US1338790A - Card-holder for record systems and the like - Google Patents

Description

E. LAvERGNE DIT RENAUD. CARD HOLDER FOR RECORD SYSIEMS AND THE LIKE. APPLICAHON FILED APR.2'2,'I9 18.

.1 338,7 90. Pa nted May 4, 1920.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EUGENE'LAVERGNE DIT'RENAUD, OFYMOVNTREAL, QUEBEC, CANADA.

CARD-HOLDER FOR, RECORD SYSTEMS AND THE LIKE.

Application filed. April 22, 1918.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, EUGENE LAVERGNE (lit RENAUD, a subject. of the King of Great Britain, and resident of the city of Montreal, in the Province of Quebec and Dominion of Canada, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in (lard- Holders for Record Systems and the like, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to improvements in recording systems, and the object of the invention is to provide a simple, inexpensive and elastic system for recording various data.

The principal use of the system will be for keeping track of the sales made by whole sale or manufacturing concerns to retailers. in the conduct of any wholesale or manufacturing business it is necessary in order to avoid serious loss to watch carefully the sales to and credit of retailers. Ordinarily, it is necessary to prepare special statements from the ledgers when required. The purpose of the present invention is to provide a system for keeping a permanent and u to-date' statement which will show at a glance the sales to each customer for a considerable period and which will also give other useful information. This is accomplished by providing a holder for each customer adapted to contain a series of. renewable cards. The holders are mounted in frames, preferably in alphabetical arrangement, and the frames are mounted in any suitable manner to permit of quick and easy reference, such as in cabinets or in book form. \Vhen a record card is filled, it may be photographed and copies supplied. to salesmen or other departments interested, while the original may bepasted in a book kept for the purpose of preserving a complete record of sales to individual custonr ers.

In the drawings which illustrate the in.-= vention;.-

Figure 1 is a fragmentary plan view of frame adapted to contain a plurality of card holders. N I

Fig. 2 is aplan view of one of the record cards. I

Figs. 3, 4; and 5 are cross sectional views illustrating different forms of frame construction.

Figs. 6 and 7 are end views illustrating Specification of Letters Patent.

inserted endwise.

Patented May 4:, 1920.

Serial No. 230,143.

different forms of card holding construction.

Fig; 8 is a fragmentary, perspective view of the card holder shown in- Fig. 7.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, 11 designates a rectangular frame adapted to slide in a cabinet similarly to a drawer or to be mounted in a suitable binder similarly to the leaves of a loose-leaf book. The method of storing the frames is immaterial as long as it is possible to refer quickly and easily to them. Each frame is provided with a pair of internal grooves 12 adapted to receive the record card holders. These grooves are provided in duplicate, as shown in Figs. 3, 4: and 5, so that the frames when filled will show records on both sides similarly to the pages of an ordinary book. The frames may be of any suitable construction, either woodor metal. Fig. 3 shows a cross section of a' frame made of rolled, drawn or cast metal. Fig. 4 shows a frame made of wood, the division 13 between the grooves 12 being, for the sake of strength and compactness, a strip of metal inserted in the wood. Fig. 5 shows frame formed by bending a strip of metal to the required shape. The frame may be permanently closed or may have one end 14 adapted for movement so as to open the frame. This may be 0011- veniently accomplished by hinging one extremity of the end, as at 15, to the side of the frame. To facilitate the insertion and removal of card holders, various means may be provided at intervals either in the closed or open types of frame; for example, notches 16 leading to the grooves 12 may be formed through which the holders may be removed or inserted by an edgewise movement. Another method of accomplishing the same result will be to provide openings 17 in the side of the frame, as shown in Fig. 5, through which the holders may be The holders themselves are merely strips 18 of metal turned over at the edges so as to form grooves 19 for the reception of the edges of the record cards. Where these holdersare of sufiicient length, it may be found possible to spring them into place in the frames without providing any special means for their admission. It is preferred to make these holders a sufficiently tight fit in the grooves of the frames so that they will remain in whatever position they are placed. This will be quite easy of accomplishment, owing to the folding over of the holder edges, which will provide a natural spring to engage the edges of the grooves. The purpose of having the holders fit sufficiently tight in the frames to prevent accidental movement is not only to hold them in whatever position they are placed but also to hold them against escape through the openings 16 or 17.

In order to economize space in the frames, the holders may be provided with end portions 20 inclined with respect to the plane of the holders, so that the holders when inserted in a frame will be inclined and may be arranged in a slightly overlapping relation, as shown in Fig. 7.

The records are inscribed on a plurality of cards, designated 21, 22, 23, 24 and 28. As an example, of what these cards may con tain, it may be stated that the card 21 may be inscribed with the salesmans number, the card 22 with all particulars as to the date and time the salesman will call on the customer, the card 23 with the customers phone number, and the card 24: with the customers name. Cards which would bear the numbers 25, 26 and 27 and which are not shown would be inscribed respectively with the customers address, business and commercial rating, as given by Bradstreets or a similar agency. The card 28, as shown in Fig. 2, is divided into fourteen columns and into a number of lines. umn will contain year dates, the next twelve columns represent months, and the last column, totals. The monthly sale totals for each year are entered along the year line and the yearly total in the last column. In this way, monthly totals and yearly totals for a number of years are brought together and may be readily compared with one another and with the credit rating, so that a glance will show whether a customers business is growing or shrinking. When an order is received from the customer, it is only a moments work to turn to the record and ascertain if the order is unusual in any way or if it exceeds the estimated safe credit. The record card shown is of the simplest form and it will be understood that it may be elaborated according to the requirements of the user. For example, additional columns may be provided for each month to show the amount paid by the customer and also the customers total indebtedness. In this way, the user can detect instantly any tardiness in meeting obligations, which would indicate that the customer was in financial difliculty. For convenience, the top of the frame may be inscribed with the classification names 29 of the various cards.

When a record card is filled or it is desired to change any of the other cards, the

The first col-' holder is removed from the frame and the cards slipped out endwise and replaced as desired. By arranging holder outlets at suitable intervals in the frames, any holder may be removed without disturbing adjoining holders, or at most, without disturbing more than one or two. When the record card 28 is completed and removed from the holder, it may be pasted on the page of a loose-leaf book allotted to the customer. This transfer record will show a complete summary of the customers purchases, etc., and will prove a very valuable .record. Nhen records are added to the transfer book, the page may be photographed and prints sent to travelers or any departments interested. On the other hand, the filled frames may be photographed periodically and copies sent to interested parties.

lVhile the invention has been described particularly as a system of recording sales,

it is obvious that it is not limited to this.

scribed, so as to show 'the quantity, de-

scription, method of packing, cost and sell ing prices, changes of price, and also any necessary dates in connection with such information. When used as a record of goods, the photographic reproductions will form new sheets for the salesmens books, thus avoiding the numerous mistakes which invariably occur when salesmen correct their stock books according to information sent them. According to this system, salesmen will merely substitute the fresh photographic reproduction in his stock book for the obsolete one. For all forms of its use, the feature of photographic reproduction is particularly advantageous, as it entirely eliminates error.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is In a device of the class described, a card holder comprising a body portion having its long edges overturned to form card receiving grooves, and end tabs for said body projecting beyond the ends of the overturned edge portion, said tabs being arranged in a plane inclined to the plane of the body.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand.

EUGENE LAVERGNE m RENAUD,

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