US1296379A - Keyboard-locking means for calculators. - Google Patents

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W. FUHRMANN & E. M. SQUAREY. KEYBOARD LOCKING MEANSFOR CALCULATORS.

APPLICAHON FILED JUNE 18, I91].

Patented Mar. 4,1919.

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W. FUHRMANN & E. M. SOUAREY. KEYBOARD LOCKING MEANS FOR CALCULATORS.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 18. mm.

Patented Mar. 4,1919.

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APPLICATION FILED JUNE I3. I91 7.

Patented Mar. 1, 1919.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WARREN FUHRMANN, OF W'ESTFIELD, NEW JERSEY, AND EDWARD M. SQUAREY, 0F

TUCKAHQE, NEW YORK, ,ASSIGNORS, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO WILKINSON BROTHERS AND COMPANY, INCORPORATED, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION or; NEW YORK.

'KEYBOARD LOCKING MEANS FOR CALCULATORS.

Patented Mal-.4, 1919.

Application filed June 18, 1917. Serial No. 175,280.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, WARREN FUHRMANN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Westfield, in the county of Union and State of New Jersey, and EDWARD M. SQUAREY, a subject of the King of Great Britain, and a resident of Tuckahoe, county of Vestchester, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Keyboard-Locking Means for Calculators, of which the following is a specification. v

This invention relates to the mechanism for locking the keyboard in a calculator or similar machine by the operation of the handle or main actuating member, and has for its object to provide means that will serve to lock the keyboard at once on initial movement of such member, but will serve to ,release or'disable such locking means just prior to the final return movement of the actuating member.

In the accompanying drawings showing one embodiment of our invention, Figure 1 is aside elevation of the parts as applied to I the calculator. Figs. 2, 3, and 4 are similar views with the parts in consecutive positions. Fig. 5 is an end elevation showing the locking bar. Fig. 6 is a side elevation and Fig. 7 a front elevation of one of the levers. Fig. 8 shows the releasing member detached. Fig. 9 shows the frame of the releasing member. Fig. 10 shows the stop plate, Fig. 11 shows the latch; and Fig. 12 shows the pawl. I

In the drawings is represented a supporting plate 1, of which there are a series as indicated in Fig. 5 arranged parallel across the machine. Each of these carries a setof latch bars'2 supported by links 3 and 4 to have a slight vertical movement, as indicated ,in Fig. -1. These latch bars have pins 5 projecting alternately on opposite sides, that cooperate with a set of stop bars 6 having lugs 7 inclined on the rear face, whereby the rearward movement of the stop bar will strike a pin 5 to raise the latch bar until the lug passes the pin, when the latch bar will be retracted by a spring 8 to engage the stopbar adjacent the straight or vertical face of the lug, which will prevent retraction of the stop bar by its coil spring 9. These stop bars are arranged to cooperate with a set of keys, not shown, whereby the depression of a key will shift the stop bar rearward. It will be understood that by raising the latch bar 2, any stop bar that is held in the advanced position will be released for retraction by its spring 9- It will be further seen that if the latch bars 2 are locked against being raised, no stop bar can advance and the keyboard becomes locked.

The object of the present invention is to provideimproved means for preventing the elevation of these bars. This is effected by means of a locking bar 10, see Figs. 1 and 5 that swings on a pair of arms 11 and 12 on a rocking shaft 13. Moving the arms rearward to the position shown in Fig. 2 will bring the bar 10 over the front end of the link 4 of all of the latch plates 5, that will prevent upward swing of the links and hence since the latch bars cannot raise the stop bars cannot be moved rearward by the keys. At each swing of a main shaft 14 a pitman 15 is reciprocated, which carries a stop pin 16 having engagement with a frame plate 17 connected with the locking member. This stop pin on the forward movement of the pitman ward to shift the lock bar 10 over the latch bar links. This plate 17 is normally rigidly attached to the arm 12, by a springconnection that will yield on obstruction and prevent bending or disabling of the parts. As shown the frame plate is hinged on the cross shaft 13, and a spring 19 between the frame plate and an arm 20 of the shaft 13 serves to hold the frame plate with an car 21 thereon pressed against the edge of the arm 12.

On the frame plate 17 is pivoted a stop plate 22, see Figs. 8 and 10, that is pressed downwardly by a spring 23 to cause its ear 24 to engage-the top of the frame plate 17. This stop plate has a shoulder 25 that normally projects a short distance beyond the latch to engage a beak 31 of the stop plate 22. Therefore, on advance of the pitman and stop 16 the pin engaging the houlder 25, because of the incline of the shoulder will force the stop plate upwardly. The plate being locked by the latch to the frame 17 the frame will be swung upwardly, that will cause the arms 11 and 12 to swing, and move the locking bar 10 over the links of the latch bars. This will take place at once on advance of the pitman, and the pin will ride along the edge 32 of the frame plate 17 and retain the parts in the locking position.

On retraction of the pitman and stop, the lock bar would be held in the same position until the pin returned to its former position, and hence the keyboard could not be released and restored prior to the final movement of the pitman. In machines of this character means-are provided at the latter part of the return stroke of the pitman to elevate the latch bars to restore the stop bars and keys that may have been advanced. Therefore, means are provided to release the stop plate 22 on the return of the pitman and stop 16, whereby the frame plate 17 can swing downward and release the latch bars. On the latch 27, is pivoted a trip pawl 33 that ,is normally pressed against the latch by a spring 34. When the stop 16. is moved forward it will engage the lower edge of the tri pawl and swing it on the latch without dlsturbing the latch since the car on the trip pawl moves away from the latch. But on the return movement of the pitman, stop 16 will engage the forward edge-of the trip pawl and cause it to move upward to swing the latch 27 away from the beak 31 of the stop plate 22, see Fig. 3. At this time the pin will engage the shoulder 25 of the stop plate from the latch 27 .will swing upward on its pivot connection with the .frame plate 17,

that will permit the stop pin 16 to engagethe edge 26 of the frame plate and therefore the frame plate will swing downwardly which is prior to'the full retraction of the pitman and stop 16, as indicated in Fig. 4. On full retractlon of the pitman and stop 16 the latter will pass the pawl that will return to normal position and release the latch that can rengage the stop plate 22, and the parts will return to normal position. By this means it will be seen that'on advance of the pitman the parts will be engaged at once to shift the locking bar over all of the latch bars, but on the return of the pitman the locking bar will be released just prior to the pitman returning to its normal position, whereby the latch bars can be raised to release all of the positioned stop bars and keys.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim is 1. In an adding machine, the combination with a keyboard mechanism and'an operand the latter being now released ating member arranged to reciprocate, of a stop on the operating member, a looking member mounted to swing, means to retract the locking member when advanced, a stop-plate movable on the locking member and arranged to be engaged at once by said stop on advance of the operating member, means to normally hold the stop-plate fast on the locking member whereby advance of theoperating member stop will at once shift the locking member to lock the keyboard mechanism, said means on retraction of the said operating member stop serving to release the stop-plate and permit retraction of the locking member to release the keyboard mechanism prior to final return movement of the operating member.

2. In an adding machine, the combination with a keyboard mechanism and an operating member arranged to reciprocate, of a stop on the operating member, a locking member arranged to lock the keyboard mechanism, means to retract the locking member, a movable stop-plate on the locking member that is engaged at once by said stop on advance of the locking member, a pivoted latch normally engaging the stop-plate to hold it against movement by the said stop whereby the stop when advanced will at once swing the locking member to lock the keyboard mechanism, and'a trip-pawl that is swung as a by-pass on advance of the operating member stop, which pawl on return of said stop will swing said latch to release the stop-plate to swing on the locking member and permit retraction of a'locking member to release the keyboard mechanism prior to full return of the operating member.

3. In an addin machine, the combination with a keyboard mechanism and an'operating member arranged to reciprocate, of a stop on the operating member, a locking member arranged to lock the keyboard mechanism, means to retract the locking member, a movable stop-plate on the locking member that isengaged at once by said stop on advance of the locking member, a pivoted latch normally engaging the stop-plate to hold it against movement by the said stop whereby the stop when advanced will at once swing the locking member to lock the keyboard mechanism, and a trip-pawl carried member. to release the key

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