Improvements in or relating to Cabinets for Filing Documents and analogous Matter, and in Internal Fittings for use either in "connection therewith or separate therefrom.
Year: 1896

page_text: Improvements in or relating to Cabinets for Filing Documents and
analogous Matter, and in Internal Fittings for use either in
"connection therewith or separate therefrom.
We, SAMUEL GRAHAM BROWNE, of Portland House, Basinghall Street, in the
City of London, Engineer, and JOSEPH HILLEBRAND, of 37 Clarendon Square, in '
the County of London, Cabinet Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:
Our invention consists of improvements in or relating to cabinets for filing
documents and analogous matter, and in internal fittings for use either in con-
nection therewith or separate therefrom, and preferably such cabinets as are
constructed according to the Patent granted to S. G. Browne No. 17104 dated
8th September 1894.
For facilitating the erection of the required parts forming the carcase of a
cabinet, it may be desirable to employ registering dowells at the top and bottom of
the sides and intermediate divisions corresponding with suitable recesses in the
parts forming the top and bases in combination with a flat tie preferably of metal
made in such parts and fitted with such necessary catches that it can readily be put
in place and tightened by suitable means, thus binding the carcase firmly when
erected and being easily releasable. In the specification of the Patent before
mentioned, sliding doors were described which were capable of sliding one in front
of the other by means of small tongues guided by inclined grooves.
In our present invention, the edges of the doors themselves may extend into the
grooves aforesaid, and the upper portion of the grooves, or that portion above the
sustaining rail is widened out downwardly, so that the door upon being raised to
its full height, may be held firmly at its upper edge, and yet be capable of falling
back into its vertical position. A slot is provided in the sliding edges of the doors
for enabling the locking projection to pass through in front of same. In order to
economise space, the sliding edges of the doors may consist of metal strips, attached
to the doors or fronts in any well known manner.
The cross ruils employed in the cabinet fronts may be made round when it is
desired that the trays or drawers shall hang down vertically or at an angle, the.
rear or inner edge of such tray or drawer being provided with a bent on curved
strip of metal or other material fixed preferably underneath the same. The trays
may be framed, if desired, with an open space in the centre, and the fronts (when
such are used) can be conveniently screwed on to the front member of the frame
from the back, avoiding the use of side brackets. We may, however construct the
trays or drawers of three ply veneer, and instead of using a separate curved strip.

page_text: aforesaid, may bend or curve the inner edge of the tray downwardly, forming a
stop, and hingeing upon the round rail.
The outer or front edge of said tray may, or may not, be bent, as may be found
convenient. For instance, if a presser for holding the documents is desired to be
used, it will be found convenient either to bend up the outer edge sufficiently to
attach said presser to, a separate sliding door or front or the like being desirable,
or else the outer edge may be left straight, and key into a groove formed in the
door or front, the latter being held thereby, and serving as a girder for preventing
lateral warping of the tray. Diagonal or longitudinal warping of the tray may be
overcome by fixing a stiffener or strip along one or both sides, said stiffener or
strip also holding the transfer cases or boxes in position when such are used in
lieu of drawers. It will be understood that if a tray is to be used separately, and
no presser be required to be attached thereto, the front edge of the three ply veneer
may simply be bent up sufficiently for withdrawing the tray conveniently with
the fingers. The trays, especially if intended to be used separately for filing
purposes, may (being made of three ply) be hent down at each end, and the
radiating holder and presser adjacent to the clip, as hereafter described, will thus
be enabled to swing in an arc of larger radius than otherwise, which is
an advantage in filing or perusing papers, and moreover, it is thus possible to have"
a very thin tray, but sufficiently strong and rigid by reason of the girder like ends.
Another manner of constructing our trays or drawers, so as to enable them to
hang down vertically or at an angle, is to make them from sheet metal (or thin
wood or equivalent) hinged at their inner edges to contain a stiff rounded bar,
the latter projecting at each end so as to ride upon the runners, and to form, at the
same time, the locking projections. The outer or front edge of such trays or
drawers, where such are made of metal, may he curved or doubled over and contain
a wire passing upwardly through holes, and held firmly thereby, thus forming a
holder for the box. Said wire may be bent in such a manner as to prevent the
box from being displaced laterally or from falling out forwardly. The side edges
of the tray or drawer may be doubled over and fitted into wooden rails.
