US1065674A - Adding-machine. - Google Patents

Description

H. L. FISHER.

ADDING MACHiNE.

APruonIoN num JUNI; 5, 1905.

Patented June 24, 1913.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

wm N H. L. FISHER.

ADDING MACHINE.

APPLIoATIoH FILED JUNE 5, 190s.

1,065,674. Patented June 24, 1913.

2 SHEBTSSHEET 2.

UNITE sra'rns PATENT oFFIen.

HARVEY' I.. FISHER.,l or DETROIT; MICHIGAN, AssIGNoB, To BURROUGHS ADDING MACHINE COMPANY, or DETROIT. MICHIGAN, A CORPORATION 0F MICHIGAN.

ADDING-M ACHINE.

Specification o( Letters Patent.

Patented June 24, 1913.'

Application tiled June 5, 1905. Serial No. 263,851.

To all fic/mm 'it muy (foncer/L Be it known that I .vllstzvsr L. FISHER, a citizen of the United States. residing at. the city of Detroit, in the count-y of rayne and State of lllichilg'an. have invented certain new and useful Improvements i'n dding Machines7 of which the lfolloit'inzer is a description, reference beingr had to the accompanying drawings, forming part.` of this specification.

My invention relates to machines, such as adding machines. cash registers and other calculatingr machines. in which a plurality of operating keys are employed, andA in which the keys are required to he temporaril \7 detained in their operated or set positions after beingv moved thereto, and it has for its object. theprorision ofvimprov'ed lneansfor detaining the keys in operated or set. positionand for releasing and permit.- tinp; then: yto be returned to normal position.

l ha ve' illustrated my invention as applied to the well known Burroughs adding machine. shown and described in a number of prior United States Letters Patents.- such as Burroughs' Patents 'No.s. 504.963, and 505.072. issued. onSeptember 12, 1.893, but its utility is not confined to that, particular type of machine.

' ln the accompanying dr'awingIsFigure (l is a. vertical loi'igitudinal section of the keyhoard of an addingr machine-in this instance the Burroughs machine referred to; Fig. 3- a detail view in side elevation of the detent plate cooperating n'ith'one of tho rows ot' keys of such machine; Fig. 3 a sectional detail of Fig. l. showing one ofthe lfe'lvs depressed and held in operated or set position by the detent platei Fig. 4 a perspeetire detail of one of the bell-crank plates; Fig. 5 a perspective detail of the releasing' lever-or bell-(xrank: Fig. C a detail in side elevation of a modified construction; Figs. 'I and R detail views of a lockinl` bar; l"i. Sl au elevation of one of the nui'nher keys: and Fig. l0 a side elevation of a Burroughs machine. showing an operating;r connection for the lockingbars.

The same letters of reference. refer to identical parts in the several views.

Referring to the particular embodiment of my invention, herein "shown in connection ends of the keys, in the .present instance shaped as show-n, rest upon the approximately horizontal arms of the key levers or bell-cranks 217 which are fulcrumed upon the transverse rods Q00, and tothe lower ends ofwvhose depending vertical* arms are 'connected the upper rear ends of the stop rods or wires 270 of the Burroughs machine.

As is well known, the lower forWerde-nds of these stop wiresv are bent at. righ'tangles through the guide slotsinthetix'ed -frame plate ZlOvancl serve as stops 'to'arre'st.v the downward movement of the actuatin sectors of the machine (Fig.'10) at di erentA V v c.

points according to the particular key whichv is operated. Resett-ing springs2`84 connect`' ed at their lower ends to pins 259 upon they bell-cranks 217 and at tlxeirupperends-to y 'lugsllOa struck out of the'frame plate 210,' Vserve to yieldingly hold the" bellfcranksV 217 in .their normal positions ,shownin' Fig. ,l, and cause them Ito suppgnrt-fthe` keys 221 in elevated position. rhea nyf'kfe'y 221.- is-depressed it carries Ithe bell-crank '217 beneath it (against the stress of the resetting spring) and throws the lower` end of 'the bell-crank rearward. thereby drawing the forward end' of the stop rod or wire 270 lc cmneete'd'to said bell-crank rearward in its-slot, -nf'tzhe frame plate 210. into poston't-o aetasa Shop the movable scf-bor hereinbeforeftreferred l To detain the bell-crank and. its connected top in such operated or set positiom'while the ensuing operation of the machine is takingr place l provide the detent plate 1 shown in Fig. 2. This detent'plate' is mounted in suitable. gudeways Vt`o` rnove longitudinally `jecting from the sides of the bell-cranks 2l?, to which end the rear or left hand Sides or edges ofthe detente are rearwardly inclined or beveled, as shown, and at their lower ends provided with rounded corners at their points of junction with the lower Sides of the detente, A suitablel spring, hereinafter referred to, presses the detent plate i rearwardly in its guide-nays, so that the pins 217 upon the bell-cranks rest against. or in proximity to the rear walls of the detents la immediately above the rearwardly inclined portions. thereof, as shown in Fig. l, and also in the case of the first and third keys in Fig. 3. Y

