US1832791A - Calculating machine - Google Patents

Description

Nov. 17, 1931. K, v, RUBIN 1,832,791

CALCULATING MACHINE Original Filed June 50, 1922 I5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Nov. 17, 1931. K. v. RUDIN I CALCULATING MACHINE Original Filed June so, 1922 3 sheets-sheet 2 i LY Nov. 17, 1931. K. v. RUDIN CALCULATING MACHINE Original Filed June 30, 1922 3 Sheets-Sheet I5 Patented or. 1?, E9311 KA RL VIKTQR. RUBIN, OF STQCKHQFQM, swmnn GALCULATING MACHINE Original application filed June 3G, 1922, Serial No. 571,943, and in Sweden July 1, 1921. Divided and this application filed May 29, 1924. Serial No. 716,755.

The invention relates to calculating machines of the kind in which the items before being thrown into .the totalizing mechanism, are first set up in a selector mechanism mounted on a carriage and comprising selector members adapted to be set successively in accordance with the values of the keys depressed. One object of the invention is to provide a setting up mechanism, in which the effort necessary to be expended for the setting operation is considerably reduced, thus rendering the machine capable of a high speed. This is attained, according to the invention, by reducing the stroke of the setting keys, at the same time ensuring a light touch of said keys. Another object is to provide a clear arrangement and a simple construction of said setting up. mechanism., It is previously known to arrange the selector members or wheels in such a manner that the normal angular position of said wheels corresponds to an intermediate value, as for instance 4 or 5, the wheels being then adapted to be turned in the one or the other angular direction, according as the value to be set up is higher or lower than the said intermediate value. Obviously, the greatest amount of rotation required to be imparted to a selector wheel for setting it up is reduced by this arrangement to half of the rotation otherwise required, and, as a consequence, it is possible to reduce the key stroke in a corresponding degree. In the said known arrangement, however,'it is necessary, on actuating the selector wheel to be set up, to rotate as a whole the group of selector wheels which have not yetbeen set up. The said disadvantage is avoided, according to th1s invention, by a suitable combination of the escapement mechanism of the selector carriage with the setting up member which is provided for conveying the motion imparted to the key depressed to the selector wheel to be set up. The said escapement mechanism and the said setting up member are adapted to co-operate so as to make it possible to actuate the selector wheel in turn to be set up independently of the other wheels and, further, to release the setting up member, on completion of the setting movement, from its constrained connection with the selector wheel and, finally, to return it to normal position. This invention is a division of my copending application for Letters Patent of the United States for improvements in calculating machines, filed June 30, 1922, Serial No. 571,943.

The invention will be more closely ,described with reference to the accompanying drawings which illustrate some embodiments of the invention. In the drawin s Fig. 1 is a plan view of a calculating machine representing a practical embodiment of the invention, the cover plate thereof being removed.

Fig. 2 is a part of a longitudinal section on the line IIIIII in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 shows a modification of a detail in Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a detail of the escapement mechanism.

Fig. 5 is a detail of Fig. 2.

Fig. 6 is a detail of Fig. 2.

. Fig. 7 shows a modified form of the stems.

Fig. 8 is a side elevation of a modified form of the segmental rack gearing shown in Figs. 2 and 5.

Fig. 9 is a slightly more detail showing of Fig. 8.

Referring to Figs. l-and 2, the detailed description of the machine will comprise only those parts thereof which constitute the invention, whereas other parts thereof which are provided to co-operate directly with the parts first mentioned will be mentioned more briefly. The setting up mechanism is arranged to the right of the machine under the ten setting keys 1 to co-operate therewith. The selector carriage consists of a. yoke 18, the shanks 18 of which are slidably mounted on a shaft 14 so as to embrace the selector wheels 15 which are loosely mounted on said shaft 14. The number of selector wheels in the example shown is nine. The carriage, which normally occupies the position illustrated in Fig.1 at the right of the shaft 14 is adapted to be moved leftward step by step during the setting operation, the selector wheels set up being thereby alined with corresponding digit wheels of the tokey talizing mechanism. The highest digit of the item to be thrown into the machine will be set up on the first'selector wheel at the left of the group, the next digit on the second 5 wheel and so forth. The totalizing mechanism consists of totalizer wheels 41 and intermediate gears 42, loosely centered on axles 45 and 48 respectively, both of which are mounted in the shanks 46 of a clamp 46 pivoted on a horizontal shaft 13 parallel to the shaft 14 of the selector wheels. A number of horizontal racks 43 running perpendicularly to the shaft 14 are provided to transfer the item set up on the selector wheels to the to- 15 talizing mechanism, the number of said racks being equal to the number of selector wheels For said purpose the racks 43 are slidably mounted on transversal shafts running through longitudinal slots of the racks, the rear one 51 of said shafts being firmly secured to the frame, whereas the other shaft is mounted on rocking arms and adapted to raise the front ends of the racks, on completion of the setting up operation; into engagement with the selector wheels. At the same time the totalizer wheels 41 or the intermediate gears 42, according as addition or subtraction is to be performed, are caused to mesh with the racks 43. The transfer of the item is performed by the selector wheels set up, upon rotating the shaft 14, being returned to their normal positions, each of the racks meshing with said wheels being then withdrawn forwards in proportion to the numerical value set up on the corresponding wheel. Obviously, the correspondingtotalizer wheels 41 willbe rotated in the same proportions by the racks, and, as a consequence, the item will be added to or subtracted from thesum registered in the totalizer. The movements of the racks 43 are, furthermore, transferred to the printing mechanism by means of a toothed gearing meshing with the rear endsof the racks, the types corresponding to the 45 digit of the item being thereby set up in front of a-pfmting roller. On completion of the transfer action the carriage is returned to its initial position at the right of the shaft 14.

A more thorough description of the totaliz- ,ing mechanism and driving means of the machine will not be neessar as these mechanisms are not specific to this invention, which may be applied in different combinations of parts in question, as will be understood from the following disclosure. Having thus given a summary report on the parts .of the machine which are adapted to co-operate with the settin up mechanism, I will now proceed to describethe essential features of the invention more closely. I

. Each of the selector wheels 15, which are loosely mounted, as previously mentioned, on the shaft 14, consists of a cylindrical check discof hard rubbercarrying on its circumferenee the figures 0-9, and a gear firmly connected therewith, said gear in the present case being provided witheleven teeth. Another number of teeth may as well be chosen, however,the circular pitch of toothing should be at most 1/10 of the circumference. In the initial position of the seleztor carriage indicated in Fig. 1, the gear of the first selector wheel counting fromthe left of the carriage is alined with a segmental rack 16 provided with eleven teeth and meshing said gear by means of its middle tooth, provided no one of the setting keys 1 is depressed. The check discs of the selector wheels have a smaller diameter than the appertaining gears in order to make it possible to displace the wheels axially on the shaft 14, without the discs being then touched by the segmental rack 16. The segmental rack is pivoted on a transversal shaft 17 and connected with the left end of a lever bar 11 arranged parallel to the shaft 17 the right end of said lever bar being connected with an arm 16 (Fig. 1;, which is likewise pivoted on the shaft 1 The lever bar 11 runs in front of the mouths of a series of slots 10 provided in the lower flat ends of the double armed key levers 5 which are pivoted on a common axle 6. .The mouth of each of the key slots 10 is enlarged so as to allow the bar 11 to be introduced into the slot to some extent without at first being engaged with the key lever. The other portion ofeach slot has a smaller width so as to positively engage the lever bar 11 on depression of the appertaining key, the segmental rack 16 being thus also positively connected with the key. The end portions of each slot are curved to form circular arcs having a common centre located on the rotary axis of the key levers, while the lengths of their radius are different. The intermediate portion of the slot on the other hand, is sloping, counting from below, either forwardly or rearwardly to cause the segmental rack to be turned in either direction depending on the numerical value represented by thekey depressed. As will be seen from this, the rotation of the segmental rack will not begin until the key has been depressed to some extent and will cease before the depression of the key has been completed, the rac however, on the further depression of the key, being positive- 1y locked in the set up position by the circularly curved end portion of the slot. The intermediate portions of the different slots 10 are sloping in different degrees in such a manner that the actuation of any of the keys 1 to 5 will cause a rearward rotation of the segmental rack the amount of which is pro ortional to the numerical value re resente by the key depressed, whereas on epression of any of the keys representing higher values the rack will be rotated forwardl (right wardly in Figs. 2 and 5). In the rst men-' tioned case a rotation in the clockwise direction will be imparted to the selector wheel "which is j ust engaged by the segmental rack,

the amount of said rotation depending on the numerical value being 1/11 to 5/11 of a full revolution. On the other hand, the depression of the. 9-key will cause the selector wheel to be rotated in a direction reverse to the -clockwisefor 2 /11 of a full revolution, thus The upper arm 4 of each key lever is provided .at' its outer, end with a notch 7, which is adapted to engage, in the final part of the key stroke, a transversal cam bar 8 extendmg between the segmental rack 16 and the arm 16' for the purpose of damping the elastic oscillations of the rack which might occur owing to the ra k being suddenly stopped in set up position bythe locking portion of the key slot 10.

In order to lock the segmental rack .16 in its normal position at rest a double locking means is provided on the lower, rearwardly extending arm 25 of a double-armed lever 24, Figs. 2, 6. which is pivotally mounted on a horizontal journal 29. Said lever arm has a recess 30 with a mouth opening downwardly which norma ly clutches the lever bar 11, said mouth being narrow enough to positively engage said lever bar thus preventing the segmental rack from being turned. Further, the armf25= has an upwardly extending looking projection 31 normally engag ng a'notcn or the like on the periphery of the segment 16. The lever arm 25 is. rigidly connected with a transversal bar 26 extending throughout the whole group of key levers close under said levers and adapted to be depressed alike by whatever key actuated. As a consequence. the means forlocking the setting up member in its position at rest will be d sengaged during the first part of the downward key stroke, as the lever bar 11 will then be received in the upper, enlarged part of the recess 30. while on the other hand the upper end of the projection 31 will leave the corresponding notch. At the sa me time the lever bar will be engaged with the sloping intermed ate portion of the slot and will thus be positively connected with the setting up member. Owingto the selector wheel, which is in turn to/be set up, being positively engaged by the segmental rack, the locking means provided for thesetting upmember will at the same time serve to hold the said wheel in pos tion. In order to hold each of gthe selector wheels in its normalangular position until having been shifted leftward far enough to be engaged by the setting up memher there is provided a spline bar 19 extend ing along the right hand portion of the shaft 14, said spline bar having such a length as to engage, in the normal position of the can riage, the gears of the whole group of selector wheels excepting that of the first wheel at the left.

A further object of the lever 24 is to serve as a spacing lever adapted to cause the carriage to be displaced successively in axial direction, in such a manner that a divided escapement motion consisting of two steps will be performed during a complete actuation of any of the setting keys. For this purpose the upwardly extending arm of the lever24 1s provlded with two sliding pawls 23 and 23' adapted to cooperate in a manner described ,below with aseries of ratchet teeth 22 on the lower, side of the carriage, Figs. 2 and 4, to bring about, upon operation of the lever 24, a stepwiselateral movement of the carriage. To this end the carriage is actuated by a coil spring 28 wound on a vertical spindle 33, said coil-spring tending to displace the carriage in a leftward direction through the intermediary of a pinion 21 firmly mounted on the spindle 33 and meshing with a rack bar 20 provided 'on the front edge of the clamp 18. The lateral displacement, however, is normally prevented by the pawl 23' engaging one of the ratchet teeth 22. Said pawl is yieldingly mounted on the arm 24 so as to allow of an unobstructed return movement of the carriage into its normal position at rest. The second pawl 23 is rigidly connected to the lever arm 24 so as to be normally out of path of the ratchet teeth 22. The pitch of the ratchet teeth 22 is equal to the length of the full escapement of the carriage, while the pawls 23, 23 are disposed at a distance apart, counting in the escapement direction, equal to half of said length.

