US2087542A - Accounting machine - Google Patents

Description

July 20, 1937. R. MULLER ACCOUNTING MACHINE Filed Dec. 28, 1925 16 Sheets-Sheet 1 Eva INVENTOR W 0!? BY W 0.4

ATTORN dmM uteii vi: .tnn\un 45 53!!! kwwmw KMUQWA Jul 20, 1937. R. L. MULLER ACCOUNTING MACHINE Filed D80. 28, 1925 16 Sheets-Sheet 2 I INVENTOR July 20, 1937. R. L. MULLER 7,

ACCOUNTING MACHINE Filed 090. 28, 1925 v 16 Sheets-Sheet 3 v w Fly 3 I 55 I97 J I O ATTORN EYS Jul 20, 1937. R. L. MULLER I ACCOUNTING MACHINE Fil ed Dec. 28, 1925 16 Sheets-Sheet 4 3 INVENTOR. W i M mi WW,M2//% ATTnRMEys July 20, 1937. R. MULLER ACCOUNTING MACHINE Filed Decf 2a, 1925 16 Sheets-Sheet 5 U MME Jul 20, 1937. R. L. MULLER 2,087,542

ACCOUNTING MACHINE Filed Dec. 28, 1925 16 Sheets-Sheet 6 July 20, 1937. R. L. MULLER accoumme MACHINE l6 Sheets-Sheet 7 WWII? e n n 4.. gn whwvif n Wm v 6 3 R. L. M ULLER ACCOUNTING MACHINE July 20, 1937.

Filed D60. 28, 1925 16 Sheets-Sheet 8 Jul 20, 1937. R, L MULLER 2, 87,

AC COUNT ING MACHINE INVENTOR M, L m/ 4 M 144.

ATTORNEYS July 20, 1937. R. L. MULLER ACCOUNTING MACHINE Filed D90. 28, 1925 16 SheetsSheet l0 INVENTQR RNEY5 7 144 ATT6 July 20, 1937. R. L MULLER ACCOUNTING MACHINE l6 Sheets-Sheet 11 Filed Dec. 28, 1925 INVENTOR fm ATTORNEQ Jul 20, 1937. R. MULLER ACCOUNTING MACHINE Filed Dec. 28, 1925 16 Sheets-Sheet l2 7 Filed Dec. 28, 1925 16 Sheets-Sheet l3 INVENTOR W a? M ATTORNEYQ July 20, 1937. R. L. MULLER 2,087,542

ACCOUNTING MACHINE Filed Dec. 28, 1925 16 Sheets-Sheet l4 INVENTOR BY M W M ATTORNE Jul 20, 1937. n. MULLER ACCOUNTING MACHINE Filed Dec. 28, 1925 16 She ts-Sheet 1s ATTORN EYS Patented July 20, 1937 PATENT OFFICE ACCOUNTING MACHINE Robert L. Muller, Detroit, Mich, assignor to Burroughs Adding Machine Company, a corporation of Michigan Application December 28, 1925, Serial No. 78,028

95 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in accounting. machines.

It relates particularly to improvements that will make an accounting machine more-automatic and that will enable the work of an operator to be automatically-proven. One of the main uses of the machine is in savings banks and. while it may be used for a wide variety of other purposes, it will, for purposes of convenience, be described as it is used in a savings bank.

In posting bank ledgers, the customers ledger sheet is placed in a machine and the old balance is entered and printed in the old balance column which is usually at the left hand side of the sheet. This old balance is obtained by the operator for entry by reading it from the ledger sheet, the old balance being the new balance of the previous entry. After the old balance is entered, the transaction items are entered, such items consisting of deposits or withdrawals.

These items are read from deposit slips or checks or other memoranda. Generally speaking, the

deposits are entered during one operation and 0 the checks or withdrawals during another operation. After the entry of a transaction, the machine is operated to take a new balance and print it on the ledger sheet, this balance being usually printed at the right hand side of the sheet.

