US1247730A - Calculating-machine. - Google Patents

Description

P. N. SEA.

CALCULATING MACHINE.

- APPLICATION FILED NOV. 2 0. 1916.

1 ,247 730. Patented Nov. 27, 1917;

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P. N. SEA.

CALCULATING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 20.1916.

1 ,247}? 30. Patented Nov. 27, 1917.

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P ILIP. 1v. senor cmcaeo, ILLINOIS.

CALCULATING-MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed November 20, I916. Serial No. 132,294.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, PHILIP N. SEA, a citizenof the United States, and a resident of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Calculating- Machines, of which the following is a specific-.1

tion.

My invention relates to calculating machines particularl to that class in which, by means of a key-, oard, printing type mem bers are selected for operation, and are then by means of manual or power controlled actuating mechanism operated to print on a record sheet, the invention covering im' proved means by which the operator may;

readily determine before printing actually takes place just what is going to be printed.

In calculating machines such as the Burroughs, eighty-one numeral keys are usually provided and these keys remain depressed after a setting operation so that the operator may check up the entry before printing. Registers are also visible for indicating accumulating totals, so that in these machines the operator can readily check up before printing. There are, however, other types of machines in which no provision is made for such indication or observation. Exam-- ples of such machines are the Dalton and Sundstrand machines which have been used for many years throughout the country. In machines of this type there are only ten numeral keys, and these keys do not stay down after a setting-up depression thereof, and the calculating registers arewell within the body of the machine and cannot be seen by the operator, no means being therefore rovided for determining before printing ust what is going to be printed and there is therefore no positive checking means.

The object of my invention is therefore to provide simple means whereby the operator: may at any time determine before actual printing on therecord sheet what has been set up on the machine for printing, or what totals the registers contain. In machines of the Dalton and Sundstrand type, decimal order sectors or frames are provided which are movable vertically or substanlished, and actuating mechanism controlled Patented Nov. 27, 191%.

manually or by power is operated after manipulation of the key-board to raise the selected type sectors or frames to bring the corresponding type bars into a printing line,

whereupon striking mechanism is released to strike such type bars to effect printing pressure of the bars on a record sheet. The

, front ends of the type bars either at or above the striking line are always visible to the "operator or can be readily made so, and I take advantage of this fact, my invention being the application of indicating numerals at the front ends'of the type bars in such position that after manipulation of the numeral keys, or total, sub-total orother auxiliary keys, and, before striking of the type bars, the indicating numerals will be arranged in awsight'li-ne in accordance with the key-board set-up so that the operator may determine just exactly what is going to be printed on the record sheet before the machine is operated to print. The invention can bereduced to practical form in a number of ways, and on the accompanying drawings I show an application thereof. In these drawings Figure l is a front elevational view of a machine of the Dalton type,

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view with part of the inclosing housing in section and part ofthe apparatus supporting frame removed,

- Fig.3 is a top view of one of the type bars showing a modified way of applying indicating characters,

Fig. 4 is a top view of one of the type bars showing another way of applying indicating characters, and

Figs. 5 and 6 are side and front views respectively of the upper end of one of the top sectors showing another modified way of applying indicating characters at the front ends of the type bars.