It results from the foregoing construetion and arrangement of parts that when any .key 221 is depressed and the horizontal arm'of the bell-crank beneath it thereby forced downward, the pin 217 uponA such hell-crank riding over the inclined or beveled surface of the detent l beneath it., will force the detent plate forward or to the right until the pin 2li'a clears the rounded corner of the detent and p below the latter, whereupon the spring operating upon the detent plate will move the latter rearward to normalposit-ion again and carry the detent over the pin of the depressed bell crank, as in the case of the middle key and bell-crank in Fig. 3, and thereby lock the l bell-crank and its connected parts in their operated or set position.

The operated bell-crank is'iieleased and returned with its key to no1-mail position at the end of the operation of the machine by means of the releasing bell-crank 228 connected to the 'upper rear end of the detent plate 1, and shown in perspective det-ail in Fig. 4. The vertically projecting arm S225? of this hell-crank 228 tits in a notch 1b out in the under side of the detent plate 1 at its rear end, Fig. 2, and a spring 283 connected to a forwardly projecting arm of the bellcrank serves to press its vertical arm rearward and thereby yieldingly maintain the detent plate 1 in its rearward or normal position. The releasing bar or rod 202 cooperates with the rearwardly projecting arm of the bell-crank 228, and at theend oi each operation of the machine is lnoyed from the position indicated by the solid line -in Fig. 1 to the position indicated by the dotted line, thereby rockingl the bellrrank upon its fulcrum, forcing the detent plate L forward, and releasing the operated or set. bell'crank 217 and .permittingr its resetting spring` 284 to restore it and the depress-cd key 221 to normal position. The rod 209 is common. to the releasing; bellrranks 228 ot' all of the detcnt plates l for all of the rows of keys in the machine, so that at the end oi the operation of the machine all of the op erated or set bell-cranks are released and Looser@ returned with their keys to normal position,

T he foregoing operation and result of. temporarily detaining the operated keys or their bell-cranks in 'moved position, and releasing,r and restoring them to normal posi tion at the end of the operation of the inaelsine, are, broadly speaking', the saine' as in the Burroughs and similar adding machines now in use; and my present invention relotes to the particular construction of the detent. plate, or its detenta, and the coperating element upon the liclbcrank or key, whereby the operated bell-crank is not only detained in moved position by the detent, but whereby it may be released With certainty and restored to normal position upon the depression of any other key in the same denominational row or series. it frequently happens that the operator of a machine may inadvertently depress the Wrong key, and, disetwerinaF the error before the operating handle or' the machine moved, dcsirc to correct it. i This may be done,v by operating; the usual release key of the machine (not shown) which serves to nieve the rod 202 from its position indicated by the solid line in Fig.' l to the position indicated by the dotted line, and thereby release not only the erroneously depressed key but all other keys which mayA have been correctly/opei'ated; or it may be done by means of a special release key serving to move only the detent plate of the particular row or keys containing the erroneously operated one, with which individual release key some machines are provided; but inthe present instance I provide for the automatic release of the erroneously depressed key by the mere depression of another key in the same row or series. This automatic release of erroneously depressed keys is not a broadly new result., but has been heretofore provided 'for in cash registers and other analogous' machines, and is not, in itself, ditlicult of accomplishment; but in an adding machine, such as the Burroughs and similar ma- -chincsjfthe employmentof ordinary automatic release constructions is nota pnacticable, for the reason that the llightness of touch ot the operating keysmust be left unimpaired, and the friction ofthe coperating parts consequently reduced to a minimum, while the automatic release of one key by the depression of another is provided for with absolute certainty, since ifit Were possible to depress a Second key without releasing thelirst the entire automatic release arrangement would he worthless.

