US2106273A - Register - Google Patents

Description

l Jan. 25, 193s.

H. M. FLEMING 2,106,273

REGISTER Filed Deo. 4, 1956 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 MpTTORNEY.

' Jan. 25, 1938. H, M. FLEMING 2,106,273

REGISTER Filed Dec. 4, 1936 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 j ATTORNEY.

Jan. 25, 1938.

H. M. FLEMING 2,106,273

REGISTER Filed Dec. 4, 1956 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR.

hfo-@Ya/1dZVLFe/yu' Q9 Z MWTORNEY.

25, 1938. H. M. FLEMING REGISTER Fil'ed DSC. 4, 1936 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 R. m m ,V m

FLEMING REGISTER Filed Dec. 4, 193e.

5 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTQR. #CEQA/aro?, M-Fmn9 Mfg@ ATTORNEY.

Patented Jan. 25, 1938 lUNITED STATES PATENT oFFlcE REGISTER Application December 4, 1936, Serial No. 114,172

11 Claims.

The invention has relation to registers, and more particularly to means for controlling various machine functions upon passage of an accumulator equipped with crawl tens transfer mechanism, vfrom positive to negative or from negative to positive registering condition.

In an accumulator equipped with crawl tens transfer mechanism, it may be determined whether the registration is positive or negative by sensing the registering position of the numeral wheels, provided the highest order Wheel has not moved as much as live figure spaces, additively or subtractively, from its initial zero registering position. When the registration is positive, it will be found that the highest order wheel which is displaced appreciably from zero (either directly or through the transfer mechanism) will stand in a plus registering range of l', 2, 3, 4, While in Y negative registration such wheel will stand in a minus range of 9, 8, 7, 6. The present invention, therefore, provides means for locating the significant Wheel and for determining whether said wheel has moved in a plus or in a minus direction from naught.

The invention consists in the novel construction and combination of parts, as set forth in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings, illustrating the invention:

Fig. 1 is a right side elevation of the accumulating and printing devices of an adding and subtracting listing machine, to which the invention is shown as applied.

Fig. 2 is a similar view of certain devices related to the total taking and tabulating mechanism of the machine.

Fig. 3 is a detail view of the overdraft and plus indicating sensing members.

Fig. 4 is a front elevation of an accumulator and associated parts.

Fig. 5 is a detail exploded perspective view of an accumulator unit.

Fig. 6 is a detail rear elevation of the tabulatr ing devices. v

Fig. 7 is a left side elevation of the accumulator mechanism of -a four-rules calculating machine, to which the invention is shown as applied.

Fig. 8 is a detail face view of an accumulator unit, showing the overdraft and plus indicating segments.

Fig. 9 is a similar' view showing a modified form of the segments.

` Fig. 10 is a left side elevation of the calculatin machine, with casing removed.

Figs. i1 and 12 are detail elevations of certain devices shown in Fig. 10.

Crawl transfer accumulator Crawl tens transfer devices are well known, 5 and the type illustrated herein is substantially in accordance with the disclosure of U. S. Patent No. 1,828,180, issued to Clyde Gardner on October 20, 1931.

Each numeral wheel 413 (Fig. 5) is provided 10 with internal gear teeth, adapted to mesh with the teeth of a floating gear 410, gear 410 being mounted on an eccentric hub 430 of the lower order numeral wheel. Hubv 430 is connected to the lower order Wheel by means of a concentric 15 sleeve, upon which sleeve is mounted the pinion 412 of.y the higher order wheel and a coupling member 41|r fast to said pinion. Coupling member 41| has a toothed periphery adapted to engage between lugs of the floating gear 410, these lugs having suiiicient play between the teeth of the coupling member to allow for the eccentric movement of the floating gear, and certain of the teeth of the coupling member being always in position to hold the oating gear in iixed ro- 25 `tative relation to the pinion 412. Therefore, rotation of the pinion 412 in accordance with a value to be registered, will rotate floating gear 410 correspondingly, this movement being transmitted through the internal gear teeth to the 30 related numeral wheel 413. This movement of wheel 413 will in turn rotate the eccentric hub 430, causing the floating gear 410 of the higher order wheel to move in an orbit around the shaft 403. Floating gear 410 is provided with a lesser 35 number of teeth than the internal gear of the numeral wheel 413, so that the orbital movement of the oating gear, by camming action on the internal teeth of the numeral wheel, will rotate said wheel in the same direction as the lower 4o order Wheel from which the movement originated. .The gear ratios are such that the higher order wheel is advanced one-tenth of a step or v ligure space for each step of movement of the lower order wheel.