As. 'n machines of the clas'sshown theoperation is well understood in the art, it is unnecessary-to show all of the intricate operating and cooperating parts and I have therefore shown only such parts as will clearly illustrate the adaptation and opera.- tion of my invention. Referring to the drawings, 10 represents the supporting base of the machine, 11 the frame-work for supporting the operating parts, and 12 the inclosing housing. On the shaft 13 the type sectors 14 arepivoted, each of which at 1ts outer end carries a frame 15 in which is accommodated a vertical row of type bars 16, these type bars being shiftable transversely and normally held in front position by springs 17. In the machine housing the slot 18 is provided through which the front ends of the type sectors may pass during operation of the machine, to be brought in front of the type roller 19 mounted on the housing and having associated therewith the usual mechanism 20 for propelling the rec ord sheet or band 21 between the roller and the type bars. Inking ribbon, not shown, is fed from ribbon spools within holders 22 in a manner well understood in the art. Pivoted also on the shaft 13 are sector gears 23 which mesh with pinions 24 controlled by the registers or totalizers (not shown). Springs 25 between the type sector and the frame-work 11 and the springs 26 between the type sector and the sector gears tend to swing the type sectors upwardly, but nor mally such swing is prevented by the engagement with the rear edge of slots 27 in the type sectors by pins 28 on the sector gears. The machine has ten numeral keys 29 and auxiliary keys such as a correction key 30, a repeat key 31, a total ,key 32, a combination key 33, and a designating key 34:, the functions of such auxiliary keys being well understood. Numbers desired to be printed in the machine. are set up by the numeral keys and then the machine lever 35 is swung forwardly to rotate the corresponding pinions 24 and to swing the corresponding sector gears 23 through arcs depending upon the set-up, and the distance that these gear sectors swing forwardly determines the distance that the type sectors swing upwardly, the type bars of the various decimal order type sectors corresponding with the set-up being then arranged in a horizontal printing plane p ready to be struck by the hammers 36 which are released from the triggers 37 during further movement of the operating lever 35. The rear ends of the type bars have the raised printing numerals 38 thereon and when these bars are struck by the hammers they press the inking ribbon against the record sheet and print the entry. After return of the operating lever 35 to normal position the hammers, type sectors, sector gears and other parts of the machine are restored to normal position, the type roller being advanced to shift the paper upwardly for the printing of the next entry.

- In machines: of the type of construction just described there is nothing which will enable the operator to ascertain, before actual printing, just what is going to be printed. For example, after a setup on the machine he has no means of ascertaining whether the set-up is correct. In machines of the Burroughs type the keys remain depressed after setting up depression thereof, and

registers'or accumulators are not visible, and

other indicating registers are not provided so that the operator 1s unable to ascertain sub-totals, totals, or other information before printing on the record sheet. The printing type characters are also invisible to the operator as they are at the rear ends of the type bars. The front ends of raised type sectors and the front ends of the type bars thereon are, however, visible to the operator or can be readily made so,'and on this fact myinvention is based, and I therefore place at the front ends of the type bars characters which are indicative of the print ing characters on the rear ends of the type bars so that by observing the indicating characters at the front ends of the typebars the'operator can determine positively what is going to be printed. On some machines of the type described a cover 39 is provided for protecting the hammers 36 and in other machines such cover is omitted. Where the cover is omitted the front end of each type bar may have applied thereto a character which is the same as the printing character at the rear end of the bar, and then when the type sectors are raised after a set-up operation and before the hammers are actu-. ated, the indicating characters at the front ends of selected type bars will all be in the printing plane p and the item which is to be printed can be' readily determined by the operator. If the entry is correct the machine is further actuated to release the hammers to efiect printing, and if a mistake has been made the correction key can be depressed and the correct set-up made. However, where a cover is provided for the hammers it may be more desirable to have the indicating plane above the printing plane in order that the indicating characters may be more readily seen. In the drawings I have shown the indicating plane m one step above the striking or printing plane and the indicating numbers on the type bars are therefore oif-set upwardly one unit from the printing characters on the bar, that is, the O printing type bar has the indicating numeral 1 at its front end, the 1 printing type bar has the indicating numeral 2 at its front end, and so on, and the 0 indicating numeral may be omitted or applied to the front of the type sectors above the zero printing bar, or projections 40 may be provided at the tops of the type sectors in line with the type bars to receive the 0 numeral indication. the cover 39 is preferably beveled down so that the indicating characters in the indicating plane mm are clearly visible to the The front edge 41 of operator. In the drawings the set-up "on the machine and on the type sectors is the number 345,482,457. In the printing plane pp this number is formulated by the printing characters on the inner ends of the type bars in the printing plane, and .in the indicating plane a2-w this number appears on the front ends of the row of type bars above those in the printing plane, and the operator observing the numbers in the indicating plane knows whether or not the setup is correct. If correct, he operates the machine to release the hammers to strike the front ends of the bars in the printing plane to efi'ectprinting on the record sheet. If the set-up is wrong, the entry-can be destroyed and corrections made. If the operator desires to ascertain the reading of the registers or accumulators in the machine he depresses the proper auxiliary key and actuates the operating lever to bring the type sectors into position, then by reading the indication in the lane 00-02 he can get the desired information.

