US3752392A

US3752392A - Business machines

Info

Publication number: US3752392A
Application number: US00215876A
Authority: US
Inventors: K Oldenburg
Original assignee: Litton Business Systems Inc
Current assignee: Western Atlas Inc
Priority date: 1972-01-06
Filing date: 1972-01-06
Publication date: 1973-08-14
Anticipated expiration: 1990-08-14

Abstract

A cash register is provided with a flexible plastic digit tape to interconnect the cash register display with the selected depressed digit keys. The plastic digit tapes are very flexible and lightweight, and are operated to transmit force under tension to avoid binding and frictional forces. The digit tape is deflected down at the rear of the register to save space. The accumulator is moved down to engage the tape and to the rear to transfer to the display. Both the accumulator and the display assemblies have interleaved indicator wheels having different indications, with the wheel spacing and movement being unitarily related to the keyboard spacing. A combined ADD and TOTAL control, operating upon a cam-cam follower assembly is used to initiate the two modes of operation of the cash register to perform ADD cycles and TOTAL cycles of operation. Light duty components and simple controls, compatible with the low inertia of the digit tapes are used throughout the cash register.

Description

United States Patent [1 1 [11] 3,752,392 Oldenburg Aug. M, 1973 BUSINESS MACHINES Primary Examiner-Richard B. Wilkinson [75] Inventor: Kenneth F. Oldenburg, Arcadia, Amstam Bummer-U Weldon Calif.

[73] Assignee: Litton Business Systems, Inc., New

York, NY.

[22] Filed: Jan. 6, 1972 [21] Appl. No.: 215,876

Related US. Application Data [62] Division of Ser. No. 50,064, June 26, 1970.

[52] US. Cl 235/7-R, 235/61 R, 235/23 RC, 235/1 A [51] Int. Cl. G07g 1/00 [58] Field of Search 235/1 R, l A, l C, 235/23 RC, 2 R, 7 R, 7 A, 23 R, 61 R [5 6] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,812,020 6/1931 Robertson 235/23 RC 2,083,200 6/1937 Modes et al. 235/7 R X 2,107,033 2/1938 Garbell 235/23 RC 2,746,678 5/l956 Reynolds 235/1 A X 3,010,652 11/1961 Heuver et al. 23511 A X 400 ACCA/ML/L/fffiZ.

(ml/(fa Attomey-Alan C. Rose et a1.

[ ABSTRACT A cash register is provided with a flexible plastic digit tape to interconnect the cash register display with the selected depressed digit keys. The plastic digit tapes are very flexible and lightweight, and are operated to transmit force under tension to avoid binding and frictional forces. The digit tape is deflected down at the rear of the register to save space. The accumulator is moved down to engage the tape and to the rear to transfer to the display. Both the accumulator and the display assemblies have interleaved indicator wheels having different indications, with the wheel spacing and movement being unitarily related to the keyboard spacing. A combined ADD and TOTAL control, operating upon a cam-cam follower assembly is used to initiate the two modes of operation of the cash register to perform ADD cycles and TOTAL cycles of operation. Light duty components and simple controls, compatible with the low inertia of the digit tapes are used throughout the cash register.

5 Claims, 29 Drawing Figures 757%: Airman/Mme.

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Patented Aug. 14, 1973 3,752,392

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7 Sheets-Sheet 7 Mama/M702- BUSINESS MACHINES FIELD OF THE INVENTION This is a division of application Ser. No. 50,064, filed June 26, 1970.

This invention relates to business machines, such as cash registers which utilize a keyboard, and which have an indicator to display digital information.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION, INCLUDING BRIEF COMPARISON WITH PRIOR ART Instead of the rigid racks which are in general use to control the display in accordance with keyboard selection, the present business machine employs flexible plastic tapes. In the illustrative business machine, i.e. the cash register, described herein, these flexible plastic tapes have amass which is about 1/250 of the mass of the usual racks which are employed, thus permitting the use of less power and mechanisms which require much less power handling capability. The tapes are advantageously operated to transmit power under tension, thus avoiding binding and increased friction. In addition, the flexible tapes may be diverted at the end of their travel to permit direct coupling of the tapes to the indicator wheels rather than the usual complex gearing arrangements without extending the length of the cash register. The low power requirements of the machine provide advantages in the associated actuating equipment such as the. keyboard and the timing and power arrangements. The digital indicating arrangements include coaxial interleaved indicator wheels which may be selectively read. This direct coupling has advantages in reducing machine tolerances as well as simplifying the structure.

In cash registers which are in general use today, most of the parts are made of metal, and the entire machines are built with high power requirements and heavy mechanical loading throughout. In accordance with the principles which are employed in accordance with the present invention, however, plastic parts are widely employed and their special properties of lightness and flexibility are utilized to greatly reduce the complexity and power requirements of cash registers.

In accordance with a particular feature of the invention, flexible lightweight perforated digit selection tapes are employed in place of the toothed metal racks to control the cash register indicator display resulting from keyboard entries.

Each digit selection tape and its associated movable structure is approximately 1/250 of the weight and inertia of the corresponding structure found in commercially available cash registers. In addition, the flexible tapes are bent down at the rear of the machine so that thelongitudinal displacement of the tapes may be equal to'the key separation on the keyboard, and the surface movement of the indicator wheels corresponds to the tape movement and to the digit spacing on the keyboard. This equal increment" configuration significantly reduces the required number of parts, and greatly simplifies the mechanics of the cash register, without the increase in size of depth of the cash register which would be required to accommodate the travel of .rigid racks, in an equal increment configuration.

