US2719006A

US2719006A - clemens

Info

Publication number: US2719006A
Authority: US
Publication date: 1955-09-27
Anticipated expiration: 1972-09-27

Description

Sept. 27, 1955 G. s. CLEMENS HAND ADDING MACHINE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 15, 1954 Sept. 1955 G. s. CLEMENS HAND ADDING MACHINE 2 Sheets-Sheet Filed March 15, 1954 E70?! 16' Jaf 2512 Geo 5." (ZZezzzezz;

United States Patent l 2,7193006 HAND ADDING MACHINE George S. Clemens, Chicago, 111. Application March 15, 1954, Serial No. 416,284 8 Claims. (Cl. 23578) The present invention relates to a hand adding machine particularly suitable for use by a housewife in purchasing groceries at self-service stores.

Grocery stores of the so-called self-service type are arranged so that the customer picks out her purchases and then has them totalled by a checker to determine the sum to be paid. In the interest of maintaining the flow of customers through the stores, the checkers usually operate very fast, so that most customers cannot keep up with the items as they are checked ofl? or check the tally slip to be sure the charges are accurately made. If an error occurs the customer has no way to know that fact until the groceries have been taken out of the store and can be checked more slowly. It is then too late to take effective measures to correct the error.

The apparatus of the present invention overcomes this difiiculty by providing a simple, easily used adding machine by which the customer can tally the purchases as they are chosen. Since the choices are usually slow, it is possible to operate the machine without confusion. At all times it indicates the total of the purchases made so far and, when the customer approaches the checking counter, she has available a correct figure of the total of the purchases. If the store checker does not add the purchases to this figure, the customer can immediately challenge the clerk with confidence that there is a real error and not just the suspicion that one has occurred. Also the customer is assured at all times that the total of the purchases is within the amount of cash on her person, thus preventing the trouble and embarrassment of having to return goods to the shelves.

It is, therefore, a general object of the present invention to provide a simple hand adding machine suitable for use by customers at self-service grocery stores and the like.

Further it is an object of the present invention to provide an adding machine of the foregoing type in which the apparatus can total relatively large sums while still permitting the user to make readings accurate to the penny.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved hand adding machine wherein the dial which is rotated to indicate purchases is domed to define space in which the operating mechanism is located.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a hand adding machine having readily accessible elements to restore the counter wheel to the zero position.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide and improved hand adding machine wherein plunger-operated cam mechanism coacts with radially movable dogs to engage and disengage the counter wheel and the operating dial.

Further it is the object of the present invention to provide a hand adding machine which is small in size, easily used, inexpensive, and reliable to the end that it may be used effectively by housewives.

The novel features which I believe to be characteristic of my invention are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. My invention itself, however, together with further objects and advantages thereof will best be understood by reference to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is an enlarged top plan view of an adding machine constructed in accordance with the present invention;

Patented Sept. 2?, 1%55 Figure 2 is a side elevational view of the machine of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view through axis 3-3, Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view through axis 44, Figure 1;

Figure 5 is a view through axis 5'-5, Figure 4 with parts broken away to show the interior construction in clearer detail;

Figure 6 is a fragmentary enlarged view like Figure 2 but showing the adding machine with the handle unfolded to restore the unit to the zero condition; and

Figure 7 is a fragmentary view in perspective of an alternative embodiment of the invention.

With reference to Figures 1 and 2 the machine consists of a disc or base plate 10 which has a pair of diametrically opposed windows 10a and 10b respectively, each being in the form of an annular segment. The window ltla is identified as the cents window by suitable markings as shown and has a reference arrow for the purpose of reading the cents as hereinafter described. The window 10b is identified as the dollars window and cooperates with an arrow 10d also as hereinafter described. A knob 12 having a generally dome shape protrudes above the base plate 10 as shown in Figures 1 and 2. This knob has an annular flange 12a which extends outwardly and bears marginal indicia indicating a count up to 100 as shown in Figure 1. These indicia cooperate with the arrow The of the base plate as hereinafter described. As shown in Figure 4, the base plate ll) has a cylindrical flange or side wall 10 and at the marginal portions of this side wall receives the bottom closure disc 14. This disc is frictionally held in place, although it can be secured by adhesive or other means if desired.

As shown in Figure 4, a cents wheel 16 is mounted coaxially with the knob 12. This wheel is visible through the window 10a and bears indicia indicating numbers up to 100 as shown in Figures 1 and 5. The cents wheel 16 is afiixed to the bushing 18 by any suitable means, such as welding. This bushing is frictionally held on the hollow shaft 20, Figure 4, which at its bottom end 20a protrudes through the closure member 14 and at its opposite end extends through the base plate 10 and into the confines of the knob 12. As seen in Figure 4, the base plate 10 has an upstanding bushing portion 10g which receives the shaft 20.

