US2198708A

US2198708A - Calculating machine

Info

Publication number: US2198708A
Application number: US166823A
Authority: US
Inventors: Thomas Arthur
Original assignee: POWERS ACCOUNTING MACHINES Ltd
Current assignee: POWERS ACCOUNTING MACHINES Ltd
Priority date: 1936-10-10
Filing date: 1937-10-01
Publication date: 1940-04-30
Anticipated expiration: 1957-04-30
Also published as: FR827669A; GB483235A

Description

Ap 30, 1940. A. THOMAS CALCULATiNG MACHINE Filed Oct. 1, 193"! 2 Sheets-Sheet l HTTOQNEY April 30, 1940. A. THOMAS CALCULATING MACHINE Fild Oct. 1, 1 957 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 197 7' ORA E Y Patented Apr. 30, 1940 UNITED, STATES CALCULATING MACHINE 1' Arthur Thomasf Wallington, England, assignor to Powers Accounting. Machines. Limited, LGIIdOn EngIand, a company of Great Britain Application October 1, 1937,: Serial No. 166,823

r In Great Britain October 10, 1936 ,2 Claims. (01. 235-61) -This invention relates to mechanism for controlling theengagement of accumulator" wheels with their actuators in calculating machines, particularly record-card controlled tabulating ma- 5 chines. I"

According to the invention mechanism for controlling the engagement of accumulator wheels with their actuators in a calculating machine, comprises a crank member adapted to be turned through half a revolution to move the accumulator wheels into or out of engagement and means for rotating said crank member with a gradual acceleration and deceleration whereby the wheels are brought into and away from their positions of rest at both ends of their travel, with a gradual movement whereby shocks are avoided.

A preferred construction according to the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings by way of example as applied to a record-card controlled tabulating machine.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 shows the mechanism according to the invention in side elevation, I

Figure 2 shows the mechanism in front elevation,

Figure 3 shows the means for actuating the mechanism shown in Figs. 1 and 2 from the main shaft of the tabulator and'Fig. 4 is a section on the line IVIV in Fig. 2, but to a larger scale.

In the construction shown in the drawings the accumulator wheels I are mounted on a shaft 2 carried between two arms 3 pivoted to the machine frame at 4 and extending below the toothed 5 sectors 5 with which the wheels I are to engage.

Pivoted to the shaft 2 is a frame comprising,

two side members 6 connected by a block I which has a downward extension 8 forked at 8a (Fig. 4). Mounted in the fork 8a is a block 8b held in place by a retaining bracket 80 secured to the portion 8 by screws 8d and to the block 8? by a screw 8). Passing freely through the block 8b is a crank pin 9 projecting from a cylindrical member 10 secured to a shaft ll mounted in bearings in plates l2.

Secured to one end of this shaft l l is an arm I3 pivoted by apin and slot connection l4 to an operating lever l5 which is pivoted at a point l6 between its ends to an arm I! projecting from a rocking plate 43 which actuates the accumulator control mechanism.

The end of the operating lever l5 remote from the arm l3 on the crank shaft I l carries a pin l8 engaging in a cam slot l9 formed in a plate 20 fixed to the, machine frame, this cam slot being shaped to constrain the operating lever to execute a predetermined motion when displaced longitudinally.

When'the accumulator wheels I are in engagement with'their actuators 5 (Fig. 1) the crank pin 9 is in its uppermost position and the arm l3 on the crank shaft is in line with the operating lever l5, the pin [8 on the latter being at the end of the cam slot 18 which is remote from the arm I3.

To cause disengagement of the accumulator wheels the actuating plate 43 is rocked clockwise whereby the operating lever 15 is moved longitudinally towards the arm l3 on the crank shaft ll. As the operating lever [5 moves, the cam'slot l9 causes it to swing about the pivot l6 whereby it is attached to the arm I! projecting from the rocking actuating plate 43. This swinging movement combined with the longitudinal movement causes the end of the operating lever l5 which is pivoted at l4 on the arm l3 on the crank shaft II to swing in an approximately circular path about the crank shaft as centre, whereby the arm l3 on the crank shaft and the shaft itself are turned through the pin and slot connection l4 between the operating lever and the arm allowing for any discrepancy between the purely circular motion of the arm and the actual path followed by the end of the operating lever.

Moreover the cam slot I9 is so shaped as to cause the swinging movement of the operating lever I5 to accelerate gradually at the beginning of the movement and to decelerate gradually at the end of said movement, whereby the accumulator wheelsare brought into and out of engagement gently and without shock, and are also brought into and away from the fully disengaged position likewise gently.

It will be noted that although the operating lever acts somewhat after the manner of the connecting rod of a reciprocating engine, the cam slot enables the mechanism according to the invention to start and stop in a dead centre position without difliculty or excessive friction.

The means for rocking the plate 43 are fully described in the co-pending patent application Serial No'. 166,822 of Arthur Thomas entitled Improvements in calculating machines, filed Octoher 1, 1937, and therefore only a brief description of this mechanism will be given here.

The mechanism comprises a vertical link 41 having a head 48 formed with a slot engaging a pin 45 in the plate 43. At its lower end the link 47 is pivoted to a lever 5| pivoted to the machine frame at 52 and carrying a roller engaging a cam track formed in a disc 53 secured to the main shaft lfll of the machine (Fig. 3).

A spring loaded detent lever 82 having two recesses 83, 84 (Fig. 1) for engagement with a pin 85 on the plate 43 serves to retain the latter in either of its two positions.

From the foregoing it will be seen that the inventionincludes accumulator control mechanism comprising a crank member adapted to be turned through 180 to move the wheels into and out of engagement with their actuators, and an arm for rotating said crank member, said arm, when the wheels are in or out of engagement, lying in a straight line with an operating lever pivoted thereto which is displaced longitudinally to effect rotation of the crank, said operating lever being constrained during its longitudinal movement to means for guiding said frame in a reciprocatory path, a shaft, a crank on said shaft, a connecting rod connecting said crank to said frame, whereby rotation of the crank through 180 and back again causes the frame to execute a complete reciprocation to and fro, a second crank on said shaft, an operating lever for rotating said second crank, pivoted thereto and lying in a straight line therewith when said second crank is in either of its positions of rest, means for moving the operating lever longitudinally and means for tilting said operating lever at the beginning of each movement to eliminate the dead centre position. 2. Mechanism according to claim 1, including a rocking member for moving the operating lever longitudinally, said lever being pivoted between its ends to the rocking member, a guide plate having a guide slot formed therein, and a pin in the lever at the end thereof remote from said second crank and engaging in said guide slot, said guide slot being shaped to cause the end of the lever which is pivoted to said second crank to swing in an approximately circular path.

ARTHUR THOMAS.