Improvements in or relating to Indexing Books, Catalogues, and other Articles.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 14th Sept., 1896-Accepted, 24th Oct., 1896
COME LIMIE DI MUIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Indexing Books, Catalogues, and
other Articles.
A communication from EMILIO LEVATI, of Milan, Italy.
I, WILLIAM LLOYD WISE, of No. 46 Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County of
London, Consulting Engineer and Chartered Patent Agent, 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 has reference to a mode of indexing letters, lists, catalogues, and
so forth possessing the advantages of greatly simplifying and reducing to a great
extent the labour of indexing, as well as that of finding names in long lists or
series.
The invention consists in providing at the side of the column of each page of an
index, list, catalogue or the like designed to receive a list of names, columns
designated by the vowels, a, e, i, o, u, and in one or other of which columns a letter
or other sign can be marked opposite each name, the column so marked being the
one distinguished by the vowel that corresponds to the first or second vowel
occurring in the name opposite which the sign is to be made. Thus for example,
in a list comprising the names, Milan, Paris, London, Berlin, Bucharest, in the
case of the first name, the sign arranged opposite the name may be placed in the
i column which corresponds to the first vowel in the said word Milan; in the case
of the second name, the sign will be placed in the a column, for the third name in
the o column, for the fourth name in the e column, and for the fifth name in the
u column. With an arrangement of this kind, it is clear that in wishing to find
the name "London" for instance, in a long list of names, it will only be necessary
to look through the o column, in which there will usually be but a limited number of
signs, and to look up the names corresponding to the signs in the o column. In
this way
the labour and time of finding any particular name in a long column of
names is considerably reduced and simplified and there will be less liability of
missing the word required.
In place of arbitrary signs, my correspondent has found that it is best to adapt,
as the sign, the first vowel occurring in the word opposite which the sign is to be
placed that is to say for the name Milan for instance, to put an i in the i column,
an a in the a column to correspond with the name Paris, and so on, because,
should in any case the person who inserts the signs, place a sign in the wrong
column, the error will be immediately apparent. Also, the indexing when
finished, can be very easily checked. In the case of alphabetical indexes, such as
those of copies of letters, where the lists or indexes are composed of names
commencing all with the same letter of the alphabet, for such an index it will be
advisable to take the second vowel contained in each name instead of the first
vowel, except only, it may be, in the case of very rare names having only one
vowel, in which case this vowel is to be taken.
For the purpose of greater simplicity, especially in cases where there is but
very little room available at the side of the lists, a single column may be adopted
for all the vowels, the respective characteristic vowel of each name being written
in the said column.

page_text: For languages in which other vowels in addition to the ordinary five vowels,
are in frequent use, such as y or the diphthongs, other columns must be provided
for such vowel or diphthongs, unless it is preferred to join them to the nearest. or
most nearly related vowels.
It is obvious that the mode of indexing hereinbefore described is applicable to
sets of pigeon holes, to census lists, and other similar means of classification.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
For facilitating the finding of names in the pages of ordinary indexes, lists,
catalogues and the like, or letters or other articles in pigeon holes providing at the side
of the column of each page of an index list, catalogue or the like designed to receive a
list of names, or at the side of a row of pigeon holes, columns designated by the
vowels, a, e, i, o, u, and it may be y, or by vowels and diphthongs and in one or
other of which columns a letter or other sign can be marked, opposite each name,
or the pigeon hole containing letters or other articles bearing particular names,
the column so marked being the one distinguished by the vowel or diphthong that
corresponds to the first or second vowel or diphthong occurring in the name opposite
which the sign is to be made, substantially as herein described.
Dated this 14th day of September 1896.
W. LLOYD WISE,
46 Lincoln's Iun Fields, London, W.C., Chartered Patent Agent.