US2008159A - Lever - Google Patents

Description

July 16, 1935. B. M. SHIPLEY LEVER INTERLOCK FOR CASH REGISTERS Original Filed July 24, 1922 5 sh t -Sh et 1 3rwentor Berni: M. Shipley 45 ML M His attorney,

July 16, 1935. B. M. SHIPLEY LEVER INTERLOCK FOR CASH REGISTERS Original Filed July 24, 1922 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 am /whoa Bernis M. Shipley His July 16, 1935. SHIPLEY 2,008,159

LEVER INTERLOCK FOR CASH REGISTERS Original Fild July 24, 1922 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 3nventor Berni: M. Shipley His Gttorneg July 16, 1935. s P Y 2,068,159

LEVER INTERLOCK FOR CASH REGISTERS Original Filed July 24, 9 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 ISnventor Bernis M. Shipley His attorney July 16, 1935. I M s E 2,008,159

LEVER INTERLOGK FOR CASH REGISTERS Original Filed July 24, 1922 5 sh ts-51 9a 5 FIG. 8

3 nnentor Bernis M. Shipley His attorney Patented July 16, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE LEVER INTERLOCK FOR CASH REGISTERS Original application July 24, 1922, Serial No.

Divided and this application September 28, 1931, Serial No. 565,512

Claims.

This application is a division of an application numbered 576,925, filed July 24, 1922, for Letters Patent of the United States.

This invention relates to cash registers and the like and more particularly to machines of the type shown and described in Letters Patent of the United States, No. 1,230,864, issued to W. A. Chryst on June 26, 1917, and Letters Patent of the United States, Nos. 1,242,170 and 1,394,256, issued to F. L. Fuller on October 9, 1917 and October 18, 1921 respectively, and in Letters Patent of the United States, No. 1,619,796, issued to the present inventor on March 1, 1927.

One object of this invention is. to provide a lever set cash register with interlocks between the total lever and the clerks, transaction, department and amount levers, so that mismanipulation of the machine is made impossible.

Other objects of the invention will be apparent from the following description of the present preferred form of the invention, taken in connectlon with the accompanying drawings, wherein- Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the machine embodying the present invention;

Fig.2 is a side sectional View of one of the amount banks showing parts of the interlock mechanism.

Fig. 3 is a side sectional view of the clerks bank and parts of the mechanism cooperating therewith.

Fig. 4 is a detail front view of one of the amount setting levers.

Fig. 5 is a detail side view of the mechanism shown in Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a view of one of the totalizer lines and the mechanism for sliding the totalizers thereon.

Fig. '7 is a detail sectional view taken on the line 77 of Fig. 6.

Fig. 8 is a view of the total lever and the plate for controlling the totalizers on total taking operations; and

Fig. 9 is a front elevation of parts of the inter locks moved by the total lever.

GENERAL DES CRIPTTON The machine in which the present invention is embodied is of the type known in the art as lever-set. Instead of push-in keys such as are generally employed in a machine of the general class in which this machine belongs, there are provided a series of levers operating in vertical l-everways in the front of the machine. There is one lever for each denomination of an amount to be set up, the machine being capable of entering $999.99 at one operation. It is of course understood that this registering capacity can be either increased or decreased without in any Way departing from the spirit of the invention. One lever is provided to select the department totalizer to be operated and to control the setting up of the appropriate indicatols and type wheels. Likewise, levers are provided for the clerks and transaction banks.

The usual total lever for controlling the machine in total and sub-total operations, which is common in machines of this type, is used herein.

At the extreme right of the machine is a single key which is used to release the machine for operation.

The entire machine is enclosed in a suitable cabinet of the usual design.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Operating mechanism Setting levers For illustrative purposes let it be assumed that the machine described herein is being used in a department store wherein it is desirable to make a record of the amount of the sale, a record of the department in which the sale is made, a record of the particular kind of sale or transaction and a record of the clerk who registers said transaction.