The adding machine numbered Sill on the drawings, (Fig. l), these levers being loosely mounted on a shaft 608. The forward'arm of each lever EEO terminates in a segmental registering rack; the rearward arm has a lister type bar 6l i pivoted thereto, and the upper arm has pivotal connection with a differential stop bar @i5 cooperating with a bank of digit keys to limit the movement of the lever Gill.

The digit lreys which have been depressed Ato represent a value are latched in position with the bottoms of their stems lying in the path of movement of the related stop lugs of the bars Gi allowing such bars to advance a distance proportional to the value of the lsey, upon operation of the ma ne.

A rock shaft cui is provided with cam means for governing the movement of a spring tensioned rocker frame EEG, mounted on shaft 500, frame Si@ carrying a series of dogs Ell normally engaged by studs 559 of the levers EIB. As shaft is rotated forwardly, frame ESS will be rocked, and any 'of the levers E59 which have been released b" the depression of digit keys will be allowed to rotate, under the influence of their springs 903, until they are stopped by the lugs of bars contacting with the stems of the keys. Upon reverse rotation of shaft 30i, the dogs @il will return the operated levers Si to normal position. rihis excursion of the levers serves to register amounts setin the keyboard upon one o1 more accumulatore and to set up a similari1 on the printing line of the type bars.

ora cdi Positive-negative signal The means for determining the condition of the accumula-tor will be described in connection with a signalling device whereby the operator will be informed whether a given accumulator of the machine contains a positive registration, a negative registration, or whether the register stands at zero.

As best seen in Fi". 5, each of the accumulator wheels @'19 is provided with a segmental flange extending approximately around nine-tenths of the periphery of the wheel. fr second segmental portion lies parallel to the segmental flange bridging the space between the ends of ange 505 and extending in overlapping relation for some distance beyond these ends.

A series of sensing devices is provided, each device comprising a plus sensing arm 508 (Figs. 1 4) pivoted in the frame of the machine at 501 and having a tooth dit cooperating with a segment 505 and having also an extension 509, the two parts 508 and 509 forming an integral bail. Part 509 supports an intermediately pivoted overdraft sensing arm 5l0, having a forked end cooperating with the segment 506 of the next adjacent lower order wheel 413.

In the zero position of the accumulator Wheels, illustrated in Fig. 1, the spaces between the ends of segments 505 are aligned with the teeth 5H of arms 508 and the segments 50B are located between the rearward forks of arms 5l0, The sensing devices are held toward the accumulator Wheels by springs 5|2. Each arm 508 is joined to its extension 509 by a web 5|3, the web of each lower order arm overlying the extension 508 of the next adjacent higher order arm 508, so that lifting of any arm 508, by contact of its tooth 5H with the related segment 505, will lift all of the lower order arms 508, and thereby the lower order arms 5l0, away from their segments.'

During the first subtraction th'e overdraft sensing arm 5I0 of the tens order wheel was rocked counter-clockwise by its segment 506, this counter-clockwise displacement of the arm indicating that the numeral wheels have passed from positive to negative condition. During the second subtraction the overdraft sensing arm 510 related to the tens wheel is released from its segment 506, but the hundreds order wheel, in passing from a registration of 9.9 to a registration of 9.6 has rocked the related overdraft sensing arm 510 counter-clockwise, this higher order arm thus maintaining the overdraft indication which has previously been given by the lower order or tens arm 5l0.

An indication that a positive registration has been made in the accumulator wheels 413 is effected in similar manner, but in this case .the accumulator wheels have been rotated in the positive direction and the overdraft sensing arms 5i0 are rocked clockwise, by engagement of the segment 506 with the opposite forks of the arms.

The function of the plus indicating devices may be explained by observing the action in subtracting l from 10. It has been seen that the subtraction of 1 from 0 will rock the overdraft sensing arm 5i0 counter-clockwise, but in the present instance this rocking movement is prevented by the action of the plus sensing arm 508 in the tens column, the tooth 5H of this arm resting upon the periphery of the segment 505, and thereby holding arm 5 I 0 away from the lower order segment 505, in which position there is no pressure exerted against the forks of arm 5I0 to rock it either clockwise or counter-clockwise. l't will further be noted that upon the completion of the subtraction of 1 from l0 the numeral wheels will read 0.9 9, the retraction of the higher -order wheel by the tens transfer mechanism not being suiicient to release the plus sensing arm 508 from its segment.

