US2151406A - Automatic sub- and grand-totaling mechanism - Google Patents

Description

March 21, 1939. w w. LASKER 2,151,406

' AUTOMATIC SUB AND GRAND TOTALING MECHANISM Filed Feb. 11, 1953 16 Sheets-Sheet 1 iNVENTOR mm W. Aaw

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ATTORNEY March 21, 1939. 'w. w. LASKER 2,151,406

AUTOM TIC SUB AND GRAND TOTALI'NGMECHANISM Filed Feb. 11, 1953 16' Sheets-Sheet l0 INVENTOR Wm W. 11,1,

L7 MAM M/K LW AT TORNE Y March 21, 1939. w. w. LASKER AUTOMATIC S UB AND GRAND TOTALING MECHANISM l6 Sheets-Sheet 11 Filed Feb. 11, 1935 INVENTOR ATTORNEY \IML March 21, 1939. w w. .LASKER AUTOMATIC SUB AND GRAND TOTALING MECHANISM Filed Feb. 11, 1933 16 Sheets-Sheet l2 INVENTOR WMZQM w MAM- 1 w 4 ATTORNEY WITNESSES March 21, 1939'.- w w. LASKER 2,151,406

AUTOMATIC SUB AND GRAND TOTALING MECHANISM Filed Feb. 11, 1933 l6 Sheets-Sheet l3 WITNESSES. I v INVENTOR WM WM MM am am;

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AUTOMATIC SUB AND GRAND TOTALING MECHANISM Filed Feb. 11, 1935 16 Sheets-Sheet 14! WITNESSES INVENTOR W I v I 3 a 220 L7 I Cu .4 WM

ATTORNEY March 9 w. w. LASYKER 2,151,406

AUTOMATIC SUB AND GRAND TOTALING MECHANISM Filed Feb. 11, 1953 16 Sheets-Sheet 15 ATTOVRNEY Patented Mar. 21, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE AUTOMATIC SUB- AND MECHANI GBAND-TOTALIN G SM William W. 'Iasker, Bgooklyn, N. Y., assignor to Remington Rand Inc., Buflalo, N. Y., a corporation of Delaware Application February 11, 1933, Serial No. 656,233

11 Claim.

automatically set instrumentalities for operation upon a change of designation, which may cause the machine to execute a plurality of total taking operations.

Another object of this invention is to improve the total taking mechanism, whereby a change of designation may cause the machine .to take single total, or a plurality of totals.

Another object of this invention is to improve and simplify the change of designation mechanism for tabulators.

Another object of this invention is to construct an improved mechanism for retaining the reading as set by the sensing pin mechanism.

Another object of this invention is to construct a reading retaining mechanism, which may operate a change-of designation mechanism from either a lower 90-column field, or from an upper 90-column field, when said fields are independent.

Another object of this invention is the elimination of many of these auxiliary mechanisms and the elimination of the use of special cards, which were heretofore necessary.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a general diagrammatic view of the well known Powers tabulator.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view, with parts omitted, of a computing component, showing the paper handling mechanism, the printing mechanism, and the slam bail mechanism, in conventionalized form.

Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic isometric view illustrating the picker mechanism, and its control.

Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic isometric view of the 40 slam bail mechanism, and its control.

Fig. 5 is an isometric view of the forward totalizer wheels and the means for engaging and disengaging them with and from their actuators.

Fig. 6 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the timing mechanism of the rear totalizers, (just prior to the engagement of the rear totalizer wheels with their racks), and the connections between the total shafts, the slam bails, and the improved totaling mechanism.

Fig. 7 is a side view of the automatic sub and grand total taking mechanism, and its drive.

Fig. 8 is an isometric view (partly exploded) of the control mechanism for the rear totalizers.

Fig. 9 is a sectional view of the sensing mechanism, the reading retaining mechanism, and the change of designation device.

Fig. 10 is a view of a typical card.

Fig. 11 is an isometric view illustrating primarily the improvements in the reading retain- 5 ing mechanism.

Fig. 12 is an enlarged isometric view of the change of designation tripping mechanism, and the reset mechanism for the total-control clutches.

Fig. 13 is an isometric view of the grand total clutch locking and tripping mechanism.

Fig. 14 is a View similar to Fig. 13, of the sub total mechanism.

Fig. 15 is an exploded isometric view of the 1 cams, of the automatic sub and grand totaling mechanism, and the levers cooperating with said cams.

Fig. 16 is a sectional view of the totaling mechanism showing the cams for controlling the card 2 stop, the retract mechanism for the reading retaining mechanism, and the picker mechanism.