It is evident that instead of offsetting the indicating numerals one step, as shown, they may be offset twoor more steps.

The indicatin characters can be associated in a num r of ways with the ty e bars. Probably the simplest way would be to engrave or stamp the indicating numerals in the front ends of the type bars and to then fill in the depressions with coloring matter such as enamel to make the characters plain. As shown in Fig. 3," leather facing disks 42 can be secured to the front ends of the type bars with the numerals printed thereon. This method has advanta es for the soft leather or other material w1ll deaden the blow of the hammers against the type bars and will make the ma.- chine less noisy.

Instead of leather disks, caps 43 of thin metal, celluloid, or other suitable material may be slipped over the front ends of the type bars with indicating numerals printed thereon. Such means will probably be used for applying indicating characters in machines already in use, it beingfthen possible to equip a machine for indication much in the same manner as finger caps are applied to set-up keys in adding machines or typewriting machines. 7 Instead of directly. applying or securing indicating numerals to the type bars, targets could be secured to the type sectors with numerals printed thereon to appear adjacent the type bar ends. For example, where there is sufficient space between the rows of type bars target plates 44 of thin sheet metal can be secured to the type sectors with the numeral receiving target tongues 45 projecting into the space between the type bars as indicated in Figs. 5 and 6.

By means of my invention calculating mabar into the printing plane,

decimal orders, means for shifting numeralrows to bring selected numeral bars into a printing plane, said bars at one end having numeral printing characters and at their other ends having indicating characters associated therewith indicative of the numeral printing characters but offset therefrom to appear in an indicating plane offset from the printing plane when the numeral rows are shifted.

2. In a machine of the class described,

the combination of vertical rows of numeral type bars arranged in a horizontal row of decimal orders, means for shifting numeral rows to bring selected numeral bars into a printing plane, said bars at one end having numeral printing characters, and numerals applied to the other ends of the bars but offset numerically to be arranged in an offset plane of sight in accordance with the numeral printing characters on the bars in the printing plane.

3. In a calculating machine, the combination of a type sector, type bars arranged in a. vertical row on said sector and adapted for transverse shiftin thereon, a type roller, means for shi ting said sector in front of the roller to bring a selected type rinting numerals on the inner ends of sa1d type bars, and indicating numerals at the front ends of the type bars offset numerically whereby when one of said bars is in the printing plane its numeral will appear. at the front of another bar in an indicating plane away from the printing plane.

4. In a calculating machine, the combination of a plurality of type sectors, numeral printing bars arranged in a vertical row on each sector, a printing roll, a keyboard and mechanism for selecting sectors for predetermined movement, means for shifting selected sectors into position in front of the type roller to bring the corresponding type bars into the printing plane, the inner ends of the type bars of each row having printing numerals thereon and the front ends of such bars having indicating numerals associated therewith but offset numerically, such numerical offset being the same on each sector, whereby when sectors have been shifted to bring the corresponding bars into-the printing plane the printing numerals on such bars will be represented by the correspondin oflset indicating numerals in an indicating plane oflfset from the printing plane.

'5. In a calculating machine of the class described, the combination of a horizontal row of type sectors, numeral printing bars arranged in a vertical row on each sector and shiftable horizontally, printing numerals zero to nine on the rear ends of the printing bars of each row, a row of indicating numerals zero to nine associated with the front ends of each printing numeral row, the indicating numeral rows being ofi'set vertically to extend a distance above the printing numeral rows, those indicating numerals in the offset ends of the rows being carried by the sector frames while the other indicating numerals of each row are applied respectively to the fronts of the printing bars, and means for selectively raising sectors to bring corresponding printing bars into a printing plane, the corresponding indicatin numerals being then arranged in an indicating plane above the printing plane to indicate to the operator the built-up number to be printed by the bars in the printing plane.

In Witness whereof I hereunto subscribe my name this 17th day of November, A. D., 1916.

PHILIP N. SEA.

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