Other features of the invention relating to the flexible tapes include: the key stops which are secured to the ends of thetapes and which utilize the resilience of the tape to provide spring action to by-pass the keys on the return cycle; the constraint of the tapes to provide channeled mechanical action without significant moving mass; and the transmission of power through the tapes under tension rather than under compression. In addition, the continuous engagement of the tapes with the indicator wheels is an important feature of the invention contributing to simplicity. The actuation of the accumulator on the forward stroke of the tapes, while in continuous engagement with the indicator wheels is another important related feature which avoids the necessity for a supplemental totalling cycle, such as that found in expired U.S. Pat. No. 2,066,669, granted Jan. 5, 1937, which shows continuously engaged racks and display indicators.

In addition to the flexible digit tapes, the present invention involves the other three principal components of the cash register which coact with the flexible digit tapes. These include the keyboard, the accumulator, and the indicator or display assembly. The accumulator and the display assemblies both utilize indicator wheels having outer surfaces which rotate a distance equal to the travel of the associated digit tapes. The accumulator assembly and the display assembly both include two sets of interleaved indicator wheels which are mounted on the same shaft and have two sets of digital information mounted on interleaved indicator wheels. In the case of the accumulator, the information is the item total (alternatively designated the subtotal throughout this specification) and the grand total, while in the case of the clerk and customer indicator or display wheels, one set of interleaved wheels carries the display for the sales clerk and the other for the customer. In both cases, arrangements are provided for spaced windows to selectively view either of the two sets of digital information while blocking the other set of information.

In connection with the keyboard assembly, the individual keys are of lightweight plastic design matching the low inertia of the digit tapes and have an integral spring retaining clip built into their structure. The keyboard assembly includes only a single spring for biasing each of the keys in a key row to its normal position, and this same spring serves to bias the interlock slides to their proper positions. As in the case of the other major subcomponents of the cash register, the entire keyboard assembly is mounted on shafts, for simplicity in assembly to the side frame members of the cash register.

As noted above, simple spacing arrangements are characteristic of the machine, and this may also be observed in the identical spacing between adjacent key rows and adjacent display indications. The direct coupling and simply internal structure of the cash register produce and reinforce these simplifications, and the resulting economies.

The accumulator assembly moves down from its neutral position into engagement with the digit tapes and moves to the rear for transferring information to the indicator display. A particularly simple control system involving very few parts is employed for these mechanical operations. One interesting minor feature involves the single ADD or TOTAL control member which has a resilient output arm, permitting a design in which the end of the arm may be locked in-place, and further actuation of the ADD or TOTAL control merely bends the resilient arm.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Other objects, features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from a consideration of the following detailed description and from the drawings in which:

FIG. I is an assembly view showing the complete cash register together with the cash drawer on which it stands;

FIG. 1A is a fragmentary top view showing the operator and customer viewing windows;

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the operating portions of the cash register of FIG. 1 without the cash drawer and with the cover removed;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the keyboard assemy;

FIG. 4 is a side view of a single key row; FIG. 5 is an end view of the key row shown in FIG.

FIG. 5A shows a single key of the keyboard;

FIG. 6 is a view of the two slides which prevent actuation of any other keys and provide other functions when one cash register key in a given key row is depressed;

FIG. 7 is a side view showing the mode of operation of the flexible digit tapes;

FIG. 8 shows the by-pass stops secured to the ends of each digit tape;

FIG. 9 is an isometric view of the digit tapes and their stops;

FIG. 10 shows the tape constraining frame or assembly cut away to show several of the tapes;

FIG. 11 shows the accumulator assembly and the engagement with the digit tapes;

FIG. 12 is a partial cross-sectional view of the display assembly;

FIG. 13 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the relationships of the principal components of the cash register;

FIG. 14 is a side view of the register which shows the accumulator movement control arrangements to advantage;

FIGS. 15, 16, 16A, and 16B are various views of the accumulator control timing gear and the associated accumulator camming control gears;

FIG. 17 shows the drive line including the gears which engage the perforations in the flexible digit tapes;

FIG. 18 shows a positively driven disc and drive gear pair, which are coupled together by a spring biased pawl;

FIG. 19 shows the drive sector gear and the driven gear at one end of the drive line;

FIG. 20 shows an accumulator gear together with the stop mechanism which come into play as information is being transferred from the accumulator to the dis- DETAILED DESCRIPTION Referring more particularly to the drawings, FIG. .1 shows the cash register assembly standing on the cash drawer assembly 42. The viewing window 43 for the clerk. and 45 for the customer are shown in FIG. IA. As seen in both FIGS. 1 and 2, the cash register in cludes a keyboard assembly 100, a base and power unit 200, an indicator or display assembly 300 and an accumulator assembly 400. Also visible in FIG. 2 are the ADD or TOTAL control member 450 which determines the mode of operation of the accumulator 400, as implemented by the accumulator timing gear 460 and its associated mechanical mechanisms.

With reference to FIG. 3, the keyboard 100 includes a plurality of key rows 101 through 106. The individual key row moldings are provided with recesses at opposite ends for ease in mounting the key rows side by side on the shafts 112 and 114. As mentioned above, most of the major subcomponents of the present cash register are mounted on shafts for ready assembly with the side plates of the base unit 200.