Similarly, the arms 508 will maintain the indication of an overdraft, shown in a higher order wheel, during the registration of additions in the lower orders. It will be noted however that this is a subordinate function of the arms 508, and that their plus indicating function is the essential one, as will be evident from the following analysis. Where it is not important to distinguish a zero registration in all wheels from a plus registration, an indication of positive or of negative registration may always be obtained by distinguishing the other position of arm 5l0 from its counter-clockwise rocked position. That is to say, that should bail 5N be eliminated, an overdraft would be indicated by the displacement of bail 5|5 by the arms 5|0 alone, irrespective of the position of arms 508; while a plus registration would be indicated by the normal position of bail SI5, any action of a lower order arm 5|0 which would displace said bail being prevented by the higher order arm 508, riding upon the plus indicating portion of segment 505 and the arm 510 of the units wheel would be displaced by its segment 506 to give an erroneous indication of an overdraft in the result, but this is prevented by the lifting of arm 508 in the tens column by its segment 505, this action lifting the units arm 5 I 0 from its cam. The essential function of the segments 505 and arms 508 is thus to insure a plus indication. An arrangement of this kind is illustrated hereinafter, under the heading of Automatic division. Where three distinct indications are desired, for plus, minus and zero, the arms 508 also indicate the location of the wheels at zero.

It may be noted that the overdraft indication l may be effected either by the action of the segment 506, acting upon the arm 510, as in the example 0-1, above referred to, or by the action of a segment 505 in releasing the arm 508 and thus allowing the lower order arm 4510 to engage its segment 506, as in the example 9-10. In this last example it will be noted that the numeral wheels originally read 0.9 9, the tens wheel being sufficiently beyond zero on the positive side to hold the tens arm 508 on the periphery of segment 505, thereby holding the units order arm 510 away from its segment 506. Upon the subtraction of 1 from the tens wheel however, the tooth 511 of arm 508 will drop from the segment 505, the units order arm 510 thereupon dropping against its segment 506 and being thereby rocked counter-clockwise to give the overdraft indication.

As a more complete arithmetical example, the following will be taken:

The first subtraction will leave the numeral wheels standing in the following condition:

o o 0 o o In the two left hand columns, 'since the wheels stand virtually at 0, the arms 508 will lie with thelrnoses 511 in the notches of. the segments 505, and the arms 510 will remain unrocked. In the third column, arm 509 lying close to 'the wheel 413, and said wheel having been rotated clockwise, away from 0, arm 510 will'be rocked counterclockwise by the segment 506, to indicate an overdraft. `Also in this third column, arm 508 will ride on segment 505 holding all of the arms 508, 509, 510 of the right hand columns away from the cooperating segments.

In the second or additive operation, the numeral wheels will read as follows:

. o45 45 4. c c. o

Here the arm 500 in the left hand column is not will lie close to the wheel 413, and saidwheel.

having been rotated counter-clockwise, away from 0, arm 510 will be rocked clockwise by the segment 50B, to indicate that the registration is positive. Also, in this column, arm 508 will ride on segment 505, holding all of the arms 508, 509, 510 of right hand columns away from the cooperating segments. f

In order to transmit the indication of plus, minus or zero to a visible signalling device, the forward ends of the arms 510 are located between two bails 514, 515, yleldably held in proximity to said arms in their zero indicating positions by springs 514. 'I'he forward ends of arms 510 have a portion formed radially with respect to the shaft 501, so that the. relation of these arms to the balls 514, 515 is not changed as the wheels 413 are meshed and unmeshed with the segments 610. I'he balls are provided with upwardly extending arms 515, 511 each engaging beneath the end of a bell crank lever, 518, 519 respectively. 'I'he upper end of bell crank lever 518 is provided with a flange bearing the designation and the upper arm of bell crank lever 519 with a flange bearing the designations and 0. When the lower ends of the bell crank levers 518,"519 rest upon the arms 516, 5 I 1 the designation 0 is located beneath the opening in the keyboard plate of the machine, the designations -iand being located to the rear of such opening. Counterclockwise rotation of one of the arms 510 will displace the bail 515 and remove its arm 511 from beneath the bell crank lever 519, whereupon a spring 520 will rock said bell crank lever in a counter-clockwise direction as viewed in Fig. 1, bringing the designation beneath the opening of the keyboard plate. Similarly, upon clockwise rotation of arm 510,.bail 514 will be displaced, and its arm 516 will b e moved from beneath bell crank lever 518, allowing said lever to be rocked counter-clockwise to bring the designation -1- beneath the opening in the keyboard plate. The designation bearing flange of the bell crank lever 518 lies above the flange of bell cranklever 519 so that the -1- designation will cover the markings of the lower flange.

