US832014A - Grouping mechanism for voting-machines. - Google Patents

Description

.No. 832,014. PATENTED SEPT. 25, 1906.

w. I. T. POSDIGK. GROUPING MECHANISM FOR VOTING MACHINES.

'APPLIOAT ION FILED OCT. 31. 1905- f ATTORNEY UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE;

-WILLIAM I. T. FOSDICK, OF BRIDGEPORT, CONNECTICUT, vASSIGNOR TO TRIUMPH VOTING-MACHINE COMPANY, OF PITTSFIELD, MASSACHU- SETTS, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

GHOUPING MECHANISM FOR VOTING-MACHINES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 25, 1906.

Application filed October 31, 1905- Serial No. 286,233.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM I. T. Fos-' DICK, a citizen of the United States, residing at Bridgeportmounty of Fairfield, State of Connecticut, have invented a new and useful Grouping Mechanism for Voting-Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to that portion of the mechanism of a voting-machine that has to do with group voting, so called. The term group voting is used as broadly descriptive' of a style of voting which permits votersto vote for more than one candidate 'for the same office-as, for example, in voting for a plurality of members of a board, commission, court, or a delegation of two or more members. Suppose, as an illustration, that three justices of the supreme court are to be elected and that the several parties have each made three nominations for that ofiice'.

The invention is shown as applied to a machine in which the names of partycan'didates are laced in vertical columns, and the names ll candidates for the same office are placed in horizontal lines, the name of each candidate being in its roper party-column. The machine is provi ed with horizontally-placed chains corresponding with the horizontal lines of names of candidates, the act of voting bein performed by movement of voting mem ers which when actuated roduce a bend or slack in the chain, each c ain being tightened up so as to'have but one slack in it, thusmaking it normally impossible for a voter to vote for but one candidate for any office.

. In the present instance I have shown the act of voting as performed by means of voting shafts which when oscillated cause corres onding locking-dogs to press uponthe ciiains and make a bend or slack therein. I shall not describe the voting mechanism in detail, however, for the reason that it forms no Iportion of the present invention.

he present invention consists in certain constructions and in certain parts, improvements, and combinations to adapt a votingmachine for group voting, which permit groups of chains to be so connected up as to permit a number of votes corresponding with the number of chains in the group to be cast in accordance with the will of the voter, all in one line or in different lines, as preferred, it

being impossible, however, for the voter to cast but one vote for any candidate or more votes for the ofiice than there are chains in the group.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which reference characters are used to indicate the several parts, Figure 1 is a detail elevation illustrati-ng the construction and operation of my novel grouping mechanism; Fig. 2, an enlarged detall sectional view on the line 2 2 in Figs. 1 and 4 Fig. 3-, a similar section on the line 3 3 in Figs. 1 and 4,- Fig. 4, an enlarged detail rear elevation, and Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail elevation corresponding with Fig. 1, illustrating a slightly-variant form of grouping-plates and mode of attachment.

1O denotes one of the end standards of a voting-machine; 11, the chains 12, votingshafts, and 13 locking-dogs carried by the voting-shafts, which engage the chains in the act of voting. The right end of each chain is fixed in any suitable manner, which forms no portion of the present invention. The left end ofeach chain is provided with a threaded shank 14, which passes through an opening in an arm 15, extending from a plate 16, the ad justment of the chains being regulated by nuts 17, which engage the threaded shanks and also engage the opposite sides of arms 15. 18 denotes links, one end of each link being pivoted to a plate 16 and the other to a holdmg-plate 19. These holding-plates and the groupingplates (indicated by 20) lie ina vertical groove 21, which may be formed in the standard or in a plate 28, which is secured to ,the standard by screws 29.

22 denotes a covering-plate which is secured to plate 28 and retains the holding plates and grouping-plates in place in the groove, but without interfering with their freedom of movement.

The holding-plates are shown as angular in configuration and the gro oping-plates as angular in Figs. 1 and 4 and as disk-shaped in Fig. 5, so as to present curved bearing-surfaces to the holdingplates. This is an unimportant detail of construction, it being simply required that thcholding-plates and groupinglates be so shaped as to engage and slide reely on each other, as will be more fully explained. The holdin plates are shown as provided in their un er sides with recesses 23 to receive the ends of. the links.

. oldi .vertica column, lies between, two groupingd. the vid dl' njt Kermit the links to oscillate freely}.

- plate, except those at the endS'Of the 1 plates, which are normally locked in position by ke s25, which lie in sockets in thegroup-.-

ing p ates,pass through the grouping-plates,

' and engage either plate 28, as shown in Fig. 3-,;

or the standard. should plate 28 be dispensed with... -If preferred, the groupingeplates may be'locked by screws 26engaging plate 28. as

'shownin Fig, 5, or the standard. "The holcl ing-plates normally have slight m ov.ement.-' that is to say, they are not held rigidly by the grouping-plates, as is indicated in Fig. 1;.

y 2? denotes lugs, one lying in front-of eachgr uping-plate to retain it in the groove when the locking key or screw is removed.

