US697377A - Cabinet-directory. - Google Patents

Description

a. WQMAXWELL.

. CABINET DIRECTORY.

(Application filed Apr. 1, 1898. Renewed Aug. 1, 1900.)

Patented Apr. 8, I902.

4 Sheets-Sheet I.

No. 697,377. Patented Apr. 8, [902.

a. w. MAXWELL. CABINET DIRECTORY.

. (App1ics.tion fil ed Apr. 1, 1898. Renewed Aug. 1, 1900.! (No Model.) 7 4 S hae ts-Sheet 2.

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No. 697,377. Patente d Apr. 8, 1902.

G. W. MAXWELL.

CABINET. DIRECTORY. (Appiicu tion filed Apl 1, 1898. Renewed Aug. 1, 1900.) (No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 3.

2 U N 8 r p A d e n e t a P .Y LR LU T B .D M m WM 8 A 6 (Application filed Apr. 1, 1898, .Re newed Aug. 1, 1900. (No Model.)

4 Sheds-Sheet 4.

UNITE STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE WV. MAXXVELL, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

CABINET-DIRECTORY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 697,377, dated April 8, 1902.

Application filed April 1, 1898. I Renewed August 1 1900. Serial No. 25,591- (No model.)

TOYLZZ whom, it 71mg concern.- 7

Be it known that I, GEORGE W. MAXWELL,- a citizen of the United States, residing at Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles and State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Cabinet-Directories, of which the following is a specification.

My directory employs in a practical manner one or more sets of rollers with long paper strips rolled thereon and containing the printed names and addresses.

The objects of this invention are superior cheapness, convenience, durability, and easy reference; also, to provide a practical directory which can be readily corrected and revised at frequent intervals; also, to provide a practical city or country directory of more convenient form and more durable than any book-directory in that the paper is protected and not handled; also, to provide a practical directory which is better than the book-directory in that the names and addresses can be referred to in much less time The names in mydirectory for a city of, say, one hundred thousand population, and which directory would ordinarily contain forty thousand names, if printed in nonpareil type, double columnfwould make a ribbon about one hundred and forty feet long. If divided into only two sets-A to L and M to Z instead of four, as herein shown, the ribbon for either set would be seventy feet long. The mechanism in my directory is so constructed and geared that by eight turns of a crank, and which can be done in three seconds, every name in the directory from A to Z by operating both sets at once would be exposed to the eye of the operator. Much greater speed in rolling the paper ribbon or directorystrip may be obtained, if desired, by increasing the diameter of the rollers and also by using gear in proper proportion to further increase the speed. It is practicable to do this owing to the lightness in weight of the paper and the roller, and greatly-increased speed can be obtained by a little additional effort on the part of the person turning the crank. Greater'speed in rolling the paper might be desired onlyin case a longer ribbon were used.

My directory is designed to be more'economical to publish in that the thinnest and cheapest quality of paper (even tissue-paper) can be used, whereas the same quality of paper (tissue or similar paper) would be unfit and impracticable for use in a book-directory. No binding or cover is required with this directory excepting the permanent casewhich con-- tains the mechanism. It is practicable to revise and correct the directory several times a year, even monthly, owing to the fact that the lines of type can be kept standing in the forms, and the new lines of type containing changes of names and addresses and the new or additional names may be inserted at any time. As no binding is required and the very cheapest and thinnest quality of paper can be used, several issues of my directory can be printed from these forms for a less cost than only one issue containing the same matter if printed and bound in the customary book form. Itis obvious that tissue or a light quality of paper if used in the ordinary bound book-directory would soon become ruflied, tangled, worn out, torn, and unreadable from the handlingjt would be subject to, while in my directory the paper is protected by metal and glass and is never touched by the one using it. Thus it will be seen that my directory can be kept up to date, and the superiority of a number of revised and corrected issues during a year containing removals, changes, and new information as compared with one issue of a customary yearly bookdirectory is plainly seen.

In this directoryI have made provision for the use of a plurality of sets of rollers and directory-strips, one for each set, and have made provision for the automatic operation of the particular set which is presented to view when the user turns the crank, and I provide a plurality of the sides of. the case with sightopenings, through which the directory-strips are exhibited.

For the purpose of illustration Ihave shown in the accompanying drawings a directory containedin a case about seven inches square in cross-section, and there are sight-openings on the front and back sides of this case; but it is to be understood that I am not limited to ticular number of sides, but may use one or more sides, as may prove most convenient,

- mechanisms are mounted in the case for exhibition through their respective sight-openin gs in the several sides. A crank-shaft extends through the casejournals and is journaled in the supports which carry the case-journals. Mechanism is provided for connecting the shaft with the directory mechanisms to drive them when the sight-opening for such directory-strip is in the position for reading and disengaging such shaft from the directory mechanisms that are not exposed, and means, such as a catch, are provided for temporarily connecting the case and the support to hold the case from turning. Preferably the catch holds the case in a fixed position, with the side of the case which is to be exhibited held in a slanting position, so as to be conveniently seen. A pair of rollers is provided for each sight-opening, and each pair has a directory strip or ribbon for exhibition through such opening. here a plurality of the sides of the case are provided with directory-strips, I provide means for automatically connecting the crank or driving shaft with the mechanism for driving the rollers to be operated, and at the same time disconnecting said shaft from the mechanism for driving the rollers which are not to be operated. In order to accomplish this, the shaft is eccentrically journaled in the case journals and extending therethrough are journaled in the case-journal supports. A driving-wheel is provided on the shaft, and sets of roller-driving gearing, one set for each pair of rollers, are arranged symmetrically around the axis of the casejournals to respectively mesh with the driving-wheel when in a given position and to be withdrawn from the driving-Wheel whenout of such given position-that is to say, when the case is rotated upon its axis to bring the strip of one set of directory mechanism to view the gearing for driving that set of mechanism will be drawn into mesh with the driving-wheel and the gearing for the other set or sets of mechanism, if more than one set is employed, will be thrown out of gear with the shaft-gear. I also provide automatic means for positively driving that roller of any set toward which roller the crank is operated, and I also provide a shifting brake to apply friction to prevent the roller which is not being positively driven from racing when the other roller is operated, and the mechanism which I employ releases the operated roller at the same time that it brakes the other roller.

My invention includes the various features herein described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

In my pending application, Serial No.

737,688, filed November 20, 1899, for improvement in mechanical directories and the like and in my application for patent on indexed mechanical directory, (renewal,) filed August 1, 1900, Serial No. 25,592, and my application for mechanical city-directory with automatic supplement and index,filed February 13, 1899, Serial No. 705,446, I have shown the combination with the rollers and the flexible strip fastened to said rollers to be wound and unwound from roller to roller; wheels for said rollers, respectively; wheels for driving the roller-wheels, respectively; a lever carrying said driving-wheels and pivoted to simultaneously hold one of the driving-wheels in operative engagement with its roller-wheel and the other driving-wheel out of engagement with its roller-wheel,and vice versa; a masterwheel journaled to revolve and operatively engaging with said driving-wheels and being frictionally connected with the lever to throw the lever in the direction of the rotation of the master-wheel, and means for rotating the master-wheel,and said combination is claimed in said application, Serial No. 737,088, filed November 20, 1899, and for this reason is not claimed in this application.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of one form of my newly-invented cabinet-directory in position for use. Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation on line 2 2, Figs. 3 and at, looking to the left. Fig. 3 shows the case and mechanism as they would appear to the user if the door and directory-strips were removed. Fig. tis a section on line 4 4, Figs. 2 and 3, as it would appear to one standing in front of the machine and bending over and looking down and toward the front of the directory in a direction opposite to that in which he will look when using the directory. Fig. 5 is a fragmental detail to show the shifting mechanism for shifting the pinion from the one to the other axleoftheaxially-arranged rollers. Fig.0isa fragmental plan detail to illustrate the brake appliance. Fig. '7 is a detail elevation to f urther illustrate the brake appliance. Fig. 8 is a section of the brake appliance on line 8 8, Fig. 7. A portion of the roller is shown, but not in section. Fig. 9 is a sectional elevation of the mechanism for shifting the pinion from one to the other of the axially-arranged rollershafts, taken on line 9 9, Fig. 10. Fig. 10 is an end view of one set of the directory-strip rollers, showing the pivoted lever carrying the pinions for transmitting power through the master-wheel from the operating-shaft to the strip-rolls and the pinion-shifting means.