ln the construction which l have provided, and which has been described above, the shape of the detente and of the coperationA elements upon the bellcrank, and the relative strength oi the reseltim` springs forI the bell-crank and detent plate, are such that the resistance offered to the depression of the keys is=not materially increased, the operated bell-crank is caught and held with certainty by the detent plate at the end of the depression of the key, while upon the depression of any other key in the series the bell-crank of the first operated key is released and restored with its key to norv mal position with absolute certainty. This result is due to the coperating rounded surfaces which theI detentand pin upon the bell-crank present to each other, and to the fact that the resetting spring for the bellcrank is of sufficient. strength to overcome any friction which may occur between the pin upon the bell-crank and the rounded corner of the deteut as the former passes upward over the latter in the rele-ase of the belbcrank. As is well understood in the art,.it is notpracticable to construct aut-omatic release devices of this general character with such absolute accuracy, and to maintain them in such perfect adjustment, that the depression of each key in the row or series will move the detent plate exactly the Seme distance as will the depression of each and every other key in the series, and thereby cause the depression of a second key in the row to release with certainty a`pre Iviously depressedkey, without taking into aocount and providing meu-ns for overcoming friction between the -ino`vin' ,y parts of the release keyand detent plate. Uder the construction which I have-provided, eren if the depression of a second key in therow does not serve to move the ydetent plate far enough to cause the deten't corresponding to the correspondingly depressed key to move entirely clear of the pin upon the bell crank' associated with the latteman'd thereby positively release the bell-crank and permit it to move upward without any friction between its pin and the rounded. point of the detent, nevertheless the movement of the detcnt plate to even approximately such position will bring the rounded point of the detent. into such relation to the rounded surface ofthe pin upon the bell-crank that the resetting; spring for the latter will readily lift it and overcome the slight friction occurringr between the pin and detent. Of course, resettingvsprings could be provided of sutlicient strength to overcome a considerable amount of friction between the detent plate and the coperatirmr element upon-the bell-crank or upon the key, but as every increase in the strength of the resetting; springs increases the resistance offert-.d to

the de ression of. the ke s, and thereby im- P Y pairs the lightness oftouch of the keys, which is so highly desirable as to be substantially essential in machines of this chan actor, it follows that a construction which reduces to thev minimum the amount of friction required to he overcome in the reset'L ting of the parts is of the highest utility.

rlhe particular construction of detentand cviiperatini clement nhirh l-hare provided forl the Burroughs machine may he en1- ployed with advantage in other machines which do not employ the bell-cranks 217 or any element corresponding thereto, and in Fig. 6 I have illust-rated a construction in which the pins 217 which coperaie with the drtcnts l aremountcd directly upon the stems of the keys 221. l

My invention also has for its object thc prorision of means for lockingT in operated or depressed condition. any one or more of the keys aft-er being operated and preventiner the operation of any of the keys on the keyboard. after the operation of the machine has been started, that is, after the operating handle has been started on`its forward movement., in case such a handle is employed. as in the present instance, Such means beirrgT associated and arranged to operate in conjunction with the reset -key mechanism or so called flexible keyboard hereinbefore described. As hereinafter eXf plained. the construction and operation of the additional partel about to be described .are such that after the operation of the mai chine has been started the item set up on the keyboard is unalterable, inasmuch as the item cannot be reset or changcd for! the operated keys are locked down and the remaining.: keys are. locked up. i i

Referring to the embodiment of my inA vention relating to the key-locking mechV` anism, I provide a series of sliding bars or plates A 'corresponding in number to the number of the denominations reprcsentcifl on the keyboard and extending in line with the keys representing thel digits ot each row of. keys. These sliding bars or strips A are arranged between the two keyboard )lates` 212 and 213, andas illustrated in Figs. 1 and 10, such bars Slide upon the lower keyboard plate 212. The stoms of the valve or number keys pass through their respectivo sliding bare., to which end such hars are providedas illustrated in Figs. 7 and 8, with a series of longitudinal slots-1, cach bar being,

of course provided with nino slots. for the nine digit keys but, as will be understood, the slot corresponding to the l key may bc an open slot, instead of closed slots corre .spondinfrr lo the other keys. ends o of the slots are made obliqiu` for the purpose of cooperating with the correspondingly obliquil notches Q21 and 2:31 out into oml of thc corners ot" the rearward edge ot each of the key stems, as illustrated in dctail in Fig. Sl. lv'hen`r thcrefori-, the parts are. in normal position.v as illustrated in Fig. 'i'. the key stems are free to be moved up and The rearward veach slot. will enter one or the other of the notches in the keystems accordingly es such keys have heen operated or depressed or not.