The customer must also be provided with a statement and this statement should show the withdrawals and deposits as well as the customers new balance. In the machineillustrated, this customers statement is placed to the right of the ledger sheet and, provision is made so that, after the operator has entered the old balance and the transaction item, the machine continues to operate automatically to print the date of the entry on the customers statement, to

,4" print the transaction item in its proper column on the statement, and to take a new balance and print it in the proper column on the statement. This completes the customers statement but the machine continues to operate automatically to re- 45 turn the paper carriage across the machine to print the new balance on the left hand side of the ledger sheet so that there is a record of the new balance on the ledger sheet, and to move the paper carriage to the first proof column and 50 automatically stop it there.

It will be readily appreciated that the customers balance may not always be a positive balance. If it is a negative balance the registering mechanism must be in a different condition 5;, in order that the correct negative total. m y be printed. However, it is not desired that the work shall be slowed up by stopping the ma chine and requiring that the operator condition it for taking a negative total and, consequently, provision has been made for automatically con- 5 ditioning the registering mechanism to take a total corresponding to the sign of the total actually in the register. In other words, the conditioning of the registering mechanism for the taking of a total is controlled automatically by the character of the total in the register.

Machines that will perform the posting work described are made very accurate and if an error occurs it is usually due to a mistake on the part of the operator. For example, an operator may read the old balance wrong which will result in a wrong number being entered in the machine. Or he may read the old balance correctly but depress the wrong key. Likewise, he may read the deposits or the withdrawals incorrectly or make a mistake in entering them.

In order to prove the work in the present machine the operator is required to enter the old balance and the transactions a second time, the second entry being a reverse entry, that is, if the transaction was a positive item such as a deposit, it is entered the second time as a negative item. In the operation of the machine the first reverse entry is'the entry of a transaction and this is entered in the first proof column. After this reverse entry the carriage automatically tabulates to a new proof column where the old balance is entered a second time, but as of the opposite sign to the first entry. In making these entries the operator is required to read the items from the papers from which he first obtained them. It is rare that the same mistake is made twice and hence the second entry is an eifective check on the accuracy of the work.

In posting ledgers the operator also enters the number of the customers account in a different section of the machine and this number is printed on the ledger sheet. It is desirable to check the accuracy of this phase of the work as well as that in connection with the entering of items.

In order to prove the correctness of the account number of the customer the operator must enter it a second time in a reverse manner, such entry being made after the old balance is entered a second time.

The paper carriage then tabulates to a final proof position where the operator must depress the total key and give the machine a stroke of operation. If the entries have been correct the total key can be depressed and the printing mechanism will print (.09 Bal.) thereby showing that the registering mechanism is clear. Howi ever, if a mistake has been made, the operator cannot depress the'total key which immediately fore, to provide an improved automatic accounting machine.

Another object is to provide an improved means for automatically taking a total in a machine pf the class described.

A further object is to provide a machine that will automatically condition itself for the taking of a positive or of a negative total, such con- .ditioning depending upon the character of the total actually in the machine. 7 v 7 Another object is to provide an improved accounting machine in which the correctness of the work of an operator may be proven by locking certain parts of the machine against-operation if an error has occurred. I

A still further object is to provide certain mechanisms for insuring that the machine will be operated in the correct manner.

Other objects and advantages will appear from the following specification and drawings.

An embodiment of the invention is shown in the accompanying drawings in which;

