US1228290A - Electrically-controlled calculating-machine. - Google Patents

Description

J, W; BRYCE. v

ELECTRICALLY CONTROLLED CALCULATING MACHINE.

APPLICATION HLED APR. 12. I916.

Patented May 29,1917.

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1. w. BRYCE. ELEC TRICALLY CONTROLLED CALCULATING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED APR. I2. 1916. v

- Patented May 29, 1917.

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X; W W

Zia ATTORNEM STATES PATENT OFFICE,

JAMES w. BRYCE, or BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

ELECTRIC-ALLY'GONTROLLED CALCULATING-MACHINE.

To all whom/it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JAMES WV. BRYCE, a citizen of the United States, residing at .Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electrically- I Controlled Calculating-Machines, of which times of any given piece of work performed by theowners of the cards, and by contact brushes traveling over the lines of such perforations, and closing electric circuits whenencountering the'holes, to regulate and control the operation of calculating mechanism which determines the elapsed-time between the periods indicated by the said in and out holes and to print or-otherwise record j the result.

The subject of this application isa machine for the same purpose and operating on substantially the same general lines, but distinguished from the former machine in question by differently designed and operating mechanism forperforming certain of the functions necessary in the machine, As this is the case, I shall assume the said prior machine to be, for purposes of this case, a a part of the prior art, and confine the description herein very largely to the fea-' I ,tures of novelty which are here involved,

thus avoiding a long description of what may be regarded as-a-lready known.

With this object in view I may state that I in machine shops, factories and the like,

. each workman, at the time of beginning a given piece of work inserts into a time recording machine an identifying card which is unched at a certain point or points with ho es, the" position of which on the card indicates the exact in time of the operation. Similarly, on the completion of the job, the card is insertedinto the same or a similar machine which punches holes therein indieating by their number and position the 'out or finishing time.

These'cards are collected and sent to the office where they are bunched and placed in the receiving container of a calculating ma- Specification of Letters Patent.

"plication referred to. machine I employed in connection with the Patented May 29,1917.

Application filed April 12, 1916. Serial No. 90,568.

chine from which container they are removed, one at a time, and passed through a chute.v In passing, -the cards are carried under a series of brush contacts which on reaching the perforations therein, set in operation properly constructed devices to adjust time indicating type wheels and other mechanism which-calculates the time which has elapsed between the in and the out perforations and prints or records the result upon a certain portion of the card, after Which the latter are passed out of the ma chine and utilized in well known ways.

Such a machine involves means for passing the cards successively through the chute of the machine, for arresting them at the proper times, and for printing or punching thereon the result of the calculations, and all of such mechanism has been shown and described in my former application above referred to.

It is necessary, moreover, that for each unit of time there should be a type-wheel setting device for both the in and for the out times, one of which, in the class of machines in contemplation, shall turn the type-wheel in one direction through an arc corresponding to the in unit punched, and the other turn it oppositely to an extent determined by the out unit punched. There should also be a subtracting device which is operative whenever the m unit punched is of greater numerical value than i the corresponding out unit, to shift the in unit type-wheel of the next higher order one division or space, and all of'these instrumentalities form parts of my former machine and are fully set forth in the ap- In the said former contact brushes circuit controllers of special and peculiar construction, that which was first operated, when energized, actlng to the - close the circuit to one or the other 0 type-wheel adjusting devices, and the other,

. when energized, serving to throw that operating adjusting mechanism out of action,

but in my present form 'ofmachine, when a brush contact starts in operation an; ad-

e. justing device, the latter continues in operation until the main circuit through the machine is broken by a mechanically open ated switch.

.This difference in function determines the difference'in the construction and operation of the two machines, and as these are devices.

Fig. 4 is a detailed view of a clutch mechanism for the out sector.

Fig. 5 is a similar view,showing the clutch mechanism for the in sector.

Fig. 6 is a view showing the means for throwing the clutch mechanism.

