US2533155A

US2533155A - Machine supporting assembly for business machines

Info

Publication number: US2533155A
Application number: US563729A
Authority: US
Inventors: Hacht William H Von
Original assignee: Underwood Corp
Current assignee: Underwood Corp
Priority date: 1944-11-16
Filing date: 1944-11-16
Publication date: 1950-12-05
Anticipated expiration: 1967-12-05

Description

1950 w. H. VON HACHT 2,533,155

MACHINE SUPPORTING ASSEMBLY FOR BUSINESS MACHINES 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Nov. 16, 1944 INVENTOR v William um Hue/1t ATTORNEY Dec. 5, 1950 W. H. VON HACHT MACHINE SUPPORTING ASSEMBLY FOR BUSINESS MACHINES Filed Nov. 16, 1944 3 Sheets-Shget 2 w. H. VON HACHT 2,533,155

MACHINE SUPPORTING ASSEMBLY FOR BUSINESS MACHINES- 3 Sheets-Sheet. 3

Filed Nov. 16, 1944 7 INVENTOR 11 9/ William VWZ Had/22.

ATTORNEY Patented Dec. 5, 1950 MACHINE SUPPORTING ASSEMBLY FOR BUSINESS MACHINES William H. von Hacht, Bronxville, N. Y., assignor to Underwood Corporation, a corporation of Delaware Application November 16, 1944, Serial No. 563,729

8 Claims.

This invention relates to mountings for supporting typewriters, adding machines, accounting machines and other business machines, while the machines are in operation.-

The primary objects of the present invention are to improve the construction and mode of operation bf the mountings for businesss machines, particularly with a view of increasing the convenience and comfort of the operator in operating such machines and to produce a mountin construction which enables the operator to perform the required operations more easil and efficiently and with less body strain and tiring efiect as compared with prior constructions.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved construction for supporting business machines in which the machine and the sheets from which postings are taken may be positioned more conveniently for the operator respectively to operate and inspect during posting operations and a readily accessible repository is provided for the printed sheets.

Another object of the invention is to produce a novel construction for supporting business machines in which the machine may be adjusted vertically at a plurality of points to locate the same accurately in the proper position for operation.

Still another object of the invention is to produce a mounting for business machines comprising units Or sections in which the units are secured together so as effectively to prevent undue vibrations from being set up by the operation of the machine.

With the above and other objects in view the invention consists in a mounting embodying the novel and improved features, constructions and combinations of parts hereinafter described and particularly pointed out in the claims, the advantages of which will be readily understood and appreciated by those skilled in the art.

The various features of the invention will be clearly understood from the accompanying drawings illustrating a construction embodying the invention in its preferred form and the following detailed description of the construction therein shown.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective View illustrating a mounting structure embodying the invention,

Figure 2 is a view in vertical section of the structure taken substantially on the lines 22 of Figure 1 and showing the closure |3| raised 1 slightly above its normal closed position and the slide MI in a forward position,

Figure 3 is a detail perspective view illustrating one of the parts of the construction shown in Figure 2,

Figure 4 is an underside plan view of the mounting structure illustrated in Figure 1,

Figure 5 is a perspective View illustrating certain of the parts of the structure shown in Figure 1 with the posting shelf in a difierent position and a device resting on said shelf for holding ledger or other sheets from which postings are to be taken,

Figure 6 is a detail view in rear elevation illustrating the construction for *adjustably suspending the platform for supporting the business machine,

Figure 7 is a detail View in vertical section taken substantially in a plane containing the fore-andaft center line of the platform and also illustrating the mechanism for suspending the platform,

Figure 8 is a detail perspective view illustrating the posting shelf and certain devices for 10- cating and supporting the posting shelf in different vertical positions looking from the underside of the shelf,

Figure' 9 is a detail perspective viewillustrating, on an enlarged scale, certain of the devices shown in Figure 8 for locating and supporting the posting shelf, looking from the underside of the same,

Figure 10 is a detail view in elevation illustrating the devices shown in Figure 9 with certain parts in different relative positions,

Figure 11 is a detail sectional view taken substantially on the line llll of Figure 10, and

Figure 12 is a detail view illustrating the upper part of theright hand cabinet with a portion of the top wall in open position.

The mounting illustrated in the drawings of this case comprises a right-hand unit indicated at I a left-hand unit indicated at 3 and a table or platform 5 (see Figs. 4, 6 and '7) supported between said units for holding a business machine 1. The unit I consists of a cabinet having the general form of a rectangular parallelepiped. This unit is formed with fixed side walls 9 and l I, a fixed rear wall l3 (see Fig. 4), a fixed bottom wall I5 and a top wall IT, a portion Ila of which is fixed to the left side and rear walls. The unit is also provided with fixed front walls l9 and 2| arranged with relation to each other to form a re-entrant angle. These front walls extend from the topwall part way to the bottom wall. The above walls of the unit are secured to each. other and arranged to form a hollow boxlike structure having the space within the same arranged for storage of supplies. The unit is provided with legs 22 upon which it rests.