Fig. 1 is the front elevation of an adding and listing machine of the well known Burroughs type, having applied thereto the improvements constituting the subject matter of my present invention; Fig. 2 is a rear elevation of the machine showing the tabulating equipment of the type exemplified in Rinsche Patent No. 1,580,534, April 13, 1926 and also showing control rollers and connections, such as those disclosed in my Patent No. 1,397,774, granted November 22, 1921 for controlling the performance of certain registering and recording functions of the machine; Fig. 3 is a right hand side elevation of the machine with the motor drive and paper carriage broken away; Fig. 4. is a detail front view of parts at the back of machine operated by devices on the carriage for controlling the motor release bar while the carriage is being-returned to its extreme left hand columnar position; Fig. 5 is a transverse section through the machine as on the line 55 of Fig. 1; Fig. 6 is a left hand side elevation of the machine; Figs. 7A and 7B, taken together, form a perspective, skeletonized view of the various mechanisms having to do with the improvements embodying my invention; Fig. ,8 is an enlarged sectional view through the forward part of the machine, being taken substantially on the same line as Fig. 5; Fig. 9 is a fragmentary perspective view of the mechanism controlled by the amount registering section to lock the total key against depression when this registering section is not clear; Figs. 10, 11, 12, 13, 15, and 16 are sectional views taken on different planes through the forward part of the machine, the section being mainly taken alongside of the mechanism shown in Fig. 9 and as on the line 5-43 of Fig. 1 while the upper part is a section taken on a plane through the left hand end of the keyboard as on the line ill-l0 of Fig. 1, and these views show the various parts in the different positions which they assume, as will be described later; Fig. 14 is a perspective view of a latch forming one of the parts of the locking mechanism; Fig. 15A. is a fragmentary view of a certain arm and pin illustrated in two positions; Figs. 17 and 18 are detail sectional views of the units rack and register wheels for the account number sectionof the machine and show the device for taking care of the fugitive one, the parts being in normal position in Fig. 17 and 'in moved position in Fig. 18; Fig. 19 is'a section taken on the line i9l9 of Fig. 17; Fig. 20 is a detail side view ofthe motor control mechanism and also is a partial section showing the repeat mechanism in the condition which it assumes near the end of the cycle of operation in which the number keys are released without disabling the motor repeat mechanismrFig. 21 is a fragmentary rear view of the repeat roller and part of the arm coacting therewith; Fig. 22 is a view similar to Fig. 20 but shows certain cycling mechanism and the parts in normal condition; Figs. 23 and 24 are sectional views showing the cycling and repeat mechanisms in different conditions; Fig. 25. is another side view of the cycling mechanism columnar position; Fig. 29 is a sectional view :showing the same and additional parts in moved condition; Fig. 30 is a perspective view of the piece operated by the special roller shown in Fig. 28; Fig. 31 is an enlarged view of certain parts also 'shown in Fig. 29; Fig. 32 illustrates examples of work adapted to be performed by the machine, and Fig. 33 is a side view of the motor touch bar and connections.

The invention is shown applied to the well known Burroughs adding and listing machine, but it is to be understood that it is not necessarily limited in its application to said machine.

General machine features Items are indexed in the machine by means of numeral or amount keys 25 and 25a (Fig. 1). They control the extents of movement of actuator levers 29 (Fig. 6) which carry at their forward ends the customary segmental actuator racks. Mounted for connection to the actuators are two sets of register pinions, one set 28 being called the add pinions, and the other set 29 being the subtract pinions. The pinions of the two sets mesh with one another so that items entered in one set are entered as complements in the other set. The two sets will be referred to, generally, as a registering mechanism. At their rear ends the actuator levers carry the segmental series of type 30 (Fig. 5) which are given percussive or printing blows by the usual hammers 3i which constitute a part of the printing mechanism of the machine as shown in Fig. 5. In the machine illustrated in Fig. 1, the first eight banks of keys 25 are the amount keys upon which the amounts are to be entered, the next five banks of keys 25a are the account number keys and are employed to set up the customers account numbers, and the remaining four banks of keys 25d are employed for setting up the dates as is customary in this type of machine.

mechanism and the carriage is in a certain trolled by these keys, for the sake of convenience I will refer to these wheels as the "account number wheels or 'folio registering mechanism. while I will refer to the registering wheels 28 and 29 controlled by the amount keys 25 as the famount registering mechanism. As is well understood in the art, the items set up on the keys are positively entered in the registering mechanisms through the engagement of the adding wheels 28 with the racks 21 and are subtracted through the engagement of the subtraction wheels 29 with the racks. A positive total is printed under the control of the adding wheels 28 while an overdraft, that is, a negative total, is taken under the control of the subtracting wheels 29.

Provision is made for printing in different columns on paper supported by the machine; and, for this purpose, atraveling paper carriage is provided which is normally moved from column to column across the machine as an incident to each cycle of machine operation, such movement'being under the control of the usual tabulating mechanism of which parts are shown in Figs. 2 and 5, and which is described in Rinsche Patent No. 1,580,534, April 13, 1926. The carriage is also automatically returned across the machine by an automatic return mechanism described in said Rinsche patent and in Trew Patent No. 1,723,668, and shown generally in Fig. 2 of the drawings of this application.

