US3142441A - Listing machines - Google Patents

Description

July 28, 1964 R. A. EDWARDS LISTING MACHINES 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed April 17. 1961 IN V EN TOR.

RIC HARD A. EDWAR DS July 28, 1964 R. A. EDWARDS LISTING MACHINES 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 17. 1961 July 28, 1964 R. A. EDWARDS LISTING MACHINES Filed April 1'7. 196].

3 Sheets-Sheet 3 08 (FIG. 1,2 AND 3) Mom/EMT OF LEVER 206 (m2) v L- CAM 302 (FIG.3)

1 1 1 1 1 1 1 48 l I I I l I I I I I l I PRINTING PERIOD PLATEN 134 (FIGJ):

L l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l 4C 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 T ACTUATOR DRIVE SHAFT IN DRIVEN POSITION PRINTING SEGMENT IN POSITION AND L0 PLATEN PRESSED AGAINST PRINTING SEGM CKED ENT

PLATEN REMOVED ACTUATOR DRIVE SHAFT RESTORED T0 INITIAL POSITION APRINTING SEGMENT UNLOCKED TO United States Patent 3,142,441 LISTING MACHINES Richard A. Edwards, Walnut Creek, Calif, assignor to SCM Corporation, a corporation of New York Filed Apr. 17, 1961, Ser. No. 103,346 Claims. (Ci. 23560) The invention relates to listing machines having reciprocating actuator racks with printing segments entrained therewith, and particularly concerns means for disconnecting the printing segments from the racks so that the racks may be returned to their initial positions while the printing segments are held stationary during the printing operation.

In known listing machines, the printing segments are continuously engaged with the reciprocating actuator racks throughout a reciprocation of the actuator racks involving a printing operation. Since the printing operation requires that the printing segments be held stationary in selectively adjusted positions, the actuator racks must be maintained in an idle stationary position during the printing operation.

According to the invention, the printing segments are driven by the actuator racks only during the first stroke of the cycle of rack reciprocation. Then the printing segments are disconnected from the racks and the racks are returned to their initial positions during the printing operation. Such return of the racks permits various other operations to be initiated which otherwise would be delayed until after the printing operation is completed. For example, a pin carriage which is provided for determining the extent of excursion of the actuator racks may be returned to its initial position and a tens carrying operation may be initiated without the usual delay which is inherent in conventional listing machines.

After the printing operation is completed the printing segments are returned to their initial positions where they are re-connected with the actuator racks. In actual practice, the printing operation and the return of the printing segments occurs concurrently with the return of the actuator racks, the return of the pin carriage, and the tens carrying operation. Thus, the idle time normally lost for the printing cycle is entirely eliminated.

An object of the invention is to obtain higher operating speeds in listing machines, printing calculators and the like.

Another object is to shorten the time required for a cycle of operation of the actuator rack assemblies in listing machines.

A further object is to return an actuator rack to the initial position during the printing operation and to increase the speed of operation of the calculator accordingly.

Still another object is toreleasably connect an actuator rack and a printing segment so that the printing operation may be accomplished independently of the return of the actuator racks.

In order that the invention may be practiced by others, a specific arrangement according to the invention, given by way of example only, is described with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a right side view partially in section showing an actuating mechanismof a listing machine;

FIG. 2 is a right side view of the main operating shaft and associated mechanisms for reciprocating a transverse actuator rack drive shaft;

FIG. 3 is a right side View of the drive mechanism for a printing segment locking bail and a printing segment restoring rod; and

FIG. 4 is a timing diagram showing the sequence of operation of various mechanisms in the listing machine.

The present invention is disclosed as embodied in an "ice Eel

adding machine such as the commercially available Mai-chant adding machine which has an accumulator register, and is capable of printing individual items, sums, differences, and products; however it will be evident to those skilled in the art that the invention is equally applicable to machines which do not employ a register and which employ the printing mechanism merely for listing or reading-out values from another source. Therefore, the term listing machine is used in the present specification to denote a read-out mechanism as well as an adding machine or calculating machine.