During each cycle of machine operation the lower arms ofthe bell crank levers 518,v 519 are raised, by engagement therewith of a lug 521 (Fig. 2) on the forward end of a lever 522. The rear end of lever 522 is provided with a. roller, engaged by a cam- 523 mounted vupon an arm secured to the rock shaft 301. Lever 522 is held in operative position during the forward and return movement of shaft 301, and is released therefrom as the machine is brought to rest. Thereupon, the springs 520, will rock the bell crank levers to feel out the position of the arms 516, 511, and the signal designations will be correspondingly adjusted.

Total key lock A total is taken by releasing the differential stop bars 615 and allowing them to rotate the accumulators subtractively until suitable pins on the accumulator wheels contact with 0 stop members. This will set the total in the type bars, and the hammers will be tripped to print the total. The bars 615 are then re-engaged with the oscillating frame and during the return stroke of said frame are moved rearwardly to normal position, the accumulator wheels being disengaged fromthe racks before the return stroke is made, whereby the register which has been totalized will stand at 0.

Sub-totals are taken similarly, except that the accumulator wheels are not disengagedfrom the racks during the return stroke, so that the total subtracted from the accumulator is added back thereinto. These two operations are controlled respectively by a total key 218 and a sub-total key 213 (Fig. 2) and means are shown whereby these keys will be locked against operation when the accumulator shows a negative registration. This will act as a signal that an overdraft condition exists, which having been brought to the attention of the operator, the total and sub-total keys may be released upon depression of a special key, so that the total or sub-total may be printed.

For this purpose, the bell crank 5I9 is fixed upon its supporting shaft 524, as seen in Fig. 4, this shaft being also provided with a fixed arm 525 (Fig. 2) engaging a pin in a pivoted plate 526. Pivoted plate 526 is provided with cam portions 521 lying adjacent to pins 528 in the total and sub-total key shanks. Upon counter-clock- Wise rotation of bell crank 519, arm 525 will be rocked and the cam portions 521 will be brought beneath pins 528 of the keys. A link 529 connects plate 526 with an arm 538, said link being provided with a lug 53| lying adjacent a lug 532 on the bottom end of a special key 533. A partial depression of key 218 or 213 will cam the plate 526 and bring lug 53| against lug 532, whereby effective movement of the key will be prevented. To unlock the total and sub-total keys, the special key 533 is depressed, moving lug 532 out of the path of lug 53|, whereafter key 533 being held depressed the total or sub-total key is also depressed to effect the operation of the machine.

Upon passage of the accumulator to a positive registration, a spring 534 will rock the arm 530 and plate 526 to normal position.

Automatic tabulation When the adding machine is equipped with a travelling platen carriage, for book-keeping operations, it is sometimes desired that negative totals be printed in a special credit balance column of the statement sheet, and in order to set the platen carriage automatically into the desired column the movement of link 529 by the total or' sub-total key, in taking a negative total, is utilized to trip the tabulator mechanism.

The platen carriage is provided with a spring tending to pull it toward the left, and is held in its different columnar positions, against the pull of the spring, by engagement of the lug 5 of a latch 1 (Figs. 2 and 6), pivoted at I9 in the base of the machine, with one of a series of shoulders f a tabulating bar I, rigigy mounted in the carriage. Latch 1 is provided with an arm 358, overlying a bell crank extension 535 of the arm 530 supporting the rear end of link 529. Sufficient lost motion is provided between extension 535 and arm 358 to allow the preliminary adjustment of plate 526 and link 529 under the control of the accumulator sensing devices, without tripping of the latch 1.

Rearward movement however of plate 526 and link 529 by the total or sub-total key will lift arm 358 and disengage lug 6 of the latch 1 from the shoulder of tabulating bar I, allowing the carriage to space over into its extreme left-hand position, where it will be held by a suitable stop, for printing in the right-hand or credit balance column of the statement sheet.

