US1082673A - Ballot-box. - Google Patents

Description

O. A. BALL.

BALLOT BOX.

APPLIUATION FILED JULY 23, 1912.

Patented Dec. 30, 1913.

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gamma? C. A. BALL.

BALLOT BOX. Arrmoumn nun JULY 23, 1912. I 1,082,673, Patented Dec. 30, 1913.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES A. BALL, OIE MARION, INDIANA, ASSIGNOR TO HARRY BALL, 0F MARION, INDIANA.

BALLOT-BOX.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 30, 1913.

Application filed July 23, 1912. Serial No. 711,076.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, CHARLES A. BALL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Marion, in the county of Grant and State of Indiana, have invented a new and useful Ballot-Box, of which the following is a specification.

It is the object of my invention to provide a ballot box which provides great secrecy and has a large capacity through using a single layer of balls, and in which the white and black balls are automatically separated for facilitating reading of the ballot and avoiding chance for error, and after being read may be returned by a simple relative movement between two sections of the box to their respective storage compartments; from which they may be removed as desired by the voters and in which they are partly concealed so that no later voter can determine by the numberof balls in the storage compartments how the preceding voter voted.

The accompanying drawings illustrate my invention.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improved ballot box in condition for voting; Fig. 2 is a perspective view of such ballot box in condition for reading the ballots; Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section of the ballot box, taken substantially on the line 3-3 of Fig. 4; Fig. 1 is a transverse vertical section through the ballot box taken subtantially on the line 4.4 of Fig. 3; Fig. 5 is a plan of the lower section of the ballot box; Figs. 6 and 7 are transverse sections through the separating mechanism showing its action on the white and black balls respectively; and Fig. 8 is a section through the separating mechanism, taken on the line s s of Fig. 3.

The ballot box is made in two relatively movable sections A and B. The section A comprises a base 10 having an inclined upper surface and provided with a carrying handle 11 at the thin end and mounted between upwardly projecting sides 12. The base 10 is provided with storagecompartments 13 and 14, for the white and black balls respectively. For reason hereinafter apparent, the balls of one set are slightly, but hardly noticeably, larger than those of the other; in the arrangement illustrated the white balls 0 are larger than the black balls D. The storage compartments are open at the top at the end opposite the handle 11, so that the balls may be readily lifted from such compart ments. The floor of these compartments is preferably inclined upward from their uncovered ends to an intermediate point where the compartments open upwardly as shown in Fig. 3 through an opening 15, a dividing partition 16 between the compartments 13 and 141 is preferably centrally located transversely of the base 10 at the uncovered ends of such compartments, but at the opening 15 is considerably to one side of the middle so that more storage space is provided for white balls C than for black balls D, as is commonly desirable.

The section B is shorter than and rests upon the inclined upper surface of the base 10 between the sides 12, and is fastened to the section A so as to have a limited longi tudinal sliding movement relative thereto. A convenient fastening means for obtaining this result is a dovetail block 20 fitting in a slot 21, as shown in Figs. 3, 4c, and The section B comprises a bottom 22, sides 23, and ends 24: and 25. The bottom 22 is spaced from the end-24 by a distance, substantially equal to the width of the opening 15, sufficient to allow the balls to pass through.

