US2007402A - Totalizator - Google Patents

Description

F. LIMB TOTALIZATOH Filed Dec. 29, 1931 July 9, 1935.

6 Sheets-Sheet 1 FLM/nb July 9, 1935.

F. I IMB TOTALI ZATOR 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Deo. 29, 1951 F. LIME TOTALIZATOR July" 9, 1935.

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July `9, 1935. s. UME 2,007,402

TOTALIZATOR Filed Dec. 29, 1931 e Sheets-sheet 5 F. lLIMB TOTALI ZATOR July 9, r 1935.

6. Sheets-Shea?l 6 Filed Dec. 29, 1951 Patented July 9, 1935 v A y UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE l TOTALIZATOR Y s claims. (c1. zas-92) My invention'relates to totalizators and is coneration being delayed if necessary until a precedcerned particularly with improved means for ing bet has been registered. f

makingcomrnon registering apparatus or con- `Control signals may be transmitted over a ductors leading thereto available to a plurality of chain circuit extending through normally closed 5 ticket issuing or like machines. A contacts of 'a relay associated with each machine. 5

Systems are known in which a rotary switch or When a bet key is pressed at a particular ma#- its equivalent renders each of aplurality of ticket chine, this relay may operate, open the chain cirissuing machines effective in turn for .the transcuit, and connect to one side thereof. the relay mission of betl signals over a common group of which mustfoperate before the machine can be l conductors to registering equipment. In systems madeeilective for the transmission of a signal to 10 of this kind the switch passes through positions the common registering equipment. The operatcorresponding to the various machines in a defiing potential for this latter relay may be applied nite cyclic order, whether or not a particular maat one end of the chain circuit, at a particular chine has a bet to be collected when the switch point therein, or at the machine at which the prel reaches its position. Time is therefore lost owing ceding bet originated. The chain circuit may or 15 to the .inability of the switch to pass instanmay not be endless. 1 taneously through positions corresponding to ma- If desired, the arrangement may be such that chines which have no bets to transmit. when the common conductors have been made According to my invention, I provide collecting available to a particular machine they cannot meanswhich take up positions corresponding only again be made Aavailable thereto while any other 20 to those lmachines having betsv to bev collected. machine which has not had its turn is waiting Thus, after abet has been collected from one matoy use them.l For this purpose a relay at each chine, the next machine in order having avbet machine may operate when the common wires to transmit will be made effective immediately,` 'have been made available t0 that machine and there being no movement of the collecting means lock up under the control of a common clearing 25 corresponding to that performed by the switch in relay until otherwaiting machines have had their the systems already referred to in moving through turn. positions associatedwith machines having no bets In this manner the machines transmit their to be collected. bets successively, no machine having an oppor- `In order to attain this vend I may associate one tunity t0 transmit a. Second bet until al1 the wait- 30 or more relays with each machine and provide a Ving machinesV that have not had their turn have circuit such that a potential is extended through been dealt with, contacts of relays associated with machines hav- Means for testing the contacts in the chain ing no bets to be collected to a winding of a relay circuit may be provided and may be made 0P- associated withthe next machine having a bet to erative alltOmatiCa-lly. A fault alarm may be 35 be collected. Relays associated with machines provided if desired. having no bets tobe collected.` are therefore in- Subsidiary features of `my invention will beoperative and a signal which results in the collec; come apparent from the following description of tion of a bet maybe extended forward directly methodsof` carrying it into effect, and reference 40 to a relayassociated with the appropriate mashould be made to the accompanying drawings, 40

chine. in whichzv Although the relays do not operate in any pre- Figure 1 shows the circuit arrangements at a determined order, the arrangement of the maticket machine for controlling the counting apchines themselves may ensure that a machine hav-a paratus.

ing a bet to be collected is made effective in its Figure 2 shows the circuit of relays associated 45 turn` to transmit a bet signal. Since relays are with a ticket machine, part of the chain circuit operated only when bets are to. be collected, reassociated with other ticket machines, and cerduction in wear and current consumption, besides tain common apparatus. the saving in time already referred to, is effected. Figure 3 shows a plug and jack, and the CilCllt One of the relays associated with'a machine of associatedv relay equipment by which a con- 50 may be adapted, upon operation, to` make that ductor, such as 2, corresponding to a particular machine effective for` transmitting a bet signalto competitor, is given access to a particular addthe common registering equipment. The opera ing equipment. Y y tion of this relay may be dependent upon a cir-v Figure 4 shows the circuit of adding or regis- 0' cuit prepared when a bet key is depressed, the optering equipment. y 55 Figure 5 is a diagram showing the way in which Figures l to 4 inclusive should be arranged.

Figure 6 is a skeleton chain circuit showing an alternative to Figure 2.

Figure 7 represents the general arrangement of a totalizer system incorporating the present invention. The assembled sections of apparatus are represented by rectangles in which are printed the reference letters of the different relays and other .elements (shown by the same references in Figures 1-6) which they contain. Notes beside the various elements and connecting wires indicate in certain cases the manner of their connection.

