US838243A - Voting-machine. - Google Patents

Description

PATENTED DEC. 11, 1906. W. M. CUTTER & W. A. SUTFIN.

VOTING MACHINE.

APPLIGATION FILED AUG. 2, 1905.

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No.838,243 I PATENTEDDEGJI, 1906.

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VOTING MACHINE.

APPLIQATION FILED AUG. 2, 199a.

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imiTnn STATES PATENT OFFTGE.

WILLIAM M. CUTTER AND WILLIS A. SUTFIN, OF MARYSVILLE, CALIFORNIA; SAID SUTFIN ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF OF HIS VOTING-MACHINE.

Specificationof Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 11, 1906.

Application filed August 2, 1905. Serial N0. 272,317-

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that we, WILLIAM M. CUTTER and WVILLIs A. SUTFIN, citizens of the United States, residing at Marysville, in the county of Yuba and State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in votingMachines, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to voting-machines, and especially to the independent-voting mechanism or mechanisms of such machines.

The object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus which may be used either by itself or in conjunction with a machine having regular-candidate-voting keys, straight-ticket-voting keys, and like adjuncts and which apparatus will permit a voter who writes his choice of a candidate to change such written vote and by such change cancel the same, leaving him free to vote for some one else, and Which apparatus will be simple, durable, and practical.

The invention consists of the parts and the construction and combination of parts, as hereinafter more fully described and claimed, having reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a front view of the machine with the plate partly broken away to show the mechanism that operates the independent-voting mechanism. Fig. 2 is a plan view with section through the cabinet and front door open. Fig. 3 is a front view of the independent-voting mechanism. Fig. 4 is a side elevation looking from the right of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a plan view of same. Fig. 6 is a detail of the spindle.

A represents a cabinet or other suitable housing for the voting mechanism and provided with a hinged door a.

For convenience of illustration we have shown but a single independent-voting mechanism, which is designed to be used in voting for one oflice only. It is understood, however, that a separate voting mechanism may be provided for each office where the office is known as single-candidate office, as governor, and that where the office is a multicandidate oneas, for example, a board of supervisors there may be as many of these independent-voting mechanisms as there are persons to be elected in the group.

Our independent-voting mechanism is here shown as constructed as follows:

Arranged behind a suitable face-plate A and above and below a slot or opening 2 therein are the respective spindles 3 4. The upper one 3 carries the roll of paper, which is drawn therefrom as needed and wound on the lower spindle 4. The spindles are supported in appropriate bearings, and each spindle carries a spring-pressed trunnion 5, pressing endwise against its bearing and allowing either spindle to be easily removed and operating as brakes to hold the spindles and paper steady and from turning too fast. The paper is first prepared by being wound on a tube, which is slipped over the upper spindle, and the end of the paper is passed across the opening 2 in plate A and in front of the sup'portingeplate 6 and fastened to the lower spindle. A curtain-plate 7, which is pivoted to a suitable support at 8, normally closes opening 2 in front of the paper and conceals the paper from view and protects it from being written on or marked or otherwise tampered with. I

When a voter wishes to vote for a candidate of his own choosing, he turns a key 9, appearing on the outside of plate A, and this operates through suitable connections to lift the curtain-plate 7 and disclose the paper through the opening 2. These connections are here shown as comprising a pin 10 on an arm 11,fiXed to the key-stem 12 and disposed behind plate A. The pin 10 engages a camslot 13 in the curtain-plate, so that when the key is turned far enough to the right the curtain will lift and uncover the paper. The are of movement of the key, arm 11, and the stem 12 is about ninety degrees, more or less. If desired, the arm 11 may be counterweighted, as shown at 11 sufficiently to overbalance the weight of the key and throw the key back to normal in case it is moved only part way down. The cam-slot 13 is such that the curtain-plate 7 will not lift until the full movement of the key is nearly completed, the design being to prevent any access to the paper until the key is really turned beyond recall without having to puncture the paper or otherwise destroy the vote which is or may have been written by this voter. Having pushed down thekey as far as it will go, the

curtain 7 is lifted, and the voter may write the name of a candidate of his own choosing. If after so writing such name he changes his mind and desires to vote for some other outsider for that office or to vote for a regular candidate whose name is on the machine, he pushes the key back to its original position. The reversing of the key by the voter accomplishes two things: first, it causes a suflicient length of paper to roll onto spindle 4 and off of spindle 3 for the next voter and to move the part written on and previously appearing in opening 2 out of view behind plate A, and, secondly, this part just written on is torn, out, smeared, or otherwise marked or mutilatedv to indicate to the election officers that the vote had been canceled.