Fig. 17 is a view similar to Fig. 16, showing the cam for controlling total taking from the rear totalizers of the computingunits.

Fig. 18 is a view similar to Fig. 16, showing the cams for controlling the slam bails.

Fig. 19 is a diagrammatic isometric view of the front totaland grand total shafts, and some of their connections to the total taking mechanism, 3 and the zero stop control shaft.

Fig. 20 is an isometric view of the clutches and the sub total disabling link.

Fig. 21 is an isometric view of the grand total disabling mechanism.

Fig. 22 is an isometric view of the subtotal reset and clutch disengagement mechanism.

Fig. 23 is a view similar to Fig. 22 of the grand total mechanism.

Fig. 24 is a view similar to Fig. 16, showing the. reset cams of the totaling mechanism.

Fig. 25 is a view similar to Fig. 16 showing the cams for controlling the taking of totals from General description In order to give a better understanding of the I in Fig. 1.

present invention, brief descriptions follow of various mechanisms which are well known in the tabulator art. These mechanisms, in some cases, are controlled, or have their operations timed from either of two cam assemblies, one of which is associated with the subtotaling mechanism, and the other with the grand totaltaking mechanism. These cam assemblies are in turn controlled or have their cycle of operation initiated by perforations in a card.

For the purpose of a systematic description, the well known Powers tabulator may be conceived as divided into three main components, viz: the

base component l8 (Fig. 1), the intermediatecomponent [1, and the computing component Hi.

The base component contains the card hopper l, the card feeding and picking mechanism 2, the sensing mechanism 3, the totaling mechanism 4, some of the main drive devices, the reading retaining mechanism, the change of designation mechanism, and a suitableframework for supporting the mentioned mechanisms. The framework is mounted on a leg supported bed plate (shown partially in Fig. 1).

The intermediate component consists of an open frame 6 for separating the base and computing components, and into which may be introduced any one of a variety of combinations of multiple translators.

The computing component contains the mechanism for summarizing and recording the items, or data, occurring as separate entries in preselected fields on the perforated cards. The computing component is ordinarily constructed with several computing units. A typical example of a computing unit is illustrated in section in Fig. 2.

Common or universal to all the computing units is a main drive mechanism (Fig. 1), the total shafts 1 and 8, a paper supporting platen, or carriage, with its paper feeding mechanism,

"ribbon feed devices (not shown), etc., the pertinent ones of which will be more fully described hereinafter.

The term forward herein means toward the front of the machine, which is towards the left Framework The machine, as a whole, is mounted on suitable legs attached to a main base plate (shown partially in Fig. 1), and on said base plate is a pair of boxlike frames 9, in which are housed the principal elements of the gearing, and the cams of the base component main driving mechanism. Mounted on the base l2 of the computing component is a series of intermediate frames for supporting the mechanism of the computing units. The said frames are tied together near the top with suitably located tie rods, which are used for the additional purpose of forming a pivot for the type carriers and actuators, and the universals connected therewith, which will be more fully described hereinafter. frames 6 carry auxiliary frames l3 for supporting the main rotation shaft I4, and for supporting the elements of the timing mechanism for the rear totalizers. Mounted near the forward upper ends of the frames 6 are the printing hammer assemblies, one for each computing unit.

Main drive All the universal elements of the tabulator are connected to the main drive mechanism, which consists generally of a series of cam bearing shafts permanently geared together.

A suitable source of power, such as an electric The end motor (not shown) is connected by a suitable form of clutch to the rotation shaft I (Fig. 1), on which is a series of worms for driving the base main shaft 52, the totaling mechanism main shaft Iii (see also Fig. 15), and intermediate shaft 5 for the computing component. Said shaft ISO is connected through suitable gearing to the card feeding rolls, as has been set forth in detail in my patent No. 2,044,119, dated June 16, 1936. The base mechanism main shaft 52 carries a pair of eccentrics for reciprocating the sensing mechanism 3,. (Figs. 1 and 9) and a suitable set of cams for operating other universal mechanisms, as is fully set forth in the cited patent. The intermediate shaft 5 is geared: to the computing head rotation shaft ll (Fig. 1) which is provided with discs, which are in effect cranks, at each end, which are connected by pitmans (not shown) to arms fixed to the forward oscillating shaft 19 in the computing component. The shaft I4 carries a cam for rocking the zero stop control mechanism by means of shaft I24 (Fig. 2). Other ramifications of the main drive mechanism in the computing com- 'ponent will be noticed under the heading Com- For each computing unit there is a fan cam 20 resiliently connected to the said oscillating shaft 59 (as shown in Fig. 2). Pivoted to each fan cam 20 is an irregular link 23, extending upwardly and rearwardly to one arm 23 of a frame 2!, one side of which appears at Fig. 2 so that the said frame and fan cam always move together. One arm of the frame 2| is provided with a cam 2| in which fits a roller carried by a stud 22' rigid with the restoring frame 22. The lower ends of the arms of each restoring frame 22 are connected. by a universal bar 22a for controlling the movements of the type carriers and actuating racks. Extending forwardly from the rear of the link 23 is an adjustable link, whose forward end is pivoted to a crank fixed to the shaft 25. Also fast to the shaft 25 is a universal hammer restoring bail (not shown) for each computing unit.

