US715805A - Voting-machine. - Google Patents

Description

No. 7I5,805. Patented Dec. I6, i902.

G. L. HUXIE. VDTING MACHINE.

(Applition tiled Feb. 2B, 19Q0. Renewed Hoyt. B, 1909.) (lo Rodel.) 2 Sheets-Sheet l.

WITNESSES.

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No. 715,805. Patented Dec. I6, |902.

' G. L. HOXIE.

VOTING MACHINE. (Application led Feb. 28, 1900. Renewed Sep-xt. B, 1902.)

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(ll Nudel.)

@L @gf/ 1@ UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE I.. I-IOXIE, OF ADRIAN, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR OF TWO-TI-IIRDS TO DAVID METCALF, OF ADRIAN, MICHIGAN.

VOTING-MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 715,805, dated December 16, 1902.

^pplication filed February 28,1900. Renewed September 8, 1902. Serial No. 122,481. (No model.)

To al whom t wtf/,y concern: Beit known that I, GEORGEV L. HOXIE,aciti Zen of the United States, residing at Adrian, in the county of Lenawee, State of Michigan,

have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Voting-Machines; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it Io appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings, and to the characters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this speciiication.

This invention relates to voting-machines;

and it consists in the construction and arrangement of parts hereinafter fully set forth, and pointed out particularly in the claims.

The object of the invention is to produce a zo machine of the character described in which the arrangement is such as to embody simplicity and accuracy, to enable the elector to readily arrange his ticket so as to vote a straight ticket or a split ticket, as desired, to

z5 provide against an imperfect operation of the machine by preventing the machine from operating except when a legal ticket is voted,

to prevent an operation of the countingwheels except at such time as a vote is being 3o recorded, to obviate repeating, and to destroy the ticket voted upon the electors leaving the booth. The object is obtained bythe mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure lis a general View of a voting-booth having a machine involving myinvention installed therein. Fig. 2 is an enlarged vertical section through the machine, showing the recording-gears for each candidate, together with the slides carrying the rack-bars adapted to be brought into alinement with said gears. Fig. 3 is an enlarged horizontal section through the machine. Fig. 4 is a detail in elevation of a series of recording-gears, a

sect-ion of the slide carrying the rack-bar engaging the unit-wheel of said gears, said rackbar appearing in transverse section. Fig. 5 is an enlarged transverse section as on line 5 5 in Fig. 3. Fig. 6 is a detail, partly in sec- 5o tion, showing a vertically-movable votingframe, through the descent of which after a ticket has been properly arranged the counting mechanism of the several candidates included in said ticket is actuated to record one vote for each candidate therein. Fig. 7 is a 55 detail in perspective of the movable rack adapted rto actuate the counting-gears and the slide carrying said rack having a central longitudinal rib or tooth adapted to register Withacorresponding tooth in said rack. Fig. 6o 8 is a detail in section, showing the slides with one of the apertures therein registering with the aperture in the bottom of the partitions on which said slides rest in alinernent with the fingers on the tripping-bar, which enter said apertures as said bar is raised in the operation of voting.

Referring to the characters of reference, 1 designates a suitable supporting-frame carrying the operative mechanism, which is in- 7o stalled in a voting-booth of any suitable character, having a door 2, through which the elector enters and leaves said booth. The frame lis inclosed, having a back 3, provided with a door 4 and with a front 5, spaced some 75 distance from the back, so as to allow considerable depth to the case. Crossing the case transversely are the partitions 6, which divide the case into a number of horizontally -extending divisions or galleries ar- 8o ranged in vertical order. The outer face of the front of the case is divided into vertical columns extending from the top to the bottorn ot' the case, as indicated at 7, 8, 9, and 10 in Fig. l. The columns are occupied by 85 the tickets of the several political parties arranged in vertical order, there being as many columns as there are political parties contesting the election and an additional column carrying blanks or No choice for 9o the accommodation of all who do not Wish to vote for any of the candidatespfor some particular office. At the head of each column there will be the naine of the political party whose ticket occupies the column, as indicated by the letters R. D. P. in Fig.

l, to assist the elector in voting the ticket of his choice. The vertical columns occupied by the several tickets are divided into transverse spaces crossing the front of the case, in 10o which spaces the names of the candidates for the same office on the several tickets are located, Whereby the names of the candidates on the several tickets for the same oice are caused to stand in horizontal alinement across the face of the case.