Certain termin-als such as W, P, NRW and NRP appearing on Figure 2 are identical to correspondingly marked terminals on other figures. When tracing the circuits therefore, terminals identified by the same characters should be con sidered to be joined together.

The arrangement shown in Figures 1 to 4 and 7 will iirst be described..

Each ticket machine has access to a plurality of individual conductors such as I0 and 4, leading to individual relay equipment shown in Figure 2, and to a plurality of common conductors, such as 2, corresponding to the various competitors.

The apparatus shown on the right of Figure 2 is commonA to all the ticket machine relay equipment associated with the same relay chain.

In Figure 3, relays WA and PA, termed access relays, may be connected to a competitor lead by inserting plug P' into jack J. If there is only one relay chain, one WA relay is associated with the adding equipment for win bets for a particular competitor, and each relay has a plurality of contacts, such as the one shown at wa3, associated with the various denomina-tional sections (units ten, hundreds, etc.) of the addnilr equipment. If, however,y there are separate chain circuits for diilerent denominational sections, a. separate WA relay is provided for each chain, each relay being connected to a. plug contact which engages with a. jack Contact associated with a competitor lead such as 2 corresponding to the chain in question. The provision of PA relays is similar; these relays give access to the adding equipment for place bets.

When no plug is inserted into jack J, conductor 2 is extended to relays NW and NP by way of conductor 3. These relays are multipled (i. e. connected to all jacks in parallel) to all the jacks. If there is more than one relay chain, separate NP and NW relays and a separate pair of springs on each jack are provided for each chain. When relay NW or NP operates, no connection is made to the adding equipment but a signal is sent back to the ticket machine to inform the operator that a bet cannot be registered on the 'particular competitor number selected.

The lower portion of Figure 4 shows the circuit oi' a denominational section of the adding equipment corresponding to a particular stake and competitor for win bets. Relay IZA and contacts izal and ira5 shown within the dotted squares are part of the circuit of the next higher denominational section for dealing with transfer signals.

The upper part of Figure 4 shows the circuit of the adding equipment for the total of all win bets corresponding to the same denominational section as the lower part of the figure. Relay TZA and contacts tzad and tra, shown within and have contacts (not shown) in the other denominations. The adding equipment for place bets is identical to that for win bets.

In order to allow betting on the totalizator to commence, key KI (Figure 2) is moved into the start betting position, thereby closing an obvious circuit for relay BS. Relay BS operates and contact bsl closes a circuit from earth, relay CT and resistance RI in parallel, contacts bsl, st3, st13 stn3, resistance R2 to battery. Relay CT operates and contact ctl removes the sho-rt circuit from relay CF, which operates in an obvious circuit closed by contact bsl. Lamp LI now glows in a circuit from earth, contacts bs, cl3, lamp L| to battery.

Relay TS in the totals adding equipment (Figure' 4) operates by way of conductor |3 to the earth at contact bs2 and closes a circuit .for the totals indicator (not shown) at contact tsl. Keys such as K3 associated with the various adding equipments for individual competitors that are to be brought into commission are now momentarily operated and cause relays such as IS to operate. Relay IS locks to the earth o-n conductor |3 by way oi contact is5, and at contact isl closes the circuit of the indicator (not shown) Contact isl closes a circuit for relay IT by way of contact iql, and contact tsl closes a circuit for relay 'I'I by way of contact tql. Relay IT and 'II operate and normally remain operated whilst betting is in progress.

Contact bs3 (Figure 2) closes a circuit for a slow pulsing arrangement shown in Figure 4 as a rotating cam |00, which at intervals wipes against and closes circuits through pairs of contacting arms |0|, |02 whereby a. fleeting earth potential is applied to terminals S and Z (Figure 4) alternately and at definite intervals of, say, 11A seconds. The cam |00 is driven by a motor |03 energized by an obvious circuit from contact bs3 through conductor It will now be assumed that a. win bet is made at the ticket machine represented by Figure 1 by moving the usual win and place key on the machine into the win position and then operating the bet key corresponding to the selected competitor. The win and place key is indicated at K2. It causes the ticket machine to be set in readiness for printing a. win bet ticket. It does notr cause any circuit operation to take place when moved into the win position.

The operation of a bet key closes a contact such as hl, individual to the particular competitor number selected, and also a common contact u which is closed when any bet key at the machine is operated. If no other machines are waiting to make bets, a circuit is closed from earth, contact u, relay T, conductor leading to the ticket machine relay equipment (Figure 2)y contacts ho3, ti2, relay ST to battery. Relay T does not receive suiiicient current to operate owing to the resistance of relay ST, but relay ST operates and contact stl closes a circuit from earth, contacts aI, stl, relay CD to battery. Relay CD operates and closes contact cdi to prepare a locking circuit for hold-off relays such as relay HO.

Contact stil closes a circuit for connecting relay A from earth, relay CT and resistance RI in parallel, contacts bsl and st3, right-hand winding of relay A, contact pbl, terminal W, resistance RW to battery. Relay CT remains operated andrelay A operates and is held from earth, contacts til, c5, stlV and a2, left-hand winding of relay A to battery. Relay CD releases owing to the operation of contact al unless its circuit is completed by way of the relay equipmentassociated with another ticket machine awaiting to make a bet and having itsassociat'ed VST relay operated. In the latter casethe circuit of relay CT will be: extended by wayof contacts bsl Vand a3 to a connecting relay -associated withranother machine.` y If this machine is waitingto make a win bet, its connecting relay will not operate owing, tothe short-circuiting earth potentiall applied by contact a6y of the previously operated connecting relay by Way of contact pbl to ter `minal W associated with the common resistance for Win bets RW.

If thecompetitor upon whichthe bet is madev is anactual runner, the plug P (Figure `3) as-` i sociated with an addingequipment Willbe inserted into jack J thus disconnecting conductor 2 from conductor 3 and extending it to access relays WA and PA. A circuit is thus closed from earth, resistance R3(Figure 2), contacts pb5, hol., ti3 and a9, conductor l, bet key contact hl (Figure'l), conductor 2, jack'J, (Figure `3), plug P", contact pa l, relay WA to battery. RelayWA operates and closes contacts, one of which is'shown atwa, associated with the various denominational sections of the adding equipment for win bets on the competitor in question. Contact wa2 applies earth potential to terminal W. I y

Aicircuit is now closed from earth, contacts tilv (Figure 2), c5, st4, a4 and pb3, conductor 5 coni tacts ttl (Figure 4),'tzl and trl, conductor 6, con`- tact` .wa3 (Figure 3), conductor 1, -contacts itl (Figure 4) izl `and irl, upper Winding of relay IM to battery. Relay IM operates' and locks by way of stake wire conductor 8 in acircuit from earth,

Acontacts .t1'5 (Figure 2), "06' and stl, left-hand Winding of relay TI,`contaots a5'and pbl, conductor 8,*contact iml, lower winding of relay IM to battery; i f RelayfTI operates and is held opere ated in acircuit from earth, contact lu (Figure 1), relay T, 'conductor I, contact til (Figure 2), right-hand winding of relay TI to battery. Relay T now receives sucient current'to operate and close a contact whereby vthe circuit of a ticket issuing machine is completed and themachine set into operation. This machine may for example bev of known kind, such as described in the speciilcation'of British Patent' No. 289,901 filed on November 2, 1926.`

Relay IM is held `operated on its and im2, resistance R4, upper winding of relay IM to battery, and also from yearth at interrupter contact tdml by wayof contacts ts2, im3, im2 and `resistance R4. f

relay IP the' resultant circuit operations areonl'y of importance under abnormal conditions which f will be described hereinafterL Contact imS closes an obviousjcircuit for the magnet of switch TDM and vrelay TAin parallel; 'I'he magnet opens interrupterf, contact Vtdml, thereby removing the can release onlyafter contact tis (Figure 2) and both interrupter contacts idml land tdml (Figure 3) of the registering switches for win bets on'the individual competitor and the totals have been operated. When relay IM releases, contacts imi and imB open the circuit of the magnets of the registering switches, which advance their wipers one step and control the indicators showing the number of win bets registered on the` individual competitor and on the totals in known manner as described, for example, in the specication of British Patent No. 331,500 rlled on March 28th, 1929, and as illustrated in Figures 18, 19 and 20 thereof.

Owing to the operation of relay TI (Figure 2) relay ST releases, its circuit being opened at con tact ti2. The chain circuit is now maintained at contact st3 independently of contactaS. Contact t3 opens the circuit of relay WA; `contact tid opens the previously traced holding circuit of relay A and also completes an obvious circuit foi` relay HO. Relays WA and A release and relay HO operates.

t One source o; earth potential on terminal W is removed by the relapse of contact a6 but if earthu potential is maintained fromrsome other source, such as contact m4 (Figure 4) or wal! (Figure 3), another A relay cannot operate by j Way of the common` resistance RW. Normal-ly, relaysV WA and IM`release and relay TI operates in the manner described; the earth potentiai'is thus removed so that another bet may be accepted. j

The operation of the ticket machine causes contact u to open, a bet ticket to be issued, and the bet key. and'win and place key to release. tact u opensthey circuit of relay T and the right-` hand winding of relay TL Relays T and TI release and contact ti4 opens the operating circuit of relay IVI-IO.` If relay HO is not held on its upper Windingit will release and contact ho3 will prepare the circuit of relay ST so that lthe ticket machine can make another' bet immediately. If,

however, other machines are waiting to make bets,

chine until the other machines associated with upper winding f from earth, interrupter contact idml, contacts z's2 the same chain have been given an opportunity of making a bet. Thereafter, relays CD and HO release'and contact ho3 prepares the circuit of relay ST. l

Ifbets are made at two'or more ticket machines when the associated HO relays have not been released,` and( if the time elements ofthe relays stantially equal, which is the condition' met with in practice, the next ticket machine to register after the release of the lHO relays will be determined by the position of the -st3 contacts in thev chain circuit, preference being given to the machine having its associated st3 contacts nearest to' relay CT.- Asimilar preference is given to Waiting ticket' machines when their HO relays are unoperated. v

If `aregistering switch such as IDM is ener-A gized at a time when'atransfer must be made to a `higher denomination, a transfer relay, such as Conkassociated with the various machines `areY sub-v relay IZA, associated with the higher denomination is operated. If the bets are counted in a decimal system of notation the lower winding of relay IZA is connected to a contact associated with wiper dmi so that its circuit is completed when contact imi closes in response to each tenth bet. Relay IZA corresponds to relay IZ in the lower denomination. 'I'hus when a transfer is made from a denomination lower than that associated with relay- IZ, the latter operates by way of its lower winding and locks by way of its upper winding from earth, contacts isi, iz2 and iri.

Contact iz3 closes a circuit from earth, contacts idml, is2, fm2, izi, relay IR to battery. Relay IR operates and contact ir! closes an obvious circuit for the magnet of registering switch IDM and relay IA in parallel. Contact ifi, which is a late opening contact, opens the circuit of the upper winding of relay IZ. The circuit of the lower winding is opened when the registering switch in the lower denomination moves oil' its ninth contact. Relay IR is held, prior to the release of relay IZ from the earth at contact isi by way of contacts 122 and 1'13. It is also held from the earth at interrupter contact idml by way of contact irl. When these holding circuits have both been opened by the release of relay IZ and the operation of the magnet of switch IDM, at contacts 122 and idml respectively, relay IR releases, thereby causing the release of relay IA and the registering switch. The latter moves its wipers and causes the indicator to be advanced by an amount corresponding to the transfer.

Contacts izl and iri are connected to a branch of the circuit for holding the IM relay in the lower denomination. These contacts correspond to contacts zal and irai of the transfer relays in the next higher denomination. Upon the operation of relay IZA, relay IM is held to the earth at contact irai by way of contact izal. When, however, the circuit of the magnet in the higher denomination is completed, contact irai operates and removes the holding earth. Relay IM releases after all holding earths have been removed and causes the advance of registering switch IDM. Wiper idmi opens the circuit of the lower winding of relay IZA. Relay IZA releases when the circuit of both its windings have been opened.

If for any reason contact irai does not fall back immediately, owing, for example, to its associated registering switch sticking, relay IM will be held when it operates for the next bet. Hence acceptance of further win bets will be prevented whilst contact irai remains operated.

A somewhat similar transfer arrangement is provided for the totals registering switch. The transfer relay in the higher denomination is shown at 'IZA and corresponds to relay TZ. Relay 'I'Z operates by way of the switch contact in the lower denomination over its lower winding and holds on its other Winding by lway of contacts tsi, tz2 and tri. Contact tai closes a circuit for relay TR from earth, contact tzi, upper winding of relay TR, resistance Ri to battery. Relay TR operates and is held operated by its lower winding to the earth at contact tdml by way of contacts tri and ts2. Contact tr! completes the circuit for relay TA and the magnet of registering switch TDM. The latter energizes and contact tdml opens the circuit of the lower winding of relay TR. Relay TZ releases as soon as the circuit of its upper and lower windings are opened by contact tri and by the advance of the registering switch of the lower denomination respectively. Relay -TR releases when the circuits of its upper and lower windings are opened by contacts tz! and tdml, and causes the release of relay TA and the release of the magnet and advance of the wipers of switch TDM. During the transfer, contacts tzl and tri, which correspond to contacts tzal and trai in the next higher denomination, control the operation of relay IM in a similar manner to that explained in relation to contacts iz! and ifi, or izal and irai.

It follows from the foregoing description that provided there is only one set of connecting relays AAl An (Figure 2), and chain contacts sti, stli, sini, only one win bet can be registered on the totalizator at a time because the operation of one connecting relay when a win bet is made prevents the operation of any other connecting relay associated with another machine waiting to register a win bet. Such relay when once operated is held so as to ensure registration of the bet and it is not released until the apparatus is ready for accepting the next win bet. It may, however, be desirable to provide more than one set of connecting relays and chain contacts. A separate set may, for example, be provided foreach denomination and there may be separate WA relays and PA relays for each set.

Two win bets may then be registered in different denominations simultaneously. A bet must not, however, be registered at the same time as a transfer on the same denomination; for this reason contacts irl, izi, trl and tzl are included in the circuit of relay IM to prevent its operation if there is a transfer either on the associated or totals equipment of the same denomination. On the other hand, once relay IM has operated a transfer cannot be effected on the individual competitor because contact imZ opens the operating circuit of relay IR, and it cannot be effected on the totals because contact imi short-circuits the operating winding of relay TR. Should relays IM and TZ operate simultaneously, switch TDM will flrst be energized from the earth at contact imi, relay TZ remaining locked until the operation of relay TR, which can only take place after the release of relay IM. Similarly, if relays IM and IZ operate simultaneously, switch IDM will first be entrgized from the earth at contact imi, relay IZ remaining locked until the operation of relay IR which can only follow the release of relay IM.

Competitor numbers-not used in a particular event (non-runner numbers) do not have the corresponding jacks J (Figure 3) plugged through to an adding equipment. If a machine is accidentally operated for a win bet on a non-runner, the initial circuit operations are the same as those previously described, that is, relay ST operates and is followed by relay A, but contact ai then closes a circuit from earth, resistance R3, contacts pbi, hol, Atii and a9, conductor 4, contact hi (Figure l) conductor 2, jack J (Figure 3), conductor 3, contact npl, relay NW to battery.

Relay NW operates and contact nw! maintains an earth potential on terminal W. Contact nwl extends the earth potential cn conductor 3 to terminal NRW, which is the same as the similarly marked terminal in Figure 2, land thence by way of contacts pb2, a1 and sti, upper winding of relay C, contact phi, resistance R6 to battery. Relay C operates and holds in a, circuit from earth, resistance R3, contacts pbi, st! and ci, lower winding of relay C, contact `pbl, resistance Ri to battery.

Contact c2 closes a circuit from earth, lamp L2 (Figure l) conductor Il, contact c2, resistance tinguishes lamp L2 (Figure l). l

R1 to battery. Contact c4 extends the earth on conductor Al to the lower winding of relay HO. Relay HO operates but the operation of contact vcl prevents -the possibility of this 4relay being held by way of its upper winding. Relays NW and ST release because their circuits are opened by contacts hol and 11,03 respectively and relay A releases because its circuit is opened by contact c5. Betting can now continue from other ticket machines.

Relay T (Figure l) cannot operate in series with relay HO, hence the ticket machine remains locked up. LampV L2, however, glows and indicates that the bet cannot be accepted, and the operator, noting the lamp alight, unlocks the machine mechanically, thereby opening contacts u and hl.

Contact u opens the circuit of relay HO. Relay HO releases and at contact hol opens the holding circuit of relay C. Relay C'releases and' exis moved into the place position and then the required bet key is operated. Earth isjnow ex- 25 tended from key K2fby -way of conductor II tor place bet relay PB (Figure 2). Relay ST operates to the earth on conductor l as in the case of a win bet `and relay A operates as before except that it is now fed from battery by way' of resistance RP, 4terminal P and contact pbl, instead of from battery by way of resistance RW and terminal W.

Relay A locks on its left-hand winding to the earth at contact tid as before, and the earth at contact a6 short-circuitsv its other winding; it also earths terminal P so as toprevent another connecting relay `belonging to the same chain circuit from operating in response to a place bet.

Contact al closes a circuit from earth, contacts al and pb, common relay PD to battery. Relay PD has a number of contacts thatapply earth potential to relays such as PA and NP (Figure 3). i Accordingly, if the bet is for a runner, a circuit will be closed for the associated PArelay from earth, contact pdl, conductor I2, relay PA (Figure 3), contact wal, plug P, jack J, conductor 2, bet key contact hl (Figure 1), conductor 4, contacts a9 (Figure 2), ti3, hol and pbl, resistance R6 to battery. l v

Relay `PA` operates and it should be noted that owing to the operation of contacts pbl and pb, the currentis in the reverse direction to the current that-flows when relay WA operates for a win bet.` Subsequent operations are similar to those' already described for a winbet, extension in this -case being made by way ofthe operated contacts 17113 and pbl and the'contact of relay PA corresponding to contact wall associated with adding equipment for place bets similar to that shown in Figure 4. The im4 contacts and pc2 contacts, when closed, earth terminal P so asto prevent the operation of another relay for a place bet.

-In due course' the place'bet is registered and a place ticket issued bythe machine. Relay PB releases after the win and place key has been restored; relay PD releases after the relapse of contact al, unlessit is held from some'other equipment, and removes vthe earth from all PA relays.` This prevents these relays from vchattering continuously in series with the WA relays by way of Ycontacts wal and pal.

