US1994539A - Cash register - Google Patents

Description

March 19, 1935. B. M. SHIPLEY CASH REGISTER Original Filed Jan. 24, 1950 FIG. 2

I .siz lllll m m BM Patented Mar. 19, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE National Cash Register Company, Dayton, Ohio, a corporation of Maryland Original application January 24, 1930, Serial No.

Divided and this application March 19, 1931, Serial No. 523,727

3 Claims.

This invention relates to totalizer engaging and disengaging mechanism as used on cash registers of the press-down key type disclosed in application for Letters Patent of the United States, Serial No. 423,230, filed January 24, 1930 by Bernis M. Shipley, of which the present application is a division.

In the press-down key type of register, the depression of the keys by the operator creates the only positive mechanical movement in the machine. Due to this it is desirable that the totalizer be actuated on the down stroke of the keys. Therefore, it is an object of this invention to provide means whereby the totalizer will be engaged with the actuating'means, actuated thereby and disengaged therefrom on the down stroke of the key levers. v

With this and incidental objects in view, the invention includes certain novel features of construction and combinations of parts, the essential elements of which are set forth in appended claims and. a preferred form or embodiment of which is hereinafter described with reference to the drawing which accompanies and forms a part of this specification.

Of said drawing:

Fig. 1 is a transverse sectional view taken through the machine to the left of the 80-cent key, omitting 'all parts but those essential to the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a detail of the operating means for the totalizer engaging cam.

Fig. 3 is a detailed view of the means to prevent overthrow of the totalizer engaging cams, and

also shows said cams.

'Fig. 4 is a detailed view of the mechanism for rotating the totalizer engaging shaft.

GENERAL DEscRIP'rIon .The main elements usually provided in cash registers of the type to which this application is drawn are included in the present machine. These elements include depressible keys, totalizers, totalizer actuators and totalizer engaging and disengaging means, all driven by an operation of a key or keys.

The machine in which the present invention is illustrated has'three denominational groups of amount keys, units of cents, tens of cents and units of dollars, all shown in the parent case. Each denominational group of keys has its differential unit which sets the indicators and actuates the totalizer wheels for that particular group. As each denominational group operates in a similar manner, it is thought that an explanation of the functioning of the tens of cents denomination will be sufficient for a clear understanding of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Keyboard The tens of cents keys 45 (Fig. 1) pivot on a rod 48 supported by the two main frames of the machine, one of which 30 is here shown. Pivoted on pintles (not shown) in the main frames of the machine is a shaft 111 (Figs. 1 and 4) having secured thereon a key coupler 55, which extends rearwardly to form on its lower edge a coupling bar 56 resting on the rear arms of the key levers and inline with recesses 57 in said key levers. As the key coupler and key levers are pivoted on different centers, depression of a key or keys will cause the coupling bar 56 to enter the recess 5''! in the depressed keys to couple them together so that they will be depressed in unison. In radial relation to the pivot centers of the key coupler and in close proximity to the end of the coupling bar 56 is an arcuate edge 54 on the keys 45. As the end of the coupling bar 56 becomes radially opposed to the edge 54, the undepressed keys are locked in their home positions. Ihe weight of the key coupler also assists in returning the keys and other mechanisms of the machine to their home positions.

A plurality of key stops 53 operate in the familiar manner to prevent depression of more than one key at a time in each denominational group.

Diflerential mechanism A differentially movable element similar to the differential mechanism disclosed in the application of Bernis M. Shipley, Serial No. 261,996, filed March 15, 1928, is associated with each denominational group of amount keys, the dimes group being here shown.

A cam slot 58 (Figs. 1 and 4) is formed in the enlarged rear end of each of the key levers of each group of keys. Said slots are arranged differentially to give the differential element its extent of movement according to the particular key depressed in the group. In the tens of cents group (Fig. 1) depression of the key engages the cam slot 58 with a universal rod 59 carried between two segments 60 (one only here shown) pivoted on a rod 61 extending between the side frames of the machine to rock the bail formed by segments 60 and the rod 59 a distance corresponding to the value of the key depressed. The rod 59 is rotatably mounted on spindles (not shown) projecting inwardly from the lower end of the segments 60.

During its return movement the depressed key restores the differential bail to its normal position where its movement is arrested by a toe 64 (Fig. 1) on the segment 60 striking a stud 65 projecting laterally from the rear arm of the ten-cent key 45. The stud 65 stops the bail with the rod 59 in alinement with the mouths of the differential slots 58.

The movements of the differential elementsrare transmitted to the totalizer to accumulate thereon the amount corresponding in value to the particular amount key or keys depressed.

This is mplished for the group of tens of cents keys 45- by extending one of the segments 60 (Fig. 1) upwardly and toward thefront of the machine to form a totalizer actuator segment 70.

Im avid Totalz'zer The totalizer illustrated in connection with the present invention is of the general type as disclosed in the patent. of Thomas Carney, No- 53-2,- 762, issued January 22, 1895, and it is thought that a brief description of the totalizer will be sufficient.

The totalizer is not visible to the operator and in order to ascertain the amount standingthereon it is necessary to take an impression on the record material from the totalizer wheels, which in the present instance are printing wheels;

The totalizer includes a unitsof cents wheel, a tens of cents wheel, and a unitsof dollars wheel, and a plurality of overflowwheels. The totalizer wheels are actuated by the units and tens of cents and the units of dollars actuators, respectively, which mesh with gears fasten each of the totalizer wheels. The tens of cents actuator (Fig.

1) actuates thetensof cents wheel 81 by meshing with the gear 74 faston said wheel 81. The usual transfer or carrying-over mechanism is provided for the totalizer wheels-engaged by the actuators, and the conventional Geneva transfer, such as isdisclosed in the above mentioned Carney patent, is provided for the overflow wheels.

Referring to Fig. 1, the totalizer wheels are all rotatably mounted on .a shaft 84 journaled in totalizer side frames 85 and 86, which in turn are rockably mounted on .pintles, only one 0i which 87 is shown herein, extending inwardly from a pair of intermediate frames 88 and 89 suitably supported in the machine oncrossrbars' 33 and 34, and on the rod 61.. The totalizer side frames 35 and 86 are joined at their top by an electro support 'bar 90 and at their forward edges by a bar 91 having its end bent andsecured to the frames 85 and 86. The lower end of the totalizer frame 85 forms a bell crank comprising two arms'92 and 93 carrying rollers 94 and 95, respectively, cooperating with a pair of cams 96 and 97 (Figs. 1 and 3') rotatably mounted on a shaft 98 journaled in the frames 88 and 89. The cams 96 and 97 receive one-half of one rotation in a counter-clockwise direction viewed in Figs. 1 and 3, by mechanism to 'be described later, to rock the totalizer frames 85 and 86 first counter-clockwise to carrythe totalizcr wheels into mesh with the totalizeractuators,

and then clockwise after the amount has been stroke of the key, there being a brief time before the cam slots 58 (Figs. 1 and 3) in the rear arm of the depressed keys engage the rod 59 for this purpose, and is disengaged from the actuator at the end of the downward stroke of the key. A dwell near the bottom of the cam slot 58 allows for the disengaging of the totalizer as the key approaches the limit of its downward stroke.

After the totalizer is disengaged from the actuator the operator releases the depressed keys, whereupon the key coupler 55 restores the keys to their normal undepressed positions, which through'the cam slot58 (Fig. 1) and the rod 59, restores the segment 60 and the totalizer actuators'to their normalv positions.

The mechanism for rotating the totalizer engaging and disengaging cams 96 and 97 will now be described. A spring-depressed pawl 99 (Fig. 2) pivotally supported on a drive arm fast on the rock. shaft 98 cooperates with one of a. pair of opposed recesses 106 and 107' in the periphery of a disk 108 secured to the earns 96 and 97. The shaft 98- and the; drive arm 105 are given one invariable rocking movement first in a. counterclockwise direction, and then in a clockwise direction, as viewed in Figs. 2 and 4, at each operation of the machine by a tooth-driven segment 109 (Fig. 4-) carried on the forward end. of an arm 110 fast on the shaft. 111 secured to the key coupler 55 in axial alinement with the key coupler pivots.

To prevent torsional strain on the shaft 111a tail 112 on the arm 11.0 extends rearwardlyand downwardly where it is slotted to embrace the coupling bar 56 of the key coupler 55. The segment 109 meshes with a partial gear 113 fast on the rock shaft 98' and having fast to the side thereof a mutilated disk 114. A spring-centered pawl 1,15 pivoted on a stud projecting from the intermediate frame 88 cooperates with a serratedsection of the periphery of the disk 114 to form the usual full-stroke device.

vDepression of a. key or keys rocks the key coupler 55 (Fig. 4), the tail 112, the shaft 111, and the segment 109, clockwise torotate the partiel gear 113 and the shaft 98 counter-clockwise through slightly more than degrees-of movement. The shaft 98 carries. the drive arm 105 (Fig. 2) and the coupling pawl 99 therewith, picking' up the. recessed'disk 108 and rotating it and the cams 96 and 97 counter-clockwise exactly 180 degrees of travel, to first engage the totalizer with, and then disengage the totalizer from the actuators, as described above.

Means is provided 'to prevent over-rotation of the cams 96 and 9'7 at the sudden stoppage of the key coupler 55, segment 109 and drive arm 105, at the end of the downward stroke of the key. This means includes a device 124 operated by the key coupler to stop the cams at exactly one-half rotation. The shaft 98 completes its counter-clockwise rotation at the instant the depressed key reaches the limit of its downward travel. In addition to the device 124 for preventing over-rotation, a pawl 117 is provided to prevent, retrograde motion of the shaft 98 due to its sudden stopping by striking against the arm 124. The pawl for preventing retrograde movement is described first.

As the cams 96 and 97 (Figs. 1 and 3) rotate, a stud 116- projecting laterally from the face of the cam 96 strikes the lower edge of a restraining pawl 117 (Fig. 3) pivotedon a. stud 118 projecting inwardly from the intermediate frame 88,

displacing the pawl upwardly against the tension of a spring 119, which as soon as the stud 116 is past the nose 120 of the pawl, restores the pawl to its normal position wherein the nose 120 rests in the path of the stud 116 to prevent retrograde movement of the cams 96 and 97 and the disk 108. The downward movement of the pawl 11'? is limited by a finger 121 on the pawl striking a stud 122 projecting horizontally from the intermediate frame 88.

Near the end of the down stroke of the key the stud 116 passes the nose 120 of the pawl 11'? and strikes an arcuate face 123 of an arm 124 of a lever 125 (Figs. 1 and 3) fast on the key coupler shaft 111, the face 123 being moved downwardly into the path of the stud 116 as the key coupler is rocked upwardly by depression of a key. A stud 126 (Fig. 3) located diametrically opposite the stud 116 moves from beneath the lower tip of the elongated face 123 before this face arrives in the path of the stud 116. The stud 126 is exactly like the stud 116 and is necessary because the cams 96 and 9'7 are symmetrical and do the work in one-half rotation normally done by a cam in a complete rotation.

When the operator releases the key at the end of the downward stroke thereof, and the weight of the key coupler 55 restores the key to normal, the segment 109 (Fig. 4) rotates the partial gear 113, the shaft 98 and the drive arm 105 clockwise, and the pawl 99 (Fig. 2) travels over the periphery of the disk 108 until the nose of the pawl drops into the recess 106. On the restoring movement of these parts the cams 96 and 97 (Fig. 3) are held against restoring or clockwise movement by the pawl 117.

Thus, it can be seen that the oscillating movement of the rock shaft 98 by the drive arm 105 and pawl 99 turns the cams 96 and 97 one-half rotation at each operation of the machine, which due to the configuration of the cams rocks the totalizer frames and 86 (Fig. 1) first to engage and then to disengage the totalizer with the actuators.

While the form of mechanism herein shown and described is admirably adapted to fulfill the objects primarily stated, it is to be understood that it is not intended to confine the invention to the one form or embodiment herein disclosed, for it is susceptible of embodiment in various forms all coming within the scope of the claims which follow.

What is claimed is:

1. In a machine of the class described; the combination with a totalizer; and actuators therefor; of a rock shaft; a cam on the rock shaft; means to operate the rock shaft to rotate the cam one-half turn in one direction to engage the totalizer with, and disengage the totalizer from, the actuators; a projection on the cam; an arm cooperating with the projection to limit the extent of rotation of the cam in the one direction; and a dog cooperating with the projection to prevent rotation of the cam in the other direction.

2. In a machine of the class described; the combination with a totalizer; and actuators therefor; of a rock shaft; a cam on the rock shaft; means to operate the rock shaft to rotate the cam one-half turn in one direction, to engage the totalizer with, and disengage the totalizer from, the actuators; a projection on the cam; normally ineffective means to cooperate with the projection to limit rotation of the cam in the one direction; and means to render the limiting means effective.

3. In a machine of the class described; the combination with a totalizer; and actuators therefor; of a rock shaft; a cam on the rock shaft; means to operate the rock shaft to rotate the cam one-half turn in one direction to engage the totalizer with, the disengaged totalizer from, the actuators; a projection on the cam; 3. normally ineffective arm to cooperate with the pro jection; and means to rock the arm into the path of the projection to limit the rotation of the cam in the one direction.

BERNIS M. SHIPLEY.

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