US1522688A

US1522688A - Voting machine

Info

Publication number: US1522688A
Authority: US
Publication date: 1925-01-13
Anticipated expiration: 1942-01-13

Description

Jan, 13, 1925.

J. E. MCKINLEY VOTING MACHINE Filed. May 27, 1922 .N www@ 1,522,688 J. E. MCKINLEY VOTING MACHINE Filed May 27, 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 In/vanto@ Jam@ E. M6502 Z6] Patented Jan. 13, 1925.

UNITED STATES JAMES E. MGKINLEY, 0F ROCHELLE, ILLINOIS.

VOTING MACHINE.

Application filed May 27, 1922A Serial No. 564,114.

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES E. MCKINLEY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Rochelle, in the county of Ogle and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Voting Machines, of which the following is a speciiication, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to voting machines. and particularly to that class of voting machines wherein the voting mechanism is locked or is inoperative until the voter stands upon the yielding platform, which platform in its movement permits the actuation of the voting mechanism, the voting mechanism being again locked when the voter steps off the platform.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide a very simple, positive and easily operated mechanism of this character which is so arranged as to prevent more than one vote being cast for one candidate and which also prevents two votes being cast at the same time for different candidates, and

which is so constructed as to prevent a vote being cast for a candidate by mistake, foil instance, and a successful attempt being made to rectify this mistake by casting another vote for another candidate for the same position.

A further object is to provide a construction of this character wherein the vote may be registered by counting mechanism or by the passage of a tape.

Other objects will appear in the course of the following description.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view through a voting booth showing the voting mechanism partly in section;

Figure 2 is a horizontal sectional view, the section being taken just below the roller 22;

Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view through the booth forward of the partition 12;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary sectional view on the same plane as Figure 1, showing the normal position of the plunger 14;

Figure 5 is a fragmentary sectional view on the same plane as Figure 1, showing one of the pawls 24 shifting outward under the action of the plunger;

Figure 6 is a fragmentary side elevation showing the cam 2O and vote counting mechanism applied thereto.

Referring to these drawings, 10 designates a platform which rests upon springs 11 and upon which the voter stands when he desires to vote. The voting machinery is contained within a cabinet or casing having, as illustrated, double walls 12 and 18 perforated at intervals for the passage of plunger rods 14 having heads whereby they may be operated. Each plunger rod carries a collar 15 bearing against a compression spring 16, which in turn bears against the wall 13, this being disposed between the

walls

12 and 13. Therefore, when the plunger rod is shifted inward it is against the spring 16. This plunger rod at its extremity is formed with an upwardly extending nose 17 which in top plan view is tapered so that the nose is adapted to pass between two balls of a series of balls 18 carried between trough-shaped strips 19 mounted in any suitable manner in the casing of thc machine. The length or space in which these balls are contained is greater than the total diameters of the balls by a distance equal to the diameter of one ball, which distance is equal to the transverse thickness of the body 14a of the plunger so that when a plunger is forced inward between two balls or between a ball and the end wall of the casing in which the balls are disposed, the balls will jam together so that thereafter it is impossible to shove another plunger between the balls.

Disposed in the path of movement of the plunger 14 is an intermittently rotatable double cam-shaped member, designated 20, and when the plunger is forced inward by the voter the end of the plunger strikes one of the extremities of this elliptical or double cam-shaped member and turns it from the position shown in dotted lines in Figure 1 to the position shown in full lines. This cam-shaped member 2O may be operatively connected to a revolution counter or may carries va triangular detent or pawl V24/ piv oted at 25. When the plunger v14v islforced inward its nose strikes the inclined face o f this triangularpawl and turns it to permit the passage of thenose ofthe plunger. As

soon. as the nose'v of the plunger has passed,

i however, the pawlvwill fall to the position shown in fulllinesin Figure 1 and,y loclr the plunger against retraction'un'der the action of the sp1 ing 16. Normally the springs 11 hold the platform 10 up andalso hold the pawl 24' above the level of the plunger, but as soon as the voter steps upon the platformthe platform descends and brings the pawlinto the position referred to, where it is struck by the nose of the plunger.