As shown to better advantage in FIGS. 4, 5, 5A and 6, each key row 101 through 106 may be provided with a set of nine

keys

121 and 129, with key 122 being depressed-in the illustrative embodiment of FIG. 4. Each key row is also provided with two interlock slides 132 and 134, shown in FIG. 6. The key row assembly is provided with a single spiral biasing spring 136. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the biasing spring 136 extends through the interlock slides 132 and 134 to bias them to their normal positions. In addition, the biasing for each of the plastic keys 121 through 129 is provided by the same single spring 136. As shown in FIG. 4, for example, the spring 136 is extended at 138 to provide upward pressure on the key 122 through the integral recess molded into the rear of the key 122. FIG. 5A

shows a key 122 separately, to indicate the structure of the integral key. The head of the key, the spring 141 which holds the keys in frame 101, the slide engaging stud 140, and the spring engaging recess 143 are all molded into the key as it is formed.

The lower end 142 of the key 122 protrudes below the key row assembly 101 and below the interlock slides 132 and 134 to block the movement of the stop which is secured onto one end of the flexible tapes in a manner to be discussed in greater detail below. The lightweight molded plastic keys 122 would normally not have sufficient strength to stop a heavy metal rack as employed in conventional cash registers. However, the flexible tapes which are used instead of racks in the present cash register have such a light weight and such low inertia that there is no problem with the end .142 of the lightweight plastic keys stopping the flexible plastic tapes.

Concerning the operation of the metal slides 132 and 134, the spring 136 extends through slot 139 in slide 132 at the left-hand end of slide 132 where there is no interference with slide 134. Similarly, the other end of spring 136 extends through slot 147 in slide 134 at its right-hand end to avoid interference with slide 132 in the biasing or positioning function.

The sole function of slide 134 is to control the accumulator zero stop 143. When none of the nine keys 121 through 129 of a key row is depressed, the accumulator zero stop 143 is in one position; however, when any key, such as key 122, is depressed, the slide 134 is shifted to the left and accumulator zero stop 143 is rotated to permit operation of the associated accumulator register.

The slide 132 provides interlocking functions. It is normally biased so that the angle surfaces 144 underlie the key studs 140. When a key is depressed, the stud 140 initially moves the locking slide 132 to the right and then enters the recess 146 which is below the slanted surface 144.

Once the ADD or TOTAL key 450 is hit, the keyboard control shaft 150 is actuated to the left to engage the arm 152 which depends from the slide 132. This moves the slide 132 to the left so that the flat surfaces 154 on slide 132 underlie the studs 140 of the keys, and thus effectively lock them out and prevent further action of the keyboard. Toward the end of each cycle, the shaft 150 is moved to the right to release all of the keys.

It is again noted that the entire key row assembly only includes l4 elements and particularly that only two slides are employed. This is in sharp contrast with 53 parts included in the key row assembly of at least one widely used commercial cash register. Further, the single spir'al spring 136 not only provides the biasing for all of the keys of each key row but also biases the two

slides

132 and 134 to their proper positions.

FIG. 7 shows schematically the mode of operation of the plastic tapes 60 which form a key component in the present invention. In the course of the cycle of operation of the present cash register, the digit tapes are always coupled to the display wheels of the indicator assembly 300. When cash register operation is initiated by pressing the ADD" control, the digit tapes are restored to their zero state in which the tapes are shifted to the front, or the left of the machine as shown in FIG. 7. The flexible tapes are then driven forward by the drive line gears 202 until the stop 62 which is secured to the end of the tape 60 engages the lower end ofa depressed key 126, as shown in FIG. 7. As the flexible digit tape moves forward, the gears of the accumulator 400 are rotated, with the gears of the item total accumulator engaging one of the sets of perforations 64, while the gear teeth on the grand total accumulator engage the other set of perforations 66 in the flexible plastic tape 60. When the stop 62 engages the lower end of the key 126, the drive line 202 releases the force applied to the tape 60, as discussed in greater detail below, the indicator 300 displays the digit corresponding the depressed key 126, and the accumulator 400 adds the digit in both the item total and the grand total registers.

As the flexible tape is driven past the gears of the drive line 202, it is deflected downwardly by the tape constraining enclosure 204 and also engages the rear casing 206 of the cash register. By this technique, the use of additional rearwardly extending space for the cash register to accommodate the tapes is avoided, and the complexity of the step-up and stepdown gearing, which is required in present cash registers, is also eliminated. The dual goals of compactness and simplicity are thus achieved primarily by the use of very flexible tapes which are bent around within the small confines of the present compact cash register.

The movable tape is provided with a plastic retaining element 68 for the stop 62. The retainer 68 extends through an openingin the tape 60 and serves as a carrier for the stop 62 When the tapes are driven to the zero" position so that the stop 62 moves to its extreme left or front position, the stop 62 must pass under a depressed key such as key 126 in FIG. 7. Under these conditions, it pivots downwardly, as indicated at in FIG. 8. Under these conditions, the tongue 72 of the tape 60 resiliently flexes down also, as indicated in FIG. 8.

In FIG. 9, the thickness of the tape is exaggerated to some extent. The tapes are actually about 0.020 inch thick. The tapes are 13% inches long and inch wide.

