Improvements in Paper-files.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 20th Nov., 1897-Accepted, 1st Jan., 1898
Improvements in Paper-files.
(A communication from abroad by HERMANN HERDEGEN, of No. 61/63 Kasernenstrasse,
Stuttgart, Würtemberg, Germany, Manufacturer).
I, MAX LINDNER, of 170 Fleet Street, in the City of London, Manufacturer and
Importer, 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 relates chiefly to a paper-file in which the receiving parts of the
holders and the closing parts thereof are moved simultaneously and positively away
from each other for opening, and towards each other for closing. To enable this to
be done, the parts of the holders on each side are either each riveted to a bar which
is pivoted to the base-plate fixed to the board or back of the file, or are each made of
one piece and rotatably mounted in hasps or eyes on the base-plate. Both the
receiving parts and the closing parts are either connected with a sliding piece or with
a bent lever in such a manner that when the sliding piece or the lever is moved in
one direction the clips are simultaneously and positively opened, whilst when the
sliding piece or the lever is moved in the other direction, the clips are simultaneously
and positively closed.
These devices for opening and closing the holders may, however, also be employed
with paper-files in which only the closing parts are movable and the receiving parts
are fixed to the base plate. When both the receiving parts and the closing parts are
movable, pressure is exerted from both sides in closing the holders, whereby the very
best possible closure of the holders is produced; but the chief advantage is that in
opening the holders by a short movement there is produced a narrow opening between
the two corresponding ends of each holder, which is especially convenient for inserting
and removing documents etc., because, in consequence of the outward turning of the
straight receiving parts, the documents can be very readily inserted and removed.
As will be understood from the preceding description and also from the following
explanation of the invention with reference to the drawings, no springs or parts
having a spring action are employed in the devices for the purpose of operating the
two holders or the two closing parts, but the movements are effected in a positive
manner without any spring action whatever.
For the purpose of holding down together the documents filed on the receiving
parts, there is employed in the letter-file, according to the present invention, a device
which is mounted upon the receiving parts of the file above the documents and is
held down upon the latter by means of a clamping device.
The accompanying drawings illustrate several examples of letter-files provided
with the arrangements hereinbefore described.
Fig. 1 is a cross section and Fig. 2 a plan of a letter-file in which the closing
parts a, a of the holders are riveted to a bar b whilst the receiving parts a¹, a¹ of
the holders are riveted to a bar b¹. Both bars b, b¹ are pivoted by means of journals to
the base plate c, which is fixed in the usual manner on the file-portfolio or upon a
plate which serves as a backing to the documents. The bar bis provided with a

page_text: projection 62, which extends in the form of a curve in the longitudinal direction, and
the bar is also provided with a similar projection 63. Between these two
projections there is mounted in the base-plate c, in the manner of a bolt, a slide d
which engages by means of a part d¹ with the upper and under sides of the
projections 62, 63 of the bars b, 61 in such a manner that when the slide d is moved
in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 2, the bars b, b¹ will be simultaneously and
positively swung outward about their pivots, whereby the parts a, a and a¹, a¹ will
be opened as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1; the pushing-in again of the slide d
has for result the simultaneous and positive closing of the holders.
In the file shown in cross section and plan in Figs. 3 and 4 respectively, the
closing parts a, a and the receiving parts a¹, a¹, both of which are made in one
piece, are mounted in hasps in the base-plate c. The curved portions which are
embraced by the part of the slide d, are formed by suitably bending the
connecting parts a² a³, as shown in plan in Fig. 4 and in elevation in Fig. 8, so that
-the movement of the slide d has the same effect as in the example shown in Figs. 1
and 2.
A further modification is shown in Fig. 5 in cross section and in Fig. 6 in side
elevation. In this case the arrangement of the holder-parts a, a and a¹ a¹ is the
same as that of Figs. 1 and 2, but instead of the slide d employed in the latter
arrangement there is employed in this case a bent lever é, which is pivoted at e¹ to a
strip that is fixed to the base-plate c. The short limb of the lever e´is provided
with two pins e², e³ that project towards both sides and engage with the two
projections 62, 68 of the bars b, b¹. In consequence of this, when the lever e is
moved in the direction of the arrow indicated in Fig. 6, the parts a, a, and a¹, a¹ on
both sides are simultaneously and positively turned outwards, whilst on depressing
the lever e, the holders are closed.
