Improvements in Apparatus for Filing Letters and the like.
Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 14th Nov., 1888
Complete Specification Laft 15th July 1889 Accepted. 17th Aug., 1889
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Filing Letters and the like.
I, AUGUST ZEISS, of No. 107, Leipzigerstrasse, Berlin, and WILHELM STIER, of 9
Dörien Strasse, Leipzig, both in the Empire of Germany, Merchants, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to apparatus for filing letters, bills and other documents
of a like nature and is especially applicable to the apparatus known as the
"Shannon" bill and letter file in which letters or other loose sheets of paper are
temporarily filed on two fixed wires over the ends of which are the curved ends of
two moveable wires so as to allow the letters to be turned over from the fixed to the
moveable wires and any desired paper to be taken out of the file without disturbing
the order or removing any of the others.
Files of this kind possess the disadvantage that the papers can be easily removed
by unauthorized persons and the object of our invention is to obviate this objection
by providing suitable mechanism whereby the apparatus can be locked and can only
be unlocked by means of a koy.
We will describe our invention by way of example as applied to a Shannon bill
file for which it is especially suited.
As is well known the moveable wires in this file are connected by means of cranks
and a connecting rod and they are secured in their open and closed positions by a
spring and stops. In order to lock them in their closed position we provide a
rocking bar or lover or a pivotted disc having eccentric slots the said bar or disc
being adapted to be moved by a key in such a manner as to operate two sliding
bars the free ends of which form stops for locking the cranks when the wires have
been closed. The apparatus having been locked the key is removed and the move-
able wires cannot then be turned to open the file without the application of the said
key or a similar one.
Dated the 14th day of November 1888.
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicants.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Filing Letters and the like.
We, AUGUST ZEISS, of No. 107. Leipzigerstrasse, Berlin, and WILHELM STIER, of
9, Dörien Strasso, Leipzig, both in the Empire of Germany, Merchants, 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 apparatus for filing letters, bills and other documents of
a like nature and is especially applicable to the apparatus known as the "Shannon
bill and letter file, in which letters or other loose sheets of paper are temporarily filed
on two fixed wires, over the ends of which are the curved ends of two movable
wires so as to allow the letters be turned over from the fixed to the movable wires
and any desired paper to be taken out of the file without disturbing the order or
removing any of the others.
Files of this kind possess the disadvantage that the papers can be easily removed
by unauthorized persons, and the object of our invention is to obviate this objection
by providing suitable mechanism, whereby the apparatus can be locked and can only
be unlocked by means of a key.
We will describe our invention, by way of example, as applied to a "Shannon"
bill file for which it is especially suited.

page_text: As is well known, the movable wires in this file are connected by means of cranks
and a connecting rod and they are secured in their open and closed positions by
a spring and stops. In order to lock them in their closed position we provide a
rocking-bar, or lever, of a pivotted disé having eccentric slots, the said bar or disc
being adapted to be moved by. a 'key, in such a manner as to operate two sliding
bars, the free ends of which form stops for locking the cranks when the wires have
been closed.
33
In order to enable our invention to be fully understood we will describe how it can
be carried into practice by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which-
Figure 1 is a plan of the underside of a "Shannon bill file provided with our
improvements, the bottom covering plate being removed to show the interior mechanism.
Figure 2 is a vertical longitudinal section of the file.
These figures illustrate the use of a slotted disc for actuating the sliding locking-
bars, which are shown in their locking position.
Figure 3 is a similar view to figure 1 but showing the sliding-bars actuated by a
rocking-bar or lever.
Figure 4 is a similar view to figure
parts when the file is unlocked and open.
Figure 5 is a perspective view of the file.
but showing the position occupied by the
Similar letters in all the figures indicate similar parts.
Referring to figures 1, 2 and 5, i is the case or box enclosing the mechanism for
simultaneously operating the movable wires of the file.
9, g are the fixed wires.
are the movable wires connected by means of cranks h, h and a connecting
rod l.
kis the spring, and m, m the stops for securing the cranks in their closed position
indicated by the full lines of the drawings and in their open position indicated by
the dotted lines.
The foregoing parts constitute an ordinary "Shannon” bill file.
We will now describe our improvements.
b is the disc pivotted at a, and having the eccentric slots c, c, the pivot a being
formed with a square, as shown in figure 2, to allow of its being moved by means of
a key. d, d are the two sliding bars, provided at one end with studs working in
the slots c, c.
The bars d, d are formed with guiding slots n, n, n, moving over fixed
studs. The free ends e, e of the bars are adapted to engage in notches formed in
the cranks h, so as to form stops for locking the cranks when the wires f and g
have been closed.
.
The file being opened by moving the wires f, f in the direction of the arrows
into the position indicated by the dotted lines in figure 5, the bills or papers are
filed on the two fixed wires 7, 9, and the ends of the movable wires f, fare brought
over those of the fixed wires in the usual manner into the position indicated by the
full lines of the said figure 5. The disc will then be in the position shown by the
dotted lines in figure 1. In order to lock the file, a key is placed over the square
of the pivot a and being turned will rotate the disc band thereby move the bars d, d
until their ends e, e enter the notches in the cranks h, h. The key is then removed
and the movable wires f, cannot then be turned to open the file without the
application of the said key or a similar one.
The locking mechanism illustrated in figures 3 and 4 is the same as that herein-
before described with reference to figures 1 and 2 with the exception that a rocking
bar. or lever c¹ is employed, instead of an eccentrically slotted disc for operating the
sliding bars d, d, which for this purpose are jointed to the rocking-bar, as shown.
•
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 use in combination with apparatus for filing letters and the like, of 5
mechanism adapted to be operated by a key so as to lock or secure crank levers

page_text: carrying movable portions of curved wires, such as those employed in what is known
as the "Shannon" letter and bill file, substantially as, and for the purpose, hereinbefore
described.
.
(2) In apparatus for filing letters and the like, the two sliding bars d moved by
the disc b, having eccentric slots c, or by a rocking bar or lever c¹, in such a manner
as to prevent the turning of the crank levers h, substantially as hereinbefore described
and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
Dated the 15th ... 1.1 1000
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicants.