US1782080A - Locking device - Google Patents

Description

Nov. 18, 1930. A. THOMAS ET AL 17,782,030

LOCKING DEVICE Filed March 22, 1928 a Sheets-Sheet 1 OMQS anf LOCKING DEVICE Filed March 22, 1928 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 n ewag Nov. 18, 1930. A. THOMAS ET AL 1,732,039

LOCKING DEVICE Filed March 22, 1928 ,5 Sheets-Sheet s UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ARTHUR THOMAS, OF THORNTON T 1, AND FREDERIGK EDWARD I-IALLAEAN, OF

SO'UTI-ENDON SEA, ENGLAND, ASSIGNOES TO THE ACCOUNTING & TABULATING CORPORATION, OF GT. BRITAIN, LIMITED, OF LONDON, ENGLAND LOCKING DEVICE Application filed March 22, 1928. Serial No. 263,851;

The invention relates to a safety elevating gear or locking device particularly applicable to calculating machines of the type de scribed, for example, in the British specification, No. 26,896 of 1913, though applicable to other purposes.

A machine of the kind referred to comprises two main portions, a base containing the sensing-pin box, connection boxes and much of the driving gear, and the upper part containing the adding and printing mechanism, this upper part or head being hinged to the lower part so that it can be raised when required for the substitution of one connection box by another, or for other purposes.

Hitherto much care has been required on the part of the operator when lifting the adding head in order to avoid damage to the machine, the main safety requirements being that the machine must be not only stopped when the head is raised but stopped in a certain point in its cycle, While none of the mechanisms must be set in the operating position, this latter point referring particularly to the total-taking mechanism.

In addition it is desirable that when once the head has been raised, the machine cannot be moved either by hand or power.

The present invention seeks to provide mechanical safety devices of the character indicated and comprises the combinations of elements hereinafter described and particularly pointed out in the claims.

Referring to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings which show suficient parts of the complete machine to enable the present invention to be understood Figure 1 is an end elevation and Figure 2 a side elevation of the machine as a whole;

Figure 3 is a detail view as seen from the line 3-3 of Figure 1 of the total-taking engaging mechanism;

Figure 4 shows to a larger scale the total taking link broken with hand-operated latch raised,

Figure 5 showin similarly a detail of the latch in its lowered position;

Figure 6 shows an end view of the mainclut-ch and hand-lever interlocking mechanism, looking on the other end of the machine as compared with Figure 1;

Figure 7 shows a detail of the sliding clutch member in longitudinal section, while Figure 8 shows the main-shaft latch when the driving clutch is in its operative position.

In carrying the invention into effect as applied by way of example to the calculating and printing machine described in British specification, No. 26,896 of 1918, and operated by perforated cards, the main base or frame of the machine is indicated at l, and carries the sensingpin box, 2, the feed rolls, 3, and the pin box, l, between which and the stops, 9, the connection box (not shown) is placed. On this base an adding head, 5, is hinged to turn about the point, 6, so that it can be moved from the full-line position to the posi tion shown in chain lines in Figure 1, this movement being effected by a hand lever, 7, mounted on a shaft, 7 provided at each end with a lever, 8, contacting with the underside of the head. The head itself carries the stops, 9, above-mentioned, the sectors, 10, and the printing devices, 11.

In particular, in machines as heretofore constructed a link has extended from the base of the machine to the head for operating the total-taking mechanism, this link being attached to a lever, 12, mounted on a shaft, 13, carried by suitable brackets, 1%, on the head.

One particular danger the present invention is designed to obviate is the straining of this link or the parts operated therefrom on lifting the head.