In each ot' the horizontal divisions or galleries in the frame is located a slide 11, adapted to reciprocate longitudinally. The outer edges of said slides extend through horizontal slots 12 in the outer face ot the case and have attached to the longitudinal center thereof a bracket 13, which projects vertically onto the outer face of the case and carries a hori- Zontally-extendingknob or handle 14,adapted to be grasped by the operator to manipulate the slide to which it is attached and also serving as an indicator in the adjustment of said slide.

Within the horizontal divisions of the case there is provided for each candidate a series of counting gears or registers carrying numerals from O to 9 7 on their peripheries and arranged to numerate the several votes cast for each candidate according to the decimal system. Said counters comprise a units-gear 15, having cog-teeth 16 upon its periphery` a second gear 17, having numerals indicating tens, and a third gear 18, having the numerals indicating hundreds. Each train of gears is so connected through the idlers 19 that one complete revolution of the units-gear will turn the adjacent gear carrying the numerals representing tens the distance of one notch, and one complete revolution of the gear carrying the numerals representing tens Will turn the gear carrying the numerals representing hundreds one notch orspace,\vhere by a perfect record of the vote cast i'or each candidate is made, as will be Well understood.

There is but one slide 11 for each series of candidates for the same office. Located at the longitudinal center of each of said slides and carried thereby is a rack 20, Which is adapted to have a limited longitudinal movement in said slide transversely thereof, said rack being held in place by lateral flanges 21, which engage the undercut sides ot' the Way in the slide in which it is located, as shown in Fig. 4.

The counting-gears of each candidate can only be actuated 'to record a vote for said candidate by the engagement of the rack 2O With the gear 15 of the counters of a candidate for whom itis desired to vote. To place said rack in engagement with the countinggears of the desired candidate, the slide 1l, carrying said rack, is manipulated by means of the handle 14.

In making up a ticket the elector moves the handle 14 into the space on the face of the case occupied by the name of the candidate for Whom he Wishes to vote. This operation carries the rack 20, which is mounted in the slide attached to said handle directly in line therewith, into engagement with the gear 15 of the counting-Wheels of the candidate Whose name appears in the space or division on the front of the case occupied by said handle.

The rack 2O When brought into engagement with the gear 15 is actuated through the mediu n1 of a paWl 22, pivoted at 23 between supports 24, mounted on said slide and having teeth 25, which engage said rack. rPhe rear end of the pawl 22 is provided With a notch adapted to receive the flange 26 of the transverse bars 27, which cross the verticallymovable frame 28, located at the back of the frame and normally supported by a gravitycatch 29, pivoted at the upper end of the case and having a hook 30 adapted to engage a shoulder 31 on said frame 28. It is by dropping saidv voting-frame 28 that the pawls 22 are actuated to move the rack-bars 2O and turn the counting-gears 15 in engagement With said racks a distance of but one tooth or numeral-space, and thereby register the vote.

The gravity-catch 29 is actuated to disengage it from the voting-frame 28 and permit said frame to fall in the operation of registering a vote by means of a vertically-movable tripping-bar 32, which extends upwardly through the frame and Whose upper end is adapted When said bar is raised to encounter the catch 29, so as to disengage its hook from the shoulder of said frame, said tripping-bar having at its lower end a handle 33, through the medium of which it is actuated.