The shaft 20 carries an annular disc 22 which is afiixed to the shaft by welding or other suitable means and seats on the top face of the bushing ltlg to hold the shaft against downward movement as seen in Figure 4. Upwardly of this disc, the shaft 20 extends to the threaded end portion 26c which protrudes from the knob 12 and ice carries the mating threaded nut 24. This nut holds theknob 12 against lifting movement, as seen in Figure 4. The shaft 20 is held against upward or lifting movement as seen in Figure 4 by the engagement of the inner edge of the cents wheel 16 with the small depending bushing 10h formed on the base plate 10.

The knob 12 is held in spaced relation with base plate 10 by the inturned bushing 1212. It will be noted that the bottom edge of this bushing seats against the annular shoulder 20d of the shaft 20, which shoulder is located slightlyabove the plate 22. As seen best in Figure 3, the plate 22 has a pair of diametrically opposed grooves 22a. Diametrically opposed dogs 26 are seated in these grooves as shown in Figures 3 and 4. Each of these dogs has an upstanding pin 26a as shown in Figure 3, which pin receives one end of the U-shaped spring 28 which is held on the plate 22 by the clamp 30 and screw 32. Clamp 30 causes each end of the spring 28 to bear down on dogs 26, thus preventing these dogs from being upended by downward force from cam portion 34c of push button 34. Each end of the spring 28 bears radially inwardly upon the corresponding pin 26a and thus pulls the dogs radially inwardly so that their inner ends 2612 seat against the central push button 34. The push button 34 has a large diameter cylindrical portion 34a, a contiguous smaller diameter cylindrical shoulder portion 34b, a conical cam portion 340, circular flange 34d, and a small diametrically depending cylindrical part 342. The portion 34a protrudes above the knob 12 and the portion 34e protrudes below the inturned portion 20e of the shaft 20 which forms a bearing therefor. The dogs 26 ride against either the conical cam portion 34c of push button 34 or the cylindrical portion 3417 depending on the axially shifted positions of the push button.

The knob 12 is of hollow conformation as shown in Figure 4 to define a space 12c in which the parts described above are located. The knob also has interior teeth 12d which are axially aligned with the dogs 26. One hundred of these teeth are provided so that each tooth corresponds to one cent of revolution (3.65 degrees). Moreover, each dog 26 has mating teeth 26c, Figure 3, located on its outer edge so that when the dogs move radially outwardly the teeth mesh with the teeth 12d to anchor the disc 22, and hence the shaft 20, to the knob 12.

When the push button 34 is in the up position of Figure 4, the dogs 26 seat against the lower portion of the conical face 34c of the push button and are thus retracted by spring 23 out of engagement with the teeth 12d. When in this position the knob 12 may be rotated independently of the shaft 20 and hence independently of cents Wheel 16. However, when the push button is depressed the dogs 26 are shifted radially outwardly and teeth portions 260 engage the teeth 12d of the knob 12. In this condition, rotation of the knob 12 rotates the cents wheel 16 in unison therewith.

The spiral spring 36 is positioned between the base plate 10 and the disc 22 and is held against excessive unwinding by the upstanding circular wall 101' formed on the base plate 10 as shown in Figure 5. At its inner end this spring bears against a radial shoulder 10j formed on the bushing 10g as shown in Figure 5. At its outer end the spring 36 has a hook-shaped portion 36a which bears against the downwardly turned portion 12 of the inwardly extending ear 122, Figure 3, formed on the knob 12 in axial alignment with the spring.

Immediately below the inwardly extending ear 12e, the knob 12 has a second ear 12g which extends inwardly as shown in Figure 3 and Figure to the point where it engages the shiftable stop 38. This stop rides in the segmented arcuate track 40 defined by the retaining Wall i of base 10 and by the wall 10k, as shown in Figure 5. The wall 10k is in two-part form so that the stop 38 can shift from a right hand position as shown in the solid lines of Figure 5 to a position shown in the dotted lines of Figure 5. When the stop 38 is in the position of the solid lines of Figure 5 the knob 12 is oriented with its zero pointer aligned with arrow 10c and cannot be rotated further in the clockwise direction. When the stop 38 is in the dotted line position of Figure 5 the knob 12 likewise has its zero pointer aligned with 102 but in this event cannot be turned further in the counterclockwise direction. The knob 12 is thus held against rotation over more than one full revolution and is brought to a stop at the zero position in each direction.

It will be observed that the pressure of spring 28 acting through dogs 26 on the conical cam face 34c of the push button 34 urges the push button in the up direction. However, the push button remains in the down position if shifted until the cylindrical portion 34b seats against the dogs 26.