The stepbystep feed of the paper may be accomplished in a variety of ways. As shown, the stem 12 carries a cam member 15 which cooperates with a sliding bar 16 in a 'so-ealled Geneva movement. The bar 16 is supported to slide and rock in a loose guide 17 at one end and has the other end engaging a lever 18, which is fulcrumed loose at a point in axial line with spindle 1. A ratchet 19 is fixed to spindle 4., and a spring-pressed pawl, pivoted to lever 18, engages the ratchet so that when the lever is oscillated in one direction or upward the pawl will ride free over the ratchet; but when the lever is oscillated in the opposite direction, or downward, the pawl engages and the spindle is rotated to wind up a corresponding amount of paper, the upward movement of the lever corresponding to the downward or voting movement of the key 9 and the downward movement of the lever corresponding to the reversing or reset ting of the key, all accomplished through the medium of the cam 15 and sliding bar 16. The bar 1.6 is so connected to the lever 18 as to permit the former to shift lengthwise of the lever and radially of spindle 4 and of its gradually-growing roll. For this purpose the bar may be notched, as at 19, and the lever provided with a longitudinal guide or rib operating in said notch, as shown. Bar 16 has a lateral projection 20, bearing continually, by virtue of the spring 21, on the roll on spindle 4. As the roll increases in size it carries the projection 20 along with it, moving the bar correspondingly toward the outer end of lever 18. Since the stroke of bar 16, occasioned by turning the key, remains uniform in length, the stroke of lever 18 gradually shortens as the bar moves farther from the fulcrum of the lever. The strokes of bar 16 and lever 18 are so proportioned to the varying diameter of the growing paper-roll on spindle 4 that the pawl and ratchet will always operate to move the periphery of the roll or spindle 4 the same distance. Hence it will be seen that the oscillating and reciprocating bar 16 with its presserplate projection 20 and the lever 18 form an equalizer, so that always the same length of paper is drawn across the opening 2, and the spaces between the successive written memoranda are uniform.

The vote-canceling device consists of an angular bar 22, hinged at one end at 23 and operating in a slot 24 in the supporting-plate 6 and below opening 2 in the face-plate. The bar 22 carries a perforating and slitting knife-edged projection or point 25, which is adapted when the bar is moved into the plane of plate 6 to project beyond the supporting-surface of this plate and press against the paper. If the paper is set in motion while the point 25 is in this projected and normal position, the portion of the paper lately exposed through the aperture 2 will be torn, and if there is a vote written on this portion that vote will be canceled. The bar 22 is only retracted when the key is reset by closing the door or otherwise by the election ofiicers. This resetting by the door, as we will see, operates otherwise to turn back the key just as it is turned back by hand and causes a fresh portion of paper to be drawn across the aperture 2. I

We have herein shown the resetting of the key and the retraction of the canceling device as accomplished through the medium of the door a, although it is possible that these operations may be done by other means. A bracket 26 is fastened to the door near its hinge and carries a pivoted block 27, through which a rod 28 is slidable. The rod 28 has two stops 29 30 near one end one stop on either side of block 27. The other end of the rod 28 connects to a lever 31, to which is connected a rack-bar 31, sliding in suitable guides 32. Bar 31" engages a cranked pinion 31 which operates a rod 31. Rod 31 connects with one arm of a bell-crank lever 33, which is pivoted in its angle. The other end of lever 33 connects with the sliding bars 34 35, one of which, 34, operates the canceling-bar 22, and the other, 35, operates to reset the key. The resetting is done by means of a lug 36 on bar tripping a cam 37 on the stem 12, when the bar is lifted by the closing of the door.

The retraction of bar 22 is accomplished by means of a cam-slot 38 in bar 34, in which slot the bar 22 is engaged near its pivot 23. The cam-slot is so fashioned that when the bar 34 lifts on the closing of the door the bar 22 will be rocked backward to carry the needle-point 25 out of contact with the paper just before lug 36 trips cam 37 to turn the stem and pull down the paper.

The inner stop 30 on red 28 is disposed so that its engagement will be postponed, and the resetting of the key and the retraction of the perforator will not take place until the door is nearly closed. ()n the other hand, the stop 29 is so positioned that it will not be engaged to operate to drop the bars 34 35,

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' and so unlock the key and throw out the perforator, until the door is nearly full open.

