US2828914A - ellerbeck - Google Patents

Description

April 1, 1958 G. c. ELLERBFECK COUNTER ACTUATOR Filed April 17, 1956 6 Sheets-Sheet 1 April 1, 1958 G. c. ELLERBECK COUNTER ACTUATOR 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 1'7, 1956 A ril 1, 1958 G. c. ELLERBECK 2,828,914

COUNTER ACTUATOR Filed April 17, 1956 6 Sheets-Sheet 3 FIIEI I:

April 1', 1958 Filed April 17, 1956 G. C. ELLERBECK COUNTER ACTUATOR 65heets-Sheet 4 Aprii l, 1958 G. c. ELLERBECK COUNTER ACTUATOR 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed April 17, 1956 A ril 1, 1958 G. c. ELLERBECK 2,828,914

I COUNTER ACTUATOR v Filed April 17, 1956 e Sheets-Sheet s FIE-m? azarus coonrnn ACTUATOR Grant C. Elierbeck, San Leandro, Calif., assignor to Friden, Inc., a corporation of California Application April 17, 1956, Serial No. 578,726

9 Claims. (Cl. 235-63) This invention relates to mechanical calculators and more particularly to an improved counter register drive, or actuator, for such a calculator.

It is among the objects of the invention to provide in a calculating or computing machine having an actuating mechanism and a counter register mounted in a shiftable carriage, a counter drive, or actuator, which drivingly engages the order of the counter in alignment with the lowest, or units order, of the actuator mechanism of the machine and momentarily engages successively higher orders of the counter register as the lower orders of this register are turned through ten unit spaces from their positions; which counter actuator is restricted to simple rotational movement and is effective to drive the counter register in a rapid, quiet and vibrationless manner; which does not interfere in any way with shifting of the carriage; which is reversible in rotational direction to selectively drive the counter in a positive or additive direction or in a negative or subtractive direction; which is resiliently held in driving position; which permits shifting of the carriage and clearing of the counter register without interference between the counter register and the counter register actuator; which operates the counter register in a manner to accumulate 1s in coincidence with the cyclic operation of the machine; and which is simple in construction and can be installed in an existing computing machine with no material modification of the existing machine structure.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent from a consideration of the following description and the appended claims in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary, longitudinal cross-sectional View of a calculating machine showing the application thereto of a counter actuator illustrative of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary, longitudinal cross-sectional view of the right side of the right-hand frame plate of the machine shown in Fig. 1, showing particularly the drive and clutch mechansims, taken on a plane substantially parallel to, and spaced to the right of, the section plane of Fig. 1; r

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary, longitudinal cross-sectional view of the left side of the frame plate shown in Fig. 2, being taken on a plane disposed between, and substantially parallel to, the section planes of Figs. 1 and 2;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary elevational view of the righthand side of the control plate of the machine, with the machine cover and register carriage removed, being taken on a plane to the right of that shown in Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view on a plane at right angles to the section planes of Figs. 1, 2 and 3 and indicated by the line 5-5 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view on a plane indicated by the line 6-6 of Fig. 1 and with parts omitted to simplify the drawings;

Fig. 7 is a transverse cross-sectional view on a plane indicated by the line 77 of Fig. 6; and,

2,8233% Patented Apr. 1, 1958 ice Fig. 8 is a fragmentary perspective view of the counter register actuator.

With continued reference to the drawings and particularly to Figs. 1 and 2, the actuating mechanism of the calculating machine comprises an ordinal series of actuator shafts 15 disposed in spaced-apart and parallel relationship to each other longitudinally of the machine and journalled at their forward ends in suitable bearing apertures 16' provided in a transverse mechanism supporting frame member, or plate, 17. At their rear ends the shafts 15 are journalled in individual bearing sleeves 13 mounted in apertures in a transverse frame member 19 which is disposed rearwardly of, and substantially parallel to, the transverse frame member 1'7. Intermediate their lengths, the actuating shafts pass through a recessed portion 20 of a third, or intermediate, transverse member 21.

For a calculating machine having a ten order keyboard, there will be five regular actuating shafts 15 and a sixth shaft spaced to the left of the five regular actuating shafts, the sixth shaft being used for the division programming operation of the machine. The arrangement of actuator shafts and the division programming mechanism is shown in Patent NOS. 2,273,857 and 2,229,889, patented respectively on February 24, 1942 and January 28, 1941, by C. M. F. Friden, to which patents reference may be had for a more detailed illustration and description of this mechanism.

Each actuator shaft 15 carries two stepped actuating drums, as indicated at 25 and 26, and each of these drums is composed of a series of gear sectors extending longitudinally of the corresponding actuator shaft and carrying different numbers of gear teeth from 1 to 9.

A series of square shafts 27 extend longitudinally of the machine above, and parallel to, the actuator shafts 15, there being one square shaft for each keyboard order, or two square shafts associated with each actuator shaft 15. A pair of selection gears 28 and 29 are slidably mounted on each square shaft 27 at the location of the corresponding actuating drum 25 or 26. The selection gears are drivingly engaged with the corresponding square shaft 27 by reason of the fact that the square shaft extends through a square bore in the hub of each of the selection gears.

The selection gears of each pair are differentially positioned along the corresponding square shaft 27 by selection slides, as indicated at 30 and 31, there being one slide for each selection gear. Each slide has at its rear end, a depending yoke formation 32 engaged in an annular groove in the hub of the corresponding selection gear.

The selection slides 39 and 31 are arranged in pairs with one pair of slides extending under each ordinal row of the keyboard keys. The portion of the slides extending under their respective keyboard keys are provided in their upper edges with V-notches having differentially inclined cam faces 35. Each keyboard key has a flat stem 36 mounted for vertical movement in the key-board frame 37 by a pair of vertically spaced-apart rods 38 and 39 extending transversely of the keyboard frame and through corresponding slots extending longitudinally of the key stem. Near its lower end, each key stern carries a laterally projecting stud 40 which engages the corresponding cam edge 35 of the associated slide to move the slide forwardly of the machine a distance proportional to the digit value of a depressed key. The two slides of each pair, associated with a common row of keyboard keys, have their cam edges 35 so arranged that one of the slides responds to depression of the keys numbered 1 to 5 while the other slide responds to depression of the keys numbered 6 to 9, inclusive. The selection gears 28 and 29 controlled by the slides are so arranged relative to the associated actuator drum 26 that one of the selection gears is movable to selected positions relative to the drum sectors carrying gear teeth from "1 to 5 and the other selection gear is movable relative to those sectors carrying gear teeth from 6" to 9.

Each square shaft 27 is journalled at its forward end in a corresponding bearing aperture 4-1 in the transverse frame plate 17 and at its rear end in a bearing aperture, or recess, 4-2 in a rear transverse frame plate 45. Intermediate their lengths, the square shafts 27 extend through, and are journalled in, the intermediate transverse frame member 21.