To obviate the possibility of disfranchising the elector through the operation of the machine before a perfect and legal ballot has been made up, the tripping-bar is provided with a series of upwardly-curved fingers 34, which are adapted to pass through registering apertures 35 in each of the partitions 6 and through one of the apertures 36 in the slides l1 When said slides are so arranged as to cause one of the apertures therein to register with the aperture in the partition 6 which supports each slide, as clearly shown in Fig. 8. The apertures 36 in the slides 11 are so located therein with respect to the rack 20, carried by said slides, that said aperture 36 only registers with the curved fingers on the tripping-bar When the racks 2O have been placed bya manipulation of the slides in engagement with the gear-Wheel15 of some one of the candidates for the several offices on the ticket. Should the elector fail to adjust one of the slides so as to place the rack 2O carried thereby in engagement With the gear-Wheel 15 of one of the candidates, the aperture 36 in said slide Would not register with the curved finger 34 of the tripping-bar, thereby preventing said bar from being raised to trip the catch 29 and actuate the voting-frame, so that the elector is obliged to arrange the slides in such manner as to cause the racks 20, carried thereby, to register With the counting-gear of some one of the candidates for the several offices on the ticket before the machine can be operated to register the vote. In case the elector does not Wish to vote for any one of the candidates for some particular office he may move the handle 14 of the slide occupying the space allotted to said office into the IOO IIO

column representing no choice, when the machine may be operated and a vote will be cast for all of the other offices on the ticket and no choice registered in place of a vote for any of the candidates for the offices cut out. It will be understood that upon the descent of the voting-frame 28, through the operation of the tripping-bar, each series of counters for the respective candidates composing the ticket are actuated through the engagement of the series of the pawls 22 with the tlanges of the cross-bars 27 of said frame, thereby synchronically registering a vote for each of the candidates on the ticket. In the operation of this device the elector enters the booth through the door and proceeds to prepare the ticket he desires to vote. Should he desire to vote a straight ticket, the vertical alining bar 37, which is mounted to slide horizontally across the face of the case, is moved by the elector so as to carry all of the handles 14 of the respective slides 11, representing the various offices, into vertical alinement in the center of the column occupied by the ticket of the political party for which he wishes to vote. This arrangement of the handles 14 causes the rack 20 carried by each slide to engage the gear-wheel 15 of the counters of each candidate on said ticket and brings one of the apertures 36 in each of said slides into vertical alinement with the iixed apertures 35 in the division 6,so as to permit the fingers 34 on the tripping-bar 32 to enter said apertures, when upon raising the handle 33 of said bar it may be carried upward, so as to cause its upper end to engage and actuate the catch 29, so as to disengage it from the voting-frame 28, therebypermittingsaid frame to fall and actuating the racks 20 to turn the counting-gears 15 a distance of one notch, and thereby register a vote for each of the candidates on the ticket. Should it be desired to Vote a split ticket, the handles 14 of the several slides may be first arranged in vertical order in the column occupied by the ticket having the greatest number of candidates for whom it is desired to vote, when the ticket may be completed by moving the handle 14 of any particular slide into a division occupied bya candidate for the same oiiice on another ticket for whom it is desired to vote, as shown by dotted position of the handles in Fig. 1, in which View a mixed ticket is shown, which is principally Republican, but in which the slides are arranged to cast a vote for three Democrats and two Populists, as the adjustment of the slides 11 has carried the racks 2O of said slides into engagement with the counting-gears of the candidate on the other ticket for whom it is desired to vote, thereby removing said rack from the counting-gears of the candidate for the same otee on the Republican ticket, so that when the machine is tripped the vote is cast for two candidates on the Populist ticket, three on the Democrat ticket, and the remainder for the candidates on the Republican ticket. Should it not be desired to vote for any ot the candidates for a certain office, the handle actuating the slide for said office is moved into the division representing no choice, when the machine will operate, but no vote Will be cast for any of the candidates for said office.

To lock the counting-gears of each candidate againstapossible movement except when actuated properly through the operation of voting, each of the slides 11 is provided with a longitudinal rib 38, extending full length thereof and which is adapted to register with the teeth of the rack 20, located in each of said slides. The teeth ofthe gears 15 ofthe counting-gears for each candidate in each horizontial series normally stands astride of the rib 38 of the slide 11 common to said series, whereby each series of counters is held from rotation, except when the rack 20 is brought into engage ment with the gear l5 ot' said counters by a longitudinal movement of said rack in the operation of making up the ticket, as before described. When the gears are in engagement with said rack, they may be actuated,`

but only upon the 4dropping of the votingframe 28 when the several slides .have been arranged, so that the vote registered will be a legal ballot. The counting-gears for each candidate are stationary and are mounted in horizontal alinement in the several galleries of the frame between suitable supports 39, in which they are journaled, and the rib 38 of the slide 11 isin engagement with the teeth of the gear15 ot' each set of counters occupying the same horizontal row and common to said slide.