Various forms of total-taking mechanism are known but that illustrated in Figure 1 by way of example follows broadly the lines of the similar mechanism described in the United States patent specification, No. 12%,506.

he main motion shaft, 15, carries a cam having a cam path, 16, with which engages a roller, 17, mounted on one arm of a bell crank, 18, pivoted at the point, 19, the end of the other arm of the bell crank having pivoted thereto lever, 20, provided with a lateral projection, 21, which if the lever, 20, is suitably placed engages with the complementary lateral projection, 22, on one arm of a bell crank, 23, mounted on a spindle, 24, the other arm being latchable at the proper til ie by the latch, 25. (See Figures 1 and The spindle, 24, has also moun' ed thereon a lever, 26, the end of which in the old form of the machine was directly linked by a one-piece link to the end of the lever, 12, on the adding jeotion, 22, only when it was desired to take a total, at other tnnes the lever end being displaced so that the projection, 21, was not .in apositionto engage with the projection,

(Q AA.

According to the present invention, the

link connecting the levers, 12 and 26, is made in two parts, 27 and 28, these two parts each fbeing provided respectively with slots, 2'?

and 28, and pins, 27 and 28*, passing therethrough so that the two parts of the link may @slide one on the other. The part, 23, however, carries alatch, 29, pivoted at the point,

' arm, 29 being formed with 30, and under the control of the spring, 31, this latch having two arms, 29 and 29"., the

recess,29, adapted to engage a pin, 32, projectin from the part, 2. of the link. /Vith the latch in the position shown in Figure 1,

the two parts of the link are rigidified so as to form in effect a one-piece link.

For the operat on of the latch, 29, a slider,

' 33, isprovided, this slider bei bifurcated M on theright-hand end as shown in Figure 1 to engage with the handlever shaft, 7*, while at the other end it is provided with a part, 33, bentover at right angles; A manuallyoperable lever, 34, (see also Figure15) is pivotally mounted at the point, 35, on the frame of the machine, this lever carrying a laterallyprojecting pin, 36, adapted to engage with the turned-over art 33.

Further, the slider, 33, carries a block, 38,

; forming an abutment which rests on the frame, 1', of the machine.

In addition, a cam, 37, shaped as shown in Figure 4, is rigidly secured to the shaft, 7,

and is so arranged that if the slider, 33, is in the position shown in Figure 1, the block, 33,

engages withthe cam, 37, and prevents rotation of the shaft.

v The object'of the whole mechanism is that the hand lever, 7, cannot be moved from its full-line position in Figure 1 to raise the adding head until the two-piece link has been unlatched.

The mechanism described operates in the following manner Ifitisdesiredto1iftthehead,thelever,

34, is operated so that the pin, 36, co-acting with the bent-over part, 33, draws the slider,

a. semi-circular 33, to the left as shown by the arrow thereon in Figure 1, this motion on the one hand removing the abutment, 38, from the range of the block, 37, and on the other hand causing the pin, 33", to co-act with the short end, 29", of the latch, 29, and turn the latter about its pivot, 30, thereby causing the long arm, 29*, to disengage from the pin, 32, and so permit the parts, 27 and 28, of the two-piece link to slide in relation to one another, the linkmembers, 2'7, 28, assuming the position shown. in V Figure 4. The pin, 36, after moving the slider, 33, lies above the line of centres so that erative position, the slider, 33, under the infiuenc'e oi the spring, 33, and the latch, 29, moves to the right, thereby withdrawing the. pin, '33", and permitting the spring, 31, to cause the latch, 29, to snap into a position to lock the t we parts of the two-piece link so that the link is automatically restored to a position in which it can again cause totals to be taken as determined by the control mecha- V nlsm. 7

According to a further part of the invention, the hand lever, 7 is so interlocked with the main motion shaft, 15, that the head of the machine cannot be lifted unless (a) the main motion shaft is stopped and (b) stopped in a particular position. @n the other hand when oneethe hand lever, 7, has been moved to raise the head, the machine cannot be moved by hand or power. 7

In carrying this part o1 the invention into effect according toonetorm, on the shaft, 15,

is mounted loosely a member, 39, provided with a worm wheel,'40, and a flange, 41, cars rying a. dog-tooth, 42 The worm wheel is driven bya worm,43, mounted on a spindle,

