Improvements in Card Receptacles or Cabinets.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 30th Mar., 1899-Accepted, 20th May, 1899
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION..
Improvements in Card Receptacles or Cabinets.
1, ALFRED GEORGE BROOKES, of 55 and 56, Chancery Lane, in the County of
London, Chartered Patent Agent (communicated to me from abroad by Herbert
Elbridge Davidson, 1st. Vice President of the Library Bureau, of Boston, in the
State of Massachusetts, one of the United States of America, Gentleman) do here-
by déclare 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 is an improved lock-rod for card index records or other filling
devices of like nature; and is intended to overcome the objections to those lock-
rods heretofore in use, which when cards are to be added to or removed from the
record; have to be drawn from the cabinet and become a source of annoyance and
inconvenience to the user.
The lock-rod described herein, overcomes the objectionable features of the old
rod by being non-removable from the index record or cabinet means being pro-
vided in connection therewith for causing the lock-rod to disappear into a sheath
or channel, where it is free from any contact with the cards or other papers, the
latter being then capable of being removed or replaced at will.
The device also contemplates a novel combined switch and stop, so arranged
that when it is desired to lock the rods into a drawer the rod can be removed
from the sheath or channel in which it may have been previously resting, until
it is stopped by the switch and then being upwardly inclined by the operator
the switch will guide it into locking contact with the cards by the passage of the
rod through the holes provided in usual manner in the lower edges of the cards
or other papers.
The details of construction of my invention will be pointed out and more fully
understood in the course of the following description, reference being had to the
accompanying drawings illustrative of a preferred embodiment of my invention,
and the latter will be more particularly defined in the appendid claims.
In the drawings, Figure 1 is a central longitudinal section taken through any
usual cabinet or drawer provided with my invention.
Figure 2 is a similar view showing the lock-rod in locking position, Figure 1
showing the same in non-locking position.
Figure 3 is a horizontal sectional view showing the parts of my invention in
top plan.
Figure 4 is a transverse vertical section showing the switch plate and adjacent
parts in rear elevation.
Figures 5 and 6 are enlarged elevations of details.
The box or cabinet A may be of any usual or preferred kind, and will prefer-
ably have the usual inclined stationary block B secured thereto on the inner
side of the forward end of the box, as shown in the figures.
A suitable cavity is provided at the forward end of the box, herein shown as
formed by cutting away the block B at b, and the end of the box A at a to receive
the various parts of my invention.

page_text: Within the cavity b, I secure a plate C inwardly bent as shown in Figure 3,
so as to present a Hange c extending longitudinally of the box and centrally of
the recess a, said flange c having a switch formed therein by means of two diver-
gent slots c, & as clearly shown in Figures 1 and 2.
a
The lock-rod or holding bar D, which enters the cards, is best seen in Figure 3,
where it appears that instead of being simply a straight rod or plunger as is usual,
it has a central slot d, said slot and rod being herein shown as made by bending
heavy wire back on itself at d', so as to present two adjacent parallel members d², d³
which are connected together at their outer end, being herein shown as welded
at dis and screw threaded at d, being held firmly in a retaining plug d³, provided
with a shoulder at d, against which bears a Icose thimble .
The thimble d' is shown as externally threaded to receive a knob or handle
piece do between which and a shoulder of the thimble is clamped immovably
an escutcheon plate or cover, preferably also I provide a retarding spring s
between the handle or knob and a stationary part as the plug d³ for preventing
the parts from relatively moving too easily.
At its inner end the thimble
has a stop or lug d2 arranged to co-operate
with stops d³, and 15 of the escutcheon D', which is shown as screwed or
otherwise secured at the front of the box A.
The stops dds are shown as adjacent an upper
ing connected by an open neck 8, formed in
sary movements of the locking rod, the opening d
at its lower side for a purpose. to be explained.
opening die and lower open-
the escutcheon for the neces-
having a notch or recess d¹³
The bottom of the box is provided with a sheath or channel at extending through-
out the length of the box and terminating at the end thereof at a² to receive the
rod D when the latter is not in locking position, and the block B has an opening
or passage-way above the recess a to receive the rod when the latter is in
locking position, the movable block or abutment B', such as is usually provided
in this class of apparatus, being provided with a slightly larger aperture b² in
alignment with the opening b', and the rear end of the box has a corresponding
opening a in which the extreme end of the rod 1 may rest when the cards are
locked thereby in the box or cabinet.
The bottom of the box has a slide-way at one side of the channel a¹ to
receive the usual retaining plate of the movable block B¹.
My object is to provide a convenient and inexpensive rod which shall be non-
removable from the box, and yet will readily permit the locking or unlocking
of the cards as may be required; it also being an object of my invention to
provide a rod which shall be capable of use preferably with the general run of
index cards as commonly found on the market, such cards usually having simply
a central perforation therethrough adjacent the lower edge, this perforation usually
being in the form of a circular hole, and at other times in the form of different
shaped notches.
Accordingly, it will be understood that my invention is not limited to the
details of the construction above explained, inasmuch as these may be widely
varied without departing from the main principles and general construction of
my new device.
In operation, the user of the lock-rod, after having inserted or removed from
the box such cards as desired, simply takes hold of the handle or knob d8 and
pulls the rod straight out.
The rod, however, cannot be removed from the box, but the moment that the
end d', thereof reaches the switch in the flange c, it rides automatically up the
incline of the slot ² until it reaches the beginning of the opposite incline of the
slot c', whereupon the operator slightly lifts it on his finger as a fulcrum and
pushes the rod inwardly along the incline of the slot c¹ and through the way b¹,
which directs the rod accurately through the apertures of the cards which may
be in the box, and through the passage 2 of the movable block, until the. rod
rests in the end aperture a which effectually holds the rod from being lifted.

