US3346177A

US3346177A - Crossland voting machine

Info

Publication number: US3346177A
Authority: US
Current assignee: SEISCOR Inc; SEISCOR TECHNOLOGIES Inc
Publication date: 1967-10-10
Anticipated expiration: 1984-10-10

Description

Oct. 10, 1967 E. J- CROSSLAND 3,346,177

'VOTING MACHINE Filed Dec. 16, 1966 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 EDWARD J. CRO'SSLAND Oct. 10, 1967 E. J. CROSSLAND 3,346,177

VOTING MACHINE Filed Dec. 16, 1966 FIG. 2 30 7 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 R: EDWARD J. CROSSLAN ATT'YS Oct. 10, 1967 J CROSSLAND 3,346,177

VOTING MACHINE Filed Dec. 16, 1966 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 FIG?) NEUTRAL I SEL A mOOOOOOOOGOOO INVENTOR; EDWARD J. CROSSLAND Oct. 10,1967 E. J. CROSSLAND 3,346,177

VOTING MACHINE Filed Dec. 16, 1966 5 sheets-sneak EDWARD J. CROSSLAND ATT'YS Oc 10, 96 E. .1. CROSSLAND VOTING MACHINE 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Dec. 16, 1966 INVENTOR:

NEUTRAUW KEY sen.

SEL a SEL c N L S T m M R Wm D (litan United States Patent 3,346,177 VOTING MACHINE Edward .I. Grassland, Tulsa, ()kla, assignor to Seismograph Service Corporation, Tulsa, Okla., a corporation of Delaware Filed Dec. 16, 1966, Ser. No. 662,336 8 Claims. (Cl. 235-54) ABSACT OF THE DISCLGSURE A voting machine employing selecting keys movable along columns Within an ofiice group defined by office stops placed on the columns. The machine employs a scanning device movable along the columns in one direction to actuate counters corresponding to the selected positions of the keys made by the voter and is movable in a reverse direction to restore all of the keys to their neutral positions on the columns after the vote is counted.

The present invention relates generally to voting machines and is particularly concerned with improvements in light, easily transportable, relatively inexpensive voting machines of the general type disclosed and claimed in United States Patent Nos. 3,095,142, 3,190,549, and 3,221,988, all of which are assigned to the same assignee as the present invention.

Voting machines of the type disclosed in the abovementioned patents employing a voting panel made up of a plurality of columns which are divided into a number of rows representing a large number of selecting positions. A number of rows in each column make up an ofiice group and one or more selectors or keys are mounted on the column for manual sliding movement within the office group between a neutral position and any of the various selecting positions. After the voter, has first moved the selectors to the various selecting positions desired within the oilice groups and has then pressed a vote button or switch, a scanning device moves or sweeps along the rear of the panel in one direction to operate counters in order to record the voters selections. The scanning device is moved in the reverse direction to restore all of the keys to the neutral positions for the next voter.

The present invention has for an object the provision of a new and improved voting machine of the type described.

Another object of the present invention is the provision of a voting machine of the character described including a new and improved scanning device for recording the voters selections and having improved means for restoring the keys or selectors to their neutral positions after the selections have been made.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a voting machine of the type described employing new and improved selectors or keys for manual movement along the columns of the voting panel.

Still another object of the present invention is the pro vision of a new voting machine which is more easily programmed for an election.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved voting machine with new and unique stops having a two-fold purpose of limiting the travel of the selectors or keys along the columns and cooperating with the key restoring means of the scanning device during the key restoring sweep, thereby eliminating the need for dual rows of stops along the columns and, accordingly, simplifying the programming of the machine.

Another object of the present invention is to provide new and improved manual selectors or keys movable along the columns between selecting positions and engageablc between spring detents positioned along the columns tioned patents, the spring detents 3,346,177 Patented Oct. 10, 1967 for holding the selectors in said positions, said selectors including means for preventing repetitive noise resulting from the snapping action of the detents as said selectors are restored from the various selecting positions to their neutral positions.

The manner in which the foregoing objects of the present invention are realized, together with further objects and advantages, will become evident from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a front elevational view illustrating a voting machine characterized by the features of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a transverse sectional view taken through several of the columns of the voting machine shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged, sectional view taken substantially along line 33 of FIG. 2 and ShOWs the scanning mechanism in the position which it occupies during the vote counting sweep;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view similar to FIG. 3 but illustrates the scanning mechanism in position during the key restoring sweep;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken substantially along line 5-5 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken substantially along line 66 of FIG. 5; and

FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view illustrating the new and improved selector of the present invention in cooperative relation with a stop and key restoring mechanism.

The foregoing and other objects and advantages of the present invention are achieved by the provision of a new and improved voting machine including a plurality of columns, each having a number of stops thereon defining ofiice groups, each group containing a number of selected positions. At least one manually operable selector or key is mounted on the column in each office group for sliding movement longitudinally along the column between a neutral position adjacent a stop and a number of selecting positions. A plurality of spring detents are positioned along the columns and adjacent pairs of these spring detents cooperate to maintain the selectors in the desired positions along the columns in the neutral position or in one of the selecting positions. The voting machine includes a scanning device movable along the rear of the columns in one direction for simultaneously scanning the positions of the selectors on the columns and activating counter mechanisms to record the selections made. The scanning device is driven in a reverse direction to perform a key restoring sweep operation. For this purpose, the scanning device includes key restoring means biased into such positions that they engage the selectors and lift them along the columns to the neutral positions as the scanning device makes its key restoring sweep. As the selectors are returned to their respective neutral positions during the restoring cycle of the scanning device, the key restoring means engages cam means provided on'the stops, thereby to permit the scanning device and the key restoring means to pass the restored keys and continue movement along the column in order to restore the selectors in all of the other oflice groups to their neutral positions. The voting machine is then ready for the next voter to make his selections by movement of the manually operable selectors. In the voting machines illustrated in the aforemenfor holding the selectors in position along the columns were subject to a snapping action as the keys weer moved from one position to another. The snapping action of the keys oftentimes produced objectionable noise, especially during movement of the keys to their neutral positions during a restoring cycle of the scanning device. Thus, if a voter made all or a majority of his selections for candidates of one political party, anyone listening to the key restoring operation could, by counting the number of snaps of the detent springs, determine which party the voter had supported. In many instances, this was, of course, objectionable. To overcome this problem, the selectors of the present invention include means for inhibiting or preventing such noise as the keys are restored to their neutral positions.