Near the base of the computing unit is a stop basket (Fig. 2) in which the stops 26-are located. The stop basket is substantially of the form shown in the patent to Lasker No. 1,780,621, dated Nov. 4, 1930. Therefore, an abridged description will suflice. Each stop is adapted to be elevated by an individual interpreter 21 to limit the movement of the totalizer actuators 28. There are three varieties of stops. The first variety represents the odd digits except 9, which is represented by the second varity exemplified by stop 29. when a stop 26 is elevated, the sector 28 is limited in its forward movement, an extent determined by an odd digit, but, if the stop 28 is also elevated. the pressure of the actuating spring of the sector 28 can force the projected stop 26 forwardly an extra space, so that each stop 26 may be used meat of the actuators is governed by the defixed to the auxiliary subtotal shaft I24.

scribed stops 28, 29 and 38 for correspondingly controlling the extents ofactuation of the totalizers. Associated with each type carrier 82 is the usual familiar printing hammer mechanism.

Some computing units are provided with two totalizers. In this case, a second actuator I1I for totalizer 34' is connected to the first mentioned actuator 28 as is diagrammatically shown in Figs. 1 and 6.

All totalizer actuators 28 are provided with a spring and pin-in-slot connection with the corresponding type carrier 82 for effecting transfers or carrying of tens as is well known in the art. One well'known form of transfer is partially illustrated in Fig. 2.

This mechanism comprises a seriesof flat members I13, pivoted at one end on a stationary rod I13a. The opposite end of each of said members is formed into a hook I13b as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 2. The hooks lie between the totalizer wheels and the ends thereof serve as rear stops for sectors 28, the arrangement being such that a stud 28b on said sectors contacts with the end of said hook limiting the sectorfs movement toward the rear. Each wheel in the totalizer, engaged by actuator 29, is provided with a tooth of substantially double thickness, the thicker section having a fiat face which engages once each revolution of a cam on the underside of the member I13 which stops the adjacent sector 28 ofthe next higher order, raising the nose of hook, permitting the sector 28 to move backward sufliciently to advance the totalizer wheel engaged thereby one tooth, thus registering one complete revolution of the wheel of the lower" order. This mechanism is old and it is believed that a more detailed explanation of the same would be superfluous.

I Zero stops Fixed to the rotation shaft I4 of the head of the machine is a cam' I88, with which cooperates a roller on the arm I83 loose on the auxiliary grand total shaft I84. The said arm I83 is provided with a pair of gear teeth, which mesh with cooperating teeth on an arm I81 (Fig. 28) Also fixed to the shaft I24 is a series of arms I88, upon which lie pins fixed to one side of the frame 33. There is a frame 33 for each and every computing unit (or for each split portion of a computing unit). The forward end of the frame 33 is provided with a universal bar 33a for rocking spring urged bell cranks 3I, to which the 'zero stops 38 are connected, by a spring and pin-in-slot connection.- It, therefore, follows that, when cam I88 rocks arm I83, the shaft I24 and all of the frames 33 will be rocked to positively rock the bell crank 3| and, through the spring and pin-in-slot connection, pull all the zero stops 38 to an ineffective position.

If shaft I24 is held in the position to which it has been rocked by cam I88, the frames 33 will be correspondingly held and all the zero stops 38 will be held retracted. With the continued rotation of shaft I4 it is obvious that cam I88 will move out of engagement withthe follower I83, In order to retain the zero stops in disabled condition after this has occurred, the following arrangement has been provided.

- Overlying the universal bar of the frames 33 of those frames associated with computing units (Fig. 28). Therefore, if the said shaft I84 is rocked while shaft I24 is held by cam I88, those frames 33, associated with grand totalizers, will be held in rocked position and, hence, the corresponding, zero stops held depressed even after cam I88 permits shaft I24 to rock.