The conditioning of the machine to perform various registering and recording functions is controlled automatically by the paper carriage as shown, for example, in Muller Patent No. 1,397,774. In the present application, only those parts of such mechanisms as are necessary for an understanding of the present invention will be described and illustrated.

The machine is provided with a means for operating it which is preferably a motor drive such as disclosed in Vincent Patent No. 866,750, a cycle of operation being initiated by depressing a motor bar M (Figs. 1 and 3). A hand crank of the familiar type may, of course, be used if desired-the same being attached to the main drive shaft which has a clutch-like end, shown in Fig. 2, for the receipt of such crank. The motor drives various cranks, shafts, and other parts, sometimes called the general operating means, which serve to operate the calculating, printing, and other mechanisms of the machine. For the purposes of this case, the operating means will be taken to be these general operating parts plus the device that actuates them, which, as illustrated, is the motor drive.

Examples of work Before describing the invention in detail, a few typical examples of work will be explained so that the subsequent description of the mechanism may be more easily understood in relation to the functions that are to be performed.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, a ledger sheet L and a customer's statement S are shown in position in the paper carriage, which carriage is provided with guides and supports for accommodating these sheets, side by side. The machine illustrated has been set up to provide nine columnar positions for the paper carriage, the carriage being successively-moved from one position to the other during a complete series of operations. For the sake of convenience, the nine positions have been indicated in proper sequence on ledger sheet and'customer's statement'shown in Fig. 32 where the columnar positions are indicated by numbers above the brackets.

First example Referring to Fig. 32, assume that a ledger sheet and customer's statement are inserted in the ma chine and that the carriage is in its first columnar position. The customer's account number, which in this case is 123, is set up on the account number keys 25a, while the old balance, $500.00 is set up on the amount keys 25. The machine is then given a cycle of operation by depressing a motor bar M whereupon it'operates to print the account number in the column having the heading Acct. No.", and the old balance is printed in the column entitled Pick up Old Bal." During this cycle of operation, the old balance is entered in the add pinions 28 of the amount registering mechanism; and the account number is entered in the add pinions 28a of the account number registering mechanism. Near the end of the first cycle of machine operation, the carriage moves to its second columnar position so as to be ready for the entry of a deposit or withdrawal, as the case may be.

In the second column, a deposit of $40030 is to be entered. The omrator enters this amount on the keys and depresses the motor bar, whereupon the machine is given a cycle of operation during which the amount of $400.00 is printed on the ledger sheet and entered additively into the amount registering section. The keys in the account number section were released at the end of the machine operation in the first column; and since no account number keys were depressed in the second column, no printing and no calculations occur in the account number section. It is to be noted that, because of the release of the account number keys in the first column, no printing or calculations will occur in this section during subsequent operations until the account number keys are depressed.

After operating in the second column, the matime he depresses the motor bar in the second column until the carriage reaches its seventh columnar position and the machine stops. But it is first necessary to explain the purpose and nature of the succeeding operations.

After the entry of the-old balance and the addition of a deposit, or the subtraction of a withdrawal or check, the net result, or new balance", is the thing that is ordinarily desired. It should be explained at this point that, in the setting of the machine shown, deposits and withdrawals are not entered during the same lateral movement of the paper carriage across the machine. For example, if the old balance is entered and a deposit added, the machine goes ahead to get the new balance without waiting for the entry of a check. In the same manner, if the old balance is entered and a check withdrawn, the machine goes ahead to get a new balance without awaiting the entry of a deposit. It is possible to add deposits and sub- (ill tract checks during a single lateral travel of the carriage by adjusting the tabulating mechanism to get more columnar positions; but, for the purposes of the present disclosure, the machine has been illustrated for the operations above mentioned.

While a new balance is the thing desired, savings bank work, for which this machine is set up, requires that the deposit or the check, as the case may be, be printed on the customer's statement as well as upon the banks ledger sheet. And it is desired that the deposits and withdrawals be printed in separate columns on the customers statement. This means that the machine must be operated again to print the amount of the deposit or withdrawal, and it must be controlled to print these items in the correct columns.

