US745543A - Zero-resetting mechanism for adding-machines. - Google Patents

Description

PATENTED DEC. 1, 1903.

No. 745,543. I

0. WALES. ZERO RESBTTING MECHANISM FOR ADDING MAGHINES.'

APPLIUATION FILED MAR. 24. 1903.-

2 SHEET8-SHEET 1.

N0 MODEL.

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' inoowto-n MWM MW K M No. 745,543. PATENTED DEC. 1, 1903.

C. WALES.

ZERO RESETTING MECHANISM FOR ADDING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 24. 1903. I 'xo MODEL. 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 8 mac wtox Zwa-W R- M UNITED STATES.

Patented December 1, 1903.

PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES ALES, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 745,543, dated December 1, 1903.

Application filed March 24, 1903.

T0 on whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, CHARLES WALEs, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Detroit, in the county of lVayne and State of Michigan, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Zero-Resetting Mechanisms for Adding-Machines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to adding-machines adapted to be operated by keys bearing numerals and provided with a sight-register for displaying the result of the calculation, and more particularly to that part of the mechanism designed to effect the resetting of the numeral-wheels to their normal positions, in which they display the zero ready for the next operation.

I have already described and claimed the general features of the machine in which the particular mechanism herein described and claimed forms a part in a copendin g applica tion filed by me on the 12th day of September, 1902, Serial No. 123,133, and refer to that application for a more particular description of the general mechanism involved.

In the drawings, in which the same reference-numerals refer to the same parts in all the figures, Figure 1 is a view in side elevation of a train of mechanism for one section of the machine and some of the adjacent parts with certain portions broken away. Fig. 2 is an enlarged end view of the zero-resetting mechanism with the thumb-wheel cut off to expose the other parts. Fig.3 is a similar view of the same parts in another position. Fig. 4 is a similar view of the same parts in a third position. Fig. 5 is a view in front elevation of the numeral-bearing wheels and shaft, showing also the end portions of the zero resetting mechanism, the parts being drawn to a smaller scale than the three preceding figures. Fig. 6 is an enlarged detail view in perspective of the zero-resetting rake, its shaft, and their connecting mechanism.

Like reference characters mark the same parts in all of the figures of the drawings.

The machine has a keyboard and key-levers which will remain in either one of their two positions until removed therefrom by an impulse received from the operator through the keys or other parts of the machine. These Serial No. 1 19.315. (110 modelfl levers operate a series of stops and interpose them into the path of the racks, which determine the rotation of the numeral-wheels, the position of the particular stop thus interposed determining the extent of the wheels rotation, and consequently the particular numeral 011 the periphery of the wheel in view when the rotation is checked. The numeral on the key corresponds to the number displayed when the wheel comes to a standstill. A stop-androlease plate is employed, which holds the racks until the member desired to be added has been written on the keyboard. The racks are returned to their original positions through the actions of a main operating-lever, which simultaneously rotates the numeral wheels communicating with the racks which have been displaced. The wheels are returned to zero by means of a rake, which has a rotary motion parallel to the wheels and which ongages pins thereon, this zero-resetting mechanism forming the subject-matter of the present application. These pins set the carrying mechanism, which when one wheel passes the numeral E) causes the next wheel to be moved one step or number.

Most of the working parts of the machine are held at rest by springs which immediately return them to their normal position after each operation.

The frame of the machine is supported upon a rectangular base plate 25, having studs 21 at its corners to hold in position a suitable casin g 23. Uprights 26 on either side are provided with forward arms 27 and backward arms 28 at their upper parts, the former being connected to the center of the upright by a brace 20, which connects with a short arm 30. Another short arm 31 extends backward from the upright opposite the arm 30. These parts are preferably made intogral and stamped out of one piece of metal. The duplicate sides of the frame thus constructed are connected by a series of hori zontal bars, including those designated by the reference-numerals 33 to 41, inclusive, running through the machine and fixed at their ends to the said pieces of the frame.

Posts 32, one at each side of the base-plate at the forward end thereof, have a shaft 42 rotatably mounted therein, and to this shaft an operating-crank 50 and two short arms 51 are keyed. The crank 50 is provided with an ordinary handle, by which it is drawn forward to operate the machine. It is restricted in its forward movement by a suitable stop and is held normally in its backward position against another suitable stop by a tension-spring 55, connected to the right arm 51 through a link 56, said stops and handle being located on the outside of the case and not shown herein. The crank in its oscillations describes an are slightly less than ninety degrees, and the manner in which the machine is operated through these oscillations will be hereinafter described.

