Improved Means for Recording Statistical and other Facts.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 18th June, 1895
Complete Specification Left. 27th Mar., 1896-Accepted, 9th May, 1896
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improved Means for Recording Statistical and other Facts.
1, JAMES NEWTON GUNN of 10 Bloomsbury Street, in the County of Middlesex,
Company Manager, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
The object of this invention is to enable statistical and other facts to be readily
recorded, computed, analyzed, subanalyzed and easily referred to, and to a large
extent to be graphically presented to the eye without the removal or close
examination usually required.
To this end it is preferred to use a modification of what are now commonly
known as card indices which may be alphabetically or otherwise arranged in
drawers or cases.
The desired number of cards for any given set of facts are provided at
corresponding points along their edges with tabs, serrations, recesses or other means
for readily distinguishing them from the next or any other set of cards, the tabs
upon which are in the same or different line from those upon the first set, and so on
throughout the sets.
The invention may be readily understood from a description of how it may be
employed, and for this purpose assume that it is desired to record the number of
deaths in London in the course of a month from different classes of disease, then
cards all having the tab or index in the same line are alloted for each class of
disease, and such cards may in turn be separated at given intervals with a like card
of a different colour, or otherwise capable of being readily distinguished.
With such an arrangement a fairly accurate record would be graphically
presented by simply looking down on the top edges of a drawer full of cards.
Dated the 18th day of June 1895
PHILIP M. JUSTICE,
55 & 56 Chancery Lane, Chartered Patent Agent,
For the Applicant.
I, JAMES NEWTON GUNN, at one time of 10 Bloomsbury Street, in the County
of Middlesex, but now of 146 Franklin Street, Boston, Massachusetts, United
States of America, Company Manager, 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 :-
The object of this invention is to enable statistical and other facts to be readily
recorded, computed, analyzed, subanalyzed and easily referred to, and to a large
extent to be graphically presented to the eye without the removal or close
examination usually required.
It has heretofore been the custom to place such matter on cards arranged in a
suitable drawer, or receptacle, and to divide them into groups, each group

page_text: containing a different record, or class of records, by inserting at desired intervals
what are known as division cards, usually higher than the record cards and which
furnish a means of distinguishing the several groups of cards and their records one
from another for reference thereto.
For many purposes, however, a sub-division or classification carried one or more
steps beyond what is possible with the usual division cards is desirable, such for
instance, as sub-dividing one or more times any group or groups formed by the said
division cards referred to, but such further sub-division has heretofore been
considered impracticable because the usual division cards, constituting the only
heretofore recognized means of grouping or sub-dividing a card record, cannot be
used to advantage, owing to the absence of any distinguishing feature or features
over and above the record cards other than the one of their greater height.
In other words, the usual division cards can be used to any extent for any single
kind of sub-division, but never for more than a single kind of sub-division in the
same record.
My present invention has for its object the production of a means for sub-
dividing the groups above referred to into any desired number of sub-groups or
sub-divisions, readily and conveniently distinguishable one from another, and
representing, it may be, as many different kinds of record in the same main record
or series of cards.
My invention consists in a plurality of cards arranged in a pack form and
provided at their corresponding edges, for instance, along their tops, each with one
or more distinguishing portions, in the nature of projections, depressions, or other
distinguishing features or contours, the distinguishing portions of various cards
containing as many different kinds of record, being differently positioned upon the
said cards, so that by viewing the record as a whole, the different sub-divisions or
sub-records are at once distinguished and separable one from the other by following
the differently located distinguishing portions on the said cards.
The above, together with other features of my invention, will be hereinafter
more fully described in the Specification and particularly pointed out in the
claims.
In the drawing,
Fig. is an isometric view of a drawer containing a record illustrating one
embodiment of my invention, and
Fig. 2, a view showing several of the individual record cards as somewhat
separated to better illustrate the arrangement of the distinguishing portions for
distinguishing the cards one from another.
be
In the embodiment of my invention selected for illustration herein and shown in
the drawings, the drawer A may be a usual card record drawer, such as commonly
used at the present time, or in place thereof any suitable receptacle may
employed if necessary, the drawer shown being provided with the usual lock rod a,
passed through holes a¹ in the bottoms of the several cards constituting the record,
to hold the said cards in position, removal of the rod enabling any individual card
or series of cards to be removed for change or for the entry thereupon of new
matter.
The record proper is composed of independent cards preferably of the same
general contour and size, and arranged to contain the desired matter of record, of
whatever nature it may be, my invention not being restricted to the entry of any
particular matter or class of matter upon the respective cards, and, in fact, for
some uses it is unnecessary to enter any matter upon the cards, the record being
kept by the value represented by or designation of the cards themselves.