Referring to Fig. 1, and bearing in mind that I shall not enter into an extended description of those parts which have already been fully described in connection with the former machine, the numeral 1, indicates a ,punched card which is inserted into and carried through the chute of the calculating machine. Back of this card is a contact plate 2, and a series of brush contacts 3, 4, bear upon the card and when a perforation therein passes under a brush the latter completes the circuit of a battery 5 through the appropriate devices.

Let it be assumed that the first hole to be thus encountered is that punched over the figure 8 in the in column of the first pair which indicate tenths of units of time. This closes the circuit to the in magnet 6, which attracts its armature 7 and thereby throws the clutch 8, into engagement with the member 9, which is rotatably mounted on the constantly rotating shaft 10, the gear 12 integral with the clutch 8, and in gear with the driving gear 11, thus imparts rotation to .the member 9, and causes a lever 13 which it carries to revolve about the shaft 10.

The closing of this circuit by the passage of the brush is but momentary, but the magnet 6, when energized closes a second circuit through itself and remains active as long as the m: in circuit is complete. When any one of the in or the out magnets therefore is closed and operates to start its corresponding lever 13 or 23, in movement, such lever continues to move until a timed cam 15, breaks the main circuit of the machine. This occurs as soon as the uppermost row of numerals or line for perforations in the card passes beyond the line of contact brushes, and in the same way by means of another timed cam 14 this circuit is closed just before the lowermost line of numerals reaches the line of brushes.

Each lever 13, has a toothed sector 16 at its end which engages with the teeth of a plate or bar 17 guided in any proper manner to slide vertically inobedience to the impelling force of the swinging lever.

On all of the l'ever's 13, except the first in the series this sector 16 is movable circumferentially, but held against movement normally by a spiral spring connection with the lever. This is for ,the purpose of permittin an independent movement of the sector in rrowing units from the higher values as will be hereinafter explained.

On the opposite edge of the said plate 17, is a line of teeth with which engages a pinion wheel 18, set in a plate or bar 19, also guided to move vertically. This bar or plate 19, has a line of teeth along its edge which engage the pinion wheel 20 on the shaft of a type-wheel 21, which latter is turned in 7 one direction or the other by the up or the down movement of the rack bar 19.

" The type wheels 21 have two series of numeral types representing at equal distances apart 0 to 9 running in the same direction, and normally the position of each card and that this hole correspondsto the numeral 8, the corresponding lever 13 will begin and continue -to turn until the break line is reached and the circuit of the magnet 6 interrupted by the cam 15. Consequently, the in tenths type-wheel will have been turned eight spaces or divisions in an anti-clockwise direction, by the downward movement of the bar 17, and if there were no other parts to interfere would present at the printing position the numeral 2.

When the card has descended however, until the hole punched at numeral 2 comes under the out tenths brush L, the out magnet 22 is energized and this throws the clutch 32, of the lever 23, which carries a sector 16, engaging a rack bar 24 guided to be moved vertically. This rack bar has a line of teeth at its upper end engaging the inion wheel 18, and the movement of the ever 23 is upward with the result that when an out magnet is energized the rack bar 2i is moved upward and a tendency is imparted to the type-wheel to turn in a clockwise direction. the moment that the rack bar 17 is stationary, the type-wheel is turned forward two spaces or so as to present the numeral 4., at the printing position.

The fact,,however, that both rack bars '17 and 24 may be moving at the same time and in opposite directions has no effect upon the operations above described, for in any event the position of the pinion 18, will depend upon the difference in the movement of the two bars whether occurring simultaneously or successively.

- Considering therefore any one type-wheel As a result, and assuming for] the in and out magnets which control machine and the action of the adjusting mechanism will set the type-wheel to expose at the printing position that numeral which is the result of. subtracting the in from the out numeral.

It may well happen in such cases that the subtrahend has the larger numerical value and that its magnet will be energized before the other. In that event it is necessary to borrow one from the units of the next higher order and-in order to accomplish this I use the following devices.