FIG. 10 shows the frame 204 which constrains the tapes 60 to follow a rectilinear path in the regions where the stops 62 underlie the keyboard 100. As shown in FIG. 10, the frame 204 is provided with slots 206 through which the stops 62 extend to engage the lower ends of depressed keys. In addition, the drive gears engage the tapes through the long slots 208 which are aligned with one of the sets of perforations in each tape 60. The slots 210 accommodate accumulator transfer bails, which come into play when transfers are made from one register to the next higher order. The accumulator register gears engage the tapes 60 through the slots 214, with the item total gears engaging the right-hand row of perforations, and the grand total gears, the left. The gears for driving the set of indicator wheels which are read by the clerk or the operator of the cash register extend through the front of slots 208. The slots 212 accommodate an accumulator detent. The shorterset of slots 216 which are interleaved with the slots 208 are located between adjacent tapes and accommodate the gears which drive the customer indicator wheels as described below.

In general, the frame 204 provides the support and channeling necessary to constrain the plastic tapes 60 to the paths required for their proper operation. With the indicated physical configuration, the tapes 60 have operated several million times without physical signals of wear and without tape failure.

The accumulator assembly 400 is shown in FIG. 11. The grand total register includes the indicator wheels 40], 403, 405, etc., while the subtotal is displayed on the

indicator wheels

402, 404, 406, etc. The gears secured to the

indicator wheels

401, 403, 405, etc., associated with the grand total engage the right-hand set of performations on the digit tapes 60 as shown in FIG. 1 1, while the gears associated with the

subtotal wheels

402, 404, 406 engage the left-hand set of perforations of the tapes 60.

The view of FIG. 11 is taken from the rear of the machine looking down at the tapes 60 between the accumulator and the indicator wheels. Above the accumulator indicator wheels is a mask 412 containing a series of windows 414. The mask 414 is normally positioned so that the operator of the cash register may view the subtotal register on a particular customers sale through the windows 414. When the key locking the cash register is employed, however, the mask 412 is shifted laterally to permit the viewing of the grand total register wheels through windows 4114 to the exclusion of the subtotal.

FIG. 12 is a front view of the indicator or display assembly 300. The indicator assembly includes two sets of interleaved indicator wheels, the first set 308 being visible from the front of the machine by the operator, while the second set 310 is observable by the customer from the rear of the machine. In addition, of course, the position of the wheels having more or less significant numbers must be reversed, with the least significant digit appearing to the right in the set of the wheels 308 observed by the clerk while the last significant digit observed by the customer must be on the left-hand indicator wheels 310, as seen in FIG. 12.

As described below in connection with FIG. 13, the gears 306 in the aforeground are directly coupled to one of the two rows of perforations in the tape 60. Gears 306 engage gears 312 associated with the clerk indicator wheels 308. The drive for the customer indicator wheels 310 is somewhat more complex as it involves the gears 304 (to the rear in FIG. 12) which mesh with the gear teeth 314 associated with the customer indicator wheels 310. The shaft 316 upon which the

indicator wheels

308 and 310 are mounted is supported in the keyhole slot 318 as shown, for example, in FIGS. 2 and 14.

FIG. 13 is a schematic cross sectional view showing the relative positions of most of the main rotatable components or assemblies. Following the application of power to the cash register when the ADD or TOTAL control is pressed, the motor 222 is coupled through a rubber belt 224 to the power speed reducer assembly 226. An auxiliary hand-crank drive coupling is also connected to the power speed reducer 226 through gear 228. The cam line 230 is driven from gear 232 on the speed reducer assembly 226 through gear 236 on the cam line. The clutch gear 236 is mounted on the cam line assembly 230. The metal drive sector gear 238 is pivoted at 240 and is bent into a U-shaped form with a cam pin 242 securely fastened to the inner leg 244 of the drive sector gear assembly. The pin 242 rides in a groove in a cam in the cam line assembly 230. The power for the drive gears 246 is provided through the teeth 248 of the metal drive sector gear 238. These teeth 248 mesh with the gear 250 which is fixed or pinned to the drive line shaft 252.

As in the case of a number of the assemblies of the present machine, the drive line shaft 252 is cut away in two areas from end to end. The gear 250 is provided with matching protrusions at its center. Accordingly, it is rigidly secured against rotational movement relative to the shaft 252, and is pinned to this shaft. Where it is desired to mount other freely rotatable gears on other mechanisms on the same shaft, they may be formed with a circular opening in the center. Without the keying structure to lock or pin them to the drive shaft 252, they are free to rotate. Accordingly, a single shaft with longitudinal slots may serve a dual purpose, acting both as a drive shaft and also as an axle for free rotation of other coaxially mounted elements.

From the drive gears 246, power is transmitted directly to the perforated tapes 60. As the sector gear fol-' lows the programmed camming motion of the cam line assembly 230, the tapes 60 are initially restored to their zero position and are then driven forward by the drive 246 until they engage stops such as the lower end of depressed key 126 (See FIG. 7). A clutching mechanism, to be described in greater detail below, then releases the drive to the individual tapes and permits the tape to remain in its position corresponding to the depressed digit key.

The accumulator assembly 400 has its principal axis located at point 425. As indicated by the arrows, the accumulator may be moved down and up for engagement or disengagement, respectively, with the tapes 60, or may be moved to the rear toward the indicator assembly 300 to transfer totals stored in the accumulator to the indicator assembly. The

circles

422, 424 and 426 in FIG. 13 represent the mechanisms involving gears, camming surfaces and a Geneva-type movement which control the movement of the accumulator registers. These mechanisms will be described in greater detail below.

Included in the indicator assembly 300 are one set of indicator wheels which are visible by the customer and another set of indicator wheels which may be viewed by the clerk. The customer indicator wheels are driven by the transfer gears 302 through a set of gears which are mounted for free rotation on the drive shaft 252 and which mesh with the customer indicator drive gears 304. The clerk indicator display wheels, however, are driven by the gears 306 directly from the tapes 60.