The setting levers Will now be described as being adapted for use in a store wherein the above system is in use. There are five amount levers I39, one lever I31 to set up the proper department, EX to 9X; one lever I32 which is adapted to set up various transactions, both regular and special; a lever I34 having eight positions for registering clerks and one position bearing the word List, in which position this lever is placed when it is desired to enable the operator to add a plurality of unrelated items. There is also a total lever I31 of well known form for controlling the operation of the machine in total and sub-total taking op erations.

The amount and transaction levers are loose on sleeves surrounding rod I39 (Figs. 2 and 3), secured to the machine frame. The levers project outward through the cabinet 55 and are guided by frames I49 supported at their upper and lower ends respectively by rods Ni and M2, The levers are normally in their uppermost or blank positions and are moved down for the purpose of setting them.

A spring-pressed pin M3 (Figs. 4 and 5) carried by each lever is adapted to cooperate with a series of depressions its in a bar M5 carried by frames M6 to hold the levers flexibly in any one of their positions.

For a description of the mechanism for locking the levers against movement while the machine is in operation, and the mechanism for returning them to blank position, reference is made to the parent application, Serial No. 576,925, Patent No. 1,846,649, issued on January 12, 1932.

Motor key and machine release For a description of this mechanism reference is made to the parent application, Serial No. 576,925.

Dz'fierential mechanism The differential mechanism of the machine is employed to differentially operate the different totaliz rs and to select them for operation, and also to set type carriers in the printing mechanism as controlled by the banks of amount levers and the banks of control levers.

The differential mechanisms for the department lever iSi (Fig. l) the transaction lever 532 and the clerks lever ltd are practically identical. The clerks bank will be used for explanation. ,The differential mechanism is driven by a pair of cams Elli, 2 M (Fig. 3) fast on shaft H2. These cams cooperate with rollers iii and 286011 a Y-shaped lever ll pivoted on a-stud 465. To theupper end of the lever 2H1 is pivoted a link 2225, also pivoted to a driving segment 228 pivoted about the rod E39. Counter-clockwise movement of the cams 2i and zit oscillates the lever 25? first counter-clockwise and then clockwise to normal position. This movement, through the link 2'25, rocks the driving segment 226 first counter-clockwise and then clockwise to normal position.

An arm swings about the rod 539 and has pivoted to it a link 23 3 and a bell-crank 233. A latch 23?. is carried by the upper end of link 2% and the ve tical arm of bell-crank 233, so as to have parallel motion in relation to arm 2%. A spring tends to hold the inner end of the latch 23. 2 into engagement with a shoulder on the segment By this latch connection the arm 2% is rocked counter-clockwise until the horizontal arm B ll on the bell-crank 233 strikes a lug 252 on the side of the setting lever i3 1. When this occurs, the bell-crank 23-3 and link 23 3 are rotated clockwise'thereby disengaging the latch 232 from the segment 226. The latch 232 then rides against the periphery of the segment for the remainder of its counter-clockwise oscillation, and for he initial part of its return oscillation, until it has returned to the position where it became disengaged. When the latch thus becomes disengaged, its forward end engages one of a plurality of notches 2 33 in a stationary segmental locking plate 2- .5, the notch engaged depending.

upon the position to which the lever 534 was previously set. Since ther is just sufficient distance between the bottoms of the notches 2 14 and Y the high periphery of the segment 228 to accommodate the latch the latter is locked against further movement until it again becomes engaged with the shoulder.

by the armQQQ.

portion of the segment strikes a stud 255 on the arm 296. This causes the arm 2% and latch 232 to return with the segment to the home position shown in Fig. 3. r

The lever 53 5 may be set to any one of nine totalizer selecting positions, or to a blank position situated above the totalizer selecting positions. When set in one of the nine selecting positions it .will control the latch in the manner just explained, and when set in the blank position (as shown in Fig. 3) will'control the stop pawl 25% so that the latter will cause the latch 232 to be disengaged in the position where no totalizer is selected. The position of the arm 2% and latch 232 where no totalizer is selected corresponds to the zero position in the above mentioned patents to Chryst, Fuller, and Shipley. a

When the machine is operated with the lever ist in this blank position, the pawl 258 lies in effective position as shown in Fig. 3, and engages the arm 2:; just after the segment 22% begins its counter-clockwise oscillation. This stops the arm 29% in a position one step above that shown in Fig. 3. When the lever'lfi l is moved out of the blank position, the pawl 2553 is thereby moved to an inoperativeposition. This is accomplished by parts practically identical with those on the amount banks used for this purpose,'to which reference.

will be made for explanation.