True negative total printing In machines of the character illustrated, when the total on the accumulator becomes negative the accumulator shows the complement of the true negative or algebraic total, and it is desirable that in printing the total the true negative value shall appear on the record sheet. Means for automatically setting the type in accordance with the true negative total are known and may operate upon one of several different principles. For instance U. S. Patent No. 1,915,296, hereinbefore referred to, discloses such an automatic mechanism, operating as follows:

A set of stops |43 (Fig. 1), yieldably engaging the stop bars SI5, are locked in position as adjusted thereby, in accordance with the complemental registration subtracted from the accumulator in total taking, and the segments GIO are restored idly to normal position. The segments are now again released and will be stopped by the stops |43, the accumulator being meshed during this second subtractive stroke of the segments, whereby the complement is subtracted from zero, giving a registration of the true negative total. The segments are again restored idly to normal position by a cycle of operation of frame SI5, and the stops |43 are released, so that a second zeroizing operation will now transfer the true total to the type bars. The printing of the total, which normally occurs at the end of the first total setting operation has in this case been delayed, and will occur after the true total is set.

The machine is set for this sequence of operations by the rocking of a shaft |46 (Fig. 2) by suitable spring means, not shown, the shaft being normally restrained against the pressure of this spring by the engagement of an arm |45 of the shaft with a spring latch |44. This latch will be tripped atthe beginning of a total taking operation whenever the accumulator stands in negative registering condition, by the following means:

Depression of the total key 218 (Fig. 2) will trip a latch 628, through operation of a control arm 62| pivotally connected to said latch by an arm 229 fixed upon a cranked shaft 206 engaged by the key lever. Latch 620 normally engages a lug on total segment SIB, preventing movement of said segment under the infiuence of the total spring 68|. Upon tripping of the latch, segment SIB will operate a shaft 601 having a spirally arranged row of pins (Fig. l) acting to trip the latching dogs SI1 successively, from right to left of the machine, the tripping of said dogs releasing the segments and also releasing stop members 6I3, so that they will fall into the path of the 0 stops 451 on the accumulator wheels.

Thereafter a cycle of machine operations will be initiated to reengage the segments with frame SI andrestore them to normal position.

A tooth |42 at one end of shaft 501 lies normally in position to hold the arm 61|, fixed upon a shaft 509, in raised position, against the tension of a suitable spring. Rotation of shaft 601 by the segment GIB, at the beginning of a total taking operation, will remove tooth I 42 from arm 51| and shaft 659 will be rocked clockwise as seen in Fig. 2. A pin 535 in shaft 589 normally holds a feeler 535 out of contact with the end oi an arm 531, pivotally mounted on the shaft 524. Rocking of shaft 509 at the beginning of each total taking operation will remove the pin 535 from contact with the feeler 538, which will thereupon be drawn by a spring 539 toward arm 531, upon the end of which arm it will rest so long as the registration on the accumulator is positive. I

It has been seen that at the end of each cycle of machine movement during which the accumulator -stands in negative condition, shaft 524 will berocked counter-clockwise as viewed in Fig. 2. During 'this movement an arm 538, fast upon said shaft, will engage beneath the freely pivotedarm 531, and will lift the same out of the path of feeler 536. In this position of the parts spring 539, when allowed to act at the beginning qf a total taking operation, before the cycling of the machine, will move feeler 536 sufficiently to lbring an arm 540 into contact with arm of an intermediately pivoted lever 54| and to raise the opposite arm of lsaid lever against the spring latch |44 and effect the release of arm |45. Thereupon shaft |46 will be rocked and the machine will be in condition for printing a true negative total in the manner set forth in Patent 1,915,296.

The calculating machine vFour-rules calculating machines are commonly controlled during the automatic performance of division operations according to the positive or negative registering condition of the accumulator upon which the dividend is registered. Several methods of operation are known whereby this may be accomplished, for instance that disclosed in U. S. application Serial No. 213,637, filed by George C. Chase, on August 17, 1927 (also illustrated, together with a means for controlling automatic multiplication operations according to the condition of the accumulator, in U. S. Patent No. 1,964,211, issued to Austin A. Overbury, on June 26, 1934).

