US634726A - Cash-register. - Google Patents

Description

Patented Oct. l0, |899. G. H. GLEDHILL.

CASH REGISTER.

(Application filed Apr. C, 1898.)

4 Sheets-Sheet I.

(No Model.)

@OSW

Patented Oct. l0, |899. G. H. GLEDHILL.

CASH REGISTER.

(Application led Apr. d, 1898.)

(No Model.)

PatentedDct. l0, |899. G. H. GLEDHILL.

CASH REGISTER.

(Application led Apr. 6, 1898.)

4 Sheets-Sheet 3.

(Np Model.)

Norms Farms co. Pncrcpuwo.. wAsHmnmN u c Patented Oct. l0, |899. G. H. GLEDHILL.

CASH REGISTER.

(Application led Apr. 6, 189B.)

4 Sheets-Sheet 4.

(No Model.)

UNITED STATES PATENT OEEICE.

GEORGE HENRY GLEDHILHOF HALIFAX, ENGLAND, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO THE VICTOR CASILREGISTER COMPANY, OF CHICAGO,

ILLINOIS.

CASH-REGISTER.

SPECIFICATION fOlmng part Of Letters :Patent NO. 634,726, .dated October lO, 1899.

Application filed April 6, 1898. Serial No. 676,678, TNO model.)

'o all who/1t it muy concer/t:

Be it known that I, GEORGE HENRY GLE'D HILL, a subject of the Queen of Great Britain, and a resident of Halifax, in the county of York, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Cash-Registers, of which the following' is a specification.

My present invention relates to improvel ments upon the machine set forth in my ap- 1o plication, Serial No. 664,057, iiled December 2s, ist?.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, Figure lis a view in side elevation of the cash-register mechanism provided with my I5 improvements; Fig. 2, a broken perspective view showing the ratchet-pawl-locking detent device; Fig. 3, a view like that presented by Fig. l, but showing the condition ofthe mechanism under depression of anoperating-key;

2o Fig. 4, a broken perspective view of the pivotal stop-bar detail for the tablet-controllin g levers; Fig. 5, a vertical sectional view taken through the mechanism along. an operatinglever, with the parts in their normal relative positions; and Fig. 6, a view like that presented by Fig. 5, but showing the condition of the mechanism under depression of an operating-key.

The case for inclosing the operating mechgo anism is not shown, but it may involve any convenient or suitable shape.`

lis the main drum or shaft, stationarily supported in a suitable frame 2 and carrying the series of rotatable register-wheels 3, each 3 5 provided with a circumferential series of ratchet-teeth 4L in desired number, according to the circumferential registering capacity of the wheel. Atthe front of the frame is supported stationarily a transverse shaft 5,

4o having pivotally mounted upon it a series of key-levers 6, one for each. wheel, carrying at their outer ends buttons 7, each marked with a number denoting the value to be registered by operating the key. On each keylever is pivoted a pawl 8 to engage the ratchet-teeth of its register-wheel. The arrangement is such that by operating any key-lever its pawl will turn the respective wheel 3 through the space of one ratchet-tooth, and to prevent ac- 5o cidental movement of any wheel through more than that space each key-lever may be provided with a brake-dog 9, which engages with a tooth on its ratchet-wheel at each op eration.

I prefer to mark the key-lever at the e.\i 55 treme right-hand side of the machine with the lowest number to be registered-say1-the next 2, the third the fourth and fifth l and 5, rcspectively,and so on through the series, to represent, respectively, one 6c cent, two cents, three cents, four cents, live cents, and so on. Each recording-wheel has marked upon its periphery a series of lign res beginning at zero and continuing in a progression, having the number on its key-lever as a multiplicator. Thus the wheel with which the one-cent key-lever gears is marked (l, l, 2, 3, i, 5, and so on, and the wheel with which, say, the three-cent lever gears A is marked 0, 3, 6, 9, l2, l5, and so on. 7o

Extending across the whole width of the bank of wheels 3 is an index-bar B, which allows only one number on each wheel to be seen, the arrangement being such that before any key-lever has been operated each wheel will show zero, and on the first operation of a key-lever, say the ten-cent, the relative register-wheel will be turned by the means described through the space of one tooth, and l0 will be shown in the place of the zero, 8o while the second operation of said key-lever will cause 2O to be shown, and so on.

In order that a purchaser may know that the amount ol' his purchase has been correctly registered, I pivotaily mount a series of supplemental levers ll on a common shaft l2, stationarily supported on the frame 2 in suitable position, preferably behind and below the bank of register-wheels. The inner end of each key-lever is adapted to engage 9o with the adjacent end of its relative lever ll, the opposite end of which is connected by a wire with a suitably-mounted bell-crank lever ll, which carries a tablet l5, bearing a number corresponding to that on its actuating key-lever. The arrangement is such that by operating any keylever 6 its relative tablet l5 is raised into view ofthe purchaser and is maintained in its display position, by the mechanism hereinafter described, until anroe other key-lover is operated, when the raised pulled to its normal position by the spring 3l.

tablet drops out o i` view and another, bearing the number on such other key-lever, is exposed to view. For retaining any tablet in its raised position there is provided a rocking framecomposcd of two pendent parallel bars 1G, connected at their lower ends by a rod 17, extending across the machine, the bars being pivotally hung on the lframe l at 17, and the frame is controlled bya spring 1S, connected with one bar for returning the frame to normal position.

2O is alevercommon to all the key-levers. It is pivoted at 19 to the right'hand side of the frame 2. A link 20' is pivoted to the opposite side of the trame.

2l is a rod connecting the lever 2O and link 20 and extending underneath all the key-levers as a part of the lever 20.

rllhe depression ol any key or any number of keys simultaneouslyoperates the lever 20.

The mechanism thus far described is substantially the same as is set forth in my aforesaid pending application. The bell shown at C and the means for operating it require no particular description in the present case.

Near its inner end the levelI 2O is provided with a head 2s', containing a cam-slot 22. Pivoted on centers 23 at the opposite sides ol' the frame is a stop-bar 2st, shown as an anglebar or trough-shaped, which extends across and in close proximity to the key-levers and carries a pin 25, which in normal position within the cam-slot. To this pin is connected at one end a spring 2G, the other end of which is attached to an arm or projection 27 on the common lever 20. Slight depression of any one or more key-levers depressies the rod 21 and raises the inner end of the lever 20, and such slight depression also raises the camhead 22' until the pin 25 is clear of the cainslot, when by means of the tension of the spring 26 the stop-bar is turned over all the unoperated key-levers, locking them until the operated keyhas completed its stroke. Continued motion of the key brings the face 2S ofthe head 22 against the pin to retain the bar 2/1 in locking position during further movement of the cam-slot. Each key-lever has a notch 29, so that if any attempt be made to return the key to normal position after a partial depression the notch engages the top of the stop-bar 24E to prevent such return until after a complete stroke.

The lever 2O is connected, through an elongated slot 31 near its inner end, with a bellcrank 31, provided with a rack 32, the teeth of which are so timed that the iirst engages a pawl 33 immediately after the bar 2t has passed over the unoperated key-levers. The function of this rack and pawl is to prevent the return of the lever 2O until it has completed its stroke to an extent to have caused a pawl 8 to produce a registration of one tooth on the bank of registering-wheels. linlnediatelyafter registration the rack 32 passes and releases the paw] which is thereupon 0n thc return stroke ol' any kcy and 'the lcver 2O the pawl 33 rides over the rack 32 in the opposite direction, preventing reversal oil the key until it has reached normal position. and its paw S has assumed engagement with the next tooth of its register-wheel ratchet.

The face 35 ol' the cam-slotted head 22' encounters the pin of the stop-lever c3l-in the descent ot the inner end of the lever 2O and pushes the pin back into the cam-slot. rlhe stop-lever is then clear of all the key-levers7 thus allowing the operated key to fall to normal position.

