US751032A - Adding-machine - Google Patents

Description

' No. 751,032; PATENTED FEB. 2,1904.

v A. P.'WATT. .ADDING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED OUT. 3, 1903. I0 MODEL.

I P 000000000 0 7 k 5 K1 oooooonoo 7 Q 2 0 I m u oooeooooo 1.1 1 98765$321 4621 m 00000 000 987654321 1 000000000 0 9876546 1 0 000000000 I 0 0 4, 00000000 1 00000000 0 00000000 9007664631 L. K U m oooooeoe 5 ,QQEQQQ BB Qoi UNITED STATES Patented February 2, 1904:.

PATENT OFFICE.

ADDING-MACHINE.

SPEGIFIGATIQN forming part of Letters Patent No. 751,032, dated February 2, 1904.

Application filed October 3, 1903.

To all whmn it may concern:

- more, in the State of Maryland, have invented a new and useful Adding-Machine, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to adding-machines of the typein which a plurality of slides each bearing the series of digits are arranged for reciprocatory movement upon a suitable base, the result of the addition being seen through a transversely-arranged slot in a cover-plate over the slides.

The principal object of the invention is to improve the construction of adding-machines of the type specified by providing an improved form of guide for each slide, to make the machine more compact than those hitherto constructed, and to arrange the parts in such manner that the significance of the result obtained in each adding operation may be instantly seen.

With the objects above mentioned and others in view, as will appear when the invention is fully disclosed, the same consists in the novel construction and combination of parts of an adding-machine hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view of the complete machine. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the machine with the cover members removed. Fig. 3 is a transverse section on the line 3 3 of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a detail view of one of the guide members. Fig. 5 is a detail view of one of the slides. Fig. 6 is a sectional View on the line 6 6.

Referring to the drawings, in which corresponding parts are designated by similar characters of reference throughout the several views, 1 designates the base of the machine, which may be formed of wood or metal or any other suitable material. The base is provided at both ends and sides with a low rim 2, surrounding the countersunk space in which the slides are arranged for movement. In the countersunk space on the top face of the base there are arranged a plurality of parallel Serial No. 175,684- (No model.)

guide members 3, in this instance nine in number. Each of the guide members 3 consists of a body portion a and an overturned marginal portion 5, which serves the double purpose of acting as a retainer for the slide arranged for reciprocation upon the guide and as a shield to cover and to conceal from view the figures marked upon the slide. Each slide 7 is of the same length as the guide 3 over which it moves and is preferably formed of tin or other cheap metal in order that it may occupy a minimum of space. The slides are necessarily narrower than the guides, and in the complete device the slides lie upon the base or body portions of the guides, as shown in Fig. 3.

Each of the guides has marked on the overturned marginal portion 5 a series of numbers from 1 to 9, inclusive, and each of the slides is marked with the entire series of digits from O to 9, inclusive. The relative positions of the figures on the shield portions of the guides and upon the slides are best illustrated in Fig. 2, from an inspection of which it will be seen that when a slide is pushed to the limit of its movement toward the top of the base the figure 2 on the slide will lie substantially under the figure l on the shield portion of the guide.

Accidental displacement of the slides from their normal positions is prevented by two cover- plates 8 and 9, arranged at the top and bottom of the base of the machine, respectively. The cover-plate 8 is ruled into columns corresponding to those of a day-book or ledger, one column being disposed over each slide and bearing an appropriate designation. Thus the column on the right is designated Cents, the adjoining column Tens of, and the third column, which is separated from the second column by a double line, is marked Dollars. The succeeding columns are marked Tens of, Hundreds of, Thousands, Tens of, Hundreds of, and Millions, in the order stated. The thousands column is separated from the hundreds column by a double line and the millions column is separated from the column denoting hundreds of thousands by a double line also, thus making the arrangement of the columns on the cover-plate exactly similar to the arrangement in a day-book or ledger.