The keyboard, levers, and stops are made separable from the other parts of the machine and may be removed from the machine and replaced without disturbing the same in any way. The construction by which this end is accomplished consists of. a series of plates (50, one for each row of keys, and levers which are mounted thereon. The plates are in turn hung from the top inclined cover at by means of brackets t5, fixed to said cover. The cover 44: rests its upper edge on the arms 27 at either side and is joined to a front end piece 46, which supports it at its lower end. The cover also has suitable perforations for key-rods 68. The upper ends of the stopbars 67 pass through slots in a plate &7, having a thickened portion 49 supported from the cover by brackets 43 at each side. The top cover, therefore, carries with it the entire set of keys, key-levers, and stops.

Each key-lever 63 has a vertical stop-rod 67 on its inner end, the rods connected with each row of keys and levers being alined in substantially the same plane therewith. The levers are made of unequal length to secure the proper spacing of the rods and keys. The stop-rods G7 are of graduated lengths, so that their upper ends will be normally in the same plane, and upon them resetting-dogs 70 impinge. One of these dogs 70 is provided for each row of stops and serves the double purpose of checking the movement of the rack to which it is opposed and of returning the displaced stop and key to their original positions after an operation or when acted upon by the key-resetting mechanism.

Reciprocating rack-bars 71 are supported upon the upper ends of rocking arms 7 3 and levers 7 t, which are mounted upon the horizontal bars and 34, respectively. A tensionspring 7 5 is secured to the arm 7 3 above its pivot and to the lever 7-t below its pivot, so that the said spring 75 has a tendency to throw the upper ends of said parts and the rack-bar itself forward. Each rack-bar 71 is held in its backward position by a releaseplate 80, which engages a notch 7 6 in the upper edge thereof. Its forward movement is still further restrained by the dog 70, which lies normally in its path. The plate rocks upon a bar 83, mounted in the side frames, and has an arm 81 extending from one end through a lip 21, which forms the rear end of the front section .22 of the cover, by pressing which arm the plate may be released from engagement with the rack-bars. A resetting-plate 82, extending in the opposite direction, is also mounted on the bar 83.

The rack-bars 71 are provided with racks 77, which are constantly in mesh with pinions 7 S, which are rotatably mounted on. the wheelshaft 01. These racks are curved to compensate for the digression of the rack-ban- 71. from the horizontal in its movements, the curve being the reverse of the are described by the arm 73 and lever 74.

The p'inions 7 8 move independently of the numeral-wheels and carry with them seetors 7 9. A pawl 88, with. a spring 80, is mounted upon each sector. The numeral-wheels on, with their respective pinions, are separated and held in their longitudinal positions on the shaft 01 by small collars 92.

Each one of the wheels 90 has a ratchetwheel (not shown) fixed thereto, which is engaged by a pawl 88, so that when the pinion 7S and its pawl 88 are rotated by the backward movement of the rack 77 the pawl will engage the ratchet 9E and rotate it in proportion to the extent of the backward movement of the rack, which movement is equal to its forward movement as determined by the particular stop interposed in its path. The backward movement of the rack is accomplished by the forward movement of the operatingcrank 50 and arm 51, which draws forward. the rods 58, secured to said arms, and the cross-bar 57 extendin g across the machine and. secured at its ends to the rear ends of the rods 58. As the bar 57 moves forward it will carry with it any of the lower ends of the levers Tl which may be back of their normal positions. It will be seen that this movement of the levers 7t causes the backward movement of the racks 77 and the consequent rotation of the wheels 90. The rod 57 is supported by swinging arms 5!), depending from the bar 34:, and is returned to its original position after a forward movement by the retraction of the spring 55.

Correcting-keys 110 are mounted in the top plate 22 of the casing of the machine and are provided for each longitudinal train of numeral keys and stops. keys 110 impinge upon the dogs 70 when depressed and will return any stop-bar (37 in its respective row which may have been moved to its normal position without affecting any of the other rows of bars. In this manner when a key is erroneously struck it may be easily replaced by striking the correcting-key at the head of its row.