Referring to FIG. 1, values are entered into a value entry mechanism, or pin carriage, in a known manner by depressing value entry keys (not shown), such depression moving a pin 101 corresponding to the value of the key into the path of movement of a digital actuator in the form of an ordinal reciprocating actuator rack assembly generally indicated at 102. The ordinal reciprocating actuator rack assembly 102 comprises a main member 103 and a register drive rack 104 carried thereby.

In those machines having a numeral wheel accumulator register, such as indicated at 123, the assembly 1'92 serves both to drive the numeral wheel as well as a respective printing segment 107. Briefly, the gears 123 integral with numeral wheels are driven in conventional manner by moving a register supporting shaft 124 either upwardly or downwardly into engagement with rack teeth 121 or 122, respectively, on the register drive rack 104, as is more fully described hereinafter.

The mechanism for driving the printing segments 107 includes the main member 103 which has a notch 133 out in an upper extension thereof. An ear 129, carried by a releasable connecting member 105, normally lies within the notch 133. The member 105 is pivoted at 126 to a supplementary printing segment driving element 106 and is urged clockwise by a spring 127, thus connecting the element 106 to the member 103 for movement of the member and the element as a unit. The printing segment 107 is freely pivoted on a transverse shaft 320, and has gear teeth which are driven by element 196.

A transverse rod 137 is moved from the full line position to the dotted line position by means described hereinafter to permit counterclockwise movement of the printing segments 107. The rod 137 is subsequently used to return all of the segments to the initial positions shown. A selected value, as represented by the selectively advanced positions of segments 107 is printed by moving a platen 134 towards the left to press a paper tape 135 and a ribbon 136 with one of ten type faces on the print segment 107.

In a conventional adding machine, for example, the depression of a key, such as the plus bar, initiates a single cycle of rotation of a main operating shaft such as the shaft 108. Two pairs of complementary drive cams 200 and 201 (only one pair of which is shown in FIG. 2) are mounted on the main shaft 108 for counterclockwise rotation therewith. A pair of rollers 202 and 203 are mounted on a follower lever 2&4 to follow the cams 200 and 201, respectively, and to rock the lever 204 about a shaft 205. Also mounted on the shaft 205 is a forked lever 205 connected by an adjustable fastener 207 to the lever 294 for movement therewith. The movement of lever 206 in response to 360 of rotation of cams 200 and 201 is diagrammatically illustrated in line 4A of FIG. 4. The forked lever 206 is engaged with a transverse cyclically operable actuator drive means comprising a shaft 208 (FIGS. 1 and 2) guided in appropriate slots in the framework of the machine (not shown) for reciprocation of the shaft 208 between an initial leftmost position and a driven rightmost position, shown in dotted outline in FIG. 1.

In the initial leftmost position, the actuator drive shaft u 203 is engaged by a notch 112 in a drive lever 111. The lever 111 is freely mounted on a pin 113 on the main member 103 and is urged in a counterclockwise direction by a spring 114 to engage the shaft 208. During rotation of the complementary cams 200 and 201, the actuator drive shaft is moved by the forked lever 2% toward the right. At such time the lever 111, the member 103, and the reciprocating rack assembly 102 including the printing segment driving element 106 are carried to the right as a unit until a shoulder 115 on the main member 103 is blocked by a selectively ejected pin 101 standing in the path of movement of the shoulder. When the rack assembly and the lever 111 are blocked from further rightward movement, the continuing movement of drive shaft 208 toward the right moves the shaft 208 out of the notch 112. This rotates the lever 111 clockwise and drives a locking ear 115 on lever 111 into engagement with a toothed rack 117 fixed to the framework of the machine. The rack assembly 102 is thereby firmly held in a selectively driven position while the drive shaft 208 is driven to an extreme rightward position which occurs at the end of the first 180 of operation of shaft 108.