Figs. 7 and 8 are respectively a cross section and an elevation of a letter-file
according to this invention and having holder parts a, a and a¹ a¹ arranged as shown
in Figs. 3 and 4, but having a bent lever e, such as shown in Figs. 5 and 6, in lieu of
the slide d. The pins e², e3 of the lever e embrace the curved bent portions provided
on the connecting parts a², as in such a manner that when the lever e is raised, the
parts a, a and a¹ a¹ are simultaneously and positively moved into the open position
shown in dotted lines in Fig. 7. By depressing the lever e the parts a, a and a¹ a¹
are again simultaneously and positively closed.
Figs. 9, 10, and 11 are respectively a cross section, a plan, and a side elevation of
a paper-file embodying the herein before mentioned modification that only the closing
parts a are movable. In this arrangement, the closing parts a, a are riveted to a
barb which is pivoted to the base-plate c. The receiving parts a, a¹ are, however,
riveted to the base-plate so that they cannot move. The closing parts a, a may
however, obviously be arranged in the manner shown in Figs. 3, 4, 7 and 8. For
moving the closing parts a, a, there is provided on the bar ba downwardly bent
cheek 6* in which is formed a slot parallel to the longitudinal direction of the bar.
In this longitudinal slot there engages a pin e*, which projects laterally from the
short limb of the bent lever e. The latter is pivoted at e¹ to the base-plate c in the
manner shown in Figs. 5 to 8. It will be readily perceived that, in consequence of
the described connexion, by moving the lever e out of the position shown in Fig. 11
into the position shown in Fig. 12, the closing parts a a will be moved away from
the fixed receiving parts a¹ a¹. The parts a, a then assume the open position shown
in Fig. 12 in full lines, and shown in Fig. 9 in dotted lines. With the parts in this
position the documents can be readily placed upon the freed receiving parts a¹, a¹ or
removed therefrom. By moving the lever e back into the position shown in Fig. 11
the parts are again closed.
In this case the mode of operation of the lever e is therefore exactly the reverse of
that of the arrangements shown in Figs. 5 to 8; for whereas in this case the holders
are opened and closed by the downward and upward movements of the lever 5
respectively in the cases of Figs. 5 to 8 these operations are produced by the upward
and downward movements of the levers respectively.

page_text: Figs. 13, 14 and 15 represent the above mentioned device employed with letter
files according to this invention for holding down the filed documents.
This holding-down device comprises a bar or plate f, which is bent up at right
angles at both ends, so as to form a handle g at one end. In these bent-up portions
the spring clamping rod h is fastened so as to be tight and to close over the surface
of the bar f whilst curved guide-slots i, i are provided in the bar f. The holding-
down device thus formed is mounted in the manner shown in Fig. 13 upon the
receiving parts a¹, a¹ that carry the documents. The parts a¹, a' may obviously be
riveted to the base-plate c or they may be mounted, like the closing parts a a, on a
pivoted bar. When the holding down device has been mounted and placed upon
the documents, it is pushed by means of the handle g into the position shown in
Figs. 14 and 15.
In consequence of the curved form of the slots i i, when the holding-down device f
is moved, one of the receiving parts a¹, a¹, bears on the left-hand, and the other
bears on the right hand, against the spring clamping rod h. As a result, the holding-
down device f is held firmly upon the documents placed upon the parts a¹, a¹, so that
the documents cannot shift.
By pushing back the holding down device f back into the position shown in
Fig. 13, it is caused to release the documents again; the holding-down device can
then be removed from the receiving parts a¹ a¹ in order to allow the old documents
to be removed from the file or new documents to be placed thereon.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that
what claim is :-
1. A paper file in which both the closing parts a, a and the receiving parts a¹, a¹
of the holders are arranged so as to oscillate on a base-plate c.
2. A paper-file of the kind referred to in the preceding claim in which the
closing parts a, a and the receiving parts a¹, ¹, are simultaneously and positively
opened by the movement of a slide d or of a lever e in one direction, whilst
they are simultaneously and positively closed by the movement thereof in the
reverse direction.
3. A paper-file in which the closing parts a a of the holders are moved away from
the fixed receiving parts a¹, a¹, by the movement of a lever e in one direction, whilst
when the said lever is moved in the opposite direction the closing parts are positively
moved towards the fixed receiving parts a¹, a¹.
4. In the paper-files according to the preceding claims, the arrangement of a device
for holding down the filed documents, comprising a bar or plate f which is formed
with curved guide-slots i, i, and is provided with a spring clamping rod h and which
is mounted upon the receiving parts a¹ a¹ of the file and after being suitably moved,
is, by means of the clamping rod, held firmly upon the documents so as to hold
the same down.
5. Paper-files constructed, arranged, and operating substantially as hereinbefore
described with reference to and shown in Figs. 1 and 2, Figs. 3 and 4, Figs. 5 and 6,
Figs. 7 and 8, or Figs. 9, 10, 11 and 12 of the drawings annexed.