From the foregoing description it will be evident that win and place bets on different competitors can be registered simultaneously because the operation of a connecting relay for a win bet does not affect theA operating circuit of a connecting relay for a place bet and vice versa, the chain circuit being completed by way of contact a3 prior to the release of contact st3. If Win and place bets are made at the same time on the same competitor, two connecting relays are again operated, but in this case the bets are registered one after the other. This is nbecause a WA and aPA relay cannot both be fully operated together, for if one relay fully operates it denitely breaks the circuit of the. other relay. l

Thus when relay WA fully operates it breaks the circuit of relay PA at contacts wal, while when relay PA operates the circuit of relay'WA is broken at contacts pal. If the circuits o1' `both relays' are completed simultaneously, one

relay in practice operates before the other owing to a slightdilerence in the characteristics which invariably exists, While if desired this eiect may so that one is deiinitely slower in operation than the other. f

If a place bet be made on a non-runner, relay NP operates instead of relay PA, its circuitbeing completed from earth, contact pd2 (Figure 2), conductor I6, relay NP, contact nwl conductor 3, jack .J, and thence to the battery potential on conductor 2 by Way of part of the circuit previously traced. This battery `potential is extended by contact npl to the non-runner terminal NRP corresponding to terminalgNRP in Figure 2, and thence by way of contacts pbZ, a1 andsti, the upper winding of relay C, contact pbS, resistance R3 to earth. Contact m22 maintains earth potential on terminal P.

Relay C operates and locks, the subsequent circuit operations being similar to those described .in the case of awin bet on a non-runner. If relay PD is not held from some other machine it will release when contact al rfallsback and remove the earth potential'from conductors such as i8 vand I2 leading to the NP andPA relays. When the operator, noting lamp L2 glowing, re-

leases the ticketmachine, the win and place key be ensured by adjusting the relays PA and WA l If a place bet is made, win and place key K2 release. Contact bs3 removes the starting earth' from the pulsing arrangement and the relapse of contact bsS cxtinguishes lamp Ll.

`Il! the registering switch 'I'DM is in an offnormal position, the releaseof relay TS closes a circuit from earth, interrupter contact tdml, contact ts2, wiper tdm2, the magnet of switch 'IDM and relay TA in parallel to battery. Switch 'I'DM is therefore advanced under the influence of its interrupter contacts tdml in well known manner until it returns to a normal position, when the circuit of the magnet and relay TA is denitely opened by Wiper tdm2. The relapse of contact tsl causes relay 'IT to release and the relapse of contact tsl opens the circuit of the indicator.

Similar operations take place in the individual adding equipments, contact z`s2 closing a homing circuit for switch IDM by way of wiper z'dm2, and relay IT releasing owing to the relapse of contact isl.

Various supervisory arrangements which are `provided to indicate the presence of a fault and fault occurs, further irregular operation of the totalizator should be prevented. In order to achieve this end the fault may cause betting to be stopped. In any case it is desirable to provide an alarm which automatically operates when a fault occurs.

If a contact in the chain circuit such as sti or bsl becomes dirty, relay CT will slowly release and short-circuit relay CF which in turn will also slowly release. Contact cfl then changes over, opening the circuit of lamp LI and closing a circuit from earth, contacts bal, cl3, dwl and dpi, lamp L3, relay AS to battery. Lamp LI is extinguished and lamp L3 glows to indicate a fault in the chain circuit. Relay AS operates and starts slow to operate sectional and main alarm circuits not shown.

If the circuit operations leading to the issue ot a ticket are unduly prolonged, the short-circuting earth applied by contact at to relay CT will eventually cause both this relay and relay CF to release. If a win bet is in progress, the relapse of contact cfl closes a circuit from earth, resistance R3, contacts phi, hol, tiS and at, lamp L4, contact pbS, relay FW. contacts cli, pb2, al and st5, upper winding of relay C, contact pbl, resistance R6 to battery.

Relay C does not receive sufllcient current to allow it to operate, but relay FW operates, and contact fwl closes an obvious circuit for auxiliary relay DW. Relay DW operates and contact dm3 shunts relay FW by resistance Rl. This resistance is not low enough to cause relay FW to release or relay C to operate. The increased current through lamp L4 will, however, cause it to glow and localize the fault to the relay equipment associated with a particular ticket machine.

Contact dwl opens the circuit that would otherwise be closed for lamp LI and contact dw! completes a circuit for lamp L. from earth, contacts bs5, cf! and dw2, lamp Ll, relay AS to battery. Lamp L6 glows and indicates a fault during the registration of a win bet, and relay AS operates to start the alarm. If key KI is now operated, lamp LI will be short-circuited and sumcient current will ilow through the upper winding of relay C ior its operation. Relay C is then held to the earth at resistance Rl by way o! its lower winding and contacts c3, st! and phi. y

The operation of relay C causes operations to take place similar to those described in the case of a bet on a non-runner; relay A releases and allows betting to proceed on other machines, and lamp L2 glows as a signal to the operator to release the ticket machine.

Similar operations take place if the issue of a ticket for a place bet is unduly prolonged, but in this case the operation of contacts pb! and pb will bring in relay FF, by way of contact cl2, instead of relay FW. Relay FP at contact fpl brings in relay DP. Relay FP is then shunted by way of contact dpl and resistance R8. Contact. dpZ brings in lamp L5 to indicate that the fault has been brought on during the registration of a place bet and contact dpi opens the circuit of lamp LI.

If the registration of a bet is unduly prolonged because the registering switch fails to remove the earth from its interrupter contact, arrangements are provided whereby when betting restarts another bet intended to be registered by the switch in question causes relay C to operate immediately. Such failure may occur, for example, owing to a switch sticking, or because the switch is held operated for an unduly long period owing to a fault elsewhere.

Whenever the magnet of switch IDM is energized'relay IA operates in a parallel circuit and contact al connects the left-hand winding of relay IP to terminal S by way of contact iq. Sooner or later an earth potential pulse will be applied to terminal S, causing relay IP to operate if relay IA is still operated. So long as relay IA remains operated, relay IP will now be held in a circuit from earth, contact ia2, right-hand winding of relay IP, contact pZ, right-hand winding of relay IQ to battery. Relay IQ does not, however, receive sufilcient current to operate. After a definite period has elapsed, say 1% seconds, since the application of the earth potential pulse on terminal S, a similar pulse is applied to terminal Z. Relay IQ will then operate on its left-hand winding by way of contact ipi, providing that relay IP has been held during the whole of the period; this will be the case only if relay IA has remained operated.

When relay IQ operates, it holds to the earth at contact iaZ by way of contactiq2; the latter contact short-circuits the right-hand winding of relay IP. Relay IP therefore releases and contact iqI prevents its re-operation so long as relay IQ remains operated.

Owing to the operation of relay IQ, contact iqi opens the circuit of relay IT; relay IT releases and contacts such as itl open the operating circuits of the IM relays of diiierent denominations of the adding-equipment relative to the same competitor. Further betting for a win on this competitor is therefore prevented and the circuit of an alarm may be closed by relay IQ so as to indicate the faulty adding equipment.

II a ticket machine is now operated in an attempt to make another bet on the same competitor, the earth potential on plug P (in the case of a win bet), which holds relay WA operated, is extended by way of contact wal, conductor Il, contact it! to terminal NRW (which is the same as terminal NRW on Figure 2) and thence by way of contacts pb2, al and sti, upper winding of relay C, contact pbl and resistance R8 to battery. Relay C operates and holds, causing subsequent operations to take place whereby the ticket machine can be released by the operator as previously described.

If the faulty registering switch is associated with place bets the operation of relay PA extends the battery potential on plug P by way of contact pal, conductor I5, contact it! and terminal NRP (which is the same as terminal NRP on Figure 2), thence by way of contacts pb2, a1 and sti, upper Winding of relay C, contact pb, resistance R3 to earth. Relay C operates and signals the fault condition to the ticket machine operator as before.

Suitable supervisory arrangements may also be provided to deal with other faults occurring on the totalizator, such as contact between conductors corresponding to two different competitors.

The embodiment of the invention using the circuit arrangement shown in Figure 6 will now be described. This figure does not show the complete circuit, which may be similar to that described in connection with Figure 2 with the exception of modifications that will be obvious to those skilled in the art. Letter references similar to those used in Figure 2 have been retained for relays that perform.similar functions, as far as possible, although the actual circuit operations in certain cases necessarily vary in detail.

The chain circuit comprises a complete loop containing series break contacts of relays AA, AAI,

AA2 AAA aswell as contacts ,stListlL are shown in the drawings. The operation of-an AA relay closes, the -circuit .ofA a ,connecting relay f A-,which operatesunder` conditions somewhat msimilarto ,those describedyfor relay-A,in Fig,

...ure v2. There is no hold-fofffeaturel and relay v(il) HO shown in Figure 2 is notrequired. .Y An additionaLrelay FO isr provided inthe supervisory i equipment in'series with thewchain circuit. The drawings should now be. arranged so'thatlligurel v6 takestheplaceof Figure 2 in' `Figure 5.

lay FO, contacts anni, aa2I,-aa1|,jaal,

tery.. Relay CTv operates andv remains operated,

unless the ychain circuit is opened for apro- If awin bet is made ata moment when `no other machine is waiting for a bet to be accepted,

the earth on conductor I completes the circuit` .of relay ST by way of contact ti2. Relay ST operates4 andcontact st3 completes the circuitv of relay AA from the earth at contact bal, relay FO, the aal contacts, contacts st and cl, relay AA to battery. Relays FO and AA now operate. Contact aa3 completes a locking circuit for relay AA, its initial operating circuit being opened by late opening contact aai. aa3 and aal are not actually necessary in the case of this machine and are shown only for the sake of convenience. It'will appear from the following description, however, that corresponding contacts are necessary in the case of the other machines. l