ln case a particular key hes not "been dcpressed. thenthe oblique end c" of its slot will enter the notch 221 of that key stem, whereas in cese such particular key depressed, then such end of the slotwould cngage the upper notch 221B of the lrey stem. It will thus be seen that these hers loci: the keys in up or down position accordingly as they may be in up or down position when the bars were actuateda For the purposeof automatically and ot the proper time actuating or sliding the bers A, I provide, in the present inst-ence,

'an operating connection which is under the control of e, movable part of the machine,

which is always operated or moved et every operation of the machine. In the present instance, I utilize for this purpose es the actuating or movable part, the well known sector 311,v errenged on the right bend side of the machine and secured upon the mainY operating shaft 300, :is seen in Fig. '10. Upon the cross shaft 202 /Q which, inthe regular Burroughs mchine, is a cross rod forvsupporting the slidingr oars 211i, I mount Ae. bail, consisting of the parallel side. arms B and cross strip or bar @extending transversely of the keyboard just in the rear of the rearward end of the lower keyboard plate 212 The cross bar C of the oeil is operatively connected with each one of the specialsliding bars A, es hy means of the upwardly extending pins c arranged to pasfs` through openings neer the rearward end of r the sliding hers A, es seen in Figs. l, 7 and 10. In the present instance,I the rod *2621/2 `is a rock shaft and is provided et its right hand end with :t crank arm D operatively connected with the sector T311 insuitable manner, es by means of the link E pivotally connected to such crank arm at its upper end and having a pin and slet cfumection at its lower end with. the sector 311.- In the present instance, the link .Eris pro, vided near its lower end with en. elongated slot e adapted to receive a stud or pin ll, projecting laterally from the sector;

As shown in the' drawings, Fig. 10, the bail is normally spring presed forwardly, as by means oi the coiled/spring Zi, but according to the construction herein shown, the bail is restrained against such forward movement by the action of the sector 31]. upon the link E and consequently upon the heil itself. In the normal positivov of the noemen sector Sli, as shown .in Fig. 1G, the pin 311. bears againstthe 'upper end ofzthe slot c and is at this time holding the heil in its rearwardly rockedweition, against the tension of the spring I), with the result i that the 'series of sliding bars A. are held to au inoperative position with respect-.to the stems of all of the keys. When, however, the moin shaft I300 ot the machine is rocked or moved in an anti-clockwise direction and the sector 311 correspondingly rocked. the restraint upon the heil through the link connection is removed and the spring 7) is thereupon permitted to rock the heil rearwardly, thereby carrying or sliding all of the bars A forwardly and locking the keys up ory down, as the cese may be, in the manner already fully explained. lt is seen that upon the initial movement or operation of the machine the keys are locked and the item or amount set up thereon is fixed unalterebly during such operation of the nurl chine. 'Upon the restoring stroke or movement of the main shaft 300 the pin or stud 311 which, on the forwardv Stroke oic such shaft moved freely in the elongated slot c will, neer the end of the return stroke, bear against the upper end of the slot c end. shift the link E upwardly, thereby rocking the heil against the' tension of its spring o and sliding the series-of bars A, thereby unlocking the keys, so that -the latter may be ready for the next operation. Thus, prior to the operation of the machine, thatl is prior to the initial movement of the main operating shaft 300, the different keys may be reset and the :imount of en item changed at the will of the operator',- for the purpose of correcting any error in setting up such item, lout such resetting is absolutely pre,- vcnted upon the initial'movement of the mein shaft of the machine, as just described Having thus fully ,describediny invention i .vided with pins or studs, a .longitudinally reciprocating detent plete spring piessed to normal position and provided with detente havin@ inclined surfaces with which said pins or studs coperatie, nie-ens for resetting the heli-crenlrs, e bell-crank operatively corn nected with the plete, and means for roc-liing the 'bell-crank to reciproca@ M10 plum i ami ihcrby r'eiiiase my niwinimf iwi' und y lis belwfi'zmk; subfemnliniiy :a5 debiti-limi.