Referring to Fig. 2, the setting lever carries a pin 2% which cooperates with a cam portion 26! of a curved link 22 pivoted to one arm of a bell-crank 263. The link 262 also carries a pin .2634 projecting through a slot in one arm of a two-armed lever 255, pivoted on a curved bar 2% supported at its upper end by the other arm of the above-mentioned bell-crank 263, and at its lower end by an armZS'! fast on a sleeve 268 supit is attached. This movement rocks the twoarmed lever 2E5 counter-clockwise, and through the slot and pin connection rocks arm 2%, sleeve 253 and arm 26'! clockwise. As arm 26'! is pivoted to the lower end of the curved bar 255, this bar will be lowered, and the bell-crank 2E3 carrying the link 252 will be rocked clockwise, thereby moving the pivotal point of link 7252 outwardly. and giving to the link 262 a parallel movement .when actuated by pin 286.

The arm EST-has a depending tail-2L! cooperating with a pin projecting from the Zero stop pawl 2553. When arm 26'! is rocked clockwise, as above described, the tail 2% will engage the said pin and rock the zero stop pawl on its pivot far enough to permit the latch 23.2 (Fig. 3) to pass by on its upward movement.

Thus, when the setting lever 834 is moved out of blank position, the arm 25!! is free to move upward until stopped by the Iug'ZQZ on the lever i5 3;

Associated with the difierential mechanism is a beam N5 (Fig. 3) pivoted ona stud 2'35 carried The beam has a slotin its opposite end surrounding a pin 2l8 on a link 279 pivoted to a segment 285. The link is connected at its lower end to an arm 28! pivoted on a rod 283.

It is apparent from the foregoing description that the end of the beam 275 which is pivoted on stud 275 is difierentially positioned when the arm 290 is positioned under control of the lever I 34.

To secure the proper positioning of the beam 275 after the arm 299 has positioned its forward end, it is necessary that the surface 286 of the beam be in contact with the sleeve about rod I39. During certain operations it is obvious that the arm 290, on its upward excursion, will cause the beam to be so positioned.

For the other operations it is necessary to provide a roller 285 on lever 2II, so that upon counter-clockwise movement of the lever the mller will engage the lower edge of the beam 215 near the center thereof, and rock said beam about the stud 216 until the surface 285 of said beam engages the periphery of the sleeve around rod !39. During this movement of the beam, the link 279 is moved, and thereby positions the segment 239 the arm 28I to differentially position the totalizers in accordance with the positioning of the differentially movable arm 290, as controlled by the position of the setting lever I34. For a more complete description of the differential mechanism reference may be had to the parent Patent No. 1,840,640.

The amount differential mechanism is operated in the same manner as described in connection with the special control banks. Referring to Fig. 2,'when the amount lever I30 is in its blank position as shown, the stop pawl 250 disengages the latch (corresponding to latch 232, Fig. 3) in zero position, but when it is moved to any other position, the stop pawl 259 is withdrawn, as already explained, and the latch is free to move up until disengaged by the lug 242 on the lever I39.

Movement of the latch out of its zero position also causes rotation of the toothed segments 22! so that an amount can be entered on whatever totalizers 23! are engaged therewith. The link 219 associated with an amount bank has the functions of setting printing and indicating mechanisms. For a more detailed description of the amount differential, reference is made to the parent application, Patent No. 1,840,640.