Upon the operation of relay AA, a circuit is closed from earth, contacts stl, ti, cl, aal, lower winding 'of connecting relay A, contacts aal. and pbl, terminal W, resistance RW to battery. Relay A operates and locks on its upper winding by way of contact a2. The earth potential at resistance R3 is now extended by way of contacts 11125, st2, ti3 and a9 to conductor `l, thus operating relay WA (Figure 3). The earth at contact til which is extended by way of contacts c5, stl, al and pb! to conductor 5 then causes thel operation of relay, IM (Figure 4), which at contact imlcloses the circuit for relay TI as already described. I Relay IM. causes thebet to be registered, the circuit operations being similar to those previously described'except that in this case contact tml bridges terminals W and VWP (Figure 6) instead of being connected to earth. This connection short-circuits the operating winding of other connecting relays so long as contact pbl is not operated, that is, provided the associated ticket machine has not been operated torna place bet. Other contacts which have been described as earthing terminal W (for example, contacts wa! and nw!) are `also connected so as to Abridge terminals W and WP; hence a second connecting y operation of aconnecting relayk for a win bet itself lshort-circuitsall other connecting relays in the same chain, except relaysassociated with Contacts relay A.k

ticket machines operated for place bets, since contact a6 bridges terminals W and WP, which lare commongto all-relaylgroups associated with the same chain circuit.

-. Theclosure of contact a3 bridges the upper and ated a circuit is closed from earth, contact bsl,v relay.y FO, `contacts aanl a i -st13, fol, st3,.st13', cil, relay fAA1 to battery.l 1Re- 1 `When the betting `start relay operates, contact bsl closes acircuit from earthcontactfbsl, re'

layAAi operates and causes` circuit` operations .to ,take place similar .to those described for relay AA.

."Upon` the operation of vrelay/,'I'I,r relays ST, WA and Arelease, theircircuits being opened at vcontactstiz, tiS-and tifS respectively. Other operations aresimilarto those described in connectionwith'Flgure 2 andfresult in the issue of ticketythe release of relays'IM and TI, registration of thebetf-and therelease` ofy the ticket machine.

When a vplace isv made, relayPB operates sind operations similar to those already described take place. The operation of relay PD follows that of relay A its circuit being completed from the earth at contact al by way of contacts sti and pbl. The'operation of a second relay for a place bet is prevented owing to the bridging of teru minals P andWP.

'I'he circuit operations in the case of an at` tempted bet on a non-runner, resulting in the operation of relay C are. also similar and will not therefore be described in detail. 'I'he part oi' the circuit, not shown, that extends from contacts aal and aat may be identical to thatshown in Figure 2, contacts aa'l and aas corresponding to contacts al and a8 respectively. When -relay C operates onitsupper winding, it holds by way of contacts c3 and st2 to the earth potential at contact pbi or the battery potential pbl according to whether the bet is for a win or for a place. Also, contact c4 disconnects relay AA and extends the chain circuit prior to the relapse of contact sti, and

contact cl opens the vcircuits of both windings of Although it may be desirable to have arrangements similar to'those described to operate in the event 'of failure in the chain circuit, the risk 'of failure may be reduced to an almostnegligible amount by duplicating the relay contacts and/or by the use of twin contacts, inwhich contact between thel spring members is made at more than one point.

It will of course be understood that if it is not desired to allow concurrent registration o'f different classes of bets, terminals Wand P (Figures 2 and 6) may be short-circuited or, alternatively, only one common terminal, such as W, connected directly to contact a6, instead of by way of contact pbl, need be provided per chain circuit.

Other features of the system in connection with which my invention has` been described are the subjectoi' British patent application No. 2999/31.

Having now described my invention, what 1 with a station `having kan impulse to transmit,

and means to prevent the collection of an impulse from any one station being delayed inf definitely by the collection o! a plurality of overlapping impulses from other stations. f

2.:An electric totalizer comprising a plurality of impulse transmitting stations, a primary relay associated'with each'staton adapted to operate when thevstation has an impulse to transmit, a

secondary relay associated with each station adapted to-operate asV the result of the operation of the primary relay in order to cause the registration of the impulse and the subsequent release oi the primary relay, means whereby in the event oi a plurality of lthe said primary relays being operated 'at the same time the associated secondary relays are constrained to await their turn to operate according to a predetermined order oi' priority, and means to prevent the reoperation of la'ny oi' the said plurality of primary relays until all theassociated secondary relays have operated.

3. An electric totalizer comprising a plurality 'of impulse transmitting stations each adapted to transmit impulses ot different classes, a primary relay associated with each station adapted to operate when the station has an impulseto transmit, a secondary relay associated with each station adapted to operate as the result of the operation of the primary relay in order to cause the registration of the impulse and the subsequent release of the primary relay, means whereby in thev event oi a plurality of the said primary relays-being operated at the same time; such of the secondary relays as are associated with stations havingthe same class oi'limpulse to transmit are constrained to await their turn to operate according to a predetermined order of priority, means to allow two of the said secondary relays to be operated at the same time for the concurrent registration oi' impulses oi diflerent classes, and means to prevent the reoperation of any of the said plurality of primary relays until all the associated secondary relays have operated;

FREDERICK LIMB

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