Telephone index

A telephone index with an index ca rd selection device, comprising:

• a housing having a cover and a base, said base having a base plate, a plurality of selection keys in the cover, a drawer for movement into and out of the housing, a spring for opening said drawer outwardly of the housing, said drawer defining a front region in the direction in which the drawer is opened and defining a bottom, a locking device for holding the drawer in the housing against the force of the spring, said drawer being arranged for receiving a stack of a plurality of index cards with selection stampings formed in the front region in the direction in which the drawer is opened, card hold-back pins in said housing, selection keys for actuating said card hold-back pins so they engage selection stampings of the index cards and for holding back the index cards above the engaged selection stamping when the spring moves the drawer outwardly of the housing, drivers on the bottom of the drawer for engaging the selected index card and underlying index cards when the drawer is moved outwardly, an unlocking device controllable by means of said selection keys for releasing the locking device for the drawer, biasing means of biasing the drawer upwardly toward said cover into a raised locking position in its front region away from the base plate of the base of the housing, said locking means including a stop on the cover for locking the drawer onto the cover of the housing, each selection key having a release arm for acting on the front region of the drawer on operation of a selection key and simultaneously pivoting a card hold-back pin with the release arm and having a rearwardly directed index card abutting surface said locking means and said biasing means being arranged so that pressing down a selection key forces the drawer with its front region down against the biasing means in the direction of the base and so that the release arm produces simultaneous release of the locking of the drawer on the cover and lowers the card hold-back pin onto a selected index card while simultaneously holding back the index cards located above said card.