page_text: Having inserted the rod as stated, the knob or handle is rotated to the right a
half turn until the lug d¹ engages the stop d13, which brings the guard do into
its lowermost position covering the opening d in the escutcheon, while at the
same time the shoulder of the lug d locks it against direct removal.
Now, if the operator wishes to release the cards, the knob or handle is rotated
to the left a half turn until the lug d2 strikes the stop in which position the
rod may be withdrawn until it is automatically deflected by the switch into
the sheath a', whereupon the rod is pushed into the box, being housed and con-
cealed within the sheath or channel, the recess d19 receiving the lug d¹ and re-
taining the same in position for instant removal for again locking the cards.
;
If desired, one of the lugs d15 may be omitted and then the knob can be locked
in the escutcheon by turning it as before described although it will be preferable
not to lock the rod in its lower position when it is out of operative relation to
the cards.
Having 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. A card receptacle or cabinet provided with two passages or ways for a lock-
rod, one way being in alignment with the cards to be locked, in combination with
a lock-rod arranged to enter either one and leave the other of said ways as
required, substantially as described.
2. A card receptacle or cabinet provided with two passages for a lock-rod
one passage being in alignment with the cards to be locked, in combination with
a lock-rod arranged to enter and move in one or the other of said passages as
required, and means for automatically switching said lock-rod from one to the
other of its passages, substantially as described.
3. The combination with a card receptacle, of a longitudinally movable lock-
ing rod or member adapted to lock the cards in said receptacle, said rod being
arranged to move out of engagement with the cards by being pulled from the
rear end of the receptacle to the forward end thereof, and means preventing the
removal of the rod from the receptacle when the rod is pulled out to disengage
the cards, substantially as described.
4. A card receptacle adapted to contain cards having locking apertures, and
a locking rod for locking the cards within said receptacle, said locking rod being
longitudinally movable from the cards and non-removable from the receptacle,
the longitudinal movement of the rod unlocking the cards and automatically
shifting the rod in a direction away from the body of the cards, substantially
as described.
5. In a device of the kind described, a card receptacle and a locking rod, said
receptacle having a switch provided with diverging inclined ways, and said rod
having a portion to engage said ways and shift the rod into locking or unlock-
ing position, substantially as described.
6. A card receptacle and a locking rod therefor, said rod having a longitudinal
slot and said receptacle being provided with means operating through said slot
and permanently retaining the rod attached to the receptacle, substantially as
described.
7. A card receptacle having an escutcheon with adjacent apertures for the lock-
rod, combined with a lock-rod movable from one or the other of said apertures
and having a knob or handle provided with a guard arranged to cover one or
the other of said apertures according to the position of the rod, substantially
as described.
S. A card receptacle having an escutcheon with adjacent apertures for the
lock-rod, combined with a lock-rod movable from one to the other of said aper-
tures and having a knob or handle, provided with a lug to enter said apertures
and engage behind the escutcheon, the latter having one or more stops against

page_text: which the lug may-abut for limiting the movement of said lug, substantially
as described.
.9. A card receptacle and a lock-rod therefor, said réceptacle having upper and
lower ways for the rod and being provided with upper and lower connected
openings at its forward end to receive the rod according to the position of the
latter in the receptacle, substantially as described.
10. In a device of the kind described, a lock-rod having a shoulder at its outer
end and a knob or handle abutting against said shoulder and rotatable on the
rod, and retarding means between said rod and knob normally holding the same
against relative movement, substantially as described.
11. In a card receptacle, a lock-rod constructed and operating, substantially
as herein set forth.
''
** *** +
"Dated the 30th day of March 1899.
2
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1.
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55, &.56, Chancery. Lane, London, Agents for the Applicant.