US1336836A - Paper-support for combined adding and typewriting machines - Google Patents

Description

c. L. HARVEY.

NEDYADDIN'G AND TYPEW RITING MACHINES.

PAPER SUPPORT FOR COMB] APPLICATION FILED MAR. I

Patented Apr. 13

2 SHEETSSHEET I.

C. L. HARVEY. v PAPER SUPPORT FOR COMBINED ADDING AND TYPEWRITING MAC HINES.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. I, 1918.

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0033111 1!. HARVEY, OF ST. IJOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR TO MOON-HOPKINS BILLING MACHINE COMFANY, OF ST. LOUIS, MISS TRI, A CORPORATION OF MISSOURI.

PAPER-SUPPORT FOB COMBINED ADDING AND TYPEWRITING MACHINES.

Application filed March 1, 1918..

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Cousin L. HARVEY, a citizen of the United States, residing at the city of St. Louis, State of Missouri, have invented a certain new and useful Improveimproved papersupport for combined adding and typewriting machines.

ig. 2 is a vertical sectional view of the same.

Fig. 3 is a detail View of the detachable portion of the support.

' Fig- 4 is a detail view of the upper end i of one ofthe adjustable guides.

Fig. 5 is a detail view of the manner of detachably connecting the removable por-' commercially known as billing machines such for instance as illustrated in the French patent to Hubert Hopkins, No. 383,719, datedJanuary 16, 1908, and which is known on the market as Moon-Hopkins billing machine. In United States Patent No.

1,143,241, dated June 15, 1915, granted to Otto Thieme, there are illustrated means for Controlling the front and rear register wheels of the Moon-Hopkins machine, and in Patent No. 1,206,270, dated November 28, 1916,

also granted to Otto Thieme, there are illustrated means for automatically controlling the front and rear register wheels, which register wheel controls are such as are necessary or supposed to be present in the billing machine for which my improved paper I holder is especially designed, for reasons Hubert Hopkins Patent No. 1,206,113, dated which will hereinafter appear. The subtracting and overdraft mechanism of the November 28, 1916, is also preferably present on such a billing machine.

Assuming that the billing machine is equipped with the devices above mentloned,

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 13, 1920.

Serial No. 219,799.

and it is desired to make out a statement and post the ledger from the statement, the following would be the method of operation:

The ledger sheets (loose-leaf) containing the active accounts are removed from the binding and placed in a suitable container or holder convenient to the operator. Blank statement sheets are also placed convenient to the operator. A blank statement sheet may be interposed between each ledger sheet before starting operations, as this will eventually save time in placing the ledger and statement sheets in the holder.

In Fig. 6, I have shown one form of statement sheet which maybe used, and in Fi 7 a form of ledger sheet which may be used.

On this statement sheet which is placed in the carriage of the machine and turned under the platen thereof in the usual way, the name of the house sending out the statement in the form of the usual bill head, is preferably printed at the top, and the name of the debtor, to whom the bill is sent, is printed in the space provided therefor, by the typewriting mechanism, so that the same may be used with the well known window envelops, if such are used. The statement sheet is divided into vertical columns, the first preferably containing the date, the second a description of the goods, the third the amount of the debit item, the fourth the amount of any credit to be given, and the fifth the balance. Under the date column there is usually written the year, say for instance 1918 (by the typewriting .mechanism), and at the top of the balance column the amount of the old balance which is set up on the adding key mechanism of the adding machine and recorded by the printing mechanism thereof. This old balance is introduced into the rear register wheels (marked 268 in the patents referred to). (It is to be assumed, of course, that all of the register wheels'stand clear at the beginning of the days operations.) After set-' ting up, introducing and printing the old balance as taken from the ledger sheet, the first item is then written in, the date Jan 9; dozen hose being written by the'typewriting mechanism. The amount of the item I of debit $6.00 is introduced through the keyboard into one of the forward registers, say the middle register, and at the same time is also introduced into the rear register which becomes a grand totalizer in that it adds the amount of this item, $6.00, to the old balanc 'e, $100.00, and the middle front register now stands to represent $6.00 while the rear register stands to represent $106.00. Say the next item will have been tripped and stepped leftwardly so that the middle group of totalizer wheels will be placed under control of the actuating racks, and when the amount of the item, $24.00, is set up on the keyboard of the adding mechanism and printed,this amount will be added to the previous amount, $6.00, standing in the middle group of forward totalizer wheels, and at the same time this $200 will be introduced into the rear set of totalizer wheels so that the latter now stand to represent $130.00 and the middle group of forward totalizer wheels stand to represent $30.00. Other items may, of course, be listed in the statement and accumulated in the'middle group of forward totalizer wheels simultaneously with the introduction of said items into the group of rear totalizer wheels which accumulates the grand total, but the two items mentioned above are deemed sul'ricient to illustrate the method of operation herein contemplated in connection With the use of my improved paper holder The items standing in the middle group of forward totalizers are retained therein to be posted on the ledger sheet, as will hereinafter appear, but the total may be printed as a footing to the debit column at the will of the operator. This operation of printing and retaining a total is commonly known as taking a subtotal and is fully described in the patents beforementioned.