A detent wheel 4-6 is fixed on each square shaft 27 adjacent the forward side of the rear transverse frame member 45 and engages with a ball detent 47 mounted in a rail 48 which is mounted on the rear transverse frame member 45 and extends across the upper portion of the forward face, or surface, of this frame member. A spool gear 50 is slidably mounted on each square shaft 27 for rotation with the square shaft and is disposed just forwardly of the corresponding detent wheel 46. Each of these spool gears has an intermediate portion 51 of cylindrical shape, and beveled gears 52 and 53 disposed one at each end of the cylindrical intermediate portion 51, to drive the co-ordinal unit of the accumulator register of the machine, as will be later described in detail.

For a more detailed illustration and description of the selection mechanism, reference may be had to Patent No. 2,273,857, patented February 24, l942, by C. M. F. Friden.

The actuator shafts 15 are all driven by a common main power shaft 60 which extend along the forward side of the transverse frame member 17 and is drivingly connected to the several actuator shafts by individual, beveled gear connections 61. The drive shaft 66 is cyclically driven by the machine motor through mechanism particularly illustrated in Fig. 2. The motor driven shaft 62 extends through an aperture in the right-hand side plate 63 of the machine and carries at the outer, or righthand side, of this plate a small gear wheel 64-. The gear 64 meshes with an idler gear 65 journalled on a stud, or stub axle, 66 carried by the frame side plate 63, and the idler gear, in turn, meshes with a clutch gear 67 journalled on the right-hand end of the main drive shaft 6% The clutch gear 67 is drivingly connected to the power shaft 65 through a cyclic, or single rotation, clutch, generally indicated at 70, of well-known construction. The gear 67 is provided with a ratchet hub 71, associated with which is a clutch disk 72 fixed on the shaft 60 adjacent the hub 71 and carrying a rockable clutch pawl 73. The pawl 73 is rockably mounted on the disk 72 by a pivotal mounting 74 extending through the intermediate portion of the pawl. The pawl is provided, intermediate its length, with a clutch tooth 79 which is moved into engagement with the teeth of the ratchet hub 71 by a spring 75 connected between the disk 72 and one end of the pawl 73. At its end to which the spring 75 is connected, the pawl is provided at its outer side with a shoulder 76 for engagement by a clutch control arm 77. The clutch control arm 77 is rockably mounted intermediate its length on a pivotal mounting 78 carried by the frame side plate 63 and has its lower end formed as an abutment engageable with the shoulder 76 on the clutch pawl 7 3.

A lever 80, disposed forwardly of the clutch control arm 77, is pivotally mounted intermediate its length on a pivotal mounting 81 supported by the frame side plate 63. The upper end of the lever 89 is connected to the upper end of the clutch control arm 77 by a link 82, and is connected to a single cycle mechanism by a second link 33 which is also pivotally connected to the upper end of the lever 86 and extends forwardly therefrom. A tension spring 84, connected between the link 83 and the frame side plate 63, resiliently pulls the links 83 and 62 forwardly and urges the control arm 77 to rock in a counter-clockwise direction (as viewed in Fig. 2) to move the lower end of the control arm into position to engage the shoulder 76 of the clutch pawl.

When the lower end of the clutch control arm 77 engages the shoulder 76 of the clutch pawl 73, the corresponding end of the clutch pawl is swung outwardly against the force of the spring and the tooth of the pawl is disengaged from the ratchet hub 71 of the gear 67 so that this gear may rotate freely on the main drive shaft 60 without rotating the drive shaft. When the links 37. and 83 are moved rear-wardly against the force of spring 84, by means to be later described, the lower end of the control arm 77 is moved out of engagement with the shoulder 76 and the spring 75 is then free to swing the clutch pawl 73 to engage the tooth of the pawl with the ratchet hub 71 and thereby drivingly connect the gear 67 to the shaft 66. If the links 82 and 83 and the control arm 77 are released to the effect of the spring 84 before the cycle thus initiated is completed, the control arm will be swung back into position such that, as the cycle is completed, the shoulder 76 of the clutch pawl will reengage the lower end of the control arm 77 and swing the pawl out of engagement with the ratchet hub 71, thereby releasing the gear 67 from the shaft 66 at the end of the cycle. This provides the single cycle operation of the clutch, however, if the control arm 77 is held out of engagement with the shoulder 76 of the clutch pawl, the gear 67 will drive the shaft 60 through continuous cycles until the control arm is released. The control arm 77 carries a roller 85 which rides on the peripheral edge of the clutch disk 72 and this disk is provided at the angular position in which the roller contacts the disk, when the the disk is in full-cycle position, with a peripheral recess, not illustrated. When the roller 85 rides into this recess in the disk 72, the control arm 77 is free to rock in a direction to engage the pawl shoulder 76. However, at all other times during the clutch cycle the control arm is held out of engagement with the clutch pawl so that the clutch will always fully complete a cyclic rotation of the shaft 69.

At its lower end, the lever 80 is connected to the front end of an elongated link 86, the rear end of which is provided with a hook formation 87 which engages a suitable switch, not illustrated, to control the supply of electrical energy to the machine motor and energize the motor when the clutch 70 is engaged.

A beveled, register drive gear 90 (Fig. 1) is disposed over the intermediate portion 51 of each of the spool gears 50. It will be recalled that the spool gears are longitudinally translatable along the corresponding square shafts 27, thereby selectively and alternatively meshing the beveled gears 52 and 5'3 with the coordinal gears 96 to provide driving connections between thee actuating mechanism and the accumulator, or product register, of the machine. When the spool gears 50 are shifted rearwardly to mesh the forwardly disposed gears $2 with the coordinal gears 90, the mechanism is conditioned for positive, or additive, operation of the accumulator register. When the spool gears 50 are translated or shifted forwardly to mesh the rearwardly disposed gears 53 with the coordinal register drive gears 96, the mechanism is conditioned for negative, or subtractive, operation.

The shifting of the spool gears 5% is controlled by an add-subtract gate, generally indicated at 91, which gate comprises a bail of rectangular shape supported on a rockshaft 92. The bail has an intermediate portion 93 in the form of a flat strap disposed immediately below the intermediate portions 51 of the spool gears 54). This strap has a width slightly less than the length of the intermediate portions of the spool gears so that the edges of the strap will engage the inner faces of the gear elements 52 and 53 to shift the spool gears forwardly or rearwardly when the strap 93 is moved forwardly or rearwardly. The gate 91 is mounted on the shaft 92 by a pair of bail legs 94, only one of which is seen in Fig. i, that are rigidly mounted on the rockshaft 92 and which support the two ends of the strap portion 93 of the gate, so that rocking of the shaft 92 will selectively condition the mechanism for addition or subtraction.

Referring to Fig. 3, arm 95 projects upwardly from the rockshaft 92 to the right of the add-subtract gate bail. An add-subtract control slide 96 is pivotally connected near its rearward end to the upper end of the arm 95 and extends forwardly from the arm 95 along the inner side of the control plate 97 of the machine frame.

