US1328550A - Voting-machine - Google Patents

Description

L. 1. TIMPANY.

VOTING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED MAY! 1 917.

Patented Jan. 20, 19 20.

3 SHEETS-SHEET v 'INVENTQRS Lewz'sJ. lzi'm aamy WITNESSES I I ATTORNEY- L. J. TIMPANY.

VOTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 1, 1917.

Patented Jan. 20, 1920.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

INVENTOR L e was mmpany BY ATTORNEY L. J. TIMPANY.

VOTING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED MAY 1. 1917.

ATTOR NEY.

LEWIS JOHN TIMPANY, 0F TACO TACO, CUBA.

VOTING-MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 20, 1920.

Application filed May 1, 1917. Serial No. 165,751.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, Lnwrs JOHN TIM- mnr, a citizen of Cuba, residing at Taco Taco, Pinar del Rio, Cuba, have invented cer ain new and useful Improvements in Votmg-lvlachines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to voting machines, and the main object thereof is to provide a machine of this character so constructed as to prevent fraud on the part of both the voter and the oiiicer in charge.

Another object is to provide simple and efficient means for registering each vote polled and while the register is entirely secret, it is under the control of the ofiicer in charge of the polling booth to see that only one vote is recorded.

Another object is to provide improved means for permitting inspection by the voter of the name of the candidate voted.

Another object is to provide improved mechanism actuated by the ofiicer in charge for feeding the strip of paper on which is to be stamped the name of the candidate voted a distance suiiicient to permit the stamping of a single vote thereon and which mechanism, when the paper has been so fed will be rendered inoperative and the paper cannot be moved further until after the voter has actuated the stamping mechanism.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that changes in the precise embodiment of the invention herein disclosed may be made within the scope of what is claimed without departing from the spirit of the invention.

in the accompanying drawings z- Figure 1 represents a perspective view of the machine constituting this invention,

Fig. 2 a transverse vertical section thereof,

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal central section,

Fig. 5 is a transverse section taken on the line i-i of Fig. 3,

Fig. 5 is a detail sectional view of the upper end of the plunger or operating or voting key,

Fig. 6 is a detail perspective view of the trip member, and

Fig. 7 is a detail sectional view showing the counter or registering device.

In the embodiment illustrated, the machine comprising this invention is shown in Fig. l housed within a suitable casing 1 through which projects a voting key 80 for operation of one unit by the voter, a crank 3 having a handle under the control of the oflicer in charge and a push button 100 for operation by the voter and which latter is designed to permit inspection of the name of the candidate voted as will be hereinafter more fully described. This casing 1 is also provided with a sight opening 7 5 covered by a glass or other suitable transparent material and through which the voter may look to see the name of the candidate which he has voted.

This machine is designed to contain with in the casing 1 a plurality of units according to the number of candidates to be voted for, but as all of them are exactly alike, one only is shown herein and described, and as each unit for each candidate is entirely separate, there can be no confusion in recording the votes for each candidate.

Extending through the casing 1 is a shaft 2 designed for use in connection with all the units and having an operating crank 3 on the end which projects through the end of the casing and which is provided with a hand grip 50 and is designed to be disposed in position for operation by the officer in charge, said oflicer being preferably out of sight of the voter and for this purpose, any suitable screen may be erected for concealing him, but it is not deemed necessary to illustrate it herein as it forms no part of the invention.

This shaft 2 has two worms 4 and 5 arranged near opposite ends thereof and which are fixed to rotate with the shaft. A gear 6 is loosely mounted on the shaft and is provided on one face thereof with a clutch 7 designed to cooperate with a similar clutch 8 carried by an eccentric 9 which is keyed to slide on shaft .2 and to rotate therewith. This eccentric 9 is carried by a plate 10 against which a coiled spring 11 is designed to engage and to exert its tension for forcing said cam or eccentric 9 inwardly toward gear 6 so that the clutch members 7 and 8 of said cam and gear are normally in meshing engagement to provide for the rotation of gear 6 on the turning of shaft 2 for a purpose hereinafter to be described. 7

A. trip member 12 is shown in detail in Fig. 6 in the form of a substantially'rectangular plate having a longitudinally extending slot 13 opening through one end thereof and which is provided in its other end with a closed slot 1 1 extending longitudinally thereof. The lower end of said trip plate 1 having slot 13 therein is designed to straddle shaft 2 and the cam 9 on said shaft is designed to enter said slot so that on the turning of the shaft this cam will operate to raise said trip plate and cause a beveled shoulder thereof to pass between the clutch members 7 and 8 and force them away from each other thereby rendering gear loose on shaft 2 to prevent its actuation by the turning of said shaft while these parts are in this position, said trip being held in raised position by its frictional cngagemmiit with the clutch members, the complete rotation of shaft 2 operating to lower cam 9 out of engagen'ient with trip 12. It will thus be seen that after said trip 12 has been. so raised, the shaft 2 may be rotated indefinitely without affecting gear 6 or trip .12. A roller 16 having a rubber coated surface similar to the platen of a typewriter is mounted to revolve on a shaft 17 extending longitudinally of the casing and which has fixed thereto a gear 18 which meshes with gear 6 by means of which it is actuated for rotating the roller 16.

Two paper carrying rolls 19 and 20 are suspended in U-shaped frames 21 and 22 mounted on shafts 23 and 2a and which are held in frictional engagement with the periphery of roller 16 at diametrically opposite sides thereof by means of a coil spring 25 so that the turning of roller 16 will operate to turn these rolls 19 and 20 in the same direction to cause the strip of paper 26 carried by one of the rolls 19 or 20 to pass over the roller 16 and be wound up on the opposed roll, the roller 16 operating as a backing or platen for the paper and over which is passed the ribbon 27 carried by rollers 28 mounted at opposite ends of the casing on shafts 29 and which operates similarly to the ribbon employed in typewriters, winding off one roll on to the other. The rolls carrying these ribbons have gears 30 which mesh with cooperating gears 31 carried by transversely disposed shafts 32 and on which are also fixed worm gears 33. These worm gears 38 mesh with the worms and 5 on shaft 2 and are operated by the turning of said shaft and through gears 31 operate to impart motion to the ribbon roll controlling gears 30.

Mounted to reciprocate vertically in the casing 1 above roller 16 is stamp or die carrying plunger 3%, the lower end of which has a head carrying the die having the name of the candidate set up in type on the lower face thereof and which is designed to be printed on the paper strip 26 through the ribbon 27.

This plunger St has a coiled spring 86 mounted thereon secured at one end to a shoulder 37 and at its other end to the lower face of the top of the casing 1 and exerts its tension to return the plunger to raised inoperative position after it has been actuated.

This plunger or operating key 3% has a shank 38 which extends through the top of the casing 1 into a sleeve 89 having a disk like head 4-0 for use in depressing the plunger. A coiled spring 41 is mounted in this sleeve between the inner face of the head 40 and the upper end of the shank 38 and exerts its pressure to force said shank normally downward. A pair of diverging spring pressed dogs 42 are pivotally mounted in shank 38 with their free ends projecting beyond the lower edge of the sleeve and which are spread apart by a coiled expansion spring 13 and are designed to engage the outer face of the top of the casing l to hold the plungernormally in raised position as is shown clearly in Fig. 5. It will thus be seen that when the head 40 of the plunger is depresed, springs 11 and a3 will be compressed and thereby release dogs 42 permitting the die to drop quickly by gravity and the pressure on head. and strike the paper strip above the roller 16 and force it against said roller, thereby printing through the ribbon 27 the name contained on the lower face of said die. The expansion of spring 11 and the contraction of spring 36 operate to return the plunger.

A bar l l is connected at one end with the plunger 3 1 and at its other end with shaft 23 and is provided with a laterally extending pin or stud 45 which passes through the slot 14; in the upper ends of the trip plate 12. By so connecting the plunger with the trip plate 12 it will be understood that the lowering or dropping of the die when the plunger key is operated will cause trip plate 12 to be forced downwardly by means of the engagement of the stud 45 with the lower wall of slot 1st and thereby move the shoulder 15 out of engagement with the clutch members 7 and 8 and permit said members to move into operative engagement with each other, thereby again connecting shaft 2 with gear (5 so that said gear may be rotated with the turning of the shaft.

A counter 46 which may be of any suitable or desired com-struction, the details of which form no part of this invention and consequently are not herein shown, is connected to be actuated by a rod 4:? carried by the trip plate 12 so that each lowering of trip plate 12 will operate to register 0nd vote on the counter.

The trip plate 12 also operates a linkage 48 which is composed of two pivotally connected sections 49 and 19, the section -19 being connected at its free end with the trip plate 12 and the vfree end of section 4:9 connected with the shaft 2%. This shaft 24 through a crank 51 operates to ring a bell on each lowering of the trip plate 12 and which is accomplished by means of the linkage 48 just described, said linkage operating to turn the shaft 2 1 for ringing the bell and thus give a warning that a vote has been polled and thereby prevent all possibility of a repeat, for if the bell should ring twice while the same voter is in the boot-h, it would indicate to those in charge that fraud was being practised and the voter operating more than one key 40 as the bell can ring only on the depression of the individual keys, a single time.

It will thus be seen that the plate 12 controls the actuation of both the register 46 and the bell 52, it being connected by link or bars? with the re ister or counter $6 and by linkage 4C8 witi the bell actuating shaft 24, and when the linkage as has been actuated to ring the bell, it will remain inoperative until plate 12 is again raised. Hence a voter may depress the plunger head 40 of a key 80 any number of times and yet only one record will be made on the plate 27, one count registered by counter 46, and bell 52 sounded once only, all of which are incident to the lowering of plate 12, which plate, after being once lowered, will remain in lowered position until raised'by the officer in charge of crank 50. As hereinbefore stated the lowering of plate 12 in addition to actuating counter 46 and bell 52, removes cam on shoulder 15 from between clutch members 7 and 8 and permits said members to engage under the action of spring 11, thus connecting shaft 2 with gear 6 so that when said shaft is turned, it will rotate said gear 6 and the mechanism connected therewith as above described to set the unit ready for another vote.

The push button 100 is connected with a bar 53 which has a lateral arm 54engaged with a bar 54: which has inturned ends connected with the ribbon carrying rollers 28. Between the opposed ends of said rollers and stops shown at 55 on shafts 29 are arranged coiled springs as 56 so that the inward movement of the button 100' operates to force said rollers 28 longitudinally on the shafts 29 a sufficient distance to cause the ribbon to uncover the paper and expose the 1 name of the candidate printed by the die so that the voter by looking through the sight opening 7 5 may ascertainwhether the name which he desired to vote has been properly printed.

It will be understoodthat when the push button 100 is released the springs 56 will operate'to return therollers 28 to normal position and the button into projected position ready again for actuation.

In the operation of this machine, the veting mechanism or all the units any desired number of which may be provided accord ing to the number of candidates being incased in casing 1 and thereby rendered inaccessible to either the voter or the officer in charge, the casing is placed on a suitable support with the crank 3 and its handle positioned for convenient actuation by the officer in charge while the push button 100 and the lunger head 4E0 are disposed for convenient operation by the voter, it being understood that before the'casing 1 is closed against access to the voter or to others, that the strip of paper 26 has first been stamped with the oificial seal preferably at a point directly beneath the die 35 so that when the oflicer in charge gives one rotation to the crank 3, the paper bearing the oflicial seal will be moved from under the die and the machine be set ready for operation by the voter,