Machines of this character are provided with accumulators having visible numeral wheels, wherein the registration will appear through vsuitable sight openings in the casing of the accumulator carriage. Therefore when crawl type tens transfer mechanism is employed it becomes necessary to provide means for aligning the characters upon the numeral wheels'properly in the sight openings. For instance, a wheel which has been advanced by the tens transfer mechanism to show a reading of 0.9 should show 0 and not 1. The aligning means illustrated herein is similar to that disclosed in U. S. Patent No. 2,089,682, issued to George C. Chase on August 10, 1937. l

Amounts set up in the well known differential actuators, which may be of any preferred type, are transmitted through intermediate gears 411 (Fig. 7), through gears 480,A 482 and 412, and through the orbital gearing'illustrated in Figure 5, to the numeral wheels 413, the parts 480 to 413 being mounted in a transversely shiftable carriage 419, as usual in machines of this type.

Compensation for the fractional tens transfer movements (to bring the wheels into correct alignment) is effected through the main transmission train, movement of the gears 482 about shaft 48| as a center being employed for counteracting the partial tens transfer, the arms 483 supporting these gears being each provided with a lug 484 extending laterally into register with a cam 485 mounted upon the lower order wheel 413. During the operation of the machine the lugs 484 and gears 482 are held upward, in position illustrated in Fig. '7, by means to be hereinafter described, andv at the en d of the operation they are each moved downwardly by means of a spring 486, until lug 484 contacts with the cam 485 of the lower order numeral wheel, gears 482 walking around the gears 480 and imparting rotary movement to the pinions 412. I

Since the partial transfers have been eliminated from the wheels 413 by the above described operation, the numerals upon these wheels will stand accurately upon the reading line until the next operation of the machine is begun, whereupon the arms 483 will be raised, and the reverse operation of the gears 482 will restore the partial tens transfers to the wheels.

The arms 483 are raised and released by the operation of a bail 489, extending beneath and engaging each of said arms, thev bail being pivotally mounted on shaft 48|. Bail 489 is operated for this purposeby-a lever 490, fulcrumed in the base of the machine at 49| and having a roller riding upon the periphery of a cam 492 vfixed upon a shaft 493 driven in cycle with the machine.

In order to avoid the operation of the aligner 'mechanism at the end of each cycle of a'multiple cyclic operation, a latch 494 is pivoted at 495 .upon the frame of the machine, and is urged by a spring 496 into latching position over a lug 491 of lever 490 as soon as the roller is lifted to the high point of cam 492.

Means, not shown, are provided for releasing the latch when the -machine is brought to rest.

Automatic division As shown, automatic division is effected in accordance with the disclosure of U. S. application Serial No. 213,637, hereinbefore referred to, although it is to be noted that any division mechanism dependent upon movement'of the numeral wheels into negative registering condition may be employed. As shown in said application division is effected as follows:

'I'he dividend being enteredin the numeral wheels and the divisor in the differential actuators, the machine is started in subtractive operation. The machine continues in subtraction, the divisor being subtracted from the higher figures of the dividend until the registration becomes negative, the number of subtractions being counted, and the count becoming one unit greater than the true quotient figure when an overdraft or negative registration has occurred.-

The machine is now reversed for additive operaation, and during the cou-rse of the first cycle the registration will again become positive. The quotient counting mechanism was also reversed during this cycle, soy that one is now subtracted from the excessive registration previously made, leaving the quotient figure correct. Thereupon the accumulator carriage is moved one step toward the left, thus effecting a division by ten and placing the remainder into relation with the divisorl as a new dividend. The operations of the first position are repeated in this and subsequent positions of the carriage until the entire quotient is computed.

The accumulator 413, with its segments 505 and 506 may be the same as that described in connection with the listing adding machine, except that the aligner cam 485 is added to each numeral wheel unit and that the digit characters are marked upon the periphery of each numeral wheel element. Such a numeral wheel unit is shown in Fig, 8, wherein the position of the digit characters is indicated adjacent the periphery of the wheel. In an automatic division control however it is not necessary to distinguish a zero registration from a positive registration, so that the overdraft sensing arm is not forked, a single extremity of this arm cooperating with the segment 506. Therefore the segments 505 and 506 may be modified as shown at 542 and 543 respectively in Fig. 9, wherein two segment plates are used in place of the segmental fiange of Figs. 5 and 8 and in which the segment 543, cooperating with the overdraft sensing arm, is extended over a greater number of digit places (digits 5 to 9 as shown) relative to the numeral wheel, which is of advantage.