For the purpose of destroying the ballot, so that an elector may not know the ticket voted by the preceding elector, a vertical slide 40 is provided at one edge of the frame (see Fig. l) and adapted to slide across the face thereof, being attached by suitable connecting-rods 4l with the door of said booth, so that upon the elector opening the door to pass from the booth the rod 40 is carried across the face of the case, thereby encountering and carrying with it the handles 14 of the slides, so as to leave said handles in vertical alinement beyond the margin of the space occupied by the several tickets.

In order to obviate repeating, the votingframe after its descent in registering a vote cannot again be raised to repeat the vote without opening the door of the booth, for the reason that said frame remains down until raised by a slide 42, (see Fig. (5,) having inclined faces 43 thereon, which engage corresponding inclines 44 on the under edge of the frame 28. Attached to the inclined slide 42 is a rod 45, which is also attached to the door of the booth. The connection between said inclined slide and the door is such that said slide is actuated to raise the frame 28 only when the door is swung fully open, thereby enabling the proper oiicer to prevent an elector from casting more than one vote.

IOO

IIO

Having thus fully set forth my invention, what I claim isl. In a voting-machine, the combination of the frame, a set of counters stationary in the frame, a slide adjacent to said set of counters, said slide carrying a movable device adapted to directly engage and actuate said counters, means for locking the counters when out of contact with said actuating device and means for operating the counter-actuating device.

2. In a voting-machine, the combination of a frame, a set of counters stationary in said frame, a slide adjacent to said set of counters, a movable rack in said slide adapted to engage directly with said counters, means for locking said counters when out of engagement With the rack, and means for moving said rack.

3. The combination of a frame, a series of stationary counters in' sets located in said frame, a slide common to each set or" counters in said series, a movable member mounted in said slide adapted to be brought directly into contact with said counters and to actuate independently'each set of counters of the series and means for moving said slide to bring said movable member into engagement with any one of the set of counters.

il. In a voting-machine, the combination of a series of registers, or counters in sets, each set of counters having a toothed wheel, a slide common to each set of counters, a movable rack carried by said slide adapted by the operation ofthe slide to be brought into engagement With the toothed wheel of each set of counters, and means for moving said rack when in engagement with a set of counters to register a vote.

5. In a voting-machine, the combination of a frame, having on its face a space containing the name of a candidate, a ixed set of counters for said name, a slide carrying means for detachably engaging and actuating said counters, said slide having an indicator adapted to register with said name.

6. In a voting-machine, the combination of a frame having a series of spaces adapted to contain a name, a set of independent counters for each space stationary in said frame, a slide common to all the spaces and counters, an indicator on said slide adapted to be moved into any one of said spaces, a movable device carried by said slide for actuating a set of counters carried by said slide and adapted by a movement of the slide to be brought into engagement with the set of counters corresponding with the space into which said indicator is moved.

7. In a voting-machine, the combination of the frame, a series of fixed spaces thereon adapted to contain names, aset of independent counters for each space, a slide common to all of said spaces, an indicator on said slide adapted to be moved into alinement with each of said spaces, a movable rack located in said slide adapted to engage and actuate each set of counters independently and means for actuating said rack.

S. In a voting-machine, the combination of a frame having a plurality o f horizontal 'galleries therein arranged in vertical order, a plurality of stationary sets of counting-gears, or registers, in each gallery, a movable slide for each gallery common to all t-he sets of counting-gears therein each slide carrying a movable device for actuating separately each set of counting gears in the gallery with which said slideis related, means for moving said slide so as to carry the counter-actuan ing device thereon directly into engagement with one set ot' counting-gearsin each of said horizontal galleries and means for actuating the movable devices in all of said slides to synchronally register a vote upon one set of counting-gears in each gallery.