Instead of attempting to have the carriage move automatically from the second to the fourth column, skipping the third column, in the case of deposits, or in the case of withdrawals to have the carriage move from the second to the third column and then to skip the fourth column and move to the fifth column, the machine is arranged so that it moves to both the third and fourth columns, but the printing and calculating mechanisms are controlled so as to get the desired result of printing in the correct column on the customers statement. This requires two machine cycles between the second column and the new balance column which are primarily for the purpose of printing the deposit or withdrawal on the customers statement.

In the first example of work, the carriage moves to the third, or withdrawal", column where it goes through a cycle of operation automatically during which the printing mechanism ishammer-blocked so that no printing occurs. This control of the printing mechanism is necessary because the amount keys remain depressed in the third and fourth columns. The printing and hammer block mechanisms have not been described in detail, as they are the same as those fully shown and described in Muller Patent No. 1,397,774, Gascon Patent No. 1,395,991, and my co-pending application Serial No. 76,147, filed December 18, 1925, now Patent No. 1,843,648. Also, in this column, both the account number and the amount registering mechanisms are non-added, as described in Muller Patent No. 1,397,774. The date is printed in this column but is blocked out in all other columns.

The carriage then moves to the fourth column where it is given a. cycle of operation automatically, during which the deposit is printed on the customers statement. Both the account number and the amount registering mechanism are non-added. No printing occurs in the account number section because no keys are depressed, and also because the printing mechanism for this section is hammer-blocked. Near the end of the cycle of operation in the fourth column, the carriage tabulates to the fifth or new balance position.

In the fifth column, the machine continues to operate automatically where it goes through a totaling operation involving a spacing operation which, in this case, comprises two machine cycles, although one only is necessary under some conditions, and an actual total-printing operation. The carriage remains stationary in this column for the three cycles, but is released at the end of the third cycle. The first two cycles are preparatory or spacing cycles, and the third cycle is the cycle during which the new balance"is actually taken and printed.

Savings bank work also makes it desirable to print the new balance a second time, the second printing being on the bank's ledger sheet. To effect this result, the total printed in the fifth column is left in the machine-that is, it is taken as a sub-total, after which the carriage is automatically returned across the'machine and the total printed a second time.

The total in the first example of work, $900.00, is printed in the fifth column; and the carriage then automatically returns across the machine to its sixth columnar position where the machine again goes through a cycle of operation automatically to again print the new balance, /$900.00. During the latter part of this cycle, the carriage shifts to its seventh position; but no automatic operation of the machine takes place, as the repeat mechanism is not conditioned to cause such operation. The machine is now in condition for the proving operations which are carried out in the following manner:

The operator enters the amount of the deposit, $400.00, which he reads from the deposit slip; but, in this instance, the $400.00 is subtracted instead of added. This .nay be done by moving the subtract lever to subtract position and giving the machine a cycle of operation. The machine is given a cycle of operation in this column, which subtracts the amount of the deposit from the registering mechanism; and the carriage moves to the eighth columnar position.

In the eighth position, the operator enters the old balance again by reading it from the customers old balance and entering it on the keys. The old balance is entered negatively, which may be done by moving the subtract lever to subtract position and giving the machine a cycle of operation, or the carriage may be provided with a control roll to automatically condition it for subtraction. Also, in this column, the customers account number is entered in the account section, but not printed, the printing mechanism being hammer-blocked and said account number is subtracted from the amount in the account registering mechanism. When the machine is given a' cycle of operation in the eighth column, the old balance of $500.00 is subtracted from the amount registering section; and the account number 123 is subtracted from the account registering section. This should leave the machine clear, both in the amount and in the account number sections.

With the carriage in its ninth position, the machine is given two spacing cycles and the total key is depressed, whereupon the character .00 Bal. is printed, which indicates that the amount registering mechanism is clear. No symbol is printed in the Proof of posting to correct acct. column, zero printing being eliminated by means well known in Burroughs machines. The lack of a symbol in this column indicates that no error has been made in the entry of the account number. As will presently appear, if there had been an error in either the amount or the account number sections, the total key would be locked in the ninth column; and the operator would have to depress a special release key and operate the machine to clear it.

Second example In the second example (Fig. 32), the same account number and the same old balance are

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