US83378A - Improvement in indexes - Google Patents

Description

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HENRY H. 4HALL, OF BOSTON, MASSCIIUSE'I"IS. Letters Patent No. 83,878, dated October` 27, 1868.

nviPRovnMnNT IN INDEXES.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part of the same.

To all whom 'it may concern Be it known that I, HENRY H. HALL, of Boston, in

the colmty of Suffolk, and State ofMassachusetts, have invented an improved Index or Tabular Guide for Indexes, of which the following is afullhclear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making part of this specification, in which is illustrated one method of arranging my said index or tabular guide. Y

My invention has for its object to provide a ready means of indicating the location of anygiven name among any indefinite number of names, which shall serve as al guide to any name of a person; or an article in' a catalogue, or an index of itself to any place, book, or article in a library or collection of articles, and also to places on maps, 85o.; and my invention consists in a table composed of spaces for the reception ofletters of the alphabet, and for numerals, the spaces being arranged in rows, and each space in one row containing a letter and aiigure for its exponent, the value of denomination of the -igure being diiierent from that attached to the same" letter in the adjacent rows, in order to avoid any undesirable repetition of a particular combination of letters, the said liigures, when combined together, producing the whole or aggregate number corresponding to the name orrequisiteportion of name whose location is to be indicated. 4

To enable others skilled -in the art to understand and` use my invention, I will proceed to describe the man.

ner in which I have cairied it out.

In the said drawings is represented a sheet of card or Bristol-board, ruled into a number of vertical and horizontal rows, the number of spaces in'each row corresponding to the number of letters and characters inthe alphabet, the spaces in the upper horizontal row, and those in the left-hand vertical letter-row being occupied by theletters commencing with A, and alphabetically arranged therein, while each otherI horizontal and vertical letter-'row contains all of the letters of the alphabet in their proper order, and the character 8L, but does not commence with A. Each space, beside containing the letter, also contains one of the numerals, which serves as an exponent to denote the value ofthe letter.

To nd the several gures which, when combined, constitute the whole or aggregate number necessary to indicate any given name, we look fortherst letterI of the Christian or surname of the person, or name ofthe place or thing, in the rst or left-hand vertical lettercolumn, and the gure denoting its value, which we may (instead of carrying it in the mind,) write in pencil within a blank space set apart to the right, and intended as an erasive tablet. We then, in the same horizontal line as that of the rst letter found, look up the other letters in succession, and note down the iigures corresponding thereto to the right of the figure representing the rst letter found. The combination of numbers, or whole number, .thus found, will indicate the location oi' such namein a book numbered on successive pages to receive the names of persons, places, or things.

To find the location in an index of the name J. B. Robb, we look for the letter J in the left-handvertical letter-column, and iind for its exponent the figure 2; then finding the letter B in the same horizontalrow, we see that it is represented by the figure 2; next we nd the iigure 9 against the letter R, and the iigure 6 against the letter O, and the iigure 2 against the letter B, these ve iigmes making the number 22,962, which indicates the location of the name or number (22,962) belonging to it in the index-book previously numbered.

The tabular guide may also be used independently of any index or catalogue, and may of itself (without a catalogue or register) serve the purpose of a correct in dex for libraries, museums, and cabinets, Where books and various other alticles are deposited.-

Each book or article bearing a numberfand being placed, in its numerical order, upon shelveswhich are divided into sections, the book or article being readily found in its place, as soon as the number corresponding thereto is ascertained, by the combination of the several figures forming the exponents of the initials or first letters of its title. For instance, we Wish to find a volume entitled History of England; we look in the left-hand vertical line for H, and then for I, S, E, and N, on the same' horizontal row, and we nd the number of the book is 92,377, which, when its location on one of the shelves is found, contains the book indicated.

It is evident that it will rarely be possible for two names of different persons, places, or things, to be represented by the same combination of letters, but such occurrence would not in'any way be objectionable, as the duplicate would be in contiguous but distinct locations. l

Besides its application tothe purposes above enumerated, my invention Will be of great assistance in the compilation of census-records, and may be employed for various other similar uses, without departing 'om the spirit of myinvention.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is l The within-described index or tabular guide to indexes, consisting ofthe combination of letters and iigures, substantially as and for the .purposes set forth.

HENRY H. HALL.

Witnesses:

N. W. STnARNs, W. J. CAMBRIDGE.

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