Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 22nd June, 1888
Complete Specification Left, 22nd Mar., 1889
Complete Specification Accepted, 11th May, 1889
HERBERT CHURCHILL CAPEL and JOHN YOUNG of 57 Wall Street Balls Pond
Road in the county of Middlesex, Metal Stampers do hereby declare the nature of
this invention to be as follows:-
Our invention relates to letter-files and is designed to simplify and improve the
construction and increase the efficiency of the same.
Our said invention comprises improved means for facilitating the removal of any
letter or other document from the File whilst securely retaining the remaining letters
or other documents thereon and the introduction of any letter or the like in its
proper place when it is desired to arrange the letters or other documents in alpha-
betical order or otherwise.
An important feature of our invention is the construction of the File in such a
manner that the opening of the File to permit the removal of a letter will be effected
by the act of shifting the letters which are above the letter to be removed.
Another feature of our invention is the provision of simple and efficient means for
holding down the papers on the File whilst permitting them to be readily released
when desired.
In carrying our said invention into practice we provide an arched wire which is
pivoted to the base in such a manner that it is free to move to and from the pin or
rod upon which the papers are placed. This pin or rod and the free end of the arched
wire are so formed that when in contact the papers can be easily shifted from the pin
or rod on to the arched wire. When papers are so shifted the arched wire will be
moved away from the said pin or rod thus opening the File so that a letter or
letters can be removed therefrom. A spring is provided for retaining the arched
wire at either extremity of its movement.
We sometimes make the pin or rod tubular and cut away a portion thereof at
the back to permit the end of the arched wire to enter the same so that it will be
in the same straight line as the said pin or rod.
To prevent accidental displacement of the letters from the arched wire when moved
away from the pin or rod as above described we prefer to provide another pin or rod

page_text: against which the arched wire will rest when the file is open. In some cases however
we dispense with this supplementary pin or rod and make the arched wire so that its
free end extends a sufficient distance below the top of the pin or rod on which the
letters are filed to prevent accidental displacement as aforesaid.
For holding down the letters on the File we provide a cover or lever (which is fitted
to slide upon the pin or rod upon which the letters are filed and on the arched wire)
combined with a spring or clip adapted to engage firmly with the said pin or rod when
the said cover or lever is pressed down upon or slid upon the letters but is instantly
released by raising the free end of the cover or lever or withdrawing the said cover so
that it can be shifted with the letters on to the arched wire.
We provide our letter-file with one or more sets of the devices above described.
Dated this Twenty second day of June 1888.
HERBERT C. CAPEL.
JOHN YOUNG.

page_text: HERBERT CHURCHILL CAPEL and JOHN YOUNG both of 57 Wall Street Balls Pond
Road in the county of Middlesex Metal Stampers 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 :-
Our invention relates to letter-files and is designed to simplify and improve the
construction and increase the efficiency of the same.
Our said invention comprises improved means for permitting the removal of a letter
or other document from the File without the necessity for removing therefrom any
letters or other documents that may be above the one which is required for use or
reference, and for facilitating the introduction of any letter or the like in its proper
place when the letters or other documents are arranged in alphabetical or other
order.
Another feature of our invention is the construction of the File in such a manner
that the opening of the same to permit the removal of a letter therefrom will be
effected by the act of shifting, from the rod or rods on which the letters are placed to
an arched wire hereinafter described, the letters which are above the letter to be
removed, and the closing of the File will be effected by the act of shifting the said
letters from the said arched wire to the said rod or rods.
Another feature of our said invention is the provision of simple and efficient means
for holding down the papers on the File whilst permitting them to be readily released
when desired.
In the accompanying drawing we have shown how our said invention may be
conveniently and advantageously carried into practice.
Figure 1 is a plan.
Figure 2 is a side elevation and
Figure 3 is a rear elevation of one form of our improved letter-file.
Figure 4 is a section on the line x, x, Figure 1 and
Figure 5 is a rear elevation, drawn to an enlarged scale, of the arched wire herein-
after described.
Like letters indicate corresponding parts throughout the drawing.
a is a board or base which may, if desired, form the bottom of a box or case for
enclosing the letters or other documents. bb are metal plates which are fitted together
as shown in Figure 4 and are firmly attached to the board a by screws or otherwise.
c is an arched wire which is pivoted at c' to the upper plate b. d. d are hollow rods
or tubes which are fixed in the plates 6 and upon which the letters or other papers
are to be placed. The arched wire c is arranged in such a manner that it is free
to move to and from the rods d. The hollow rods d are bevelled at their upper ends
to facilitate the placing of the papers thereon and in such a manner that the free ends
of the arched wire c which are suitably pointed may enter the said hollow rods as
shown in Figure 2 so that the papers can be easily shifted from the said hollow rods
on to the arched wire and vice versa.

