US1027749A - Annunciator apparatus. - Google Patents

Description

M. B. MILLS.

ANNUNGIATOR. APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 17, 1912.

Patented May 28, 1912.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

M. B. MILLS.

ANNUNGIATOR APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED FEB.17, 1912. 1,027,749. Patented May 28, 1912.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

K A M m M. B. MILLS.

ANNUNGIATOR APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED 113.17, 1912.

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UNTTED sTATEsy PATENT oEEicE.

MOBTIMER B.VMILLs, or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A ssIGNoR To H. s. MLLLS, 0E OAK PARK,

ILLINOIS.

ANNUNCLATOR APPARATUS.

whichV the following is a specilication. The object of my invention 1s to provlde a construction of annunciator to coperate with a delivery-device for checks, or-.the like, under the control of'the operator, and cause operation of the delivery-device to display the amount to be' paid, yor value, de-A noted on orrby the check.

In the accompanying'drawings, Figurel shows my improved'inachine by a v1ew 1n vertical sectional elevation,`the section being .taken on line 1, Fig. 2; Fig. 2 is a section on the irregular line 2, Fig. 1 or Fig. 3; Fig. 3 is a section on the irregular line 5*, Flg. 1, and Fig. 4 is a section on line it, F 1g. 3.. 4

The entire mechanism= is contained-1n'- a suitable casing 5 shown'to be provided with a lock-equipped hinged lid 6 for convenient access to the interior, as lfor filling maga-.

zines 7 with stacks of `checks 8, shown in the form of disks.v VThe magazines, of which three are shown, all being alike, though the number -may be any desired, are suspended at arms 9 on their upper ends, to hang plvlotally from a 'rod 10 extending across the upper part of the casing near its upper end,

and 'thus be adapted to'be swung on their support lfor effecting, by swinging a magazine, delivery from it, as hereinafter de'- scribed, through a lateral frontvdlscharge slot 11 at its lower closed end into a cup -12 formed or provided in the ledge-portion of thel casing; the magazine also containinga rear slot-111 in line with the vslot 11.

Spring-retractedv push-rods 15, one for each magazine, are reciprocably supported.

near their'outer ends in the front wall of the ledge-portion 13 of the casing and at their inner ends in a wall 16 rising in the casing from its base and having bent fingers 17 extending from its upper edge to register, each, with a slot 111 in a different vmagazine, carrying a stud.18 engaged by the `bifurcated end of a curved armv 19 extending upwardly-from the'respective rod 15, whereby pushing the latter inwardly will swing the magazine in a backward direction to enter the finger' 17 in the path of a slot l11 into the latter to force the lowermost Specification of Letters Patent.

`rlaterally-displacing movement.

Patented May 2s, 1912.

Application led February 17, 191-2. Serial No.- 678,414.

zine to normal position.

A particular use to which my apparatus is advantageously applicable as an annunciator, and one 1n connection with which my invent-ion may be most readily explained would be in a barber-shop, where the barber, after serving a customer, ordinarily hands him a check marked with the amount due for, the service (say 15 c ents for a shave, 25 cents for ahair-cut, or 40 cents for both shave-and hair-cut) and which he 'takes to the cashier and pays. The annunciator enables the cashier, by glancing at it from the cashiers desk, to verlfy vthe correspondence of the amount represented by the annuncia-- tor with that displayed by the check,-as the result of the operation Vto produce .delivery of that check.

. A bank of levers, 21, 22 and 23, corresponding with the number of push-rods', extends transversely across and over the latter from the 'fulcrum-point of the levers, at 24, within the bottom part of the casing at its front side; and the levers are supported at their inner ends to work in horizontal guides 25 formed between a pair of' parallel posts 26, adjacent to one of which rises from the casing-base a stop-rod 27 to ,extend across the bank'or` levers and limit their extent of A spring 28 (Fig. 2) bears, in opposition to the stop 27, againstthe inner side of each lever adjacent to its fulcrum; and each lever terminates at 'its inner end, beyond the bank lof guides 25, in a laterally -a-nd forwardly projecting tongue 29, shown slightly curved. A lstud 151' rises `from one pushrod, but is onlylo'ng enough to engage the lowermost lever 21 by pressing that pushincreasing distances from the bank of levers in the direction toward the fulcrum v24, to produce the saine extent of movement' of the lever or levers, whichever push-rod 'the respective push-rods at progressivelycontaining a vertical slot 34, is fulcrumed a bell-crank, 35 having one, deflected, arm terminating in a curved head 36 toextend normally underneath the tongue 29 of the lowermost lever 21 the bell-crank having a tail-piece 37 project-ing from'the opposite side' of its fulcrum across the slot 34. The other arm of the bell-crank has fulcrumed to it a lever 38 connected by a relativelyweak spring 39 with a side of the casing, and by a relatively-stiff spring 40 with a stud 41 on the bell-crank near the leverfulcrum. The lever 38 terminates at its upper end in a laterally-extending arm 381, shown to be provided on its display-face with the numerals 1.5, 25 and 40, properly spaced apart. This -lever-arm is movable across an annunciator-opening 43 provided in suitable position in the face of the casing, there to display one or the other of. the aforesaid numerals according to the extent of turning on its. fulcrum the lever 38, as hereinafter described.