The mounting unit 3 consists of a cabinet also having the general form of a rectangular parallelepiped and provided with

fixed side walls

33 and 35, a fixed rear wall 31, a fixed bottom wall 38 and a fixed top wall 39. These walls are all constructed and arranged and secured together to form a hollow boxlike structure having the space within the same adapted for the storage of supplies. This unit is provided with legs '46 to support the same.

The two units l and 3 are rigidly fastened together in spaced relation to support a business machine between the same. The basesof the units are secured together by a relatively long narrow plate or board 4!. This board is rigidly fixed to the unit 3 as by means of a series of bolts :33, Fig. 4., passing through the bottom wall 3-53 of the unit and through said board. The right-hand end of the board is rigidly fixed to the unit i by means of an angle bracket -45, to one arm of which the board is attached by means of a bolt l-l. The other arm of the bracket is secured to the side wall I l of the unit by means of bolts 49.

The shelf or platform for supporting a business machine, in the illustrated construction, comprises, a body portion 5a, and a forward portion 517 preferably made of sheet metal and bent in cross section into the form shown in Fig. 7. The rear margin of the forward portion 51) is attached to the overlapping forward margin of the body portion Ed by bolts 50, the two portions of the platform being spaced by spacing blocks 5d through which the bolts pass. The body portion 5a is cut away at 5e to provide for the passage of a treadle rod or other element extending downwardly from the business machine.

The platform 5 is suspended upon the over hanging inner portions of the fixed top walls of the two units orcabinets 'l and 3. The suspending means is arranged so that the four corners of the platform may be adjusted vertically to adjust correspondingly the business machine supported on the same. In the present construction, the left-hand forward corner and the left-hand rear corner of the platform, respectively, are suspended upon bolts 5i passing through the inner marginal portion of the fixed top wall 39 of the unit 3, which overhangs or extends beyond the side wall 33, and through the platform, these bolts having nuts 53, Fig. 7, threaded "thereon 'to engage the underside of the platform. The right-hand forward corner and the right-hand rear corner of the platform 5 are respectively suspended upon bolts 55 passing through the inner marginal portion of the fixed section lid of the top wall of the unit l, which extends beyond or overhangs the inner side wall H of said unit, and through the platform, the bolts 55 having nuts 57 threaded thereon to engage the underside of the platform.

The legs 22 of the unit 5 and the legs id of the unit 3 may each be adjusted toward and from the corresponding unit to adjust the heights of the respective corners of the units supported by the several legs. Each of the legs is mounted on a bolt or screw 58 passing through the bottom wall of the unit and secured to said wall by a nut 5d. The lower end portion of the screw is threaded into the leg and is held in adjusted position thereon by a lock nut 6|, a lock washer 53 being interposed between the nut and the leg.

By adjusting the legs with relation to each unit, a four point adjustment of the unit may be obtained.

The adjustable connections between the legs 22 and the unit 5 and between the legs it and the unit 3 enable each corner of each unit to be adjusted vertically. Thus each unit may be adjusted vertically as a whole, and each side and each corner of the unit may be raised and lowered as desired. The platform 5 which supports the machine also may be correspondingly adjusted. Thus the platform may be adjusted vertically as a whole and the front and rear, the two sides and each corner may be raised or lowered. The provisions for adjustment of the legs of each unit, in connection with the provision for adjustment of the corners of the platform, enables a very extensive adjustment of the machine to be obtained, both vertically to suit the operator, and angularly to :locate the machine accurately in a level position. The locating of a business machine in a level position is often so important that a spirit level is often used in positioning the mounting and the machine. The irregularities and unevenness of the floors of the buildings in which the machines are placed, in many cases, make this a diiiicult problem. The importance of all these provisions for the vertical adjustment of the mounting and the machine will therefore be appreciated.

The unit I is provided with a posting shelf 65 supported in the re-entrant angle between the two front walls l9 and 2|.

The posting shelf 65 preferably is rectangular in outline and extends from the re-ent-rant portion of the unit i diagonally to the left partially across the front of the top wall lid of the unit. The posting shelf also extends forwardly some distance beyond the unit i as shown in Figs. 1 4, and 5. V

The posting shelf may be used in the position shown in Fig. -1 but in posting operations the shelf is usually adjusted to a position below the top wall of the unit 5 as shown in Fig. this position being determined to suit the comfort and convenience of the operator.

