Claims:
What I claim is
1. In a suspension-type file in combination, a file having two sides and a suspension rod having a substantially rectangular cross section, the diagonal of said cross section being aligned in a substantially vertical plane, hooks rigidly attached to the top edges of said sides, said hooks being in register with each other when the file is closed, said hooks being companionately shaped relative to said suspension rod so as to conform to the rectangular cross section thereof, each of said hooks being substantially centered on said top edges, the base of said hooks having a curvature which will guide said hooks on to said suspension rod when said file is moved horizontally toward said suspension rod with the open side of said hook facing toward said suspension rod, said hooks and said base of said hooks both being positioned substantially above the top edges of said sides.
2. In a suspension-type file as described in claim 1, wherein the said suspension rod has a square cross section and said hooks are companionately shaped so as to conform to the square cross section of said suspension rod.
3. In a suspension-type file as described in claim 1 wherein the said two hooks are made of a metal wire.
4. In a suspension-type file as in claim 3 in which said two hooks are made of configurated steel wire.
5. In a suspension-type file as in claim 1 in which the minimum clearance between the hooks and the body of the file is slightly greater than the length of the diagonal of the square cross section of said rod.
6. In a suspension-type file as described in claim 1 wherein the said suspension rod is an angle iron and said hooks are companionately shaped so as to conform to the rectangular cross section of one portion of said angle iron.
Description:
Color coding of the hangers of each document file is contemplated as is edge indexing. My index consists of a transparent plastic material formed in the shape of a double thickness T. The tail of the T is separable for the insertion of desired index material into the crossbar of the T. The plastic material having a resilience which will bring it back into closed T shape after insertion of the index material.
To aid in keeping files on related subjects adjacent to each other, a snap fastener may be attached at the top of each file with the male half on one side and the female half of the snap fastener on the adjacent side of the next file.
Other advantages are clearly set out in the following detailed objects, descriptive specification and related drawings.
The principal object of this invention is the provision of an improved suspension-type filing system including many novel components which make up the system arranged in a novel manner with respect to each other to produce new and useful results.
Another object of this invention is to provide novel means in a suspension-type filing system, of permitting the hangers, which support a plurality of file folders to be hung on a horizontally disposed elongated fixed rod in a manner which permits the hangers and file folders to slide laterally along the length of the rod from which they are suspended but prevents any rotational movement of the hangers and file folders with respect to the longitudinal axis of the supporting rod.
A still further object of this invention is to provide novel means, in a suspension-type filing system, for supporting a plurality of hangers for file folders, which means comprises a horizontally disposed elongated fixed rod, which is square or rectangular in cross section, and adapted to receive the plurality of hangers for file folders in a close fitting manner, each such hanger having a companionately shaped hook fixed or formed in the center of the upper portion thereof for the purpose of suspending it from the square rod, the fit between the horizontally disposed square or rectangular rod and companionately shaped hook of each hanger being loose enough to permit sliding of the hanger and file folder laterally along the square rod from which it is suspended but snug enough to prevent any substantial rotational movement of the hanger with respect to the longitudinal axis of the horizontally disposed rod.
Another feature of this invention is the provision of a diamond-shaped alignment guide raised from the surface of the folding file hanger just below the right square hook of the file folder hanger and a diamond-shaped hole formed in the surface of the opposite side of the folding file hanger just below the left square hook of the file folder hanger. These will serve to align both right and left square hanger hooks for perfect engagement with the elongated horizontally disposed square rod from which the file folder is suspended, said raised alignment guide is preferably tapered and while the raised male member has been described as below the right square hook and the female member described as below the left square hook of the two-piece hanger they may be reversed and serve the same purpose. The right and left are with respect to the person inserting the files which can only be put in one way, i.e., from the rear of the square hook.
These and many other objects and advantages of the present invention will readily become apparent from the following detailed description of one form thereof illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one of the hanging file folders shown suspended by its square hook from the longitudinally extending horizontally disposed square rod which is shown fixed at one end, the other end is also fixed in the same manner but is not shown in the drawing.
FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary diagrammatic side view illustrating one of the hanging file folders hung on a square rod by its companionately shaped hook, the square rod being shown in cross section.
FIG. 3 is a detail cross-sectional view taken on line 3--3 of FIG. 2 looking in the direction of the arrows.
FIG. 4 is a plan view of the outside of one of the hanging file folders shown in completely open position, showing left- and right-hand square hook hangers fixed thereto.
FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the hanging file folder shown in FIG. 4 in half closed position with a nylon post binder arranged for vertical filing.
FIG. 6 is a side view of one of the hanging file folders with square hook hanger fixed at the top in half closed position with a nylon post binder arranged for horizontal filing.
FIG. 7 is a perspective view of my novel plastic index.
FIG. 8 is a fragmentary side view showing another form of bent wire square hook.
Referring now in detail to the drawings in which like characters of reference refer to like parts throughout the several views, there is illustrated in FIG. 1, in perspective, a file folder numbered 12 in general, which has a hanger 14 fixed along the upper edge of folder 12, as it appears in FIG. 1. A square hook member 15 is formed in the upper portion of hanger 14 at its center, if it is of hardened plastic material, or fixed thereto if the materials used differ. An elongated horizontally disposed rod 16, which is square or rectangular in cross section is fixed at its extreme ends in an anchor fitting 17, which may be screwed or bolted to a wall, or fastened thereto in any well-known manner, in a cabinet or closet or between two walls.