An addition key, or add bar, 98 has a flat stem 99 slidably mounted, as by conventional pin-and-slot mountings, for substantially vertical movement on the control supporting plate 97 of the machine frame. A subtraction key 108 is disposed immediately rearwardly of the addition key 98 and has a fiat stem 101 similarly supported on the control plate 97 for vertical movement. The addsubtract control slide 96 extends forwardly from its pivotal connection with the upper end of the arm 95 past the key stems 101 and 99 and is provided with oppositely inclined cam edges 102 and 103 laterally adjacent the inner, or lefthand, sides of the key stems 99 and 181, respectively. A stud 104 projects laterally from the key stem 99 in position to engage the cam edge 182 when the addition key 98 is depressed and force the slide 96 rearwardly to condition the mechanism for positive, or additive, operation of the accumulative register; and a similar stud 105 projects laterally from the key stem 101 to engage the cam edge 103 when the subtraction key 100 is depressed and shift the slide 96 forwardly to condition the mechanism for negative, or subtractive, operation of the accumulative register.

A clutch control slide 118 extends longitudinally of the machine at the inner, or left-hand, sides of the key stems 99 and 10.1 and is supported for longitudinal movement on the control plate 97. This slide is provided in its upper edge with similarly inclined notches 111 and 112. The key stems 99 and 101 are provided with laterally projecting pins, or studs, 113 and 114, respectively, which move into the inclined notches 111 and 112 when the control keys 98 and 108 are depressed to move the clutch control slide 110 rearwardly. A pin 115 extends to the left from the forward portion of the slide 110 toward the frame plate 63 and into a notch 116(Fig. 2) in the lower edge of the link 83 to shift the links 83 and 82 rearwardly when the clutch control slide 110 is moved rearwardly by depression of the addition key 98 or the subtraction key 180. Rearward movement of the links 83 and 82 rocks the clutch control arm 77 and the lever 80 clockwise (as viewed in Fig. 2) to engage the main clutch 70 of the machine and close the motor switch to thereby cause the machine to cycle upon depression of the addition or subtraction control key.

A part of the division control mechanism is shown in Fig. 3 and includes a division key 120 disposed immediately forwardly of the addition key 98. It has a flat stem 121 slidably mounted for vertical movement on the control plate 9'7 of the machine frame. At its lower end the key stem 121 has a rearwardly facing, inclined cam edge 122 which bears against a roller 123 projecting laterally from the forward end portion of a division setting slide 124. The slide 124 is mounted for longitudinal movement on the control plate 97 and is moved rearwardly when the division key 1261 is depressed. A pin 125 projects to the right from the intermediate portion of the setting slide 124 and engages the forward end of a hook-shaped trigger arm 126 (Fig. 4) pivotally mounted at its opposite end on the control plate 97 by a pivotal mounting 127. A spring 128, connected between the arm 126, below the pivotal connection 127 and a spring anchor 129 projecting from the control plate 97, urges the trigger arm in a counter-clockwise direction (as viewed in Fig. 4) to maintain the forward end of the arm against the stud 125. Near its angle, the arm 126 is provided with a shoulder 138 extending to the forward edge of the arm. A roller stud 136 carried at the forward end of a division actuating lever 135, normally rests on the shoulder 130. The lever 135 is a bellcrank lever pivoted at its angle on a fixed pivotal support 137 and has one arm 138 extending forwardly form the pivotal support 137 which carries the roller stud 136 at its forward end and a second arm 139 extending upwardly from the pivotal support 137 which is provided at its upper end with a cam edge 140 on its forward side. A strong spring 141 is connected between the arm 138 of the actuating lever 135 and the spring anchor 129 and, when latch, or trigger, arm 126 is rocked rearwardly by depression of the division key 121) to release the roller stud 136 from the shoulder of the trigger arm, the spring 141 rocks the arm in a counter-clockwise direction (as viewed in Fig. 4) to set the division mechanism, as will be presently explained. During the first machine cycle occasioned by rocking of the division actuating arm 135, a stud 142 mounted eccentrically on a gear 143 carried by the main power shaft 60 to the right of the control plate 97, engages the cam edge of the lever arm 139 and resets the lever 135 so that the roller stud 136 again rests on the shoulder 130 of the trigger arm 126. Replacing of the roller 136 on the shoulder 130 frees the trigger arm 126 to swing forwardly under the urgency of the spring 128 and this shifts the setting slide 124 forwardly, to restore the division key 120 to its raised, or normal, position.

A division control lever 144 (Fig. 3) is disposed at the left-hand side of the control plate 97, being pivotally mounted intermediate its length on a pivotal support 145 carried near the upper end of a division programming arm 146. The programming arm 146 is pivotally mounted at its lower end on a fixed pivotal support 147 and is provided in its upper portion with an opening 148, receiving an eccentric cam 149 mounted on a shaft 150. When the shaft 150 is rotated, the cam 149 swings the programming arm 146 to program the division operation in a manner well known in the art and described in detail in Patent No. 2,327,981, patented August 31, 1943, by C. M. F. Friden. The division control lever 144 extends rearwardly and forwardly of the pivotal mounting 145 and is pivotally connected at its forward end to the lower end of a link 155, the upper end of which is connected to the forward end of a bellcrank lever 156. The bellcrank lever is mounted at its angle on a fixed pivotal support 157 and has an arm 158 projecting upwardly from the fixed pivotal mounting 157 and bearing against a stud 159 projecting to the left from the forward portion of the clutch control slide 110. A pin, or stud, 160 projects from the lower end of the link under the arm 138 of the division actuating lever 135 so that, when lever 135 is rocked clockwise by spring 141, as described above, it strikes stud and forces this stud downwardly. Downward movement of the stud 160,

.. and link 155 from which the stud projects, rocks the division control lever 144 in a clockwise direction and bellcrank lever 156 in a counter-clockwise direction, as viewed in Fig. 3. When bellcrank lever 156 is rocked in a counter-clockwise direction, the arm 158 of this lever, in engagement with the pin 159, moves the clutch control slide 110 rearwardly to engage the main clutch 70 of the machine and close the motor switch. When the division control lever 144 is rocked in a clockwise direction, a pin 161 projecting from the add-subtract control slide 96 is brought into a notch 162 in the upwardly directed rear end of the lever 144. Movement of the pin 161 into the notch 162, with the cam 149 in full-cycle position, shifts the slide 96 forwardly to mesh the spool gear elements 53 with the register drive gears 90 to condition the mechanism for subtractive operation. The mechanism for programming the division operation has; not been shown or described but is well-known to the art and fully shown and described in the above-mentioned. Friden Patent No. 2,327,981.

