US2996978A - Memory switch for accounting machines - Google Patents

Description

Aug. 22, 1961 A. H. sHARPE ET AL 2,996,978

MEMORY SWITCH FCR ACCOUNTING MACHINES Filed March 20, 1958 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Aug. 22, 1961 A. H. SHARPE ETAL MEMORY SWITCH FCR ACCOUNTING MACHINES Filed March 20, 1958 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 I INVENTORS.

ARTHUR H. SHARPE ELMER L. W/SE .f QZ GEORGE KSCHULZ Aug. 22, 1961 A. H. SHARPE ETAL 2,996,973

MEMORY SWITCH FCR ACCOUNTING MACHINES Filed March 20, 1958 I5 Sheets-Sheet 3 A7708. uy

United States Patent O MEMQRY SWITCH FOR ACCOUNTING MACHDIES Arthur H. Sharpe, Waterford, Elmer L. Wise, East Farmington, and George K. Schulz, Rockville, Conn., as-

signors to Underwood Corporation, New York, N.Y.,

a corporation of Delaware Filed Mar. 2t), 1958, Ser. No. 722,699 2 Claims. (Cl. 101-93) This invention relates to a device for retaining an indication of a printed amount and more specifically to a switch device settable by an accounting machine during a machine cycle to retain a representation of the last item printed by such machine for later entry into an associated device.

Devices to enable electrical read-out of an item or total from an adding machine are known but have generally required substantial modifications of the adding machine resulting in considerable expense and rendering the basic machine less reliable, One such read-out device requires that the machine be arrested at the mid point of its cycle while the reading out is performed, and during the time that the machine is in such mid-cycle position, its partially operated mechanisms are subject to being displaced or dearranged by external shocks. Also installation of such devices requires that the machine be largely disassembled and many new parts be supplied for installation of the read-out mechanism. Another known read-out device is capable of reading out only totals, not entered items, and requires an extra connection to the machine driving motor.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a memory switch to retain a representation of the last amount printed, whether this be an added, or non-added item, a sub-total, or a total, in an adding machine.

It is also an object to provide a memory switch which retains its representation of the last printed amount after the accounting machine has completed its operation.

It is a further object to provide a memory switch which may be installed and controlled without alteration of the normal functions or cycle of operation of the controlling machine.

Still another object is the development of a memory switch which may be applied as an attachment to a standard adding machine without extensive modification or disassembly of the machine.

A still further object is the provision of a memory switch for an accounting machine which switch may be constructed and installed as a unit into the machine..

Other objects lwill in part be pointed out in and in part obvious from the following description of a preferred embodiment of our invention as shown in the appended drawings.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a section viewed from the right side of the major parts of an adding machine with the memory switch of our invention applied thereto,

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view, partly cutaway and showing the main features of the memory switch,

FIGURE 3 is a detail view of the actuator for the memory switch restoring device as seen from the left side, u

FIGURE 4 is a right side sectional view of the switch in the early part of a machine cycle with the parts in the restored position,

FIGURE 5 is a view similar to FIGURE 4 but showing the parts at the mid-point of a machine cycle,

FIGURE 6 is a view similar to a part of FIGURE 4 but showing the parts in their positions at a later time when the type bars have risen to their O positions and,

FIGURE 7 is a View showing the switch elements of FIGURE 4 as released by their type bar actuator during the return stroke of the adding machine.

General description The memory switch of the present invention is shown applied to a commercial adding machine of the Sundstrand type a more complete disclosure of which is set out in US. Patent Nos. 1,946,505; 1,946,823; and 1,975,774 granted to Oscar I. Sundstrand and Patent No. 2,131,361 granted to Walter A. Anderson. Reference may be made to the above patents for an understanding of features not fully illustrated or described herein but it should be understood that the present invention is not limited to use with machines of this type.