In the operation of .this devicethe voter vsteps uponthe platform 1()V and then after selectingtheVV candidate heY desires tovote forv pushes the plunger inward. The plunger enters between the balls18 or between anend ball and the end wall of the casing inwhich the balls are disposed and pushes the balls laterally and locks them against further movement so that no other plunger on the Vsame row can be actuated at this time, thus preventingV voting for a plurality of candidates for the same office. rl`he plunger 1n lits'passage strikes the pawl 25, lifts this pawl, and the nose of the plungerpasses bej yond the pawl and engages the upper end of the cam-shaped member 20Vwhose major axis extends upward and outward. Y rEhe plunger is forced fully inward, which causes thecam-shaped membervtobe given a quarterl turn, drawing o a certain amount of tape 21 fromthe roller 22, This carries the lower end of the cam-shaped member inward intoposition above a tappet 26 carried by the platform. The retraction of the plunger is prevented by the pawl or latch 24 so that the voter cannot cast a second vote for the same candidate. As soon as the vote is cast, how- Y ever, he steps oifthe platform,.whereupon the platform rises `and the tappet 2C strilres the forward extremivv of the cam v2O and turns this cam again through aquarter revolution so that the cam oceupies the same position it did before andas shown in dotted lines in Figure'l. This action dra-ws off another length of tape from lthe. reel 22 and these two lengths of tape are so marked as to indicate that a vote has been cast. It will be obvio us,ho wever, that the camfshaped member 2O might be connected and act to operate an ordinary counting device or revolution counter, as indicated in Figure 6.

Gfcourse, it will be understood that the plungers which are disposed in line with each other are plungers designe-d to indicate the number of candidates `for thesame oiiice. rlhus in a voting machine the top row may be used for plungers controlling the votes for presidential,gvcandidates, the next for senators, governprs, etc., or State officials, the next row for county officials, and so on. r1he voter remains upon the platform until he has actuated the plungers of the several rows and fully cast his vote. He then steps off the platfornrand ithe ,platform` rises l, immediately upon his ,doing` sof and resets lthe parts to theirgnormal positionnand all Vis ready for the next voter.

Gf course, itLwill be understood that I have illustrated in the drawings merely Va series ofthese plungers for a number of candidates for one oiiice and that in anV actual voting machine there will be from forty to sixty or more plungers,there being a row of plungers for every oiiice to be voted for. When a voterstepsupon the platformmand pushes the plungers in `to indicate his vote,

he has half registered'that vote and when he Y steps ed `and the platform rises, the other halfvofhis vote is recorded in full, inasmuch as it is common to provide `mea-ns for preventing a voter afterk leaving a booth from :re-entering the booth and again actuats ing the voting mechanism, suchf mechanism being shown, for instance, in Patents #1,093,935, granted'April 21, 1914, and #1,342,253, granted June 1, Y192,0, I have not believed it necessary to illustrate such mechanism, it being understood,of course, that means is provided of this common and well known character for registering the total vote cast, thatris the number of voters who pass into each booth, permitting the entrance of the voter 'and his exit from the booth but preventing his re-entry'V after an exit and thus preventing repeating thevote.

tween which balls the several plungers are adapted to pass, eachV plunger havingV width equal to the diameter of one vof the balls, a runway f-orfthe balls having a total length greater than the total diameters of the several balls by a distance equaling the width of the plunger, means disposed in the path of the'plunger'for recording the projection" of the plunger, means urging each plunger outward to a position. beyond the balls, a spring supported platform disposed below the plungers and upon which the voter stands, and means connected to said platform and depressed into the path of movement of the plunger to prevent the retraction of the plunger when the platform is depressed but released when the platform is released to permit the projection of the plunger to its normal position.

2. In a voting machine, a series of plungers, one for each candidate for the same office, a series of balls disposed in a runway normally behind the plungers, between which balls the several plungers are adapted to pass, each plunger having a width equal to the diameter of one of the balls, a runway for the balls having a total length greater than the total diameters of the several balls by a distance equaling the width of the plunger, means disposed in the path of the plunger for recording the projection of the plunger, means urging each plunger outward to a position beyond the balls, a spring supported platform disposed below the plungers and upon which the voter stands, and means connected to said platform and depressed into the path of movement of the plunger to prevent the retraction of the plunger when the platform is depressed but released when the platform is released to permit the proj ection of the plunger to its normal position, said means comprising a movable member operatively connected to the platform and depressed therewith and having movement independently of the platform to permit the projection of the plunger.

3. ln a voting machine, a series of plungers, one for each candidate for the same ofiice, a series of balls disposed in a runway normally behind the plungers, between which balls the several plungers are adapted to pass, each plunger having a width equal to the diameter of one of the balls, a runway for the balls having a total length greater than the total diameters of the several balls by a distance equaling the width of the plunger, means disposed in the path of the plunger for recording the projection of the plunger, means urging each plunger outward to a position beyond the balls, a spring supported platform disposed below the plungers and upon which the voter stands, and means connected to said platform and depressed into the path of movement of the plunger to prevent the retraction of the plunger when the platform is depressed but released when the platform is released to permit the projection of the plunger to its normal. position, said means comprising a movable member operatively connected to the platform and depressed therewith and having movement independently of the platform to permit.- the projection of the plunger, said means comprising a pawl operatively connected to the platform to be depressed therewith but having independent movement to permit the passage of the plunger, the plunger having anose engaging with said member upon an outward movement of the plunger.

4. In a voting machine, a plunger, a spring urging the plunger outward, a vote recording member disposed in the path of the plunger and moved in one direction a certain distance upon the projection of the plunger, a spring supported platform disposed below the plunger, and means connected to the platform for shifting the vote registering member a further distance in the same direction upon the release of the platform from the weight of the voter.

5. In a voting machine, a plunger, a spring urging the plunger outward, a vote record ing member disposed in the path of the plunger and moved in one direction a certain distance upon the projection of the plunger, a spring supported platform disposed below the plunger, means connected to the platform for shifting the vote registering member a further distance in the same direction upon the release of the platform from the weight of the voter, and means normally preventing a retraction of the plunger while the platform is depressed but being released and permitting the retraction of the plunger when the platform is relieved of the weight of the voter.

6. In a voting machine, a spring supported platform, a plunger disposed above the platform, a spring urging the plungerl outward, the inner end of the plunger being provided with a nose, a vote registering mechanism including a rotatable member disposed in the path of movement of the plunger and shifted upon a projection of the plunger through a certain portion of its path of movement, means connected to the platform and depressed when the platform is depressed into the path of movement of the nose, said means having movement independent of the platform to permit the projection of the plunger and then locking the plunger upon retract-ion, and means operatively connected to the platform for completely shifting the vote registering member upon the release of the platform.

7 In a voting machine, a spring supported platform, a plurality of plungers disposed above the platform, springs urging said plungers outward, means preventing the actuation of any plunger while another plunger is forced inward against the action of said spring, a vote registering mechanism including a. member disposed in front of the plunger and adapted to be engaged thereby when it is forced inward, means connected to lil() the platform and adapted to prevent the for shifting the said votevregistering memretraction of the plunger when the platform ber a, further distance in the same direction is lowered under the Weight of a voter but upon the release'ofthe platform. Y permitting the projection of the plunger, ln testimony whereof l hereunto aixV my Ysaicl means being-released by a release of the signature. f

platform from the weight of the Voter, and means actuated by arelease of the platform JAMES E. MOKINLEY.