The fittings 17 may be of metal stamping or other material. Only one end of square rod 16 is shown fixed in such an anchor fitting 17, for convenience.
A rod of square cross section is shown and preferred as giving the most convenient and easily used support for the files and the most economical in space. Other rectangular configurations such as angle iron.
The elongated horizontally disposed square rod 16 will accommodate the companionately shaped hook member 15 of hanger member 14 in a close fitting manner, as particularly well illustrated in FIG. 2 of the drawings, the fit is easy enough to permit sliding the hook onto the square rod 16, but the fit is snug enough to prevent any rotational or tilting movement of the hanger member 14 and its file folder 12 in relation to the axis of the elongated horizontally disposed square rod 16. This feature is of importance to permit easy engagement of the square hook 15 of hanger member 14 on and off the square rod 16 and to permit lateral sliding movement of hanger member 14 and the file folder 12 which it supports in suspended relation to horizontal square rod 16. Square rod 16 is positioned with its diagonal dimension in substantially vertical position for best operation and ease of filing and the minimum clearance between the hook and the body of the file is slightly greater than the length of the diagonal of the square cross section of the rod.
It will be noted in FIG. 4 that the file folder numbered 12 in general is divided into left- and right-hand halves, although it is composed of one piece of material. The hanger 14 has square hook 15 formed at the center of hanger 14, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 4. A diamond-shaped hole 18 is formed in the surface of the left-hand half of file folder 12 just inwardly of left-hand square hook 15, which will be just below said right-hand square hook 15, when the file 12 is folded and suspended from the horizontal square rod 16, as shown in FIG. 1.
A complimentary diamond-shaped alignment guide 19 is raised from the surface of the right-hand half of file folder 12 just inwardly of the right-hand half of square hook 15, which will be just below said right-hand half of square hook 15 when the file 12 is folded and suspended from the horizontal square rod 16, as shown in FIG. 1. The diamond-shaped alignment guide 19 of the right-hand half of file folder 12 is adapted to enter the diamond-shaped hole 18, formed in the surface of the left half of file folder 12 to cause exact alignment of the left- and right-hand halves of square hooks 15 which result in perfect placement of the square hooks 15 when suspended from the horizontally extended square rod 16, for the purpose described. Alignment guide 19 is preferably slightly tapered for ease of entry in hole 18. In place of hole 18 a recessed portion to receive guide 19 may also be used.
For extra strength, a flexible edge binder member 22 may be fixed in any suitable manner across the outer front edge of file folder 12 extending entirely across and around the front edge of the flexible file folder, as viewed in FIG. 4 from the left side edge of 12b to the right side edge of 12a.
In FIG. 1 the flexible edge binder member 22 is shown extending along and around the front edge of the closed file folder 12 as it appears when suspended by its square hook 15 from this horizontally disposed square rod 16.
An index member 24 is fixed to the outer edge of left side 12a of file folder 12 and appears at the bottom of left side 12a in FIG. 4 of the drawings. It also appears along the vertical left edge of file folder 12 in FIG. 1.
Said index member 24 is shown separately in FIG. 7. It is preferably formed of transparent plastic in a substantially T-shaped cross section as shown in FIG. 7. The two edges 27 are normally pressed together by the spring action of the plastic to form the tail of the T-shape cross section. The portion 28 which forms the bar of the T is designed to receive a strip of paper or any other means of recording an index, for either vertical or horizontal reading, which is slipped into the index member 24 and is held in place by the snug fit of the plastic. The index member 24 is positioned on the edge of the file 12 by slipping the edge of file 12 between the two edges 27 which may be forced apart for this purpose as shown in FIG. 7. It is retained in position by glueing or stapling to the edge of file 12. Snap fasteners, indicated at 25 for the male half on the left and 26 for the female half on the right, are attached, preferably at the top of each file. In this manner files of related subjects may be grouped and attached in a convenient manner.
The square hook 15 may be made of plastic or may be made of stiff cardboard such as the same cardboard as the file 12 is made of but with the hook portion stiffened by dipping in a suitable plastic or liquid such as water glass solution, shellac etc., so as to give the hook extra strength.
Another form of the invention is shown in FIG. 8 in which the hook is made of bent steel wire preferably galvanized, plated or coated and is spot welded or soldered at points indicated at 36, 37, 38, 39 and 40 in FIG. 8. The wire hook 33 has an elongated body portion 34 shaped from the same wire so as to be firmly attached to the upper edge of the file 35 preferably by folding over said edge 35 for firm attachment by distributing the load along the length of portion 34. The wire hook 33 has an additional advantage over the plastic or cardboard hook 15 in that due to its strength it can be made smaller in vertical dimension and therefore will take up less space for the same size files.
Another feature of this invention is illustrated in FIG. 5 which employs a well-known type of nylon post binder 30 arranged for the vertical filing of documents, that is lengthwise of file folder 12.
A variation in the use of the well-known type of nylon post binder is its arrangement for the horizontal filing of documents as illustrated in FIG. 6, the horizontally arranged nylon post binder is numbered 32 in FIG. 6 and has many advantages in filing computer printouts and the like.
This invention is not limited to the embodiment shown but changes and variations and alterations in the arrangement of the components and their use are contemplated which are within the scope of the inventive concept and within the scope of the claims.