opened at this page and the word found without loss of
time.
To accomplish this result I construct an apparatus as follows that is to say
I provide a box or chamber of wood or other suitable material inside which there
are spiral or other springs, which springs are attached at one end to the upper part
of the said box and at the other end to a bar or strip which is designed to press
upon a supply of labels, clips, strips or pieces to be pasted in the book. There is an
opening at one end of the box through which the said pieces or slips project in
such a manner that they may be readily applied to the book. A sponge is provided
in a convenient position in the apparatus, and, being saturated with water, damps
the leaves so that the slips will adhere properly. The apparatus is applied to the
leaves of the book by hand and the said clips or slips are thus affixed with great
rapidity. I provide each page or every alternate page with one of these pieces or
TD A31

page_text: slips which project at the edges of the sheet so as to be plainly visible without
opening the book. These small projecting pieces must be made of some strong
material such as parchment, cloth, cloth-lined paper, or the like and for large
and heavy books they may be made of leather, thin metal, or the like. I
prefer to make them in the form of clips that is to say they are doubled or
folded so as to clip or embrace the sheets between them. I may employ
glue, cement, or other strong adhesive material for this purpose. Each of
these pieces or clips has on it a syllable, or part of a word, or the syllables
indicating the first and last of a series of the words on the page to which it is
attached so that the exact location of any word may be seen without opening the
book. But in the case of dictionaries and the like containing a great number of
words I provide for further facilitating the finding of the same by exhibiting the
first syllables or parts of the words on the side or top and bottom margins of the
pages so that by opening the book at one place the contents of the succeeding pages
may be seen. For this purpose I cut away the edges of the margins so that each
succeeding one projects slightly beyond the others and the projecting part of each
has on it the indicating syllable or part or parts of the words. For cutting these
margins I provide a machine or apparatus arranged to hold the book in the proper
position under a blade or blades which cut the margins in the manner above
specified.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Adolf Gerken in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 27th January
1883.
ADOLF GERKEN, of Fassett Road, in the County of Middlesex.
"IMPROVEMENTS
IN AND RELATING TO MEANS FOR FACILITATING REFERENCE TO DICTIONARIES,'
ENCYCLOPEDIAS, AND OTHER BOOKS."
This invention is designed to afford means for facilitating reference to
dictionaries, encyclopedias, and other books whose contents are classified alpha-
betically or otherwise.
Much inconvenience and loss of time are incurred with ordinary dictionaries and
the like by reason of their having no accurate indication of the page on which any
word is to be found, and in the case of large dictionaries and other comprehensive
works the inconvenience is proportionately increased.
My invention is designed to remedy this inconvenience and to provide means
whereby the exact page on which any word in the book is contained may be seen
at a glance and the book opened at this page and the word found without loss
of time.
For this purpose I provide the book with indicators in the following manner,
that is to say-I provide the leaves of the book with small ears or pieces each of
which projects from the edge of the leaf or sheet so as to be plainly visible without
opening the book. One of these pieces is usually provided upon each leaf of the
book, or upon every alternate leaf, but, in a few instances, one piece will serve as
an indicator for three, or even a larger number, of leaves. These small projecting
pieces must be inade of some strong material, such as parchment, cloth, cloth-linèd
paper, or the like, and for large and heavy books they may be made of leather, thin
metal, or other suitable material. I prefer to make them in the form of clips, that
is to say, they are doubled or folded so as to clip or embrace the sheets between
them. They are securely attached to the leaves of the book by glue, cement, or
other strong adhesive material, or by other means which will prevent, their
detachment To accomplish this result I construct an apparatus as follows, that is
to say, I provide a box or chamber of wood or other suitable material inside which
I arrange spiral or other springs attached at one end to the upper part of the said
box and at the other end to a bar or strip designed to press upon a supply of clips
or pieces which are to be pasted in the book. I form an opening at one end of the
box through which the said pieces or clips project in such a manner that they may
be readily applied to the leaves of the book. A sponge is provided in a convenient
position in the apparatus and being saturated with water damps the leaves so that
the clips will adhere properly. The apparatus is applied to the leaves of the book
by hand and the said clips or pieces are thus affixed with great rapidity.
Each of these pieces or clips has printed or marked on both sides of it a syllable
or part of a word, or the syllables indicating the first and last of a series of the
words on the page to which it is attached, so that the exact location of any word
may be seen without opening the book. But, in the case of dictionaries and the
like containing a great number of words, I provide for further facilitating the
finding of the same by exhibiting the first syllables or parts of the words on the
side or top and bottom margins of the pages so that by opening the book at one
place the contents of some of the succeeding pages may be seen.
For this purpose
I cut away the edges of the margins so that each succeeding one projects slightly
beyond the others and the projecting part of each has printed or marked upon it
the indicating syllable, or part, or parts, of the words. For cutting these margins

page_text: I provide a machine or apparatus arranged to hold the book in the proper
position under a blade or blades which cut the margins in the manner above
specified.
Having thus fully described my said invention and the manner of performing
the same I wish it understood that I Claim :-
:-
First The improved means for facilitating reference to dictionaries, encyclo-
pedias and other books, substantially as set forth.
Second-The employment of the box provided with spiral or other springs
arranged to press upon a supply of clips or pieces therein, and having an opening
at one end through which the said pieces project in such a manner that they may
be readily applied to the leaves of the book, and a sponge for damping the said
leaves, as above set forth.
In witness whereof I the said Adolf Gerken have hereunto set my hand and
seal this Twenty sixth day of January in the year of our Lord one thousand
eight hundred and eighty three.