The above described clockwise movement of lever 111 moves a restraining means in the form of an ear 111a into the path of movement of a shoulder 106a. on the printing segment drive element 106, thus preventing further movement of element 106 and printing segment 107 in response to inertial forces.

During the above mentioned rightward movement of the main member 103, a shoulder 128 of the notch 133 abuts the ear 129 and moves the member 106 thus rotating the printing segment 107 counterclockwise to the printing position which corresponds to the position to which the member 103 is driven. At the end of the rightward stroke of the actuator drive shaft 208 a holding means, or locking bail, 131 described hereinafter, is automatically brought into engagement with locking teeth 132 to maintain the printing segment in the printing position. During the second 180 of rotation of the shaft 108, the cams 200 and 201 move the lever 206 back to the initial position shown during which the shaft 208 is driven leftwardly back into engagement with the notch 112. Upon such re-engagement the spring 114 rocks the lever 111 counterclockwise and the ear 116 rocks out of engagement with the toothed rack 117. This unlocks the assembly 102 from the rack 117 and the shaft 208 returns the assembly leftwardly to the initial position shown.

Since the printing segment 107 is maintained in a locked position at this time, a camming surface 133 of the notch 128 rocks the ear 129 of the lever 105 upwardly against the urging of the spring 127 thus disconnecting the element 106 from the member 103. The main member 103 and the register drive rack 104 are driven to the left to the initial positions While the element 106 and the printing segment 107 are maintained locked in the printing position. During the period that the printing segment is locked in the printing position, the platen 134, a tape 135, and an inked ribbon 136 are brought against the printing segment in conventional manner to print a character on the tape corresponding to the rotated position of the printing segment. At the end of the printing operation the platen is moved to the initial position shown in FIG. 1, the bail 131 is rocked out of engagement with the locking teeth 132, and the rod 137 is returned to the initial position shown thus returning the printing segments 107 to respective initial clockwise positions shown in FIG. 1. Clockwise rotation of a printing segment acts through the gear segment 123 to force the element 100 to the left. Since the main member 103 has been restored to the initial position before the printing segment 107 and the element 106 are restored, the car 129 engages a camming surface 139 and rocks the connecting member 105 counterclockwise against the urging of spring 127 thus permitting the ear 129 to re-engage the notch 120 and re-establish the drive connection between the member 103 and the element 106.

The mechanism which controls the rocking movement of rod 137 comprises a pair of box cams 301, only one of which is shown in FIG. 3. These cams are fixed on the shaft 103 and act through similar rollers 303, followers 304 and links 303 to rock camming plates 302 first in a counterclockwise and then back in a clockwise direction. Plates 302 carry between them the rod 137 which extends through slots 133 in all of the ordinal printing segments 107. The arrangement is such that the rod 137 is moved counterclockwise at the same time and at the same rate at which the printing segments 107 are advanced in counterclockwise fashion during the first 180 of rotation of shaft 108. During the latter part of the second 180 of rotation of shaft 108, after the printing operation is completed, the rod 137 is returned to its initial position, thus restoring the printing segments to initial positions.

FIG. 3 shows the arrangement for rocking the locking bail 131 (FTGS. 1 and 3) into engagement with the teeth 132. The previously mentioned cam plate 302 has an upper surface 311 which cooperates with a locking cam follower pin 310 extending from a locking cam follower 307. The pin 310 follows the cam surface 311 into a notch 312 to rock the cam follower 307 counterclockwise at the end of the counterclockwise rotation of the cam plate 302. A shoulder 314 of the follower 307 extends into a forked end 313 of the bail 131 which, in turn, projects through a guide slot 316 in a fixed frame member 309. The forked end is held against the upper end of the slot 316 by the shoulder 314 until the pin 310 enters the cam slot 312 and rocks the follower 307 counterclockwise to bring the bail 131 into engagement with the teeth 132.

