US1390026A - Index-tab - Google Patents

Description

J. S. DUNCAN.

INDEX TAB.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 3. 1921.

Patented Sept. 6, 1921,

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300 VIHOd JOSEPH S. DUNCAN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

INDEX-TAB.

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Application filed February 3, 1921.

To all w/z am it may concern:

Be it known that I, JosnrH S. DUNCAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, ful' Improvements in Index-Tabs, of which the following is a specification.

The object of this invention is to provide a simple and novel index tab adapted to be detachably engaged with cards of a card index system for classification purposes and which is provided with adjustable means whereby the cards may be subclassified from time to time without affecting the main classification.

In other words, it is my object to provide an index tab of simple construction which can be easily applied to and detached from a card index card and Which can be adjusted without being removed from the card to indicate certain additional information and to perform certain additional functions.

I employ the term card in its broad generic sense as comprising a common card, a printing device, or any other device which is capable of use in accordance with the ordinary card index system and to which my invention may be applied.

In the accompanying drawings I have selected for illustrating the invention a card in the form of a printing device of a type used in the Addressograph machine and comprising a frame having printing plates detachably mounted thereon and adapted to receive a reference card bearing any information relating to the address or other matter appearingin type characters on the plates.

Referring to the drawings- Figure 1 is a front view of a printing device having my invention applied thereto.

Fig. 2 is a rear view of the printing de vice.

Figs. 3 and 4 show the tab with the movable member in two positions.

Fig. 5 is a detailed sectional view on the line 5, 5 of Fig. 3.

Referring to the drawings, the printing device comprises printing plates 6, 6 which are removably secured in the frame 7. An

upper part of information card (not shown) may be secured in the the frame by the bead 8 and the retaining lips 9. This frame is also provided keepers 10 and 11 with a plurality of alined on the front and 011 the specification of Letters Patent.

have invented certain new and use 4 jection 19' which Patented Sept. a, mail.

Serial No. 442,152.

back respectively of the frame to receive the stems 12 of th substantially as shown in my 1,026,253 patented May 11, 1912.

The index tab preferably comprises a pair of stems '12 carried by and forming a part of the fixed member 13 which with recesses or notches 14. member 15 is pivotally mounted at 16 on the relatively fixed member13 and this movable member comprises two arms 17, 18 which are angularly disposed relative to each other. Each arm has'a projection 19, 19, formed by indenting the member or otherwise to frictionally engage the relatively fixed member 13 when the movable member is swung on its pivot and also to hold the movable member in adjusted position. Thus, in the position shown in Fig. 3' the arm 17 of the movable member is in elevated position, and it is so held by the projection 19' which engages the upper edge of the fixed member and by the projection 19 which engages a recess in the fixed member; and in the position shown in Fig. 4 the arm 18 of the movable member is elevated and is the projection 19 which engages the upper edge of the fixed member, and by the proand adaptede index tab Patent No.

The movable member opermember and the profixed member. ates close to the fixed engages a recess 14 in the so held by ections will operatively engage the fixed v member sufiicient to prevent accidental dislodgment of the movable member from adjusted position but at the same time will permit adjustment of the movable member with very little effort.

prefer to provide a shoulder 20 at the juncture of each stem with the main portion of the fixed member by offsetting the stems so that they will lie in a different plane than that of the main portion of the fixed member, but preferably parallel therewith. When the tab is arranged in the frame as shown in Figs. 1 and 2 the offset stems cause the main portion of the fixed member to be spaced sufiiciently from the frame to permit the movable member to be easily adjusted from one position to another. The stems are provided with openings 21 at their extremities to engage protuberances on the frame for retaining the tabs in place.

The recesses 14 are located in the arc of travel of the projections 19, 19 during the when a .projection is engaged it tends to restrain the member from swingable members of the credit refused or something else. that the tab can be ing movement in either direction because the projection will engage an edge of the recess in'its arc of travel at the bottom as well as at the top thereof. My invention may be embodied in a tab with one stem as well as in a tab with two stems as shown and various other changes in the form, proportion and construction of parts may be made within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit or sacrificing the advantages of the invention.