The trays may be arranged to work or slide within the cabinet as follows. Each
trav is of such width as to fit in between a pair of runners, instead of resting and
sliding upon the same; and near the back edge of each tray, we provide two pro-
jections, one on each side, said projections resting and sliding upon the pair of
runners aforesaid, and it will be seen that friction is thereby reduced. One runner
may be made common to two adjacent nests.
We also provide by this invention a locking device for use where the doors or
fronts are not of the sliding kind, as described in the specification before referred
to, but are attached to, or form part of, the trays themselves. In such case, a
vertical rod is fitted at the back of the cabinet, which by a simple bolt action, can
be caused to rise and fall, said rod carrying cross pieces which alternately register
with, or become clear of, the lateral projections of the trays aforesaid, or of grooves
made therein. One locking rod can be arranged to lock two tiers of doors
simultaneously.
We can also make our filing cabinets to project only a small distance from a
wall, and suitable for shallow recesses by situating each nest vertically, instead
of horizontally, as before described. The framed front may be constructed without
runners or intermediates, and the door of each nest may be pivotted on either a
vertical or horizontal axis slightly out of the central line, according to the depth
of the recess. The inner face of each of said doors may carry the usual. clip,
together with the radiating holder and presser at the upper end, and an additional
presser at the lower end, so as to hold the papers or the like during the rotation
of said door or front. The same plan may be adapted for use with the interleaved
system by providing a ledge at the bottom of the door or front, and also a presser
or the like for holding the documents in the required position.
An alternative arrangement for still further reducing the width of our filing
cabinet is to employ a number of trays fitted with filing clips and pressers, said

page_text: trays resting normally upon ledges attached in any suitable manner to the back,
and said trays are arranged so that their upper edges, carrying the filing clips,
can be pulled forward a limited distance, the motion being controlled by spring
arms leaning over said trays, and bent at their ends. In connection with this
arrangement, a roller cover or ordinary doors or equivalents may be used for
covering up the front.
in the specification of the aforesaid Patent No. 17104 of 1894, a form of clips
was described, consisting of two fixed uprights, and two curved rods, the latter
being connected by a thin flat bar forming a cam, and pressed upon by a flat spring.
In our present invention, we preferably make each pair of pieces (the two uprights
or the two curved rods) from one piece of wire suitably bent; and instead of the
cam bar, we provide an equivalent thin wire bar extending between the two curved
rods, attached at points slightly above the straight horizontal connecting portion.
A spring plate bears upon said wire bar, having two grooves or corrugations parallel
with the same, thus holding the curved arms of the clip in their open or closed
position. The rear edge of the bed plate of the clip is bent into a trough forming
a bearing for the horizontal portion connecting the two curved rods. The front
edge of the bed plate is also curved, and in said curved edge lies the portion con-
necting the two vertical fixed arms, the latter passing through a pair of notches
which enable the arms to register accurately and remain rigid. The upright arms
are bifurcated, and the ends of the curved arms reduced to a wedge shape to fit
therein, the plane of contact, when the two edges have come together, remaining
horizontal.
The clips may be opened and closed by a sliding cross bar (with or without the
aid of a spring) which is furnished with inclined slots or equivalents for bearing
against either the moving rods of the clip, or against a pin projecting from the
cam bar, said cross bar holding the clip firmly in its closed position.
A tray for postcards, or other pieces of card or board, may contain simply four
(or more or less) vertical pins, and the cards, or the like, are punched before filing
with an L or similarly shaped slot for passing over or around said pin, and the
latter may, if found necessary, be furnished with retaining buttons, as will be
well understood. We may find it convenient to bring the lower ends of the arms
(the straight and the curved) of the clip nearer together, in this way enabling
the base of the clip to be considerably reduced in width. The curvature of the
upper end of the bent arms may remain the same, and the documents can be
turned over radially with the same ease as before.