Totalizers In the present machine three totalizer lines are provided and mechanism for shifting the totalizer lines to select various totalizers is also provided, as is well known in the art. In addition, a totalizer line selecting mechanism is provided with means for preventing or permitting, as desired, one, two or all three of the totalizer lines to be rocked into engagement with the differential mechanism simultaneously. Due to this construction totalizer controlling levers may be moved either singly or in combination, but only one totalizer on each line can be selected thereby to accumulate the amount. As an additional result, a plurality of totalizer selecting levers may be moved and their particular department or transaction indicated and printed while the amoimt will be accumulated on but one of the totalizers if such result is desired. Then again two totalizer controlling levers may be moved and the amount accumulated on one, two or three totalizer lines, this result being attained as before described by the totalizer line selecting mechanism which automatically determines which or how many of the totalizer lines are to be rocked into engagement with the differential mechanism.

A semi-diagrammatic view of one of the three totalizer lines, each carrying a plurality of totalizers is shown in Fig. 6, and their relation to the remainder of the machine is well shown in Fig. 2. Only a general description of the totalizers will be given herein, as both a very full illustration and description of these devices is given in Letters Patent of the United States issued to W. A. Chryst, No. 1,230,864, dated June 26, 1917. In the present case it is believed to be sufficient to state that each totalizer line consists of a plurality of individual totalizers 23I loosely mounted on a tube 29I fixed in frames 292, one arranged at each end of the tube. These frames are secured to said tube and slide on a shaft 293 (Fig. 7) which has arms 294 carrying rollers 295 cooperating with slots 296 in cam plates 29'! fast to the machine side frames. The arm 294 on shaft 293 is provided with a link 298 which is operated to rock the totalizer wheels 23I into and out of mesh with the differential mechanism. Rocking movement of the shaft 293 through a pair of cams 299 (Fig. 6) controls the operation of the alining device 300 for the totalizers, the same as the alining device illustrated and described in the before-mentioned Chryst patent.

Each totalizer of the individual totalizers consists of one pinion in each group of pinions, and therefore if the first pinion of each group is engaged with the differential actuators 221 (Fig. 2) a certain individual totalizer will be operated; if the second pinion of each group is engaged with the actuators, a different totalizer will be operated, etc. This construction is described in U. S. Letters Patent No. 1,109,763, granted September 8, 1914, to Charles F. Kettering, and is known in the art as int-erspersed" totalizers.

To shift each movable totalizer line along shaft 293 so that any desired totalizer may be brought opposite the actuators, the totalizer frame is provided with a. boss 30I (Fig. 6) in which is secured a rod 392 provided with a roller 393 loose on the rod which extends into a groove 394 in a spiral drum cam 305. There are three cams 305 illustrated in Fig. 6, each one of which cooperates with the respective roller 305 of its associated totalizer line. Each of the cams 335 is journaled on a rod 306 and has a rearwardly extending arm 30! to which is pivoted a link 308 connecting it with either a tube 309 or a shaft 3 i 9 which receives its movement from the beam 215 (Fig. 3) through link 279 set by either the department, transaction, or clerks levers, as has been previously described. By this means, through the link 368 and cam 395 the totalizer line associated with each of the levers just mentioned is slid to bring the individual totalizer into a position corresponding with the position to which its appropriate transaction lever has been moved, so that it may be actuated by the differential mechanism when it is rocked into engagement therewith. It will be remembered that the links 298 (Figs. 6 and 7) are operated to engage the totalizers with the differential actuators. These links 298 are pivoted to arms 294 fast on a shaft 293, and therefore, when the totalizer elements are moved into engagement with the differential actuators, the shaft 293 will be rocked in a clockwise direction (Fig. '7). The tube 29I which carries the totalizer elements has mounted in its right-hand end (Fig. 6) an aliner 23! provided with eleven circumferential grooves 288. Fast on shaft 293 is an arm 289 having at its end two teeth which, when the shaft 293 is rotated on totalizer engaging movements, will engage with and project into the grooves 288 in the aliner 281 and thereby aline the totalizer elements in their engaged position and prevent any lateral move- Total reading and resetting The total lever l3! (Figs. 1 and 8) is shown in its add position, where it remains during all adding operations of the machine. When it is desired to read or reset any totalizer, the lever i3? is adjusted to a position above or below the add position. As shown in Fig. 1, when it is desired to read or reset the clerks total, the lever it? is moved up or down one step. This selects the proper totalizer line from which the total will be read'or taken. The clerks lever 93 is then adjusted to whatever position from which it is desired to secure the data. This latter adjustment determines which individual totalizer will be actuated on the ensuing operation, as previously explained.