'I'heusual forward totalizing wheels 34 (Fig. 5) are rotatably mounted on a shaft 34a carried by a cradle (not shown), which is rocked by a pair of integrally connected cam arms 38 embracing the said shaft. This mechanism, generally speaking, is old. Pivoted to one of the arms 35 is a doubly notched pitman 38, which,

when the mechanism'is in adding adjustment, has its upper notch 38a in engagement with the upper of a pair of pins on the rocker 31, the pins being on opposite sides of the pivot of the rocker, which, in turn, is fixed to its supporting shaft 310, and said shaft is, in its turn, rocked through a biased wiper pawl assembly 39 by the periphery of the fan cam 28. The wiper pawl 38 is actuated shortly after the fan cam 28 rocks from its rest, position to lower the totalizer out of engagement with its actuators 28, and shortly after the said cam 28 begins its return excursion, the wiper pawl 38 is again rocked to elevate the totalizer into engagement with the actuators. It is thus seen that the wheels 34 are lowered out of engagement withtheir actuators 28 (Figs. 1 and 2) near the beginning of the cycle, so that said actuators can assume positions determined by the stop basket, and raised into engagement with the actuator near the mid point of the.cycle to register or accumulate the extent of movement bf the said actuators. This is the usual adding timing of the forward totalizers.

If the pitman 38 (Fig. 5) is lowered so that the lower notch 31b thereon can be engaged by the lower pin on the rocker 31, it is obvious that the engaging and disengaging movements of the wheels 34 are exactly opposite that described in the preceding paragraph, for the first rocking movement of the arm 31 is ineffective and merely results in permitting notch 31b of the pitman 38 to engage the lower pin of said rocker and the second rocking movement lowers or disengages the totalizer from its actuators. This is the total timing. Each pitman 38 is connected by a slotted link I15 and spring I18 to a bell crank 39, loosely pivoted on the sub-total shaft 8, and the horizontal arm of each bell crank is resiliently urged upwardly by a suitable spring 39a so that the upper notch 38a of the pitman 38 normally engages the upper pin of the rocker 31. When the bell crank 39 is rocked its fullest extent, as it is by the shaft 8 when set for a sub-total the pitman 38 is drawn downwardly, but the lower notch 31b may not engage the lower pin because the totalizer is usually, (always after a series of additions), in engagement with its actuators, therefore, the -lower pin of the rocker supports the pitman in an abnormal position, as shown in Fig. 5, until after the fan cam 28 has shifted the rocker 31 and then the lower notch of the pitman engages the lower pin of the rocker in the manner described in the first sentence of this paragraph. An exactly similar action occurs in the first adding cycle after a total cycle. The bell crank 39 is rocked by either of the total shafts 1 or 9 as described under Total links.

The distance between the pins on the rocker 31 is such that the pitman 38 may have an intermediate position and, hence, not be in operative engagement with either of the pins as shown in Fig. 5.

If the totalizer wheels 34 are disengaged from their actuators at the beginning of the cycle, and remain disengaged throughout the cycle the totalizer timing is that of a non-add operation; the wheels 34 receive no movement from the actuators 28 and, hence, nothing is accumulated. Each pitman is provided, at its forward end (see Fig. 5) with a pin |1'| as a part of one means for shifting said pitman to its intermediate position.

Totalizer timing (rear) Each forward totalizer has its individual timing and control mechanism, but all rear totalizers have the principal part of their timing mechanism in common. The rotation shaft l4 (Figs. 1, 2 and 8) has fixed thereto a cam 40 (Fig. 6). Behind one of the crank discs 48a and cooperating with said cam 40 is a pair of spring connected bell cranks 4| and em (a partially exploded view of the mechanism being shown in Fig. 8) one of which always acts on the pitman 42, which is pivoted to an arm ||9 fast to the shaft 43. The shaft 43 has fixed thereon an arm 44 which is resiliently connected by spring 45 to a bell crank totalizer cradle 45 (Figs. 1 and 8), which carries the rear totalizing wheels in such a manner that, when a bell crank 4| or 4|a, which happens to engage the pitman 42, is rocked by the cam 40 on shaft Hi, the arm 44 ascends to raise and disengage the totalizer wheels 34' from their actuating racks Hi. When the bell crank rides off the high part of the cam 48, the sets of totalizer wheels 34' are brought into engagement with their racks by the strong spring i211 (Fig. 8) acting on crank I18. The upper of the bell cranks 4la is the total-taking crank. and the other 4| (or lower) is the adding crank. The arrangement is such that the adding bell crank positively rocks the totalizers 34' out of engagement with their racks l1| at the beginning of the cycle and permits the spring'urged arm 45 toreengage the totalizer wheels 34 with their racks |1| near the mid-point of the cycle. If the upper bell crank 4|a engages the pitman 42 the order of operation will be the reverse of that just described and, hence, the totalizer wheels 94 will be cleared or reset.