- From the front of the casing project horizontally two stop-rods `44, 44, between which extends a handle 45 onV a springpressed rock-shaft 46 journaled to extend in the casing across its base and-past the bearing 33, adjacent to which it carries a cam 47 to engage a lever 48 passing at .its free end through the slot 34 from its ulcrum at 49, for engaging the tail-piece 37 to return the lever 38 and bell-crank 35 tonormal position after each operation of the machine, described as follows :l

To effect the delivery of a check of any denomination from a magazine, the proper push-rod is pressed. Thus, by pressing the rod controlling delivery from the maga-` zine containing the stack of 15-ce`nt checks, the arm 19 on that rod is actuated to swing backwardly the magazine engaged by it and cause the respective nger 17 to pushV a check from the bottom of thestack into the cup 12.' By this movement of that push-rod, its stud 151 encounters only the lowermost lever 21 in its path, turning it on its uli cru'm to take the tongue 29 on its inner end out of the way of obstructing the head 36 against rising. Thereupon thespring 39 turns the lever 38 to' raise the head 36 until it strikes and is thus arrested by the nexthigher finger 29,v and that extent of movement of the lever is sufcient to carry the arm 381 thereon to a positionY relative to the opening 43 to register therewith and display through it the numeral 15, corresponding with the denomination of the delivered check. By then turning the rock-shaft 46 lto encounter the cam thereon with the lever -48, the rise of the latter against the tail- `piece 37 turns the bell-crank to withdraw the arm 381'to normal position, and likefrom the proper magazine, its stud 152 will actuate both levers 21 and 22 in the manner described, to'enable the head 36 to rise until it strikes the uppermost linger 29 and consequently -permit turning of the lever 38 far enough to display the numeral 25 at` the opening '43; and if Athepush-rod carrying the stud 153 be used 'to effecty a check-delivery from the40-cent magazine, that stud will turnvthe three levers 21, 22 and 23 to divert all the tongues 29 from obstructing the head4 36 and permit it to be raised by the spring 3 9 until arrested by encountering the stop31. In each instance oi operation, turning the. shaft 46 will, obviously, return theparts of the annunciator-mechanism to normal condition.

The stop 32 arrests'the lever 38 against lundue extent ofY movement in the direction toward it. The purpose of the relatively- ,strong spring 40 for connecting the lever38 with the bell-crank35, instead offo'rming it `integral therewith, is` to 'absorb shock.

Thus, if the-head 36 be operated to. rise against the stop 31, the momentum of the head would tend to carry the lever-arm 381 unduly far relative to the opening 43, and

jar the mechanism; whereas, in the event of such encounter, the spring 40 will tend to absorb the shock and will retract the leverarm 381 to proper registration of the intended number on it to be displayed, from the undue distance-it may have been carried by momentum past the annunciator-opening.

What Iclaim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is- 1. In.anannunciator-apparatus, the combination with a casing provided with a display-opening, of a bell-crank having a stophead on one arm, a spring-actuated lever having a laterally-extending arm bearing a series of annunciating characters on its display-face, said lever being fulcrumed to the bell-crank to be turned for moving said arm', by the force of said spring, across said opening, a relatively-stiff sprlng connecting the lever with the bell-crank to cause them to turn normally together, means releasably engaging said head to normally lock the bellcrank .against the force of said actuating spring, and means for restoring said bellcrank to normal position, for the purpose set forth.

2. In an annunciator-apparatus, the combination with a casing provided with Va display-opening, of a bell-crank havin a stophead and a tail-piece on opposite en s of one arm and a spring-actuated lever on its other arm provided with a laterally-extending arm bearing a series of annunciating characters on its display-face, a slotted bearing to which the bell-crank is ulcrumed to be turned by the forceof said spring to move said lever-arm across-said opening, a levell projecting at its free end through the slot in said bearing, a spring-retracted rock-shaft carrying an operating handle and a cam toA coperate with said last-named lever, and means releasably engaging said head to normally lock the bell-crank against the force of said actuating spring, for the purpose set forth.

In an annunciator-apparatus,'the conibination with a casing containing a displayopening, of a spring-actuated lever having an arm bearing a series of annunciating vcharacters on its display-face, said lever bein ulcrumed to be turned by the force ot said spring to -move said arm across said characters on its display-face, said lever being fulcrumed to be turned by the force of said spring to move said arm across said opening, a stop-arm connected e with said lever to turn therewith, a vertical series of spring-pressed levers 'extending at one end into-the path of said head, a stationary stop in said path above said lever series, and means for turning at Will any number ot' the levers of said series, for the purpose set forth.

5. In an annunciator-apparatus, the combination with a casing containing a displayopening, of a spring-actuated lever. having au arm bearing a series of annunciating characters' on its display-face, said lever being fulcrumed to be turned by the force of said spring to move said arm' across said opening, a stop-head connected with said lever to turn therewith, a vertical series of springpressed levers extending at one end into the path of said head, a series of push-rods, one for each lever in said series, and studspro- 'jecting from the push-rods across said levers for turning them out of said path by operating said rods, the stud on one rod being of a. length to engage only the lovverniost lever in said series, and the studs increasing in length e on the other push-rods to adapt them to engage progressively -increasing numbers of said levers,'for the purpose set forth.

MORTIMER B, MILLS. In presence of- A. U. THoR'mN, R. A. SCHAEFER.

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