US916337A

US916337A - Indorsing device for voting-machines.

Info

Publication number: US916337A
Application number: US43569508A
Authority: US
Inventors: William J Lausterer
Original assignee: EMPIRE VOTING MACHINE CO
Current assignee: EMPIRE VOTING MACHINE CO
Priority date: 1908-05-29
Filing date: 1908-05-29
Publication date: 1909-03-23
Anticipated expiration: 1926-03-23

Description

W. J. LAUSTERER. INDORSING DEVICE FOR VOTING MACHINES. APPLICATION PILED MAY 29. 1908.

91 6,337. Patented Mar. 23, 1909.

WITNESSES; 5 I INVENTOR lwflov'fi arc/)1 2/: I flat/6 ferer wu nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn m:

UNITED STATES T OFFICE.

WILLIAM J. LAUSTERER, OF JAMESTOWN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO EMPIRE VOTING MACHINE COMPANY, OF ROCHESTER AND JAMESTOWN, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

INDORSING DEVICE FOR VOTING-MACHINES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented March 23, 1909.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM J. LAUS- TERER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Jamestown, in the county of Chautauqua and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Indorsing Devices for Voting-Machines, of which the following is a specification.

My present invention relates to improvements in voting machines of the type such as is shown in patent issued to Lausterer No. 820,802, in which type of machine all of the counters are driven simultaneously by the operation of a curtain lever or similar device. In a machine of this type it is son? times desirable to couple the counters of indorsed candidates for simultaneous operation.

This particular invention is an improvement on the particular mechanism shown in the patent of Lausterer 847,416, the arrangement of the parts being such that any or all of certain candidate vote counting devices can be connected together for simultaneous operation.

The improvement also consists in details of construction by which the assembling of the parts is facilitated.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents a perspective view of a portion of the counter frame with one of my improved indorsing bars in position. Fig. 2 is a detail view of one of the bell cranks and its coupling by which it is connected to the parts which it operates. Fig. 3 is a view of a portion of the main supporting bar and the two connecting rods in side elevation.

Similar reference numerals in the several figures indicate similar parts.

In the accompanying drawing reference numeral 1 refers to the top plate of the coun ter frame, and 2 refers to the bottom plate of the counter frame. These plates are slotted in the usual manner and they carry between them the counter channels. One of these channels is provided for each oflice line of voting devices. Each of these counter channels carries a plurality of two step counters driven by reciprocating pallet bars 25 of the type described in the Patent No. 799,556 issued to Gillespie. These counter channels are locked in place by the plate 4 carried on the plate 1 of the counter frame and by the plate 5 carried on the plate 2 of the counter frame. The plate 4 is slotted as shown at 6, 6, and the plate 5 is also slotted as shown at 7, 7, the holes 6 and 7 being arranged uniformly with reference to the counter channels. Between the plates 4 and 5 extend one or more upright bars 8 made of a single piece of metal, each of which bars is provided with shouldered ends. On the upper end is a rectangular projection of a size suitable to engage with the slot 6 in the plate 4, and on the lower end is a similar projection of a size suitable to engage with the slot 7 in the plate 5. The projection at the upper end of the bar is longer than the projection at the lower end for a purpose hereinafter described. This bar is set in place by inserting the long projection or extension at the top of the bar in the slot 6 in the plate 4, and raising the bar far enough to permit the engagement of the other extension with the plate 7, after which the bar 8 is lowered to its final position, which position is determined by the shoulder at the lower end of the bar. The

slots 6 are a little shorter than the slots 7, and i the extensions on the bar 8 fit their respective slots snugly in both cases so as to prevent inserting the rod upside down.

At regular intervals in the counter channels are placed counters 24 and pallet bars 25, similar to those shown in the Gillespie patent 799,556 above referred to. Each of these pallet bars 25 is provided at its outer end with a rectangular opening 10. On the bar 8 at suitable intervals are placed the studs 9, so positioned that when the bar is set properly in place the studs will come above their respective pallet bars 25 by a distance equal to the long arm of the bell crank levers 11. Pivoted on the studs 9 as occasion may re quire, are the bell crank levers 11. Each of these bell cranks is provided with a round hole 14 at its center of rotation, which hole is intended to engage with the stud. 9 on the bar 8. At the end of its long arm the bell crank is provided with a stud 12 which is intended to engage with the slotted opening 10 in the pallet bar 25. The short arm of the bell crank lever is provided also with a round hole 13, which round hole is intended to engage with the stud 15 on the connecting rod 16.