- In normal voti g., the grouping plates are all fixed in place, eachichain being so ,adjusted insettin' up the machine as to permit the actuation o 'asinglevoting member, as indicated in Fi 1 connection'with the'ifiith to the ninth c ains, inclusive", one yoting'member havin been actuated in each of the corre-i sponding orizontal line's- The operation offsetting ii fthe'macliine 'for g-rroup voting is illustrate by means of the t, second, and third c'hainsin Fig; 1;

' It consists-simply in removing certain ofthe keys or screws whichdock the".groupingplates leaving the groupinglates .free to move laterally, the covjerm -p ate being first removed andthen replace after the group-- ing-lplates -have been released.. Inthe pres- ,The keys which look the first an ent instancethe first, second, and" third chains have beenreleased for grou Noting.

grouping-plates have been removed, leaving I them free to move laterally and permit lon chains, and of course three slacks.

gitudinal movement of the holding-plates to claim which the 'rouped"chains are attached, so that the sfacks e be shifted from one chain to another, n the present instance there are three candidates, three grouped The reuirement' is to lace one, two, or three s ticks in either 0 the chains; but it 'is impossibleto place morethan three slacks anywhere. By removing the keys which look the'two corresponding grouping-plates said groupingplates'are permitted to slidewlaterally an increased longitudinal movement is given to the holding lates to permit either one or two additiona slacks to be placed in either of the chains.

to vote for one candidate in each of the hori- Should the voterdesire 'zontal lines corresponding with. the three grouped chains, the operation would be normal and there would'be no lateral movement of the released grouping plates. Asillustrajted,

. in Fig. 1, however the voterhas elected to' vote for three candidates in. the second horizontal line and has actuated 'thre'e voting gioupin plates are shown; as lfdeirunder sides with recesses 24 to' Each operation and mode of setting up t second,

'membersin that horizontal line. effect has been'to take the slacks out of the first and third chains and transfer them to the second chain, which now has three slacks, two in ad- ,dition to its normal .slack. This resulthas been effected by the action; of thethree voting members, which in puttingtbe three slacks intothe second chain have drawn the hold- -i ng plate'0f'the second chain forwardto the limit of its movement; This movement of the second-holding-glate, through'the engagement of'said liol ing-plate, with the first and second grou ing-plates, -has moved said groupin plates aterally in opposite directions,w 'fch'i1iturn have force the first and vthirdholding-plates backward to the limit of their "movernent, softhat th'e first and third" chains will be perfectly ta'ut and the slacks of the three chains will all beplaced in the second' chain. Should vthe voter refer, he mightvfiote for two candidates either of the three horizontal lines of'names of candidates and one in either of the o ther'lines or for one in eachof the lines. In other words, the

voter ht'vote for anyone, two, or three of the" can idates nominated in either of said three horizontal lines of names of candidates,

birt could only vote for threecandidates under any circumstances. The same 1principle of' e machine is applicable where two,.fou r, five,or more candidates are to be voted for in a group within the limits of the machine;

only. would be released, which of course would be "the grouping-plate lying between 7 Should two chains only be grouped, one grouping-plate IOO the holding-plates of the two chains that i were to be grouped. Should four chains be grouped, three grouping-plates would be released. Should five chains be grouped,-four grouping-plates wouldbe released,and so on. Having thus described my invention, I

1. Ida mechanism of the character described, the combination with a plurality of chains and holding-plates to which the. chains are respectively connected at one end, the

other ends being fixed, of laterally-movable grouping-plates lying between the holdinglates, the said chains being mounted to ave a predetermined amount of slack( 2. In a mechanism of the charac'ter'de:

scribed, the combinationwith a plurality of chains and holding-plates to which the chains are respectively connected at-one end, the other ends being fixed, of laterally-movablegrouping-plates lying between the holdin 7 plates, and means for locking the groupingplates when the machine .is' being used for other than. group-voting, the said chains be--" 'ing mounted to have a predetermined amount of slack.

,3. In a .mechanism ofthe character described,the-combination with .a plurality of 'chains,,.holdi ng-plates to..which the chains are respectively connected at one end," the other ends being fixed, and laterally-movable grouping-plates lying between the holding plates, of a plate provided with a longitudinal groove to receive, the holding-plates and on ing-plates and means for retaining said olding-plates and grouping-plates in the cove without interfering with their free' om of movement, the said chains being mounted to have a predetermined amount of slack.

4. In a mechanism of the character described, the combination with a plurality of chains, threaded shanks at the ends of the chains and lates 16 provided with arms to which the shanks are adjustably secured, of holding lates, links connecting plates 16 to the hol in -plates respectively, and laterally movab e roupin -plates lying between. the holding-p ates, t e said chains being mounted to have a predetermined amount of slack.

' spondingly-shaped laterall *-movable grouping-plates lying between t e holding-plates, the said chains being mounted to have a predetermined amount of slack.

6. In a mechanism of the character de- I scribed, the combination with a plurality of chains, and holding-plates having recesses in their under sides in which the ends of the chains are pivotally secured, of laterallymovable rouping-plates lying between the holding-pIates, the said chains being mounted to have a predetermined amount of slack. 7. In a mechanism of the character described, the combination with a plurality of chains, and holding-plates to which the chains are pivotally connected at one end, the other ends being fixed, of laterally-movable rouping-plates lying between the holding- Iates and means for retaining the holding and grouping plates in place without interfering with their freedom of movement, the said chains being mounted to have a predetermined amount of slack.

8. In a mechanism of the character de scribed, the combination with a plurality of chains, holding-plates to which the chains are pivotally connected at one end, the other ends being fixed, and laterally-movable grouping-plates lying. between the holdingplates, of a late 28 having a groove to receive the ho ding and grouping-plates, lugs on said plate for retaining the grouping plates .in the groove, and a covering-platesecured to plate 28 by which the holdingplates and'grouping-plates are retained in place without interfering with their freedom of movement, the said chains being mounted to have a predetermined amount of slack.

9. In a mechanism of the character de scribed, the combination with a plurality of chains each having at its end a threaded shank, plates 16 having arms through which the shanks pass, nuts on opposite sides of said arms whereby the shanks are ad'ustably secured thereto, of holding-plates, links by which plates 16 are connected to the holdinglates and laterally-movable groupin -plates ying between the holding-plates, tie said chains being mounted to have a predetermined amount of slack.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

WILLIAM I. T. FOSDICK.

Witnesses:

A. M. WOOSTER, S. W. ATHERTON.

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