US490099A - Cybtjs - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.)

B. BROWER.

LETTER PILE CABINET.

w: Norms Psrzns' co, mom-umu.. wAsHmsmw, D. c

NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

BLOOMFIELD BROWER, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

LETTER-FILE CABINET.

SPECIFICATION forming, part of Letters Patent No. 490,099, dated January 17, 1893.

Application filed May 3l, 1890- Serial No. 353,803. (No model.)

To a/ZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, BLooMFIELD BRowER, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York, county of New York, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Letter-File Cabinets, fully described and represented in the following specication and the accompanying drawings, forming a part of the same.

This invention relates to a device for causing the simultaneous locking and unlocking of a plurality of tiers or rows of letter tiles or drawers in a cabinet or closet. It has heretofore been common to provide a single row or tier of letter files or drawers with a lookin g device, consisting usually of a strip hinged to the same, which in one position, locks all the letter files or drawers in the row and which, when moved from that position, unlocks the same. Where the cabinet contains a number of such rows or tiers each provided with thel locking and unlocking device referred to, each row or tier would have to be separately locked and unlocked.

It is the object of the present invention to so connect the several locking devices that the several rows or tiers in the cabinet may be simultaneously locked and unlocked by the movement of the locking strip of one of the rows into position for locking or unlocking that row.

To this end the invention consists, in its preferred form and in the form in which it will be hereinafter described,in the provision of a rod having a swinging connection to the several locking strips of a plurality of tiers or rows, whereby upon the movement of any one of the locking strips into or out of its locking position, the locking strips of the other rows or tiers will be similarly moved, and by which, when the locking strip provided with a lock and key or other locking means has been locked in position to prevent the Withdrawal of the letter files or drawers in its tier or row the fastening strips of the other rows or tiers will be similarly locked in position to prevent the withdrawal of the letter files or drawers in their respective rows or tiers.

In the accompanying drawings: Figure l is 5o a front elevation of a letter file cabinet hav ing two rows or tiers of letter tiles provided with fastening strips embodying the present invention. Fig. 2 is a vertical section of the same'on the line 2-2 of Fig. l. Fig. 3 is a horizontal section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1;*and Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. l showing the locking strips in position for locking the letter files of the two rows or tiers.

Referring to said drawings it will be understood that A is an ordinary letter le cabinet and B its letter files,two rows or tiers of which are shown in the present case, although it is to be understood that the improvements of the present invention are equally applicable to a letter file cabinet in which a greater number of rows or tiers of letter iiles are employed than are illustrated in the present case.

The letter iiles B slide in and out of the cabinet A upon shelves b each provided with a hand opening c for the purpose of permitting the hand to be inserted beneath the letter i'le to withdraw it from the case when desired. The two rows of letter files B' are separated by a partition O extending from the base to the top of the cabinet. The partition O has hinged to it a strip D extending from the base of the cabinet A to the top of the same, which, when in the position in which it is illustrated in Fig. l, offers no obstruction to the withdrawal of the letter [iles B of the let't hand row in the cabinet A, but which, when moved from that position into the posi- `tion in which it is illustrated in Fig. 4 and locked in that position, either by lock and key or in any other suitable manner, will prevent the withdrawal of any of the letter iiles in that row or tier. The right hand row or tier of letter files B is provided with a similar locking strip E hinged to the side of the cabinet A, which, when in the position in which it is illustrated in Fig. l, will permit the withdrawal of the letter files Bin that tier or row, but which, when moved into the position in which it is illustrated in Fig. 4 will prevent such withdrawal. One of the strips D orE (D as shown herein) is provided with an ordinary lock g (see Figs. 2 and 4) by which it is locked to the cabinet Ain its opened and closed positions, the employment IOO of a lock upon inore than one strip for this purpose being rendered unnecessary by the improvements of the present invention, as will hereinafter appear.

The locking strips D E are each provided with a pin or stud a entering au opening provided in a rod F. This connection between the strips is such that upon the movement or locking and unlocking of one of said strips the other of said strips will be correspondingly moved or locked and unlocked, the lnovement of the one being imparted to the other through the connecting rod F, said rod upon the locking of one of said strips also preventing the movement of the other strips and thus similarly locking the latter, the two rows or tiers of letter les B or any other number of rows or tiers provided in the cabinet being thus simultaneously locked and unlocked by the locking or unlocking of the locking strip of any one of the rows.

