Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 19th Mar., 1895-Accepted, 27th Apr., 1895
Foreign Patent Solicitors, 6 Lord Street, Liverpool, and 6, Bank Street,
Manchester both in the County of Lancaster 118 New Street, Birmingham in
the County of Warwick and 31 High Holborn in the County of Middlesex,
Civil Engineer, 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 an improved file for letters and other papers,
which has the great advantage over those hitherto in use of simplicity, easy
manufacture and great cheapness.
In the accompanying drawings-
Figure 1 shows in perspective the device for holding together the documents
which are to be filed ;
Figure 2 is a view of the cover plate with sliding fastener;
Figure 3 a view in perspective of the improved file secured in a case or
portfolio;
Figure 4 the case or portfolio from the outside, when folded up.
All kinds of letters and the like together with the replies thereto may be filed by
means of this improved device in such a way that a case or portfolio may be
employed for each firm or official, in which case all the letters of such firm and if
desired the answers thereto may be filed successively in the order of their date.
For people with whom it is only expected to correspond once, a special filing case
is reserved, which may be provided with the letters of the alphabet. The files
hitherto employed such as the Shannon and the like do not allow of such use, as
their price is too high and the cases or portfolios are too bulky.
All the letters or other documents received which are to be filed must be
perforated before being filed, so that they may be inserted on the metal strips c d.
The improved case with filing device is arranged as follows-
A bottom or base plate a is fixed on the inner flap A near the bend or fold of the
case and carries metal strips c d. A cover plate 6 which may be provided with two
slides i is passed over the strips cd. The base plate, springs and cover plate are
shown in natural size in Figure 1. The strips c and d are made of soft metal whilst
the base plate a may be of wood, card-board or the like. In order to secure the
strips firmly in the base plate, their ends are bent round several times and rivetted
at e and f. The base plate a may be attached to the case or portfolio A by glueing,
rivetting or other suitable means. The cover plate b is of hard rigid durable
material and is preferably somewhat longer than the plate a and bas holes for the
free passage of the strips cand d. The letters or the like which are to be filed are
placed over the strips c and d, the plate placed over them and the strips c and d
then bent apart in the direction of the arrow shown in Figure 1, their position
being indicated in dotted lines at c¹ and d¹ Figures 1 and 3. The softness of the
material of the strips allows of their being frequently bent round, and further each
bending always takes place at a different point owing to the extra papers inserted.
Papers may be removed by merely bending up the strips straight and lifting off
the cover plate.

page_text: In order to prevent the strips bending up when not so desired, the cover plate b
may be further provided with slide pieces i, Figure 2, having edges or flanges, bent
round the plate b and are pushed over the ends of the springs, so as to hold
the latter fast in their closed position. The holes k in the cover plate bare
preferably bevelled towards the outside, Figure 2.
The filing device may be placed on the sides A or C of the case or portfolio.
The case may be bent at B, Figure 3, or the cover C may be curved flexibly round
the contents as shown in Figure 4. The case or portfolio may have suitable
inscriptions or labels on the outside to enable any particular case to be selected
quickly from a number, and such labels may contain suitable particulars as to date,
name of correspondent or the like.
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. An improved file for letters and other papers consisting of easily bent
strips (cd) fastened on to a base plate a and adapted to receive the papers to be
filed, a cover plate to be placed over the papers, the said strips being afterwards.
bent down and two slides i on the said cover plate for the purpose of retaining the
papers on the file; substantially as hereinbefore described and shown in the
accompanying drawings.
2. In a file for letters and other papers, a base plate having projecting strips of
soft metal secured thereto and adapted to receive and to be bent down over the
papers to be filed, substantially as described and illustrated.
Dated this 18th day of March 1895.
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Agents.