US568764A - Cash register and indicator - Google Patents

Description

(No Modl.) v l 4 Sheets-Sheetfl.

J. JACQUES 8v C. S. TRASK. 7

CASH REGISTER AND INDICATOR Patented 001;. 6, .1896.

INVENTORS jmjmm 3P fm BY WITNEssEs.

wf, aZ/

gfens'ca, Pum'omma., wAsHmsTuu. bjc.

(No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet J. JACQUES 8u C. S. TRASK. CASH REGISTER AND INDICATOR Patented Oct. 6, 1896;

DQR

INNENTOR@ fw@ MM5 BY Q%/6/%`;`/MATTORNEY.

Wl-*l-Nrissris.v

f esmas-sheet 3.-

J. JACQUES 8v C. S. TRASK. lGASH REGISTER AND INDICATOR.

No. 5 64. 1 Patented Oct. 6, 1896.

v SQ nog) l (N'o Model.)

G.) s y WITNEssEsn@ we "Mm Owl/Lw 9L Ze BY f f 4 Sheets-Sheet 4. J. JACQUES 8v C. S. TRASK.

.(No Model.)

CASH REGISTER AND, INDICATOR.

No. 568,764. Patented 0013.6, 1896.

WITNESSES.

an ZM I l Y fpar", ATTORNEY.

JAMES JACQUES AND CLARENCE S PATENr EEicE,

. TRASH, OE LOWELL, MASSACHU- SETTS, ASSIGNORS TO TI-IE COLUMBIA CASH REGISTER COMPANY,

OE PORTLAND, MAINE.

CASH REGISTER AND INDICATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 568,764, dated October 6, 1896.

Application filed July 19,1895. Serial No. 556,474. (No model.)

.To ali whom t may colto/erft.-

Be it known that we, JAMES JAGQUEs and CLARENCE S. TEAsK, citizens of the United States, residing at Lowell, inthe county of Middlesex and Commonwealth or' Massachusetts, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Cash Registers and Indicators, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to cash registers and indicators; and it consists in the devices and combinations hereinafter described and claimed.

Said invention comprises key-coupling devices, means of preventing the .return movement ol any key until its operative movement is completed, means oi' preventing overregistration, means of preventing the simultaneous operation ot' two keys of the same section, means of preventing any section ot the register and indicator being operated ai'- ter another section has begun to be operated, means of preventing the drawer from being opened until the key has completed its operation and returned to its normal position, means oi releasing the indicatiiig-tablets, and means of resetting the registering-whce]s.

In the accompanying drawings, on four sheets, Figure l is a side elevation of the lower part of the case and the frame and operative paris, the side and upper part oi the case being removed; Fig. 2, a vertical section on the line 2 2 in Iig. 3 ol" the machine and parts of the case and drawer, the lower part of the case near the front of the same being in right end elevation, Fig. 3, a plan of the machine, omitting the case; Fig. 4, an isometric perspective View of a key-stop; Fig. 5, a plan of keys, key-stops, the registering-segment and its shaft, and one oi' the pawl-levers which prevent over-registration; Fig. (5, a front elevation of the parts shown in Fig. 5 and the dog-plate, its spring, and operatingslide; Fig. 7, a plan of the drawer-locking lever; Fig. S, a side elevation of one of the registering-wheels, its actuating and stop pawls, stop-pinion, and one of the resettingdogs, one oi' the springs which draw the resetting-plate toward the registering-wheels, said plate and the shafts of said gear and pinion being in section, Fig. 9, a plan of the registering-wheel, its gear and ratchet, said gear being broken away to show its pawls; Eig. 10, a side elevation of the resetting-lever as arranged at the rightof the machine; Figs.

1l and l2, elevations, respectively, of a keyslide and key-stop and of a pivoted key and key-stop.

A is the case, of usual form, having a lower compartment a, in which is arranged a drawer I3, forced outward in the usual manner by a spring I), secured to the inside of the back of said lower compartment.