In order to reduce to a minimum the possibility of mistakes in reading results, the shield portion of the guides under the cents column will be given a dark color and the figures will be light, while the shields of the guides under the next three columns will preferably be light and the figures thereon will be dark. Similarly the shields of the guides under the sixth, seventh, and eighth columns will be dark with light figures marked thereon, and the shield of the guide under the ninth column will be light with dark figures marked thereon.

The cover-plate 9, which overlies the lower end of the base of the machine, is provided near its upper margin with a transverselyarranged slot 10 of such length that it extends over all of the slides and of such width that only one figure on each slide may be viewed therethrough. The plate 9 is of such width and the slot 10 is so placed therein that when the slides are pushed to the upward limit of their movement only the zeros at the lower ends of the slides will be visible through the slot. The other figures on the slides will be concealed under the shield portion of the guide members, said shield portion extending beneath the upper edge of the cover-plate 9.

In order to make it easy to impart movement to the slides 7, each is provided with a series of indentations 11, arranged longitudinally of the slides in the portion not covered by the shield portion of the guides 3. Each slide is provided with eighteen indentations, arranged as best seen in Fig. 5, and the upper half of each slide is colored dark, while the lower portion is left light. The indentations in the slides afford means whereby the point of a pencil, pin, or other sharp instrument may be brought into engagement with the slide at any desired point to move the slide either upward or downward.

The mode of using the machine is very simple and may be easily understood from a careful study of the drawings. Let it be assumed that it is desired to add 379 to M02. All the slides having been so positioned that the zeros only are visible through the slot 10 the first, third, and fourth slides will be shifted until the figures thereon, which may be seen through the slot 10, are 2, 4r, HIIC 1 respectively. The slides will then occupy the position indicated in Fig. 1, and the addition may be begun by placing the point of a pencil upon the indentation upon the slide under column 1 at the figure 9 on the shield portion of the guide. As the sum obtained by adding nine and two is eleven, it is obvious that a sum of the addition cannot be brought to view through the slot 10 by moving the slide downward to the limit of its movement; but by moving the slide upward until the pencil or other instrument comes into contact with the lower margin of the cover-plate 8 the figure 1 on the slide will be brought into view through the slot, and then the adjoining slide will be moved downward to bring the figure 1 into View through the slot 10. Having thus obtained the proper result from the addition of the figures at the right of the two numbers, L 7, I

7, which is the second figure 1n the number to be added, must be added to 1, which is now the second figure in the other number. To accomplish this addition, the pencil, pin, or other pointed implement will be brought into engagement with the indentation on the second slide corresponding to the figure 7 on the shield portion of the guide. As the sum of seven and one is less than ten, the sum may be obtained by moving the second slide downward until the pencil engaging the indentation corresponding to the figure 7 on the guide comes into contact with the upper margin of cover-plate 9. The figure 8 will then be exposed to view through the slot 10. The addition of 3, the last figure in the number to be added, to t, the figure on the third slide which is visible through the slot 10, will be accomplished by bringing the pencil or pin into engagement with the indentation in the slide corresponding to the figure 3 on the guide and then moving the slide downward until the movement is stopped by contact of the pencil or pin with the upper margin of cover-plate 9.

From the foregoing description of the operation of the machine in the performance of a particular addition a rule may easily be reduced for the operation of the machine for the addition of any numbers whatever. Briefly stating, the rule is: To add any figure to the figure visible on a particular slide through the slot 10, place a pointed instrument upon the indentation upon the slide which corresponds to the figure to be added and move the slide downward if the indentation be on the light-colored portion of the slide, but move the slide upward if the indentation be on the dark-colored portion of the slide. If the slide is moved downward until its movement is stopped by contact of the instrument with the margin of the plate 9, the sum obtained by the addition will be visible through the slot 10; but if the slide is moved upward the figure brought into view through the slot 10 when the upward movement of the slide is stopped will be ten less than the sum of the two figures added, and to complete the addition the next slide upon the left must be moved downward far enough to bring into view through the slot 10 the next larger figure on the slide.