Another improved feature of the present invention resides in the provision of only a single row of stops for each column instead of separate rows of ofiice stop pins and key restoring actuator pins, as required in the voting machines shown in the aforementioned patents. This is made possible by the dual function of the stops of the present invention in limiting the travel of the selectors and in camming the restoring means out of engagement with the selectors when they reach their neutral positions during a key restoring sweep of the scanning device.

Referring now to the drawings and first to FIG. 1, one form of the voting machine of the present invention is there identified generally by the reference numeral 20 and comprises a substantially enclosed housing 21 formed by a number of panels locked together in any suitable manner, as, for example, by means of interlocks as described in detail and claimed in United States Patent No. 3,133,699, which is assigned to the same assignee as the present invention. In the event that the voting machine breaks down or if, for any other reason, access may be desired to the interior of the housing 21, one or more of the panels may be removed by unlocking the appropriate key operated lock or locks. Moreover, access may be had by the precinct officials to the rear of the voting machine to read the counters after the election has been completed by unlocking and opening rear doors in the manner described in the aforementioned United States Patent No. 3,133,699. In addition, a power panel door (not shown), located on the right side of the machine, as viewed in FIG. 1, may be unlocked and opened to permit connection of an electrical cable to a remote voter classification unit (not shown), described and claimed in United States Patent No. 3,098,607, which is also assigned to the same assignee as the present invention.

The housing 21 defines an upper, generally vertically extending voting panel section identified by the reference numeral 24 and a lower power supply section 25 extending forwardly from the upper section and forming a relatively low shelf 26 through which extends a manually operated VOTE switch 27. The lower section of the housing beneath the shelf 26 may also contain a party vote mechanism (not shown) of the type described and claimed in United States Patent No. 3,092,311. In certain jurisdictions, however, party voting is not permitted, and in such cases the party vote mechanism is omitted. Since the present invention is not concerned with the latter mechanism, the party vote facilities have not been shown in the drawings.

In the form of the invention shown in the drawings, the selections made by the voter are adapted to be recorded or registered upon counters 28 detachably secured to a counter panel 29 (FIG. 2) located at the rear of the voting machine. After the election, the counter readings are recorded by the precinct oificials on a tabulating sheet which is then transported to a central counting or tabulation station where the results of the election may be computed.

The voting machine includes a front face or voting panel 30 on the upper section 24 made up of a plurality of side-by-side vertically extending

columns

30a, 30b, 300, etc. While only three vertical columns are shown in FIG. 1, it will be apparent that this is merely for illustration, since in actual practice any desired number of columns may be used. As is best shown in FIG. 2 of the drawings, each of the columns 30!, 30b, 30c, and 30d, etc. comprises an elongated member preferably formed of an extruded material, such as aluminum. The extrusion is such that each column comprises a central body portion 32 having an inwardly extending, longitudinal rib 33 adjacent a curved spring receiving region 31 lying alongside the rib 33 and extending longitudinally of the column. A relatively thick edge portion 34 extends longitudinally along one side of the body portion while a transversely and longitudinally extending flange or leg 35 is formed at the other side. A flange 36 extends along the entire length of the column at the rearwardly disposed end of the leg 35. A channel 37 formed by

elongated recesses

38 and 39 respectively formed in the edge portion 34 and the leg 35 receives a printed or written candidate strip 40 containing different ofiices or propositions to be decided by the voter. Thus, for example, if the election is a national election, this strip may contain an office title, such as PRESIDENT, and therebeneath may appear the different candidates competing for this office. The oflice title and candidates for the office will be referred to hereinafter as an office group. However, it should be understood that the term office group may also refer to propositions on which a yes or no answer is required as, for example, on bond issues, constitutional amendments, or the like. Each of the candidate positions or voting positions in an ofiice group will be referred to hereinafter as a selecting position. Each of the channels 37 may also receive a transparent cover 41 overlying the printed candidate strip 40 for the purpose of preventing the latter strip from being marked or damaged by the voter using the machine.

A groove 43 is provided in the rear face of the body portion 32 for receiving an elongated strip 42 having a series of vertically spaced openings 42a therein accommodating office stops 44 which divide the different ofiice groups of each column and which will be described in detail hereinafter. To facilitate insertion of the ofiice stops in the proper positions along the strip 42 during programming of the voting machine to set it up for an election, there may be provided adjacent the perforations of each strip consecutive numbers running from top to bottom and corresponding to the different selecting positions along the column.

The edge portions 34 are provided with an elongated, longitudinally extending guide rail 47 lying adjacent a pair of grooves 46:: and 46b for accommodating one or more voting keys or selectors 48 which are slidable along the column to permit the voter to make his selections.

To consider the operation of the voting machine of the present invention, let it be assumed that the column 3% contains two ofiice groups, namely, an office group in which the voter must select between candidates A, B, C and D and a second ofiice group in which the voter must choose between candidates E, F, G and H. Let it be further assumed that the voter is entitled to vote for only one of the four candidates in'each office group. Thus, under these conditions, the candidate strip 40 inserted into the receiving channel 37 of the column 3% will contain a first office title 40a listing the title of the office for which the candidates A, B, C and D are running and, in addition, will contain beneath this first ofiice title four selecting positions respectively listing the four different candidates. Below the first office group will be a second office title 4% and four selecting positions listing the four different candidates competing for the second office. A pair of office stops 44 are inserted within appropriate openings 42a respectively disposed above and below the first office group with the bottom stop being provided at a position adjacent to and immediately below the bottom selecting position containing the name of the candidate D. The upper stop lies above the selecting position for the candidate A adjacent a neutral position alongside the office title 40a. A voting key 48a is adapted to slide along the'column 30b between the two stops but, for reasons which will become apparent as the description proceeds, the key cannot pass either of the stops. The key may be manually moved by the voter from the neutral or non-voting position located adjacent the upper stop to any one of the four selecting or voted positions within the first office group and as the key moves along the column an outer pointer or indicator 52 thereon passes over the candidate titles A, B, C and D. When the key reaches the position of the candidate selected by the voter, it is released. Since the voter is provided with only one key for the first oflice group, he may, of course, select only one of the four candidates and, as a consequence, it is not necessary to provide an interlock arrangement for preventing further voting in this oifice group. A similar situation exists in the second office group of the column 30b where a second voting selector or key 48b is mounted for sliding movement along the column between stops respectively located above the oflice title 40b and below the candidate H. The number of selecting positions available in each of the columns is, of course, determined solely by the height of the column and the space occupied by each selecting position. Obviously, any suitable number of selecting positions may be provided but in one form of the present invention thirty such positions were used, although, to simplify the illustration, a lesser number is shown in FIG. 1. The selecting positions of the

columns

30a, 30b, 300, etc., are horizontally aligned to form different horizontal rows on the front panel of the voting machine with each row corresponding to a transversely extending row of counter positions on the counter panel 29. a

In cases where the voter is permitted to exercise more than one choice in a particular oflice group, as, for exam ple, in the upper oflice group of the column 300 shown in FIG. 1,

several keys

48c and 48d may be provided. In this office group, the voter is permitted to select between any two of six candidates I, J, K, L, M and N. The selection is, of course, made by moving

voting keys

48c and 48d from their neutral positions adjacent the upper otfice stop above the oflice title 400 to selecting or voted positions adjacent the names of the candidates selected, the movement of the two keys obviously being limited by a lower stop below the candidate N. If cumulative voting is not permitted, the names of the candidates I, J, K, L, M and N will appear only once and, hence, only one vote may be cast for any one candidate. However, if cumulative voting is permissible, that is, if the voter may cast more than one of his votes for a single candidate, then the names of the candidates will be listed in each olfice group more than once, and if the voter so desires, he may cast both votes for his chosen candidate by moving both of the

voting keys

48c and 48d to positions respectively adjacent the two listings of that particular candidate. After the voter has moved both of the

keys

48c and 48d to a selecting position, he cannot, of course, cast additional votes for other candidates and, hence, overvoting is prevented without the use of elaborate interlocks between the voting keys.

The voting keys are held in the neutral and selecting positions by detent means associated with the columns.

This detent means preferably takes rality of detents located one above the other within a longitudinally extending channel 33a formed in the rib 33 with the detent being secured within this channel by a bent, somewhat J-shaped, resilient end portion 54 which snaps into the channel 33a and holds the detent firmly in position. The detents are closely packed within the channel 33a along its length in order to avoid movement of the detents longitudinally of the column. Each detent includes a laterally extending curved detent finger 55 the form of a pluextending outwardly from a J-shaped end portion 54 with each finger carrying at its outer end a key engaging portion 56 (FIG. 2). The curved detent finger 55 lies along a concave curved portion 31 formed on the back side of the columns to provide a rigid backing for each detent finger. Each of the key engaging portions 56 is bent to form a key holding notch 57 (FIG. 5) between adjacent keys of the column. To this end, each detent finger extends outwardly from the J-shaped end 54 for a distance such that its key engaging portion 56 is disposed in the path of sliding movement of the voting keys 48 on the column. The detent fingers are normally flexed or biased to occupy the position shown in FIG. 2. When a voting key is slid along the column to move past a detent finger, the finger is flexed rearwardly of the front panel 30 or to the left, as viewed in FIG. 6, and if the key is stopped either at a selecting position or at a neutral position, it seats within one of the key holding notches 57 between key holding portions 56 of adjacent detents 55 and is thus resiliently held at the selected position with the adjacent detent fingers holding the key being disposed in their non-flexed positions. To provide a detent for each selecting position on the voting panel, the J- shaped end portion is of such height that the detent fingers are vertically spaced apart to form the notches 57 which are separated by a distance corresponding to the width of one of the selecting positions and the detent fingers 55 are so oriented with respect to the stop receiving openings 42a in the strip 42 that when a voting key is in its neutral position seated against an office stop 44, it is also seated within a notch 57.

Turning now to the construction of the voting keys 48 and referring particularly to FIG. 7 of the drawings, it will be observed that the keys or selectors may comprise a generally rectangularly shaped body member having the pointer 52 referred to above extending laterally therefrom to overlie the edge portion 34 of the column. The rail 47 on the column extends loosely through a guide channel 58 formed in the key, with ribs 59 and 60 also formed on the key being respectively seated within the grooves 46a and 46b of the column, thus permitting sliding movement of the key longitudinally along the column but, at the same time, prohibiting removal of the key by the voter and also limiting lateral key movement. A finger grip 61 extends forwardly from the pointer 52 to facilitate movement of the key by the voter. A slot or channel 62 formed in one side of the key receives the flange 36 of the adjacent column, thereby to prevent the voter or anyone else from inserting a tool or other object through the slot formed between adjacent columns in an attempt to disrupt the operation of the machine. The voting key includes a curved detent engaging region 63 protruding rearwardly from the body portion of the key and shaped to seat snugly within the notches 57 and also to flex the detent fingers 55 during movement of the key along the column. The rearward portion of the key is also provided with a tooth 64 for use in restoring the key to its neutral position after the vote is cast, as will be described in more detail hereinafter. Finally, the rearward portion of the key is provided with a curved surface portion 65 for engaging the counter actuating mechanism described below during the vote sensing sweep of the scanning rail.