Figure 5 shows a rack NH for supporting ledger sheets or other sheets containing material to be posted resting on theposting shelf. This rack comprises -a base plate I33 andinclinedside plates 19-5 attached at their lower ends to said base plate. The posting shelf is attached to the unit so that it may be located in an uppermost position with its upper surface substantially in the plane of the upper surface of the top wall 11 as shown in Fig. 1 or in any one of a number of different positions below this uppermost position to suit the convenience of the operator and the character of the work being done. Fig. 5 shows the shelf in one of the latter positions. To enable 'the posting shelf to be quickly and easily located and secured to the unit in different vertical positions, two parallel spaced mounting bars 6'? are attached to the front wall 25 of the unit 4' in substantially vertical positions and each bar is formed with a series of vertically spaced holes 69 arranged to receive pins 1! projecting from "one of the rear edges of the posting shelf. These holes preferably are uniformly spaced vertically and are arranged in the two bars in pairs, the holes of which are at the same height or distance from the top wall [1;

substantially a vertical position and is formed with a series of openings 15 spaced to correspond A third mounting bar E3. is attached to the forward wall 119 of the unit in.

with the openings 69 to receive the projection 11, on a holding plate 19 attached to the underside of the posting shelf. The projection 11 is formed with a transverse slot 8| thereby producing a relatively narrow neck 83 and an end portion 85 having substantially the same width as the body of the projection TI, said slot being arranged to receive a portion of mounting bar 13. The openings I5 each comprise a lower portion slightly wider than the projection TI and a relatively narrow recess 81 to receive the neck 83 of said projections.

With this construction, in attaching the posting shelf to the unit I, the shelf is first manipulated to engage the pins H in the openings '69 of substantially the same height in the mounting bars 61. The shelf is then further manipulated to engage the projection 51 on the holding plate 79 in the lower portion of a corresponding opening I5 in mounting bar is. The movement of the shelf in a direction to insert the projection ii in the opening E5 is limited by the engagement of the stop face 3% on the holding plate '59 with the bar '83. The slot 8! is located on the projection 17 so that, when the movement of the shelf is thus limited, the slot 3! is placed in registration with the mounting bar l3. With the parts thus positioned, the portion of the shelf, to which the holding plate 19 is attached, is lifted to engage the neck 83 in the recess 81 in the opening as shown in Fig. 11, and to engage the portion to of the mounting bar I3 in the slot M. A locking bolt then operates to lock the parts in these relative positions.

This locking bolt is indicated at 9! and consists of a plate-like member mounted to slide on the under side of the plate F9 by means of headed studs 93 secured in the plate and engaging in slots 95 in the bolt. The bolt is acted upon by'a coil spring 9? which tends constantly to move the same to its outer or locking position. The bolt may be withdrawn by means of a downturned finger piece or handle 99 formed on the inner end of the bolt. The outer end of the'bolt has substantially the same width as that of the projection i? so as to fit in the lower portion of the opening l5. When the posting shelf is manipulated to engage the projection T? in the lower portion oft he opening 15, the locking bolt Si is pushed back by its engagement with the bar E3. When the portion of the posting shelf, to which the plate '55 it attached, is lifted to engage the neek ii in the recess 81, the bolt 9! snaps outward into the Wider portion of the opening 2'5 under the influence of the spring 9'? to lock the shelf in position.

' The re-entrant portion of the unit I extends only part way down from the top to the base of the unit. The unit is provided with a horizontal partition lii'i, extending from the front to the back of the unit between the top and bottom wall, and dividing the same into upper and lower compartments, the lowermost position of the posting shelf being just above this partition. Access to the upper compartment is provided for by mounting the portion lie of the top wall to swing upon hinges H39, Fig. 4, to a position above the unit.

The side walls 9 and II of the unit I are provided, below the partition Iil'i, with a series of grooves I l i in which are mounted forwardly and rearwardly movable slides H3 forming shelves to be used for the storage of supplies. The front of the lower compartment is closed by means of closure H5 suspended on a forwardly and rearwardly movable slide I I1 also mounted in grooves in the side walls of the unit I and located below the partition. This closure is arranged to engage between the side walls 9 and II and above the bottom wall, I5 when th slide II! is moved to its innermost position.