A indicates the case of a directory which contains four sets 1 2 3 4 of directory mechanisms. These are arranged two sets 1 2 at the front and two sets 3 t at the back of the case. All is incased in a metal box A, the sides of which are seven inches square. A

door at, having glazed sight-openings a. in it, through which the names and addresses may be seen, is provided in front, and a like door I is provided in the back. The front andback of the case are duplicates, with the exception.

that they are marked to indicate that their: directory-strips respectively refer to differ-- ent portions of the alphabet. The names at the front may run from A to L, while those at the back may runfrom f M to Z,: or any other desired arrangement may be employed. The directory-case when being op-. erated will stand with one side at an angle, preferably,of about forty-fivedegrees to make it easy to read the exposed portions of the directory-strips B B, &c. 7 0 indicates a catch in one of the standards or supports D, which catches in a hole 0 in the case to hold the case at thedesired angle. When the operator desires to turn .the case to view the list at the other side, he will draw the catch and will then turn the case on its axis to bring the other set of rollers to the front. 0 indicates a spring to return the catch into its operative position to hold the case when it has, reached the desired angle to expose the strips on the other side.

The case is provided with two journals a a which are journaled in the supports D D, respectively, and the common axis of these journals passes centrally between the several journaled in the'supports D D, eccentric the boxes (1 d of the case-journals a of. The axis of the shaft E and the axis of the case-journals a a and their boxes 61 d are eccentric about one-eighth of an inch, the axis of the shaft being about one-eighth of an inch higher and about one-eighth of an inch farther to- 7 ward the front than the axis of the case-journ'als and their boxes, so that when the caseis rotatedon its journals that side which is toward the front will be brought nearer the shaft and the driving-wheel thereon will be thrown into engagement with the masterwheel of the'directory mechanism on that f and provided atjts opposite endswith pin-'- ions g g, which respectively mesh with the master-wheel F and are apart from each other somewhat less than one hundred and eighty degrees. One face of the master wheel forms africtional disk'fflwhich is engaged by a friction-springg, fixed to the lever Gr and pressing against the frictional disk f of the {master-wheel F, so that the rotation of the master-wheel]? in either direction will cause the lever to swing in that direction, thus swinging the transmitting-pinions g g one into and the other out of mesh with their respective roller-pinions H H,- which are respectively mounted upon the shafts it, &c., of the rollers I I, 860. I I

By referring to Fig. 2 it will" be seen that when the set 2 of the directory mechanisms gear with the driving-wheel 9, while the master-wheel F will be out of gear with said driving-wheel, and that if theshaft is turned to the left, the friction of such wheel upon the friction-spring g will operate to throw the pinion-carrying lever G to bring the transmitting-pinion g into engagement with the roller-pinion H to drive the roller 1 to retate the same to wind the ribbon thereon, and 'at the same time the transmitting-pinion g islthrown out of gear away from the rollerpini'on- H of'the roller 1, thus leaving'the had been done a reverse movement of the crank would withdraw the transmitting-pinion g from the roller-pinion H and return the the ribbon thereon and leavingthe roller 1 free to allow the ribbon to unwind therefrom. In order. to prevent racing of the released roller, I providea shifting brake.

in cross-section. I

J indicates a tubular slide on the rod and carrying a' brake-shoe J, which engagesthe end or flange-of either one of therollers to The rod is arranged to cause the shoe J" to contact with the ends of the rollers, near the periphery thereof, so that when the one roller rotates to wind the ribbon upon such roller the friction of such roller upon the shoe will cause the shoe to slide along the rod J toward 7 the other roller and will throw it into contact with the end of the other" roller, whichis'being rotated by the unwinding ribbon in the sothat the shoe is by friction automatically shifted from the winding-roller to theunwinding-roller to release the one and to prevent the racing of the other. I

K K indicate springs to press upon the tube J to hold the shoe firmly against the rollers. The tube plays looselyupon the rod, so that the springscan always forcethe shoe braked.

vided with two directory strips, 'each carried by an independent pair of rollers, and'the rollers of each pair may'be arranged to be connected and disconnected to operate simultaneously or separately at pleasure. The

' is at the front the master-Wheel F will beinto the right, thus turning the master-wheel F;

transmitting-pinion g to mesh with the roller pinion H, thus to rotate the roller 1 to-wind J indicates a rod, which is preferably square i same direction in which the shoe is moving,

into operative contact with the roller "to be rollerI free to rotate, and that when this."

which it is'appliedby shifting along the rod.

' If desired, each sight-openingca n be proroller-shafts t' i" are set coaxial with each other to form a unitary arbor for a shifting cog-wheel H, and the roller-shafts 11 i are coaxial with each other to form a unitary arbor for a shifting cog-wheel H, and each shaft is provided with a projection, as the pin 1 2, &c. The coaxial shafts end close to each other without touching, but together form the arbor for the roller cog-wheels H and H, respectively, which are arranged to slide along their said respective arbors and are each provided with projections, as pins h h, to respectively engage the pins 1 2, 850., when the roller cog-wheels are fully shifted on their arbors for that purpose, to drive one or the other pair of rollers. When the cog-wheels are midway between the arbor-pins, the pins are not engaged.