After the voter has made his selections upon the voting panel of the machine, his choices are adapted to be recorded or registered upon the counters 28 mounted on the counter panel 29. The latter panel extends along the rear of the voting machine within the housing 21 and generally parallel to the front panel 30 and is constructed as described in detail in United States Patent No. 3,108,744 assigned to the same assignee as the present invention. As is described in the latter patent, the panel 29 comprises a large, flat plate carrying a plurality of elongated, spaced apart and parallel, vertical ribs 71 defining a plurality of

columns

72a, 72b, etc., equal in number to the number of

columns

30a, 30b, etc., of the front panel 30 used for voting. As was indicated above, the panel 29 is adapted to support a plurality of the detachable counters 28, one such counter being used for each voting or selecting position employed for voting on the front panel 39. To this end, the panel 29 has a number of counter receiving positions thereon for receiving the counters and, prior to the election, counters are assembled on the panel only at receiving positions corresponding to the voting or selecting positions to be used during the election. No counters are inserted at positions corresponding to the neutral positions of the voting keys and none are mounted at positions corresponding to the vacant positions on the front panel not used for the election, thus economizing upon the number of counters required and minimizing both cost and weight. Along each column of the counter panel are provided pairs of

holes

73a and 73b with the different pairs being spaced apart vertically and with each pair being adapted to receive feet 28a formed on each of the detachable plug-in counters 28. Each counter may be of the type described and claimed in United States Patent No. 3,092,319, assigned to the same assignee as the present invention and, as a result, these counters will not be described in detail. Each column on the counter panel also includes an elongated vertical slot 74 formed in the plate 70 for accommodating counter operating ratchets 75 of all of the counters mounted along that column. Elongated detent springs 76 are carried by the panel ribs 71 and each has a plurality of spring fingers 77 cooperating with tabs 78 formed on opposite ends of the counters to hold the counters in position, each counter being held by one pair of spring fingers. Each counter is inserted into position on the counter panel by holding its casing at the top and bottom between the thumb and forefinger and by then pushing the counter past the detent spring fingers 77 until the counter ratchet 75 extends through the slot '74 with the feet 28a fitting into one pair of the

openings

73a and 73b. The 'detent spring fingers 77 snap over the tabs 78 to hold the counter in position.

As was previously indicated, the precinct ofiicials may read the counters at the completion of the election by unlocking and opening the rear doors in the manner described in detail in United States Patent No. 3,133,699 referred to above. To facilitate the reading of the counters and to minimize the human errors involved in transferring the counter readings to the tabulating sheets, each column on the counter panel 29 is provided with a candidate sheet or strip 79 (FIG. 2) listing the dilferent candidates or issues appearing on the corresponding front panel column. Thus the name of each candidate or issue appears directly alongside a window 80 in the casing of the particular counter used to register the votes cast for that candidate or issue. As is shown in FIG. 2, the printed strip 79 associated with each column on the counter panel is covered by a transparent strip 81 having its two side edges slipped into

grooves

82 and 83 formed in the sides of the panel ribs 71. Each printed strip 79 is held against its associated transparent strip 81 by teats 84 formed on the counter casing. The latter teats also prevent movement of the counter away from the counter panel and, hence, maintain the counter operating ratchet 75 in position to be operated when the scanning mechanism is moved during the vote sending sweep.

The vote counting operation is initiated by the actuation of the manually operated VOTE switch 27 by the voter after he has completed his selections. The switch 27 is effective to complete an electrical circuit (not shown but described in the above identified United States Patent No. 3,098,607) to a series wound drive motor having its output shaft connected through suitable reduction gearing and a shaft 88 to a sprocket and chain arrangement 89 for driving a scanning mechanism indicated generally 'by the reference numeral 87. When the VOTE switch 27 is operated, the scanning mechanism is located at the top of the voting machine and, hence, it sweeps downwardly along the rear of the voting panel in a vote sensing or vote counting direction until it reaches the bottom of the panel. The scanning mechanism 87 is movable upwardly after a vote scanning sweep on a restoring cycle, and the voting keys 48 are all returned in a manner described in detail below from their voting positions to their neutral positions so that the voting machine is ready for use by the next voter.

The mechanical drive for the scanning mechanism 87 includes the horizontal output shaft 88 extending along the bottom of the machine and carrying a pair of sprockets at its opposite ends which are connected with the chain assembly 89 previously mentioned. Opposite ends of the mechanism 87 are connected to the chains 89, and when the scanning mechanism completes its downward vote sensing sweep, a lower limit switch is actuated by an arm carried in fixed position on one of the chains 89, at which time the current to the drive to the motor is interrupted. The direction of motor rotation is then reversed and the scanning mechanism moves upwardly on a restoring sweep until reaching its original position at the top of the machine whereupon an upper limit switch is engaged by another arm on the chain 89 to stop the motor drive. It should be apparent that by appropriate changes in design, the sensing sweep could begin at the bottom of the panel although in this case the voting keys would be in their neutral positions when they were located adjacent the lower stop of each oflice group.