In combination with any of the above mentioned trays and clips, we may use a
presser and holder, consisting of a wire rod bent up at each end, leaving a straight
intermediate portion to form a hinge equal to the width of the tray or thereabouts,
and having the extremity of each arm further bent inwardly to fairly hold the
group of documents that may be filed.
Said presser and holder may be provided with short cranks or cams acted upon
by flat springs for the purpose of holding it in its downward, intermediate or
upright, and in its open positions. Or, in place of such crank or cam mechanism,
we may cause said presser holder to work within a tube or trough formed within
the bed plate of the clip (or in a separate plate), and may slot said tube or trough
diagonally for receiving the end of a peg fixed in said holder and presser, whereby
the latter, on being slid sideways or crosswise of the tray, is compelled to swing
round, and is thus held in any desired position for holding up or pressing down
the documents.
The motion of the holder and presser can be utilised by adapting the principle
to opening and closing the clip, and rendering the action of the latter automatic.
For instance, the holder and presser may be caused to rotate on being slid by the
fingers by means of the troughed and slotted plate aforesaid, fixed separate from
the clip, and that portion of the holder and presser, which passes behind the clip
may carry a cam.
A flat plate may be swivelled to the bed plate of the clip, and
may have a cam shaped or inclined edge working against a peg fitted in the

page_text: movable hinged portion of said clip. The cam of the holder and presser engages,
during part of its traverse, with a slot formed in the edge of the flat: swivelled
plate, and by this means, the required differential motion is produced by the
continuous sliding action, of the holder and presser, and the clip is enabled to be
opened automatically at any desired point in the motion of the holder and presser..
The sliding, rotating, or dropping action of the trays or drawers, according to the
system used, can be utilized for opening or closing the holders and pressers, as
will be well understood.
An alternative means of giving the desired motion to the clip arms, and
presser and holder may be provided by having a slotted plate capable of sliding.
laterally upon the bed plate of the clip. Said plate will require one or more
straight slots for guiding purposes, and two other slots differentially inclined, the
plate being troughed at these two points to enable the swivelled portions of the
cli and presser arm to work therein, the same carrying pegs or the like to transmit
the rotary motion when the plate is moved towards one side or the other...
The means for, and mode of removing the documents from the file on the tray
may be as follows. The tray and index sheets are previously provided with, say,
two holes at one edge (say, the left hand), and when the documents are to be
removed, we pass a pair of small tubular rods formed out of one bent piece (or a
larger number according to the number of holes) through the holes at the edge of
the tray, thus threading the index sheets which are already held thereon. The
documents, together with the index sheets, may now be dropped from the clip,
and placed into a transfer box or case, one side of which is fitted with a pair of
pins (or a number, according to the number of holes in the edge of the index
sheets) over which are passed the tubular rods aforesaid, and the papers thus
transferred from a file on the threaded to the interleaved system.
We also provide a special method of making the tops, bottoms, and sides of
cabinets, or the three sides of the drawers, from one continuous piece of wood or
equivalent material. We accomplish this by cross V grooving along the required
lines, so that the parts, when bent or closed together at the desired angle (the "
✓ groove not being cut right through, but leaving a thin portion of the substance)
may produce the shape of the desired article.
Previous to bending, and even, if preferred, before the board or equivalent is
grooved, we may insert small staples of wire, or corner pieces or the like, across
the parts that are going to be bent, and any covering, such as cloth or the like,
may be secured thereon before the bending process takes place, glue being pre-
ferably passed previously into the grooves. The two free edges may be screwed
or secured together in any suitable manner and the whole placed in a clamp for a
time. Any hacks, dustboards, or intermediates, can be provided for by grooving
the board or the ke when in the flat. This method of construction enables us
to deal with wood or like material with a surface already polished or finished, and
articles so made can be packed for transport in the flat, and easily erected when
desired.
This manner of bending enables us to form a front or door to a wooden or
equivalent drawer or tray by bending up the material of which it is composed. We
propose first to cut the V groove along the line where the angle is to be formed.
and make also a slot or thin groove in the thickness of the two side edges extending
a little distance on each side of the said V groove. We provide angle plates (two
for each tray or drawer) preferably of the shape of a right angled triangle, the
two sides forming the right angle, being flanged or bent over so as to enter the
slot or thin groove after the tray or drawer has been bent up to form a door or
front.
