AN IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR HOLDING LETTERS, BILLS, INVOICES, AND OTHER PAPERS
Year: 1878

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Robert Lake, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake,
& Co., Patent Agents, Southampton Buildings, London, for the Invention of
"AN IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR HOLDING LETTERS, BILLS, INVOICES, AND
OTHER PAPERS." A communication from abroad by John Truman Foster, of
Arlington, New Jersey, United States of America, Mechanical Engineer.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Robert Lake at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 12th December 1878.
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co., Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, London. "AN IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR HOLDING
LETTERS, BILLS, INVOICES, AND OTHER PAPERS." [A communication from abroad
by John Truman Foster, of Arlington, New Jersey, United States of America,
Mechanical Engineer.]
The object of the said Invention is to facilitate the holding or binding together
for temporary use of letters, bill heads, invoices, and other papers.
According to the said Invention I construct needles of tubes of metal and
combine them with a bed or base board, which may be made of wood or metal as
desired. These needles are pointed at their upper ends to puncture the paper
readily, and have their lower ends so inserted into the said-bed or base-board as to
pass entirely through it in order that a thread or binding wire may be passed down
through the tubular needles, and their ends may be held fast by the hand whilst
the papers are being taken from the points of the needles upon the binder thread
which is then withdrawn from the said needles, their ends being tied together as
a binder of the papers.
I construct hollow caps or thimbles and combine them with a paper clamping
lever, as the means for protecting the points of the needles and at the same time
forcing the papers down upon them; I also construct the said paper clamping lever
with lateral projecting shoulders thereon for limiting the forward, downward, and

page_text: uptipping back motion of the clamping lever; I also construct a bifurcated
transferring paper needle and combine the same with the said tubular needles,
whereby a portion of the papers may be transferred from the points of the tubular
needles when a bill or other paper is required to be separated from the file without
confusing or changing the order of the file of papers, and they may be transferred
to the needles again by the simple operation of inserting the points of the bifurcated
needle into the upper ends of the tubular needles.
The said base or back may be made of wood, paper board, or metal, as desired.
The needles are made of tube metal, and have their upper ends pointed and their
lower ends inserted through the bed so as to be open upwards through their lower
ends, permit the insertion of the binding twine through the needles and below the
bed that its ends may be taken hold of to tighten it when the papers are taken
from the points of the needles. The said thimbles are secured to the end of the
paper clamping-lever. These thimbles are used for pressing the paper down over
the points of the needles, and protecting their points and preventing the escape of
the papers from them. To keep the thimbles from blunting the points of the
needles notches are cut in the inner upper edges of the standards of the frame.
Lugs are formed on the outer edges of the clamping lever for engaging the notches.
The said clamping lever has its axes resting in axial standards. To prevent the
uptipping of the clamping lever too far, back lugs are made on its end to come in
contact with the edges of the standards, and thus keep the re-acting spiral spring
from uptipping the front end of the lever too far when bill heads or other papers
are being put on or taken from the needles. A hole is formed in the rear end of
the base for suspending it.to the side of a desk.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Williain Robert Lake in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
12th June 1879.
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co., Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, London. "AN IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR HOLDING
LETTERS, BILLS, INVOICES, AND OTHER PAPERS." A communication from abroad
by John Truman Foster, of Arlington, New Jersey, United States of America,
Mechanical Engineer.
The object of the said Invention is to facilitate the holding or binding for
temporary use of letters, bill-heads, invoices, and other papers.
According to the said Invention I construct needles of tubes of metal and
combine them with a bed or base board, which may be made of wood or metal.
These needles are pointed at their upper ends to puncture the paper readily, and
have their lower ends so inserted into the said base board as to pass entirely
through it in order that a thread or binding wire may be passed down through
the tubular needles, and their ends may be held fast by the hand whilst the papers
are being slipped from the points of the needles. According to another part of the
said Invention I construct hollow caps or thimbles and combine them with a paper
clamping lever, as the means for protecting the points of the needles and at the
same time forcing the paper down upon them; I also construct the paper clamping
lever with lateral projecting shoulders for limiting the forward and downward
motion of the said lever; I also construct a bifurcated transferring paper needle
and combine the same with the tubular needles, whereby a portion of the papers
may be transferred from the points of the tubular needles when a bill or other
paper is required to be separated from the file without confusing or changing the
order of the file of papers, and then transferred to the needles again by the simple
operation of inserting the points of the bifurcated needle into the upper ends of the
tubular needles
Figure 2 is a plan or top view of the same.
Figure 3 is a side elevation, shewing the paper clamping lever elevated to permit
the adjustment of the papers on the points of the needles.
Figure 4 is a longitudinal sectional view of the said apparatus, shewing the
tubular needles, the thimbles for forcing the papers on their points, and the
bifurcated transferring needle.
Figure 5 is a view of the tubular needle and the bifurcated transferring needle
inserted therein detached, to shew the method of applying it when some of the
papers are to be taken from the needles.
A represents the base or back which may be made of wood, metal, or any other
suitable substance; B, B, are the needles made of tube metal, having their upper
ends pointed and their lower ends inserted in the base A, so as to be open upwards
through their lower ends to permit the insertion of their binding twine through
the needles and below the bed, that its ends may be taken hold of to tighten it
when the papers are taken from the points of the needles; C, C, are the thimbles
secured to the ends of the paper clamping lever D. These thimbles serve to press
the paper down over the points of the needles and protect their points, and also
prevent the escape of the papers from them. To keep the thimbles from blunting.
the points of the needles notches E, forming shoulders, are cut in the inner upper
edges of the standards F of the frame G; H, H, are lugs on the outer edges of the
clamping lever D for engaging the notches E. The clamping lever has its axis K
resting in standards J. To prevent the clamping lever from being thrown too far
back lugs M are formed on its end to come in contact with the edges of the

page_text: standard J, and thus prevent the reacting spiral spring N from uptipping the front
end of the lever too far when bill-heads are being placed on or taken off the
needles; P represents a hole in the rear end of the base for suspending it to the
side of a desk; R represents the bifurcated transferring needle. In Figure 5 the
said transferring needle is shewn inserted in the tubular needle to facilitate the
transferring of a part of the papers therefrom to the bifurcated needle.
Having thus fully described the said Invention as communicated to me by my
foreign correspondent, and the manner of performing the same, I wish it understood
that I claim,
First. The bed or base, the clamping lever having lugs and thimbles, the
standards F, and shoulders E, in combination with the needles B, as and for the
purpose set forth.
Second. The thimbles and clamping lever, having lugs in combination with the
standards F, having shoulders E for protecting the points of the needles, as and for
the purpose set forth.
Third. The combination of the clamping lever havings lugs with the standards F
having shoulders E, substantially as described.
Fourth. The combination of the standards J with the clamping lever, having
lugs M and the reacting spring N, as and for the purpose set forth.
Fifth. The tubular needles B in combination with the base, as and for the purpose
set forth.
Sixth. The bifurcated transferring needle in combination with the tubular
needles, as and for the purpose set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Robert Lake, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twelfth day of June, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and seventy nine.
T
W. ROB. LAKE. (L.S.)