The space within the section B is divided into two compartments 26 and 27 by a partition 28, which is in the same plane throughout the most of its length with the end of the partition 16 under the opening 15, but at its end near the end section 25 is bent inward toward the middle line of the section B to meet and form a part of the selector device 29. This selector device projects inwardly from the end section 25 and has an inner tubular surface which is cut away so that it extends something more than 180. The tube 29 slants downward, and also slants sidewise toward the compartment 26. The cutaway part opens slightly downward but mostly sidewise toward the compartment 26, and the lower edge of the tube 29 at the cutaway part is raised slightly above the top surface of the bottom 22 and is very slightly on the opposite side of the vertical diametral plane of the tube from the compartment 26. The tube at one end communicates with the compartment 27, and at the other, through an opening 31 in the end section 25-, with a ball-receivin lip 32 projecting from the exposed face of said end section over the uncovered parts of the compartments 13 and 1 1, between the side pieces 12, and below the concealing guard 33 extending between the side pieces 12, the tube 29 being inclined horizontally to the lip 32. The piece 33 also serves as a brace between the side pieces 12. The compartment-s 26 and 27 are preferably covered by a permanent transparent cover, such as a wire screen 34, through which the interior of the compartments may be inspected but which prevents tampering with the balls therein. Above the screen 34 is a hinged, preferably sectional, cover 35, which when in closed position prevents the interior of the compartments 26 and 27 from being seen but when in open position, as shown in Fig. 2, allows said interior to be seen and the White and black balls to be counted. To facilitate the reading of the ballot, the compartments 26 and 27 may be provided with longitudinal partitions 36, which maintain the balls in rows, and may have white and black colored floors respectively.

lVhen taking a vote, the ballot box is presented to the voter successively, so that each voter, has hand concealed by the projecting sides 12 and the concealing piece 33, may reach into the uncovered end of either of the compartments 13 and 14: and then drop the selected white or black ball into the lip 32. A succeeding voter cannot tell how the preceding voter has voted, by counting the unvoted balls remaining, because the balls in the compartments 13 and 14s are only partly visible. Each ball, when deposited in the lip 32, passes through the opening 31 into the tube and by it is deflected toward the compartment 26. The black balls, which are slightly smaller than the white balls, by reason of such deflection and of the slanting sides of the tin-cutaway portion of the tube 29 upon which it rests, roll out of said tube through the cutaway portion thereof, strike the upper end of the partition 28, and roll along it into the compartment 26. The white balls, which are too large to escape through the cutaway portion of the tube 29, roll along such tube into the compartment 27. When the voting is completed, the cover is lifted and the white and black balls counted. When the reading has been completed, the -tion B is slid along the sec tion A away from the handle 11 and under the concealing piece 33 to bring the opening between the bottom 22 and the end section into registry with the opening 15, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 3. The white and black balls in the compartments 26 and 27 then pass by gravity through such registered openings into the compartments 13 and 14 respectively. The section B is then slid back toward the handle 11 into normal position, the cover 35 is closed it it has not already been closed, and the ballot box is ready for the next vote.

I claim as my invention:

1. A ballot box, comprising two relatively movable sections, one above the other, storage compartments for white balls and black balls respectively in the lower section, compartments for white balls and black balls in the upper section, into which latter compartments the balls may be deposited by the voters, and a communication between corresponding compartments in the upper and lower sections which is opened by a relative movement between the two sections.

2. A ballot box, comprising two relatively movable sections, one above the other, each of said sections having two compartments for white balls and black balls respectively, the balls in the compartments of the lower section being accessible to the voters and the upper section being provided with an opening through which the balls may be deposited by the voters, and a normally closed communication between corresponding compartments in said upper and lower sections, said communication being openable, to allow the balls in the upper'section to pass to the lower section, by a relative movement between the two sections of the ballot box.

3. A ballot box, comprising two relatively movable sections, one above the other, each of said sections having two compartments for white and black balls respectively, said white and black balls being of slightly diiferent size and the balls in the compartments of the lower section being accessible to the voters and the upper section being provided with an opening through which the balls may be deposited by the voters, selector means for separating the white and black balls so deposited and feeding them to their respective compartments in said upper section, said selector means comprising means for separating the white and black balls by causing a movement of the smaller balls from the path followed by the larger balls, which movement has a comparatively small vertical component as compared with the diameter of the balls, and a normally closed communication between correspondcompartments in said upper and lower sections, said communication being openable, to allow the balls in the upper section to pass to the lower section, by a relative movement between the two sections of the ballot box.