The type bar racks of this machine are used to drive denominational switch sliders to positions corresponding to the elevated position of the type bars when an amount is printed. During such rise of the type bars, they are latched to the switch sliders by a cyclically operated plate to prevent any overthrow of the sliders as the type bars are arrested at their printing positions. After the type bars are stabilized at their printing positions, the cyclically operated plate releases the latches so that the type bars may be restored to their normal positions leaving the switch sliders positioned in contact with digital representing contacts. At the very beginning of the following machine cycle and prior to movement of the type bars, the switch sliders are all restored to their 0 positions ready to be advanced by the type bars again.

rlhe switch sliders are electrically separate and while the adding machine is at rest, voltage may be applied to the siliders seriatim to energize the ones of a set of Common digital contact bars with which the sliders are in engagement. Such seriatim energization of the sliders with consequent digital output voltages may be controlled by a programming unit to transfer the last amount from the adding machine to an associated device such as a typewriter, a punch, another adding machine or the like. Such associated machines form no part of the present invention and are not described herein.

Adding mechanism More specifically, a plurality of type bars 10, FIGURE l, are guided for vertical reciprocation in fixed guides 11, only one guide being shown, under the urge of levers 12 which are spring driven upwardly to position type 14 at the top of each type bar 1G at a printing line on a platen 15. The type bars Iii are normally held in a lower position with their uppermost type 14 below the printing line by a restoring bar 16 which presses on the levers 12 and is moved vertically by connections to an oscillating main shaft 18; Each type bar 10 at its rear end, right in FIG- URE l, carries a pair of rack bars 19 slidable in guides 20 to drive either or both of a pair of registers 22 engageable therewith `for addition, subtraction, total, and subtotal operations as set out in the above patents. The lower end of each type bar 10 has a swinging arm 23 pivoted thereto and extending forwardly to engage a tail pin 24 vertically slidable in a sliding guide 26. Guide 26 is slidable to the right of the machine on a rod 27 fixed under a field of settable pins 28, the pins 28 being in denominational columns and guide 26 being shifted to align the tail pins 24 seriatim with the columns of stops 28 as pins are set therein to control the upward movement of the type bars 10 to selected printing positions.

The front of lguide 26 has a slot in which is positioned a pin 30 fixed in the rear end of an arm 31 pivoted in the bottoni plate 32 of the machine keyboard. The keyboard includes a plurality of digit keys 34 slidable in the upper keyboard plate 35 and bottom plate 32. Each key 34, when depressed, rocks a bail 36 to operate through a linkage, a push rod 38 slidable in a'guide 39 on swinging arm 3-1. Each push rod is aligned with a row of pins 28 and is shiftable into alignment with the successive columns of pins as keys 34 are depressed as fully set out in the above cited patents. Thus the upward movement of type bars 10 may be controlled by the keyboard through the setting of pins 28 or in total and sub-total operations by the registers 22.

Under certain machine operating conditions, both of the above noted controls over the upward movement of type bar 10 are ineffective after the printing operation is performed and the bars 10 are liable to move to their upper limit. To prevent such type bar jumping and to align the type 14 at the printing line a combined alignerdetent indicated generally at 41 is provided. This aligner 41 is substantially the same as the one disclosed in the U.S. Patent No. 2,942,542 granted to Arthur H. Sharpe, and further idescription herein is deemed unnecessary to an understanding of the present invention.

Memory switch Secured to the bottom of each type bar 10 is an L shaped extension 40 having its lower leg extending forwardly and provided with two studs `42, see also FIG- URES 2, 4, and 5. A slotted extension 43 is Slidable on the studs 42 and is guided for vertical movement in slots in a fixed plate 44. A pair of ears 46 bent 0E extension 43, see FIGURE 2, straddle plate 44 to hold the extension 43 against forward and rearward motion. Pivoted on a stud `47 in the front end of each extension 43 is a latch pawl 48 urged clockwise by a light spring 50 between the pawl `48 and extension 43.

The memory switch comprises a non-conducting plate 51 secured to a plate 52 which is held by studs 54 thereon to a fixed part 55 of the adding machine. Ten horizontal conductive digital bars 56 are secured to the rear face of plate 51 and may be connected by Wires to an associated machine for transfer of items thereto. Secured to the rear of plate 52 in insulator blocks 58 are a plurality of vertical guides 59 in alignment with the extensions 43. These guides 59 are conductive and may be connected through wires 60, FIGURES l, and 6 to an external control mechanism for individual energization to read out denominationally the Value set in the memory switch. Slidable on each guide 59 is a slider 62 having a spring contact 63 secured to its forward edge land yan insulating block 64 xed at its rear edge. The spring Contact 63 rides over the plate 51 and the digit bars 56 thereon to make an electrical contact between one of the bars 56 and the guide bar 59 on which the contact 63 is Slidable.

