US807398A - Adding-machine. - Google Patents

Description

No. 807,398. PATENTED DEC. 12, 1905.

' W. H. PUMPHREY.

ADDING MACHINE.

APPLICATION TILED JAN. 28, 1905.

QXh/bmeooeo E, "Ehmowvfor WALTER H. PUMPHREY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

ADDING-MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 12, 1905.

Application filed January 28, 1905. Serial No. 243,153.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WALTER H. PUMPHREY, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of the borough of Manhattan, city, county, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Adding'-Machines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to adding-machines; and more specifically it consists of an improved arrangement of and attachment for such adding-machines which enables them to be operated independently either by hand or by electrical or other power.

There are upon the market many diflerent styles of adding-machines which operate to print upon a strip of paper a long series of numbers and then to totalize or add the same and print the sum at the end of the column automatically. In the majority of these ma chines the type are placed in printing position to print any given number by the pressing of proper keys in a more or less extensive crank by hand constitutes quite a largep'en centage of the time expended by the operator in the adding up of a long column. To avoid this, machines have been designed to be operated automatically by electrical or other power, the motor being geared to the machine so as to operate the printing mechanism. In these forms of machine any difliculty with the mechanism or the current throws the entire machine out of operation, it being impossible to operate the same by hand in case of failure of current or breakdown of the power mechanism. My invention avoids both of these diiiiculties by providing an attachment to any one of the various forms of handoperated machines by which power supplies the place of the crank-operating hand without, however, requiring the removal of such hand crank or lever and without interfering with the operation of the machine by hand if for any reason the power gives out.

The preferred form of apparatus embodying my invention is diagrammatically shown in the accompanying sheet of drawings, in

- which- 1 represents the case or framework of an adding-machine supported on short legs or rubber pads 2 upon the table 3, which I have shown provided with an opening 4 to allow for my attachment.

5 represents the ordinary keyboard, a number of the keys being omitted, and 6 is a roll of paper which is fed through feed-rollers 7 and paper-guides 8 to the printing mechanism of the machine. (Not shown.)

9 is a rock-shaft which operates the printing and adding mechanism. It is provided usually with a toothed sector 10, with which the locking-dog 11 engages. This dog is pivoted at 12 and has a retracting-spring 'l normally holding it in engagement with the sector 10. The other or tail end of this dog is connected by the link 14: with a bell-crank lever 15, carrying the paper-stop 16. The bell-crank lever is pivoted at 17 and has its rear end connected to the unlocking-key 18, which is normally held up by spring means, such as the spring 19, in case the retractingspring 13 is not sufficient to maintain the entire system of levers, &c., in position.

20 is a hand-lever mounted on the rock-shaft 9. Preferably this hand-lever or operatingcrank is loosely journaled on the shaft and normally held in an upright position by the toe 21, which engages the spring-clip 22. On the rock-shaft is the downwardly-extending radial projection 25, which, as shown, is in the form of a crank. If the hand-lever 20 is not keyed to the rock-shaft, an upwardly-extending projection or upper crank 23 is formed on said shaft, the crank-pin lying in the path of vibration of the hand-lever 20. A spring 24; or equivalent spring holds the rock-shaft in the position shown in full lines and returns it thereto from the other limit of its rocking motion (shown in dotted lines) whenever the operating force is withdrawn.

26 is a solenoid having its core or armature 27 connected to a loose crank 37, preferably by a pin and cross-slot connection 28. This solenoid is included in an electric circuit 29, supplied with current from any suitable source, such as the storage battery 36. This circuit is normally broken at 30, where the spring-contact to which one wire is connected is shown separated from an insulated contact-piece on the bell-crank 15, to which the other wire is connected. The circuit is also V normally broken at the spring-switch 31.

This switch is controlled by switch-key 32, normally held up out of engagement by spring 33. A spring-pressed retaining-pawl 34 engages the key 32 when it is pressed down and holds the operating-switch 31 closed till the crank 23 strikes trip-lug 35 on the pawl 36% at the end of the throw of said crank.

The operation is as follows: Current being supplied to the circuit 29, the first thing done is to depress unlocking-key 18 and insert the paper between feed-rolls 7. hen inserted in guides 8, the paper holds paper-stop 16 down, thus holding locking-clog l1 withdrawn and closing the spring circuitbreaker 30.