The machine frame includes a left-hand side plate 163vv was (Figs. 1 and 5). This side plate, together with the right hand side plate 63, the control mounting plate 97 and the various transverse frame members, or plates, constitute a support for the machine mechanism, as above described, and also for the shiftable register carriage, generally indicated at 165 in Fig. l. The carriage has an elongated hollow, or tubular, frame 166 of substantially rectangular cross-sectional shape, which frame carries the accumulator, or product register, and partially supports the counter, or quotient register. The carriage 165 is supported on the mechanism supporting structure of the machine for longitudinal shifting, or reciprocatory, movement across the orders of the actuating mechanism of the machine. At its rearward side, the frame 166 is provided with a longitudinally extending ledge, or rib, 167 spaced above the bottom surface of the frame and slidably supported on the top surface of the rail 48. The rail 48 is carried by the rear transverse frame member 45, as previously described, near the upper edge of this transverse frame member. A front rail 169 is secured to the carriage frame 166 in spaced, and parallel relationship, to the front side of the frame. This rail is supported by suitable rollers 17!) carried at the rearward side of a transverse frame member 171, which extends between the left-hand and right-hand side plates of the machine frame near the top edges of the side plates.

The accumulator, or product register, comprises a series of dial assembly units ordinally spaced longitudinally of the carriage frame 166. Each of these units comprises a dial shaft 172 extending perpendicularly through the frame 166, each of which carries on its lower end, below the bottom surface of the carriage frame, the beveled drive gear 91) and on its upper end, above the upper surface of the carriage frame, a numbered dial 173. A zero stop cam 174 is mounted on the shaft 172 between the dial 173 and the top surface of the frame 166. A tens-transfer cam 175 is mounted on the shaft 172 between the gear 90 and the bottom surface of the carriage frame 166. A detent wheel 176 is mounted on the shaft 172 in the lower portion of the interior of the hollow frame 166 and cooperates with a ball detent 177 mounted in the rearward portion of the carriage frame to center the dial 173 in selected numerical positions. A mutilated clearing gear 1'73 is mounted on the shaft 172 in the upper portion of the hollow in- 172 to the positions of the dials 173 when the rack 179 is moved to the right relative to the frame 166.

The counter, or quotient register, comprises a series of dial assembly units ordinally spaced-apart along the carriage in front of the frame 166. Each assembly comprises a dial shaft 135, journalled at its front end in the front rail 169 of the carriage and at its rear end in the front portion of the carriage frame 166, and has its rotational axis substantially perpendicular to the rotational axis of the coordinal accumulator register dial shaft 172'. Each counter register dial shaft 185 carries, intermediate its length, a numbered dial 186, a dent wheel 187 at its end journalled in the carriage frame 166 and a drive gear, or wheel, 138 at its end journalled in the front rail 169. The detent wheel 137 cooperates with a ball detent 185* carried by the front portion of the carriage frame 166 to center the associated dial 186 in the digit position to which the dial is turned by the drive wheel 188. A mutilated clearing gear 190 is mounted on each dial shaft 185 and cooperates with a two-part clearing rack 191, extending along the front side of the carriage frame 166. The rack, which is supported on spaced-apart guides 192 projecting forwardly from the carriage frame, meshes with the clearing gears 19% to turn the dials 186 to their 0 positions when the Cir rack 191 is moved to the right relative to the carriage frame 166.

The carriage is provided with a cover 193 which is provided with windows, or apertures, 194 through which the numbers on the dials 173 may be viewed, and with apertures, or windows, 195 through which the numbers on the dials 186 may be viewed.

The spool gear elements 52 and 53 are effective to turn the coordinal dial drive gears at a one-to-one ratio so that the dial shafts 172 will be rotationally displaced the same amount that the coordinal square shafts 27 are turned by the actuator drums 25 and 26. As previously stated, the direction of rotation of the dial shafts 172 and dials 173 is controlled by the meshing of the gear 90 with the spool gear element 52 or the spool gear element 53.

it'lc s are provided for effecting a tens-transfer to the next higher order of the accumulator register when any dial shaft has been rotated in either direction through its 9 to its 0 position. A series of tens-transfer levers 196 of bellcrank shape, is mounted on the under side of the carriage frame 166 by individual pivotal mountings, not identified. Each of these levers has a rail portion engageable by the coordinal tens-transfer cam 175. A tens-transfer gear 197 is mounted on each square shaft 27 just forwardly of the corresponding spool gear 50. Each one of these tens-transfer gears comprises an elongated hub having at its forward end a ten-tooth gear element 193 and having near its rearward end a pair of spaced-apart, annular flanges 199. A detenting element 269 is disposed below each tens-transfer gear B 7, being mounted on a shaft 26:1 slidably supported at its ends in the transverse frame member 19 and in a transverse frame member 262 disposed to the rear of the member 19. The detent member 2% has a pair of spaced-apart, annular flanges 2 13 which receive between them one of the flanges 199 on the coordinal tens-transfer gear 197. Each transfer lever 1% has at its forward end a downwardly offset lug 2M disposed between the flanges 199 of the tens transfer gear of the order next above the order of the dial shaft 172 carrying the tens-transfer earn with which the tail portion of the lever 11% engages. The arrangement is such, that when a dial 173 turns through its 9 to its 0 position, the corresponding tens-transfer cam 175 rocks the associated ten-transfer lever 196 and the lever 1: 36 moves the tens-transfer gear 197 of the next higher order forwardly to operative position, simultaneously moving the associated detenting element 200 forwardly. When a tens-transfer gear 197 has been moved forwardly to operative position, a single tens-transfer tooth 211 on the associated actuator shaft 15 engages the tenstransfer gear element 19;; immediately after the teeth on the actuating drums carried by that shaft have passed the associated selector gears 28 and 29 to impart an additional increment of rotation to the square shaft carrying the tenstransfer gear which has been set to operative position. This will rotate the corresponding square shaft and the coordinal dial shaft 172 one additional unit space in the appropriate direction to make the tens-transfer from the lower to the higher order. Near the end of the machine cycle, a restore cam 211 on the actuator shaft 15 engages the forward end of the shaft Ztll of the detenting element 2% and restores the detenting element and the associated tens-transfer gear 197 rearwardly to inoperative position.

Suitable mechanism is provided for shifting the carriage to the right and to the left, which mechanism is fragmentarily illustrated in Fig. 5 and illustrated and described in detail in Patent No. 2,313,817, issued March 16, 1943, to C. M. Friden, and Patent No. 2,679,916, issued June 1, 1954, to M. P. lviatthew. As shown in Fig. 5, the two right-hand actuator shafts 15, designated at 15 2 and 151;, are extended rearwardly and terminate at their rearward ends just forwardly of the rear transverse frame plate 45. Clutch elements 215 and 216 are rockably mounted on the rear ends of the shafts 15a and 15b, respectively, and corresponding clutch disks 217 and 218 are disposed against the forward side of the frame member 45 in alignment with the elements 215 and 216 and are respectively engageable by these elements. The disk 217 is mounted on the forward end of a gear arbor 219, carrying a spur drive gear 220. The disk 218 is mounted on the forward end of a gear arbor 22f carrying a spur drive gear 222. The gear 222 meshes with a reversing gear and this reversing gear and the gear 228 both mesh with the larger element 223 of a compound gear mounted on a gear shaft, or arbor, not shown, between the gear arbors 219 and 221. A gear 224 is mounted on an arbor 225 above the gear 223 and meshes with the smaller part, not illustrated, of the compound gear. The gear arbor 225 is supported at its front end in the frame cross plate 45 and at its rear end in a bearing plate 226 secured to, and spaced rearwardly, from the plate 45. A pin wheel is mounted on the arbor 225, rearwardly of the gear 224. This pin wheel comprises a flat disk 227 drivingly connected to the gear 224 and pins 223 projecting forwardly from the disk 227 in spaced relationship to the rotational axis of the disk and at substantially equal angular intervals around the disk. There are four of the pins 228 and the ratio between the drive gears 226 and 222 and the gear 224 is such that the disk 227 is driven one-fourth of a rotation for each complete rotation, or cycle, of the actuator shafts 15a and 15b.