The indorsing bar is assembled substantially as follows: The supporting bar 8 is laid on a table, the bell crank levers 11 are placed on the studs according to the pallet bars they are intended to connect for simultaneous operation. The connecting rod 16 is then placed so that the studs 15 thereon engage with the holes 13 in the bell crank levers that have previously been placed on the bar 8, after which the latch 17 on each of the bell cranks is rotated so as to engage with the

studs

9 and 15, and positively connect the bell thereto. For this purpose each of the studs .9 and 15 has an annular groove cut therein with which groove the

recesses

18 and 19 of the latch 17 engage, thus holding all the parts together positively. After having been thus assembled the bar 8 and bell cranks assembled thereon may now be placed in the machine in the manner above described, and the studs 12 on the long arms of the bell cranks are sprung into engagement with the slots in the pallet bars 10. If one of these pallet bars that has been connected to a bell crank in the manner above described is driven for the pur ose of counting the vote, it Will cause its bell crank to oscillate and will move the connecting rod 16 and cause all of the other bell cranks connected thereto to be oscillated as Well, driving those pallet bars in turn with which such pallet bars are connected, so as to secure a simultaneous operation of all the pallet bars and their counters that are connected in this Way.

If two different candidates occurring on the same office line should each be indorsed, it will be necessary to use the connecting rod 16 and its bell cranks for the one candidate and the connecting rod 20 and its bell cranks for the other candidate, each of these connecting rods and its bell cranks being connected of course to the two or more pallet bars that belong to their respective candidates. The bell cranks connected to the connecting rod 20 will be made symmetrical with the bell cranks 11, but will be made reverse thereto from right to left in substantially the same manner as are shown in the two different kinds of bell cranks shown in the patent of Lausterer 847,416 above referred to. This connecting rod 20 with its bell cranks can be assembled on the supporting bar 8 in the same manner as would be the connecting rod 16 and its bell cranks.

It is apparent that the supporting bar 8 is one continuous bar without any obstructions thereon and that by reason of this and the inverted position of the bell cranks thereon, an eXtra counter can be connected up so that Where it was not possible to reach the bottom counter and its pallet bar by the construction shown in my prior patent, it is with this construction possible to reach all of the candidate counters on the machine without chang ing the dimensions of the counter frame or the counter channel.

That I claim as new and patentable is as follows:

1. The combination in a voting machine of a plurality of voting devices,. supports projecting on either side thereof, a single longitudinal supporting bar extending directly between said supports, a plurality of movable parts pivoted thereon, connected to the voting devices to move with them whenever said devices are moved, and a coupling bar connected to said parts for causing their simultaneous operation when one of them is operated.

2. In a voting machine, the combination of a counter frame having overl'ianging plates at top and bottom, holes there through and suitably spaced nit-h a supporting bar engaging ith said plates and re movably mounted therein, said bar consisting of a single straight piece having reduced ends engaging with said holes, and having studs thereon for mounting oscillating members thereon.

3. The combination in a voting machine of a pair of supporting plates, a straight bar extending between and into said plates and detachably supported thereby, studs on said bar and bell cranks pivoted on said studs.

4. The combination in a voting machine of a pair of supporting plates having holes or sockets therein, a straight bar extending between said plates and supported thereby, engaging one of said holes with each end there of, studs on said bar and bell cranks pivoted on said studs.

5. The combination in a voting machine of a pair of plates having holes or sockets therein, a single straight bar extending between one hole in each of said plates, and mounted stationary therein, studs on said bar, bell cranks detachably mounted on said bar, each of nhich bell cranks has a long arm pointing downward and a short arm at right angles thereto. v

6. In a voting machine, the combination of a counter frame, counter channels sup ported therein, said channel containing counters and actuators for driving them, a straight stationary bar mounted directly in said frame parallel to the counter channels, studs on said bar placed uniformly one above each actuator, bell cranks mounted on said studs, having one arm in engagement faith the actuator next below, means for connecting the free armsof certain ones of said bell cranks.

7. The combination in a voting machine of a support carrying counters and pallet bars spaced uniformly apart, a straight stationary bar placed parallel to and extending the full length of said support said bar having studs thereon, each placed a uniform distance above the pallet bars, bell cranks mounted on the studs and connected direct by one arm each to a separate pallet bar, and by the other arm to the corresponding arm of the other bell cranks through a connecting rod.

8. The combination in a voting machine of counter actuators, of a pair of supporting plates each provided with holes therethrough, the holes in one plate being difi'erent in size from those in the other plate, a straight bar extending between said plates and having shouldered ends thereon of different sizes to 1it said holes, studs on said bar, means carried on said studs to connect a plurality of counter actuators for simultaneous action.

9. The combination in a voting machine of a pair of supporting plates, a straight bar extending between said plates and connecting them and detachably supported thereby, studs on said bar and bell cranks pivoted on said studs.

10. The combination in a voting machine of a plurality of voting devices, supports proj ecting on either side thereof, a longitudinal supporting bar extending directly between said supports, and detachably supported thereby, a plurality of movable parts pivoted thereon, connected to the voting devices to move with them vhenever said devices are moved, and a coupling bar connected to said parts for causing their simultaneous operation when one of them is operated.

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

WILLIAM J. LAUSTERER.

Witnesses MARTIN L. BADHORN, ALEXANDER B. CoRoILIUs.