This leaves the machine in a condition to be operated either by hand or by electricity. If after the operator has set up a number by means of the keyboard 5 he pulls the handlever 20, it will work the shaft 9, through the medium of the upper crank 23, and print the number on the paper in the usual way, the spring 24; pulling crank and hand-lever back into position when the lever is released. During this operation the lower crank 25 vibrates idly, the solenoid-core 27 being unaffected. If instead of moving the lever 20 by hand the operator presses down the switch-key 32, he thereby closes the operating-switch 31, and the retaining-pawl 34 holds the parts in position. The solenoid 26 then attracts the core 27, which pulls on loose crank 37, which engages lower crank 25, rocking the shaft and cranks into the position shown in dotted lines. Thus the printing and feeding of the paper is effected by power. The hand-lever 20, however, is not moved. The upper crank 23 at the limit of its motion strikes the triplug 35, trips retaining-pawl 34, the operatingswitch 31 springs open, the solenoid is deenergized, spring 24 pulls the parts back into their original position, and the operation can be repeated by hand or power until the paper is used up. When the paper is all out, the paper-stop 16 rises, the circuit-breaker 30 is opened, and the locking-dog 11 engages sector 10. This shuts off the power and locks the machine against operation by any means until another strip of paper has been introduced.

The advantages of my invention comprise the ease and small cost with which it may be 7 attached to the thousands of adding-machines now in use as well as embodied in new machines, its non-interference with the hand operation of the machine in the usual Way, which leaves the machine still useful if the power apparatus gets out of order, and the safety feature introduced by the circuit-breaker, which shuts off the current whenever the machine is locked, so that by no possibility can the mechanism be broken by an application of power when the parts are locked against movement.

It is evident that various changes could be made in the details of construction illustrated without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention. The solenoid is merely the simplest form of intermittently -acting electric motor. and other forms of electric motor or power devices of adifferent character might be substituted for it. Other means for closing and automatically breaking the circuit might be substituted for those shown.

Some features of my invention might be employed without others; but all such variations I should consider mere mechanical modifications of the broad idea of means herein shown and described.

Having, therefore,described my invention, I claim- 1. In an adding-machine, the combination with the rock-shaft operating the printing mechanism, of an electrical device and a handcrank for independently rocking said shaft and connecting mechanism between the h and-crank and the rock-shaft which permits the handcrank to remain stationary when the shaft is rocked by the electrical device.

2. In an adding-machine, the combination with the rock-shaft operating the printing mechanism, of an electrical device and a handcrank for independently rocking said shaft, connecting mechanism between the shaft and the hand-crank, and the shaft and the electric device, permitting the shaft to be rocked by either without moving the other.

3. In an adding-machine, the combination with the rock-shaft operating the printing mechanism, of an electrical device and a handcrank for independently rocking said shaft, connecting mechanism between the shaft and the hand-crank, and the shaft and the electric device, permitting the shaft to be rocked by either without moving the other, together with a yielding friction device tending to hold the hand-crank against movement.

4. In an adding-machine, the combination with the rock-shaft operating the printing mechanism, of an electrical device and a handcrank for independently rocking said shaft, connecting mechanism between the shaft and the hand-crank, and the shaft and the electric device, permitting the shaft to be rocked by either without moving the other, said connecting mechanism comprising rigid radial projections from the shaft of the operative stroke of the driving member.

5. In an adding-machine, the combination with the rock-shaft operating the printing mechanism, of an electrical device and a handcrank for independently rocking said shaft, said electrical device comprising an electromagnet and armature therefor, one of which is connected to the frame of the machine and the other directly connected to a crank-arm mounted on the rock-shaft.

6. In an adding-machine, the combination with the printing and paper-feeding mechanism, of electrical mechanism for operating the printing mechanism, a supply-circuit for such electrical mechanism, a normally open switch in said circuit, and means controlled by the paper introduced into the machine for holding said switch closed.

Signed at New York, State of New York,this 26th day of January, 1905.

WALTER H. PUMPHREY Witnesses:

ARTHUR C. BLATZ, N. G. CRAWFORD.

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