As hereinbefore stated, the accumulator is mounted in a transversely shiftable carriage, and the sensing devices are preferably mounted in the base of the machine, the plus sensing arm being designated at 544 and being provided with an extension or integral bail arms supporting the overdraft sensing arm 545. The plus sensing arms are joined to their extensions by Webs 54E, corresponding to the webs 5|3 of Fig. 3 and giving the arms an overlapping arrangement as hereinbefore described.l The lower ends ofthe intermediately pivoted overdraft sensing arms 545 engage a rod 541, extending across the machine and carried in the end supporting arms of a bail 548, corresponding to the bail 5|5 of Fig. 1. When the sensing devices are allowed to move into cooperative relation with the segments 505 and 506, under the influence of springs 549, bail 548, in case of an overdraft upon the accumulator, will be moved from its normal, plus indicating position by the co-action of the plus sensing arms 544 and the overdraft sensing arms 545 precisely as the bail 5| 5 is moved in the form of the invention illustrated in Figs. 1 to 6.

Normally the sensing devices are held away from the segments, so that the accumulator carriage 419 may be shifted, and during division operations these sensing devices are allowed to come into active position at the end of each cycle of registering operation. During the subtractive registrations a feeler w1' il be advanced toward the overdraft position of bail 548, and should said bail occupy its overdraft position this feeler device will act to trip a trigger 3| controlling reversal of the sign character of the registration. During the additive cycles of operation, on the 'other hand, the feeler will be advanced toward the positive registration indicating position of bail 548, and will act to trip the trigger 3| when said bail lies in such position.

The means for controlling these actions is similar to the division controlling devices disclosed in U. S. application Serial No. 51,810, filed by George C. Chase on November 27, 1935, wherein a tripping lever (Fig. 10) is fulcrumed upon the end of a U-shaped member 9|, having pin and slot connection at 92 with the frame of the machine, this member also being provided with a lug 550 overlying the left-hand plus sensing arm 544. Member 9| is raised, against the tension of its spring 98 immediately after the completion of each cycle of operation of the machine, by means of a lever 93 fulcrumed on the machine frame at 94, engaging member 9| through an interposed link 95, and being engaged by a tooth 96, loosely mounted on shaft 8 (driven in cycle with the differential actuators), and engaged in turn by a pin |0| in arm 91, having pin and slot connection with the crank arm 20 of shaft 8. The pin and slot connection of the parts 20 and 91 provide for the action of tooth 96 upon lever 93 after the differential actuators have passed through full cycle position in either direction of rotation, while the pickingup of tooth 96 by arm 91 prevents the movement of lever 93 at the beginning of the cycle.

Lifting of member 9| by lever 93 releases the left-hand plus sensing arm, and thereby the other interconnected sensing devices, and will bring the rearward end of lever 90 into the position4 occupied by bail 548 in an overdraft, and, upward movement of member 9| continuing and lever 90 being in contact with bail 548, a pin in the forward end of lever 90 will lift the trigger 3| and thereby effect reversal of the registering opera tion in known manner.

In order that the reversal may be effected when the registration in the numeral wheels 413 changes from negative to positive, as well as in the change from positive to negative, above described, means are provided for changing the position of the member 9| at the end of a cycle of subtractive operation, as compared with the position of said member at the end of a cycle of additive operation. For this purpose an anti-friction roller |02 on the member 9| engages a disc 99, eccentrically mounted on the shaft 8, and having pin and slot connection with an arm fixed upon said shaft, member 9| being held against the disc under the tension of a spring |00. The pin and slot connection between parts 8 and 99 is so arranged that during additive rotation lever 90 will be carried rearwardly, into the position illustrated in Fig. 10, at the end of each cycle, so that upon the action of tooth 9B on lever 93 the rear end of lever 90 will move to the overdraft position of bail 548, as above stated. On the other hand, in subtractive rotation, the pin of shaft 8 will be located in the opposite end of the slot of disc 99, so that at the end of a cycle the rear end of lever 90 will be under the plus registering position of bail 548, and the action of tooth 96 will cause the tripping of trigger 3| if the bail is in such position.

Means are shown for setting the automatic stopping mechanism from active to inactive position, this means comprising the lever 303, to which the link is pivoted, said lever being settable in a clockwise direction as Viewed in Fig. l0 to bring a reduced portion of the link 95 between the lever 93 and the cooperating portion of member 9|. This will allow lever 93 to drop out of the path of movement of tooth 9E, without lifting member 9|.

I claim:

1. In a register, numeral wheels, crawl tens transfer mechanism between said wheels,'over draft signifying segments on said wheels each extending over a plurality of peripheral digit places, and devices adapted to sense the location of one or more higher order wheels at zero registering position and to cooperate each with a segment of next adjacent lower order to signify an overdraft.

