US1502610A - Nis base - Google Patents

Description

Jul 22, 1924.

J. M. M G. BARR CALCULATING MACHINE Filed July 9, 1923 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 I emu/ 32,36 -L :19 G "Barr July 22, 1924. 1,502,610

.1, M.,MG. BARR CALCULATING MACHINE Filed July 9, 1923 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Q q YT q [I [I n [W I K113i2111111361:111)

Invenfor JTMM Gr-Barr fififys- Patented July 22, 1924.

UNITED STATES JAMES MARK MOGINNIS BARR, OF LONDON, ENGLAND.

CALCULATING MACHINE.

Application filed July '9,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES MARK MCGIN- NIS BARR, a citizen of the United States of America, and residing in London, S. W. 1, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Calculating Machines, of which the following is a specification. 7

This invention relates to calculating machines of the kind in which the partial products resulting from any multiplication within the'limits of the machine are stored within the machine and are co-ordinated or selected to be delivered to suitable counting means by which they are added together to give the result, such partial products being represented by balls or other separate obec'ts.

The present invention has for its object to simplify and cheapen the construction of .calculating machines of the above kind and the invention consists in a calculating machine of the kind referred to comprising a plurality of counting mechanisms, correspending to the various denominations occurring in the maximum result obtainable in the machine, each of which is associated with means whereby the counter may have delivered to it forcounting any of the partial products corresponding to its denomination that may occur in any calculation within the limits of the machine.

The invention also consists in a calculating machine of the kind referred toin which each counter with its associated means for storing and delivering the partial been found necessary hitherto to stor sep-v arately the individual partial products for each co-ordination that may be necessary within the limits of the machine even where the partial products may be of the same value. For example, a co-ordinating of 6 and 4 gives the partial 24 which is also produced when the numerals 8 and 3 are coordinated, and in such cases it has hitherto 1923. Serial No. 850,501.

been necessary to store two separate partials to be found by each of such coordinations.

The present invention, however, consists in a calculating machine of the kind referred to in which the means for co-ordinating the partial products are such that this disadvantage is completely obviated.

The invention further consists in other details and arrangements hereinafter described or indicated.

In the accompanying drawing, Fig. 1 illustrates diagrammatically one convenient form of countlng mechanism with its associated co-ordinator in accordance with the invention. Fig. 2 is a detail in side elevation of 'a modification of the invention; Fig. 3 is a front view of Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is an elevation of the side opposite that shown in Fig. 2, partlyv in section; Fig. 5 is 8. diagrammatic view similar to Fig. 1 showing means for operating the item rods and rate strips, and, Fig. 6 is a detail section of Fig. 5. Fig. 7 is an enlarged fr'a entary perspective showing in detail 1; e device for permitting movement of the stops or shelves.

In carrying my invention into efi'ect in one convenient manner as, for example, in its application to a calculating machine adapted to deal with the decimal system, I provide a plurality of counting mechanisms equal in number to the number of digits occurring in the maximum result obtainable within the limits of the machine and such counting mechanisms correspond in the usual manner with the respective denominations occurring in such result; that is to say, there is a counter for the units, a counter for the tens, a counter for the hundreds and so on and there may also be counters for the integers occurring after the decimal point. Each of such counting mechanisms comprises a rotary toothed wheel a or other member adapted to be rotated step by ste by the passage of successive balls I) throug the counter, there being ten of such steps in the decimal machine and corresponding respectively with the points 1, -2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 0, which may be indicated on a dial or other indicator associated I with the counter.

In connection with each counter and positioned so that the balls located therein are in a osition to operate the counter I provide a tube 0 in the form of a vertical or other suitably disposed loop, which loop .is

-- 30 successively through the counter. -The shoe I the counter is associated with the tube,

, for example,

.the tube is 7 counter balls representing the greatest tube in order to responding with such shelf.

Iyvhich member itself substantially closes the oop.

The storage and delivery tube for the balls or other objects is of such a length that capable of delivering to its partial product which can occur within the limits of the machine (this being in the example chosen 81- product produced by the co-ordination of 9 with 9) and there must also be an added length in,each limb of the loop so that when, the largest number of balls is delivered at one count and on the down side of the loop there will be suficient room in the limb above such balls to accommodate an equal number of balls which will be displaced from the other limb by the balls passing through the counter. 'Eachsection (that is, each counter with its associated ball storing and delivering mechanism) is provided with a rotating disc (1 which is associated with a pivoted and spring-controlled wedge or shoe member 6 or the like so disposed in relation to the rotating disc that the two together constitute virtually a friction drive by which theballs are driven member is provi ed 'with an extension i which acts as a pawl which projectssomewhat into the up or nondelivery side of the prevent overrunning or jumping of the balls or their return by their own weight against the counter. As the shoe member is operated in succession by each ball as it passes through the counter the pawl will be momentarily withdrawn from the up side of the tube to permit of the passage of a ball from the lower to the upper side of the projecting pawl member as a corresponding ball passes through the,

counter.

In the delivery side of the tube and just stop adapted to retain the balls in position above it, and in order to beable to select any desired number of balls for delivery to the counter corresponding with any particular partial product determined by the co-ordination of two members (such, for exam Is, as an item which means, say, quantity of goods, or stands for the first multiplier and a rate which means, say, price or in general stands for the second multi lier) I provide in conjunction with the de ivery part of each tube or section a series of shelves h, stops orlike members, any one of which may be made to project into the tube and so cut ofi' a number of balls equal to the value of the particular partial roduct coruppose, for

which is the partial the rate 4, the shelf to be operated would be 24 balls above the lower stop so that when the latter is released the 24 balls would be delivered to the counter which would thus show 4 at the end of the count, and having made two complete revolutions would have two carries for delivery to the counter of next higher denomination. By my invention also the same shelf would be operated .if the item .8 were co-ordinated with the rate 3 or if the items land 3 were co-ordinated with rates 6 and 8, so that in this way I reduce the number of partials required for the co-ordination of any of the first nine digits with any other to 36.

For the purpose of operating the carries each section may comprise two tubes 0' 0 (Figure 3) similar to the tube 0 above referred to and arranged side by side, the tube 0 in eachcase being for the ordinary integers as above described while each tube 0 2 serves as the carry tube for the carries from the next lower denomination.

Each pair of tubesis mounted with a counter a common to the two tubes so that a ball passing down either tube will operate said counter. I Each tube 0 is provided with a single Hall release device which may, for example, comprise a pivoted bell crank lever,- one arm n of which is furnished with two stops 'n' situated apart from one another 1'' the electromagnet is energized so that the stops n are brought into such a position that the ball held between them will be allowed to drop into the tube 0 2 and as soon as the contact of p is broken the ball releasing arm returns to its normal position (either by its'own weight or by a spring), the ball released from the arm being replaced by another ball before the arm is normally posi tioned as shown in Figure 4.

respectively p It will be obvious thatif the carry balls delivered to the tube 0 were allowed to pass through the counter as they are delivered it might be that an from the tube 0' may be passing through the counter at the same time so that the carry would then be lost and in order to avoid this I arrange a stop r (similar to the stop 9 above described) at the bottom of each carry tube 0 upon which all the carry balls released will rest until after the integer count, a special finish key may then bepressedordinary integer ball on the or the return motion of the last key to be pressed home may (through a fan or suitable delay) be utilized to remove the stops 1' and so allow of the carry balls to register on the counters.

In order to select particular partial roducts required for any specific calculation I provide co-ordinating means whereby the items and rates may be co-ordinated and I arrange that the co-ordinating devices shall actuate the shelves or stops h by which the partial products co-ordinated are freed for delivery to their respective counters.

In the construction illustrated I arrange a framework consisting of 9 vertical rods 2' which I denote item rods and which correspond with the various integers from 1 to 9 that may occurin the ,.item. Such rods are associated with inclined strips it, bars or the like of suitable material which are also 9 in number and which I term ,rate strips 'since they correspond with the integersoccurring in the rate.

The strips and rods are made to intersect one another according to a predetermined plan so that by their proper cooperation with one another they may select any particular partial product that may occur within the limits of the machine.

The rate strips and item rods are further associated with flexible or other members connected to or formed with the shelves h of the counters and the various members are so positioned that co-ordination of two or more sets of members resulting in the same partial product will operate the same shelf, as, for example, the rate strips 3, 4 or 6 when co-ordinated with the item rods 4, 3 or 2 and vice versa will all actuate the shelf giving the partial 12.

According to one convenient arrangement as suggested in Fig. 7, the item rods may be fitted with cranks Z or other means and the rate strips may be furnished with arms m or other members adapted to cooperate therewith so that when both the rate strip is pulled to the position shown in Fig. 7 and the item rod to be co-ordinated therewith is turned the crank Z will engage and bend the arm m and the projection m particular shelf strip corresponding with the partial resulting from such coordination will be operated. It is, however, evident that while I may thus arrange for my co-ordinator to be wholly mechanical it may also be electromagnetically or otherwise actuated and for the purpose of controlling the co-ordinator I combine with my machine any suitable type of keyboard mechanism so that the actuation of the item.

and'rate keys (say, for example, during the typing of the particular calculation of which the result is required) will result in the selection of the particular partial prod- 'rent will flow and cause the arrow shown in Fig. 6, the stop ucts occurring in the specific calculation, which partial products will be delivered to their respective counters so that the re sult of the calculation will ultimately be indicated thereon and if necessary or desirable any suitable means may be provided for printing such result.

Referring in detail to Fi s. 5 and 6, the number keys (preferably 0 a typewriter) are illustrated at 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9, and are so arranged as to make an electrical contact when depressed, while the keys R I are also provided for the purpose of discriminating (when a particular number key is depressed) between the operation of the item rods and rate strips, the positive and negative terminals of the electric circuit being indicated by the signs and Each item rod 2' is associated with an electromagnet rela z", 71 71 etc. (which may, for example, e of the form described in the specification of U. S. Patent No.

1,487,702 of March 25, 1924), such relays being arranged to rotate the item rods in the manner indicated byv the small arrows shown near the foot of such rods. Simi larly each rate strip in is provided with an electromagnetic relay is, 7: 71: etc. which may be of a similar form but is adapted to pull the rate strips in the direction of the arrows shown near the ends thereof. The arrangement is such that if the rate stud R is depressed the negative pole is conneoted with all the electromagnetic relays 7c, etc. operating the rate strips, and if now a particular key (3) is depressed a curelectromagnet k to operate the corresponding rate strip. Similarly when the item stud I is depressed the negative pole is connected to the relays z" 2' etc. operating the item rods, and if any particular number key (say 4-) be now depressed the relay 2' will be actuated to turn the item rod 4. Consequently the rate strip 3 and the item rod 4 will co-operate to move the shelf h" which is so disposed in relation to the ball tube 0 as to cut 0E 12 balls above the lower stop or shelf 5] so that when the latter is withdrawn from the tube simultaneously with the entry thereinto ofthe shelf it will also be actuated when the item 3 and rate 4 are coordinated and also when the item 2 and rate 6 or rate 2 and item 6 are co-ordinated.

One arrangement for simultaneously withdrawing the stop 9 from the tube 0 when any shelf is made to enter thereinto is clearly shown in Figs. 5 and 6 in which :0 is a member having a pin 01 co-operating with a pin 9' upon the stop 9 and a plurality of pins {172 co-operating with similar projections upon the strips or shelves )2. It will at once be seen that if any shelf h be moved in the direction of the upper 9 will in consequence be automatically moved in the direction of the lower arrow.

A further very important, though not essential, feature of my invention in connection with the counting mechanism is that I arrange to count the partial products in the reverse order to' that usually adopted, that is to say, the artial products first counted will be those of the hlghest denomination proceeding in succession to those of lower denominations, this being of importance, for example, in connection with those calculations where any figures occurring after a certain number of figures after izhe decimal point may be regarded as negi ible.

It will be understood that the invention is not to be confined to the foregoing details of construction which are hereinbefore given by way of illustration and not of limitation, since it will be obvious that I may vary the construction and arrangement of my improved machine, the form and number of points in the counters employed, the means adopted for actuating the counting devices and co-ordinating system, and the order in which the various operations are performedall as may be determined by the kind of calculation which the machine is required to perform, the units adopted in such calculations, the question as to whether or not printing means are to be used in connection with the machine and, in general,

any particular practical requirements which the invention may be called on to fulfil.

Claims: 1 1. A calculating machine of the kind referred to, comprising a plurality of counting mechanisms corresponding to the various denominations occurring in the maximum result obtainable in the machine, each of which is associated with means whereby the counter may have delivered to it for counting a number of members representing any of the partial products corresponding to its denominationthat may occur in any calculation within the limits of the machine. 2. A calculating machine of the character described comprising a plurality of counting mechanisms corresponding to the various denominations occurring in the maximum result obtainable in the machine, means associated with each counting mechanism whereby the latter may have delivered to it for counting a number of members representing any of the partial products corresponding to its denomination that may occur in any calculation within the limits of the machine,and means actuated by the first mentioned means adapted to free the number of members representing a partial product for delivery to the particular counting mechanism concerned.

3. A calculating .machine as claimed in claim 1, in which the means co-ordinating same, a sto any particular partial products required also actuates the means by which the balls or other separate objects representing such partial products are freed for delivery to the particular counting mechanism concerned.

4. A calculating machine as claimed in claim 2, in which a single member for releasing a given partial product to the counter is actuated when any integers corresponding to that partial product are se lectively co-ordinated.

5. A calculating machine according to claim 2 in whicha single member for selecting a given partial product for release to a counter is actuated when any integers corresponding to the factors of that partial product are selectively co ordinated substantially as described.

6. A calculating machine of the kind referred to comprising a counter, a storage receptacle for containing separate objects to be delivered to said counter for operating ferred to comprising a counter, a storage receptacle containing separate objects to be delivered to said counter for operating the for holding up said separate objects, a p urality of stops adapted to be inserted into said receptacle for holding up all the objects above said stops and means for simultaneously inserting any one of said last mentioned stops and withdrawing said first mentioned stop for permitting the delivery of a determined number of objects to said counter substantially as described.

8. A calculating machine of the kind referred to comprising a counter, a storage receptacle containing separate objects to be delivered to said counter for operating the same, a stop for holding up said separate objects, a plurality of stops adapted to be inserted into said receptacle for holding up the objects above said stops and means operated by the co-ordination of two members for simultaneously inserting one of said last mentioned stops and withdrawing said first 'mentioned stop for releasing to the counters a number of'objects corresponding to the value of the partial product of the two numbers, cO-Ordinated substantially as described.

9. In a calculating machine, a plurality of members representing the product of tioned members.

11. A calculating machine as claimed in claim 9 characterized in that the first mentioned members are arranged side by side and that the members of the respective groups are arranged in angular relation to one another. and to the first mentioned members.

12. In a calculating machine, a plurality of members representing the product of the multiplication of various numbers,- a group of parallel members representing members to be multiplied, a second group of members also representing numbers to be multiplied, the members of the second mentioned group being arranged in such angular relation to the members of the first mentioned group as to intersect the latter at points adjacent to the first" mentioned members representing the correct product of the multiplication of the numbers represented by the intersecting members of the first and second mentioned groups.

13. A calculating machine as claimed in claim 12, characterized by the provision of means located at the points of intersection of the members of the first and second mentioned groups for engaging and actuating the first mentioned members located adjacent said points of intersection,

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

JAMES MARK MoGrINNIS BARR.

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