All the mechanism ol' the register and indicator is supported in a iframe C, which rests upon the top ot' said compartment a within the upper compartment a of the case A.

Each key D consists oi' a bent lever, pivoted at its upper end on afulcrum-rod (Z,which extends the whole length of the machine and is common to all the keys, substantially as shown in a previous apl'ilication, Serial No. 472,176, by said Jacques, May l, 1803, and now pending, and the slides D' are pivoted to the lower rear corners otl said keys at d and are given a longitudinal backward movement by the depression of the buttons (Z2 of said keys, substantially as shown in said previous application and in an obvious manner. The slides D are each provided with a laterally-projecting pin (Z3, which strikes the front down-hanging arm i' of the corresponding signal-raising lever I and causes the rear arm ol' said lever I to raise the corresponding signal-rod It and signal I-I, as shown in a former patent to said Jacques, No. 480,608, dated August 9, 1892, and said signals and signal-rods are guided vertically by horizontal guides c c', and when raised are supported, as shownin said patent, by a sliding lockingrod J, drawn by a spring j (instead of by a weighted lever, as shown in said patent) in a well-known manner in one direction, to engage and hold up said signal-rods, each signal-rod having a shoulder 7i', which rests upon said locking-rod when said signal-rod is in its raised position, and there being as many locking-rods as there are sections of the machine or denominations of money to be indicated and registered thereby.

On a shaft J4,connnon to all the sections and IOO parallel with the loc'kingr0d J', are Vfast the ratchet-wheel J2 and the side ratchetswheels J", (there being one wheel J in each section,) each of said ratchet-wheels having the same number of teeth. A pawl Ji", Figs. l, 2, and il, engages the ratchet-wheel J2 and is pivoted on a horizontal rod supported on the nearly vertica-l'bars j" o'ii' the swinging frame l?, said bars j being pivoted loosely on the 'Fulcrum-rod d above named and being connected near their lower ends by another horizontal rod j, which extends back of all the keys D. Said frame F is swung backward by the operation of any key, carrying backward said pawl J3 and causing the ratchet-wheel J"l and each oi' said wheels .'l to revolve an angular distance measut'ed by a single tooth and causing a single tooth ot' each wheel J to run over the arm j, rigidly secured to the corresponding locking-rod .l and moving said locking-rod to the lel't suti'icientily to release all the previously-supported signals, said locking-rod being immediately moved in the other direction by the snring to engage the newly-raised signalrods.

'lhe releasing operation oi" any side ratchet-wheel J takes place during the I'irst'` quarter ot' its movement, so that when the locking-rod is in sectionsand the keycoupling deviee hereinaiterdescribed is omitted, a key in one section ora key in each ot' two sc tions may be partly operated, with the et'iect oi' dropping all the previously-exposetl signals, and then a key in the remainingsection may be i'ully operated, displaying a signal corresponding to said last-named fully-operated key, and theoperation ef the partly-operated key or keys may, without dropping said lastnamed signal, be eon'ipleted, raising the corresponding signals and completing the proper registration.

ltach key-slide D is provided with an upward extension d, on which is pivoted a coupling-lever il, the same being substatitially as shown in Figs. l to S, and having a down-hanging arm d, the lower end of which normally bears against the back side ot' thc vi'ront c2 of the lrame C, holding up the long arm di oi said lever d'", but as the ke \j-slide is pushed slightly baelnvard said long heavier upper arm f1.7 l'alls and a notch dx, with which the under side of said arm dis provided, engages a horizontal key-coupling and key-controlling rod IC, which extends from side to side ol` the machine and is supported at its ends in two horizontal rack-bars lil', which slide on studs c e2, passing through horizontal longitudinal slots ci" el in said rack-hais.

The front ends oi the rackAba-rs E are pivotcd at ci to the side bars f ot' the iratne F, so that the operation of any key D pushes said rack-bars backward and causes all the key-slides D', which have moved backward far enough to allow the coupling-levers il to engage the conplingsrod E, to complete their operative movement and 'to make their movement in unison with each other, so that after two or more of the coupling-levers have engaged said rod ll) the complete mtiivement ot' all the eorresl'ionding keys is insured by a complete movement ot one oi said keys, thus enabling a person simultaneously 'to operate a key in each section ol' the machine by the use oi one hand.

lVhcre the coupling devices above described are used, a single locking-rod extending over all the sections ol the machine may be used instead of the sectional. lockingsrod above described.

Each rack-bar E is provided on its upper surface with a rack c, Fig. l, adapted to be engaged alternately by two pawls c7 c, piv ot'ed at e" el on the frame C, said pawls be ing connected to each other by means et' a shift-lever el, also pivoted midway between its ends on said trame, said level' cS having slots el" ci, through which studs c c on saidv pawls, respectively, loosely project, so that turning said lever c will engage one oi' said pawls with and diset'lgage the other from said l'ack c. Said lever e1S has an upwardly-extending weighted arm cl3 to overbalance said lever and hold either oi said pawls in engagement with said rack.

At each end ot' each rack c is an upward projection eH cm, which strikes against the underside of the t'ree end oi.l the eorresl'ionding pawl cle and lil'ts it out ol engagement, with said rack. The front pawl cT when in engagement' with said rack prevents the .return movement ol the rack-bar anti ol" the keys coupled thereto until the operative o1' backward movement ot' said rack-baiI and coupled keys is substantially completed, but just at the completion oi said operative movement said l'ront pawl ci is lifted by the front projection c, rocking the lever e1S and throwing the rear pawl es into engagement with said rack, where it remains until the return movement is completed, said return movement being caused by the contraction ot' springs l", each rack-bar and each key-slide being counccted by a helical spring li" to a plate if2 rigidly to the bottom oll ltite iront ol the frame C, Figs. land 2. At the completion ot' the return movement' ot' the rack-bat' and coupled keys the pawl cH is raised by the pro- ,ieetion el, causing the pawl el to tall again into engagement with said rack e.

The simultaneous backward movement et' two key-slides in the same section ci the machine is preventctl by the key-stops (l, Figs. and it, the same being blocks which nearly Iill the spaces between the upright parts c oi` the frame C, which .t'orm the ends and the divisions between the sectionsoi' the machine, which is represented in .lfigz 5 3 as having three sections and t'our uprighls, the combined lateral thickness ol` a series ot' lv'eyestops oli' a single section heilig' such as to leave room for only one key-slide 1)/ to pass through said series. The rear ends ot' the lv'ey-slides are beveled to a vertical edge d", and the front ICO IIO

side corners of the key-stops are correspondingly beveled at g to allow said key-slides to enter readily between adjacent key-stops, as shown in Fig. 5 and as shown in the Patent No. 537,0S6, granted to said Trask April 9, 1895. In the last-n amed patent the key-stops slide upon two parallel supporting and guiding rods, between which the rear ends of the key-slides enter, said rods vlying in a plane at right angles to that in which the key-stops lie. The guide-rods g' g2 are herein represented as lying in the same plane as that of the longitudinal axes of the key-slides, (see Figs. 2 and 5,) and the rear end of each keyslide is forked at d10, as shown in Fig. 1, in such a manner as to separate the key-stops equally above and below said supporting and guiding rods,` the stops being very loose on the rear rod g2, which serves merely to keep said stops from turning on the rod g', two rods being used on account of the angular shape of the stops, but if the stops were round, as shown in said previous patent to said Jacques, a single supporting-rod would be sufficient, each stop in that case being beveled on each side and all around and being allowed to revolve freely on its supportingrod, as represented in Figs. 1l and 12, which show, respectively, disk-shaped stops in connection with a forked key-slide and such stops in connection with a forked pivoted key-lever D2 of otherwise ordinary construction, the purpose being in each case to separate said stops equally on opposite sides ofv the supporting-rod and thus prevent said stops from canting and binding on said rod.L The key-slides are guided in front and rear guide-plates c2 c3. Each of the key-slides is notched on the under side at CZI to receive a key-locking plate L, which extends across the machine, Figs. 1, 2, and 6, in front of the guide-plate c2, and is provided with vertical slots Z, through which cap-screws Z' are driven into said front guide-plate. The plate L is normally held out of engagement with the notches CZ by gravity and by the contractile power of springs Z2, connected to said plate L and to the plate F2 above named, but is raised into the notches dll of all keys not operated when the rack-bars E are moved backward, said plate L having end studs Z3, which project into or through slots @1G in said rackbars, which slots are parallel with the slots e3 e"l above described nearly throughout their ent-ire length, but at their rear ends said slots e1G are inclined slightly downward at el?, so that, the studs Z3 being normally in the rear ends of said slots @16, said plate L is raised by the backward movement of said rack-bars into said notches d.11 and prevents the movement of a key-slide in any section after a key-slide of any other section has begun to be operated.

The under side of the slides is cut away to the depth of the notch CZ at CP2, just in front of said notch, in order that the operated keys may not prevent the raising of said plate L.v

XVhen the keys and rack-bars return to position, the plate L is forced down out of the notches d by the inclination e" of .the slot em'.

The initial registering-gear K in each section of the machine is driven by a segment M of a gear, substantially as in said pending application of said Jacques, that is, the segment-arm m turns on a fixed shaft m' and is connected by rods m2 m3, parallel with the shaft m', to a shorter arm m4, (which, with the rod m2, merely serves to stiften and steady the arm m and lower rod m3,) said lower rod m3 extending over all the key-slides in the same section and at right angles therewith, and each key-slide having an upwardly-extending stud (Z13, which, in the operation of said key-slide, strikes and pushes backward said rod m3 and rocks the arm m, causing the gear K to make a part of a revolution, said studs being at such different distances from said rod m3 that said last-named rod and the segment M will be swung an angular distance proportioned to the number on the key by which such movement is effected, and the gear K, engaged by said segment and having (in a machine for registering money of a decimal system) ten teeth or a multiple of ten teeth, (twentysuch teeth being shown 'in the drawings,) will be turned by the complete operation of any key the number of tenths of a revolution indicated by the number `on the button of the key.

The operative motion of the gear K is communicatedl to the pinion n of the first-numbered registering wheel N by a ratchettoothed clutch O, arranged concentrically with said gear and numbered wheel, one counterpart o of said clutch being fast on said gear and the other counterpart 0 being fast on said pinion n, and said clutch counterparts being held in engagement with each other by a helical spring T, which surrounds the shaft and is compressed between said gear K and the adjacent upright- 04 of the machine, so that turning the gear K in one direction by the operative or forward movement of the segment M partially rotates said pinion n, while turning said gear K in the other direction (by the return movement of the segment M, caused by the contraction of the helical spring T, connecting the frame C and the arm on ot' said segment M, as shown in Fig. 1) produces no effect on said pinion n, the teeth of the counterpart 0 sliding over the teeth of the counterpart o'.

The wheel N in each section of the machine (three sections being represented in Fig. 3) has a hub 1r", having ten ratchet-teeth 0r6, some one of which is always in engagement with a pawl a7, pivoted on the pinion u, so that said pinion n and wheel N are for registering purposes but a single wheel, each being loose on a shaft P, which extends through every section of the machine and supports all the gears K and all the numbered registering-wheels and their pinions7 Figs. 1, 2, 3, 8, and 0.