For some purposes, a small cabinet, complete in itself, and consisting of a single
nest, may be constructed on the foregoing lines, or in other manner if preferred,
and the punch (for use in the threaded system) may be attached to the top or a
side of said cabinet, the thickness of which may be utilized for receiving certain
parts of the punch, which will not therefore require the usual base.
✓

page_text: The transfor case or filing drawer, .described in the former Patent already
mentioned, consisted of three cardboard sides carrying metal angle strips which
were inserted into grooves provided in the wooden front and fixed there by doubling
over a pair of tongues projecting from the tops of the angle strips at each side. We
now propose to make the transfer case entirely out of cardboard or equivalent
material, and in place of the metal angle strips, we bend down the edges of the
two sides, which, together with all the other parts intended to be bent, are
previously creased, and said edges enter a front composed as follows. Part of the
thickness of the front already exists in the flap of cardboard or the like 'bent up
from the main portion. Upon this we lay another piece, smaller in all three
directions, and finally a third piece equal in size to the original flap and these are
rivetted or otherwise fastened together, leaving a groove all around their three
free edges. Into the two slide grooves are now inserted the bent down edges of
the two sides, both the latter and the two containing sides of the said groove being
slotted so as to register with one another, and being secured in place by dropping
or passing a staple, clip or like device into said slot and clipping it there by means
of a suitable tool. In preference, we use two upright pins for filing the index
sheets upon, said pins being of the kind known as nurse's or safety pins, the upper
securing loops of the same being made out of one piece of wire. The two pins
divide the front into three divisions and serve thus as a holder for distributing and
keeping in position postcards, by which the level of the papers along this edge can
be maintained evenly. The opposite edge of the transfer case is creased and
carries the indicator, and is folded up when the case is put away. The cover of
our transfer case is made so that the case itself is held within it when carried in
the cabinet, and the construction is similar to that of the case excepting that it
is only a single thickness throughout. When the cover is brought into use as
such, it is turned over and reversed, and the flap corresponding with (and which
has hitherto lain underneath) the indicator flap at the rear of the case enters the
upper groove along the front before described, forming a hinge upon which the
Jid of the complete box can work. The corners of the cover are tied at the upper
edges in a similar manner to the corresponding portions of the transfer case, and the
lower parts of the corners are tied by means of a catch previously secured to the
front of the cover and having a projecting hooked arm, permitting the edge to be
inserted and a projecting point forced into or through said edge and also through
the additional thickness of front.
The index we propose to use with filing cabinets may be an improvement upon
those described in the specification before referred to. Thus, it is sometimes
convenient to reserve a filing tray for records or documents relating to only a few
persons, say for example three. "In this instance, we prefer to divide the index
into three blocks, distinguished by particular colours or tints alternating with
white or other fixed tint or colour; thus there may be one block of blue and white
alternating, another of red and white, and another of yellow and white. The
indicator can be made of any desired width (even to the full depth of the case of
which it forms the rear side when folded up) and must correspond in its divisions
with the index. In the threaded system, the indicator (or plate holding the same)
may, instead of being fixed rigidly upon the tray, be hinged thereto, and be of
any desired width to correspond with the indicator upon the flap of the transfer
case, upon which any particulars which may have appeared upon the tray index,
may be repeated.
In conclusion, we may state that we do not commit ourselves to the exact shape
or details of construction before described, but may employ equivalent means for
carrying out the desired objects.

page_text: Improvements in or relating to Cabinets for Filing Documents and
analogous Matter, and in Internal Fittings for use either in
connection therewith or separate therefrom.
'
We, SAMUEL GRAILAM BROWNE, of Portland House, Basingball Street, in the
City of London, Engineer, and JOSEPH HILLEBRAND, of 37 Clarendon Square, in
the County of London, Cabinet 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:-
Our invention consists of improvements in or relating to cabinets for filing
documents and analogous matter, and in internal fittings for use either in con-
nection therewith or separate therefrom, and preferably such cabinets as are
constructed according to the Patent granted to S. G. Browne No. 17104 dated
8th September 1894.