A series of friction-wheels 115, one for each of the numeral-wheels 90, mounted upon the ends of small levers 116, which in turn are pivotally mounted on the bar 38, are held in contact with teeth 9% on the periphery of the wheels 90 by tension-springs 117, secured to the bar 41. These wheels enter between the The rods 1'11 of the' teeth 94 as the wheel 90 rotates and check the rotation of the latter when the impulse from the moving mechanism is withdrawn.

The zero-resetting mechanism comprises two plates 120, one located on each end of the shaft 91. These plates haveelliptical slots 121, the focal diameters of which are horizontal, and through these slots 'the shaft 01 passes. Radial pins 121 are secured one near each end of the shaft 91 and extend through small recesses 123 in flanges 122 011 the upper edge of the plate 120. ends of the pin 1% are each connected with the forward parts of the plates 120 by tensionsprings 125. A rake, consisting of a fingerbar 126 and fingers 127, extends from the rear edge of one plate 120 to that of the other similar plate 120 and is normally removed a sufficient distance from the wheels to allow the pins 97, which project laterally in pairs from the wheels 90, to escape the fingers 127. These pins 97 are diametricallyopposite each other, beingin. juxtaposition to the live marks on the periphery of the wheel. The rake is operated by means of a finger-wheel 12$),which is keyed to one end of the shaft 91 and rotates it within the collars 92 and the wheels 00, mounted thereon. \Vhen the shaft 91 starts its rotation, the radial pins 121 engaging the recess 123 of the flange 122 will first throw the plate 120 forward until the shaft has passed to the opposite or rear end of the slots 121, the plate 120 maintaining the same horizontal position. This movement brings the fingers 127 within the radius of the pins 97. The further rotation of the shaft will then cause the rake to pass over the numeralwheels; but the fingers projecting between them will carry with them any of the pins 97 which are out of their normal positions, ro tating the respective wheels to which they belong until the zero-marks are alined on a rule hinged on a transverse bar 167, when the forward rotation of the rake is checked by contact of the plate 120 with the pins 128, projecting inwardly from the frame of the machine. The rake is then returned to its normal position, its flanges 122 resting upon stops secured to the frame of the machine. This return is accomplished by a rack on a bar 72,1nountcd between the eighth and ninth wheels and engaging a pinion 98, which is fixed to the shaft 91. The *ack-bar 72 is the same in size and shape as the rack-bars 71,

. shaft 01.

The free and the pinion 08 is similar in construction to the other pinions 78, but is fixed to the The rack-bar 72 is held normally in its forward position by a spring 84, stretched from its forward end to one of the studs 2i.

The pins 97 also serve to set in operation the carrying mechanism which acts to move each wheel one step or number when the next wheel to the right passes the numeral 9.

Having thus described my invention, what 1 claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

1. The combination of a shaft, registering wheels loose thereon, lateral pins 011 the wheels, a rake supported on the shaft having lateral fingers projecting in the planes of the pins but normally out of their paths of movement, and springs connecting the rake and the shaft for actuating the rake-fingers into said paths and rotating the rake by the rotation of the shaft.

2. The combination of a shaft, registeringwheels loose thereon, lateral projections on said wheels, a rake mounted on the shaft havin g lateral fingers projecting in the planes of said projections, and springs actuated by the rotation of the shaft for rotating the rake.

The combination of a shaft, registeringwheels loose thereon, lateral projections on the wheels, plates loosely mounted on the shafts outside the wheels, radial arms secured to the shaft and engaging the plates, a rakebar connecting the plates, springs connecting the arms and plates and fingers projecting inward from the rake-bar in the planes of the projections.

45. The combination of two plates having elongated slots and recessed flanges, a shaft engaging in said slots, registering-wheels loose 011 the shaft between the plates, lateral projections on said wheels, a rake-bar connecting the plates at one end, fingers projecting from the rake-bar in the planes of said projections, radial arms on the shaft passing through the recesses of the flanges, and springs connecting the opposite ends of the plates with the radial arms.

itness my hand this 17th day of March, 1903, at the city of Detroit, in the county of \Vayne and State of lllichigan.

CHARLES \VALES.

\Vitnesses:

War. V. BUTLER, WM. L. JANUARY.

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