The scanning mechanism 87 comprises a horizontal rail having its opposed ends mounted for turning movement upon carriage assemblies carried by the chains 89. The carriage assemblies are fixedly secured to the chains and are guided for vertical movement Within suitable fixed guide channels 98 provided along opposite sides of the voting machine housing 21, as indicated at 98 in FIG. 2.

For the purpose of detecting the positions of the actuated or voted keys, that is, the keys which have been moved from a neutral position to a voted position, and, for actuating those counters 28 corresponding to the positions of the voted keys, the rail 95 carries a plurality of spaced apart combined key wipers and counter actuating devices a, 105b, 1050, there being one of these for each of the

columns

30a, 30b, 30c, 30d, etc. The

devices

105a, 105b, etc., are identical and are described in detail in the above-identified United States Patent No. 3,108,744. Each such device comprises an interposer arm 106 extending through a transverse bore 95a (FIG. 3) in the rail 95 and suspended upon the latter rail for limited movement longitudinally of the bore by means of

leaf springs

107 and 108. More specifically, the rail 95 is formed by a bar having a hexagonal cross section and the

springs

107 and 108 are respectively mounted upon diametrically opposed flat areas on the rail periphery. The spring 107 is secured at one end to the rail 95 by means of screws 109 and at its other end seats within an annular, peripheral groove 106a formed near one end of the interposer arm 106. The spring 108 is supported upon a spacer block (not shown) and both the spring and the block are secured to the rail in any suitable manner as, for example, by means of screws 111. A square or rectangularly shaped opening formed near one end of the spring 107 accommodates a similarly shaped area 112 (FIG. 3) of the interposer arm 106. The end of the spring 107 seats against an enlarged, generally rectangularly shaped head 113 on the interposer arm 106 to provide a spring force cooperating with that of the spring 107 to normally bias or urge the arm 106 towards the left as viewed in FIG. 3. During the vote sensing sweep of the scanning rail 95, chamfered wiping end surfaces 113a (FIG. 3) of the heads 113 are positioned to engage the curved areas 65 on each of the voting keys 48 in the associated columns 30a, 3011, etc. Thus, when the scanning mechanism 87 occupies the position shown in FIG. 3 and is moved downwardly along the rear of the panel 30, the interposer arm 106 is moved to the right each time that the wiping surface -113a engages .a voting key 48, the interposer arm being returned to the left by the

springs

107 and 108 as soon as the head 113 has moved past the key. The described movement of the arm 106 actuates the counters 28 because the rearward end 106b of the arm is in engagealong the columns is limited to a ment with a counter actuating arm 115 having a hooked end 115a which is adapted to engage and turn the ratchet 75 of any counter 28 located in a position on the panel 29 corresponding to the position of a voted key. Each actuating arm 115 is mounted upon the outer end of a support bracket 116 which is secured to one face of the rail 95 by a cap screw 117.

For the purpose of actuating the difierent columns in accordance with the voters classification, the voting machine of the present invention may include a classification lockout system as described in the United States Patent No. 3,190,549, and reference should be had to this patent for a detailed description. Briefly, the lookout system includes means engageable with the spring detents 55 of selected ofiice groups whereby the voting keys are locked against movement out of their neutral position. Accordingly, a voter not qualified for voting on certain matters or issues is prevented from moving the keys in the oflice groups pertaining thereto, and the voter does not have the feeling that he has cheated by voting on issues on which he is unqualified since he cannot even move these keys.

When the scanning rail 95 approaches the end of its vote detecting sweep, a rigid rail turning arm carried in fixed position on the rail periphery near one end of the rail engages a fixed lower stop mounted at the bottom of the counter panel 29 so that the continued downward movement of the scanning mechanism is effective to turn the rail 60 degrees in a counterclockwise direction from the position shown in FIG. 3 to that shown in FIG. 4. The scanning rail is thus conditioned for the upward key restoring sweep.

When the rail is turned, the interposer arms 106 are all moved to positions where they cannot engage the voting keys during the upward movement of the rail but, at the same time, a plurality of key restoring devices 127a, 12%, etc., one for each of the

counter actuating devices

105a, 105b, etc., are positioned to engage the tooth 64 on each voting key 48 as the rail 95 is raised. One such key restoring device is provided for each column containing voting keys and each such device is effective to lift all of the voting keys in its associated column from the detent fingers 55 holding them in the voted positions and to slide each key upwardly along the column until it is returned to its neutral position where its upward movement is limited by one of the office stops 44.

Each

key restoring device

127a, 127b, etc., includes a key engaging lever 128 having one end pivotally mount ed on an L-shaped bracket 129 which is secured to one of the flat faces of the rail 95. Each of the levers 128 is mounted on a pivot pin 130, and the outer end of the lever is biased outwardly toward engagement with the teeth 64 of the selector keys 48 along the column by means of a biasing spring 131. The spring 131 is supported on a pin 132 which is mounted on the L-shaped bracket 129 and held in place on the pin by means of C-shaped spring washers 133. One leg of the spring bears against a leg of the L-shaped bracket while the other leg extends through a hole in and protrudes beyond an integral pin 134 formed on the lever 128 outwardly of the pivot pin 130. Outward movement of the lever 128 by the biasing spring 131 is limited by means of a stop pin 135 carried on the L-shaped bracket 129. When the scanning rail 95 is moving downwardly during the vote scanning or counting sweep, the outer ends of all of the levers 128 are maintained well clear of the keys 48, to avoid inadvertent key movement.

surfaces 123a and 12812 at the outer ends of each of the levers 128 are oriented to engage the teeth 64 on the respective keys.

As was mentioned previously, movement of the keys single ofiice group by a pair of ofiice stops 44a and 44b which are respectively 10 positioned above and below each office group when the voting machine is programmed for the election. The lower stop 44b in one ofiice group may act as an upper stop for the next lower ofiice group.