As shown in Fig. l, a shifting rack 23% is mounted on, and extends along, the carriage frame 166 in spaced and parallel relationship to the rear side of this frame. This rack is provided with ordinally spaced-apart notches 231 in which the pins 228 engage when the disk 227 is rotated, to shift the carriage one ordinal space in the appropriate direction for each rotation of the drive gear 220 or the drive gear 222.

Suitable means are provided for selectively rocking the clutch elements 215 and 216 into engagement with the corresponding clutch disks 217 and 218. These two mechanisms comprise clutch control rods 235 and 236 extending along the actuator shafts 15a and 15b in spaced and parallel relationship to these shafts, and slidably through the transverse frame plate 17. At their rear ends, the control rods 235 and 236 carry heads, or yoke members, 237 and 2338, respectively, which are effective to rock the corresponding clutch elements 215 and 216 to operative position when the corresponding rods 235 and 236 are shifted rearwardly. I

The control rods 235 and 236 are urged forwardly to disengage the corresponding carriage shift clutches by springs 239 and 240 disposed around the control rods at the forward side of the transverse frame member 17. These control rods are forced rearwardly to engage the corresponding clutches by pivoted arms 241 and 242 and pusher links 243 and 244. The arm 241 is connected at one end to a shaft 245 and at its other end to one end of the pusher link 2437, the other end of which link bears against the front end of the control rod 235. Av second arm 246 is connected to the shaft 245 and moved by a carriage shift control key, not illustrated but well-known to the art, to rock the shaft 245 and thereby rock the arm 2411 in a direction to move the control rod 235 rearwardly to engage the clutch element 215 with the clutch disk 217 and thereby condition the shift mechanism for left-hand shift of the carriage. The arm 242 is connected at one end to the left-hand end of a sleeve 247 which receives the shaft 265. This arm 242 is connected at its lower end to the forward end of the pusher link 244, the rearward end of which bears against the forward end of the control rod 236. A second arm 248 is connected to the sleeve 247 and is rocked by a second carriage shift control key in a manner to rock the sleeve 247 and arm 242 in a direction to force the control rod 236 rearwardly and thereby engage the clutch element 216 with the clutch disk 218 10 to condition the mechanism for right-hand shift of the carriage.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the add-subtract gate 91 is urged to its neutral, or centered, position, in which both of the gears 52 and 53 of each spool gear are out of mesh with the corresponding dial drive gears 90, by a resilient centering device, generally indicated at 250. Since there are suitable interlocks between the addition and subtraction keys and the carriage shift keys and since, in division, the gate is automatically moved to its center, or neutral, position before the carriage is shifted, shifting of the carriage by the above-described carriage shifting mechanism will take place only when the add-subtract gate is in neutral position. This avoids interference between the spool gear elements and the dial driving gears while the carriage is being shifted.

Suitable mechanism is provided for power clearing of the registers and this mechanism is also fragmentarily illustrated in Fig. 5. As shown, the left-hand actuator shaft, designated at 15c, is elongated to a position adjacent the rear frame cross-member 45 and the rear end of this shaft is provided with a fixed collar 255 and a shiftable clutch element 256 having projections engaged in recesses in the collar 255 fixed to the shaft 15c so that the element 256 will rotate with this shaft in both the retracted and projected positions of the element. A cam shaft, or arbor, 257 extends through the cross plate 45 and a backing plate 258 fixed to the cross plate, and is provided at its forward end with a clutch formation 259 engageable by the clutch element 256, when the latter is shifted rearwardly, to rotate the arbor 257 when the shaft rotates. A cam 260 is mounted on the arbor-257 and engages a lever 261 to rock this lever when the cam rotates. The lever 261 is connected by a pin-and-slot connection to a slide 262 slidably mounted on the rear face of the crossbar 45. This slide carries an car 263 which is adapted, in the leftmost position of the carriage 165, to engage a power bar 269 (Fig. 1) mounted on, and extending along, the carriage frame 166. The power bar 269 is connectable at its right-hand end to the clearing racks 179 and 191 to selectively clear the accumulator and counter registers, as is fully disclosed in Patent No. 2,310,281, issued February 9, 1943, to C. M. F. Friden. The clutch including the element 256 is controlled by clutch control rod 265 which extends in spaced and substantially parallel relation to the shaft 150 from the clutch element 256 through the transverse frame member 17. A yoke 266 mounted on the rear end of the rod 265 engages the clutch element 256 to move this element into, and out of, driving engagement with the clutch formation 259. A spring 267, surrounding the rod 265 forwardly of the cross-member 17, resiliently urges the rod in a forward direction to disengage the clutch. The rod 265 is moved rearwardly by suitable mechanism including a register clearing control key, not illustrated, and a pusher link 268, the rear end of which engages the front end of the rod 265. Suitable interlocks are provided to insure that the add-subtract gate will also be in neutral position whenever the power clearing key is operated to clear one or both of the registers.

Suitable mechanism is provided to drive the counter register and this mechanism includes a cam shaft 275 (Figs. 1 and 6) which extends transversely of the machine immediately below the counter register drive wheels 188 which carries a plurality of ordinally arranged helical cams, the pitch of the helix of each cam being equal to the pitch of the teeth on the counter drive gears 188. Each of these cams is of similar shape, having a flattened portion adjacent the points of the helix. Also, the helix does not form a complete circle so that there is, between the points of the helix, a discontinuity, or break, 277 between the two ends t of the helix adapted to receive the lower portion of the coordinal drive gear 188 when the cams are in their full-cycle position, as is clearly shown in Fig. 1.

Each counter register dial drive gear 1% is of circular shape and concentrically mounted on the corresponding dial shaft 185. Each of these drive gears, or wheels, is provided around its periphery with ten equally spaced notches 278. One of these notches, as indicated at 273' (in Fig. 6) in all except the highest order Wheel, is deeper than the remaining notches and of dovetail shape. This enlarged notch is so angularly positioned relative to the associated dial that it lies opposite the leading point of the associated helical cam, when that cam is rotating in an additive direction and the dial registers a value of 9. That is, the enlarged notch 278' is so located that it is engaged by its cam 276 as the dial passes through its 9 to position, in either additive or subtractive operation. By means of this construction, the cam 276 will enter the enlarged slot 278 when the dial registers a value of 0 if the cam is rotated in the opposite, or subtractive, direction.