The voter entering the booth selects the candidate he desires to vote for then depresses the key 80 of the unit assigned to 44 which has the pin 45 projecting through the slot in the upper end of the trip plate 12 and thereby depresses the trip plate causing the rod 47 connected therewith to actuate the counter to register a single vote and at the same time moves the shoulder 15 from bet-ween the clutch members 7 and S'thereby connecting up shaft 2 with gear ,6. It will thus be seen that no matter how many times the voter may depress the plunger 3st, it will print in one place only on the paper as he has no means for obtaining access to the interior of the casing or for moving the paper strip 26 from under the plunger to enable him to register another vote. "If he de- 1 sires to make sure that the name which he intended to vote has been properly printech all that is necessary is for him to push inward the push button 100 and thereby shift the ribbon rollers 28 to movethe ribbon from over the paper strip 26 disclosing to view theiname which was stamped by the descent of the die 35 and if he finds thatthis name has been printed he may then leave thebooth with the assurance that his vote has been properly recorded and counted. After the voter has so voted, the ofiicer in charge may then turn the crank 3 which causes the worms 4 and 5 to turn with shaft 2 and also turns the gear 6 whereby the roller 16 is rotated carrying with it the paper from roll 20 toward and winding it up on roll 19 and thereby exposing a new space to receive the next vote. Simultaneously with this turning of gear 6 the cam 9 is also rotated and thereby lifts trip plate 12 causing the shoulder 15 thereof to pass between and separate the clutch members 7 and 8 and thus render the shaft 9. inoperative for again turning the paper strip until after the registering key has been again depressed, the Worms operating to turn the ribbon only.

It will thus be seen that by so constructing and positioning these parts, the voter can register and record only once on each unit, and the oflicer in charge can turn the shaft 2 only a single rotation to shift the paper 26 for a new vote, and after the paper has been so shifted the turning of shaft 2 will not in any way affect the paper ing until the key of said unit has been again depressed.

While one unit only of the machine embodying this invention, is shown, it is to be understood that the shaft 2 carrying the various parts may be made as long as necessary to accommodate any desired number of units which are arranged side by side and one ribbon 27 used in the printing for all of them. It will also be understood that the turning of crank 3 will affect only those units the voting keys of which have been depressed and does not alter in any way those Which have not been actuated.

When the voting is over, the top of the casing 1 is removed by the person having the proper authority and the oflicial seal is stamped on the top of each paper roll under the die and the counters may then be exam ined and will disclose at a glance the number of, votes which havebeen cast for each candidate and the correct returns may be known in a few minutes. The rolls of paper containing the votes printed thereon may then be removed from the casing and counted to see if they agree with those registered by the counters. It is thus seen that by having these names printed one roll or continuous strip of paper, no names can be added or removed without discovery.

From the foregoing description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, the advantages of the construction and of the method of operation will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art to which the invention appertains (and while I have described the principle of operation of the inventiontogether with the device which I now, consider to be the best embodiment thereof, I desire to have it understood that the device shownis merely illustrative and that such changes may made as are within the scope of the claimed invention.

I claim zev I p 1. A voting machine, including an impression device having an actuating key, an impression receiving element,-mechanism for feeding said element under said impression device, means for rendering said feeding means inoperative after said receiving element has been fed a predetermined distance, and means connected with said impression device and operable by the actuation of said device to throw said feeding means into op-.

erative position. v

2. A voting machine, including an impression device having an actuating key, an impression receiving element, mechanism for feeding said element under said impression device, means whereby said feeding means is rendered inoperative after said element has been fed a predetermined distance, and means operable by the actuation of said impression device for placing said feeding means again into operative condition.

3. In a voting machine, inclosed mechanism comprising a platen roller revolubly mounted therein, a print receiving strip mounted to move over said roller, a plunger actuated die for printing on said strip, a rotary shaft, a trip member vertically mov able by said shaft and means operable by said shaft to move said strip a predeter mined distance and to simultaneously disengage said shaft from said means.

4. In a voting machine, mechanism for producing an impression including a pair of spaced rolls for respectively receiving and distributing a strip of paper, a revoluble impression roller mounted between said rolls and contacting with the peripheries thereof whereby the turning of said roller rotates said rolls in the same direction to wind said strip from one roll, to the other and over said roller, a ribbon movable over said strip at a point abovesaid roller, an impression producing member mounted to reciprocate above said roller and operable by a voter to produce an impression on said strip above said roller, and means for automatically returning said impression member after actuation. V

5. In a voting machine, mechanism for producing an impression including a pair of spaced rolls for respectively receiving and distributing a strip of paper, a revoluble impression roller mounted between said rolls and contacting with the peripheries thereof whereby the turning of said roller rotates said rolls in the same direction to wind said strip from one roll to the other and over said roller, a ribbon movable over said strip at a point above said roller, an impression producing member mounted to reciprocate above said roller and operable by a voter to produce an impression on said strip above said roller, means for automatically returning said impression member after actuation, and means actuated by said impression producing member for recording the impression, and means for moving said strip positioned for actuation on the impression producing stroke of said member.

6. In a voting machine, mechanism for producing an impression including a pair of spaced rolls for respectively receiving and distributing a strip of paper, a revoluble impression roller mounted between said rolls and contacting with the peripheries thereof whereby the turning of said roller rotates said rolls in the' same direction to wind said strip from one roll to the other and over said roller, a shaft to which said roller is fixed, a gear carried by said roller, another shaft arranged parallel with said roller carried shaft, a gear loose on said parallel shaft meshing with said roller carried gear and carrying a clutch member, a cam mounted to rotate with said shaft slidable thereon, a clutch member for cooperation with the clutch on said gear whereby the gear is fixed to turn with the shaft, a clutch shifter engaged with said cam, and a connection between said shifter and impression producing means whereby the clutch members are separated by the turning of said shaft and connected by the lowering of said impression producing means.

7. In a voting machine, a reciprocatory stamping die, movable means arranged in the path of said die to receive an impression therefrom, intermesl'iing gears for actuating said movable impression receiving means, a shaft supporting and extending loosely through one of said gears, a clutch member carried by said gear, a cam mounted to turn with said shaft and to slide thereon, a clutch carried by said cam for engagement with the gear carried clutch, a trip member mounted to move vertically and bifurcated to straddle said shaft and having a recess to receive said cam and a shoulder to enter between and separate said clutch members on the movement of said trip member in one direction, means for turning said shaft whereby said cam is turned to move said trip member into clutch releasing position, a connection between said trip member and stamping die for moving the trip member into clutch releasing position on the actuation of said die.

8. In a voting machine, a reciprocatory stamping die, movable means arranged in the path of said die to receive an impression therefrom, intermeshing gears for ac tuating said movable impression receiving .means, a shaft supporting and extending loosely through one of said gears, a clutch member carried by said gear, a cam mounted to turn with said shaft and to slide thereon, a clutch carried by said cam for engagement with the gear carried clutch, a trip member mounted to move vertically and bifurcated to straddle said shaft and having a recess to receive said cam and a shoulder to enter between and separate said clutch members on the movement of said trip member in one direction, means for turning said shaft whereby said cam is turned to movesaid trip member into clutch releasing position, a spring retracted plun ger for actuating said die, an arm carried by said plunger and having a sliding connection with said trip, stops for limiting the movement of said sliding connection to provide for the movement of said trip into clutch releasing position on the first downward movement of the plunger.

9. In a voting machine, a reciprocatory stamping die, movable means arranged in the path of said die to receive an impression therefrom, intermeshing gears for ac tuating said movable impression receiving means, a shaft supporting and extend ing loosely through one of said gears, a clutch member carried by said gear, a cam mounted to turn with said shaft and to slide thereon, a clutch carried by said cam for engagement with the gear carried clutch, a trip member mounted to move vertically and bifurcated to straddle said shaft and having a recess to receive said cam and a shoulder to enter between and separate said clutch members .on the movement of said trip member in one direction, means for turning said shaft whereby said cam is turned to move said trip member into clutch releasing position, a spring retracted plunger for actuating said die, an arm carried by said plunger and having a sliding connection with said trip to provide for the movement of said trip into clutch releasing position on the first downward movement of the plunger, and to permit the plunger to reciprocate without affecting said trip after it has been so actuated.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

LEWIS JOHN TIMPANY.

INitnesses:

O. SGHROEDER, T. E. DJLLIS.

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