When information is being transferred from the accumulator registers to the indicator assembly, the shaft 425 moves to the right and the indicator assembly is energized through the gears 308. Although the gears 306 are close to gears 308, there is clearance and no direct interaction between

gears

306 and 308.

Many of the critical details of the structure shown schematically in FIG. 13 will be discussed in greater detail below in connection with other FIGURES in the drawing.

FIGS. 14 through 16 are particularly useful in describing the mode of operation of the accumulator 400. The accumulator can move either perpendicular to the keyboard or parallel to it. As indicated by the arrows and legends on the face of the accumulator side frame member 470 in FIG. 14, the accumulator assembly moves up and down for engagement and disengagement with the digit tapes on ADD" cycles and moves to the rear and forward in the course of TOTAL cycles in transferring the contents of its subtotal register to the display unit 300. An ADD or a TOTAL cycle is initiated by pressing the key 450 in the forward or the rear direction, respectively. The key 450 is pivoted at point 452 and has a flexible arm 454 which is pivotally connected to the control linkage 456 at point 458.

The central shaft 462, 10 which the timer gear 460 is secured, is fixed in position. When the ADD or TOTAL control lever 450 is pressed, the linkage 456, which includes the frame 464 enclosing the timer gear 460, is moved to the front or the rear as indicated by the arrows adjacent the numeral 464 in FIG. 14. On ADD cycles the frame 464 moves to the rear and on TOTAL cycles the frame 464 moves toward the front of the machine. Between cycles the frame 464 is maintained in a position such that the shaft 462 is centrally located with respect to the slot 466. In the arrangement shown in FIG. 14, the relationship of the parts indicates that an ADD cycle is underway.

The movement of the accumulator is controlled by three eccentrics 472, 473' and 474'. In FIG. 14, the

numerals

473 and 474 are directed to gears which conceal the eccentrics 473' and 474', which are located directly behind them. As shown in FIGS. 24 and 25, the eccentrics are mounted to rotate in

slots

476, 477 and 478. Three eccentrics (including 474' FIG. 25) mounted on corresponding shafts are located at the other side of the register. The

eccentrics

472 and 474, which rotate in

slots

476 and 478, control the vertical movement of the accumulator on ADD cycles, while the eccentric 473 in slot 477 controls the horizontal movement of the accumulator on TOTAL cycles. During ADD cycles eccentric 473' is held against rotation while the gear 474 and coupled

eccentrics

474 and 472 are rotated to raise and lower the accumulator. Similarly, on TOTAL cycles the gear 473 and eccentric 473' are rotated while the gear 474 and eccentrics 474' and 472 are held against rotation to provide guided horizontal movement. Eccentrics 474' and 472 are geared to rotate together by gear 422 formed as part of a single molding with eccentric 474" (see FIG. 25) and gears 424 and 426 (see FIG. 13).

Gears

422 and 426 are pinned to their shafts, but idler gear 424 is free to rotate on the shaft to which eccentrics 473' and 473" are secured.

The implementation of the described motion of the gears 474 may be better understood by reference to FIGS. 16, 16A and 16B. In FIG. 16A, the timer gear 460 is shown in solid lines in the ADD position. Under these circumstances the gear 473 has two flat portions on its hub 480 which engage the periphery of the ridge 482 on the timer gear to preclude rotation of the shaft 481 and its associated eccentric. Gear 474, however, which controls the movement of an associated eccentric on shaft 484, and the mechanically coupled eccentric 472, are intermittently rotated. FIG. 168 shows the arrangements for selectively and intermittently locking and rotating the

gears

473 or 474. In FIG. 168, the gear 474 is shown with the flat portion 486 of its hub 488 engaging a flat portion of the ridge 482. As the timer gear is rotated, the gear teeth 474 engage the teeth 490 on the timer gear. The ridge 482 is cut away as indicated by the dashed lines 492 to permit rotation of the shaft 484 under the control of the meshing gears 474 and 490. This arrangement is shown as viewed from above in FIG. 16A.

As shown in FIG. 16, the timer gear 460 has two sets of

gear teeth

490 and 494 which engage the gear teeth 474 to first rotate the accumulator down for engagement with the tapes and subsequently shift the accumulator up to the disengaged rest position which it maintains between cycles. During this complete ADD cycle, the central shaft 481 and the eccentric which is associated with it and with gear 473 is held against rotation by the flat portion on hub 480 being in continuous engagement with the periphery of ridge 482.

On TOTAL cycles, however, the function of

gears

473 and 474 are interchanged. This is accomplished by shifting the timing gear wheel 460 to the position, as shown in dashed lines, in FIG. 16A. The flat portions on the hub 488 of gear 474 are continuously in engagement with the periphery of ridge 482 when the timer gear is in this shifted position. However, the gear teeth 473 are now aligned with teeth 496 of timer wheel 460 I and gear 473 is permitted to rotate as a result of the displacement and the presence of the recess 498 in the ridge 482 adjacent the gear teeth 496.

The timer gear 460 is keyed to the shaft 462 but is permitted to slide back and forth as indicated by the solid and the dashed line showings of FIG. 16A. In the neutral position, between cycles, the

pins

502 and 504 are located in contact with inclined faces on the timer gear wheel surfaces shown at 506 in FIG. 16 of the drawings. When the ADD or TOTAL control 450 is pressed, the slide 464 moves from its neutral position so that one of the pin such as 504 is visible in FIG. 14 is permitted to ride in a track such as track 506 as shown in FIG. 16. The other pin will then be located close to the hub of the timer gear 460 and will rotate on a raised surface in this location and will maintain pressure on the timer gear wheel 460 forcing it in the desired in or out" position for TOTAL or ADD cycle operations, respectively.