It may be noted by comparing lines 1A and 4B of FIG. 4 that the lever 206 moves the actuator drive shaft 203 to its full rightward position before the cam 302 (PEG. 3) is driven to its full counterclockwise position to thereby insure that the printing segment 107 is in the printing position before bringing tie bail 131 into locking engagement with the teeth 132. Also, in line 4C the motion of the platen in response to 360 of rotation of the shaft is shown. Comparison of line 413 with line 4C shows that the locking bail cam plate 302 is maintained in the counterclockwise locking position during a period extending before and after the time allowed for printing. At the end of this period, the plate 302 is driven clockwise to raise the follower pin 310 out of the notch 312. This rocks the follower 307 clockwise and raises the locking bail 131 out of engagement with the teeth 132. Further rotation of the plate 302 clockwise brings the restoring rod 137 into engagement with the printing segments 107 (FIG. 1) and thus restores the printing drive element 106 and the connecting member 1.05 to respective initial positions where the member re-engages the reciprocating rack assembly 102.

Comparison of lines 4A and 4B shows that the lever 206 which drives the actuator drive shaft 203 and the register drive racks 104 is fully restored to the initial position before the beginning of restoration of the printing segment 107 and therefore is restored for a considerable period before the complete restoration of the printing segment. This period may be used for carrying out other operations that must be completed before a new printing cycle can be initiated such as, for example, clearance of the pin carriage. Alternatively, other extracyclic operations such as tens carry and true negative balance translation which occur in other known machines at the end of a calculating operation may be carried out in place of or simultaneously with pin carriage clearance.

During certain operations of a calculator such as in multiplication or division. it is necessary that the main member 103 and the register drive rack 104 be reciprocated but it is unnecessary that the printing segments be moved. Thus when a multiply or a divide key is depressed, a selectively operable superseding means in the form of a bail 141 (FIG. 1) may be rocked by the key. The bail engages an arm 142 of the connecting member 105 to rock the ear 129 out of engagement with the shoulder 128. The main member 103 and the register drive rack 104 are then free to reciprocate independently of the printing segment 107. At the end of the actuating operation, when the key is released, the bail 141 rises to the position shown to re-establish the connection 129428 and permit printing of the result.

The ordinal accumulator gears 123 are mounted on the shaft 124 and are held in engagement with the positive gear rack 121 or the negative gear rack 122 in the usual manner during the numeral wheel actuating operation which occurs during restoration of the main member 103.

To carry out a tens carry operation during reciprocation of the shaft 208 the register drive rack 104 (FIG. 1) of each order is slidably mounted on the corresponding main member 103. For this purpose studs 118 and 119 carried by slide 104 are guided in slots in member 103. The register drive rack 104 of each order is spring urged towards the left with respect to the main member 103.

A tens carry tooth 143 is made integral with each-accumulator gear 123. Rotation of the tooth 143 from a value of 9 to 0 in the positive direction or from 0 to 9 in the negative direction causes the tooth 143 to rock an interponent 144 on a fixed shaft 145. Regardless of the direction in which the interponent 144 is rocked, it moves an ordinal member 146 to the right. Each member 146 is guided by a shaft 147 and comprises a portion of an articulated linkage (not shown) which trips a projection 148 for movement to the left each time the tens carry tooth 143 rotates the interponent 144. The projection 148 is located adjacent a shoulder 149 of the register drive rack 104 in an adjacent higher order so that the higher order register drive rack is released to make an extra digital increment of movement to the left. Since the tens carry mechanism is conventional and forms no part of the present invention, further description is believed unnecessary.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that the invention is equally applicable to an adding machine which employs rotary actuator assemblies instead of reciprocating actuator rack assemblies. For example, the rotary actuator assembly may be of the Thomas or Odhner type in which digitation occurs during a first phase followed by a tens carry phase. In such a machine, the disconnecting means would serve to permit printing of a selected amount during the tens carry phase.