The unit 3 is provided with a partition II9 dividing the same into upper and lower compartments and a forwardly and rearwardly slidable drawer I2I is arranged in the upper compartment. The drawer is divided by across partition I23 into forward and rear chambers I25 and I21. The forward chamber I25 is particularly intended to receive bills after they are printed on the business machine. To enable the bills to be dropped into the chamber I25 when the drawer is closed, the top wall 39 of the unit is formed with an opening I29. A removable closure I3I is provided for this opening and, when inserted, rests upon plates E33 attached to the under side of the top wall 39 and each extending diagonally across a corner of the opening.

The portions of the

side walls

33 and 35 of the unit 3 below the partition H9 are formed with parallel spaced grooves I35 and shelves l3? arranged to slide forwardly and rearwardly in these grooves are provided 'to receive supplies. For convenience in the application of supply sheets to the shelves, and the removal of said sheets therefrom, the shelves may be pulled out so that their forward portions occupy different forward positions with relation to the unit 3 as shown in Fig. 2.

In order to close the forward end of the lower compartment, a closure H9 is mounted on and depends from a slide Mil arranged to slide forwardly and rearwardly in grooves in the

side walls

33 and 35 just below the partition I I9. This closure normally depends from the slide MI in the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2 and when the slide is moved rearwardly to its innermost position, with the closure in this position, the closure engages between the side walls of the unit and above the bottom wall to close the compartment.

To enable the closure 39 to be swung up out of the way when the forward end of the lower compartment is to be open, the closure is suspended from the slide I iI on hinges I53 to swing about a horizontal axis. The closure thus may be swung up against the underside of the slide as shown in Fig. 2. The closure may be held in this position by any suitable releasable latch. In the construction shown, the latch consists of a slide bar M5 having its ends down-turned to form handles and slidably mounted on the underside of the mounting or supporting plate I47 fixed to the underside of slide MI.

The parts are constructed so that the forward edge of the mounting plate Idl lies adjacent the rear edge of the closure I39 when the closure is folded up against the underside of the slide I li. The slide bar I65 is mounted on the forward margin of the plate It! and is normally retracted rearwardly beyond the rear'edge of the closure I39. The slide bar, however, is arranged to be projected laterally beyond the rear edge of the closure. The slide bar is provided with inclined slots I49 and is slid-ably mounted on the mounting plate I l? by means of headed studs I5! secured to the mounting plate and engaging in said slots. Thus when the slide bar is moved longitudinally on the mounting plate, it is shifted sidewise. When the slide bar is located longitudinally in one limiting position, its right-hand edge, Fig. 2, will :clear the rear edge portion :of the losure 139. When the closure is folded up, with the slide bar in this position, and the slide bar is then moved longitudinally to its opposite limiting position, the right-hand edge portion (Fig. 2) of the bar will be moved across the rear edge portion of the closure to hold the closure in folded position.

The closure N55 .is :mounted on the slide :i ll to swing on hinges (not shown) in substantially the same manner that the closure :5 3 9 is mounted on the .slide it! so that the closure silli maybe swung up out of the way against the slide Hi and the latter closure :is held in this position means of a latch bar such as the latch bar 145 shown in Fig. 3 or by any other suitablelatch .device.

.It will be noted that the posting shelf 5.5 is mounted the recess between the two angularly arranged front walls of the cabinet 1 and extends .from the rear or inner portion of said recess forwardly and to the left diagonally :toward the operators positionin front of the ma chine i. In billing from ledger sheets, these sheets may be placed in a rack liii resting on the shelf, the shelf being adjusted in :a vertical position most convenient for the operator. The closure l3l is removed from the opening 1.29 so that the bills or other worksheets, after be ing typed, may be dropped successively through the opening 11.29 into the compartment 525,. This prevents them from being blown about or otherwise displaced.

The slides or shelves H3 and i3? respectively are removable from the grooves in the side :walls of the corresponding unit and may be inserted in any set of grooves in the unit. ifhus the spacing of the shelves may be varied as desired.

It is to be understood that the particular structure shown in the drawings of this application is merely illustrative of the invention and that the invention is not limited thereto but that it may be embodied in other forms within. the scope of the claims.

Having explained the nature and object of the invention and having specifically described construction embodying the invention in its preferred form, what is claimed is:

1. In a machine supporting and cabinetassembly for business machines comprising ;a platform for supporting a business machine, means for supporting said platform at a distance from the floor upon which the assembly is placed With a space beneath the platform for the reception of the feet and legs of the operator including .i.

a structure for supporting one side of said platform, a cabinet located at the other side of said platform and devices on said cabinet for supporting the adjacent side of said platform; shelf mounted at the front of the cabinet and extending rearwardly for a substantial distance beyond the front of said platform and extending forwardly beyond the cabinet at an oblique angle thereto toward the position of the'operator and means for rigidly attaching at least two sides of said shelf to the forward portion of said cab-- inet in each of a plurality of vertical positions.