The dollars wheel 41 is mounted on the underside of the base plate 10 between the cents wheel 16 and the base plate. It cooperates with window 10b to indicate 4 the dollars added. The dollars wheel 41 has a series of notches 41a which cooperate with the upstanding pin 16a of the cents wheel 16 to rotate the dollars wheel by the amount of one dollar each time the cents wheel executes a full revolution.

The cents wheel 16 has a series of teeth on its outer periphery as indicated at 16b. These teeth cooperate with the spring detents 42 to give a snap action which assures that the cents wheel comes to rest on integral cents values. The detents 42 are held in place by the rivets 42a.

The downwardly protruding end of the hollow shaft 20a has a collapsible handle 44 which in the use of the device for counting purposes is left in the folded position of Figure 4. When it is desired to restore the unit to the zero cents position, the handle 44 may be unfolded and turned to the requisite zero position. The handle 44 is shown in the unfolded position in Figure 6. As shown in Figure 6 the handle 44 has an arcuate portion 44a of size to extend about the shaft portion 20a and a pair of inturned ears 44b which are received in diametrically opposed recesses in the shaft 20a to permit the handle to be folded or unfolded as desired.

In use, the unit is first restored to the zero position by snapping the push button 34 to the up position and turning the shaft 20 by knob 44 until the indications in the dollars window 10b and the cents window 10a are zero. The knob 12 is returned to the zero position automatically by the spring 36. The push button 34 is then depressed, bringing the dogs 26 into engagement with the teeth 12a and causing these dogs to seat on the cylindrical portion 34b of push button 34. The push button remains in this position without further depressing. The knob 12 is then rotated by the amount of the first purchase, an amount indicated by the arrow 102, Figure 1. This rotation is given stepped snap action by the spring detent 42 and causes the cents wheel 16 to rotate in unison with the knob. When the desired number of cents are indicated the push button 34 is snapped to the up position of Figure 4 by pressure from beneath. This restores the knob 12 to the zero position and the push button 34a may then be depressed as before to connect the knob 12 to the cents wheel 16 and thus condition the unit for the next purchase. As each successive purchase is added in this fashion, he cents wheel 16 and the dollars wheel 41 cooperate with the windows 10a and 10b to indicate the totals of the purchases.

To facilitate assembly of the unit, the annular plate 22 has a marginal window 22b, Figure 3, which is of size to receive the ears 12a and 12g of the knob 12. The unit can thus be assembled by slipping the knob 12 on the shaft 20 and down to its operative position when the window 22b is registered with the ears 12c and 12g. The spring 36 can be held back by a suitable tool extending under the fiange 12a of the knob 12 and then released when the knob approaches its down position. The spring will then snap to the position of Figure 3.

The knob 12 may, if desired, be held in position by omitting window 22b, Figure 3, so that the car 12:: engages disc 22 to prevent lifting the knob 12. The nut 24, Figure 4, may then be omitted.

If desired, the portions 340. and 34e of the push button 34 may be in the form of a single cylindrical shape of diameter equal to portion 34a and the sleeve 20 modified to fit the push button.

In the alternate form of the unit shown in Figure 7, the ear 12g is formed on the plate 112 riveted to the skirt portion of the knob 12. This plate at its end portion extends radially inwardly as arm 112a which is hooked at 11% to hold end 36a of spring 36 as shown.

While I have shown and described a specific embodiment of the present invention it will be understood that various modifications and alternative embodiments may be made without departing from the true spirit and scope thereof. I, therefore, intend by the appended claims to cover all such modifications and alternative constructions as fall within the true spirit and scope.

What I claim is:

1. A hand adding machine comprising in combination: a base plate having a window; a cents wheel on one side of the plate in registry with the window; a knob on the other side of the plate coaxial with the cents wheel, the knob having indicia cooperative with the base plate to indicate cents, the cents wheel and the knob having hollow shaft portions; and an axially movable push button disposed within the hollow shaft portions of the knob and the cents wheel and operable in one axial position to interengage the same for rotations in unison and in another axial position to disengage the same for independent rotations.

2. A hand adding machine comprising in combination: a base plate having a window; a cents wheel on one side of the plate in registry with said window; a dome shaped knob on the other side of the plate coaxial with the cents wheel and defining a cavity in cooperation with the plate, the knob having indicia cooperative with the base plate to indicate cents, the cents wheel and the knob having hollow shaft portions; an axially movable push button disposed within the hollow shaft portions of the knob and cents wheel; and mechanism within the confines of the cavity operable to engage the knob to the cents wheel for rotations in unison therewith when the push button is in one axial position and to disengage the knob and the cents wheel for independent rotation when the push button is in another axial position.