The invention claimed is:

1. In a listing machine having a value entry mechanism, a plurality of ordinally arranged printing means, digital actuators operable under the control of said value entry mechanism to drive the printing means, and cyclically operable means for driving said actuators; a print control mechanism comprising: a normally enabled connection between each actuator and a respective ordinal printing means to cause the actuators to drive the printing means concurrently with movement of the actuators under the control of said value entry mechanism, means operable under control of the cyclically operable means to disconnect the printing means from the digital actuators, and said cyclically operable means being thereafter operable to cause further movement of the actuators independently of the printing means.

2. In a listing machine having a plural order numeral wheel register, a value entry mechanism, numeral wheel actuators operable to be driven to selected value representative positions under the control of said value entry mechanism and to correspondingly drive said numeral wheels, cyclically operable means for driving said numeral wheel actuators, a plurality of printing means, means operable to engage said actuators with said printing means to drive the printing means to said printing position concurrently with movement of said numeral Wheel actuators, means operable to hold said printing means in said printing position, means to disengage the printing means from the actuators and said cyclically operable means being thereafter operable to cause further movement of the actuators independently of the printing means.

3. In a listing machine having a plural order printing means, a value entry mechanism, a plurality of ordinally arranged actuators, a normally engaged connection between each actuator and a respective printing means, and a printing control mechanism comprising: cyclically operable means for driving said actuators and said printing means each from an initial position to a selected value representative position under the control of said value entry mechanism, locking means operable under control of said cyclically operable means to hold said printing means in said driven position during a subsequent disengagement of the printing means from the actuators, cyclically operable means for returning the actuators to their initial positions, and restoring means operable under the control of said cyclically operable means to return said printing means to initial positions for re-engagement with the actuators.

4. In a listing machine having a register comprising a plurality of ordinally arranged numeral wheels, a value entry mechanism, numeral wheel actuators, a plurality of printing means releasably engaged with said actuators, cyclically operable means for driving said actuators and said printing means from initial positions to selected value representative positions under the control of said value entry mechanism, means for disengaging the printing means from the actuators and for maintaining the printing means in the value representative position independently of movement of the actuators, and restoring means engageable with said printing means and operable under the control of said cyclically operable means to return the actuators and the printing means in seriatim to said initial positions and to re-engage the printing means with the actuators.

5. In a listing machine having a plural order numeral wheel register, a value entry mechanism, numeral wheel actuators, cyclically operable means for driving said numeral wheel actuators under the control of said value entry mechanism, and a plural order printing means; a printing control mechanism, comprising: a normally enabled connection between each printing means and a respective numeral Wheel actuator to cause the actuators to drive the printing means from initial positions to respective value printing positions; locking means operable under control of said cyclically operable means for engaging and holding said printing means in said value printing position; means responsive to continuing movement of the actuators to discormect the printing means from the actuators; and restoring means operable under control of said cyclically operable means to return the printing means to said initial positions and to reconnect the actuators and the printing means.

6. In a listing machine having a plural order numeral wheel register, a value entry mechanism, numeral Wheel actuators, cyclically operable means for driving said actuators to selected value representative positions under the control of said value entry mechanism, and a plurality of printing segments; a print segment control mechanism comprising in each order: a print segment driving member, a spring, a releasable connecting device mounted on said printing segment driving member and normally urged by said spring into engagement with a portion of said actuator to thereby cause the print segment to be driven concurrently with movement of said numeral wheel actuator under the control of said value entry mechanism, and means operable under control of the cyclically operable means to overcome said spring and to disengage the print segment driving member from said actuator to thereby permit movement of the actuator independently of the printing segment.