9. The combination of a frame, having a series of horizontal divisions arranged in vertical order, a series of independent registers stationed im movably in each of said horizontal divisions, a slide for each horizontal division having an indicator thereon and lcarrying a movable register-actuating device located in line with said indicator, means for moving the indicators collectively into alinement with any single vertical row of registers in said divisions to bring the movable devices on said slides for actuating the registers directly into engagement with the sets of registers in alinement with said indicators, and means for actuating synchronally the register-actuating devices.

10. The combination of a frame, having on its face spaces for names of the candidates, independent sets of registers, or counters, for each space, a slide common to all of the sets of counters in the same horizontal plane, said slide carrying an indicator adapted to register with the spaces on the face of the frame, a movable rack mounted on said slide adapted to actuate independently each set of counters, a pivoted pawl, also mounted on said slide, and engaging said rack, a movable bar engaging said pawl and adapted to actuate it to move the rack and turn the set of counters With which the rack is in engagement.

ll. The combination of a frame, having horizontal rows of independent counters arranged in vertical order, a slide common to each set of counters of a single row, a rack carried by each slide adapted to mesh with the toothed Wheel of each set of counters when brought in alinement therewith, a pawl mounted on each slide engaging the rack thereon, a vertically-movable member having cross-bars engaging the pawls of each rack and means for depressing said vertically movable member' to cause the bars thereon to actuate said pawls and move said racks to turn the sets of counters in engagement therewith.

l2. The combination of a frame, a series of independent sets of counters arranged in vertical order in said frame, a series of slides each IIO carrying a movable rack adapted to engage said counters,a pivoted pawl mounted on each movable slide engaging said rack and having a projecting end, a vertically-movable frame having cross-bars engaging the ends of each of said pawls, a catch holding said frame normally in a raised position, a tripping-rod adapted to actuate said catch to disengage it from said frame and permit said frame to descend thereby actuating the series of vertically-arranged pawls and operating the sets of counters.

13. The combination of a frame, a series of horizontal divisions in said frame arranged vertically, each of said horizontal divisions having an aperture therethrough and all of said apertures being in vertical alinemen t, a horizontal slide located on each of said divisions, a series of registers in sets located in each division adjacent to the slide therein, a movable rack carried by each slide adapted to be brought into engagement with each set of registers common to said slides, means for actuating said rack When in engagement With a set of registers, said slides having a series of apertures therethrough spaces to correspond With the sets of registers and to register with the opening in the horizontal division only When the rack isin engagement with one ofthe sets of registers, a tripping-bar adapted to operate the paWl-actuating means, said bar having a series of curved fingers thereon which register With and are adapted to enter the apertures in said divisions and slides when said bar is raised.

14. In a frame, the combination of a series of sets of independent registers arranged horizontally, a movable slide common to all of said sets of registers, each set of registers having a toothed Wheel, a rib, or flange, extending from the face of said slide and running longitudinally thereof normally in engagement with the toothed Wheels of each set of registers, a rack mounted on said slideand movable transverselyy thereof, said rack adapted to engage the toothed Wheels of each set of registers and having teeth which normally register With the rib of said slide.

l5. rlhe combination of a frame, having a series of independent seis of counting-gears located therein, a slide-carrying means for actuating each set of counters independently, said counter-actuating means being movable independentlyof said slide, means for locking all of the sets of counters from rotation, except the set engaged by the actuating means earried by said slide. n

16. In a frame, the combination of a series of counting-gears, arranged in independent sets, a slide common to all ot' the sets of said series, means for actuating each set of counters independently mounted on said slide and adapt-ed to move therewith and having movement independently thereof, means for locking all of the sets of counters against rotation, and means of releasing each set of counters as thev actuating means carried by said slide is brought into contact therewith.

In testimony whereof I sign this specification in the presence of two Witnesses.

GEORGE L. HOXIE. Vitnesses:

IRA WATERMAN, DAVID METCALF.

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