41-. A ballot box, comprising two relati ely movable sections, one above the other, each of said sections having two compartments for white and black balls respectively, said white and black balls being of slightly different size and the balls in the compart ments of the lower section being accessible to the voters and the upper section being provided wit-h an opening through which the balls may be deposited by the voters, selector means for separating the white and black balls so deposited and feeding them to their respective compartments in said upper section, said selector means comprising an inclined tube oblique to the vertical longitudinal plane of the ballot box and partly cut away for less than 180, the bottom edge of the cutaway portion projecting to the vertical diametral plane of the tube, so that the smaller balls of one color will roll sidewise out of said tube at the cutaway portion while the larger balls will pass along said tube past the cutaway portion, and a normally closed communication between corresponding compartments in said upper and lower sections, said communication being openable, to allow the balls in the upper section to pass to the lower section, by a relative movement between the two sections of the ballot box.

5. A ballot box, comprising two relatively movable sections, one above the other, each of said sections having two compartments for white and black balls respectively, said white and black balls being of slightly different size and the balls in the compartments of the lower section being accessible to the voters and the upper section being provided with an opening through which the balls may be deposited by the voters, selector means for separating the white and black balls so deposited and feeding them to their respective compartments in said upper section, said selector means comprising an in clined tube partly cut away for less than 180, the bottom edge of the cutaway portion projecting to the vertical diametral plane of the tube, so that the smaller balls of one color will roll sidewise out of said tube at the cutaway portion while the larger balls will pass along said tube past the cutaway portion, and a normally closed communication between corresponding compartments in said upper and lower sections, said communication being openable, to allow the balls in. the upper section to pass to the lower section, by a relative movement between the two sections of the ballot box.

6. A ballot box, comprising two sections, each of said sections having two compartments for white and black balls respectively, said white and black balls being of slightly different size and the balls in the compart ments of one section being accessible to the voters and the other section being provided with an opening through which the balls may be deposited by the voters, selector means for separating the white and black balls so deposited and feeding them to their respective compartments in said last named section, said selector means comprising means for separating the white and black balls by causing a movement of the smaller balls from the path followed by the larger balls, which movement has a comparatively small vertical component as compared with the diameter of the balls, and a normally closed communication between corresponding compartments in said sections, said communication being openable to allow the balls in the last named section to pass to the other section.

7. A ballot box, comprising two sections, each of said sections having two compartments for white and black balls respectively, said white and black balls being of slightly diflerent size and the balls in the compartments of one section being accessible to the voters and the other section being provided with an opening through which the balls may be deposited by the voters, selector means for separating the white and black balls so deposited and feeding them to their respective compartments in said last named section, said selector means comprising an inclined tube partly cut away for less than 180, the bottom edge of the cutaway portion projecting to the vertical diametral plane of the tube, so that the smaller balls of one color will roll sidewise out of said tube at the cutaway portion while the larger balls will pass along said tube past the cutaway portion, and a normally closed communica tion between corresponding compartments in said sections, said communication being openable to allow the balls in the last named section to pass to the other section.

8. A ballot box comprising an upper voting sectionand a lower storage section, said sections being provided at the same end with an opening for receiving the voted balls and with an opening for the removal of the stored balls respectively, and the floors of said compartments slanting away fro-m and toward such end respectively, the opening through which the balls are removed from the storage section being smaller than the area covered by the stored balls, so that less than the whole number of the stored balls are visible.

9. A ballot box, comprising two relatively movable sections, one above the other, each of said sections having two compartments for white and black balls respectively, which balls are of different size, the balls in the compartments of the lower sections being accessible to the voters and the upper sec tion being provided with an opening through which the balls may be deposited by the voters, selector means for separating by reason of their difference in size the white and black balls so deposited and feeding them to their respective compartments in said upper sections, and a normally closed communication between corresponding compartments -& 1,082,673

in said upper and lower sections, said eoni- Marion, Indiana, this 17th day of July, A.D.

inunieation being openable, to allow the balls one thousand nine hundred and twelve.

in the upper section to pass to the lower section, by a relative movement between the CHARLES BALL 5 two sections of the ballot box. \Vitnesses:

In witness whereof I, CHARLES A. BALL, ROBERT E. SHIDELER, have hereunto set my hand and seal at MARGARET B. SHIDELER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents.

Washington, D. G.

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