44, carryinga pulley, 45, which in turn re ceives its motion by way or" a belt, 46, from a second pulley, 47, driven from any convenient source or" power. A second member, 48, is mounted so as 'toturn with the shaft, 15, but at the same time to be capable of sliding axially in relation thereto, this member'also being provided with a dog-tooth, 49, adapted to engage with the tooth, 42, when the member, 48, is moved axially against the action of the a spring, 50. The shaft, 15, is made hollow for a certain length and into this hollow portion a reduced length, 51, of the shaft, 52, is inserted. 'Oppositely-disposed slots, 53, are formed in the wallsor the hollow portion and in these respectively blocks, 54, slide with a teeth,

desired range-of movement, a tapered pin, 55, passing successively, through the member, 48, through the blocks, 54, and reduced portion, 51, of the shaft. Axial movement can be given to the member, 48, to cause the (log- 42 and 49, to engage, by means of a hand lever, 56, mounted on a spindle, 57, carrying a lever, 58, with roller, 59, bearing againstthe member, 48. The enlargedpart of the shaft, 52, carries a disc, 60, provided with a radial slot, 60 running across its face from the outside to the centre, a catch, 61, pivoted at 62, to'any convenient fixed point of the machine being provided with a projecting edge, 68, which can enter the slot, 61. To give support to the catch, 61, it may conveniently buttagainst a column, 64, fixed on the machine. The catch, 61, is connected by the link, 65, to a detent, 66, pivoted at 67, to the frame of the machine. Finally, the hand lever, 7,

has fixed thereto by the screws, 68, 68, a plate, 69, a spring, 70, connecting this plate to the detent, 66. The plate,

69, carries a block, 71, provided with an abutment, 72, with which the heel, 66 of the detent engages in certain circumstances, the detent, 66, being provided with an upwardly-curved portion, 66 for a purpose to be hereinafter explained.

The operation of this part of the invention is as follows Supposing the machine is running, the dog-teeth, 42 and 49, are engaged and the disc, 60, being moved to the right, the catch,

61, is unable to enter the radial slot, 60, in

the disc, 60, owing to the projecting edge, 63, of the catch riding on the peripheral part of the disc, 60, as seen in Figure 8. If the member, 18, by means of the hand lever, 56, is however, moved to the left, as seen in Figure 2, so as to declutch, the disc, 60, is also moved to the left so that the turned-up end, 63, of the catch, 61, can enter the radial groove at a particular point of the revolution of the shafts, or So long as the machine is running, an attempt to move the hand lever, 7, to the left as seen in Figure 6, to raise the head is resisted by the stop, 72, butting against the heel, 66, of the detent, 66, the spring, 70, being slightly stressed by the idle motion of the lever, 7. If, however, the machine is stopped and the disc, 60, is in the correct position, the initial movement of the hand lever, 7, to the left stresses the spring, 70, and causes it to lift the detent, 66, and upturned end of the catch, 61, to enter the radial groove, The shoulder, 72, is then out of line with the heel, 66 of the detent, so that the lever can pass to the left and lift the head of the machine. lVhen so lifted the curved portion, 66 of the detent, 66, bears against the block, 71, so that the detent cannot fall and consequently the catch, 61, cannot be removed from the radial groove, 61". As a result, with the head of the machine by way of the link, 65, to cause the r raised, the mechanism cannot be moved by hand-owing to the position of the catch, 61, and cannot bemoved'by power due-tothefact that the clutch is out of engagement. To

lower the head the hand lever, 7', is moved a tothe right until the projection, 71, has passed the heel of the detent, the detent then falling into the position shown in Figure 6, and by way of. the link, 65, taking the catch, 61, out of engagement with the radial slot, 60 so-that the mechanism is now freed and the machine can be started when required.

Iaving now described our invention, what we claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is 1. The combination in a machine of the class described, of a base frame, total. controlling and sensing mechanisms mounted on said base frame, a head frame movable in relation to said base frame, calculating mechanisms mounted on said head frame, cripplabie movement-transmitting means interconnecting said mechanisms on said base and head frames, means for moving said. head frame in relation to said base frame, together with means to prevent movement of said head-frame from an operative to an inoperative position without rendering said interconnecting meansinoperative.

