Improvements in Memorandum Blocks or Pads.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 4th July 1893-Accepted, 5th Aug., 1893
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Memorandum Blocks or Pads.
I, GILMAN WELD BROWN of West Newbury, in the County of Essex, and
State of Massachusetts, United States of America, Gentleman, 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 has for its object, first, to provide a memorandum book of such
construction that the leaves or sheets can be swung horizontally, so that those that
have been written upon may be readily displaced to expose the unused leaves, and
can be readily detached from the book and filed for future reference. The inven-
tion also has for its object to enable each leaf to be notched or recessed by the
user after it has been written upon, so that a portion of the upper unused leaf can
be reached by the finger and held while the leaves which have been notched are
being displaced. To these ends the invention consists in the improvements which I
will now proceed to describe and claim.
Of the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this Specification:
Figure 1 represents a perspective view of a closed memorandum book constructed
in accordance with my invention.
Figure 2 represents a perspective view, showing the cover of the book displaced
to expose the leaves below it.
Figure 3 represents a top view, showing the book closed and portions of the
cover broken away.
Figure 4 represents a section on line 4-4, Figure 3.
Figure 5 represents a section on line 5-5, Figure 3.
Figure 6 represents a perspective view, showing parts of the back or holder and
of the cover.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in all the figures.
In carrying out my invention, I provide a back or holder a, which is preferably
of comparatively stiff material, such as card-board or paste-board, covered, if
preferred, with a suitable leather or other desirable covering material. To one
end of said cover is affixed a stud or pin b, which projects upwardly from one side
of the holder near one end thereof, said pin being provided at its upper end with an
ear or projection 61, so that the upper end of the pin is substantially key-shaped.
The pin 6 is preferably rigidly secured to the holder a by means of a plate 62, to
which the pin is rigidly affixed, said plate being inserted between the parts of the
holder a, as shown in Figures 4 and 5.
c represents a memorandum blank or pad, composed of a series of superposed
sheets of the same general form as the holder a, but preferably somewhat less in
area. Each sheet of the pad has three perforations, and (Figure 3). The
perforation c¹ of each sheet is arranged to coincide with the pin b, said perforation
being key-shaped, so that, when a sheet is in a given position with relation to the
holder, the perforation e' will pass over the outer end of the pin b, and, when said
sheet is turned to another position, the offset portion of its hole c will be out of
register with the projection of the pin, so that the pin will hold the pad in
place upon the holder. The perforations c2 c2 are arranged at the same distance
apart in all the sheets, so that, whenever a sheet is detached from the pad, it may
be filed by engaging the holes c² c² with suitable pins forming a part of the filing
device.
d represents a cover, which is provided at one end with an orifice d', having the
same form as the outer end of the pin b, and arranged like the orifices c¹ in the
sheets of the pad c, so that the cover can be secured to or engaged with the pin
Din Q17

page_text: in the same manner as the pad. The cover is or may be made of a suitable
comparatively stiff material, such as is generally used for the covers of pocket
I prefer to
inemorandum books, but is preferably more flexible than the holder a.
make the cover comparatively stiff at the end that is engaged with the pin d', and
to this end I insert between the parts or layers of the cover a plate d² of sheet
inetal, having a hole for the pin b. The part d' of the cover immediately
adjoining the end thus stiffened is preferably made quite thin, so that it is more
flexible than the main portion of the cover, the thin portion d' constituting a hinge
or joint, which enables the main portion of the cover to be readily swung back-
wardly, if desired.
It will be seen that the pin b constitutes a pivotal connection between the pad c
and cover d and the holder a, enabling the cover and any desired number of the
sheets of the pad to be displaced to expose the other sheets, by a lateral swinging
motion, the sheets of the pad having no connection with each other excepting that
afforded by the pin b. Consequently, when any sheet has been written upon, said
sheet may be displaced to expose the next sheet, by swinging the sheet around on
the pin so that it will project away from the upper end of the pad in the same
direction that the cover d is shown as projecting in Figure 2, the cover being, of
course, displaced with the sheet or sheets that have been written upon.
It will be seen that the described connection of the sheets of the pad to the
holder, and the provision of the filing orifices c² c², enable the user of the book to
readily detach any sheet by tearing it from the pin b, and to preserve the detached
sheet for future reference by engaging the pins of a filing device with the
orifices c³ c³.
To enable the user to readily find the highest unused sheet of the pad, I weaken
or perforate each sheet along a line located near one edge of the sheet said line
being so formed that the removal of the portion of the sheet between it and the
edge of the sheet will form a notch or recess in the sheet, the lines of perforations
in all the sheets coinciding, so that a recess formed in one will coincide with a
recess formed in another. In Figure 3, I show a row of perforations composed of
an elongated curved perforation e and a row of small perforations e extending from
each end thereof to the edge of the sheet. Said perforations are formed in the
outer end of each sheet, and are formed on a curve, so that, when the portion of
the sheet bounded by said perforations and the edge of the sheet is torn away, an
operation which is rendered easy by the insertion of the finger nail in the
perforation e, a recess will be formed in one edge of the sheet, said recess being of
suitable form to permit the user of the book to place his thumb on the bottom of
the recess,
and thus hold down the sheets which have been recessed. It will be
seen that this arrangement enables the user of the book to recess each leaf after it
has been written upon, so that, when he next uses the book, he can readily find the
topmost unused leaf by inserting his thumb in the recessed end of the pad and
holding down the leaves that have not been recessed while he displaces the recessed
leaves.
It will be observed that the pad and cover can be readily applied to and removed
from the holder, so that the possessor of a holder and a cover of the construction
above described can readily provide himself with a new memorandum book by
inserting a fresh pad therein, it being my intention to provide pads or packs of
superposed sheets, constructed as already described, so that they can be used in
such quantities as the consumer may desire.
A memorandum leaf, perforated as above described for engagement with a pivot
and with the studs or pins of a filing device, constitutes a new article of manufacture,
which may be sold in packs by stationers.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is-
1. A memorandum book, comprising a back or holder, having a stud or pin

page_text: projecting from one of its sides near one end, and a pad composed of a series of
superposed independent sheets, each perforated to receive said pin and additionally
perforated to engage filing devices, the sheets being connected in a series only by
the pin, whereby each sheet is enabled to swing edgewise independently of the
others, the additional perforations enabling the leaves to be filed for reference after
being torn from the book, as set forth.
2. A memorandum book, comprising a holder or back having a key-shaped_pin,
a pad or block composed of superposed independent sheets, each having a key-
shaped orifice formed to receive said pin, and an independent cover also having a
key-shaped orifice, said cover and sheets being adapted to be displaced by a swinging
movement on said pin, as set forth.
3. A memorandum book, comprising a holder or back having a rigidly-attached
key-shaped pin, a pad or block of sheets perforated to engage said pin, and an
independent cover having at one end a plate provided with a key-shaped orifice
formed to engage said pin, as set forth.
4. A holder for a memorandum block or pad, consisting of a flat back having a
key-shaped pin projecting from one of its sides near one end, and an independent
cover having a key-shaped orifice formed to engage said pin, as set forth.
Dated thin 5th 1
D 1000
GILMAN WELD BROWN.
Haseltine, Lake & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents for the Applicant.