Improvements in and Connected with Letter Copying Books.
Year: 1886

page_text: [Communicated from abroad by LuCIUS ERSKINE WHITON, of New London, in the
State of Connecticut, United States of America, Manufacturer.]
Improvements in and Connected with Letter Copying Books.
I, PHILIP MIDDLETON JUSTICE of 55 and 56 Chancery Lane in the County of
Middlesex Fellow of the Institute of Patent Agents, 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 press copying books, commonly used for the purpose of
copying letters. These books as ordinarily made and used are paged in succession
throughout in the ordinary way, and the letters are press copied in their order as they
are written from day to day. The only means available for readily finding any given
letter is through the index, which is made on prepared pages in the first part of the
hook. The construction of the book as heretofore made, necessitated this mode of
using, and is a disadvantage in two respects: first, it requires a daily continuing of
the index which involves considerable labor; second, in using the book to find any
letter which the user may happen to desire, he must first look into the index, and
then having ascertained the page, turn the leaves until he finds the page desired, thus
involving the finding of two places in the book when he only desires to see one.
The object of my invention is to obviate this difficulty, to dispense with the index,
and to enable the operator to turn directly or very nearly, to the desired page.
In the accompanying drawings.
Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a press copying book embodying the invention.
Fig. 2 is a sectional view of Fig. 1, from front to rear.
Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the divisions.
In these drawings a. b. represent the cover the book, e represents the divisions or
signatures arranged in their order, and lettered with the letters of the alphabet from
A to Z. The leaves C. are of ordinary press copying paper adapted to receive impres-
sions from written matter or manuscript in the ordinary way. At the end of each
division or signature is a leaf containing a letter; the first A., and at the end of the
second signature B, and so on the letter of the alphabet being upon the leaf dividing
the successive divisions or signatures. Leaves containing the letters indicating the
divisions are preferably made to project as shown in Fig. 1. In order that the divisions

page_text: may be conveniently handled, I make these dividing and indexing leaves of stonter
and thicker paper so that in handling the book, the stouter dividing leaves may be
seized, and the signatures or divisions may be turned by them; thus I avoid in a great
measure the handling of the thin delicate leaves of the copying paper. As the book is
used the letters copied therein are indexed in the copying, that is to say, letters are copied
in the divisions which bear the initial letter of the parties addressed. In making up the
book I make the divisions in size or number of sheets corresponding to the frequency
of occurrence of any given letter in names of individuals that is to say, in the
divisions marked A, B, H, S, I insert more leaves than in divisions marked by initial
letters of such infrequent use as r, s, and the like. Experience indicates clearly the
general rule governing the frequency of use of these initial letters, but in case any
division becomes exhausted I have made provision for shifting the leaves from one
division to the other, and for adding new leaves. To this end I punch the leaves of
the signatures and covers with holes, adapted to register in all the leaves and
covers, and bind the book by cord, or some equivalent binder of which there are
many well known. By means of this I may remove any signatures or leaves, and
change or add leaves.
So far I have shown the divisions or signatures separated only by the leaves bearing
the indexed letters, the signatures may be further subdivided by separating them into
twelve subdivisions indicated by date tabs or leaves bearing the names of the months
in their proper order. This is shown in the drawing under division F, where the tabs
are marked Jan. 1885, Feb. 1885, and so on, each tab indicating a subdivision of the
signature F. In copying the letters having the initial F, and written in the month
of January, I copy in the leaves under the subdivision January of the division F, and
so on throughout the book.
It will be observed in the drawing (Fig. 1) that the index of divisions is formed by
cutting away the leaves below the middle of the book, this leaves the upper part of the
margin of the leaves for the date tabs, and prevents the appearance of the date tabs
of any other division than that to which the book is opened. The use of the date tabs
is not essential to the first part of my invention but is a convenience. Without these
the divisions may be used with the advantages hereinbefore explained.
In place of common tabs for the monthly subdivisions, full leaves of heavier paper
projecting where names of months show, may be used; this would probably be a better
construction if the monthly divisions were made before the book was used as before
described. It is intended in case common tabs for monthly subdivisions are used, to
gum them on to the leaves as the book fills that is, in the case cited, to copy under F
in succession whenever necessary, then to gum the proper tab on the first vacant leaf
on the first day of each succeeding month, and in this way the size of each monthly
subdivision is regulated according to the volume of monthly correspondence without
necessity for changing the leaves except as some of the main divisions be full before
the others. The subdivision of the main divisions denoted by the index letters may
be carried to any desired extent, before the final monthly subdivision, that is, division M
for instance may be subdivided by leaves heavier than the copying leaves into May
Me, Mo, Mi, etc. then each of these into monthly divisions by the date tabs. This
will so arrange the most voluminous correspondence, that any desired letter may be
found at once.
With reference to the varying or proportionate size of the several divisions, the rule
of experience will not hold so well in copying books as in ordinary indexes, since a firm
using the book might have a large correspondence with some other firm of infrequent
initial, and so require even more leaves under that initial, than any other division.
But the temporary binder allows free exchange or addition of fresh leaves to meet any
such extraordinary demands. The book will ordinarily consist of pamphlet signatures.
In that case if any division should become full before the others, a new signature
bearing the same letter as the full one would need to be added under the full one.
Thus it follows that these signatures or pamphlets become separate articles of
stationery supply.
I have devised means of supplying these divisions or signatures as an article of