As best shown in FIGS. 2 and 7, each ofiice stop 44 includes a rectangular base portion which is adapted to be mounted on the perforated strip 42 and to seat Within the groove 43 provided in the voting panel columns 30. In order to position the base portion of each ofiice stop 44 along its associated strip 42, each stop includes a split pin 141 (best shown in FIGS. 3, 4, and 5) adapted to snap into the perforations or holes 42a formed in the strip and thereby prevent the stop from moving after it is seated in a selected position along the strip. Preferably, the stops 44 and split pins thereof are integrally formed of flexible plastic material so that the pins will easily snap into the holes 42a from the rear of the strips 42. When the voting machine 20 is being programmed for an election, guard means normally extending transversely across the tops of the

columns

30a, 30b, etc., are removed and the strips 42 are withdrawn upwardly from the grooves 43 in the columns. The stops 44 are then snapped into position along the strips 42 to divide each strip into the desired ofiice groups and then the strips with the stops in place thereon are moved downwardly in the column recesses 43, and the guard means is then replaced along the tops of the columns to prevent vertical movement of the strips 42 and the stops 44 as the voting process takes place. As best shown in FIG. 2, the bases 140 of the stops 44 and the strips 42 are locked in the grooves 43 of the columns against movement rearwardly of the voting panel by a pair of shoulders 43a formed along the back edges of the groove, and vertical movement of the stops 44 on the strips 42 is prevented by engagement of the split pins 141 within the selected holes 42a in the strips. The strips 42 in turn are held against vertical sliding within the recesses 43 by the guard means which are locked in place across the tops of the columns after the programming of the machine is completed.

The recesses or grooves 43 formed on the back faces of the columns 30 are laterally offset from the channel flanges 36 which extend into the slots or recesses 62 of the selectors or keys 48 mounted on the columns, and in order to limit the travel of the keys vertically along the columns to positions within a single ofiice group, the upper and lower stop members 44a and 44b defining each office group are provided with laterally extending stop arms or projections 143 which, as best shown in FIG. 5, extend into the path traversed by the main rear body portions 144 (FIGS. 2 and 7) of keys 48. The lateral stop arm 143 on the lower stop 44b at the bottom of an ofiice group is adapted to engage the underside of a key 48 when it is positioned in the lowest selecting position within the ofi'ice group and prevent further downward travel of the key. This arm 143 also serves as an upper stop for limit ing upward travel of the key in the next adjacent lower ofiice group on the column. The lateral stop arm 143 on the upper stop 44a prevents a key 48 within the ofiice group below from being moved upwardly out of the ofiice group, and the arm also serves as a lower stop for the next adjacent upper ofiice group on the column. The selector keys 43 are formed with slotted out portions or recesses 144a above the teeth 64 in order to accommodate the lateral stop arms 143 and permit the selector keys to occupy any of the neutral or selecting positions within the ofiice group. Preferably, the lateral stop arms 143 on the stops 44- are strengthened by triangular gussets 145 (FIG. 5) in order to prevent shearing of the arms by movement of the keys against them.

In addition to the function of limiting the travel of the selector keys 48 between neutral and selecting positions within a single ofiice group defined by the upper and lower ofiice stops 44a and 441), the ofiice stops are formed with a cam structure 146 extending rearwardly of the base portion 140 for engagement with roller means on the outer ends of the restoring levers 128 to cam the levers momentarily out of engagement with the teeth 64 on keys 48 during a key restoring cycle. The rearwardly extending cam structures 146 are similar in shape to the rear body surfaces 65 of the selector keys 48 and are adapted to engage rollers 147 which are mounted adjacent the outer ends of the levers and laterally offset with respect to the key engaging surfaces 128a and 12%.

During a key restoring cycle, as the scanning rail 95 travels upwardly along the back faces of the voting panel columns 30 (FIG. 4), the key restoring levers 128 are biased forwardly toward the voting panel columns by the springs 131 so that the end surfaces 128a and 1281) normally engage the teeth 64 on the keys to raise the keys toward the neutral positions as the rail moves upwardly. Aseach key is restored to its neutral position, the laterally oifset rollers 147 on the respective levers 128 simultaneously engage the cam strucures 146 on the office stops 44 and bias the outer end of the lever 128 rearwardly away from the voting panel against the force of the spring 131 and out of engagement with the teeth 64 on the keys. This permits continuous upward travel of the scanning rail 95 without interference each time a key is returned to its neutral position adjacent an upper oifice stop 44a. Because the cam structures 146 are similar in shape to key surfaces 65, the camming action on the lever arms 128 is just sufiicient to move the lever arms rearwardly to clear the teeth 64 of the keys. For example, referring to FIGS. 4 and 5, as the lever arm 128 of the scanning device passes upwardly from the next lower office group (not shown) to a position adjacent the lower stop 44b (which also serves as an upper stop for the next lower office group) the arm is momentarily cammed outwardly by the cam structure 146 away from the uppermost key in the lower office group (which has just been returned to the neutral position), and then the lever is again moved inwardly by the spring 131 upon passing the cam structure. The key engaging surfaces 128a and 12% engage the underside of the tooth structure 64 on the key 48d (shown in dotted lines occupying the lowest selecting position) and move the key upwardly. As the key 480. is moved upwardly in the office group and reaches its neutral position, it engages the lateral arm 143 on an upper ofiice stop 44a and further upward travel of the key is prevented. As this occurs, the cam structure 146 on the upper stop 44a is engaged by the cam roller 147 on the leverarm, and the surfaces 128a and 1281) are moved out of engagement with the tooth 64 on the key permitting continued upward movement of the scanning rail 95. The cam structures 146 on the stops 44function to move the arms 128 out of engagement with the keys as they are restored to the neutral position, and thus permit continuous upward travel of the scanning rail 95 without interference from the keys as they reach their neutral positions. After passing the upper stop 44a, the lever arm 128 is again permitted to move inwardly toward engagement with the key or keys in the next office group and, in this manner, through the cooperating action of the stops 44, keys 48, and key restoring device 87 all of the keys are returned to their neutral positions by the time the scanning rai-l has completed its upward travel during a restoring sweep. I

When an office group has more than one selector key therein, such as the oflice group illustrated in FIGS. 3, 4, 5, and 6, it is necessary to provide an intermediate office stop 44c for each additional selector key used within the group. The intermediate stop 440 is similar to the upper and lower stops 44a and 44b but does not include a lateral stop arm 143 or gusset 145. The intermediate stop 440 is positioned directly below the upper office stop 44a in the office group (adjacent the neutral position of the second or lower key 4801) and because there is no lateral stop arm 143 on the intermediate stop it does not interfere with the movement of the upper key 48c between its 12 neutral position and any of the selecting positions in the group.

During a restoring operation, the lever 128 engages the lowest key 48d in the group and carries it upwardly until the lower key engages the upper key 480. Both keys are then moved in unison to their respective neutral positions adjacent the upper end of the ofiice group. As the keys arrive simultaneously at the upper neutral positions, the cam surface 146 on the intermediate stop 440 is engaged by the roller 147 on the key restoring lever arm 128 moving the arm out of engagement with the tooth 64 on the lower key 48d. The cam surface 146 on the upper stop 44a likewise keeps the lever arm from engaging the upper key 480 and, accordingly, permits the scanning rail to continue smoothly upward on its key restoring sweep.

FIGS. 5, 6, and 7 illustrate another aspect of the present invention constituting an improvement over revious voting machines of the same general type. Each selector key 48 mounted on the columns 30 is held in any of the neutral or selecting positions by the engagement of the portions 56 of adjacent spring detent fingers 55 with the surface 63 on the key. As the key is moved longitudinally along the columns, the spring detent portions 56 are biased rearwardly away from the back side of the voting panel to a position represented by the dashed line AA in FIG. 6 wherein the rearwardmost portion of the key surface 63 is clear of the spring. Rapid movement of the keys during a key restoring cycle sometimes permits the spring detent portions 56 to snap back to an original non-key engaging position (represented by the line BB) after the key has passed, and this oftentimes causes an objectionable noise or clicking sound which can sometimes be heard by voters in the polling place.

In order to overcome this difiiculty, each key 48 (FIG. 7) is provided. with a downwardly extending tang or tongue 150 having a sloping edge surface 150a adapted to engage and maintain contact with the portions 56 of the spring detent fingers adjacent thereto after the body surface 63 of the key has moved to the next adjacent position. The tongue 150 protrudes downwardly from the lower portion of the detent engaging body surface 63 of the key, and the slope of the edge 150a is somewhat more gentle or gradual than the slope of the lower portion of the key surface 63 so that the key engaging portions 56 of the spring detents 55 cannot snap back to the non-key engaging positions adjacent line B-B (FIG. 5) after passage of the keys. The edge 150a of the key tongues actually maintain the adjacent spring detent portions 56 along an intermediate line C-C (FIG. 5) while directly engaged therewith and do not permit the spring detent to return to a non-key engaging position along line B--B until the keys are above or below the springs involved.

As illustrated in FIG. 6, when the

keys

48c and 48d are moved upwardly along thecolumns during a restoring operation to their neutral positions, the upper sloping surface of the spring detent engaging body surfaces 63 of the keys first engage the portions 56 of the spring detent members and move them outwardly from the non-key engaging position (line BB) to a position along line AA. As upward movement of the key continues, the spring detent portions 56 engage the lower inwardly sloping portions of the key surface 63 and the spring detent fingers are permitted to move inwardly to the position along the intermediate line C C. From this position, the spring detent portions 56 engage the gently inwardly sloping edge 150a of the key tongue and thus are permitted to return inwardly to their non-key. engaging position (line BB) at a much slower rate and snapping action is prevented even through the keys are moved upwardly at a fairly rapid rate.

In order to permit two keys within a single otfice group to simultaneously occupy adjacent positions without interferen'ce because of the projecting tongues 150, each key includes a tongue receiving recess 151 formed on the upper side of the portion 63 to accommodate the tongue of the next adjacent upper key. Because manual movement of the keys by the voter during voting is generally slower than the movement of the keys during a restoring cycle of the scanning device 87, snapping noise of the spring detent is not a problem and, accordingly, the keys are provided only with a downwardly extending tongue. It is to be understood, however, that upwardly extending tongues and accommodating recesses on the underside of the key portions 63 could be provided if required, in accordance with the present invention. In such an instance, the upwardly and downwardly extending tongues would be laterally offset from one another (FIG. and the accommodating tongue recesses would be laterally offset in a reverse direction.

The voting machine 20 of the present invention thus provides unique and simplified means for restoring the key after a voter has made his selections and eliminates objectionable noise as the restoring cycle progresses.

While the present invention has been described in connection with the details of a particular embodiment thereof, it should be understood that these details are not intended to be limitative of the invention, since many modifications will be readily apparent to those skilled in this art and it is, therefore, contemplated in the accompanying claims to cover any such modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention.