3. A hand adding machine comprising in combination: a base plate having a window; a cents wheel on one side of the plate in registry with said window; a dome shaped knob on the other side of the plate coaxial with the cents wheel and defining a cavity in cooperation with the plate, the knob having indicia cooperative with the base plate to indicate cents, the cents wheel and the knob having hollow shaft portions; an axially movable push button having cam faces and disposed within the hollow shaft portions of the knob and cents wheel; and cam follower mechanism within the confines of the cavity operable to engage the knob to the cents wheel for rotations in unison therewith when the push button is in one axial position and to disengage the knob and the cents wheel for independent rotation when the push button is in another axial position.

4. A hand adding machine comprising in combination: a base plate having a window; a counter wheel on one side of the plate and having indicia registrable with the window, the counter wheel having a hollow central shaft portion; a knob coaxial with the counter wheel and defining an inside cylindrical face, the knob having a hollow central shaft portion; an axially movable push button disposed within the shaft portions of the knob and the counter wheel and having a conical face and a cylindrical face contiguous with the large end thereof; a radially shiftable dog mounted for rotations with the counter wheel and positioned to seat against the conical face or the cylindrical face of the push button in accord with the axial position thereof, the dog further being operable to seat against and engage the inside cylindrical face of the knob when seated against the cylindrical face of the push button thereby to engage the knob and the counter wheel for movement in unison; and means urging the dog radially inwardly to draw the same away from the inside cylindrical face of the knob to disengage the knob and the counter wheel when the push button is axially shifted to have the conical face thereof engage the dog.

5. A hand adding machine comprising in combination: a base plate having a window; a cents wheel on one side of the plate in registry with the window; a knob on the other side of the plate coaxial with the cents wheel, the knob having indicia cooperative with the base plate to indicate cents, the knob being domed to define a housing in conjunction with the plate; a hollow shaft integral with the cents wheel extending through the base plate and into the confines of the knob, the shaft having hand turning means; an axially movable push button disposed within the hollow shaft; and clutch elements operable to engage the hollow shaft and the knob for rotation in unison when the push button is in one axial position and to disengage the hollow shaft and knob for independent rotations when the push button is in another axial position.

6. A hand adding machine comprising in combination: a base plate having a window; a cents wheel on one side of the plate in registry with the window; a knob on the other side of the plate coaxial with the cents Wheel, the knob having indicia cooperative with the base plate to indicate cents, the knob being domed to define a housin conjunction with the plate; a hollow shaft integral with the cents wheel extending through the base plate and into the confines of the knob, the shaft having hand turing means; an axially movable push button disposed within the hollow shaft; and clutch elements operable to engage the hollow shaft and the knob for rotation in unison when the push button is in one axial position and to disengage the hollow shaft and knob for independent rotations when the push button is in another axial position; and stop elements on the base plate operable to arrest rotation of the knob at the zero cents position to confine rotation thereof to one full turn.

7. A hand adding machine comprising in combination: a base plate having a window; a cents wheel on one side of the plate in registry with the window; a knob on the other side of the plate coaxial with the cents wheel, the knob having indicia cooperative with the base plate to indicate cents, the knob being domed to define a housing in conjunction with the plate, and having internal cents teeth; a hollow shaft integral with the cents wheel extending through the base plate and into the confines of the knob, the shaft having hand turning means; an axially movable push button disposed within the hollow shaft; and clutch elements mounted for rotation with the shaft and having teeth on their outer extremes engageable with the internal teeth of the knob, the clutch elements being operable to engage the hollow shaft and the knob for rotation in unison when the push button is in one axial position and to disengage the hollow shaft and knob for independent rotation when the push button is in another axial position.

8. A hand adding machine comprising in combination: a base plate having a window; a cents wheel on one side of the plate in registry with the window; a knob on the other side of the plate coaxial with the cents wheel, the knob having indicia cooperative with the base plate to indicate cents, the knob being domed to define a housing in conjunction with the plate, and having internal cents teeth; a hollow shaft integral with the cents wheel extending through the base plate and into the confines of the knob, the shaft having hand turning means; an axially movable push button disposed within the hollow shaft; clutch elements mounted for rotation With the shaft and having teeth on their outer extremes engageable with the internal teeth of the knob, the clutch elements being operable to engage the hollow shaft and the knob for rotation in unison when the push button is in one axial position and to disengage the hollow shaft and knob for independent rotation when the push button is in another axial position; and detent means operably associated with the cents wheel to hold the same to integral cents positions.

Marshall Mar. 21, 1911 Perillo Mar. 20, 1951