page_text: manufacture, adapted to be put together in a temporary binder in place of those
exhausted, or to form an entire book the divisions or signatures being adapted to be
inserted in any position in the letter index. The division or signature of letter press
leaves is shown at B', Fig. 3. In this figure the marginal extension of the cover A.'
is shown at c. This cover may be made of manilla or any other suitable paper. The
letter press copying leaves are attached to it by sewing or otherwise, and a strong strip
of cloth a' may also be applied to the edges of the leaves where they are bound to the
cover. The cover of stout paper is represented as extended out beyond the edges as
shown at d, and this is punched as before described for temporary binding. If
necessary or advisable, the cover or divisional leaf may be made flexible on the line e'.
On the exposed margin d I place the letters of the alphabet in their order. All
the signatures being made in this way, they are all fitted for any position in the
book, and when the signature is to be placed, that part of the margin containing the
letters of the alphabei is removed from the bottom up to the letter which is to form
the index letter of the division. All of the remaining leaves of the margin will be
covered by the unent portions of the margins of the preceding signatures or
divisions.
It will be understood that these divisions are formed with the entire alphabet on the
exposed margins, and are to be cut and fitted by the user, all being alike applicable to
fit any place in the alphabet from A to Z.
The books once being made they may be used with less labor and referred to more
readily.
I am aware that it is not new to provide a temporary binder with leaves forming
divisions for the receipt of letters, bills, and the like, each divisional leaf containing
an index letter, thus dividing the contents of the binder alphabetically, and I do not
claim this, my invention being a new article of manufacture consisting of a press
copying book, having its body portions formed into divisions by a series of index
letters, whereby the letters instead of being press copied successively and indexed at
the front of the book as heretofore are indexed as they are copied.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me by my foreign
correspondent, I declare that what I claim is :-
1. As a new article of manufacture, a letter press copying book having its body
portion formed into divisions by a series of index letters, whereby each letter is
indexed as it is press copied, substantially as described.
2. As a new article of manufacture, a letter press copying book having divisional
leaves at intervals of stouter paper and having index letters thereon, substantially as
described.
3. A letier copying book made of paper adapted to receive impressions from ordinary
manuscript or written matter, provided with a series of index letters placed at intervals
io form divisions of the leaves of the book, proportioned in size to the frequency of
occurrence of their respective initial letters, in combination with date tabs on each
subdivision, substantially as described.
1. A signature for letter press copying books composed of ordinary letter press
copying, paper, and a cover having an exposed margin with the letters of the alphabet
placed thereon in their order, substantially as described.
5. A signature for letter press copying books composed of ordinary letter press
copying paper, and a cover or divisional Jeaf of heavier paper having on one side an
exposed margin with the letters of the alphabet placed thereon in their order, and on
the other side a margin exposed beyond the letter press copying paper with perfora-
tions for temporary binder, substantially as described.
PHILIP M. JUSTICE.