US585742A - cumminas - Google Patents

Description

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E. B. CUMMINGS. VOTING MACHINE.

No. 585,742. Patented July- 5, 1897.

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B. B. CUMMINGS. VOTING MACHINE.

No. 585,742. Patented July 6, 1897.

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E. B. GUMMINGS.

VOTING MACHINE.

No. 585,742. Patented July 6, 1897.

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UNITED STATES EDVIN CUMMINGS, OF

PATENT OFFICE.

INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA.

VOTING-MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 585,742, dated July 6, 1897'.

Application filed March 27, 1895. Serial No. 543,430. (No model.)

To @ZZ 11171/0711/ t may concern:

Beit known that I, EDWINB. CUMMiNGs, of Indianapolis, county of Marion, and State of Indiana, have invented a certain new and useful Voting-Machine; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which like figures refer to like parts.

My invention relates to a voting-machine containing suitable registering and indicating mechanism operated mechanically by the voter, and also suitable lookin g devices whereby when any candidate has been voted for no other candidate for the same oiiice can be voted for by the same voter. It meets the demands of the Australian-ballot system, as it enables the voter to vote a straight ticket, and when he has done so the whole machine is locked unless there be a part arranged for voting for amendments or other non-partisan matters. In such case the two classes of ballots, namely, for officers and for amendments, are not connected,although they are arranged in the same machine. It is so constructed that no person can vote more than one ballot or for more than one candidate for any office. rlhe door of the booth in which the machine is located or the platform upon which the voter stands or other similar means is used to unlock the machine and also to register the number of voters who enter the booth. I provide a simple means for enabling the election officers with a minuteswork to read the total vote cast for each candidate. In stead of a separate register for the straight tickets my machine registers one vote for every candidate on the straight ticket when it is voted.

My object has been to make a machine which lis very simple and wholly mechanical about a half an inch thick, and its width with four ballots is not to exceed twelve inches, and its length that of the ordinary ballot. Thus the machine complete for votingthe ordinary ticket is so small and light that a number can be carried by an officer. All that is required to be done to set up the machine for voting is to secure the machine to the wall. The small dimensions enable the machine to be conveniently stored between elections. Vhere there are several tickets-such as national, State, county, and township-to be voted for, they can all be provided for iu a single machine long enough to receive such a ballot, or there can be a separate machine for each class of tickets. This machine is also adapted for balloting purposes in organizations of all kinds, inasmuch as it affords secrecy and is very small, simple, and econonr ical in construction. I may add that my machine is provided with keys of different shapes for the dierent parties, so that the blind and the illiterate can vote the machine with coniidence and accuracy.

The full nature of my invention will be fully understood from the accompanying drawings and the description following.

In Figure l I show a perspective of my voting-machine with a portion of the door of the booth. Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the machine with some of the slides, tickets, and registering mechanism removed to show the interior construction. Fig. 3 is a rear elevation of a straight-ticket bar and a key-bar, with the keys shown in cross-section. Fig. e is an enlarged detail View of a single registering mechanism, the means of operating the same, and a portion of a locking-bar. Fig. 5 is a plan view of what is shown in Fig. Ll. Fig. 6 is a side view of a portion of the locking mechanism. Fig. 7 is a side view of a portion of the unlocking mechanism. Fig. S is a cross-section on the line A A of Fig. 2. Fig. 9 is a detail of the connection between the unlockingbar and the door. Fig. l0 is a section on the line B B of Fig. 5.

I construct my machine upon a plate 1,1nade,v preferably, of metal, which can be attached to the wall of the voting-booth. About the edges of this plate and the voting-machine is the narrow casing 2, which serves as a finish to the machine and prevents access to the interior mechanism. Extending vertically are the key-bars 3, secured at each end by screws passing through the bars 9 to the plate l, so as to be preferably a fraction over a quarter IOO of an inch from the plate. There is one of these key-bars alongside each ballot. ln the drawings they appear on the right-hand side of the ballots, but the order of the parts may be reversed without modifying their nature or operation. These key-bars are provided with the curved slots 4, through which the Shanks 13 of the keys 5 extend. The latter are used for voting for individual candidates. At the upper end of the key-bar is a vertical slot (5, through which the shank of the key 7 extends. This key 7 is usedfor voting a straight ticket and is placed beside the party emblem, and is secured to the straightticket bar S. (Shown in Fig. 3.) The latter is to the rear of the key-bar 3, and is held against it at the upper end bythe key 7 and at the lower end by a lip on the bar 9, so as to be verticallyslidable. The edge of the straight-ticket bar S is cut out, as shown in Fig. 3, to form the inclined shoulders l0, that lie normally under the shanks of the keys 5, so that when the straight-ticket bar S is elevated by pushing upward on the straight-ticket key 7all of the keys 5 iu that row will be operated, thus casting one vote for every candidate on that ticket. After the straight-ticket key 7 is voted the bar S drops into its normal position by gra\f'ity.

The shanks 13 of the keys 5 extend, as seen in Fig. lO, through the arm ll and somewhat beyond to engage in the notch 14 of the locking-bar l5. rlhis arm ll is pivoted on the pin t3 and carries the pawl 1G, controlled by the spring l7, and is actuated by the key 5. By this construction the operation of avotingkey actuates the locking and registering mechanism Simultaneously. The arm ll causes the key or shank 13 to move in a segmental line, so that after it has entered the notch lt and has actuated the locking-bar and the latter has been locked the key cannot be moved in either direction, and hence it cannot be actuated a second time until the machine is unlocked.

The units-registering wheel is mounted on the piu 1S, screwed into the plate l, and consists of the ratchet 19, the disk 20, provided with a single tooth 2l for actuating the tenswheel, the ten-toothed ratchet 22, which is driven bythe pawl 1G, and the indicating-disk The wheels l0, 20, and 22 are secured together and their backlash is prevented by the pawl 2t engaging the ratchet lfl. rlhe tenswheel has the washer 25, the ten-tooth wheel 2G, the one-tooth wheel 27, and the indicating-wheel 23, of which the wheels 2G and 27 are secured together. The hundreds-wheel is built up with the washer 2S, the ten-tooth wheel 2f), and an indicating-wheel. The n umber of these registeriiig-wheels can be varied to suit the exigency. The indicating-wheels are provided with a series of ten equidistant holes SO, arranged about the center, each of which is adapted to receive the pin 3l, that is placed in the ratchet 22 or the one-tooth wheel 27 or the ten-tooth wheel 29-that is,

on the wheel adjacent. to the indicatingdisk- The purpose of this arrangement is to facilitate resetting the indicating mechanism to zero. XVhen it is desired to reset this mechanism, the indicating-disks are removed and are placed so that zero will be directly under the aperture in plate 0l.

Along one side of the device is the verticallymovable catch-bar .52, provided with slots 33, through which the pins Si pass and guide such bar in its movement. On the side of such bar, as shown in Fig. 2, there is a series of teeth 35, set at some distance from the body of the bar, and the edge of the bar between the teeth is inclined, as shown. These notches are so located as to register with the locking-bars l5, which extend horizontally across the machine, there being one lockingbar for cach office represented on the tickets. The locking-bars have horizontal slots 3G, through which the pins 37 pass, enabling the bars to be moved horizontally by the keys 5, as heretofore described. The ends of these locking-bars near the catch-bar are red need in width in order that they may spring some what upward, and at the ends they have a downwardly-extending hook 3S, adapted to catch over the tooth 35 on the catchbar. This end of the locking-bar is beveled, as shown, so that when moved to the left it will slip over the tooth 35. After the hook of the locking-bar is caught over the tooth no other key in that row can be operated.

To prevent one person from voting for more than one candidate for the same oi'iice or more than one straight ticket, I make this lockingbar l5 sectional, as shown in Fig. 4, there being one section for each ticket. Secured to the end of each section nearest the catch-bar is a latch consisting of a tlat spring 39, overlapping the end of the adjacent section and havin g a downwardly-extendiu g hook or catch 40, adapted normally to catch in the notch 4l. Integral with or secured to the flat spring is a lug a2, adapted to engage the pin lf3 when the arm ll has engaged and elevated Jthe latch. lVhen the latch is down and the catch 4:0 is in the notch ai, the lug 4t2 will escape under the pin 3, and thus make the lockingbar a continuous one. Going back now to the operation by the voter of a key 5, the arm ll is rotated toward the catch-bar, its upper end engaging the spring 3D, causing the latch to be elevated, and thus disengaging the catch 40 from the notch il, and at the same time causing the lug a2 to engage the pin 13, so that no other key can be operated. The key that is operated separates the locking-bar and actuates the part preceding it. If a person attempts to vote for two candidates for the same oi'tiee and exactly simultaneously, both will be locked before either can register, but if their operation is not simultaneous the one which is first started registers and the other is locked. No key can be moved 'far enough to operate its registering mechanism and register the vote excepting when such IOO IIO

key can elevate the latch 39 and thus divide the locking-bar at that point. The latch, of course, cannot be elevated after the lug 42 has started to pass under the stop 43. Then two keys are operated exactly simultaneously, the one nearest the catch-bar attempts to elevate its latch, but it cannot do so, because the simultaneous operation of the other key has pushed its section of the locking-bar so far that the latch of the first key mentioned has moved its lug partially under the stop. Hence the key under such latch cannot be further operated and vis locked by the initial action of the other key. The other key will also be locked and prevented from moving far enough to operate its registering mechanism, because the section of the locking-bar it actuates is locked at the other end, as above set forth, and, furthermore, its movement will be prevented because it is abutting against the preceding` section of the lockingbar, which cannot move, as its key cannot be moved far enough to lift the latch out of the notch 4l. The same result ensues if he attempts to vote two straight tickets, because when he moves a straight-ticket bar he oper ates all the keys for that ticket, as the group has the same mode of operation as the keys composing the group. I may add that as I construct the machine I mount the arm 1l at its lower end upon the pin 43.

The locking-bars l5 are released by the exit of the voter through the door 44 of the booth, which through the hook 45 and eye 46 moves the unlocking-bar 47, that is provided with an inclined slot 4S, through which extends the pin 49 on the lower end of the catch-bar 32. The unlocking-bar is held in place and guided by the bolts 50, extending through the slots 5l. When the catch-bar 32 has thus been drawn down, the inclined faces or edges be tween the teeth 35 will have pushed all the locking-bars l5 into their normal positions, and, furthermore, will rigidly hold them there so long as the door is open. At the close of the election the o'l'iicers can remove the hook 45 and insert a padlock through the eye 52, which will hold the catch-bar 32 down and :render all parts of the machine perfectly rigid and inoperative and keep the register just where it stood when the last vote was cast. The machine then can be handled with impunity and the count cannot in any way be altered.

In the upper part 53 of the machine I provide a mechanism for registering the number of voters. This register is operated by the centrally-pivoted lever 54, acting through the spring-controlled pawl 55. The pawl 56 prevents the backward movement of the register. The lever 54 is actuated by the sliding bar 57, to which its lower end is pivoted, and this bar in turn is actuated by the catch-bar 32 by means of the bolt 5S, extending through the inclined slot 59. Thus it will be observed that the registering mechanism referred to will be operated one notch whenever the door opens. In order to make this feature of the machine operate perfectly, the door should go back and catch after each voter has left the booth, sothat it could not be moved until Ythe next voter entered, or the voter should enter one door and go out at another.

The edges of the keyebars 3 are provided with two longitudinal grooves to form a slide- Way for the metallic plate 60, as seen in Fig. 2. This plate holds the indicating-wheels in place on the pins 18 and 3l and has the apertures 6l, through which one numeral on each indicating-wheel is visible. In the upper slideway in the key-bars 8 I slip a transparent plate 62. Between this plate and the metal plate I slide a ballot 63, printed in lawful form, supported in place by a sliding bar 64. This ballot is provided with apertures 65, placed immediately under the name of a candidate, so that when the sliding bar 64 is withdrawn and the ticket drops they will register with the apertures 6l in the metal plate, and therofore reveal the numerals on the indi'catingewheels. In this manner the number of votes cast for each candidate can be read, as in Fig. 2; but while the voting is in progress the sliding bar 64 holds the ballot up so that the apertures 65 will not register with the apertures 6l in the metal plate, thus preventing any voter from reading the number of votes cast for any candidate. The bar 64 slides horizontally, and it must be entirely beyond the interference of the voter. To effect this, I provide the lug 66 with an eye, and I place an eye also through the bar 64 for the introduction of a padlock 67 in order that such bar may be securely locked in place. This same padlock, after the voting is all done and it is removed from that place, can be used in the hole 52 for locking the entire machine, as above described. In this manner no person will know the number of votes cast for any candidate until the voting is done and the ot'lcers have removed the lock, slipped out the sliding bar 64, and let the ticket drop so that the holes in it will register with the holes in the metal plate and with the numerals on the indicating-wheels. This Work on the part of the officers can be done in a minute, and then the total vote for every candidate on all the tickets will be immediately revealed. This will prevent fraudulent or mistaken counting and secure an instantaneous report.

In Fig. 2 the left section shows the baseplate, the catch-bar, and some locking-bars and yregistering-wheels. The next section to the right shows the stationary metal plate over the mechanism back of it. The next shows the machine as it appears while voting, while the right section shows the ticket and glass dropped to enable the officers to read the vote.

`What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

l. In a voting-machine, the combination of a base-plate, a locking-bar slidably mounted IOO IIO

on the base-plate, registering-wheels mounted on the base-plate, a key-bar secured to the base-plate, and a key for actuating the locking-bar and registering-wheels mounted in the key-bar perpendicular to the base-plate, said locking-bar, registering-wheels and key all movable in a plane parallel with the baseplate.

2. In a voting-machine, a sliding lockingbar having a notch in it with the rear side a little shorter than its front side, and a key movable in the arc of a circle and adapted when operated to engage the locking-bar in such notch, substantially as set forth.

3. In a voting-machine, locking-bars having spring-hooks on their ends, a catch-bar having teeth adapted to catch the hooks and inclined surfaces between the teeth to push the locking-bars back into place, and means whereby such catch-bar will be actuated by the door of the voting-booth.

t. In a voting-machine, locking-bars having spring-hooks on their ends, the catch-bar 252 having the bolt 49 in it, the unlocking-bar 47 having the slot 4:8 to receive the bolt 49, and the hook 45 adapted to be actuated by the door of the voting-booth.

5. In a voting-machine, locking-bars, catchbars adapted when operated to hold such locking-bars and prevent their operation, an unlocking-bar for actuating the catch-bar, and means for so securingv the unlocking-bar in such position that all the parts of the machine will be rendered rigid and immovable.

6. In a voting-machine, suitable lockingbars, a catch-bar adapted to catch and prevent such locking-bars from further operation, an unlocking-bar adapted to actuate the catch-bar and hold the same in position and having one end extending beyond the casing of the machine when the machine is in a locked condition, and means for locking the end outside the casing so that it cannot be pushed in whereby the parts will be held rigid and immovable.

7. In avoting-machine, a registering mechanism Jfor each candidate, a locking-bar for all the candidates for the same otlice provided with a hook, a catch-bar with teeth to engage such hook when actuated, and a voting-key for each candidate adapted sim ultaneously to actuate the locking-bar and registering mechanism.

S. In avoting-machine, aregistering mechanism for each candidate, a locking-bar for all the candidates for the same ofice having on its end a spring-hook, a catch-bar with teeth to be engaged by such hook when actuated and an inclined face to push the locking-bar back in place, means for actuating such catch-bar, and a voting-key for each candidate adapted simultaneously to actuate the locking-bar and registering mechanism.

9. In a voting-machine, a base-plate, a registering mechanism foreach candidate, a locking-bar for all candidates for the same ofiice held in place against the base-plate by pins in the latter extending through the slots in the locking-bar, a catch-bar held in place on the base-plate and adapted to catch the locking-bar when actuated and return it after the voter has voted, a key for each candidate to actuate the lockin g-bar and registering mechanism, and means for actuating the catchbar.

l0. In a voting-machine, a locking-bar in sections whose ends abut, means for connecting the ends ot the sections, and avoting-key to actuate the locking-bar and at the same time release the connecting means and separate the sections near the point of actuation.

ll. In a voting-machine, a sectional locking-bar with one section for each candidate for the same oiiice, aspring-latch connecting' the adjacent sections, and a key adapted to raise such spring-latch when it actuates the locking-bar.

l2. In a voting-machine, a sectional locking-bar with one section for each candidate for the same ot'lice, a spring-latch connecting the adjacent sections, a stop that is engaged by the latch when it is elevated, and a key adapted to raise the latch when it actuates the locking-bar.

13. In a voting-machine, a base-plate provided with stop-pins, a sectional locking-bar slidably mounted on the base-plate near the pins and having' a notch in its upper edge, a spring secured to a section of the locking-bar and overlapping the ad jacentsection and having a catch to engage the notch in the lockin g-bar, a key adapted when operated to move the locking-bar and at the same time to elevate the engaging end of the spring, and a lug on such spring adapted to engage the pin in the base-plate when the spring is elevated, substantially as set forth.

14. In a voting-machine, a registering and indicating mechanism, suitable locking-bars, a catch-bar for catching the locking-bars when actuated, means for actuating such catch-bar every time a voter votes, and means for actuating the registering mechanism by the movement of the catch-bar, all movable in the same plane.

l5. In a voting-machine, a registering and indicating mechanism, suitable locking-bars, a catch-bar for catching the locking-bars when actuated and having the bolt 5S, means for actuating such catch-bar every time a voter votes, the sliding bar 57 having the inclined slot 59 adapted to receive the bolt 5S, and the lever 5% pivoted to the sliding bar 57 and provided with suitable pawls for actuating the registering mechanism.

l0. In a voting-machine, suitable registering and indicating mechanism for each candidate adapted to be actuated by the key'for the candidate, a movable. ballot with apertures near the name of each candidate that will register with a numeral on each indicating-wheel when desired, a sliding bar supporting the ballot while the voting is in progress so that the apertures in the ballot will IOO IIO

1S. In a voting-machine, the key-bar S provided With the slots 4 and 6, the voting-keys 5 for the individual candidates on one ticket, the straight-ticket bar 8, and the straightticket keyT 7 all combined substantially as set forth.

In Witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 18th day of March, 1895.

EDVIN B. CUMMINGS.

Witnesses:

V. H. LooKWooD, G. C. CQNNER.

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