In operation the door is fully opened. The voter pushes down on the key as far as it will go, which causes the curtain 7 to lift and discloses the blank paper through the aperture 2. The voter writes the name of the candidate of his choice on this blank space. Coneluding his vote for the election or having remained at the machine as long as the law allows he retires, and the door is closed. Closing the door, as we have seen, retracts the perforator, lifts, resets, and locks the key, drops the curtain 7, and pulls down a fresh portion of paper. The vote is recorded by suitable mechanism not necessary herein to be described. However, if after writing the name or other matter on the strip of paper the voter changes his mind and wishes to cancel this vote or vote for some one else, he must, whether he will or no, turn back the key just voted before a fresh portion of pa per will appear before him, or before he can vote any of the regular candidates for the particular office for which he is endeavoring to express a choice. The turning back of the key operates, as we have seen, to advance the portion of paper lately written on by this voter over the knife-point 25, which cuts through the paper and cancels his former vote. He may then vote again independently for the same office or vote for a regular candidate, just'as he chooses. The equalizer 20 acts to effect a considerable saving of paper during the course of a heavy election and gives a better-looking tally-sheet at the end than if names were scattered along at gradually-increasing intervals.

It is possible that various modifications in our invention may be made without departing from the principle thereof, and we do not wish to be understood as limiting ourselves to the specific construction herein shown and described.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a voting-machine, the combination of a cabinet having a hinged door, an independent-vote mechanism comprising paperholding means, a voting-key, connections between the key and the paper-holding means to advance the paper thereon step by step, means permitting thekey to be operated without actuating said paper-holding means, votecanceling mechanism, and means connecting with the door for actuating the canceling mechanism.

2. In a voting-machine, an independentvote mechanism comprising a pair of spindles, from one of which a strip of paper is adapted to be unrolled and wound onto the other, a voting key, connections between the key and said wind-up spindle to operate the latter intermittently, and equalizing means by which the amount of paper advanced at each actuation of the wind-up spindle remains un form irrespective of the quantity of paper on said spindle, and a paper-perforator operating between the spindles, and normally in operative contact with the paper.

3. In a voting-machine, an independentvote mechanism comprising a pair of spindles, from one of which a strip of paper is adapted to be unrolled and wound onto the other, a voting-key, connections between the key and said wind-up spindle to operate the latter intermittently, and equalizing means by which the amount of paper advanced at each actuation of the wind-up spindle remains uniform irrespective of the quantity of paper on said spindle, and a canceling device operating between the spindles, and normally in operative contact with the paper.

4. In a voting-machine, an independentvote mechanism comprising a pair of spin dles, from one of which a strip of paper is adapted to be unrolled and wound onto the other, a voting-key, connections between the key and said wound-up spindle to operate the latter intermittently, and equalizing means by which the amount of paper advanced at each actuation of the wind-up spindle remains uniform irrespective of the quantity of paper on said spindle, and a canceling device operating between the spindles, said canceling device comprising an oscillating bar, and having a perforator normally in contact with the paper.

5. In a voting-machine, an independentvote mechanism comprising a pair of spindles, from one of which a strip of paper is adapted to be unrolled and wound onto the other, a voting-key, connections between the key and said wind-up spindle to operate the latter intermittently, and equalizing means by which the amount of paper advanced at each actuation of the wind-up spindle remains uniform irrespective of the quantity of paper on said spindle, and a canceling de vice operating between the spindles, said canceling device normally in conact with the paper, means to reset said voting-key, and means to operate said canceling device intermittently with said resetting means.

6. In a voting-machine, the combination of a cabinet having a door,'an independentvote mechanism comprising a pair of spindles from one of which a strip of paper is adapted to be unrolled and wound onto the other, means connected with the door for turning the wind-up spindle step by step, and means by which the amount of paper wound onto the wind-up spindle at each suc' cessive movement of the latter remains uniform irrespective of the amount of paper on said wind-up roll.

7. In a voting-machine, an independentvote mechanism comprising a pair of spindies, from one of which a strip of paper is adapted to be unrolled and wound onto the other, means for turning the wind-up spindle step by step, and means by which the amount of paper wound onto the wind-up spindle at each successive movement of the latter remains uniform irrespective of the amount of paper on said wind-up roll, and vote-canceling means operating between the spindles normally in contact with the paper.