In the drawing I have shown several sub-divisions beyond any that has heretofore
been considered possible with the usual division cards.
For instance, in the record shown I have arranged at the front two usual division
cards c, c, the tops of which, however, are made lower than usual to avoid
concealing the cards at the back of the same which form the principal part of my
invention.

page_text: Between these division cards c, c, I have arranged a group of record cards b¹,
sub-divided to distinguish, for example, residences of different parties.
To accomplish this, the first and every twelfth card of the sub-group, thereafter
is provided near the extreme right edge with an upwardly extended tab or
distinguishing portion d, upon which successively appear the figures 0, 1, 2, etc.,
indicating tens in the series.
The intervening cards between any two of these tens cards, and ten in number,
are each shown as provided also with a raised or distinguishing portion d', but the
distinguishing portion of each of these intervening cards, ten in number, is
differently positioned from that of any other card and preferably placed in
succession, each more remote from the left edge of the card than its predecessor,
50 that viewing the series of tens cards when in position in the record, the
distinguishing portion d' thereof will be viewed one beside another and in step
form throughout the series of tens, and upon these distinguishing portions d
appear the figures 1, 2, 3, etc., indicating units, or the last figure of any number
the first figure of which is represented by the number upon the distinguishing
portions d of the card at the beginning of the series of tens.
I have herein shown only three of this series, but it is evident that I may employ
ten or any other desired number necessary to cover the entire range of numbers
upon any particular street.
Knowing the street, the particular group or drawer will be referred to
representing that street, and knowing the number, for instance 25, the tens series
indicated by the Figure 2 on the distinguishing portion d will be selected, and the
card distinguished by the Figure 5 upon its distinguishing portion will be selected
from that series as showing the last figure of the number 25, and referring to that
card the name of the resident, or any other data having reference to that particular
street and number, will be found.
The ordinary guide card, of which two only are herein shown, may be used to
designate the name of the street.
For instance, upon the first card is displayed the name School Street, and the
cards at the back of the same indicate that there are not exceeding thirty numbers
or doors in that street, and the guide card immediately following shows the name
of another street in which a street record may be kept as in the first, or on the
said card may be displayed, as in the present instance, the words "Policy holders,"
indicating an entirely different record kept in the next series of cards.
Immediately back of the guide or division card e, on which appears the words
policy holders, are arranged a series of cards marked 6, each of which is provided,
as in the first series, with a distinguishing portion e, there being in the present
instance ten positions crosswise of the series, that is, the distinguishing portion of
any one card may be placed in either one of these ten positions and thereby appear
in a different longitudinal series.
In a series of this kind the cards are preferably of different colors, for readily
averaging or distinguishing the ages of policy holders in mutual benefit insurance
companies, and the like.
For example, the card or cards indicated by e' may be green, the distinguishing
portions indicated by 2 may be white, the distinguishing portions e blue, e buff,
salmon colour, and so on, various colours representing various limits of age or
date of birth, thus green may represent an age twenty to twenty-nine inclusive,
white thirty to thirty nine inclusive, blue forty to forty nine inclusive, and so on
throughout the series, the particular position of the distinguishing portion as
removed from the left edge of the card indicating the particular year in that
age limit.
For instance, a green distinguishing portion located at the extreme left edge of
a card would indicate an age of twenty, whereas a green distinguishing portion
removed three steps or positions from the edge would indicate an age of twenty-
three, and a buff distinguishing portion et arranged four steps from the left edge
would indicate an age of fifty-four.

page_text: Thus by viewing the group of cards 62 and counting the number of green
distinguishing portions in the first position, the total number of policy holders
twenty years of age may be easily determined, and by counting the number of
buff distinguishing portions in the fourth position the number of policy bolders
fifty-four years of age may be determined.
From these total numbers any averaging of ages or other statistics may be
readily formulated.
This arrangement of distinguishing portions of different colors and different
positions, to indicate different ages, does not in anywise interfere with the usual
sub-division of a series into alphabetical or other order by the usual guide or
division cards.
Referring now to the last series of cards 63, shown in the record illustrated in
the drawing, the distinguishing portions f, arranged in different portions, as in the
series 2 referred to, have displayed upon them, it may be characters indicating
the twelve months of the year, and upon these cards may be entered any suitable
data, for instance, the name or names of members whose membership in any
organization expires on that month of any particular year, and the cards thus
selected with the distinguishing portion in position to indicate the month in which
the membership expires may be further grouped by the usual division or guide
cards indicating an alphabetical arrangement of the names.