The object of our invention is more particularly to allow the drawers containing
the interleaved papers to be pulled forwards and to hang down in the front of the
cabinet at the greatest angle possible with the horizontal to enable the papers on
file to remain upright and therefore be capable of being readily examined or
removed without any necessity for removing the drawer itself (though the same is
easily removable), both hands of the operator being available for such purpose.
By this arrangement, all papers which are filed within the drawer fall by their
weight down to the front of the drawer. A presser har provided with a strong
spring normally bears upon the whole, but when it is pulled forward so as to
remain free of the same the group of papers may be divided by the fingers at any
desired point of the index, and a portion be caused to lean forwardly, the other
portion still remaining upright, and thus the papers can be made to remain
separated by a sufficient space to enable a document to he read while still on file.
We prefer to fit the drawer with a transfer case complete with index, capable
of being easily removed and fitted with a lid as hereinafter described. In this
manner the difficulty and labour of transferring the papers from the drawer to a
new case, as is customary, is altogether obviated, and, it may be added, the case
may be removed without taking the drawer from the cabinet.
Our invention is equally applicable to the threaded or clip system of filing
papers, and we provide means whereby the papers so filed may, when required for
reference, hang down vertically, a bent or curved presser bar being mounted upon
the tray and being controlled by springs in such a manner, that it may in one
position press upon the filed papers, in another position allow them to be reversed
and threaded over to the rear of the clip, and in another position support the papers
raised, leaving both hands free to actuate the clin, and remove or insert papers.
In order to facilitate the description of our invention, we will refer to the
accompanying two sheets of drawings.
On Sheet 1, Figure 1, shows a side elevation in section of a 7 nest cabinet
showing the action of our sliding drawers on the interleaved system in two
different forms.
Figure 2 is a similar view showing the arrangement as applied to the threaded
system of filing papers.
Figure 3 shows a front view of a modified arrangement in which the trays are
swivelled on a horizontal axis, and
Figure 4 is a side elevation in section illustrating the swivelling action upon a
vertical axis.

page_text: Figures 5 and 6 are plan and side view enlarged, showing a portion of the
presser bar and its spring.
The cross rails A employed in the cabinet fronts may be made round in order
that the trays or drawers may hang down vertically or at an angle, the rear or inner
edge of such tray or drawer being provided with a hooked or curved strip or block
of wood, metal or other material B fixed preferably underneath the same, the hook
portion if necessary being so shaped as to enable the tray or drawer to clear the
front, the innermost edge C of the drawer or tray being stopped against the rail
above it or other projection provided. The said rails A may, however, be round
only at the points where the drawers or trays hang, or they may be of any other
convenient section. The drawers or trays may be framed, if desired, as shown
by F, with an open space in the centre as shown by 1, the transfer case itself E
being fitted into the drawer and a register sheet on the tray, thus rendering the
provision of a panel superfluous or unnecessary.
The framed drawer is so constructed, by letting the frame F into the front and
sides, that the lower edges of the latter project slightly or sufficiently to slide with
as little friction as possible upon the runners G and front rail A and allow for
any bending or warping that might occur in the wood forming the latter.
The sides of the drawer are furnished with small metal strips H bent at one
end serving both as bearing for a presser bar J and for bracing the front and sides
of the drawer together. The presser bar J is so controlled by springs K as to press
normally upon the papers and yet can be pulled round to an angle of about 45°
with the edges of the tray or case, the ends of the springs and the extremities of
the presser bar being so shaped (see Figures 5 and 6) as to form a stop against
one another and to hold the presser bar stationary in such outward position.
It will be seen from the drawing, that the presser arm is cranked at L close to
its bearing, and that the spring K bears upon said crank L. When the presser
arm is swung out to its desired limit, as in the upper drawer of Figure 1, the
crank L becomes stopped against the hooked extremity of the spring K (see
Figure 6), formed so for this very purpose.
The drawers or trays may also be arranged to work or slide within the cabinet
as follows. Each drawer or tray may be of such width as to fit in between a pair
of runners, instead of resting and sliding upon the same; and each tray may carry
at its inner edge two projections (not shown), one on each side, said projections
resting and sliding upon the runners, and said projections acting also as stops for
holding the suspended tray or drawer at the desired angle so as to clear the front
as already mentioned.