If it is desired to read or reset any of the transaction to-talizers, the total lever 23? is moved two steps above or below Add. The transaction lever E32 is then; adjusted to the desired position, and the machine is ready to be released.

Likewise, if it is desired to read or reset any of the department totalizers, the total lever is moved above or below Add three steps, and the lever it! then adjusted.

Fora complete description of the mechanism used in reading and resetting the totalizers, reference is made to the aforementioned Chryst, Fuller,

and Shipley patents, and to the parent application, Serial No. 576,925. i

Interloclcs for total and setting levers It is necessary, inorder to prevent mismanipulation of the machine, that interlocks be provided between the total lever and the setting levers sac, I35, I32 and E35. These interlocks will now be described.

Fast on the shaft 525 (Fig. 8) is an arm 53 i carrying a'pin E535 projecting into-a slot 635 in'a lever 63? loosely mounted on a stud 638 in the machine frame. Also loose on the stud is a lever 539 having an arm ass carrying a roller tel cooperating with a slot 6:22 in a-disk 6% which is integral with the total lever 53'1.

The movement of the total lever 53? either up or down rocks the lever ESQ counter-clockwise through the engagement of its pin 555 with slot 642. This movement is transmitted to lever 53? through a coil spring ti l supported by projections 644 on the levers 63f and 539, and moves said lever '63? counter-clockwise. This movement through pin 635 rocks arm 83 3 and, shaft 625 clockwise. This shaft has secured thereto-a pair of arms fill, one of which is shown in Fig. 2,

carrying a universal rod 678. Clockwise movement (Fig.- 2) of shaft 525 and arms (ill moves the rod 678 downward in front of a foot 6% integral with the arm 2%, which it will be remembered is moved clockwise (Fig. 2) by the movement of its appropriate amount lever 8353. With the rod in front of the foot of arm 230 it is clear that said arm cannot be rocked, and therefore the corresponding lever cannot be moved.

Likewise, if an amount leveri3ii is moved out mentfof the tube 29!. 7 When the totalizer elements are disengaged from the actuating segof blank position, the lower end of arm 276 is extended under shaft 5'58, making it impossible to move the total lever l3l out of add position.

Pivoted to the total lever disk 6% (Fig. 8) is a link 680 connected to an arm 68! loose on shaft 2371. Rigid with the arm $81! is a spiral segment 682 meshing with a spiral pinion 583 fast on a shaft 68% mounted in the frame 322 and bracket 32c. Also fast on the shaft 684 is a segment 585 (see also Fig. 9) meshing with a rack E86 slidably mounted on the shafts 339. The rack has teeth on its upper edge which mesh with a segment $88 loose on the stud E389. Integral with segment 688 is a segment 3% meshing with a plate 655i slidably mounted on studs 592 on the frame 323. The upper edge of the plate has notches cooperating with the lower ends 59 3 (Fig.

3) of the arms 2W associated with the transaction,

clerks, and departmental levers. These arms Zll) used in connection with the levers lil, 532 and 53 -3, operate in a manner identical withthose in the amount banks, and are connected'to their associated rnechanismin an identical manner.

When the setting levers E31, E32 and B4 are in their blank positions, the arms Elli lie behind the plate $5535, as shown in Fig. 3, making it possible to shift the total lever is? at will. Likewise, when the total lever i3? is in add position, the notches 865), 8d! and 892 (Fig. 9) coincide with the notches 863, tile and 8%, making it possible to manipulate the setting levers at will.