2.- The combination of elements claimed in claim 1, in which said interconnecting means takes the form of a link having relatively movable parts with means for holding said parts in an operative position when the head frame is in its operative position.

3; The combination of elements claimel in claim 1, in which said interconnecting means takes the form of a link having relatively movable parts with means for holding said parts. in an operative preventing means consists in a, single instrumentality operating both to lock and unlock said head-frame-moving means and correspondingly to render operative and inoperative said holding means.

4. The combination of elements claimed in claim 1, with means for automatically re turning-said preventing means to their opera-tive positionwhen said head-frame-moving meansis actuated to return said head frame to its operative position.

5. The combination of elements claimed in claim 1, in which said interconnecting means takes the form of a link having relatively movable parts with means for holding said parts in an operative position and said preventing means consists in a movable locking element operatively associated both with said head-frame-moving means and with said int-er connecting means, together with manually-operable means for moving said movable element to free said head-frame-moving means and to renderinoperative said holding means. v

6. The combination of elements, claimed position and said in claim 8, in which said in claim 1, inwhich said preventingmeans consists in a spring-controlled movable element operatively associated bothwith said head-frame-moving means and with said interconnecting means, manually-operable means for moving said movable element into operative position, said manually operable means being held in effective position by said v spring-controlled movable. element, together withmeans in rigid relation to said headframe-moving means for moving said spring controlled movable element to release said manually-operable element.

7. The combination in a machine of the class described, of a base frame, a head frame movable in relation to said base frame, interconnected mechanisms mounted respectively on said head and base frames, means for moving said head frame in relation to said base frame, a driving shaft with a clutch for actuating said mechanisms, means for looking said head-frame-moving means with the head frame in an operative position, and means for unlocking said locking means, said unlocking means being operable only when said clutch is in an inoperative position.

8. The combination in a machine of the class described, of a base frame, a head frame movable in relation to said base frame, in terconnected mechanisms mounted respectively on said head and base frames, means for moving said head frame in relation to said base frame, a driving shaft with a clutch for actuating said mechanism, means for locking said head-frame-moving means in an inoperative position and means dependent on the'position of said clutch for controlling said locking means. 7 V f 9. The combination of elements claimed means for control-V ling said locking means is engageable Witha member of said clutch only when said memher is in a' predetermined position. 7 r

10. The combination in' a machine of the class described, of a base frame, frame movable in relation to said base frame,- interconnected mechanisms mounted respectively on said head and base frames, means for moving said head frame in relation to said base frame, locking means for said head-frame-moving means, a driv-' ing shaft for actuating said mechanisms,

, locking means for said driving shaft, means for interconnecting said firstand secondmentioned locking means, and'a yielding connection between said head-frame-moving meansand said locking means therefor, in-

. itial movement of saidmoving means in cer- 7 class described, of a base frame, a head tain conditions stressing said yieldingconnection to. render said locking means inoperative 11. Thecombination in a machine of the frame movable in relation to said base frame, interconnected mechanisms mounted respectively 011 said head and base frames, means for moving said head frame in relation to said base frame, locking means for said head.- frame-moving means, a driving shaft for actuating said mechanisms, locking means for said driving shaft, and means for interconnecting said firstand second-mentioned locking means, said'locking means for said driving shaft including an axially-movable clutch member and a lock proper engageable therewith only when said clutch member is in an inoperative position. 7 V

12. The combination in a machine of the class described, of a base frame, a head frame movable in relation to saidbase frame, interconnected mechanisms mounted respectively on said head and base frames,'means for moving said head framein relatio-nto said base frame, locking means for said headframe-moving means, a driving shaft for actuating said mechanisms, locking means for said driving shaft, and means for interconnecting said firstand second-mentioned lock 'ing means, said locking means for said driving shaft including an axially-movable clutch member having a slot therein and a lock proper engageable wth said slot.

In testimony whereof we have signed our names to this specification.

ARTHUR THOMAS. FREDERICK EDWARD HALLAHAN.

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