The sliders 62 are individually moved upwardly on their guides 59 by the latch pawls 48 on the front ends of extensions 43 during the movement of the type bars to printing position. Assuming for the moment that the sliders are in their lowest or 0 position of FIG- URE l, the initial movement of the type bar 10 to align its upper type 14 with the printing line will move the upper end of latch pawl 48 into line with a notch 66 in the insulating block 64 of slider 62. During this upward movement of latch pawl 48, the forwardly inclined upper end of pawl 48 contacts the bottom edge of a movable slotted plate 67 to cam the latch pawl 48 into the notch 66 of block 64 as shown in FIGURE 6. During further upward movement of the type bar 10, the slider 62 is moved with extension 43 by the engagement of a central flat surface of pawl 48 with the lower edge of insulator block 64. During such upward motion, the end of latch pawl 48 is held in notch 66 by the engagement of plate 67 with the pawl 48 and thus when type bar 10, extension 43 and pawl 48 are arrested at the printing position, any tendency of slider 62 to overtravel is nullied by the engagement of pawl 48 in notch 66.

After the printing operation and prior to the start of the return of type bars 10 to their normal position, plate 67 is moved rearwardly as will be later described, to the position shown in FIGURE 5 where it releases the latch pawls 48. The pawls do not at this time leave the notch 66 for the engagement between the central flat surface of latch pawl 48 and block 64 is forward of the pivot stud 47 and retains the latch pawl 48 in rocked position. As soon as the extension 43 is moved slightly downward, the central flat surface of latch pawl 48 leaves the lower edge of block 64, notch 66 being slightly larger than the end of pawl 48 to permit such movement, and spring 50 rotates latch pawl 48 clockwise to the FIGURE 7 position. Latch pawl 48 is now clear of slider 62 and will not change the slider position during return of type bars 10 to their normal position. After the machine cycle is completed, the guides 59 may be energized seriatim to provide on digital bars 56 a read out of the last printed by the machine.

Switch restoring mechanism The sliders 62 are moved to their lowest or 0 position at the Very beginning of a succeeding adding machine cycle by a connection to the adding machine shaft 18. As shown in FIGURE l, a cam plate 68 is secured to shaft 18 and has a roller 70 at its front end. A follower lever 71 is pivoted on a stationary stud 72 and is biased to hold its rear arm in contact with roller 70. This roller 70 and lever 71 are the same as roller 46 and lever 37 shown in FIGURE l of Patent No. 2,733,858 issued February 7, 1956 to Walter A. Anderson and functions on its restoration near the end of the machine cycle to restore sliding guide 26 to its normal position as set out in that patent. As an additional function, the initial movement of lever 71 is used to restore the memory switch of the present invention. It will be noted that the upper surface of the rear arm of lever 71 is formed with a camming surface so that as soon as shaft 18 starts to rotate counterclockwise at the beginning of a machine cycle, lever 71 is rocked rapidly clockwise and then is arrested as roller 70 strikes on a surface which is concentric with shaft 18 when lever 71 is in its rocked position as indicated in FIGURE 5.

