An Indicator for Recording the Loan of Books and for like purposes.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 14th Jan., 1895
Complete Specification Left, 14th Oct., 1896-Accepted, 9th Jan.. 1897
ISIONAL SPECIFIC
TION.
An Indicator for Recording the Loan of Books and for like purposes.
ALFRED COTGREAVE Public Library West Ham, E. Librarian I do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
It consists of a rack in which are placed movable numbered shelves of any
suitable material. These shelves are arranged diagonally in slots made in the
rack, suitable for their reception. In conjunction with such rack variously coloured
& shaped forms or slips of paper or other material are used to make entries
upon & to denote by the colour or shape the day, week or other period the article
entered thereon was lent out or issued & .by the entries its location & any other
information considered necessary.
Dated this 13th day of January 1896
ALFRED COTGREAVE.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Indicator for Recording the Loan of Books and for like purposes.
Alfred CoTGREAVE, Public Library, West Ham, E. Librariau. I 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:-
It consists of a rack (a) containing fixed or movable numbered or lettered
shelves (b) of any suitable material. These shelves are arranged diagonally (b) in
slots made in the divisions of the rack (a) suitable for their reception. In con-
junction with such rack variously coloured and shaped forms or slips of paper,
slate or other material (c) are used to make entries upon and to denote by the
colour or shape the day, week, or other period, the articles or transactions entered
thereon were dealt with or are to be dealt with, or how they have been or are
to be dealt with, and by the entries or matter recorded thereon the whereabouts
of any article or such other inforination as may be considered necessary. They
are inserted in those shelves of the rack (a) whose numbers or lettering represent
the matters to which they refer and the numbers of which shelves they cover or
partially cover as shown in drawing (d).
By the appearance of the rack or indicator (a) anyone can see immediately what
books or other articles are out on loan or in stock or are being dealt with in any
particular manner. By the variously coloured or shaped forms or slips (c) the
dates or periods of such loans or other transactions can be instantly ascertained,
in addition to any further record necessary to be kept, & which record if entered
by the borrower, as in the case of a library, saves the labour and time of the staff.
And by the method of using the coloured or shaped entry slips (c) the indicator
numbers or letters of such articles are covered or partially covered (d). In a library
the numbers are covered on both library & public sides of counter.

page_text: My invention may be considered as fairly delineated on the drawings attached,
which are arranged as follows:-
Figure 1 shows the iudicator frame with shelves (b) 1001 and 1003 empty, and
shelf 1002 (d) containing an entry or record slip.
Figure 2 shows the numbered shelf (6) withdrawn from the indicator frame.
Figure 3 shows the entry or record slip (c).
Figure 4 gives a section of the indicator frame and shows the interior arrangement
and appearance of the diagonal shelves.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is-
The use of an indicator as in the manner herein before described.
Dated this 14th day of October 1896.
ALFRED COTGREAVE.