Index card register with selector device

Claim 1

An index card register with selector means for index cards, comprising: a housing having a cover member and a bottom member; a plurality of plate-shaped selector keys arranged next to one another and rearward or forward of one another; a drawer biased by a compression spring and adapted to be locked by a locking mechanism; index cards accommodated within the drawer, the index cards having selector cutouts in their rearward marginal portions and forming a stack of cards; wherein each selector key is attached to a pivot arm constructed as a lever, which lever is held in its initial position by resilient means and carries at its free end a card retainer device; wherein the card retainer devices interact with the index cards in such a manner that when a selector key is depressed all those index cards which lie on top of the index card to which this key is assigned are retained when the drawer is drawn out, while the selected index card and all index cards arranged thereunder can be moved out together with the drawer; and means for unlocking the drawer and releasing the index card which was selected by means of a selector key by pushing out the drawer by means of the compression spring, the drawer being provided with entrainment cams adapted to engage entrainment apertures of the index cards; said plate-shaped selector keys being square or rectangular and connected with said pivot arms in such a manner that the rearward selector key cantilevers to the left and the forward selector key cantilevers to the right relative to their respective pivot arms.