Pivoted on a stud 74 in the upper arm of lever 71 and extending rearwardly is a push link 75 having its rear end urged downwardly by a spring 76, see also FIGURE 3. A shaft 78 is pivoted in the frame 79, indicated in FIGURE l, of the registers 22, and has a yoke 80 loosely mounted on its right end, a collar 82, FIGURE 2, on the shaft holding the yoke 80 against endwise displacement. The left arm of yoke 80 is bent outwardly to the left to form a ilat surface 83 on which the rear end of push link 75 rests. The forward left end of surface 83 is narrowed and bent upwardly, FIGURES 2 and 5, to form a tab on the left side of surface 83 for holding push link 75 in alignment with the surface 83. As shown in FIGURE 3, the rear end of push link '75 is formed with a shoulder S4 which, in the normal position of main shaft 18 and lever 71, rests in front of the surface 83 and with a tail 86 normally above the surface 83. The right arm of yoke 80 extends forwardly under a locating stud 87 in an arm 88 and is connected by a spring 90 to arm 88. Arm 88 and a similar right arm 91, FIGURE 2, are connected to shaft 78 and extend forwardly. A spring 92 extends upwardly from arm 88 to yieldingly hold arms 88, 91 and yoke 80 in their normal positions. Pivoted on the forward end of each arm 88 and 91 is a bell crank lever 94, see particularly FIGURE 2, urged counterclockwise by a spring connected between the arm 88 or 91 and the lower end of bell crank 94 on that arm. A bar 96 of insulating material is carried between the upper ends of bell cranks 94 and is pressed against the rear edges of lguides 59 above the sliders 62 by the action of springs At the start of a cycle of operation of the adding machine, shaft 18 rotates counterclockwise and roller 70 rocks lever 71 clockwise before the type bars 10` start to rise from their normal position. Such rocking of lever 71 moves push link 75 to the rear and through the engagement of shoulder 84 on link 75 with the front edge of surface 83, rocks yoke 80 counterclockwise as shown in FIGURE 4. Such rocking of yoke 80 will, through spring 90, rock arms 88 and 91 to move insulator bar 96 downwardly to restore all of the sliders 62 to their lowest positions. Just as the arms 88 and 91 reach their lowest position, the rear end of surface 83, moving upwardly at this time, engages the tail 86 of link 75 to move the rear end fof push link 75 upwardly to disengage shoulder 84 from the front of surface 83. Spring 92 thereupon restores arms 88, 91 and yoke 80 to their rest position with the rear end of link 75 now resting on top of surface 83 as in FIGURE 5. At the end of the adding machine cycle, lever 71 is returned to its normal position, pulling link 75 forward until shoulder 84 is in front of surface 83, where spring 76 pulls the link 75 to its normal FIGURE 3 position. The sliders 62 are reset and arms 88 and 91 are restored before the type bars 10 move from their lowest position and sliders 62 are free to be mloved upwardly as the bars are later set into printing positions.

Control cam for detent pawls As noted above, the cam plate '67 for the detent pawls 48 is set in its forward position as the type bars 10 move upwardly and is set rearwardly while the bars 10 are returned. Referring particularly to FIGURES 2 and 5, a pair of brackets 98 are secured to the top and bottom insulator bars 58 to extend rearwardly. The slotted guide plate 44 is xed between the rear ends of these brackets, FIGURE 2, and has two rearwardly extending ears 99 on each side. The slotted cam plate 67 also has rearwardly turned side flanges, each side flange having two inclined slots 100 therein which engage studs 102 Xed in the ears 99 of guide 44. A spring 103 between each upper ear 99 and the flanges of cam plate 67 serves to hold the cam plate in its upper position which, due to the inclination of slots 100, is also a rearward position clear of latch pawls 48.

Cam plate 67 is set to a forward position when sliders 62 are set to their lowest position. Each arm 88 and 91 has a stud 104 secured near its forward end and as the arms 88 and 91 move downwardly to reset the sliders 62, the studs 104 engage the upper edges of ears 106 on the side flanges of plate 67 to move the cam plate 67 downwardly and forwardly on the studs 102 as shown in FIGURE 4, in which position the latch pawls 48 will be cammed into the notches 66 of the sliders 62 as the type bars 10 rise to their 0 printing position. The cam plate 67 is latched in the lower forward position, after arms 88 and 91 are restored, by latch plates 107 secured to a shaft 108, yFIGURE 2, rotatable in ears projecting upwardly from the upper bracket 98. A plate 110 secured to the right end of shaft 108 is connected by a spring 111 to plate 51 to urge shaft 108 counterclockwise until a stud 109 on a downturned ear of plate 110 contacts the upper edge of plate 51 to position the latch plates 107 above the upper edge of cam plate 67 when the plate 67 is moved downwardly by arms 88 and 91. The spring 111 will allow latch plates 107 and shaft 108 to be cammed clockwise by plate 67 as cam plate 67 is lowered and will return the shaft 108 as soon as the plate 67 passes below the lower end of latch plates 107. The latch plates 107 will then prevent upward return of cam plate 67 during restoration of arms 88 and 91 as shown in FIGURE 6.