On Sheet 2, Figures 7 and 8 are a side view and broken plan respectively, of
the presser holder and filing clip, showing their relative positions for filing,
inspecting, and removing documents.
Figure 9 shows the face of a vertically swivelled tray with filing clip and presser
holder attached.
Figure 10 shows a reciprocating frame carrying hooks suitable for locking, the
drawers or trays, when in a single column and
Figure 11 is a horizontal section showing a simple form of locking bar locking
two adjacent drawers or trays simultaneously.
Figure 12 shows a method of holding the locking pins, when the locking bar is
of wood, the bar consisting of two longitudinal parts joined together, and an
alternative means of securing the said locking pins is shown by Figure 13, suitable
for locking two trays or drawers side by side or in two columns.
Figures 14, 15, and 16 are plan and details of our transfer case, and Figure 17
is an end view of the interior of a drawer containing our transfer case.
Figure 18 is a plan of the lid of the transfer case before being put together, and
Figure 19 shows a method of rivetting the edges.
Figure 20 is a plan of the drawer shown in Figure 17 fitted with transfer case
showing also our improved indicator and index.

page_text: Figures 21 and 22 are edge views showing two forms of 3-ply veneer wood tray,
capable of being used by themselves for filing purposes.
Figures 23, 24, and 26 show metal rivers for binding or holding the corners of
our transfer case and lid.
We provide by our present invention a locking device for use where the doors
or fronts are not of the sliding kind, as described in the specification before referred
to, but are attached to, or form part of, the trays or drawers themselves. In such
case, a vertical bar M, Figures 11, 12 and 13 is fitted at the back of the cabinet,
between the runners G and by a simple toggle or cam action, can be caused to
rise and fall, and held in either of the two positions, said rod M carrying hooks
or pins N N, which alternately register with, or become clear of, holes O provided
at the inner edges of the trays or drawers aforesaid. One locking rod can be
arranged to lock two tiers or two adjacent drawers simultaneously as follows.
The vertical bar M may either carry the locking pins N N as shown by Figures 11
and 12, or as shown by Figure 13, or in some other suitable manner. According
to one method, the bar M is divided longitudinally Figure 12 and provided with
recesses N which when placed and fixed together again hold the connecting portion
of each pair of pins firmly. If desired, the pins N N may he fixed into a metal
plate or tongue Q, as shown by Figures 11 and 12, which is clamped between the
meeting portions of the bar M. Sufficient support is given to the pins N N by
letting them pass through slots PP within the runners. The raising of the bar M
causes the pins N N to rise sufficiently above the runners G to enter or engage
with the locking holes 00 in the drawer or tray.
We can also make our filing cabinets to project only a small distance from a
wall, being thus suitable for shallow recesses by situating each tray vertically,
instead of horizontally as shown by Figures 3, 4, and 9. The framied front may in
such case be constructed without runners or intermediates, and the door of each
nest may be formed of the back or reverse side of the tray itself, pivotted on either
a vertical or horizontal axis, preferably, slightly out of the central line, according
to the depth of the recess or other convenient distance. The inner face of each of
said doors may carry the usual clip R, together with the radiating holder and
presser J at the upper end, and an additional presser S may be provided if
necessary at the lower end, so as to hold the papers or the like during the rotation
of said door or front. The same plan may be adapted for use with the interleaved
system by providing a ledge at the bottom of the door or front, and also a presser
or the like for holding the documents in the required position; a transfer case
being also used by preference which can be hinged at the top and drawn out and
held at an angle so as to enable the papers to retain an upright position.
Referring to Figures 7 and 8, we provide a bed plate the front edge of which is
curved as at T, and in said curvel elge Tlies the portion connecting the two vertical
fixed arms U, the latter passing through a pair of notches VV which enable the
arms to register accurately and remain rigid. The upright arms' U are bifur
U
cated, and the ends of the curved arms W reduced to a wedge shape to fit therein,
the plane of contact, when the two edges have come together, remaining horizontal.
