US1403182A

US1403182A - Counting device

Info

Publication number: US1403182A
Application number: US433449A
Authority: US
Inventors: Lysle S Maturin
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1920-12-27
Filing date: 1920-12-27
Publication date: 1922-01-10
Anticipated expiration: 1939-01-10

Description

L. S. MATURIN.

COUNTING DEVICE.

APPLxcATxoN FILED DEc.27. |920.

1,403,182. Patented Jan. 10, 1922.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

ATTORNEY L. S. MATURIN.

COUNTING DEVICE.

APPLlcAnoN man No.2?, 1920.

1,403,182, Patented Jan. 10,1922.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2l ATTORNEY kcountingdevice; vice forY indica-ting the number ofnewspapers.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LYBLE S. MATURIN, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

. COUNTING DEVICE.

1o all whom t may concern.' Y

Be itknownvthat I, LYsLE S. MATURIN, a citizen of the United States, residin in Brooklyn, in the countyof Kings and tate offNew f York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Counting De- K vices, of which the following is a specificat 10n v v Thisl inventioncg. relates `to .an .improved particularly a countingy dedelivered by a printin :press after thepress has printed and folde Qthe papers. c

The Vgeneral object of this invention is to provide a counting deviceiwhich will serve the purpose mentioned and which is me-- chanically operated; consistinglof butfew parts, and being simple inconstructiomnot lia bleto get out of order, and 'easy to mount so as to bel caused to function as required. A further object of thisinvention is to provide a counting device capable of being actuated mechanically to record the number of news'-v papers' printed; and designedto receive Iand store the energy consumed by it; whereby the device is self-containedand complete,

both as to structure and mode of operation;

vention are setforth in the following de scription, taken with the accompanying drawings; and the novel features of the invention are dened in the This disclosure, however, is illustrative only and sets forth merely the best embodiment of my invention now knownto me; and I may vary what is actually shown herein; espe cially as to shape, size and arrangement of parts, .without departing fromthe nature and scope of the invention as the same is delineated by the broad meanings of the termsin which the claims'are expressed.

On the drawings Figure l is a side view showing the mechanism of a counting device 'according to my invention; the said mechanism being mounted in a suitable casing or box;

Figure 2 is a section on the line 2 2 of Figure l;

Figure 3 is a section onthe line 3 3 of Figure 1 Figure 4 is a section Specification of Letters Patent.

lconsist of 'sheets .or pages of each being then folded across usual way, the upper halfof the page thus 'p being laid down upon thelower half and the and never runs down when'in use, butonl the contrary always remains in operative Y are folded-across the appended claims.y

Figure 5 is Figure l;

Figure 6 is a top plan of the casing for the counting device showing how the counting device is mounted when in service, with respect to the newspapers to be counted by 1t;and i Figure 7 is a View, more or less diagram-y matic, showing, in end elevation, .substantially what appears in Figure r6. y he same numerals identify the same characters throughout. As is well known, the news establishments not but also fold them; and after being. printed and folded the newspapers are caused to move from the press to a point where thev are collected for distribution. in Figuresl `6 and 7, i indicate at .l a number of folded newspapers arranged onebeh'ind the other and traveling in guides 2. These papers may any number of sheets or pages; the paper being one on top of the other and each copy of the paper the middle in the presses employed in guides 2 engaging each copy along the edges thereof at each side. The numeral 3 indicates the line along which the newspapers specified, this line .being the transversecenter line of eachcopy, and, as the copies vare disposed in the guides 2 to be moved away vfrom the press, this line also indicates the rear edge of each of the copies which follow vveach .other in succession; and the forward edge of eachcopy will overlap the rear edge 3 ofthe one ahead of it. Hence the lower face of the line of papers, by reason of the well defined rear edges 3, presents a transversely ribbed or stepped appearance, which is utilized in the practice of my invention in a fashion that is described fully hereinafter. The printing pressis not shown and the guides 2 may simply be wires arranged in pairs, one at each side of the moving line of newspapers, the members of each pair. being one above the other so that the lateral edges of the successive papers are engaged between the wires of each pair at each side of the line, one wire being above and `the otter below the papers. For the purpose of this invention the wires may be either in motion or stationary, but in any event itis essential that the line of papers be kept moving fora section on the line 5 5 of only print the papers' middle in the manner Patented Jan. 10, 1922. Application led December 27, 1920. Seria! No. 433,449.

ward in the direction in which the guides 2 extend, with the front edge of each newspaper overlapliilng the rear edge 3 of the one ahead of it. y counting device is placed beneath the line of newspapers; and the motion of the papers acts to store power to operate the device; and a certain part or member thereof is especially actuated as each of the rear edges 3 passes it to cause a recording instrument mounted in the counting deviceto give the desired result.

The mechanism of the counting device is arranged in a casing or supporting framework 4, and comprises a friction wheel 5, and a plunger 6. Both the wheel 5 and the plunger 6 project above the top of the casing or framework 4 and the device is placed beneath the line of newspapers and beneath the guides 2 and it is held in such wise that both the wheel 5 and the part or member 6 will be in contact with the lower face of the newspapers. The dog or plunger 6 has its upper end 7, beveled in the direction from which the papers move and will slide up and down in a hole 8 in the top of the framework .4. The engagement of the papers will suffice to turn the wheel 5 and store up power in the counting device to keep it working; while as the rear edge of each folded copy slips past the beveled end 7 of the dog 6, this dog will be permitted to move in an upward direction, and the successive upward motions so control the various parts of the mechanism of the counting device that an exact count will be effected. To this end the dog 6 is caused to extend downward into the casing or framework 4, a suitable distance and at its lower end it is pinned to a double escapementpawl 9 pivoted at 10 upon a bracket 11; this bracket depending from the top of the framework or the casing and terminating 'at is lower end near a ratchet wheel 12 having a number of escapement teeth 13, on one face in position to cooperate with the pawl 9. This ratchet wheel 13 is rigidly mounted upon a shaft 14, mounted in bearings 15 secured to the frame-work or the casingA 4; and a spring 9 is ailixed to both the pawl 9. and the bracket 11 so that it acts normally to impel the dog 6 upward and lift the adjacent end of the pawl 9. On the shaft 14 is a gear wheel 16 which turns a gear 17 either directly or through an intermediate gear mounted in a bracket 18. The gear 17 actuates a spindle 19 in a small housing 2O which contains a register. The housing 20 may have openings 21 in the side thereof through which numbers can be shown and from this recorder a reading can be taken at any time to ascertain the number of papers which the press has printed and one tooth before this ratchet gear is engaged by the upper tooth of the pawl 9, and temporarily arrested. Then the dog 6 is depressed slightly against the tension of the spring 9', whereby the upper tooth of the pawl 9 will release the gear 12 and the lower tooth of the pawl 9 will re-engage with this gear. When the rear edge 3 of the next copy slips behind the beveled end 7 of the dog 6, the spring 9 is again able to impel the dog upward, slightly, moving the pawl 9 with the same effect as before. Through the gearing 16 and 17 the movement of the ratchet gear 12 is communicated to the spindle 19 of the recorder 20; and if the ratchet gear 12 has 50 teeth for example, every time this gear turns once, 50 papers will have passed in and the number 50 will then appear at one of the openings 21 on the recorder 20 so that a reading can be taken. Of course any suitable recorder may be employed.

As stated previously this counting device" work or casing 4 and it has secured thereon an internal gear 26 which' meshes with a small pinion 27 secured on thespindle 22. The friction of the papers against the rim of the wheel 5 will rotate the gear 27 and gear 26 and'thus turn the shaft 24. The revolution of the shaft 24 is stored up as energy in a drum 28; the latter containing a spiral spring 29. As indicated in Figure 1 the shaft 24 extends into the drum 28; and as will be understood one end of the spring 29 will be attached to the shaft 24 and the other to the inside of drum 28. The shaft 24 extends into a hub 30 on the drum and terminates short of the adjacent extremity of the shaft 14. I of course make the hub 30 of the drum 28 rigid with the gear 16 and shaft 14, but the shaft 24 which extends into the hub 30, can turn in this hub, which serves as a bearing for the shaft 24. Hence as the friction of the lower faces of the newspapers against the wheel 5 turns this spring will rotate the shaft 14 and gear 12 whenever the: teeth 13 are released by the pawl 9. At the opposite endof the shaft -24 I secure a` rigid ratchet wheel 31 Which cooperates with a spring pawl 32 secured adjacent the lower end of the bearing 25.

This pawl and ratchet permit the shaft 2 4` to be turned in one direction only, which 1s the direction given by the forward movement of the papers 1. Since the shaft 24 can never turn backward, the force of the spring 29 must always be exerted through the drum 28 to turn the shaft 14 so as to actuate the gear 12 and operate the recorder 20.

I am able to adjust the arm 23 by making a hole 33 through the lower extremity thereof to receive a bolt 34. This bolt has a head which will engage-one side of the arm at one end of the hole 33 and from this end the bolt Ipasses into the hole 33 and out through the side of the casing 4 where it is to receive a nut 86. By turning this nut 36 the arm can be caused to swing in a counter-clockwise direction so as to hold the wheel 5 as tightly as is necessary against the lower surfaces of the papers to make them drive this wheel and keep the spring 29 under tension. Of course the head 35 of the bolt will be too large to pass through the hole 33 which must be large enough to clear the outside surface of the bolt passing through it.

IVith this construction I can vkeep the count of any number of newspapers delivered by a printing press merely by installing the counting device below the guides 2 in position to make the wheel 5 and dog 6 be frictionally engaged with the lower surface of the papers 1. The force of the spring 29 furnishes the power and in operation the device is so accurate that it keeps an exact tally of all the newspapers passing above it; and the mode of operation is certain and positive and the parts are relatively so few that the liability of the device getting out of order is practically eliminated. At the same time the device keeps itself in constant readiness for service beca-use it gets the power needed to drive it from the motion of the newspapers above it. Hence no special arrangement to install the counting device is needed. It does not depend for its utility or operation from anything except the parts comprised in it.

In the practice of my invention the guides 2 may be vertical and the papers may travel either upward or downward. In either case the casing or framework 4 will be so disposed that the part 6 and the element 5 will press against theface of the line ofpapers showing the edges 3. Also the guides 2 may be horizontal and in this case the counting device will be placed below the line of papers. l

For the purpose of illustration and for the sake of clearness only, I illustrate the papers as being engaged by only two pairs of guides 2. In practice however, more than two pairs of guides will be employed as some presses have as many as four and six pairs of guides, so that the copies are engaged not only along the opposite edges but also between these edges. However, to show more than two pairs of guides on the drawings is not thought to be necessary because the operation of my invention is the'same regardless of the number of guides 2 which are employed. Usually these guides are in the form of endless loops of spring wire, or perhaps other material which passes over pulleys and are kept in motion thereby, so as to feed forward the copies of newspapersv between the members of each pair of these guides, as will be readily understood.

lfVhen the newspapers movehorizontally the openings 21 in the housing 20 will be in v29, may be employed to furnish the motive power to operate the device. In any case the function thereof is positive and accurate through the operation of the ratchet 12 and pawl 9 connected to the plunger 6, which is controlled by the articles to be counted.

Having described my invention` what I believe to be new and desire to secure and protect. by Letters Patent of the United States, :isz-

1. A counting device comprising a register to indicate the number of articles counted and an element operated by said articles to receive and store energy imparted to it by saidi articles to enable the register to be actuatec.

2. A counting device comprising a part controlled by the articles to be counted, a register, connections between said part and the register to enable the recorder to act in unison with said part when said part is operated to indicate the number of said articles counted, and an element to receive and store energy imparted to it by said article` lto enable the register to be actuated.

l 3. A counting device comprising a register to indicate the number of articles movging past a given point, and an element operated by the movement of said articles to receive and store energy imparted to it by said articles to enable the register to be actuated.

4. A counting device comprising a part controlled by the movement of the articles to be counted, a register, connections between said part and the register to enable the register to act in unison with said part when said part is operated to indicate the number of articles passing a given point, and an element operated by the movement of said articles to receive and store energy imparted by said articles to enable the register to be actuated.

5. A counting device comprising a register to indicate the number of articles counted, a spring to enable'the register to be operated, and an element actuated by the articles counted to stress said spring.

6. A counting device comprising a plunger to be controlled by the articles to be counted, a register, an escapement pawl connected to the plunger, and a ratchet Wheel engaged by the paWl to actuate the register.

7. A counting device comprising a plunger to be controlled by the movement of the articles to be counted, an escapement pawl connected to the plungerq a ratchet Wheel to be engaged by the pawl, a register connected to the ratchet Wheel to be driven thereby, a friction element to be engaged by the articles and receive energy therefrom, and a spring to be Wound up by said element and to take effect by actuating the register.

8. A counting device comprising an adjustable friction Wheel to be revolved by en' gagement with articles in motion to be counted, a shaft, gears connecting said wheel and said shaft, a drum rotatably mounted relative to said shaft, a spring connecting the shaft and the drum, a paWl and ratchet to enable the shaft to rotate in only one direction to Wind the spring, a plunger to be controlled by the articles 'to be counted, an escapement pawl connected to said plunger, a second ratchet to be engaged by the pawl, said second ratchet being fixed with respect to saiddrum, and a register to be actuated by the movement of said last named ratchet.

In Witness whereof, l have Si ned my name to this specication this 17t day of December, 1920.

LYSLE S. MATURN,