The two locking strips D andE will preferably be so hinged to the cabinet that their upper and lower ends will lie within the overhanging top and the base of the cabinet, as illustrated in Fig. 2, or they may be hinged in recesses formed in the cabinet. The object of thus positioning the strips is to prevent their removal from their hinges, when in their locked position, for the purpose of unlocking the letter les; this positioning of the strips also preventing the removal of the connecting rod F from the strips for the same purpose.

The operation of locking the two rows or tiers of letter files B provided with the strips D E and connecting rod F, is as follows: When the strips D E are in the position in which they are illustrated in Fig. l the letter files B of the two rows in the cabinet are unlocked, and any Que of the letter iles may be withdrawn from the case. Vhen it is desired to lock the letter files of the two rows or tiers, the locking strip D will be moved by hand from the position in which it is illustrated in Fig. l to the position in which it is illustrated in Figxt and locked in that position by a lock g entering the base of the cabinet or in any other suitable manner. During this movement of the strip D the rod F will be moved toward the left, and the locking strip E, by reason of its connection to the rod F will also be moved into position to lock its row or tier of letter files, as shown in Fig. 4. The locking strips will also preferably be provided with means for locking them against movement in their unlocked position consistingin the present case of the lock g, the bolt of which, in this position of the strip, enters an opening at the proper point in the base of the cabinet, as illustrated in Fig. 2. It will thus be seen that by thus connecting the locking strips of the two rows or tiers of letter files the letter files of both rows may be locked or unlocked simultaneously and by the movement by the hand of but one of the strips, which movement, through the connecting rod F, is communicated to the other fastening strip, which is then similarly moved; and that the employment of but one lock and key or other securing device, upon one of the strips D or E, is all that is necessary to lock all the letter files in the cabinet.

It is obvious that the connecting rod F instead of being connected to the top of the strips D and E' as shown, may be connected to other portions of the strips, as for example, at their lower ends.

It will be obvious that this invention, although herein illustrated and heretofore described as applied to a letter iile cabinet, is equally applicable to other uses. It will be understood therefore, that the terms letter le cabinet and letter file used in such description and in the accompanying claims are intended to include such other applications of which the present improvements are capable. It will also be understood that where the term plurality of tiers is employed, it is meant to include either a number of tiers or rows each containing a number of letter files or drawers and each tier or row having a locking device, or a single tier or row containing a number of such letter les or drawers each of which is provided with a locking device such as illustrated, all of such locking devices being connected and operated as heretofore described, or any number of sets of tiers or rows arranged horizontally or one above the other the fastening strips of each set being suitably connected to the fastening strips of the others and the fastening strips of each set being connected together substantallyas heretofore described.

What I claim is:

l. In a letter file cabinet, the combination of a plurality of letter files, a plurality of independently mounted locking strips thereof and connections between said locking strips whereby upon the movement or locking and unlocking of one of said strips all of said strips are simultaneously moved or locked and u'nlocked, substantially as described.

2. In a letter iile cabinet, the combination of a plurality of tiers of letter files, a locking strip for each tier, and connections between said locking strips whereby upon the Inovement or locking and unlocking of one of said locking strips all of said strips are simultaneously moved or locked and unlocked, substantially as described.

3. In a letter file cabinet, the combination of a plurality of tiers of letter tiles, a locking strip for each tier, and a rod connected to said locking strips, whereby upon the movement or locking or unlocking of one of said strips all of said strips are simultaneously moved or locked and unlocked, substantially as described.

4. In a letter file cabinet, the combination with a plurality ofk locking strips hinged to my hand in the presence of two subscribing the cabinet, of the rod F, and connections be- Witnesses. tween each of said locking strips and the rod F consisting of a pin or stud e upon the for- BLOOMFIELD BROVVER 5 mer entering an opening in said rod, substan- Witnesses:

tially as described. T. H. PALMER,

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set FRANK KEHOE.

It is hereby certified. that in Letters Patent No. 490,099, granted January 17, 1893, upon the application of Bloomfield Brower, of New York, N. Y., for an improvement in Letter-File Galoinets,77 an error appears in the printed specification requiring the following correction, viz.: In line 108, page 2, the word thereof should read therefor; and that the said Letters Patent should be read. with this correction therein that the same may conform to the record ofthe case in the Patent Office. Y

Signed, countersigned, and sealed this 31st day of January, A. D. 1893.

[SEAL] GYRUS BUSSEY,

. Assistant Secretary of the Interior. Gountersigned W. E. SIMONDS,

Commissioner of Patents.

Images