Improvements in Letter files.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 24th June, 1895
Complete Specification Left, 23rd Mar., 1896-Accepted, 6th June, 1896
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Letter files.
We, ALBERT BLOCH, of 38, Rue de l'Entrepôt, Paris, in the Republic of
France, Manufacturer, and AUGUST ZEISS, of 126 Leipzigerstrasse, Berlin, in the
German Empire, Merchant, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be
as follows:-
This invention relates to that class of files for letters and other documents in
which the perforated sheets are assembled or strung upon a pair of rods fixed to
a flat base or support and are secured thereupon by bows or stirrup-shaped
pieces.
In such files as heretofore made the size of the portfolios in which they are
placed has of necessity been excessive, as space equal to the height of the bows or
stirrup-shaped pieces has had to be provided, and, as a consequence, the cover of
the portfolio has been very liable to be damaged, more especially owing to its
being supported only by the extreme top of the rigid bows.
The employment of these bows is, however, indispensable, for in their absence it
would be impossible to get at one of the underneath letters by pushing the
overlying mass of letters aside over the bows on to their rear straight legs
which form a continuation of the bows, and, after having inspected or detached
the letter sought for, to replace the mass of documents in its entirety in its original
position.
The present invention relates to means whereby this drawback is obviated,
without sacrificing the efficiency of the file, and the invention consists in hinging
the bows both to their front and rear straight portions, instead of making the
whole in a single piece as heretofore, so that the bows may be turned down to a
horizontal position when the file is placed in the portfolio or case provided for its
reception.
The axes of the hinges of each bow lie in one and the same line and are at the
same height above the base-plate, and the said hinges are of such character that
the bows can only be turned down into the horizontal position, and, when raised,
will have sufficient firmness to enable the mass of letters to be turned over in the
same convenient manner as has heretofore been practicable with bows made in a
single piece with their legs or straight portions.
The rear legs are secured in position by springing the rods which connect them
beneath a hook-shaped piece on the base-plate.
It is obvious that, by the present invention, the portfolio may be made of less
height than heretofore, and that the bows when turned down afford an extended
bearing for the cover of the portfolio; that when the file is full, the cover is wholly
supported, whereas with the rigid bows heretofore in use the cover is always
hollow. Moreover, when the bows are turned down, they clamp the letters
together and prevent them from being displaced.
Dated this 24th day of Lune 1895
D. YOUNG & Co.,
11 & 12 Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicants.

page_text: Improvements in Letter-files.
We, ALBERT BLOCH, of 38 Rue de l'Entrepot, Paris, in the Republic of
France, Manufacturer, and AUGUST ZEISS, of 126 Leipzigerstrasse, Berlin, in the
German Empire, 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 :-
This invention relates to that class of files for letters and other documents, in
which the perforated sheets are assembled or strung upon a pair of rods fixed to a
flat base or support and are secured thereupon by bows or stirrup-shaped pieces.
Such files as heretofore made have the disadvantage that the height of the
portfolios in which they are placed has of necessity been excessive, as space equal
to the height of the bows or stirrup-shaped pieces has had to be provided, and as
a consequence the cover of the portfolio has been very liable to be damaged,
more especially owing to its being supported only by the extreme top of the
rigid bows.
The employment of these bows is, however, indispensable, for in their absence
it would be impossible to get at one of the underneath letters by pushing the
overlying mass of letters aside over the bows on to their rear straight legs which
form a continuation of the bows, and, after having inspected or detached the letter
sought for, to replace the mass of documents in its entirety in its original position
on the fixed rods without disturbing the order or relative position of the other
letters.
The present invention relates to an arrangement whereby the above mentioned
disadvantages may be obviated whilst enabling the bows necessary for turning
over the sheets to be retained. The arrangement consists in that the round
bow-pieces are not made integrally with the rods as heretofore, but are attached
thereto by means of binges, in such a manner that the round bow-piece can be
folded down into a horizontal position on one side.
In the accompanying drawing
Figure 1 is a perspective view of a letter-file made according to our invention,
with the bows erect.
Figure 2 is a similar view with the bows folded down.
The rigid supports or pillars a, on which the letters are arranged, consist, in the
example shown, of hollow rods or tubes into which the point sections d of the rods c
are introduced, the rods c being connected together by a transverse piece b. The
semi-circular or approximately semi-circular bows e of the rods are connected to
each of the two straight limbs of the said rods by means of hinges f, f¹. The axes
of the two hinges of each bow lie in one and the same line and at equal heights
above the base plate g. The hinges are so arranged that the bows can only be
folded down as far as the horizontal position on one side, whilst on the other side
they remain in an erect position with sufficient security or firmness to enable the
letter-sheets to be turned over quite as conveniently as is the case where the bows
are made in the same piece with the points of the rod.
The first mentioned object to be attained, viz. :-the folding down of the bows
only as far as the horizontal position, can be effected in a simple manner by
suitably limiting the motion of the hinge, the second object, the firmness or rigidity
of the bows in their erect position, is attained by providing the movable part of
the hinge with a projection, and the fixed part with a corresponding groove or
recess in which the said projection lies when the bow is in its erect position, this
being effected by the elasticity of the latter. The desired object can, however,
be attained by any other suitable device, only it must be so made, as well as the

page_text: hinges themselves, that it has no projecting part which could obstruct or impede.
the sliding of the sheets over the bow, in turning them over.
The security or maintenance of the rods in their closed position is ensured, in the
letter-file shown, by means of the cross-piece b, which is pressed beneath the hook-
shaped plate secured to the base g, and is held in this position by the elasticity
of the bows.
It is obvious that by the above arrangement, the portfolio receiving the file, by
reason of the height of the bow e, can be made lower than heretofore. It therefore
permits of a larger number of the said portfolios being contained in the same
space, than would be possible with portfolios of the kind usually employed.
heretofore. Moreover the bows, in their folded-down position, provide a broad
support for the cover of the portfolio, and when the portfolio is full, with our
improved arrangement, the cover lies solidly thereon, whilst, with the earlier stiff,
upwardly projecting bows, the cover was always hollow. The folded-down bows,
moreover, hold the letter-sheets together so that they cannot be displaced on.
the rods.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is :-
A letter-file with removable closing rods (c) in which the bows (e), connecting
the straight limbs of the said rods (c) to the straight pointed-sections (d), can be
folded down laterally by means of hinges, substantially as hereinbefore described.
Dated this 23rd day of March 1896
D. YOUNG & Co.,
11 & 12 Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicants.