US1737586A - Combined typewriting and computing machine - Google Patents

Description

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Mg I BY ATTORNEY F. A. HART Filed Oct. 9, 1925 BEE COMBINED TYPEWRITING AND COMPUTING MACHINE llirlFmm- :v

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Dec. 3, 1929. F. A. HART COMBINED TYPEWRITING AND COMPUTING MACHINE Filed Oct. 9. 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 WITNESSES w INVENTOR.

ATTORNEY Patented 3, -192 9 PATENT OFF] COMBINED TYIEWRITIN G AN D COMPUTING MAGHIN E Application filed October 9, 1925 Serial No. 61,471.

This invention relates to combined typewriting and computing machines including a jumping totalizer or cross-footer.

The invention relates more particularly to the provision of a key for Tinting a special character such, for example, as a star, immediately after the copying of the total from the cross footer to indicate that the total was correctly copied and the cross-footer thereby cleared, said key being locked at that time unless the cross-footer is clear. It has heretofore been proposed to indicate clearness of a totalizer by printing a special character by means of a key which is locked unless the totalizer is clear. My invention consists in means for accomplishing this result in connection with a jumping totalizer and by means simpler and acting more directly than those heretofore employed.

In the accompanying drawings,

Figure 1 is a front elevation of a Remington bookkeeping machine having my invention applied thereto.

igure 2 is a perspective view of the movableparts of the mechanism; and

Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view.

The Remington accounting machine as at present manufactured comprises a typewriting machine having a frame 1.] the usual printing keys, including number*j'irifitmg keys 2 and types 19, together with all the other usual mechanism of the typewriting machine, and having in addition computing mechanism including a main actuator which is covered up by a front casing plate 3, and also including a cross actuator, much of the mechanism of which is covered up by casing plates 4 and 5. The framework of the computing mechanism comprises a main casting 6 and several vertical frame plates secured thereto, of which the right-hand one 7' and another one 8 are shown in the drawing. The main truck 10 travels right and left in unison with the typewriter carriage and has mounted thereon one or more vertical totalizers 11 which are actuated by the master wheel of the main actuating mechanism. The cross-footing mechanism includes a cross truck 12 having a cross totalizer 13 mounted thereon and actuated by the cross master wheel 9. Said cross truck is intermittently hooked up to the vertical totalizers 11 one after another by means of a hook bar 14 pivoted to a bracket 15 of the cross truck 12, which cross truck travels leftward a distance equal to the width of one adding column in unison with each of the vertical totalizers 11, after which the hook 14 is released and the cross truck is drawn back to the right by means ofa tension spring 16 running over a pulley 17, the truck being arrested by a bar 18 striking a part 20 of the machine.

In one example of the use of the machine there 11 defining several columns of writing on paper, one of said columns being for the entry of the old or previous balance, another for debit items, another for credit items, and the last, defined by the last vertical totalizer at the right in Fig. 1, for Writing the balance of the account. After entering the previous balance and any debit and credit items, the cross totalizer 13 will show the new balance; and when the typewriting carriage is brought into the balance column, the cross footing mechanism is set for subtraction. This may be done automatically by means including-a cam 21 on the vertical totalizer 11 or it can be done by hand. When the balance is Written in the last column therefore, it is subtracted from itself in the cross totalizer which should then be clear or stand at zero. By my improved mechanism the star key above mentioned should then be operated to Write the star immediately at the right of the new balance. This will be possible if the operator has correctly copied said balance and the cross totalizer is clear, but if said cross totalizer is not clear, the star key will be locked.

To this end the cross totalizer '13 is of a construction heretofore used in the Remington bookkeeping machine. Said totalizer includes in each denomination a gear train having a carrying wheel 22, an idler gear 23 and a pinion 2%, the last fixed on the side of the numeral dial 25. Each pinion 24 has one of its teeth cut shorter than the others and when the dial shows a zero this short tooth registers with a tooth of a comb 26, said comb being pivoted at 27 in the side are several of the vertical totalizers end it has an ear or not clear position,

plates of the totalizer. An arm 28, rojecting from said comb, is articulated'wit a bell crank 30 which is drawn upward by a spring 31 tending to press the comb 26 against the pinions 24.- The upper arm of said bell crank projects above the casing of the totalizer constituting a finger 32, which finger occupies a forward positon in case the totalizer is not clear but rocks slightly rearward when the totalizer is clear.

The mechanism co-operating with the finger 32 includesa frame plate or bracket 33 secured to the end of the casting 6. A lever 34 is pivoted to this plate at 35 and is given a normal tendency to drop at its lefthand end by a spring 36. At said left-hand 37 bent off therefrom and having in it a notch by which said lever is guided by an edge of the bracket 33. Secured to the lever 34 at 38 is a cam bar 40 having at its left-hand end an incline 41. This bar 40 is so situated that when the finger 32 is in its rear position, indicating clear, said finger when the cross-footer jumps to the right after the completion of an adding column, will strike the incline 41 and raise the lever to the position shown in the drawing, thus indicating that the totalizer is clear at that movement. If the totalizer is not clear the finger 32 will pass in front of the bar 40 and leave it in its normally depressed position, indicating that the totalizer is not clear.

A lever 42 is pivoted at 43 to the casting 6 and at its right-hand end it is forked at 44 to embrace the car 37 so that the lever 42 is rocked up and down with the lever 34. Said lever 42 has a depending branch terminating in a tongue 45 which passes through a suitable guide hole 46 in the frame plate 8. \Vhen the lever 42 is in its elevated or clear position, the end of the tongue 45 is just inside the plate 8 but does not project leftward from it; but when the lever drops to its lower the tongue 45 projects through a short distance leftward from said plate 8.

A bell crank 47 is pivoted at 48 to the frame plate 8, lying flat against said plate. This bell crank has its 'rearwardly directed arm connected by a link 50 with the key lever 51 of the key 52 which is adapted to print the star. The bell crank 47 has an upwardly directed arm 53 which in the normal osition of the parts stands immediately in ront of the hole 46 in the plate 8, and when the key 52 is depressed this arm swings rearward over said hole. If, however. the levers 34 and 42 are in their depressed positions, the tongue 45 will be projecting into the path of the arm 53, which arm and the key 52 will therefore be locked against operation. During that step of the carriage which follows the writing of the last digit of the balance,

' the cross truck 12 makes its jump to the right as usual and if the writing of the balance has brought the totalizer 13 to its zero 01' clear condition, the finger 32 will raise the lever 34 and unlockthe star key so that the star can be written in the next letter space position, but if the operator has copied the total-incorrectly, the lever 34 willnot be raised and the star key will remain locked.

By some mis-operation of the machine it might happen that the operator had the star key 52 in its depressed position at some time when the lever 34 was elevated and when by some operation of the partsthis lever might be dropped down. In order to revent the tongue 45 from ever getting in ront of the arm 53, said arm is at its upper forward as shown at 54 so that when the key 52 is down the hole 46 will be covered and the tongue 45 cannot get in front of the arm 53.

It is preferable that this clearance proof lock be concealed from the operator and be not conveniently accessible to the operator so that the operator cannot or will not unlock the star key by hand and thus print the star when it should not be possible to do so. To this end a cover plate 55 is secured by screws 56 to the casting 6 and this cover plate comes down in front of the levers 34 and 42 so as to conceal these parts and make them not readily accessible. Moreover, the bracket 33 has bent forward therefrom a flange or ledge 57 to prevent the operator from pushing his finger up under the lever 34 and thus releasing it. Between the forward edge of the flange 57 and the lower edge of the cover plate 55, there is left an opening sufficient for the finger 32 to travel right and left therein and to have a slight forward and rearward motion.

In case, therefore, the operator does copy the total wrong and is unable to print the star in its customary place, he cannot unlock the star key by hand but must go back and correct his work on the paper in the usual way, and thus bring the cross-footer 13 to its clear condition. IVhenever he does that then, and not until then, is the star key unlocked in the sub-units position of the balance column.

Various changes may be made in the details of construction and arrangement without departing from the invention.

IVhat I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is '1. In a combined typewriting and computing machine, the combination with a jumpin totalizer, said totalizer having therein the nger 32, which occupies one position when the totalizer is clear and another when the totalizer is not clear, of a lever including a cam operated by said finger on the jump back of said totalizer, said lever controlling a locking device 45 for a bell crank 47, 53, and a key adapted to print a. characteristic end prolonged mark, said key being operatively'connected with said bell crank, said locking device tending to move to locking position and being moved to unlocking position by the action of teristic mark,

said finger on said cam lever.

2. In a combined typewriting and computing machine, the combination with a jumping totalizer, ofa key for printing a characmeans tending to lock said key, said means comprising a blocking-device for said key which normally prevent-s its opera- ,numeral keys free for tion While leaving. the operation, and" means for moving said blocking device to a position to permit operation of said key if the totalizer should stand at .zero, said means being operable by the jumpback of the totalizer.

3. In a combined typewriting and com puting machine, the combination with a jumping totalizer having a device therein controlled by the state of said totalizer as to clear and not clear,

of a key for printing a characteristic mark,

a lock for said key, and

means controlled by said device for maintain- .ing said lock unlocked when said cross to;

talizer is both clear and in its jumped-back position and locked at all other times.

Signed at the borough of Manhattan, city of New York, in the county of New York and State of New York this 6th day of October, A. D. 1925.

FREDERICK A. HART.

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