After the type bars 10 and sliders 62 are at rest in their upper or set positions, cam plate 67 is released to permit latch pawls 48 to move out of slider notches 66 during the return motion of type bars 10. As shown in FIGURE 2, an arm 112 is secured to the left end of shaft 108 and has pivoted, on a stud 114 thereon, a bypass pawl 115. A torsion spring 116, FIGURE 5, between arm 112 and pawl 115 urges pawl 115 counterclockwise to hold the lower arm of pawl 115 against a pin 118 in arm 112. Secured to main shaft 18 is a plate 119 having a stud 120 projecting into the plane of bypass pawl 115. During the first, counterclockwise, rotation of shaft 18, the stud 120 strikes pawl 115 and rotates it clockwise on stud 1114 until the shaft 18 is near the end of its counterclockwise limit as in FIGURE 5 wherein pawl is freed and rises under urge of spring 116, in front of stud 120. Shortly after the start of the clockwise return of shaft 18, stud engages by-pass pawl 115 which cannot now rotate counterclockwise on stud 114 and further movement lof shaft 18 then rotates shaft 1018 clockwise to move latch plates 107 from above cam plate 67. Cam plate 67 is then returned to its rear position free of latch pawls 48 by its springs 103.

Zero switch As it would be a waste of time to read out the memory switch unit when all of the sliders are at zero indicating that no value was printed in the last machine cycle, a switch is provided to indicate this condition. Referring particularly to FIGURES 2 and 5, a slotted plate 122 having a rearwardly offset lower end is loosely mounted for limited pivoting movement in inturned flanges on the upper ears 99 of guide plate 44. An ear 123 on the lower left side of plate 122 rests in front of a wire 124 which is the actuator of a switch 126 and normally urges the bottom of plate 122 forwardly to the position shown in FIGURE 6. Each type bar extension 43 has a pin 127 positioned in front of plate 122 and as any extension 43 rises from its 0 position to the l position, the pin 127 thereon will engage the forward sloping part of plate 122 to cam the bottom of the plate rearwardly to the position of FIGURE 5. This movement of plate 122 will, through wire 124, reverse the condition of switch 126. It will be understood that the switch 126 may be either normally open, normally closed or may be a double throw switch depending upon the requirements of the associated equipment.

Switch plate 122 will be held in the rearward position after extensions 43 are reset to their lower position, by a spring detent plate 128 secured to the lower bracket 98 and stressed to rise in front of the bottom of plate 122 as the plate moves rearwardly and so prevent return of plate 122 to its forward position. Detent plate 128 is moved tout of its detenting position at the start of a machine cycle by an ear 130 on arm 88. As shown in FIGURE 4, when arm 88 restores sliders 62, ear 130 strikes the upper side of detent plate 128 to depress it and free switch plate 122 for movement above detent 128 where switch plate 122 remains until again set rearwardly by movement of an extension 43 above the 0 position.

The above description of a preferred embodiment of our invention should not be taken as limiting the invention as many variations in structure are possible without departure from the scope of the invention as set out in the following claims.

What is claimed is:

l. In a machine fof the class described having a cyclically operating mechanism and a plurality of character printing members each movable from a normal position to dilferentially determined printing positions and restored to said normal position by said operating mechanism, an indicating device settable by said printing members to temporarily retain an indication lof said printing positions after restoration of said printing members to said normal position, said device comprising a switch member settable by each printing member during said movement from an initial position to a differentially set indicating position, a latch on each printing member engageable with said switch member for setting same and locking same against independent movement in the setting direction, means urging each latch member to a disengaged position, a latch plate common to all said latches to retain said latches in an engaged position, a restoring bar driven by said operating mechanism lin timed relationship with the movement and restoration of said printing members to first restore said switch members to said initial position and immediately thereafter to set said latch plate to latch retaining position, a detent to hold said latch plate set, and a detent release mechanism driven by said operating mechanism prior to restoration lof said printing members to free said latch plate for movement to a latch releasing position.

2. In an indicating device as set out in claim 1 including a `Zero entry switch, a bail to operate said zero entry switch to indicate that at least one switch member is set at said indicating position, a detent member to retain said bail in a switch operating position, said detent mem- References Cited in the ie of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,285,353 Peirce June 2, 1942 2,332,755 Robertson et al. Oct. 26, 1943 2,490,348 Ghertman Dec. 6, 1949 2,812,902 Runde et al. Nov. 12, 1957 2,861,739 Chall et al. Nov. 25, 1958

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