The drive wheels 1&8 are preferably all of substantially the same diameter but the cams 176 progressively decrease in diameter, from the lowest to the highest order of the cams, by uniform amounts slightly greater than the depth of the shallow notches in the drive wheels. Each cam has both end portions normal to the cam shaft extending in opposite directions from the discontinuity in the cam; and a skewed, or helical, portion 276 between these straight, or normal, portions. The cams are mounted in the center of the larger, circular part of the cam, if viewed from the side as in Fig. 7, and therefore eccentric insofar as the flattened portion is concerned, so that its shortest radius extends to the normal portions at the opposite sides of the discontinuity in the cam and the longest radius extends throughout the intermediate portion which constitutes the skewed, or helical, portion of the cam. The arrangement is such that, if all of the drive wheels below the highest order were in their 9 positions, the corresponding cams would engage in the deepened notches in these drive wheels and the highest order cam would engage in a notch in the highest order drive wheel as the cam shaft was turned away from its fullcycle position. The cam shaft is resiliently urged toward the drive gears, as will be later explained in detail, and a fixed stop 335 is provided to limit movement of the cam shaft toward the drive wheels to the position of the cam shaft in which the highest order cam is in engagement with the highest order drive wheel, as described above. When the crankshaft is in full-cycle rotational position and in the translational position determined by the fixed stop 335, the cam shaft is spaced from the nearest portions of the drive wheels 133 a distance sufficient for these portions to pass freely through the discontinuities in the cams and without in terference with the cams when the carriage carrying the counter register is shifted. With the cam shaft in the above-described position, the drive wheels 188 may also be freely turned during clearing, or zeroizing, of the counter egister and will not interfere with the cams.

If a drive Wheel of an order below the highest order of the counter register, but in ordinal position to be engaged by a cam, is out of its 9" position when the cam shaft is turned in an additive direction or out of its 0 position when the shaft is turned in a subtractivc position, the coordinal cam for that order drive wheel in the above-described condition will engage in a shallow, or ordinary, notch in that earn. In that event the periphery of the cam, due to its increasing radius from the end, or normal, portion to the intermediate, or skewed, portion, cams the cam shaft away from the drive wheels as the cam shaft turns. This will cause all of the cams to the left of the lowest order cam in engagement with a drive wheel displaced from its 9 position to clear their respective drive wheels, so that only the lowest order drive wheel complying with the above conditions will be turned. This permits the counter register to accumulate 1s in any one of various orders thereof, depending upon the ordinal position of the carriage, and to make .a tenscarry whenever a drive wheel has been turned through its 9 to its 0 position.

As shown in Figs. 1, 5 and 8, the cam shaft 275 is journalled at its ends in the rearward ends of a pair of spaced-apart and parallel bail legs 289 and 281, pivotally mounted adjacent their opposite, or forward, ends on suitable pivot mountings supported by brackets 282 and 283 mounted on the crossbar l7 and the right side frame 63, respectively, by any suitable means, such as pivot screws 284 and 285 connecting the brackets to the corresponding bail legs. The forward ends of the bail legs 280 and 281 are interconnected by a bail crossmember 286 so that the rear ends of the bail legs will move simultaneously and coextensively about the corresponding pivotal mountings 284 and 285. A tension spring 287 connected between the bail leg 280 and a spring anchor mounted on the frame cross-member 171, resiliently urges the rear ends of the bail legs and the cam shaft 275 upwardly and thus urges the cams 276 toward engagement with the corresponding register drive wheels 188. This movement of the cam and cam shaft assembly by the spring 287 is limited by the fixed stop 335, as explained above.

Suitable means are provided to drive the cam shaft 275 and the cams 276, such means including a drive gear 283 (Fig. 8) mounted on the main power shaft 69 adjacent the inner side of the right-hand frame side plate 63. A bellcrank 290 is pivotally mounted at its elbow on the shaft 60 adjacent the gear 288 and carries two intermediate gears 291 and 292 of the same diameter as the drive gear 288. The gear 291, on one arm of the bellcrank, meshes directly with the gear 288, but the gear 292, on the other arm, is connected to the gear 288 through a reversing idler gear 293 on the same arm, so that the gears 291 and 292 turn in respectively opposite directions. A gear 294 is journalled on the pivotal support of the right-hand bail leg 281 and is drivingly connected through an idler gear 295 mounted on this bail leg, with a gear 296 mounted on the cam shaft 275 adjacent the right-hand bail leg 2811. The gears 294 and 296 are of the same size as the gears 288, 291i and 292, so that, when the gear 296 is driven, it will be driven at the same speed as the gear 288. In other words, the cam shaft 275 will make one rotation during each cyclic rotation of the main power shaft 60.

It will be noted (Fig. 8) that the gears 291 and 292 are spaced-apart a distance such that both of these gears are out of meshing engagement with the gear 294 whenever the lever arm 290 is in a centered, or neutral, position, as shown.

When the lever arm 290 is rocked downwardly (as viewed in Fig. 8) the gear 291 is brought into mesh with the gear 294 to drive the cam shaft 275 in one predetermined direction and, when the lever arm 290 is rocked upwardly above its neutral, or center, position, it brings the gear 292 into mesh with the gear 294 to drive the cam shaft 275 in the opposite direction. Rocking of the arm 290 is controlled by a crank 297 mounted on the left-hand end of a shaft 298 and having a pin 299 engaged in a notch 300 in the rearward end of the lever 290.

The shaft 298 is a part of the counter actuator direction control mechanism, particularly illustrated in Fig. 4. A disk 301 is mounted on the shaft 298 at the outer, or right-hand, side of the right hand frame plate 63. This disk is provided with substantially diametrically opposed notches 302 and 303. An arm 304 is pivotally connected at its rear end to the rear end of the add-subtract slide 96,

and is provided at its front end with a semicircular yoke formation 305 which extends partly around the shaft 298. The yoke formation 305 carries spaced-apart studs 306 and 307 which are alternatively engageable in the notches 302 and 303 to rock the disk 301 when the slide 96 moves between its addition and subtraction positions. Normally, the pin, or stud, 306 engages in the notch 302 and when the slide 96 is moved forwardly for a subtraction operation of the machine, the disk 301 and shaft 298 are rocked in a counter-clockwise direction (as viewed in Fig. 4). This will rock the rear end of the lever arm 290 upwardly and engage the gear 292 with the gear 294 to drive the counter actuator, including the shaft 275, cams 276 and drive wheels 188 in a negative, or subtractive, direction, so that the subtraction cycles would be deducted from any values standing in the counter register. When the slide 96 is moved rearwardly for addition operation of the machine, the disk 301 and shaft 298 Would be rocked in a clockwise direction (as viewed in Fig. 4) rocking the rear end of the lever arm 290 downwardly (as viewed in Fig. 8). This would mesh the gear 291 with the gear 294, which would drive the counter actuator in the opposite, or positive, direction, thereby causing the counter to add to any value standing therein, the number of addition cycles counted. When the slide 96 is released so that the add-subtract gate 91 is centered or placed in neutral position by its centering means 250, the crank pin 299 is so positioned by the shaft 298 that the arm 290 is in a centered, or neutral, position and both of the gears 291 and 292 are out of mesh with the gear 294. The counter register actuator is thereby disabled with the cams 276 in their full-cycle position so that the lower portions of the drive wheels 188 can pass through the discontinuities 277 in the cams as the carriage shifts relative to the counter actuator.