The paper carriage is now shifted left wardly to bring the printing type of the adding mechanism opposite the balance column and the first product key is operated, which will cause the new balance, $130.00, to be printed and at the same time introduced into the right hand group of forward totalizers, the said groups of forward totalizer wheels having been stepped leftwardly incident to the leftward movement of the paper carriage so as to bring the right hand group of forward totalizerwhcels under control of the rack bars. This amount,

$130.00, is retained in the group of rear totalizer wheels in readiness to be posted on the ledger sheet. The detailed operation of assesses the first and final product keys is fully set forth in an application filed by Otto Thieme August 19, 1913, Serial Number 85,523, and need, not be further described lere.

So far, the operation of making out a statement is a usual one, such as is commonly employed in department stores, and the relation of my improved paper holder which is mounted upon and carried by the paper carriage of the machine in supporting the statement and ledger sheets, with respect to the laterally shiftable forward totalizers, is determined by the adjustable stops on the paper carriage which control the escapement mechanism which in turn controls the leftward positioning of the forward groups of totalizer wheels relative to the actuating racks. The tabulating mechanism and carriage return mechanism may be employed, but these form no part of my present invention and therefore need not be describe in detail here.

The condition of the registers upon the completion of the making out of the statement sheet just above described, is as follows:

The left hand forward totalizer stands at zero; the middle forward totalizer stands to represent 30; and the right hand forward totalizer as well as the rear totalizer both stand to. represent 130.

Before proceedingfurther in the description of the operation of posting on the ledger sheet, I will describe the construction of my improved paper holder. 1 indicates the frame of the laterally movable paper carriage, 2 the platen, and 3 the paper guides. l is a bracket secured to the frame of the paper carriage, which bracket has a transversely disposed plate 4 containing keyhole opening 4. (see Fig. 5), there being preferably four of these keyhole openings, two being arranged at or near each end of the plate 4-. 5 is a backing plate whose lower end is preferably bent forwardly, as at 5, and whose side edges are flanged rearwardly at 5 in order to strengthen the plate. The top edge is likewise bent rearwardly, as at 5. 6 are buttons secured to and extending rearwardly from the face of the plate 5 and which are designed to register with the keyhole openings l of the bracket cross bar whereby the plate 5 may be detachably secured in position. 7 are guide plates for guiding one of the sheets, said guide plates having flanges 7 at their outer edges and rearwardly extending slotted flanges 7* at RAJ incense cates brackets secured to the flanges which brackets provide bearings for a shaft or rod having a handle 11 at one end thereof. 12 are sleeves loos ll mounted on shaft 10, which sleeves are h d in their longitudinally adjusted position by means of thumb screws l3. 14: are supporting and guiding plates which are supported by the sleeves l2 and which overlap each other, shown in Fig. 3. These plates l l have forwardly extending guiding flanges 14 at. their side edges. The lower edges 14C of these plates i are flanged rearwardly 1111- r the forwardly extending bent edge 5 of the backing plate while the upper edges of e plate Lil are flanged rearwardly and downwardly, as at l i, to provide a guard for the sheet of paper introduced between the shaft 10 and guide plates 7. The cross plate l of the bracket is preferably inclined. as shown, so that when the backing plate 5 is mounted thereon, it is tilted rearwardly at slight angle so that the plates 14 will be held in normal position by gravity, thus dispensing with the use of a spring to hold these plates in normal position. However, a sprin may be employed for this purpose if de; red.

Assuming that the plates 7 and 1 are properly adjusted, the operator in picking; up the statement and ledger sheets may sep arate them by hand. in the illustration un der consideration placing the ledger sheet between the guides of the plates 7 and the statement test between the guides of the plate The ledger sheet will drop onto the lie; 14% at the lower edges of the'plate .said sheet with respect to the is reached f A it,

while the ufatcment sheet will drop behind theplaten and upon the paper guides, so that the operator may, by rotating,- the platen in the usual way, advance the statement sheet under the platen until the proper space printing operations.

indicates an inverted ll-shaped extension rod mounted in brackets be'hind'the platen :3 and \VlxlCl'l may be lifted to support a sheet of paper in position where longer sheets are employed. This hail has its slightly sprung", either apart or together, before being placed in po. ion, so that will be retained in its adjusted position by friction.

The ledger sheet, indicated in 7,

placed in position behind the plates 14, preferably 'at the same time that the statement ii, and as stated before, the statement sheetis first made out and the registers stand as stated above with respect to the particular example under consideration. lVhen the statemnt sheet is finished, which may be near the top, middle or bottom of last item printed thereon, it is removed from an rchy be supported in position,

the ledger sheet may have to be adjusted by turning the platen forwardly or baekwardly, as the case may be, so as to properly locate the next item to be printed thereon.

The ledger sheet, as shown in Fig. 7, is divided into a. number of columns and the first thing the opera tor does. when the ledger sheet is properly positioned, is to move the carriage leftwardly to its starting position so as to bring the left hand forward totalizer in control of the racks and the operator introduces the old balance into the adding mechanism, in this instance 100, and brings the same in the left hand column of the ledger sheet under the caption ()ld balance. The date may now be printed in the proper column. followed by the description of the items or some other identification of the invoice or statement, after which the tabulating mechanism may be operated so as to place the middle front totalizer in control of the racks to obtain a total therefrom and print the same in the debits column. In this instance the total is 30, and at the end of this total printing operation, the middle front totalizer stands clear. The tabulating mechanism is again operated and the total obtained from the rear totalizcr. in this instance 130 wh ch is printed in the extreme right hand column indicating: the new balance, at the end of which operation the rear totalizer stands clear. lVe thus have at the completion of posting operations onthe ledger sheet-l()() in the left hand front totalizer; 130 in the right hand front totalizer; the middle front totalizer and the rear totalizer standing clear or at zero. The ledger sheet may now be removed from the machine and another statement and ledger sheet placed in position in the paper holder in readiness for another cycle of operations, as above described. At the end of this second cycle of operations of making out a statement and posting the ledger sheet. the total of the new balances will stand in the right hand front totalizer, the total of the old balances will stand in. the left hand front totalizer, and the middle front totalizer and the rear totalizer will stand. clear. These operations of making out statements and posting on the ledger sheet may be continued indefinitely, up to the cap city of the machine, and at the end of a specified period of time, say for old balances set up in the machine as a sub-, trahend, and the remainder ascertained, which remainder indicates the total amount of debits.

While I have described, for purpose of making out of a statement as a preliminary operation to posting on the ledger sheet, in some systems this may be reversed 2'. 6., the items posted and then the statements made out from the ledger. This latter method is desirable in sendnig out monthlystatements where the items are obtained from the ledger sheets. I have not in the illustrations above given, mentioned any items as placed in the credit column, as this might tend to confusion, as it would involve in carrying out the particular operations above described, the use of a fourth front totalizer. However, the printing of the accumulated. credits is contemplated in the Moon-Ho y kins billing machines, and of course, this can be readily done and the credits subtracted from the total of the new balances if de sired to obtain the net debits, after which the old balances may be subtracted from the net debits. Indeed, the machine is adapted for almost any ordinary system of keeping books and by the use of my improved paper holder, the operation of placing the two sheets in position greatly facilitates the making out of statements and the posting on the ledger sheet. It will be noted in this connection that-when the ledger sheet is arranged behind the statement sheet, its corresponding columns are in proper position so that when the statement sheet is taken out and the ledger sheet is placed in position under the platen, the totals will be printed in'the proper columns on the ledger sheet without requiring any special lateral adjustment of the latter.

What I claim i.

1. A paper holder comprising a back plate whose lower edge is located above the platen, a platen and its individual paper guiding devices, and rocking means located in front of said back plate and cooperating with the lower edge thereof to support a sheet of paper against said back plate.

2. A paper holder comprising a back plate adapted to beadjustably mounted in position, adjustable guides mounted on back plate, a rock shaft carried by saidback carriage, a back plate detachably mounted on said bracket, adjustable guides onsaid back plate, means for holding said guides in their adjusted position, rock shaft mounted on the back plate, adjustable guides 'mounted on said rock shaftfmeans for holding said last mentioned guides in adjusted positlon, and a handle whereby said rock shaft may be operated, sald last mentioned adjustable guides having means at their lower edges for cooperating wit-lithe back plate whereby a sheet of er be tween the first mentioned ad, 1st; may be supported away from th.

while another sheet of paper is being ranted upon. I V In testimony whereof I hereunto an signature this 26th day of February,

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