2. In a register, numeral wheels, crawl tens transfer mechanism between said wheels, overdraft signifying segments on said wheels each extending over a plurality of peripheral digit places, a sensing arm related to each segment, and devices adapted to sense the location of one or more higher order wheels at zero registering position and to cooperate each with the sensing arm of next adjacent lower order to signify an overdraft.

3. In a register, numeral wheels, crawl tens transfer mechanism between said wheels, overdraft signifying segments on said wheels each extending over a plurality of peripheral digit places, plus signifying segments on said wheels, and a seriesof sensing devices each adjustable by the overdraft signifying segment of a lower order wheel to indicate an overdraft and further adjustable by the plus signifying segment of the next 75 adjacent higher order wheel out of overdraft signifying position.

4..'In a register, numeral wheels, crawl tens transfer mechanism between said wheels, overdraft signifying segments on said wheels each extending overa plurality of peripheral digit places, a sensing arm cooperating with each segment to signify an overdraft, plus signifying segments on said wheels, and a sensing arm cooperating with each plus segment to disable theoverdraft sensing arm of the next adjacent lower order wheel.

5. In a register, numeral wheels, crawl tens transfer mechanism between said wheels, overdraft signifying segments on said wheels each extending over a plurality of peripheral digit places, a sensing arm cooperating with each segment to signify an overdraft, plussignifying segments on said wheels, and a sensing arm cooperating with each plus segment to disable the overdraft sensing arm of the next adjacent lower order wheel, said plus sensing arms having overlapping portions adapted to extend the disabling action to each lower order arm.

6. In a register, numeral wheels, crawl tens transfer mechanism between said wheels, overdraftsignifying segments, on said wheels each extending over a plurality of peripheral digit places, devices adapted to sense the location of one or more higher order wheels at zero registering position and to cooperate each with a segment of next adjacent lower order to signify an overdraft, and means cooperating with said devices and adapted to signify that all of the wheels stand at zero registering position.

7. In a register, numeral wheels, crawl tens transfer mechanism between said wheels, primary signifying segments on said wheels each extend, ing over a plurality of peripheral digit places,

primary sensing arms each differentially adjustable from neutral position by a primary segment as the related wheel moves out of zero registering position in one or alternatively in the other direction of rotation, and secondary indicating devices adapted to determine the 1ocation of the wheels at zero registering position and cooperating with the primary sensing arms to signify a positive, negative or zero registering condition of said wheels.

8. In a register, numeral wheels, crawl tens transfer mechanism between said wheels, primary signifying segments on said wheels each extending over a plurality of peripheral digit places,

primary sensing arms each differentially adjustable fromv neutral position by a primary segment as the related wheel moves out of zero registering position in one or alternatively in the other direction of rotation, secondary signifying segments on said wheels each extending over nine digit places, and a secondary sensing arm adjustable by each secondary segment as the related wheel moves out of zero registering position and adapted thereupon to adjust the primary arms of the lower order wheels to neutral position.

9. In a register having numeral wheels and actuating means therefor; crawl tens transfer mechanism between said wheels, overdraft signifying segments on said wheels each extending over a plurality of peripheral digit places, a normally inactive sensing arm related to each segment, normally inactive devices adapted to determine the location of the wheels at zero-registering position, and adapted to disable the lower order sensing arms when the wheel registers a digit value, and means operable in time with the actuating means to move the sensing arms and zero determining devices to active position.

l0. In a register having numeral wheels and actuating means therefor; crawl tens transfer mechanism between said wheels, overdraft signifying segments on said wheels each extending over a plurality of peripheral digit places,

a sensing arm cooperating with each segment to signify an overdraft, plus indicating segments on said wheels, a normally inactive sensing arm adapted to cooperate with each plus segment to disable the next adjacent lower order overdraft sensing arm when the wheel registers a plus value, said plus sensing arms having overlapping portions adapted to extend the disabling action `*to each lower order arm, and means operable in .time with the actuating means to move the highest order plus sensing arm from normally in- -active invariably disabling position into position to cooperate with its segment.

11. In a register having a base, a carriage shiftable transversely thereof, numeral wheels on said carriage and actuating means for said wheels mounted in the base; crawl tens transfer mechanism between said wheels, overdraft signifying segments on said wheels each extending over a plurality of peripheral digit places, sensing arms mounted in the base and each cooperating with a segment to signify an overdraft, plus signifying segments on said Wheels, plus sensing

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