If the pitman 42 is engaged by the adding bell crank 4|a. and the latch 48 is biased to engaging position by a forward movement of the link 49 which is joined to the latch 48 by a usual form of spring and pin-in-slot connection, the shaft 43 will not be permitted to rock when the adding bell crank 4| passes off the high part of its actuating cam, hence, the totalizing wheels 84 will remain out of mesh during the entire cycle and, therefore, a non-add timing is the result.

Base

A stack of pre-grouped cards 59 (Fig. 1) is first inserted in the magazine, During the regular operation of the machine the cards are ejected seriatim from the magazine, are then sensed and individually tabulated. The cards are extracted from the stack by a picker knife 5| driven, through a. link lever mechanism, by a cam on the rotatable main shaft 52. The shaft 52 makes one rotation for each card tabulated; each rotation is designoted a cycle. Fixed to the shaft 52 (Fig. 3) is a cam 95, whose periphery rocks an arm 91, through roller 98, to move the notched link 99, which, through arm I80, and spring lflllb secured thereto rocks shaft H, which, in turn, through an arm and link, operates the picker 5|. The picker 5| feeds the card to the pair of feed rollers 59 arranged to transport the card rearwardly into the sensing chamber 55b and against a normally effectively positioned card stop 55. The sensing chamber is located between a sensing pin box 15 (Fig. 9) and an interponent pin box 51, and consists of a pair of matched perforated plates having a perforation for every possible perforation of the card. While the card is in the sensing chamber, the sensing pin box 15' is moved upwardly by a pair of links 58 (Fig. 1) embracing eccentrics 58a. fast to the main shaft 52. The pin box 15 is provided with sensing pins 59 arranged in columns and corresponding to all possible perforations in the cards and in the matched plates of the sensing chamber there being twelve such rows in the present embodiment. If there is no hole in the card being sensed, the pins 59 are held back when they strike the card. If there is a hole in line with any one or more of the sensing pins 59, then that pin (or pins) is not arrested by the card and, due to the movement of the sensing box 15, its spring will cause it to pass through the perforation in the .card as shown in the case of the single pin 59 illustrated in Fig. 1. Just before the pins, which pass through the perforations in the card, strike the lower ends of the interponent pins 54 of the reading retaining device shown in Fig. 11), they will be locked in stationary positions relative to the pin box 15 by the series of cam controlled locking slides 50. When the box 15 is in its lower position, the slides 50 are held in ineffective position. Said slides 60 are connected to a spring-pressed universal bail, which travels with the sensing pin box 15. Operatively connected with said ball is an arm 55, which extends downwardly and the lower end of which rides on a fixed cam 5|. Continned upward movement of the pin box 15 results in positively elevating the interponents 54 and the corresponding wires in the translating device (Fig. l) to set the corresponding stops 29 and variable block 29 (Fig. 2) for determining the extent of movement of the actuator 28 and the type carriers 52. At about the time that box 15 has reached its highest position, the interponents 54 are locked in their raised positions by means of spring-pressed locking slides 53 cooperating with pins 54a on the interponents 54. Said members 54 may be released as an incident to the sensing pin adjustment of other of the interponents 54. There are two of these locking slides 53 for each vertical row of pins, and displaced similarly to the slides 55 and 55, as plainly shown in Figs. 9 and 11. One slide 53 has locking noses, only for the rear six pins 54, and the other only for the forward six pins. When the pin box 15 has receded downwardly far enough for the pins 59 to clear the sensed card, stationary cam 5| (Fig. 1) operates the slides 59 to release the locked sensing pins. Just after the sensing pins 59 have been released, the card stop 55 (indicated diagrammatically in Fig. 1) is retracted and the skid rolls (not shown) in the sensing chamber feed the sensed card to the pair of ejecting rolls 54, thence into the storage magazine.

Change of designation The means for sensing a change of designation (see Figs. 9, 11, 13, and 14) consists of two slidable grid bars 55 and 55, both slides being located on the same side of each vertical row of interponent pins 54. Said slide 55 has cam projec-

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