What is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In a voting machine, the combination of means including a plurality of columns each having a number of stops thereon defining at least one ofiice group and each ofiice group containing a number of selecting positions; manually operable selectors, at least one for each office group, mounted upon the columns and slidable longitudinally thereof between a neutral position adjacent one of said stops to one of several selecting positions whereby the voter makes his selections; a scanning device, means for moving said scanning device along said columns in one direction for simultaneously scanning all of said columns to determine which of said selectors have been moved to a selecting position and for moving said scanning device along said columns in a reverse direction, a plurality of restoring means on said scanning device positioned for engagement with said selectors to restore them to their neutral positions during the movement in said reverse direction, said stops including cam means for moving each of said restoring means to permit it to pass each of the selectors after the latter have been returned to a neutral position.

2. The voting machine of claim 1 wherein said scanning device includes a support member extending transversely of said columns, said restoring means including a plurality of restoring arms pivotally mounted on said support member and each having a portion biased toward engagement with the selectors mounted on one of the columns.

3. The voting machine of claim 2 wherein said stops are removably secured in a single line along said column laterally offset from said selectors, said stops including laterally extending arm means engageable with said selectors for restricting the movement thereof along said columns between the neutral and selecting positions of a single oflice group.

4. The voting machine of claim 2 wherein the outer ends of said restoring arms are engageable with said cam means of said stops and are moved by said cam means, as said scanning device is moved in said reverse direction along said columns.

5. In a voting machine the combination of means defining a plurality of columns, each having a number of stops thereon defining at least one ofiice group and each ofiice group containing a number of selecting positions; manually operable selectors having oppositely sloping 14 cam surfaces thereon, at least one selector for each office group, mounted upon each column for longitudinal sliding movement thereon between a neutral position adjacent one of said stops to One of said selecting positions, and a plurality of detent means disposed along each of said columns for holding said selectors in said neutral and selecting positions, adjacent detent means along said column having end portions cooperating with said oppositely sloping cam surfaces to hold a selector in position along said column, each selector including a recess and a projecting tongue with the tongue of one selector adapted to extend into the recess of a selector disposed in a position next adjacent thereto, said tongue including a sloped surface extending outwardly of one of said sloping cam surfaces to engage the end portions of said detent means and prevent the latter from seating against said one cam surface when said selector is centered in a selecting or neutral position along said column.

6. In a voting machine, the combination of means including a column and at least one manually operable selector mounted for longitudinal sliding movement on said column between a neutral position and a plurality of selecting positions, and a plurality of detent means along said column, adjacent detent means including defiectable outer end portions cooperating to engage a selector and hold it in its neutral and selecting positions along said column, said selector including a pair of oppositely sloping cam surfaces thereon adapted to engage and deflect said outer end portions of said detent means from a holding position to a passing position as said selector is moved along said column, and means on said selector adjacent one of said cam surfaces for preventing the return of said end portions from said passing position to said holding position until said selector is moved along said column to a next adjacent position thereon.

7. In a voting machine having at least one longitudinal column having means thereon defining an ofiice group with at least one neutral position and a plurality of selecting positions therein, at least one manually operable selector mounted on said column for longitudinal movement between said neutral and selecting positions, a plurality of spring detents along said columns yieldingly engaging said selector to hold said selector in any one of said positions in said ofi'ice group and permit movement of said selector to any other position therein, stop means spaced longitudinally along said column including means engageable with said selector for preventing movement thereof outside of said otfice group, and selector restorer means movable along said column in one direction for returning said selectors to the neutral positions in said oflice group, said restorer means including pawl means normally biased to engage and move said selectors in said one direction to said neutral position, said stops including means for biasing said pawl means out of engage-' ment with said selectors when said restorer means moves past said neutral positions.

8. The voting machine of claim 7 wherein adjacent pairs of said spring detents cooperate to hold said selectors in any of the positions within said ofiice groups, and wherein said selector means includes a projection for moving one of said spring detents in an adjacent pair out of a holding position with respect to a selector adjacent thereto.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,108,744 10/1963 Crossland et al. 235-54 3,118,598 1/1964 Laws 23554 3,221,988 12/1965 Crossland et al. 235.54

RICHARD B. WILKINSON, Primary Examiner. STANLEY WAL, Assistant Examiner.

Claims

1. IN A VOTING MACHINE, THE COMBINATION OF MEANS INCLUDING A PLURALITY OF COLUMNS EACH HAVING A NUMBER OF STOPS THEREON DEFINING AT LEAST ONE OFFICE GROUP AND EACH OFFICE GROUP CONTAINING A NUMBER OF SELECTING POSITIONS; MANUALLY OPERABLE SELECTORS, AT LEAST ONE FOR EACH OFFICE GROUP, MOUNTED UPON THE COLUMNS AND SLIDABLE LONGITUDINALLY THEREOF BETWEEN A NEUTRAL POSITION ADJACENT ONE OF SAID STOPS TO ONE OF SEVERAL SELECTING POSITIONS WHEREBY THE VOTOR MAKES HIS SELECTIONS; A SCANNING DEVICE, MEANS FOR MOVING SAID SCANNING DEVICE ALONG SAID COLUMNS IN ONE DIRECTION FOR SIMULTANEOUSLY SCANNING ALL OF SAID COLUMNS TO DETERMINE WHICH OF SAID SELECTORS HAVE BEEN MOVED TO A SELECTING POSITION AND FOR MOVING SAID SCANNING DEVICE ALONG SAID COLUMNS IN A REVERSE DIRECTION, A PLURALITY OF RESTORING MEANS ON SAID SCANNING DEVICE POSITIONED FOR ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID SELECTORS TO RESTORE THEM TO THEIR NEUTRAL POSITIONS DURING THE MOVEMENT IN SAID REVERSE DIRECTION, SAID STOPS INCLUDING CAM MEANS FOR MOVING EACH OF SAID RESTORING MEANS TO PERMIT IT TO PASS EACH OF THE SELECTORS AFTER THE LATTER HAVE BEEN RETURNED TO A NEUTRAL POSITION.