3G is a lever iulcrumed on the shaft 5 and having one end 3G protruding at the i'ront of the case (not shown) and the opposite end connected with a rod 37, which extends underneath the lower ends of the pawls S.

lt is necessary to enable the register-wheels to be set back to Zero that the pawls shall be disengaged from the ratchets fl-. To accomplish this, the operator presses down the end 256 of the lever 36, thereby forcing the rod 37 against the lower ends of the pawls S to turn them inward and the upper ends backward out of engagement with the ratchets. To prevent operation of any key or keys while the pawls are thus out of engagement with the registering-wheel ratchets, l attach to one side of the frame a pivotal detent 38, having aninward-projecting arm 3) to be engaged by the rod S7. Movement of the rod 37 under depression of the lever 3G allows the detent 3S to fall by gravity to vertical position over the common lever 2O to stop it at the point a: against rising. On releasing the lever 3G 3G' and when the pawls S have recngaged their ratchets lthe continued movement of the rod 37 carries the arm 39 to its normal position and retracts the detent out of engagement with the lever 2O into the position in which it is illustrated.

ln practice it is found that a quick return of the rod 17 causes undue vibrations, which permit it to ride out of engagement with the tablet-levers 11 and the raised tablet to fall in consequence. To prevent this vibration, I provide a lever -O, fulcrumed on the frame at i1 and having secured to it a spring S0., tensioned against a pin S1 on the frame 2, the spring tending to draw the lever l10 so that the notch t2 therein shall engage a pin f1-3, projecting from a swinging bar 16. A swinging arm L14, which is fastened to the bellcrank 31, bea-rs against and lifts the lever hlt0 in the rise of the inner end of the bar 20 until the notch 4t2 is disengaged from the pin 43. The continued movement oi the bell-crank brings the arm 4i against a bearing @t5 on the adjacent bar 1G, and further movement of the bell-crank enables the arm 4t to force the bar 1G, by engagement with the incline 46 on the bearing a5, until the rod 17 swings clear of all uplifted tablet-levers 11, allowing them to fall to normal position and drop their tablets. lfheiii the arm tl has reached the point 4:7 olf IOC) IIO

IZO

' cam-slot the face 1G, it is released from engagement with 'the respective bar 16, thereby allowing the rod 17 to flyback under the tension of the spring 1S into engagement with the raised levers 11. Immediately the arm 1G has assumed its normal position the notch 42 in the locking-lever 40 again engages the pin 43, preventing any oscillation of the frame 1G and compelling the rod 17 to retain all uplifted tablet-levers 1l.

Vhat I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a cash-register, the combination with the key-levers of a lever common thereto and provided with a cam-slotted head, a pivotal stop-bar supported to extend across the free ends of said key-levers and carrying a pin to enter the cam-slot and having a spring connection with said common lever, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. In a cash-register, the combination with the keylevers of a lever 2O common thereto and provided with a head 22 containing` a 22, and having the faces 2S and 35, anda pivotal stop-bar 24 supported to engage the free notched ends of said key-levers and carrying a pin 25 normally within said camslot and having a spring connection with said common lever, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

3. In a cash-register, the combination with the key-levers and tablets, of supplemental levers 1l. connected from one side of their fulcrum with said tablets, a swinging frame haw ing a rod 17 to engage said supplemental lcvers at the opposite side oi their fulcrum, a spring-controlled lever l0 containing a notch 42 engaging a pin 43 on said frame, a lever 2O common to all said key-levers, and connections between said common lever and spring-controlled lever for actuating said frame to release the supplemental levers from said rod by operating a key-lever, substantially as described.

4f. -In a cash-register, the combination with the key-levers and tablets, of supplemental levers 11 connected from one side of their fulcrum with said tablets, a swinging frame carrying a bearing -15 and having a rod 17 to engage said supplemental levers at the opposite side of their fnlcrum, a spring-controlled lever et() containing a notch 4t2 engaging a pin 3 on said frame, a lever 2O common to all said key-levers, anda bell-crank 31 connected with said common lever and carrying an arm 4a to engage said lever a0 and bearing, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto sct my hand in the presence of two subscribing` witnesses.

GEORG-E HENRY GLEDI'IIIJLA lVitnesses:

G. F. WARREN, WALTER .1. SKERTEN.

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