Tim

uumbiimtnu :if iin dopw -ihlwf iis ogieaiatu iwi'vhjy. und im vided with g is mandy. u imigihhiimly i xea-pimuisig dutmit pini@ ai fhg.: www to minimi posi, u anni pif'niivd wid; 1i; tents having int-)invii siiifzwuv wih niiirfii 'mid pin mi fwmf wifmi'zitif, imam' fm' 2i setting he bci-rxfmks, ai bciiwmli hiv.' ing u projealing Mm 228 wliiih is Upwatively cmmcctfi wih di@ pluis?, :1nd Humm under the commi of the mperaoi' fm' wwk ing the bell-crank to xfipi'wute Hw plum and thereby release any opciufvd kvjf and iif: bell-vrzinkg subntamiuliy :1s disviincii.

4. The combinaimz m Us wjwfeoifie keys, beiicrankb operated hereby and pro vided with pins or bludb', a lmigiLu/jiniy reciprocating detwit plum provided with detents having ii'nflined surfaces with which pim or udg cuipuxziw; nieuws fur ru" sailing the beH--cxzlxiks, a bell-Crunk :'Z'Qfri" which is, upcirfitif-:fy ffmmccnd with fw to huid the plain non with n yielding priv;-

pizite :md Springqm to n nomini pe iwi? Tank iin mimi n.

i wixi'fzmcs to die daten @v4 is nihinmwn wf tim in; M

minimiA Si 'i im ined reciprma mi 1m-ners, i wh interni pim) 11:0 dgt naamw 'uw Jimi navi a been mink wiwi' mi@ nd uf 'the [imei when Emil-:mij if.) iig wiring tenfsiisiz; Attila-:(1.

i umg.

prvssibiif ite-j, Liaoning inning rmuidmi im @mi prfqiL-iw'w of is iwugiiidixiaig minable iiieilem pink Y uifmgg Said key ciei :mais rand imi riding deztwit pwmm wi'ii ir mimi upper siiifie adjacent 3i) the body pmfilm im, aime ami magigeei by iii@ law ini-:nis :ind the key prv" i psmi tlmy Huhu* lic Liam @mi nim; tions.

51de. nim n,

. L lille, fiiiiiiqii-f emismif we slots with iie Hominid pmi; )Ying teni* .L @i nw'.

of mi vgamimt aopmfating nur; iff tim keys.

ich imis; m a, insb the kfysia mid a,

gmini uf tm; :fiimiiinv with im wp figs Of L; being giving in" mi, ifiwzmii u Apo51- fiom if migagemcnt wim time iufm :i imi up Ym putin@ tim ,spying muiivigiy Quimechzd with h@ bars, and an uiimating; link upcrsitively connected with ih@ buil und having a pin :ind slot conne@- tios@ with u movable puri', of the machine; siibsai'iiiisliy is dswviibed.

i 2U, in an adfii g machine. mi'fans fw; lockingr he kul." upon iiic @parution of the ma- Chine irwmpxisiug a @erlie4 nf haysI @ne i301* the Silvie@ of iw of facil immmnation, said i Exim 'hazing spring pre i if ard a position of ffngzigifrrifgiil, with the keys, a ybail oper- :siwijy cmumcmi with the bars, a crank arm on the imii, :i link connected with the crank :um anni having :i slot, and a sind or pin mmn'liio, in. the ssot and located on a mov- .:iiii partv of he machine; subbtantially as (iefafriiid.

1n 21u adding; machine. mmm for locking die keys upon the parution of iii@ mir @aina compl sing i mf' bars one for cada (ciimuimation. :i bui! having a series of pins @infirm 1y sum1 1mi wifn the bars, a

iii wiiixi nd means for 1'.: member.

mami n? rows of depres- Q i fnggvipir im' auch mw of miroiiiig member common to all the bars and connected therewith so as to move'them in both directions, a spring moving said controlling member in a lockingY diin a lockingr direction, and a driven part of rection, and a driven part of the operating the operating mechanism for moving the i and connected therewith so as to move them i i i l mechanism for movlng Said member m the bmi 1n the opposlte direction.

in both directions, a spring moving said bail oppositedirecton. I q Y, A

26. In a machine of the character de- HARVEY L IHPR' scribed, the combination of rows of depressible keys, n locking har for each row of 10 keys, a rocking bail common to all the bars VVitneseS:

Loris B. RWIN, EDWIN H. SMYTHE.

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