While I have thus far described the distinguishing portions as projections on the
various cards, yet the distinguishing portions may equally well be depressions, or
otherwise; for instance, I have shown some of the cards in the record with their
corners clipped at 9, while others have not a corner so clipped, while in Fig. 2 the
last card is shown as having a depression removed from the end of the card, and
by means of the depressions or g, arranged in proper manner either with or
without the projections referred to, the possibilities of the sub-division or sub-
classification principle may be greatly extended.
From the foregoing brief explanation of a few of the uses to which my invention
may be put, the distinguishing features of the invention will be apparent, viz. :-
the providing of the several cards of a series with distinguishing portions either
in the nature of projections or depressions differentially positioned on corresponding
edges of different cards on which are entered different records or classes of records,
so that when the cards are arranged in their receptacle or complete record position,
the distinguishing portions of those cards wherever located representing the same
record or class of records will fall in the same line one behind the other looking
lengthwise of the series, and the distinguishing portions of cards containing
different records will fall in different lines, so that the number of longitudinal lines
of distinguishing portions will represent as many different records or classes of
records, and the number of distinguishing portions in each longitudinal line
indicates the number of cards in that particular class of records.
My invention is capable of almost unlimited adaptation and is, therefore, not
limited to the particular uses shown, or, in fact, to any particular uses or records,
and while I have herein described the same as used in connection with street and
number sub-divisions, etc., they may be used merely as a means of showing whether
or not particular cards are in their proper positions,-for example, the individual
cards represented in the first series 6 of the drawing Fig. 1, may be ledger cards
on which the accounts of various individuals may be kept, and because of the
systematic distribution of the distinguishing portions of the various cards a
uniformity of appearance is presented to the eye, such that the removal or
obliteration.of any card or distinguishing portion thereof would be at once apparent
to the eye, and would in any event be readily detected by rapidly running down
the lines of distinguishing portions of the several cards.
I do not limit my invention to any particular use, or to the shape, construction
or color of the cards, or to the particular contour, location or kind of distinguishing
portions thereof, but

page_text: 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. A card record containing a plurality of independent cards arranged in pack
form and provided at their corresponding edges with distinguishing portions
differently positioned along said corresponding edges of the different cards to
enable the latter to be readily distinguished or selected by means of the location
of their respective distinguishing portions, substantially as described.
2. A card record containing a plurality of independent cards arranged in pack
form and provided at their corresponding edges with distinguishing portions
differently positioned along said corresponding edges of the different cards which
indicate different records or classes of records, the distinguishing portions of cards
containing corresponding records falling in substantially the same line one behind
the other looking lengthwise of the series of cards, and the distinguishing portions
of the cards indicating different records or classes of records falling in different
lines looking lengthwise of the series of cards, substantially as described.
3. A card record containing a plurality of independent cards arranged in pack
form, and provided at their corresponding edges with distinguishing portions
differently positioned along said corresponding edges of the different cards to
enable the latter to be readily distinguished by the location of their respective
distinguishing portions, combined with division cards arranged at intervals and
dividing said independent cards into groups, substantially as described.
4. A card record cortaining a plurality of independent cards arranged in pack
form, and provided at their corresponding edges with distinguishing portions
differently positioned along said corresponding edges of the different cards to
enable the latter to be readily distinguished by the location of their respective
distinguishing portions, combined with a receptacle containing said cards,
substantially as described.
5. A card record of the class described containing a plurality of independent
cards arranged in pack form and provided at their corresponding edges with
distinguishing portions elevated above the normal edges of the respective cards,
said distinguishing portions being differently positioned along said corresponding
edges of the different cards to enable the latter to be readily distinguished or
selected by means of the location of their respective distinguishing portions,
substantially as described.
6. A card record of the class described containing a plurality of independent
cards arranged in pack form and provided at their corresponding edges with
distinguishing portions depressed below the normal lines of said corresponding
edges, the distinguishing portions of the different cards being differently positioned
along said corresponding edges of the different cards to enable the latter to be
readily distinguished or selected by means of the location of their respective
distinguishing portions, substantially as described.
7. A card record containing a plurality of independent cards arranged in pack
form and provided at their corresponding edges with distinguishing portions, some
of which are elevated above the normal lines of the edges of the said cards, and
others of which are depressed below the said normal edges, the distinguishing
portions of the respective cards being differently positioned along said corresponding
edges of the different cards to enable the latter to be readily distinguished or
selected by means of the location of their respective distinguishing portions,
substantially as described.
Dated this 26th day of March 1806
PHILIP M. JUSTICE,
55 & 56 Chancery Lane, London, Chartered Patent Agent,
For the Applicant.