8. In a voting-machine, an independentvote mechanism comprising means for supporting a continuous strip of paper, means for advancing the strip step by step, means for maintaining the amount of paper advanced at successive steps uniform, a canceling-bar having a perforating-point normally in contact with the paper, and means for retracting said canceling-point synchronously with the advance of the paper.

9. In a voting-machine, the combination of means for supporting a strip of paper, means for advancing the strip step by step, a canceling device having a perforator normally in contact with the paper, and means for moving said perforator out of. contact with the paper synchronously with the advance of the latter.

1(). In a voting-machine, an independentvote mechanism comprising means for holding a strip of paper, means including a rockable key to advance the paper step by step, canceling means including a perforator normally in contact with the paper, means engageable with the key to turn the latter to advance the paper, and means for operating said perforator synchronously with said keyoperating means, whereby the perforator is moved out of contact with the paper when the latter is in motion.

1.1. In a voting-machine, an independentvote mechanism comprising paper-holding means, means for advancing the paper step by step, said means including a rockable key, a perforator-bar having perforating means normally in contact with the paper, and means for operating the perforator-bar and said key coordinately whereby the perlorator-bar is retracted during the movement 01" the paper.

12. In a voting-machine, the combination of a cabinet having a hinged door, an apertured face-plate, paper-holding means arranged behind the face-plate and relative to said aperture, a hinged curtain normally closing said. aperture and concealing the paper, a key, connections between the key and curtain to move the latter, connections between the key and paperholding means to advance the paper intermittently, a canceling device and connections between the door and canceling device to operate the latter.

13. In a voting-machine, the combination of an apertured face-plate, paper-holding .means arranged behind the faceplate and relative to said aperture, a hinged curtain normally closing said aperture and concealing the paper, a key, connections between the key and curtain to move the latter, connections between the key and paper-holding means to advance the paper intern'iittently, a canceling device having canceling means normally in contact with the paper, and means to retract said canceling means out of contact with the paper when the paper is in motion.

14. In a voting-machine, the combination with an apertured face-plate, paper-holding means arranged behind the plate and relative to the aperture, said paper-holding means including a wind-up roll, a ratchet on said roll, a lever having a pawl engaging the ratchet, means including a reciprocating bar engaging said lever to advance the paper intermittently, and a rotatable key and step movement connection between the key and. said bar to operate the latter.

15. In a voting-machine, the combination with an apertured face-plate, paper-holding means arranged behind the plate and relative to the aperture, said paper-holding means including a wind-up roll, a ratchet on. said. roll, a lever having a pawl engaging the ratchet, means including a reciprocating bar engaging said lever to advance the paper intermittently, a hinged perforator-bar having perforating means normally in contact with the paper, and means for giving said. mrforator-bar and said reciprocating bar a coordinate movement to retract the perlorator while the paper is in motion.

16. In a voting-machine, the combination of a containing-cabinet having a door, an independent-vote mechanism contained in the cabinet and comprising paper-holding means, means for advancing the paper step by step, a movable perforator normally in contact with the paper, and connections between the paper-advancing means and the door, and connections between the perforator and the door to operate said perforator and. said paper-advancing means coordinately.

17. In a voting-machine, the combination of an apertur ed face-plate, paper-holding means arranged between the face-plate and. relative to said aperture, a rotatable votingkey, a curtain hinged to one side of said aperture and having a segmental slot, a cam. member carried by the key and operative in said slot to oscillate the curtain correspondingly with. the turning of the key, and in cans for advancing the paper step by step.

18. In a voting-machine the combination of a pair of spindles supporting a paper strip, a rotatable voting-key, a ratchet on the windup spindle, a lever having a pawl engaging said ratchet, a reciprocating bar engaging said lever and movable thereon radially of said wind-up spindle, a part carried by said bar and engaging the periphery of the roll on I celing device and the door to operate the the Wind-up spindle, and connections becanceling device and to reset the key.

tween the stem of said key and said bar to In testimony whereof We have hereunto reciprocate the latter coordinately with the set our hands in presence of two subscribing 5 oscillations of the key. 1 witnesses. i

19. In a voting-machine the combination WILLIAM M. CUTTER. of a cabinet having a hinged door, a rockable WILLIS A. SUTFIN. voting-key, paper-holding mechanism, a Witnesses: canceling device, and connections-between J. R. GARRETT,

lo the key and the door and between the can WALLACE DENSMORE.

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