Improvements in Letter and Bill Files.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 3rd Aug., 1897-Accepted, 4th Sept., 1897
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Letter and Bill Files.
I, JOSEPH GERLACH, of 166 Randolph Street, in the City of Chicago, State of
Illinois, United States of America, Merchant, 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 a novel construction in a letter and bill file, the object
being to provide a device of this description which will permit papers to be filed
thereon with ease, and from which they can be transferred to other filing devices
by very simple operations, and consists in the features of construction and com-
binations of parts hereinafter fully, described and claimed.
In the accompanying drawings illustrating my invention:
Figure 1 is a perspective view of a letter and bill file constructed in accordance
with my invention. Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the same showing it hung
upon a wall. Fig. 3 is a detail view of the end of the pin or needle showing the
manner of transferring the papers filed thereon to a string file. Fig. 4 is a similar
view showing the manner of transferring the papers to an ordinary file.
My invention consists essentially in providing a base portion in which the pin
or needle upon which the papers are adapted to be filed, is removably mounted
by means of a simple clutch mechanism which avoids the use of screw threads,
and in providing said pin or needle with devices which provide against the loss
of papers filed, and with devices to enable such papers to be easily transferred
from said pin or needle, to other filing devices.
To this end my device consists of a base A preferably of a rectangular pyramid
form in the apex of which an opening 1 is provided. Said base A is hollow and
below said apex and within the hollow portion of said base I provide a cross-piece 2
which is provided with an opening 3 in alignment with said opening 1. A flat
spring lever 4 is secured at one end to one of the inner faces of said base opposite the
side edges of said cross-piece 2 and passes upwardly at an incline between the same
and said apex and protrudes at its other end through an opening 5 in the opposite
side wall of said base immediately below said apex. The end portion of said
lever 4 is preferably. bent upwardly and outwardly so that the projecting portion
thereof forms a finger piece practically parallel with the plane of the base of said
pyramid. Said lever 4 is provided with an opening 6 in alignment with said
openings 1 and 3 through which the pin B is adapted to pass and which is adapted
to clutch the same in an obvious manner, to prevent its removal.
Said pin B is provided with a bifurcated end portion 7 in which the pointed
portion 8 is pivoted. The lower end of said point portion 8 is angular and is
adapted to abut against a similar angular face at the lower end of said bifurcated
portion, thus preventing said point portion from swinging in more than one
direction. The conical end of said point portion is of the same diameter as said
pin and is flush therewith when in the position shown in Fig. 1.
When
in this position the papers are adapted to be filed and the said point portion 8 then
swung into the position shown in Fig. 2, which would obviously prevent them
from dropping or blowing off.

page_text: Adjacent its lower end portion and just above said apex of said base, said pin B
is provided with an eye or needle hole 9 through which a cord is adapted to be
passed if it is desired to transfer the papers to the same. After said cord has been
passed through said eye 9 the said pin B is removed from said base A. by depressing
the lever 4 and thus releasing the clutch. The papers are then passed over said
cord and are thus transferred thereto, as shown in Fig. 3.
The lowermost end of said pin B is provided with a conical recess 10 which is
adapted to receive the pointed end of an ordinary wire file, as shown in Fig. 4. In
this manner the papers may obviously be transferred to said wire file without first
removing them from the pin B.and then inserting them singly upon the other
file as has heretofore been common.
It is frequently desired to hang letter and bill files upon the wall of an office
to save desk space, and to permit this I have provided a link 11 which is hinged
at one end in a recess 12 in the wall of said base opposite said recess 5 and extends
downwardly parallel with said wall. The other end of said link 11 is bent parallel
with the plane of the base of said pyramid and is provided with an elongated
épening 13 which is adapted to receive a hook 14 in the wall as shown in Fig. 2.
Said base A is provided with a flange 15 also parallel with the plane of the base
thereof. The said flange 15 extends outwardly a less distance than said end of
said link 11 and is provided with a recess 16 at its middle portion to permit the
ready insertion of said hook 14 in said opening 13. The object of said flange 15 is
to hold said base A away from the wall when it is desired to hang the device in
the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2.
:
Haying now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said in-
vention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:
1. In a letter and bill file, a hollow base provided with an opening in its upper
face, a cross-piece below said upper face and provided with an opening in align-
ment with said opening therein, a clutch between said cross-piece and said upper
face of said base, and a pin adapted to pass through said openings and to be
engaged by said clutch.
2. In a letter and bill file, a base adapted to receive a pin and provided with a
spring clutch adapted to engage said pin and hold the same against removal,
and a link pivoted to said base and provided with an opening at its other end
adapted to receive a hook to hang said file upon a wall.
3. In a letter and bill file, a base adapted to receive a pin and provided with a
spring clutch adapted to engage said pin and hold the same against removal,
a link pivoted to said base and provided with an opening at its other end
adapted to receive a hook to hang said file upon a wall, and a flange on said base
adjacent said hook adapted to abut against the wall and hold said base outwardly
therefrom when said file is hung so that said pin is upright.
4. In a letter and bill file, a hollow base provided with openings to receive a
pin, a flat spring clutch mounted within said base and protruding therefrom pro-
vided with an opening adapted to receive and engage said pin, and means for
hanging said file upon a wall in a horizontal or vertical position.
5. In a letter and bill file, a pin provided with a pivoted pointed end adapted
to be turned to extend transversely thereto, an opening adjacent the lower end
thereof adapted to receive a cord, and a recess in its lower end adapted to receive
the pointed end of a wire or the like.
5 Dated this 19th don at L
100x