Incidentally, for completeness, it should be noted that the showing of FIG. 15 is from above with the timer gear in the in" position for a TOTAL cycle. This is in contrast to the showing of FIG. 16A in which the solid line position is the ADD position.

FIG. 17 is a rear view of the drive line including the various gears which are mounted on the central shaft 252 of the drive line assembly. As may be seen from FIG. 13, the drive shaft is located below the tapes so that the drive gears 246 may readily engage the tape toward the rear of the cash register as its path is deflected downward. As discussed above in connection with FIG. 13, it is only alternate gear assemblies 246 which have inner hubs which are pinned to the shaft 252 and which rotate with it. The alternate gears 247 are mounted on the same shaft as the drive gear assemblies 246 but are not pinned to it, so are free to rotate about shaft 252.

As mentioned above, the customer indicator display wheels must be rotated in synchronism with the clerk indicator display wheels, but the digits are reversed in their position. To accommodate this purpose, transfer gears 302 are provided. Three transfer gears 302 are shown mounted on and pinned to shaft 303. The gear 302 is rotated with the drive gear 246 and constrains the two other gears 302' and 302" to rotate in synchronism with it. This causes the right-hand customer indicator drive gear 247 to rotate in step with the left-hand drive gear 246 as shown in FIG. 17. Similarly, the printer gear wheel 602 is driven by transfer gear 302" to establish proper information relating to the least significant digit of the information registered by the lefthand drive gear 246.

As shown in FIG. 18, the drive gears 246 are driven from the drive shaft 252 through a drive hub 262 which is provided with a disc portion 264 and a central cylindrical portion 266 which is keyed to the drive shaft 252. The cylindrical central hub 268 of the drive gear assembly 246 rotates on the cylinder 266. The pawl 270 is pivoted at 272 and is biased to the indicated position by spring 274. This normally holds the bearing member 276 of the pawl assembly 270 in the pocket 278 of the drive gear assembly.

Under normal conditions as an ADD cycle of the cash register is initiated, the drive shaft 252 drives the drive hub 262 in the direction indicated by the arrow 280, in restoring the tapes to the 0 position. During this operation, of course, the teeth of drive gears 246 are in engagement with one of the sets of perforations in the digit tape 60. The direction is reversed as the tapes move toward engagement with depressed keys. When the stop on the tape 60 engages a depressed key, the tape immediately stops. This stops the drive gear 246 and the bias of spring 274 is overcome, permitting the pawl 270 to come out of the pocket 278 and freely rotate in the recess 282 of the drive gear assembly 246. In this way, each drive gear 246 stops at an angular position determined by the depressed keys on the keyboard.

With reference to FIG. 19, the metal drive sector gear 238 is shown pivotally mounted about the shaft 240 for movement under the control of the cam 292 having a cam slot 294 with which the pin 242 coacts. The plastic main drive gear 250 is mounted on the drive shaft 252 for rotation in accordance with the movement of the drive sector gear 238, causing, for example, initial restoration of the tapes to the zero position and subsequent rearward movement of the tapes on the power portion of the cycle.

- swings away from its restrained stop 434 toward the center hub 422 of the assembly, permitting continued rotation of the accumulator wheel assembly 402.

On TOTAL cycles, however, when the contents of the accumulator register are being transferred to the display or indicator assembly 300, the accumulator gear-assembly 402 rotates in the clockwise direction as indicated by arrow 436. The pawl 428 is mounted on pivot point 438-which'is fixed to the stationary center assembly mounted on and pinned to shaft 424. This is in contrast to the gear and indicator assemblies 402 which aremounted for free rotation on the same shaft 424. Accordingly, when the accumulator register is shiftedto the rear'ahd driven through gear 308 from power supplied'through the indicator assembly gearing, the gears 402 rotate in the clockwise direction until the zero stop 432 engages the pawl 428. When this occurs, the release of the ,drive gears from the drive line, as discussed in detail-above in connection with FIG. 18, oc-

' curs. Accordingly, the indicator wheels will stop-in a position corresponding to that which has been.registered in the accumulator TOTAL registers.-

FIG'. 21 shows themechanism for shifting the mask 412 as shown in FIG. 11. In FIG. 21, the lock 522 controls the movementof the mask 412 The block 524 is fixed in position as is the support 526 for the spring 528 Incidentally, the spring 528 is secured in an openin'gl530 in the mask 412 to bias the mask to its position in which the subtotal rather than the grand total is re-, vealed. When akey is inserted into the key slot 532, the cylindrical member 522 together with the cam 534 and the fork member 536 secured to the mask 412 may be moved tothe right rear as shown in FIG. 21. This shifting of the mask 412 serves to reveal thegrand total set ofindicator wheels instead of the subtotal, as described in some detail in connection with FIG.. 11. When pressure is releasedfrom the key, the slide is returned to the front left positionas shown in FIG. 21 by the force of the leaf spring 528. Removal of the key locks the mask in place. v

FIG. 2,2 is a timing diagram showing the relative time of operation of the accumulator movement, the timer gear shifting, and the drive rack motion. In reviewing the cycle from to the 360 termination of the cycle, with the degrees referring to the angular orientation of the timer gear 460 and the cam 292 of FIG. 19, it may be noted that the drive racks are initially restored, are

held in the 0 position from about 100 to about 140,

and digit selection takes place from about l40 to 280, The cam slot 294 (See FIG. 19) of course follows the displacementsindicated in the Drive Tape plot of FIG. 22.

When it occurs, the timer gear shifting takes place at an early point in the cycle. However, the timer gear does not shift on successive ADD cycles, for example. When an ADD cycle is followed by a TOTAL cycle, or vice-versa, the timer gear is shifted from one position to the other as indicated by the solid line or the dash line plots.

The accumulator movement occurs between 1 and 140. This is the time when the accumulator is either moved down into engagement with the racks (now in their 0 position) or to the rear into drive engagement with the display assembly. Following completion of the i drive rack selection (which occurs at about 280 the accumulator is restored to its regular position. This occurs from about 310 to 340.

An alternate embodiment of the invention is disclosed in FIG. 23. The cash register as shown in FIG. 23 is generally patterned after the cash register described hereinabove, but has two of the main assemblies shifted in a manner which provides certain economies in parts.

Referring to FIG. 23 in greater detail, it shows the main frame structure 702 of the cash register, the keyboard 704, the accumulator register 706, the drive assembly 708 and the indicator assembly 710. As in the case of the case register described in connection with FIGS. 1 through 22 of the drawings, the present cash register includes a series of flexible digit tapes 712. By shifting the drive line 708 from'a position below the digit tapes 712 to a position above the digit tapes, the indicator assembly 710 is raised for better visibility, and certain transfer gearing is eliminated. The transfer gears 7l4serve the same functions as described above in connection with the transfer gears 302, but some of the gear assemblies such as

gears

304, 306 and 308 may be eliminated. As in the case of the other embodiment of the cash register, the accumulator 706 is shifted both up and down for ADD cycles and to the rear and forward'for TOTAL' cycles. Apart from the shifting of the position of the drive line and the concomitant changes in structure such asthose mentioned above, the embodiment of FIG. 23 operates in substantially the same manner as that ofthe other embodiment of the invention.

Concerning the materials which maybe employed in the implementation of the illustrated cash register, wide use is made of plastics. One of the preferred plastic materials isa DuPont material known'as DELRIN. This is a homopolymer of formaldehyde with avery low coefficient of friction, good flexibility and high strength. DELRIN is described, for example, in the March, 1970, issue of Materials Engineering. The digit tapes may be made of DELRIN of a thickness of about 0.020 inch as noted above. CELCONis a copolymer of formaldehyde and could also be used for many other parts of the cash register. Fiberglass-filled nylon is also employed for various parts, for example, for the drive hubs. It is, of course, undesirable to have two parts of the same material having surfaces which slide onone' another, as this tends toward increased friction and possible binding. Another material which may be used include the frame of the machine, the shafts, and certain key high-strength parts such as the drive sector gear.

The foregoing description has been focused primarily on the structural features and interrelationships which are different from those found in conventional cash registers. Details of well-known structures and relationships, and arrangements known to those skilled in the art have been eliminated for purposes of brevity and clarity.

As mentioned at several points above, the yieldable plastic tapes which provide keyboard-to-accumulator and keyboard-to-display coupling, but which may be deflected to save space, are an important Part of the invention. Instead of flexible plastic tapes, however, other yieldable force transmitting members could be used to provide those dual functions. Thus, toothed racks made in sections, but spring biased to full extension, could be used in place of the plastic tapes. Hinged rack sections or a toothed rubber belt could also be used in place of the disclosed digit tapes. These would provide many of the advantages of the perforated plastic tapes, although some minor disadvantages and complexities of structure would be introduced. As employed in the present specifications and claims the term yieldable refers only to intentionally bendable or callapsible members which are actually yieldablein operation, and not to rigid metal racks or the like which might give or flex to some very slight degree in operation but where no significant yielding or bending occurs.

With regard tovarious features of the present invention, it is appropriate to note certain United States and foreign patents which bear certain relationships with the invented features. Concerning the perforated plastic racks which are operated under tension U.S. Pat. No. 2,355,637 of R. Faigle granted Aug. 15, 1944; U.S. Pat. No. 1,883,853, granted Oct. 18, i932 to J. Bergmann; and British Patent No. 280,135 to Rudolf Martin, accepted Nov. 10, 1927, are of particular interest in showing racks which are flexible. However, these prior patents apparently fail to appreciate the desirability-of making the racks as lightweight as possible and also the importance of operating flexible components under tension rather than under compression. Thus, instead of using perforations the three patents show apparatus which use raised gear teeth on their flexible racks. The racks in these three prior patents are pushed instead of beingpulled and they must necessarily be stiffer and heavier and have much greater friction than the tension-operated perforated plastic tapes of the present invention. Further, these references do not appear to contemplate the possibility of promptly deflectingth'e yieldable tape or rack member at the rear of the 1 machine to reduce the depth of the cash register.