When the total lever is moved to its first position above or below Add, to select the clerks totalizer line, the plate Eel is moved one step to the right or left, so that the high portions of the plate adjacent the notches 8M and Elli cover the slots 854 and 835 and prevent a movement of the setting levers l3! and E32 out of blank position. The slot fiiiil, however, is sumciently wide to still coincide with the slot'fifit, thus permitting movement of the clerks setting lever l 34.

When the total lever is moved to its second position above or below Add to select the transaction totalizer'line, the plate tel is moved two steps to the right or left, so that the high portions of theplate adjacent the notches 8% and 862 cover the slots 863 and 865 and prevent a movement of the setting levers I34 and it! out of blank'position. Such a two-step movement of the plate 69! "causes either the slot 856 or the slot 89? to coincide ment totalizer line, the plate 695 is moved three steps to the right or left, so that the high portions of the plate adjacent the notches 8%, 365' and Sill cover the slots 893 and see, and prevent a movement of the setting levers E32 and ltl out of blank position. Such a three-step movement of the plate 69! causes either the end opening 8538 or the slot tilt to coincide with the slot 895 to allow adjustment of the department lever lei It can be also seen that after any of the setting levers are moved out of the blank position, the end 694 of their corresponding arm Eli) extends through both the slot in the frame and one of the slots in the plate ESl. This prevents subsequent manipulation of the total lever to an improper position.

a While the form of mechanism herein shown and describedis 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 I 1. In a machine of the class described, having a plurality of individual number retaining devices, and mechanism for increasing the amounts thereon and for clearing the amounts therefrom, a lever adapted to be adjusted to a plurality of positions to condition the machine to add or totalize another lever adapted to be adjusted to a plurality of positions to select the individual number retaining devices for actuation, means enabling the second lever to be moved into a blank position where no individual number retaining device is selected, and means to block movement of the first lever when the second lever is in a selecting position.

2. In a machine of the class described, having a plurality of individual numb-er retaining devices, and mechanism for increasing the amounts thereon and for clearing the amounts therefrom, a lever adapted to be adjusted to a plurality of positions to control the machine so that it may add, read, or reset, other levers adapted to be adjusted to a plurality of positions to select the individual number retaining devices for actuation, means enabling the second levers to be moved into blank positions where no individual number retaining devices are selected, and means moved by manipulation of the first lever whereby when the first lever is adjusted to a read or reset position and one of the second levers is moved into a selecting position, another second lever cannot be moved from its blank position until the other second lever is restored to blank position.

3. In a machine of the class described, having a totalizer and mechanism for increasing the amount thereon and for clearing the amount therefrom, a lever adapted to be adjusted to a plurality of positions to control the machine so that it may add, read, or reset, other levers adapted to be adjusted to a plurality of positions to determine the amount to be added to the totalizer, means enabling the second levers to be moved into blank positions where no amount is added to the totalizer, and means moved by manipulation of any amount determining lever out of blank position, to block all movement of the first named lever.

4. In a machine of the class described, a looking mechanism including a manually set lever having blank and operative positions, a locking member, connecting elements between the manually set lever and the locking member, suspension elements pivoted to the connecting elements and adapted to rotate about fixed pivots, and a connection between the connecting elements whereby one is pivoted upon another, the parts being so positioned that a movement of the manually set lever out of blank position causes a relatively longitudinal movement to be imparted to the connecting elements to adjust the locking member.

5. In a machine of the class described, having a plurality of individual number retaining devices, and mechanism for increasing the amounts thereon and for clearing the amounts therefrom, a lever adapted to be adjusted to a plurality of positions to control the machine so that it may add or totalize, other levers adapted to be adtaining devices are selected, and means moved by manipulation of any of the said other levers out of blank position, to block movement of the first mentioned lever.

BERNIS M. SHIPLEY.

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