L indicates a shifter carried by a shaft L, which is journaled at l to the case and is operated by a pointer-lever Z, which extends to the front of the case to be moved to or from the indicated limit-letters A to F G to L. The indicated letters on the other side of the case for the pointer-lever on that side, which is not shown in the drawings, will be M to Q and R to Z. These limit-letters respectively show the limits of the several ribbons or directory-strips.

It is to be understood that the alphabetical divisions of the lists may be varied as desired or as occasion demands.

In practical operation the user will first turn the case to expose the strip he desires to inspect and will then set the pointer to the limit-letters which indicate the strip containing the name he wishes to find. He will then turn the crank in either direction until he brings to View that part of the strip where the desired name should appear.

Now having described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A directory or like information-exhibiting device comprising a revoluble case provided upon its different sides with sight-openings; mechanism for moving informationstrip back and forth behind such sight-openings; means whereby one set of strip-operating mechanism is brought into operative connection with the central operating-shaft when the case is revolved to bring any one of the sight-openings into a predetermined position.

2. A directory or like information-giving device comprising the revoluble case provided upon several of its sides with sight-openings for displaying information printed upon strips; means for moving the strips back and forth behind the sightopenings; the case mounted to revolve eccentrically whereby the central shaft engages with one of and disengages from the other strip-operating mechanisms.

3. A directory or like information-exhibiting device comprising a case provided upon its different sides with sight-openin gs; means for passing such information back and forth behind such sight-openings; the operatingshaft; thev driving-wheel mounted on such shaft; the master-wheels for operating the information-giving device; the eccentric bearings mounted in the revoluble case whereby an eccentric travel is imparted to the case to carry one set of strip-operatin g master-wheels out of engagement with the driving-wheel, and another set into engagement therewith.

4. In a strip-directory, two sets of strip-operating rollers mounted coaxially; means for operating such rollers to wind the strip from one roller to the other roller in one of the sets of the strip-operating rollers; the pinion loosely mounted upon the ends of the coaxial roller-shafts; and means for shifting such pinion from one shaft to the other whereby one set of rollers is thrown into motion and the other set is left inoperative.

5. In a strip-directory, the two sets of stripoperating rolls mounted coaxial; a masterwheel; a pivoted lever carrying a pinion on each end; a friction device attached to the pivoted lever and bearing on the masterwheel; the pinion loosely mounted upon the coaxial roller-shafts and adapted to engage with the pinion on the pivoted lever when the lever is thrown in its direction; means for shifting the pinion from one roller-shaft to the other; and means for engaging the pinion with such shafts.

6. The combination of two rollers; a strip wound upon said rollers; means for alternately driving the one roller in one direction and at the same time releasing the other roller and for driving the other roller in the other direction and at the same time releasing the first roller; a rod extending parallel with the end faces of the rollers; a brake-shoe arranged to slide along the rod and to engage the end of one or the other of said rollers when shifted from one to the other of said rollers and adapted to he slid along said rod by the friction of one of said rollers to contact with and produce the friction upon the other of said rollers.

7. The combination of two pairs of rollers with directory-strips, one for each pair of rollers, the shafts of two of the rollers being set coaxial with each other to form a unitary arbor and the shafts of the other two rollers being set coaxial with each other to form a unitary arbor, and each roller-shaft being provided with a projection; two roller-driving cog-wheels, one mounted upon each of said arbors and each provided with lateral projections to engage the projections of the rollershafts respectively when the roller-driving cog-wheel is shifted to one or the other of said roller-shaft projections; and means for shifting the roller-driving cog-wheels.

8. The combination of two directory-ribbon rollers; a cog-wheel fastened to one of said rollers; a cog-wheel fastened to the other roller; a driving-shaft; a master-wheel and frictional disk fixed on the driving-shaft; a

leverjournaled coaxialwith the master-Wheel and provided at each end with a transmittingpinion, said pinions meshing with and driven by said master-Wheel to independently mesh with the cog-Wheels of the respective rollers when the lever is vibrated in one or the other direction; and a frictional device fixed to the I lever and engaging the frictional disk on the master-wheel to cause the rotation of the master-wheel to shift the lever to mesh a, trans 1o mitting-pinion With one or the other of the roller cog-Wheels.

. GEQNV. MAXWELL. \Vitnesses:

ELLA W. MAXWELL, vW. H. CORNELL.

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