On the depression of any of the keys the pawl 23, owing to the rocking movement of the spacing lever 24, is brought in the path of the ratchet tooth just engaged by the yielding pawl 23', while at the same time the pawl last mentioned is gradually moved out of engagement with said tooth. At a certain instant, which is exactly adjusted with respect to the setting up movement, as will be more closely described below, the pawl 23' will slide off from the ratchet tooth, the carriage being then displaced laterally by the action of the coil-spring 28 until the same ratchet. tooth strikes the pawl 23. As'm ay be concluded from the foregoing description, this is not the full escapement action, but s only sufiicient to cause the selector wheel just set up to be released'from the segmental rack 16 which will thus be free to be returned to its normal position at rest. On the return-stroke another step leftward tobring the next selector wheel into engageaent mental rack.

In order to make the mode of action of the setting up mechanism more clearly understood it may be assumed by way example that the number 37 is to be set up for the purpose of being subsequently added to or subtracted from the total registered-in totalizer. The selector carriage originally occupies the position shown in 1 after having been returned to the right at the end of the foregoing calculations 0n depression at first of the 3-key the normally acting lock of the segmental rack will immediately be disengaged at the beginning of the hey stroke,

as described alcove @n the further depression the lever bar 11 is engaged by the slop ing portion of the slot 10, the segmental rack being thereby turned rearwardly to an extent adapted to cause the first of the selector wheels, which originally is meshing there with, to rotate for an angle-of 3/11 of a full revolution in the clockwise direction (see Fig. 2) At the same time the pawl 23 which originally is in engagement with the first of the ratchet teeth 22, counting from tne left, is moved rearwardly, owing to the turn of the spacing lever 2a. The said pawl, however, will not slide off from the ratchet tooth, until the lever bar ll has been received in the upper circular portion of the slot 10 thereby locking the segmental rack in the position set up. At the end of the downward key-stroke the first escapement step of the carriage has been performed, and the segmental. rack is now free to be returned. Upon release of the lrey the hey lever 5 will turn back to its initial position by the action of a coil-spring 12, the sagmental bar being then withdrawn and also returned to normal position. At the same time the spacing lever 25 will turn back by the action of a spring wound on the journal 29 of said lever and, as a consequence, the pawl 23 is again brought in the path of the ratchet teeth, while the pawl 23 is sliding off from the first of said teeth at the end of the rear stroke of the key causing the second escapement step of the carriage to take place after the segmental rackhas been locked in it's normal position. At the end of the rear stroke the second selector wheel is occupying the setting up position meshing with the. segmental rack, whereas the first selector wheel set up in an angular position corresponding to the numeral value 3 is alined' with the first of the transmitting racks 43, counting from the right. In order to hold the selector wheels alread set up in their different angular positions there is provided a spline bar 38 mounted on rocking levers and extending along the lefthand portion of the shaft 14, said spline bar being of such a length as to clutch each of the selector wheels which have passed the setting up position. After the first digit of .the number in question has-now been set up,

the 7-hey is depressed, the same process being then repeated, didering from that just described only by the segmental rack 16 being now turned forwardly, thus imparting an opposite rotation to the selector wheel, the rotary angle being in this case l /l1 of a full revolution. At the end of the rear stroke of the *Z-key the second selector wheel will be alined with the first of the transmitting racks 43, whereas the first selector wheel will be in line with the second rack, counting from the right. The setting up operation is now completed. The transfer of the item to the totalizer is effected, as mentioned above, by zeroizing the selector wheels set up. For this purpose the shaft i l is provided with a longitudinal row of zeroizing pins 156 (Fig. 1) arranged at a distance apart equal to a full escapement movement of the carriage. in order to make the selector wheels capable of passing said zeroizing pins on being displaced laterally each selector wheel is provided inside the hub with ten or eleven recesses 158 (Fig. 2) which are distributed circumferentially in such a manner that any of said recesses will be alined with the row of pins in whatever angular position the wheel be set up. @n completion of a key actuation each of the selector wheels set up will be disposed over one of the zeroizing pins 156, said pin extending then in a circular groove inside the hub in which is provided a zeroizing abutment 157 (Fig. 2) adapted to co-operate witn the pin. The zeroizing of the selector wheels is effected by the shaft 14: being rotated from the handle 38 on its forward stroke for 9/11 of a full revolution in a clockwise direction (Fig. 2). This rotary movement is transferred to the shaft through the intermediary of a suitable ratchet device, so that the shaft will be at rest during the rear stroke of the handle. The Zeroizing abutments 157 of the wheels are arranged in such a manner relatively to the zeroizing pins 156, that each wheel will have a zeroizing rotation in proportion to the'numerical value for which it is set up. As will be seen, the item set up will be properly transferred to the totalizer in the way described. After the transfer action has been completed the selector carriage is returned to normal position and is then ready for another operation.