The presser bar J (Figures 7 and 8) may be provided with short cranks or
cams acted upon by springs such as Y for the purpose of holding it in its
downward, intermediate or upright, and in its open positions.
We propose to make the transfer case entirely out of cardboard or equivalent
material, and we bend down the edges of the two sides ZZ (Figure 14), which,
together with all the other parts intended to be bent, are previously creased r
scored; and said edges enter a front composed as follows. Part of the thicknes
of the front already exists in the flap a of cardboard or the like bent up from the
main portion. Upon this we lay another piece b, smaller in all three directionis,
and finally a third piece e corrugated or bulged at suitable points d so as to receive
the index holder'e and equal in size to the original flap and these are rivettad ir
otherwise fastened together, leaving a groove A' all round their three free edges.
The corrugations d also form a stiffener. The transfer case is preferably packed

page_text: in the flat state, and is then folded into the form of a case or box as follows. Into
the two side grooves A are inserted the bent down edges Z' of the two sides Z,
both the latter and the two containing sides of the said groove being slotted as
at f so as to register with one another, and being secured in place by dropping'
or passing a staple, clip or like device g into said slot f and clipping it there by
means of a suitable tool. In preference, we make the index holder of upright
pins e said pins being of the kind known as nurses or safety pins, the upper securing
loops of the same being made out of one piece of wire. The two pins divide the
front into three divisions and serve thus as a holder for distributing and keeping
in position postcards, by which the level of the papers along this edge can be
maintained evenly. The opposite edge of the transfer case is creased and carries
the indicator h, and is folded up when the case is put away. The construction of
the cover is similar to that of the case excepting that it is only a single thickness
throughout and when it is brought into use as such, its flap jenters the upper
groove A along the front a before described, forming a hinge upon which he
lid of the complete box can work. The corners of the cover are tied at the upper
edges in a similar manner to the corresponding portions of the transfer case, and
the lower parts of the corners are tied by means of a catch & (Figure 19) previously
secured to the front of the cover and having a projecting hooked arm as shown,
permitting the edge to be inserted and a projecting point forced into or through
said edge and also through the additional thickness of the front.
The index we propose to use with filing cabinets may be an improvement upon
those described in the specification before referred to. Thus, it is sometimes con-
venient to reserve a filing tray for records or documents relating to only a few
persons, say for example three. In this instance, we prefer to divide the index
into, say, four blocks l, m, n, o, Figure 20 distinguished by particular colours or
tints alternating with white or other fixed tint or colour; thus there may be one
block of blue and white alternating, another of red and white, and another, of
yellow and white and so on. The indicator can be made of any desired width
(even to the full depth of the case of which it forms the rear side when folded up)
and must correspond in its divisions with the index.
In conclusion, we may state that we do not commit ourselves to the exact shape
or details of construction before described, but may employ equivalent means for
carrying out the desired objects.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is:-
1. The herein described improvements in or relating to cabinets for filing docu-
ments and analogous matter, by the use of which the drawer or drawers containing
or intended to contain the interleaved papers or the like may be pulled forwards
and hang down in front of the cabinet at the greatest angle possible with the
horizontal to enable the papers on file to remain upright and therefore be capable
of being readily examined or removed without any necessity for removing the
drawer itself both hands of the operator being available for such purpose, sub-
stantially as described.
2. The herein described improvements in or relating to cabinets for filing docu-
ments and analogous matter, by the use of which the tray or trays containing or
intended to contain the papers or the like threaded upon a clip may be pulled
forwards and dropped as nearly vertically as possible, so that papers or the like can
be easily read, inserted, or removed, without being withdrawn from the cabinet,
both hands of the operator being available for such purpose substantially as
described.
3. In cabinets for filing documents and analogous matter, the method of and
means for forming a transfer case and its appurtenances substantially as herein-
before described.

page_text: 4. The mode of constructing cabinets for filing documents and analogous matter
substantially as hereinbefore described.
5. The improvements in or relating to cabinets for filing documents and
analogous matter and in internal fittings for use either in connection therewith or
separate therefrom, substantially as hereinbefore described.
Dated this 28th day of April 1897.
SAMUEL GRAHAM BROWNE.
JOSEPH HILLEBRAND,
7&8, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, London.