Improvements in Alphabetical and other Indexes.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 12th June, 1891-Accepted, 18th July, 1891
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Alphabetical and other Indexes.
I, HORACE ARTHUR GRAYSON of Darlinghurst near Sydney in the Colony
of New South Wales, Shorthand Writer, 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 been specially devised in order to produce alphabetical and
other indexes which will contain more order in arrangement and will also have
greater facility of reference than indexes heretofore made.
An improved alphabetical index made according to this invention is made on
the same principle of construction as the ordinary one letter index but its references
are carried out to the second and third letters of the noted names &c. and may be
carried out to any number of letters specifically. Of course numerical and other
indexes may have the same kind of extended references.
This improved alphabetical or other index is made with an additional inner
index at side of page or an additional inner index at foot of page or with both of
these additional indexes. These side and foot indexes are made in a similar manner
to the ordinary index but each or both is made in those pages which are governed
by each "master" or primary letter or reference.
But in order that my invention may be clearly understood I will now describe
in detail how I put the same into practice referring specially to an alphabetical
index.
There is firstly an outside index (for which no claim is made except in respect
to its combination with the others) which consists of the prime master references
and secondly there are under each of these prime master references (where
necessary) and governed by it another index arranged at the side of the page and
reaching down to the bottom of the page the double advantage of this position
being that it produces the handiest possible kind of side index and minimises the
cutting away of the book and thirdly there is under each of these secondary
references where necessary according to the desired scope of the index a further
foot index governed by the secondary references. As an illustration of the
arrangement take the letter B which is the prime master reference governing the
secondary side reference BA BE BI BL BO BR BU BY; while BA one of these
secondary references governs in like manner the third or foot index BAA
to BAI; BAK; BAL; BAM to BAP; BAR; BAs to BAZ and so on. By this
combination of the side with the foot index said side index being composed of
references made up of combinations of initial letters of words it is rendered possible
wherever necessary or desirable to add intelligibly and scientifically to the foot
index and to extend materially thereby the effectiveness of the entire index by
limiting the number of names under each tertiary reference to any desired average
maximum.
In other words it is possible by means of this peculiar arrangement of the side
references to increase the size of the index book so as to adapt itself to any desired
number of names say to ten thousand without having more than a certain desired
maximum number on each page. The advantages of such an index are first the
uniformity of method throughout, second the provision for an arrangement of
names in strict alphabetical order to the third fourth or more letters third the
facilities of reference by shutting out from view by a turn of the pages all names
except the few contained under the same combination reference as that under
which the desired name or word if there will be found, fourth certainty of operation
and lastly and summarily its ability to answer the purpose it is intended to serve
amely that of being a perfect index.

page_text: In order to the better understanding of this invention I have appended hereto
a sheet of drawings which shew by way of example applications of the invention
in the case of alphabetical indexing of which Figure illustrates a modification of
the invention in which the secondary index is used in addition to the primary or
master index and Figure 2 illustrates a modification of the invention in which both
a secondary and tertiary index are employed in addition to the primary or master
index. Referring first to Figure 1 the index is supposed to be opened at the page
lettered A of the prime index. The alphabet of the prime index is marked down
the outside edge of the pages which are cut out in the usual manner for such
purpose. The secondary index is shewn to be correspondingly marked down the edge
of the pages which is adjacent to the primary index. On the page represented as
open by Figure 1 entries may be made commencing Aa to Ac as indicated by the
first lettering of the secondary index. Sufficient pages are set apart for the
purpose of the secondary index and those following the first are marked Ad, Af
to Ak etc. Referring now to Figure 2 the index is supposed to be open at the
page lettered B of the primary index. The primary and secondary indexes
correspond to those of Figure 1 but in Figure 2 an illustration is given also of the
tertiary index marked along the lower margin of the pages which are cut in for
such purpose. On the page represented as open by Figure 2 entries may be made
commencing Baa to "Bai as indicated by the first lettering of the tertiary
index. Sufficient pages are set apart for the purpose of the tertiary index and
those following the first are marked "Bak," "Bal," etc. The secondary index may
be cut along the lower margin if desired instead of along the side of the pages
whether used in combination with the tertiary index or not, but if used with the
tertiary index the latter may in such case be marked in the side edge of the
pages.
"
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is: :-
First. The improvement in alphabetical and other indexes comprised in their
construction with a main or prime master index and an additional or secondary
index set inside the prime references at side of page or set at foot of page sub-
stantially as herein described and explained.
Second. The improvement in alphabetical and other indexes comprised in their
construction with a main or prime master index an additional or secondary index
and a further or tertiary index preferably with the secondary index cut at side of
page inside of prime references and the tertiary index cut at foot of page substan-
tially as herein described and explained.
Third. The construction and use of indexes having primary secondary and
tertiary references the tertiary governed by the secondary and the secondary
governed by the primary in the manner and for the purposes substantially as
herein described and explained.
Dated this Thirtieth day of April One thousand eight hundred and ninety-one.
HORACE A. GRAYSON.