In adding numbers each of which is composed of two or more figures the addition must be begun in the column on the right, as usual, and completed by making the addition in each of the succeeding columns to the left in precisely the same way that the addition in the first column was made.

In order to prevent the slide from moving too freely over the guides, it is desirable to secure on the under side of the plate 8 astrip of felt, as indicated in dotted lines at 12 in Fig. 1 and in solid lines in Fig. 6. The strip of felt comes into contact with the slides and gives rise to a small amount of friction sufficient to hold the slides in any position in which they are set, but does not interfere with their movement when it is desired to shift their positions. In addition to the felt I also employ a small upturned lip 13 on the upper end of each slide as means for preventing the slides from moving too freely. These lips have a slight fractional engagement with the under surfaces of the shield portions of the guides.

From the foregoing description it will be seen that the entire apparatus is very simple and compact in construction, that the necessary movements of the parts in the operation of the apparatus are very easily brought about, that any derangement of the parts cannot occur from ordinary use, that the guides are adapted to serve their purpose without interfering with the movement of the slides, that the direction in which it is necessary to move a slide can be determined at a glance, and that provision is made for preventing as completely as possible any error in reading the result obtained with the apparatus.

I/Vhile I have described the preferred form of embodiment of the invention, it will be obvious that various changes in the details of construction may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention, and Ido not desire to be limited to the exact structure shown.

Having thus described the construction and manner of using my invention, what Iclaim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, 1s-

1. In an adding-machine, the combination with a base, of a plurality of guides mounted on said base and each consisting of a strip of sheet metal folded longitudinally to present a body portion and an overturned marginal portion, of aplurality of numbered slides mounted for reciprocatory movement upon said guides, and means for preventingthe removal of the slides from the guide.

2. In an adding-machine, the combination with a base, of a plurality of guides mounted on said base and each consisting of a strip of sheet metal folded longitudinally to present a body portion and a shield portion bearing the numbers from 1 to 9 inclusive, a plurality of slides bearing the numbers from O to 9 inclusive arranged for reciprocation on said guides, and means for keeping said slides in position on said guide.

3. In an adding-machine, the combination with a base, of a plurality of guides each comprising a body portion and a shield portion, a shield portion bearing figures from 1 to 9 inclusive in regular order, a plurality of slides arranged for reciprocation on said guide, each of said slides bearing the figures from O to 9 in regular order, said figures being covered by the shield portions of the guides, and a cover-plate over the lower portion of the base, said cover-plate having a transversely-disposed slot extending over all of said slides, and the figures on said slides being so placed that when the slides are at the upward limit of their movement the lower most figure on each slide will be visible through the slot.

4:. In an adding-machine, the combination with a base, of a plurality of guides arranged on said base, each of said guides comprising a body portion and a shield portion, a coverplate extending over the upper ends of said guides and ruled in columns corresponding in position to the several guides, slides arranged for reciprocation on said guide, said slides being each provided with a series of figures from 6 7 G a v 0 to 9 and said figures being placed on the slides in position to be hidden by the shield portions of the guides, and a second coverplate at the lower end of the apparatus which barely overlaps the lower ends of the shield portions of the guides, said cover-plate having near its upper margin a transverse slot extending across all of said slides.

5. In an adding-machine, the combination with a base, of a plurality of guides mounted on said base, a plurality of slides arranged for reciprocation on said guide, cover-plates at the ends of said base extending over said slides and guides and spaced apart to expose portions of said slides and guides to view, and a strip of felt secured on the under side of one of said cover-plates to engage frictionally with said slides.

6. In an adding-machine, the combination with a base, of a plurality of guides each com prising a body portion and an overturned shield portion, a plurality of numbered slides mounted for reciprocation on said guides, each of said slides having at its upper end an upturned lip for engagement with the under surface of the shield portion of the guide, and means for holding said slides in position on said guides.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto afiixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

ANDREIV PAUL \VATT. Witnesses:

J. H. JooHUM, J12, FRANK S. APPLEMAN.

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