Other references which are of interest concerning other features ofthe invention include G.D. Cushman 'et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,401,878 granted Sept. 17, 1968,

and OM. philipp, U.S. Pat. No. 2,701 ,100 granted Feb.

l, 1955. While the Cushman patent is of passing interest in showing the coil spring which biases a number of key-type members, in the present cash register, a single spring is employed not only to bias all of the keys of a key row, but is also used to bias the slides which interactwith the'keys. Concerning U.S. Pat. No. 2,701,100

. this reference discloses interspersed totalizers, but this is the only feature 'which appears to be related to any aspect of the present cash register.

lld

In the course of the present description of the invention, the compactness of the cash register has been mentioned at several points. As a matter of completeness,it may be noted that the overall dimensions of the 5 base or cash drawer upon which the rest of the cash register sits, are approximately inches wide, by 17 inches deep, by 4 inches high. The cash register apparatus excluding the cash drawer assembly is approximately 14 inches wide, by 16 inches deep, by l l inches high.

In closing, it is noted that other known arrangements may be substituted for specific components disclosed in the present description, just as yieldable or hinged racks could be used instead of the digit tapes, as noted above. Other constructional variations could include using the flexible digit tapes of the present invention with other types of business machines, such as ten-key calculating machines, instead of the full keyboard cash register discussed above. The stops of the flexible digit tapes would then engage the stops provided by the pin box forming part of the keyboard assembly of the tenkey calculator.

What is claimed is:

l. A business machine comprising:

a first set of indicator wheels having external numbers;

a second set of numbered indicator wheels interleaved with said first set of indicator wheels and mounted on the same axis with said first set;

means for displaying said first set of indicator wheels to the exclusion of said second set and for displaying the second set of indicator wheels to the exclusion of the first set; and

means for displaying the digits of the same number from said sets of indicator wheels simultaneously for viewing from substantially opposite directions, said display means comprising each of said indicator wheels of one set associated with one digit position being ganged to an indicator wheel of the other set associated with the same digit position, thereby to cause both sets to exhibit the same number at any given time.

2. A business machine having a display arrangement organized in two sets of display units, each display unit comprising coaxially mounted, interleaved, individually rotatable indicator wheels with numerals thereon;

the numerals of one set being mounted on one side of the machine, the numerals of the other set being mounted on the other side of the machine;

linking means for causing each set of indicator wheels, during operation, to exhibit at any given time the same number composed of digits corresponding to the numerals;

a plurality of paired first and second gears and respective common shafts secured to each said pair of gears, the distance between the first and second gears of each pair being different from that of the first and second gear of the other pairs;

the first gear of one pair engaging one indicator units, for permitting viewing of only one set of display units by one person at a given time.

4. A business machine as defined in claim 3 including:

an accumulator having two sets of interleaved coaxial indicator wheels, an apertured mask, and means for shifting said mask to selectively permit viewing of one set only of said indicator wheels.

5. A business machine comprising:

a first set of indicator wheels having external numbers;

means for displaying said first set of indicator wheels to the exclusion of said second set and for displaying the second set of indicator wheels to the exclusion of the first set;

said display .means includes a first set of windows aligned with said first set of indicator wheels for viewing from one direction;

a second set of windows aligned with said second set of indicator wheels, with the second set of windows being angularly displaced about the axis of said two sets of indicator wheels with respect to the first set of windows, for viewing from another direction;

and

each of said indicator wheels of one set associated with one digit position being ganged to an indicator wheel of the other set associated with the same digit position, thereby to cause both sets to exhibit the same number at any given time.

Claims

1. A business machine comprising: a first set of indicator wheels having external numbers; a second set of numbered indicator wheels interleaved with said first set of indicator wheels and mounted on the same axis with said first set; means for displaying said first set of indicator wheels to the exclusion of said second set and for diSplaying the second set of indicator wheels to the exclusion of the first set; and means for displaying the digits of the same number from said sets of indicator wheels simultaneously for viewing from substantially opposite directions, said display means comprising each of said indicator wheels of one set associated with one digit position being ganged to an indicator wheel of the other set associated with the same digit position, thereby to cause both sets to exhibit the same number at any given time.

2. A business machine having a display arrangement organized in two sets of display units, each display unit comprising coaxially mounted, interleaved, individually rotatable indicator wheels with numerals thereon; the numerals of one set being mounted on one side of the machine, the numerals of the other set being mounted on the other side of the machine; linking means for causing each set of indicator wheels, during operation, to exhibit at any given time the same number composed of digits corresponding to the numerals; a plurality of paired first and second gears and respective common shafts secured to each said pair of gears, the distance between the first and second gears of each pair being different from that of the first and second gear of the other pairs; the first gear of one pair engaging one indicator wheel of one set associated with a specific digit position; and the second gear of the same pair engaging the indicator wheel of the other set which is associated with the same digit position.

3. A business machine as defined in claim 2, comprising means, including windows oriented in different directions and registering with said two sets of display units, for permitting viewing of only one set of display units by one person at a given time.

4. A business machine as defined in claim 3 including: an accumulator having two sets of interleaved coaxial indicator wheels, an apertured mask, and means for shifting said mask to selectively permit viewing of one set only of said indicator wheels.

5. A business machine comprising: a first set of indicator wheels having external numbers; a second set of numbered indicator wheels interleaved with said first set of indicator wheels and mounted on the same axis with said first set; means for displaying said first set of indicator wheels to the exclusion of said second set and for displaying the second set of indicator wheels to the exclusion of the first set; said display means includes a first set of windows aligned with said first set of indicator wheels for viewing from one direction; a second set of windows aligned with said second set of indicator wheels, with the second set of windows being angularly displaced about the axis of said two sets of indicator wheels with respect to the first set of windows, for viewing from another direction; and each of said indicator wheels of one set associated with one digit position being ganged to an indicator wheel of the other set associated with the same digit position, thereby to cause both sets to exhibit the same number at any given time.