ICO

IIO

ISO

The periphery ol' each wheel Nis numbered from l to O at equal intervals,a1nl in each section of the machine the numbered wheels N N N`2 N; N* are duplicates of each other and the pinions n n `uff if n' are also preeiselyalike,

ries is provided with a clutch counterpart o,) each. of said pinions carrying a pawl nto engage a tooth n on the corresponding numbered wheel, as above described. When any numbered wheel (except the one atthe extreme left of a series) makes a complete revolution, the numbered wheel next at the left makes one-tenth of a revolution, caused by an intern'iediate stop-pinion n l n l n l* /1 l", (rep` resented as having eight teeth nu and four stolti-surfaces nl) one of said stop-surfaces normally resting against the periphery of a nu mbered wheel, while its teeth engage the pinion-nf, nii, n, or n of the numbered wheel next to the left. llach numbered wheel has a lateral projection, as shown at the left or dollarseetion in Fig. 2l, er double 'tooth nl', which once in every revolution of said numbered wheel turns the stop-pinion next to the lei't an angular distance measured by two teeth or one stopsurfaee of said pinion, a notch nl, with which said numbered wheel is provided, admitting the projection or corner formed by two adjacent stopsurfaces to allow ot' such turning.

The described construction of the stop-pinions requires that the pinion n should have twenty teeth in a decimal system. "When it is desired to reset the registering-wheels to their O positions, the shaft l), Figs. l, 2, il, S, t), and l0, on which said wheels are loose, is given a complete revolution, said shaft having a longitudinal groove p, which when the registering-wheels are in their O positions and said shaft lis in its norma-l position is engaged by other pawls p', one of said pawls being pivoted on each registering-wheel and pressed against said shaft l by a spring pf. A hub p is rigidly secured on said shaft l and is provided with a projection pl, to which is secured a spring arlnyf, which normally rests on a horizontal stud if, fixed in the frame C, and is held against said stud by a spiral spring p, which surrounds the shaftl?, Fig. 3, and has one end p7, which engages said frame C, and another which engages said arm p".

A slide Q, drawn by springs ([5 toward the shaft P, extends throughout the machine parallel with said shaft and supporting in each section of the machine as many sliding dogs f] (l (f tf q* as there are numbered registeringwheels, each such dog being forced radially toward said shaft P and wheels by sprin q and being held to said slide t2 by cap-screws q", which pass through slots n into said slide. Said sliding dogs are normally held out of engagement with the registeringwheels by the projecting parts p or cams on the hubs of the shaft l), but when the sha-'ft is turned (which accomplished by pullingthe spring-arm p5 laterally until it clears the supportiiig-stud ci", when the shaft maybe turned by using said arm piasaleveror automaticallyby the spring pf) said cams move outlet' the way of the slide Q and allow the slidingdogs tobear (except that only the 'first pinion of each se upon the numbered wheels and to stop said wheels by entering thenotehes n when said wheels reach their e ptiisitions. A fter said wheels are reset the shaft Vis turned once in the reverse direction, disengaging the sliding dogs from said wheels,and the a rmp' is slipped over the stud et". lhe niunbered wheels are thus adjusted without moving their pinions or drawing the intermediate stojjnwheels out ofengagement with said piniens.

The segment M, i, 2, i5, and :3, is provided with two racks 'nt5 m, having teeth inelined in opposite directions, and two pawls mi' mi are piveted on the frame C at c7 ci and arranged alternately to engage said racks, said pawls being connected by a lever nl, ot' the first order, havingslots in', which areengaged by pins in intl, whichproject laterally .from said pawls near the free ends of the same, respectively. The rearendof the levesl m is connected by arod lt to the front; end. ot' the shift-lever c", above described, so that when a rack-bar is moving lmekwartfl and, itsI return or forward movement is prevented by the pawl c7, as above described, the return or backward movement of the segment hl is prevented by the pawl in, engagingthc rack nl", and when the raek-bar completes its move ment and 4the pawl e becomes engaged with the rack e the pawl mi is simultaneouslyeugaged with the rack nr". The pawl mi weighted at mito eounterbalance the weight of the conneetingfrod l.

A pawl-lever rl in cach section oi' the machine turns on. a horizontal rod. s, supported in the frame (l, and has a broad lower arms', adapted to be struck by the operative or backward movement of any key-slide in the same section, causing a tooth si at the upper end of said lever b to engage the Iirst registering-pinion N ot the correspoinling series just as said operative movementof said slide is completed, te prevent said pinion being carried too far by its own momentum and 'that of the attached. clutch counterpart n', Figs. l, 2, and

A rod o connects the side barsI f of the swinging fraaie l11 and has an arm if", which extends backward near the .middle of themachine and which at its rear end is jointed at b3 to the upper end of a lever b, shaped like an inverted T and pivotcdbetween its lower ends on the frame. To each of the lower ends of said lever b is pivoted a bolt tf, tf, the bolt bibeing beveled at its lowcrend and being' provided with a slot if, through which Vits pivot Ut passes into the lever bl, enabling said bolt to rise on said lever when the drawer B is pushed into the ease. lv'hen any key is operated, the bolt trl is raised by the action of the lever (f1 out of the notch tf in a central partition in the drawer ll, and

IKO

l SO

said drawer is pushed by the spring b under said bolt h5, and at the same time the bolt h6 is pushed down into another notch lilo in said partition, (the lower end of said bolt b being beveled to allow its lower rear edge bu to engage said last-named notch readily,) preventing` the drawer from opening farther until the return movement of the key is nearly completed, when the rear bolt b is likewise disengaged from its notch Z910, allowing the drawer to spring open. This construction prevents the drawer from being opened by a partial operation of the key.

Ve claim as our inventionl. The combination of a series of key-slides, bars, movable with any of said key-slides, and each provided with a rack, a pair of loppositely-acting pawls for each of said racks, and a lever, connecting the pawls of a pair to each other and arranged to hold one of said pawls in engagement with the corresponding` rack when the other is out of such engagement, and said bars having also projections each adapted to raise a pawl out of engagem ent with the corresponding rack at the completion of the movement of the corresponding bar in one direction, the registering-gear, a segment of a gear, engaging said gear and operated by the movement of any key-slide to rotate said gear, said segment having two racks, provided with oppositely -inclined teeth, two pawls, adapted to engage said lastnamed racks, respectively, a lever, connecting said last-named pawls to each other and adapted to hold either of said last-named pawls out of engagement with the corresponding rack when the other is in such engagement, and a rod, connecting' said levers, to cause the operative movement of said segment to end with the operative movement of the corresponding key-slide and to prevent said segment from moving in one direction until its movement in the opposite direction is completed, as and for the purpose specified.

2. The combination of a series of keys, a

series of stops and a guide-rod passing through said stops and arranged at right angles to the planes in which said keys move, said keys having forks adapted to pass between said stops on opposite sides of said guide-rod, as and for the purpose specified.

3. The combination of the case, the keys, the drawer, sliding in said case and having two notches, a spring, to open said drawer, a lever, operated by the movement of any key, two bolts, pivoted to said lever on opposite sides of its fulcrum, one of said bolts being normally engaged with one of said notches when said drawer is closed and withdrawn therefrom at the beginning of the operative movement of any key and supported on the top of said drawer, on a slight outward movement of said drawer, and the other of said bolts being thrown into engagement with the other of said notches, and withdrawn therefrom on the completion of the return movement of said key, to prevent said drawer being opened until said key is fully operated and returned to its normal position, as and for the purpose specified.

el. The combination of the frame, a shaft, having a longitudinal groove, a series of registering-wheels, loose on said shaft, an equal series of pawls, each pivoted on one of said wheels and each bearing upon said shaft and adapted to engage said groove, a spring-arm, secured to said shaft, a stud, on said frame, to stop said arm, and another spring, to rotate said shaft when said arm is disengaged from said stud until said arm again strikes said stud, to restore said wheels to their zero positions, as and for the purpose specified.

In witness whereof we have signed this speciiication, in the presence of two attesting witnesses, this 15th day of June, A. D. 1895.

JAMES JACQUES. CLARENCE S. TRASK. lVitnesses:

ALBERT M. Moons, KIRKLEY HYDE.

Images