When the machine is operating in division, which is a repeated subtraction operation, it is usually desirable to have the counter actuator driven in a positive, or additive, direction in order to obtain a positive, or true, quotient. In order to drive the counter register in a positive direction while the machine is operating in subtraction, it is necessary to reverse the direction of the counter actuator drive. This is accomplished by rocking the arm 304 to move the stud 306 out of the notch 302 and the stud 307 into the notch 303. Under these conditions, when the add-subtract slide 96 is moved forwardly to condition the machine for subtraction, the disk 301 and shaft 298 are rocked in a clockwise direction (as viewed in Fig. 4). This rocks the rear end of the lever arm 290 downwardly (as viewed in Fig. 8) bringing the gear 291 into mesh with the gear 294 and thereby conditioning the counter register actuator drive for positive, or additive, operation of the counter register, as described above.

The direction of operation of the counter actuator is controlled by a manually operable key 308 (Fig. 4) disposed immediately forwardly of the add bar 98. This key is positioned beside the division key 120 on a fiat stem 315 mounted for vertical movement on the outer side of the control plate 97. The key stem 315 is provided near its lower end with a roller stud 316. A lever 317 is pivotally mounted intermediate its length on a fixed pivot support 318. It has one end extending downwardly from the pivotal support 318 which is provided with a cam edge 319 bearing against the roller stud 316. The upper end of the lever 317 is pivotally connected to the forward end of a link 320 which is urged rearwardly by a spring 321 and moved forwardly against the force of spring 321 when the key 308 is depressed. At its rear end, the link 320 is pivotally connected to the upper end of a lever 322 rockably mounted intermediate its length on a fixed pivotal mounting 323. At its lower end, the lever 323 has a curved arm 324 which engages under the stud 306 and raises the forward end of the control arm 304 when the lever is rocked in a counter-clockwise direction 14 (as viewed in Fig. 4) by depression of the key 308 The raising of the forward end of arm 304 moves the pin 306 out of notch 302 and pin 307 into notch 303, as previously described. During division, the counter actuator is retained in positive, or additive, condition by a lever 325 pivotally mounted intermediate its length on the shaft 298. The rearward end of lever 325 is provided with a slot 326 receiving a pin 327 projecting from the rearward end of the division control lever 144. A latching arm 331, also pivoted on shaft 298, forms what might be called a live point for lever 325, the arm being biased to follow the movement of lever 325 by a spring 332 tensioned between ears on the lever and the arm. The forward edge of the arm 331 forms a shoulder which engages a pin 329 carried by a depending arm 330 of the lever 322, when the latch 325, 331 is rocked and the counter control is not moved from the position shown in Fig. 4. Immediately behind the forward end of arm 331 is a notch 328 which is adapted to hook over the pin 329, if the counter control mechanism has been set for unlike sign character operation by depression of key 308 at the time of initiating a division operation. Thus the counter control mechanism is latched in either operative position throughout a division operation by arm 331 latching the lever 322. The counter actuator of the present invention can thus be controlled to operate the counter in either direction, as may be desired.

Suitable means are provided to centralize the cam shaft 275 in its full-cycle position and this means may comprise a disk cam 336 (Figs. 6 and 8) mounted on the cam shaft 275 adjacent the right-hand leg 281 of the cam shaft supporting bail and having therein a depression, or notch, 337 of limited angular extent. A bellcrank lever 338 is pivotally mounted intermediate its length on a pivot 339 carried by the bail leg 281 and carries at one end a laterally projecting pin, or roller, 340 which is engageable in the notch of the cam 336 when the cam shaft is in full-cycle position. A spring 341 connected between the lever 338 and a spring anchor 342 on the bail leg 281 urges the lever to rock in a direction to force the roller 340 into the cam notch 337 and thus resiliently centralize the cam shaft assembly in full-cycle position.

A cam arm 344 projects upwardly from the gear carrying arm 290 and is provided intermediate its length with a cam notch 345 having inclined cam edges. A pin, or stud, 346 on the end of bellcrank lever 338, remote from roller 340, is received in the cam notch 345 when arm 290 is in position corresponding to the neutral, or centered, position of the add-subtract gate, thereby freeing spring 341 to pull roller 340 into notch 337 of cam 336. However, when arm 290 is in position corresponding to either the addition or the subtraction position of the addsubtract gate, the stud 346 is cammed out of the notch 345 and the cam arm 344 rocks the bellcrank lever 338 in a direction to hold the roller 340 out of the cam notch 337 and thus disable the detent during continuous operation of the counter actuator.

The improved counter actuator of the present invention is continuously rotatable in a single direction of rotation without oscillation or reciprocation and hence operates smoothly and has a speed potential far in excess of the maximum speed at which the present oscillating and reciprocating actuators could be successfully operated. The improved actuator is also simple in construction, and does not operate except when the counter register is being operated, also, because of its smooth, unidirectional movement, this counter actuator materially reduces the load on the machine motor. It is also contemplated that, if desired, each of the cams 276 could be provided in two or more sections angularly disposed around the cam shaft so that the drive wheels 188 could be turned two or more unit spaces of angular movement for each rotation of the cam shaft 175.

I claim:

1. In a calculating machine having a counter register comprising an ordinal series of rotatable dial assemblies each including a notched drive wheel, counter actuator mechanism comprising a cam shaft extending along said counter register with its rotational axis substantially at right angles to the rotational axes of said dial assemblies, helical cams ordinally spaced along said cam shaft adapted to engage the notches in the coordinal drive wheel and thereby turn the coordinal drive wheel upon rotation of said shaft, means for rotating said cam shaft, means resiliently urging said cams into engagement with said drive wheels, and means for rendering said cams consecutively engageable with said drive wheels from the lowest to the highest order of said register as the lower order drive wheels are turned to an interordinal transfer position.

2. In a calculating machine having a counter register comprising an ordinal series of rotatable dial assemblies each containing a notched drive wheel, a counter actuator mechanism comprising a cam shaft extending along said counter register with its rotational axis substantially at right angles to the rotational axes of said dial assemblies, helical cams ordinally spaced along said cam shaft adapted to engage the notches in the coordinal drive wheel and thereby turn the coordinal drive wheel upon rotation of said shaft, means for rotating said shaft, means conditioning said cam shaft driving means to drive said cam shaft in either selected direction or to disable said cam shaft driving means, means resiliently urging said cams into engagement with said drive wheels, and means for rendering said cams consecutively engageable with said drive wheels from the lowest to the highest order of said register as the lower order drive wheels are turned to an interordinal transfer position,

3. in a calculating machine having a counter register comprising an ordinal series of rotatable dial assemblies each including a drive wheel provided with a series of ten uniformly spaced peripheral notches, counter actuator mechanism comprising a cam shaft extending along said counter register with its rotational axis substantially at right angles to the rotational axes of said dial assemblies, helical cams ordinally spaced along said cam shaft adapted to engage the notches of the corresponding drive wheels and each having a pitch such that one rotation of a cam will turn the associated drive wheel through the angular space between two adjacent notches therein, means for rotating said cam shaft, means efiective to condition said cam shaft rotating means for operation in either selected direction or to disable said cam shaft driving means, means resiliently urging said cams into engagement with said drive wheels, and means for renderng said cams consecutively engageable with said drive wheels from the lowest to the highest order of said register as the lower order drive wheels are turned through a tens-transfer position.