My improved tab can be used in many different ways for many different purposes. By coloring the movable member or affixing colored markers thereto the possibilities of classification may be greatly extended. may illustrate one practical use of the in vention as follows:

In the credit department of large retail stores a card index of credit customers is maintained. When bills are rendered to the customers the index tabs are mounted on the frames to indicate when these bills were mailed. When customers pay their bills within a certain time the movable member of the index tabs on their cards maybe left in neutral position as shown in Figs. land 2; but after a certain time the movindex tabs of all customers whose bills have not been paid may be swung to the position shown in Fig. 3 and maintained inthis position until the bills are paid, whereupon the movable members will be swung to the time comes when further credit is discontinued the movable members may be moved to the position indicated in Fig. 4:. The movable members may be moved to the position of Fig. 3 when the bills are rendered, to neutral position of Figs. 1 and 2 when bills are. paid and to the position of Fig. 4 to indicate that payment is over due, that statements have been rendered, further I know used in many different ways but I consider the foregoing will sufficiently indicate the general use and advantages of my invention.

It will be understood of course that the movable member of the tab may be employed to operate the selector mechanism of a printing machine so that a tray or drawer containing thesecards may be deposited inan addressing machine and run through the machine one at a time to address statements or envelops or other matter with the addresses on those cards in which the arm 17 is elevated, or those on which the arm 18 is elevated, or those onwhich the movable member is in neutral position as may be required.

Thus my invention may be used like thewith a recess neutral position. If

-member and .and the card,

adjustable indicator 10 of U. S. Patent No. 1,161,045 patented November 23, 1915, and for the purposes therein described.

I claim: v

1. An index tab comprising a member adapted to be fixedly engaged with a card of an index system, and a movable member pivotally mounted on said fixed member and means to hold said movable member in a plurality of positions.

2. An index tab comprising a, member adapted to be fixedly engaged with a card of an index system, and a movable member pivotally mounted on one member, one of said members having projections to frictionally engage the other member in the swinging movement of said pivoted member. I

3. An index tab comprising a member adapted to be fixedly engaged with a card side of said fixed of an index system, and a movable member pivotally mounted on oneside of said fixed member, said fixed member having recesses and said movable member having lateral projections to engage said recesses in different ad'ustments of said movable member.

hAn index tab comprising a member adapted to be fixedly engaged with a'card of an index system, and a movable member pivotally mounted on one side of said fixed member and havin arms, said fixed mem er having recesses on opposite sides of said pivot, and said movable member having lateral projections in operative relation to said recesses so that when one arm is lifted the other arm will have its projection engaged with the adjacent recess.

5. An index tab comprising a member adapted to be fixedly engaged with acard of an index system, anda movable member pivotally mounted on one side of said fixed having angularly disposed arms, said fixed member having recesses on opposite sides of saidpivot and said movable member having lateral projections disposed in operative relation to said recesses and so that when one arm is lifted its projeetion will engage the top edge of the fixed member and the projection on the other arm will engage its recess.

6. The combination of an index card having tab retaining means, of a tab comprising a member adapted to be fixedly engaged with said retaining means, and a movable member pivotally mounted on one side of said fixed member between the fixed member spaced from the card to permit the operation of the movable member between the fixed member and the card.

7 The combination of an index card having tab retaining means, of an index tab comprising a member adapted to be fixedly engaged with said retaining means and havand said fixed member being ing that portion thereof above the retaining means located the card, and a movable partly behind and oiiset from member pivotal-11y mounted on said fixed member to swing be-' tween said fixed member ed arms, and means having angularly dispos on said tab for limiting ment of the movable me and the card and the swinging movember.

8. The combination of a card of an index system, a tab comprising a member adapted 10 to'be fixed to the said card, a movable member pivoted to said fixed member, and means to secure said movable member in a plurality of positions relative to said fixed member.

' JOSEPH S. DUNCAN;

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