Filing system

Claim 1

IN A FILING SYSTEM INCLUDING A FILE HOUSING HAVING A BOTTOM AND OPPOSED SIDE WALLS WITH FREE TOP EDGES, THE IMPROVEMENT COMPRISING: (A) A BASE MEMBER HAVING AN UPPER SUPPORTING SURFACE, SAID BASE MEMBER BEING POSITIONABLE WITHIN SAID FILE HOUSING, SAID SUPPORTING SURFACE BEING SPACED ABOVE THE BOTTOM OF SAID HOUSING AND HAVING AT LEAST ONE PAIR OF OPENINGS EXTENDING THERETHROUGH, AND (B) AT LEAST ONE DIVIDER COMPRISING A FLAT, SEMI-RIGID PLATE HAVING UPPER AND LOWER PORTIONS, BEING REMOVABLY POSITIONED ON SAID BASE MEMBER, AND ADAPTED TO BE INCLINED ON SAID BASE MEMBER, SAID DIVIDER HAVING: (1) A PAIR OF POSITIONING TABS EXTENDING DOWNWARD FROM AND INTEGRALLY WITH THE LOWER PORTION OF THE PLATE IN THE SAME PLANE THEREOF, THE TABS SPACED APART TO BE IN REGISTRY WITH AND DISPOSABLE THROUGH SAID PAIR OF OPENINGS IN SAID BASE MEMBER, (2) SHOULDER MEANS EXTENDING FROM EACH SIDE OF THE PLATE AND ADAPTED TO OVERLIE EACH SIDE WALL OF SAID HOUSING, THE LOWER PORTION OF EACH SHOULDER MEANS ENGAGEABLE WITH THE TOP EDGE OF A SIDE WALL, AND (3) LOCKING MEANS WITHIN EACH POSITIONING TAB, COMPRISING A GENERALLY RECTANGULAR LOCKING TAB HAVING UPPER AND LOWER PORTIONS, THE LOWER PORTION BEING INTEGRAL WITH AND IN THE PLANE OF EACH POSITIONING TAB, THE UPPER PORTION BEING FORMED FROM AN INVERTED U-SHAPED CUT IN THE POSITIONING TAB AND BEING DISPLACED OUT OF BOTH THE SURFACE AND THE PLANE OF THE POSITIONING TAB, THE TOP EDGE OF THE LOCKING TAB DEFINING IN CROSS-SECTION A SUBSTANTIALLY STRAIGHT LINE APPROXIMATELY EQUAL IN LENGTH TO THE THICKNESS OF THE TAB, AND EXTENDING GENERALLY NORMAL TO THE PLANE OF THE POSITIONING TAB, THE CLOSED PORTION OF THE INVERTED U-CUT DEFINING A GENERALLY STRAIGHT LINE THE COMBINED THICKNESS OF EACH DIVIDER AND ITS ASSOCIATED LOCKING MEANS AS MEASURED ALONG A PLANE NORMAL TO THE PLANE OF THE PLATE, BEING LESS THAN THE CORRESPONDING DIMENSION OF THE OPENING IN SAID BASE MEMBER, ONLY WHEN SAID DIVIDER IS POSITIONED IN A PLANE EXTENDING SUBSTANTIALLY NORMAL TO THE PLANE OF SAID BASE MEMBER.