4. In a calculating machine having a frame, operating mechanism including a cyclically operating main power shaft mounted in said frame, actuating mechanism driven by said main power shaft, an add-subtract gate having a neutral position and movable between limiting positions to selectively condition said actuating mechanism for addition or subtraction operation, an accumulator carriage mounted on said frame and shiftable transversely of said actuating mechanism, and a counter register carried by said carriage, said register including a series of dial assemblies ordinally spaced along said carriage, a counter HSSClTtlJiY including register actuating mechanism comprising p .ipherally notched wheels drivingly connected one wit each of said dial assemblies and each having the no therein at the interordinal transfer location of the associated dial assembly deeper than the remaining notches, a shaft support roclcably mounted on said frame, a cam shaft journalled in said shaft supportand extending longitudinally of said counter register, ordinally 1 spaced helical cams mounted on said cam shaft drivingly engageable with the ordinally related notched wheel, said cams decreasing in diameter from the lowest to the highest order thereof by an amount which will enable any higher order cam to engage its ordinally associated notched wheel only when the adjacent lower order cam engages the deep notch of its ordinally associated notched wheel, spring means connected to said shaft support urging said cams into engagement with the corresponding notched wheels, drive gear trains extending between said main power shaft and said cam shaft and selectively engageable to drive said cam shaft in either selected direction, and reversing means connected between said gear trains and said add-subtract gate to reverse the direction of rotation of said cam shaft when said gate moves from one extreme position to the other and to disable said gear trains when said add-subtract gate is in its neutral position.

5. In a computing machine having a cyclically operating drive shaft and a cycle counter comprising an ordinal series of rotatable register dials, actuator mechanism for said cycle counter comprising a drive wheel for each dial assembly, each drive wheel having angularly spaced-apart recesses with one recess deeper than the other recesses and angularly related to the 0 position of the associated dial assembly, a cam shaft extending transversely across said counter, ordinally spaced helical cams mounted on said cam shaft and drivingly engageable with corresponding drive wheels, each of said cams having therein a discontinuity receiving the cam adjacent portion of the associated drive wheel when the cam shaft is in full-cycle position to permit longitudinal shifting of said counter relative to said cam shaft, means for rendering said cams except the first order cam engageable with the associated drive wheels only when all lower order cams are engaged in the deep notch of their associated drive wheels whereby said counter will accumulate 1s in the first driven order thereof and said counter actuator will make tens-carries to successively higher orders of said counter. a rockable support for said cam shaft, resilient means connected to said support and urging said cams toward engagement with said drive wheels, reversible gear means drivingly connecting said drive shaft to said cam shaf mechanism automatically controlling the reversal and enabling of said gear means, and means for selectively reversing the operation of the automatic control mechanism.

6. In a computing machine having a cyclically operating drive shaft, a cycle counter comprising an ordinal series of rotatable register dials, actuator mechanism for said cycle counter comprising a drive wheel for each dial assembly, each drive wheel having angularly spacedapart recesses with one recess deeper than the other recesses and angularly related to the 0 position of the associated dial assembly, a cam shaft extending along said counter, ordinally spaced helical cams mounted on said cam shaft and drivingly engageable with corresponding drive wheels, each of said cams having therein a discontinuity receiving the cam adjacent portion of the associated drive wheel when the cam shaft is in full-cycle position to permit longitudinal shifting of said counter relative to said cam shaft, means for rendering said cams except the first order cam engageable with the associated drive wheels only when all lower order cams are engaged in the deep notch of their associated drive wheels, whereby said counter will accumulate 1s in the first driven order thereof and said counter actuator will make tens-carries to successively higher orders of said counter, a support for said cam shaft, resilient means connected to said support and urging said cams toward engagement with said drive gears, and gear means drivingly connecting said drive shaft to said cam shaft.

7. A mechanism comprising a series of driven shafts having parallel rotational axes disposed substantially in 17 a common plane, a drive wheel on each driven shaft, equally spaced peripheral notches on said drive wheels, a cam shaft having its rotational axis substantially at right angles to the rotational axes of said driven shafts, a series of helical cams mounted on said cam shaft at intervals corresponding to the spacing of the driven shafts and adapted to engage the notches in said drive wheels and thereby turn said drive Wheels upon rotation of said shaft, the pitch of said helical earns corresponding to the spacing between adjacent notches, a movable support for said cam shaft, means connected to said support and resiliently biasing said cams toward engagement with said drive wheels, means for rendering said cams consecutively engageable with said drive wheels from one end of said series of driven shafts to the other as the drive wheels are turned to predetermined angular positions, and means rotating said cam shaft.

8. A mechanism comprising a series of driven shafts having parallel rotational axes disposed substantially in a common plane, a peripherally notched drive wheel on each driven shaft, a cam shaft having its rotational axis substantially at right angles to the rotational axes of said driven shafts, a series of helical cams mounted on said cam shaft and engageable with said drivewheels for turning the drive wheels, a movable support for said cam shaft, means connected to said support and resiliently biasing said cams toward engagement with said drive wheels, and means driving said cam shaft, said cams decreasing in diameter from one end to the other of said series of cams and each of said drive wheels having a deepened notch therein so that engagement of a cam in the deepened notch of its associated drive wheel enables the cam of next smaller diameter to engage its associated drive wheel.

9. A mechanism comprising a series of driven shafts having parallel rotational axes disposed substantially in a common plane, a peripherally notched drive wheel on each driven shaft, a cam shaft having its rotational axis eccentrically mounted on said cam shaft so that the radius of the portion having the discontinuity therein is less than the radius of the portion of the cam opposite the discontinuity whereby a cam engaging a drive wheel will cam said cam shaft away from said drive wheels as said cam shaft turns, said cams decreasing in diameter from one end of said series to the other so that all cams having a diameter less than the cam of greatest diameter engaging its associated drive wheel will be cammed out of engagement with their associated drive wheels when said cam shaft turns and each of said drive wheels having a deepend notch therein so that a cam of less than the maximum cam diameter is enabled to drivingly engage its associated drive wheel when all cams of larger diameter are engaged in deepened notches in their associated drive wheels.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 323,340 Kilmer July 28, 1885 926,238 Buckwalter June 29, 1909 1,084,611 Crumpton Jan. 20, 1914 2,089,770 Suter Aug. 10, 1937 2,388,209 Friden Oct. 30, 1945 FOREIGN PATENTS 116,617 Switzerland Oct. 1, 1926 519,176 Germany Feb. 25, 1931

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