Improvements in Letter and Bill Files.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 24th July. 1894-Accepted, 24th July, 1895
Improvements in Letter and Bill Files.
I, WILLIAM OTTERBEIN GOTTWALS, of 46 Queen Street, in the City of
Ottawa, in the County of Carleton and Province of Ontario, in the Dominion of
Canada, 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 :-
My invention relates to letter and bill files and especially to what are known in
the trade as binding cases or temporary binders.
The object of my invention is a binding case of greater utility and convenience
than bas hitherto been obtained, together with increased facility and cheapness in
manufacturing and setting up.
Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the interior of my improved binding case, the
arches being shown locked.
Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the back of the casing, showing the label holder
with the label partly withdrawn.
Fig. 3 is a transverse section of the label holder.
Fig. 4 is a top view of the base held in the clasp, the filing and transfer wires
being open.
Fig. 5 is a transverse section on line - Fig. 4.
Fig. 6 is a section on line y-y Fig. +, showing the transfer wires unlocked.
Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the clasp, the front lug being open.
The front or filing wires A and the back, transfer or arch wires B (Figs. 1, 4,
5 and 6) are secured upon a stamped sheet metal base C, the former singly and
rigidly and the latter in one piece and movably. The filing wires are each formed of
stout wire or tubing by turning one end at a right angle and flattening the turned end
transversely to form a flat fout a, for which a recess is stamped in the bottom of the
base, forming an upwardly projecting ridge c, running in the direction from front
to back wire into which recess said foot is soldered after the stem has been inserted
through a proper hole made at the front end of said ridge or recess.
The upper
end of each is bevelled off downwardly from the top and from rear to front, so that
the bevel cut a¹ faces the front, the end having first been made tubular by drilling,
in case solid wire is used. The transfer or arch wires (Figs. 1, 4, 5 and 6) are
formed on a transverse or cross shank b, made with an inward bend or crank 611 in
the center at such an obtuse angle to the uprights that it just bears on the base
when the arches are open, so as to keep the arch ends disengaged from the
points a'. Bearings are provided on the base by overlapping and curling around,
on each side of the bend 6", a portion c¹, of the rear edge of the base. Each
end 6' is slightly pointed and rounded to adapt it to enter the tubular recess in the
bevel face a of the filing wire, when pressed with the thumb and finger sideways
past and to the front of the point, so as to be caught and retained therein and form
a smooth joint therewith. The base C being without downward projections, is thus
left with a flat bottom and care is also taken to leave the two side edges c flat, to
adapt them to be compactly cased in the creases of the clasp D. This, (Figs. 5 and 7)
consists of a strip of sheet metal of a sufficient length to have its ends d turned up
and overlap the edges c¹¹ of the base. When so turned up they form grooves into
which the base may be slid from the rear, the overlap being cut off at the front
edge at d so that its ends will abut on the base of the front wire.
An ear or
lug d" is formed at the front edge, which, when the base is in position on the clasp,
וג

page_text: is turned up over its front edge, as shown in Fig. 4. Lugs d¹ are provided by
making curved incisions, these are passed through straight incisions e made in the
backing board, E, and creased down on the other side thereof to hold the clasp in
position thereon.
It will be understood that the crank or bend 6" forms a foot rest for the
transfer wires B when unlocked, its angle with the upright shanks being
slightly obtuce and so taken that the points 5 of the arches are held away
from the points a¹ of the filing wires and cause the torsional and bending
resistance of the shank band upright shanks to be called into action when
the arches are to be closed or locked. The locking is effected by pressing them
forward against that resistance and pusbing the points 6' past the points a¹ by a
little side pressure, when the points will at once engage and interlock. When the
arches are to be opened, it is only necessary to press the points 6' a little forward
and sideways to allow them to spring back, and they may then be turned back as
far as the bearings of the cross ebank will allow or any less distance.
To enable the label, L, on the casing to be readily changed when desired, I
provide a special label holder H on the back E. This consists of a metallic rim
having its edges turned up and formed into grooves or channels on three sides in
which the label may slide and which is provided with lugs, h', for attachment to
the back E. It may be conveniently made of sheet metal in one or more pieces,
the lugs being formed by curved incisions which are inserted into slits in the back E'
and creased down on the inside.
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 :
1. In a letter and bill file, the combination of a flat bottomed and flat edged
stamped base C adapted to hold the filing and transfer wires, the filing wires A
each having a foot by which it is rigidly attached in one of the recesses of the
base, and having a tubular end bevelled off downwardly from rear to front, transfer
wires B on a journaled cross shank b which is provided with an inward bend 6 to
form a foot at such an obtuse angle as to keep the arches open when unlocked, a
clasp D consisting of a plate provided with attachment lugs formed by curved
incisions and having its ends turned up forming grooves to overlap the side edges
of the base and its front edge provided with a lug to overlap the front edge of the
base, and a backing E to which said base is secured, substantially as set forth.
2. In a letter and bill file, the combination of a flat bottomed and flat edged
base C stamped with recesses to receive the arched filing wires and bearings for
the movable transfer wires, the filing wires A each having a flat foot a rigidly
secured in one of the recesses in the base and a downwardly and forwardly
bevelled tubular upper end a', and the transfer wires B formed on a cross shank
journaled in bearings on said base and provided with an inwardly or forwardly
projecting crank or bend at such an obtuse angle to the uprights as to bear on
the base and cause the wires to be slightly sprung when points b¹ and a¹ are
interlocked, substantially as set forth.
3. In movable transfer wires of letter and bill files, the combination of a cross
shank 6 having an inwardly or forwardly projecting bend or crank 6" forming a
foot rest at an obtuse angle with the upright shanks and said cross shank adapted
to be journaled at each side of the bend, upright shanks at a right angle with the
cross shank and terminating in forwardly projecting arches with pointed ends b¹,
substantially as set forth.
4. In a letter and bill file, the combination of a base adapted to carry rigid
filing wires and movable transfer wires, rigidly secured filing wires having their
upper ends a¹ made tubular and bevelled downwardly and forwardly and movable
trausfer wires formed on a cross shank with an inwardly projecting bend forming a
foot at an obtuse angle with the upright shanks and having arches with pointed
ends adapted to interlock with the bevelled faces a', substantially as set forth.

page_text: 5. In a letter and bill file, the combination with the backing E of a clasp D
having its ends overlapped to form grooves or channels for the reception of the
edges of a flat bottomed base, the front ends of said overlaps checked out to form
abutments, the front edge of the plate provided with a lug d adapted to overlap
the front edge of the base and provided with lugs d' formed by curved incisions
for attachment to the backing, substantially as set forth.
6. In a letter and bill file, the combination with the backing E of a clasp D and
base C carrying filing and transfer wires A and B, a back E¹ flexibly secured to
said backing E and a label holder H consisting of a metallic rim having turned up
edges on three sides forming channels h and provided with lags h' for attachment
to said back, substantially as set forth.
7. In a label holder for letter and bill files, the combination of a metallic
rim H having its edges turned up on three sides to form channels to receive a
label and pliable lugs h¹ for attachment to the back of the casing, substantially as
set forth.
D11
1009
WM. O. GOTTWALS,
Per A. Harvey,
His Agent.