2. In a machine supporting and cabinet assembly for business machines comprising a shelf for supporting a business machine, -means for supporting said shelf at adistance from the floor upon which the assembly is placed with a space beneath the shelf for the reception of the feet and legs of the operator including a structure for supporting one side of said shelf, a cabinet located at the other side "of :said shelf and devices on said cabinet for supporting the latter side of said shelf; the cabinet having front walls arranged ito form an angular recesaa second shelf ID'OUIItBdlil-l said recess at the-front of the cabinet and extendin rearwandly for a substantial distancebeyond the .IfIlOIIt of said first shelf and extending forwardly :beyond the cabinet at an oblique angle thereto toward the position of the operator and means for rigidly attaching said latter shelf to at least two :of said angularly .arranged forward walls of said cabinet in each-of plurality :of verticalpositio-ns.

3. In a machine supporting and cabinet assembly for business machines comprising a cabinet, a device for supporting a business machine located at one side of said cabinet, means on said cabinet for supporting the adjacent side of said device and a cooperating supporting structure for supporting the opposite side of said device; a shelf attachable to the front of said cabinet in a plurality of vertical positions, fastening means on two or more edges on said shelf, means on a -.corresponding number of outer walls-of said cabinet and cooperable with said fastening means in each of said plurality of vertical positions for rigidly and releasably attaching said shelf to said cabinet, a compartment in the upper portion of said cabinet to the rear-of saidshelf and a compartment in the lower portion of said cabinet below the first compartment and below the lowermost position of said shelf.

4. In a machine supporting andcabinetassembly for business machines -comprising a cabinet having a plurality of front walls, a support for a business machine, means for attaching one side of said support to one side of said cabinet, and a supporting structure for the other side of said support, a plurality of sliding horizontal shelves mounted in vertically spaced relation in a lower portion of said cabinet, a shelf above said plurality of shelves, said shelf extending forwardly and obliquely from said cabinet, and cooperating means on a pluralityof sides .oisaid shelf and a corresponding plurality of said front walls of .said cabinet for rigidly attaching said shelf to said cabinet in each of a plurality of vertical positions of said shelf.

5. In a machine support and cabinet assembly for business machines comprising a cabinet having a plurality of front walls including a reentrant angular section, a platform for supporting a business machine, means supporting one side of said platform from the adjacent side of said cabinet, a supporting structure for supporting the other side of said platform, a shelf extending obliquely from said -re-entrant angular section of said cabinet, means on a plurality of adjacent sides of said shelf and on a corresponding plurality of walls of said re-entrant an ular section for rigidly and releasably attaching said shelf to said cabinet in each of a plural of vertically disposed positions and storage compartment in said :cabinet to the rear of said shelf.

-6. In a combined machine support and cabinet assembly for business machines including a cabinet, a device for supporting a business machine suspended on one side from the adjacent side of said .cabinet and means for supporting the other .side of saiddevice, the combination of a recess in the front of said cabinet, a shelf having a portion of the circumference :thereof shaped to conform :to the shape of said cabinet reces three or more attaching means on the circumference of said shelf, at leastjone of said attaching means being spaced apart from a line drawn through others of said attaching means and means cooperable with said attaching means and at a plurality of vertically spaced positions onsaid cabinet for rigidly attaching said shelf in said recess at various vertical positions.

7. In a combined machine support and cabinet assembly for business machines including a cab-,- inet, a device for supportinga business machine suspended on one side from, the adjacent side of said cabinet and means for supporting the other side of said .device, the combination of a shelf, an angular recess in the front of said cabinet, a portion of said shelf so formed as to enter into said recess in said cabinet, the remainder of said shelf extending in front of said cabinet at an oblique angle to the plane of the front of said cabinet, securing means on -a plurality of sides of said shelf and means on a corresponding plurality of walls of said cabinet at vertically spaced positions and cooperative with said securing means for rigidly attaching said shelf to said cabinet in each of said vertically spaced positions..

8. In a combined machine support and cabinet assembly for business machines including a cabinet, a device for supporting a business machine suspended ,on one side from the adjacent side of said cabinet and means for supporting the other side of said device, the combination of a shelf, an angular recess in the front of said cab- 10 inet, a portion of said shelf so formed as to enter into said recess in said cabinet, the remainder of said shelf extending in front of said cabinet at an oblique angle to the plane of the front of said cabinet, securing means on a plurality of sides of said shelf, a compartment in the upper portion of said cabinet to the rear of said shelf and a second compartment in the lower portion of said cabinet below the first compartment and below the lowermost position of said shelf.

WILLIAM H. VON HACHT.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS