407,380. Checking transactions. NATIONAL CASH REGISTER CO., Dayton, Ohio, U.S.A.-(Assignees of Goldberg, M. M. ; 628, Plymouth Avenue, Ohio, U.S.A.) Aug. 12, 1932, No. 22592. Convention date, Aug. 27, 1931. [Class 106 (i).] A cash register or similar accounting machine having an adding and subtracting or balance totalizer and control means therefor, is provided with means for automatically selecting the positive or negative side of the totalizer for total-taking and for automatically selecting on a successive operation one or other of two totalizers for storing positive or negative balances transferred from the balance totalizer, the automatic means being controlled by the balance totalizer itself. The invention is described as applied to a machine of the Shipley type, and consists in that depression of the repeat key immediately following an operation involving the resetting of the balance totalizer causes the total thus cleared to be entered automatically into a " New Balance +" or " New Balance - " totalizer according as to whether the total is positive or negative. Keyboard. The machine is provided with the usual banks of amount keys 100, Figs. 1 and 2, three banks of transaction keys 132 ... 141, a bank of total keys 492 ... 497 to control the positioning of the usual total-taking control plate, a repeat key 853 and motor bar 400. In addition, an error-correcting lever 485 is provided and a lever 1093, operation of which is necessary to permit insertion of the statement sheet between the feed rolls. The keys 132, 133 in the first transaction bank serve to control the printing mechanism on certain operations. Of the keys 134 .... 136 in the second transaction bank, the two lowest 134 are pick-up keys, the upper serving to enter a positive old-balance into the balance totalizer and an individual totalizer, and the lower into the balance totalizer only. The keys 135 comprise listing keys and a " Total Checks " key and serve to enter the amounts of withdrawals into the balance totalizer, individual totalizer and a grand totalizer. The key 136 controls a positive new-balance totalizer that is automatically selected by the balance totalizer on a repeat operation following a total-taking operation in which the balance was positive. The keys 137-141 in the third transaction bank control the receipt and negative balance totalizer in a similar manner to that described for the keys of the second bank, except that the receipt keys 140 do not act as listing keys. Keyboard interlocks. The bank of keys 492 ... 497, Figs. 1, 2, 3, 6 and 9, that controls the positioning of the total-taking control plate is provided with two slotted locking plates 503, 503 co-operating with the key pins 501. These plates are supported at their upper ends by a floating lever 504 pivoted centrally on a pin 505 to an arm 506 and spring- urged upwardly. The slots in the plates are such that if one plate moves one increment upon the depression of a key, the other moves three increments and vice versa, or if one plate moves two increments, the other also moves two increments. Thus the pin 505 moves downwardly two increments whichever key is depressed, this movement being utilized to release the machine and through a cam plate 510 to disable a stop 612 for the differential mechanism. The locking plate 503 is connected at its lower end through a link 516 to a shaft 522 carrying three staggered ears 523, 524, 525 co-operating with blocking pawls 526 depressed by the cam plates 402, Fig. 30, of the three transaction banks. The locking plate 502 is connected to a similar series of ears also co-operating with the blocking pawls 526, the arrangement being such that depression of a transaction key prevents depression of a total or subtotal key relating to a bank other than that containing the depressed key. The keys 492 ... 497 are retained in depressed condition by the engagement of a flange 570 between studs 571 on the link 516, the flange being carried by a sleeve 790 on the usual shaft that is rocked during total-taking. The keys are restored upon release by the camming action of the locking plates. Depression of two keys relating to different banks is prevented by the shape of the slots in the blocking plates, while depression of two keys relating to the same bank is prevented by a crowding-lock plate 557, Fig. 3. Differential-mechanism for amount and transaction keys. The differential-mechanism for the amount keys and second and third banks of transaction keys are of usual type and operate in the usual manner, that for the third transaction bank being shown in Fig. 52. The differential-mechanism for the first transaction bank is shown in Fig. 39 and comprises the usual latch-supporting arm 166 that may be stopped in the " zero," " 1 " or " 9 " positions by a stop-pawl 195 or the keys 132, 133 respectively, or in other positions by the abutment of a notched differential arm 173 with stop levers 188, 190, the former being active during normal operations and the latter during subtotal and total taking operations. Differential-mechanism for total-taking control plate. The usual total-taking control plate is positioned by a bank of keys 492 .... 