When the in magnet is energized first the lever 13 is moved before its corresponding lever23, and plate 19 is therefore moved downwardby the pinion wheel 18. A pin 25 is, however, set in the plate 19 and comes into engagement with a bell crank lever 26, pivoted to the then stationary plate 24. This engagement shifts said lever and closes thereby a circuit between contacts 27, which circuit, marked 28 in Fig. 1, contains an electro-magnet 29 on the in lever 13 of-the next higher order of time units, and the closing of this magnet shifts a lever 30 that moves the sector gear 16 downward a distance that will shift its type-wheel one typespace. H

In the example selected for illustration,

" for instance, we have assumed .that the in number in the tenths was 8,. and theout number was 2. This means that the number exposed in the type-wheel for printing will be 4, and that the type-wheel "for-the next higher order of units will be set to expose not 0, but 1. Assume then that in the two units columns the out number punched is 4, and the in number 3. Then the out lever will be operated first and the plate 24 .will be raised, with the result thatv tlie lever 26 is simply raised away from the contacts 27 without closing a subtracting circuit. The operation then continues by the units wheel being turnedforward four spaces and backward three spaces butas the subtracting magnet has already turned the wheel one space the numeral brought to the will be 0, and not 1.

e What occursin connection with the first A and second type-wheels. is repeated in cases 55 and when the proper numerals are brought" to the. printing position'they are printed.

of the other, as-will now be understood,

by the impact on the card of a printing pad or lever 31. After the printing operation, levers 3'2 with forked ends are mechanically thrown forward to force the reartheir normal ends of levers 13 and 23 into positions. 7

It has been found thata machine constructed as above described is capable of ence between the corresponding to the in and out holes printing position come deranged.

What I claim is 1. In a'calculating machine,the combination with contacts adapted to travel over a workmans punched time card and to, close circuits when passin over perforations therein, of means for reakin' the operating circuit of the machine W en the con: tactshave passed the last line for perforations, type-wheels carrying type corresponding to time units, and means for shifting said wheels in opposite directions adapted to be started in operation by the contacts and stopped by the interruption of the main. circuit, whereby, the type brought to the printing position will indicate the differout and the in units of time. I I 2. In a calculating machine, the combination with type-wheels with type for indicating different time units, of electromagnetically controlled means for turnin the type-wheels in opposite directions, di ferential caring between the same and the type-whee s, of means for starting the said means in. operation at periods of time in a .workmans punched time card, and

means for interrupting the main circuit of the machine after the'card has moved to a certain .point whereby the type. brought to the printing position will represent the dif- "fer-ence between the out and the 1n units of time as indicated by the position 1 of the holes in the card.

3. In a calculating machine the combination with type-wheel's corresponding to different orders of timeunits, of independent driving. means for moving each wheel in opposite directions, electro-magnets for controlling said means, contacts operating in connection with holes in a workmans punched time card for energizing said mag net's, differential gearing between the driving means and the type wheels and a circuit controller for the main circuit including the magnets of the driving means adapted to interrupt the said circuit at a predetermined time with respect to the cycles of operation of the machine.

"-4. In a'calculating machine, the combination with type-wheels corresponding to differentiorders of time units, adjusting lrack bars movable in opposite directions for imparting forward and backward motion to the type-wheels, .a rack bar aring with each type-wheel and with the adjustingrackbars by a pinion carried by it,- electrormagnets controlling the operation of the adjusting rack bars, contacts operat ing at periods determined by the position of punched holes in a. Workmans time card to energize said magnets and a timed circuit controller for the main circuit including said magnets.

In a time calculating machine controlled in its operation by currents produced by the relative movement of contacts and time cards punched with lines of holes which by their position indicate different points of time, the combination with electro-magnetic type-Wheel adjusting mechanism of circuits controlled by said contacts whereby the adjusting mechanism is started in operation at periods of time determined by the position of holes in the card, and a timed circuit controller for throwing the adjusting means out of operation at a predetermined time with respect tome cycles of operation of the machine.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

JAMES W. BRYCE.

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