page_text: C2
To provide for retaining the arched wire c at either extremity of its movement,
the said wire is provided with a crank as more clearly shown in Figures 4 and 5,
the crank-pin being formed with two flat surfaces, and the lower plate 6 is cut to
form a spring b¹. This spring, by bearing upon one or the other of the flat surfaces
of the crank-pin c², holds the arched wire either in the position shown by full lines
or in that shown by dotted lines in Figure 2. The crank may, if desired, extend
upward from the horizontal part of the arched wire c, instead of downward there-
from as shown in Figure 5.
To prevent accidental displacement of the letters from the arched wire, when the'
latter is moved away from the rods d, we prefer to provide a stop e which consists of
a bent wire or rod fixed in the plate b, and against which the arched wire will rest when
the File is open.
In some cases, however, we dispense with this supplementary
wire or rod and make the arched wire so that its free ends extend a sufficient
distance below the top of the hollow rods d to prevent accidental displacement of the
letters.
The letters or other documents are, as above stated, placed upon the hollow rods d
preferably between sheets of cardboard or pasteboard marked on one margin with
the letters of the alphabet. When it is desired to remove a particular letter from
the File, the letters above it are shifted from the hollow rods d to the arched wire c
and, in thus shifting the said letters, the arched wire c is moved into the position
indicated by dotted lines in Figure 2, thereby opening the File. The said letters
will then be retained upon the arched wire ready for shifting back on to the hollow
rods d. The required letter can then be withdrawn from the hollow rods d and, if
desired, replaced thereon when done with. In the operation of shifting the letters
from the arched wire back to the hollow rods d, the said arched wire is moved back
to the position shown by full lines in Figure 2, and the File is thus closed. If it
is desired to remove the uppermost letter in the File, the arched wire is first moved
back by hand.
It will, therefore, be seen that by our improvements we obviate the necessity for
separately operating the arched wire either to open the File and permit the removal
of a letter therefrom, or to close the said File, and we also obviate the necessity for
completely removing from the File any letters that may be above the letter which is
required for use or reference.
It is obvious that we can somewhat modify the construction of our letter-file without
departing from the nature of our invention. For instance, instead of a single wire
with two arched portions, as shown, we can use two or more wires each having an
arched portion and acted upon by a suitable spring. Moreover, we can, if desired, use
solid rods instead of the hollow rods hereinbefore mentioned.
We sometimes provide the letter-file with an eye f whereby it may be suspended
from a hook or nail.
Having now fully described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and the manner in which the same is to be performed we declare that what
we claim is :-
-
1st. A letter-file which is so constructed that the opening and closing of
the same will be effected by the operation of shifting letters or other documents
thereon.
2nd. A letter-file wherein an arched wire is arranged to turn about a pivot or
axis towards and away from the rod or rods on which the documents are placed,
substantially as, and for the purpose, set forth.
3rd. The combination, with the board or base, of one or more rods fixed in the
said board or base and one or more arched wires pivoted thereto and acted upon
by a spring or springs for retaining them at either extremity of their movement,
substantially as, and for the purposes, set forth.
4th. The arched wire, formed with a crank, substantially as described with
reference to Figure 5 of the drawing, for the purpose specified.
5th. The combination, with a rod or rods on which the documents are placed

page_text: and with the pivoted arched wire of a stop for limiting the backward movement
of the said wire and for preventing accidental displacement of the documents
therefrom, substantially as set forth.
6th. The combination of parts comprising the metal plates, one of which is cut
to form a spring substantially as described with reference to Figure 4 of the drawing,
for the purposes specified.
7th. The improved letter-file constructed substantially as described with reference
to the accompanying drawing.
Dated this Twenty second day of March 1889.