497, Fig. 3, being connected through gearing including a shaft 622 to an actuating sector 620 rigid with a differential arm 616. This arm is normally set in the position shown, to hold the plate in its neutral position, by a pair of scissor-like arms 603, 604 that during each normal operation converge on the stop 612 and abut the upper and lower edges of the differential arm by studs 614, 615. The scissor-like arms are mounted on a stud 602 and have extensions 600, 601, operatively connected by links 594, 595 to a roller 596 situated in a cam-slot 597 that is given a constant excursion by cams on the main shaft 107. Depression of a total or subtotal key disables the stop 612 and causes the scissor-like arms to converge on the stem of the depressed key, positioning the differential arm and total plate correspondingly. An aligner is provided to hold the plate in its adjusted position. " Fugitive one " mechanism. When an amount greater than that standing on the balance totalizer is subtracted, the transfer tooth on the negative overflow wheel of highest order trips a pawl 327, Fig. 48, thus releasing a lever 334 to rock clockwise. A stop 344 is thereby removed from the path of a shoulder 345 on a rack 346 while a nose 343 of the lever is positioned to act as a fulcrum for a stud 353 of a link 351. This link is pivoted at its upper end to the rack and is normally given an idle rocking movement at each cycle by a cam 363. However, when the stud 353 abuts the nose 343, the link shifts the rack to the left rotating a mutilated pinion 367 and rocking a tappet 381, Fig. 52, clockwise. The tappet abuts an arm 385 of a rocker 382 that is therebv shifted counterclockwise, which movement moves a pitman 390 to the right and through a stud 396 thereon trips the usual transfer plate for the units denomination to add the " fugitive one " to that order. On the other hand, when an amount is added to the balance totalizer in excess of the negative balance standing thereon, the rack 346, Fig. 48, acts through mechanism similar to that described to shift the rocker 382 clockwise to its normal position, and in so doing adds one unit to the positive wheel of lowest order. The mechanism is restored to normal condition during the next operation by the abutment of the differential actuator of the highest denomination with a stud 398 on a bell crank 340 that is thereby caused to rock the lever 334 counterclockwise. Totalizers. Control by transaction keys. The totalizers are arranged in three lines in the usual manner, the balance totalizer being situated in the upper line. The totalizers in the front and rear lines are selected and engaged under the control of the second and third banks of transaction keys in the usual way, except that in adding operations the totalizers are left in engagement with their actuators until the beginning of the next operation. The balance totalizer is controlled by the first transaction bank and assumes its subtracting position when the differential of that bank stops in one of the positions " 0 " to " 4 ", and its adding position when the differential stops in one of the positions " 7 " to " 9 ". The differential of the first transaction bank is controlled during normal add and subtract operations by the keys of the second and third banks. For this purpose, the keys 134 and the " Total Checks '' key of the second bank co-operate with a segment 264, Fig. 41, connected through a bell crank 270 and bail 271 to a finger 273, Fig. 39, having a step 274. In a similar manner, the keys 137, 140 of the third bank co-operate with a segment 265, Fig. 44, to position a finger 280. A spanning lever 274 straddles a pair of studs 281, 282, Fig. 39, projecting from the fingers and is operatively connected through levers 284, 285 to the zero stop pawl 195 of the first bank, with the result that when any one of the keys mentioned above is depressed, the stop pawl is disabled and the differential is controlled by the stop lever 188, the second stop lever 190 being in ineffective position during these operations. The stop lever 188 is normally held in the position shown by a restraining bell crank 296 that bears with one arm below a stud 293 on the stop lever and with its other arm against a shoulder 303 of a latch 304. This latch is crippled, when the machine is released, to permit the stop lever to rock under the control of the adjusted finger 273 or 280. Depression of a key 134 or 140 stops the differential in the " 8 " or " 9 " position, respectively, to move the balance totalizer to adding position, while depression of a key 137 or the " Total Checks " key 135 stops the differential in the " 4 " or " 3 " position, respectively, to set the balance totalizer in subtracting position. Depre