7. In a listing machine having a numeral wheel; a value entry mechanism; a numeral wheel actuator operable to be driven to a selected value representative position under the control of said value entry mechanism and to correspondingly drive said numeral wheel; cyclically operable means for driving said numeral wheel actuator; a printing segment; a printing segment control mechanism, comprising: a printing drive element engaged with said segment to drive said segment; a normally enabled connecting device between the printing drive element and the numeral wheel actuator to drive the printing drive element and the printing segment from respective initial positions to said value representative position concurrently with movement of the numeral wheel actuator; means operable under control of said cyclically operable means for holding said printing segment in the said value representative position to thereby disable said connecting device and to break the connection between the printing drive element and the numeral wheel actuator during subsequent movement of the actuator; and a restoring means operable under the control of said cyclically operable means to return the printing segment and printing drive element to said initial position and to re-enable the connecting device.

8. In a listing machine having a numeral wheel register, a value entry means; numeral wheel actuators operable to be driven to selected value representative positions under the control of said value entry means and to correspondingly drive said numeral wheels; cyclically operable means for driving said numeral wheel actuators, a plurality of printing means; a printing control mechanism, comprising: a releasable connector normally coupling each actuator and a respective printing means to drive the printing means to printing positions concurrently with movement of the numeral wheel actuators under control of said value entry means; and a superseding means operable under control of said cyclically operable means to engage said releasable connector to break the coupling between the numeral wheel actuators and the printing means and permit cyclic movement of the 0 numeral wheel actuators independently of the printing means.

9. In a listing machine having a register comprising a plurality of numeral Wheels; a value entry mechanism; actuators operable under control of said value entry mechanism to drive said numeral wheels; printing means; and a printing means control mechanism, comprising: a normally enabled means connecting the printing means and the numeral wheel actuators to cause the actuators to drive the printing means; cyclically operable means for driving said actuators, said normally enabled connecting means, and said printing means; and a selectively settable superseding means operable by said cyclically operable means at the beginning of a cycle and prior to said driving of the numeral Wheels by the actuators to disconnect the printing means from the actuators.

10. In a listing machine having a plurality of ordinally arranged printing means, a value entry mechanism, a plurality of ordinally arranged actuators normally standing in an initial position, a plurality of printing means, cyclically operable means for driving said actuators, and a printing control mechanism comprising: a connecting means between each printing means and a respective actuator to cause the actuators to drive the printing means each from an initial position to a selected value representative position, means to break the connection between each actuator and its respective printing means, means controlled jointly by the value entry mechanism and a portion of the cyclically operable means for restraining inertial forces tending to move the printing means beyond said value representative position, a first means for returning the actuators to said initial positions, and a second means for thereafter returning the printing means to said initial positions.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,371,138 Bair Mar. 8, 1921 2,467,441 Noller Apr. 19, 1949 2,506,337 Boyden May 2, 1950 2,568,350 Mehan Sept. 18, 1951 2,973,708 Becker Mar. 7, 1961

Claims (1)

1. IN A LISTING MACHINE HAVING A VALUE ENTRY MECHANISM, A PLURALITY OF ORDINALLY ARRANGED PRINTING MEANS, DIGITAL ACTUATORS OPERABLE UNDER THE CONTROL OF SAID VALUE ENTRY MECHANISM TO DRIVE THE PRINTING MEANS, AND CYCLICALLY OPERABLE MEANS FOR DRIVING SAID ACTUATORS; A PRINT CONTROL MECHANISM COMPRISING: A NORMALLY ENABLED CONNECTION BETWEEN EACH ACTUATOR AND A RESPECTIVE ORDINAL PRINTING MEANS TO CAUSE THE ACTUATORS TO DRIVE THE PRINTING MEANS CONCURRENTLY WITH MOVEMENT OF THE ACTUATORS UNDER THE CONTROL OF SAID VALUE ENTRY MECHANISM, MEANS TO DISCONNECT THE PRINTING MEANS FROM THE DIGITAL ACTUATORS, AND SAID CYCLICALLY OPERABLE MEANS BEING THEREAFTER OPERABLE TO CAUSE FURTHER MOVEMENT OF THE ACTUATORS INDEPENDENTLY OF THE PRINTING MEANS.

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