Adjustable Alphabetic Index and Catalogue-holder.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 17th Dec., 1892
Complete Specification Left, 16th Sept., 1893-Accepted, 21st Oct., 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Adjustable Alphabetic Index and Catalogue-holder.
JAMES DUFF BROWN, Librarian, 51 Raleigh Road, Hornsey, London, N. and
HENRY EVANS, 26, Wilmington Square, London, W.C., Bookbinder do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows :-
Covers designed to improve the methods of maintaining a strict. alphabetical
order in lists of names, catalogues of books, or in indexes of any kind. The covers
are made of millboard, covered with cloth and leather, or other materials, in the
style of ordinary covers for half-bound books, but with narrow pieces of bard
wood attached to each of the boards where the flexible leather back is joined on.
Through one of these pieces of hard wood are riveted two brass or iron
cylindrical screws threaded inside, placed slightly apart, which project from the
The
inner side of the board to half the thickness of the back of the cover.
opposite piece of wood is drilled to receive two small brass or iron bushes, through
which pass brass or iron bolt-screws, in length rather more than half the thickness
of the back of the cover, which fit into the cylindrical screws opposite. The heads
of these bol-screws are drilled with two small holes, slightly apart, into which fit
the two pro gs of a metal compass key, which turns the screws as required.
When the movable bolt-screws are turned in the cylindrical parts with the key,
the boards are contracted to half the thickness of the flexible leather back,
already mentioned, or expanded to its full extent, and so an adjustable holder is
formed, into which slips or sheets of paper, cards, etc., punched with round holes or
semicircular incisions at one end, to fit on to the screws, can be placed or removed
This
at will, and so enable an alphabetical arrangement to be always maintained.
invention is claimed to be applicable to all kinds of alphabetical index-books,
files, ledgers, albums and catalogues, and may be made in different sizes to suit the
requirements of these various purposes.
Dated this Sixteenth day of December 1892.
JAMES DUFF BROWN.
HENRY EVANS.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Adjustable Alphabetic Index and Catalogue-holder.
We JAMES DUFF BROWN, Librarian, of 81 Raleigh Road Hornsey Middlesex
and HENRY EVANS Bookbinder of 26 Wilmington Square London W.C. 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 an improved apparatus for holding lists of names,
catalogues, of books, indexes, or other documents requiring to be kept in consecutive
order, at the same time allowing any of their number to be readily withdrawn or
fresh ones added.
The invention consists of a new form of cover which can be contracted or
expanded by means of special screws turned by means of a compass or other key
or tool the same being carried out as hereinafter described, illustrated by the
drawings filed with this Complete Specification.
Referring to drawings.
Fig. I is a side elevation of the holder complete.

page_text: Fig. III is a vertical section of holder through a. b Fig. II.
Fig. IV is a vertical section of holder through c d Fig. II.
Fig. V Fig. VI Fig. VII shew three convenient forms of perforated paper which
may be employed amongst others.
Fig. VIII shews a convenient form of compass key.
According to this invention the covers, one of which is shewn in elevation
at Fig. I and in plan at Fig. II, are made of millboard, or other material generally
used for that purpose, covered with cloth or leather or other materials in the
manner of the ordinary covers of books, with slats of wood or other material
Fig. I attached to each of the boards Fig. I where the flexible back g Fig. 1 is
joined on.
These slats are drilled with one or more holes (in the drawings two are shewn)
according to the size of holder.
E
Through one of these slats are secured with rivets or small nuts or by any other
convenient method, screws of brass, iron or other material (one screw to each hole
drilled in the slat) which project from the inner side of the board to half the
thickness of the back of cover as shewn in Fig. III i.
The opposite slat is drilled with a corresponding number of holes H Fig. III to
those in the first mentioned slat, the holes being opposite each other and bushed
with brass or other suitable material as shewn at H Fig. III.
Through each of the above mentioned bushes is passed a hollow cylindrical nut
made to fit screw fixed in the opposite hole in opposite slat, fitted with a suitable
head, which (owing to the above mentioned bushes being countersunk) fits flush
with the outside of slat but is prevented from passing right through as shewn, H
Fig. III.
The head of this cylindrical nut has two small holes drilled in it into which fit
the two prongs of a compass key by which it may be turned; or any other con-
venient method employed for turning screws, by keys or tools, may be used.
The cylindrical nuts being placed in position and turned by any of the above
mentioned methods, gear with the screws upon the opposite slat Hi Fig. III and
in so doing contract or expand to half the thickness of the flexible back, or to
the full extent of the same respectively as occasion may require, so that slips, or
sheets of paper, cards, &c. punched with holes, semicircular holes, or other
suitable perforations some of which are shewn in Fig. V, VI, VII will fit on
to the screws, and be retained in position by pressure of the slats.
Slips. of paper, or cards, bearing entries of names, titles or matter required to
be indexed in alphabetical order can therefore be added or withdrawn at will
by the operation of unscrewing the nuts in the case of slips with holes in them,
or by loosening them in the case of slips with open or other perforations.
Thus an alphabetical arrangement or index capable of continual change, can
always be maintained in any series of written or printed slips, or cards, and it
is evident from the description and drawings of this apparatus that it can be
made of various sizes, materials, and shapes, without departing from the principle
of the invention.
The apparatus can be used for all kinds of index-books, alphabetical ledgers,
albums, and catalogues, or for documents requiring temporary binding, or a binding
which admits of the removal or addition of its contents.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what
we claim is
I. In a binder for alphabetical indexes, catalogues, albums, and the like, the
use of cylindrical nuts and screws turned by a key or tool, so arranged in the
boards of cases as to be adapted for firmly securing in book form, sheets or slips
of paper, cards or other materials which are punched or perforated to fit on the
screws already mentioned, substantially as described for various purposes.

page_text: II. The apparatus for maintaining alphabetical order in indexes, and lists,
substantially as described with reference to the accompanying drawings Fig. I II
III IV V VI VII & VIII.
Dated this 15th day of September 1893
JAMES DUFF BROWN.
HENRY EVANS.