In thearrangement of the selector wheels described above the figures of the check discs are notv quite distinctly displayed in corresponding check openings in the proteco ing cover of the machine because of the diameter of the cylindrical check discs being smaller than the outer diameter of the appertaining gears. In the arrangement shown in Fig. 3 the carriage is provided with particular check wheels 265 loosely mounted on a shaft thereon and allotted each to one of the selector wheels 15, each of said check wheels consisting of a check disc, carrying figures on its cylindrical periphery, and a gear integral therewith and permanently meshing with the gear of the corresponding selector'wheel 15. The diameter of the'cylindrioal check discs isequal to the outer diameter of the appertaining gears, so that the figures in this case may be-distinctly displayed.

Fig. 7 illustrates a suitable modificationof the key stems, each of which is divided in two portions 267, 268 connected with one another by means of a coil-spring 269. This arrangement has for itsobject to .prevent the parts of the mechanism from being hurt in the case of two or more keys being unintentionally struck at a time, the yieldingconnections; between the portions of the stems then serving as a protecting means.

As a further protective means a locking device is provided for the purpose of preventing the handle 38 and the setting keys from being actuated atthe same time, this locking device simply consisting of 'an arm 223 rigidly mounted on the shaft 59 of the handle, saidarm having a circularly curved projection 223, Fig. 6. The front end of the are 223? is normally situated close to the free end of the rearwardly extending arm 25 of the lever 24, without obstructing the free movement of said arm provided the handle is in its normal position at rest. At

' the beginningof a stroke of the handle the are 223 will, however, be brought in the path of the lever arm 25, looking the arm in its position at rest during the whole stroke.

As a consequence, the setting keys are also a; locking the handle during the key action.

The modification shown in Fig. 8 difiersfrom the arrangement according to Fig. 5

only by the single segmental rack 16 being substituted by two segmental racks 236,237.

The racks are pivoted on' journals 238 and are connected with lever bars 239 which are adapted to co-operate each'with-a group of keys. In all other respects the lever bars 239 are adapted'to be operated in the way described aboveior the lever bar 11. .Ob-

viously, all of the keys appertaining to either of the groups will actuate the selector 'wheels in acommon direction opposite to cific to the other group. The

240,- being then, as shown in Fig. 8, com-' pletely out of path of the selector gears. By this arrangement it is possible to make the diameter of the cylindrical checks discs equal Y to the outer diameter of the ap'ertaining gears, so that the figures on the c eck discs may be distinctly displayed in the check openings without providing particular check erated setting up device adapted to engage said selector-members independently of one another, and means associated with the keys for controlling the operation of said setting up de vice so as to cause the engaged selector members to be set each in accordance with the value of the corresponding key depression from an intermediate position inv one direction by the operating ofsome of the keys and in an opposite direction by the op-' eration of other keys.

2. In a calculating machine, a selector mechanism comprising in combination a number of adjustable selector wheels, mounted in.carriage, akey operated setting up device adapted to engage said selector wheels separately in succession and means associated with the keys tor controlling the operation of; said setting up device so as to cause the engaged selector wheels to be set each in accordance with the value of the corresponding key depression. from ,an intermediate position in vone direction by the operation of sometof the keys and in an opposite direction by the operation of other keys, said intermediate "angular osition coinciding with the angular position normally representing the'numeral value zero.

3. A combination as claimed in claim 1, in which the setting up device consists of two racks, one of which is adapted to be operated by some of the keys, whereas the other rack si nature.

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