US942991A - Voting-machine. - Google Patents

Description

E. E. WOLF.

VOTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. so, 1901.

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VOTING MACHINE.

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VOTING MACHINE.

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VOTING MACHINE.

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VOTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 30, 1901.

' Patented Dec. 14, 1909.

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' VOTING MAGHINB. APPLIOATION FILED AUG. so, 1901.

Patented Dec. 14, 1909.

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E. E. WOLF.

VOTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED M1990, 1901.

Patented D80. 14, 1909.

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VOTING MCHINE. APPLICATION FILED AUG. so, 1901.

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i VOTING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED AUG. 30, 1901. 942,991 Patented Dec. 14, 1909. 1B SHEETS-SHEET 14.

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VOTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 3o, 1901.

942,99 1 Patented Dec. 14, 1909.

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E. E. WOLF.

VOTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. so, 1901.

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Patented Dec. 14,1909.

BMM- E. E. WULF.

VOTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. ao, 1901.

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VOTING MACHINE.

nrmonxox FILED maso, 1901.

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WITNESSES; INVENTOR.

A TTORNE Y.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ELMER E. WOLF, OF SPRINGFIELD, OHIO, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO EMPIRE VOTING MACHINE COMPANY, OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

VOTING-MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 14, 1909.

Application filed August 30, 1901. Serial No. 73,856.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, Emmi: E. lVoLr, a citizen of the United States, residing at Springfield, in the county of Clark and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Voting-Machines, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to voting machines, and has for its object to provide a properly safeguarded apparatus whereby the votes of the electors may be automatically registered or counted.

More specifically, the object of the invention is to provide an apparatus whereby a voter may either vote for all of the candidates of a given party by a single operation ot' the apparatus or may vote for any one iudidate for any one otl'ice, duly nominated by any party, and for one such candidate only. Provision is made for enabling the voter to vote for any independent candidate not regularly nominated tor any otlice.

A further object of the invention is to provide tor the voting of what is known as a split ticket in the case of presidential electors, whereby the voter may, at his option, vote for a portion of the electors nominated by any one party and for such other electors as he may choose.

A turther object of the invention is to provide for a referendum vote, or, in other words, the voting' yes or no on any proposition or propositions submitted to the electors.

My invention has for a further object to provide for the voting of those voters who have only a limited suitrage, or, in other words, who are only allowed to vote tor certain otiicers, and not for all ot the otlicers to be elected, as, for instance, in the case ot' those localities where women are allowed to vote for school otiicers only. In all cases provision is made to prevent the voter from casting more votes or voting for more candid ates than he is entitled to vote for.

To these and other ends the invention consists in certain novel features which I will now proceed to describe and will then particularly point out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figures 1 and la, the latter of which is a continuation of the former, show a front elevation of the i l i i i I machine embodying my invention in one form; Figs. 2 and 2a, the latter of which is a continuation of the former, show an end elevatio-n of the machine; Figs. 3 and 3, the latter of which is a continuation oit the former, show a view similar to Figs. 2 and 2, but with the end of the casing removed; Figs. 4 and 4ta, the latter of which is a continuation of the former, show a vertical section, taken on the line A B of Fig. l, and looking in the direction of the arrows; Fig. 5 is a sectional view of a portion ot the apparatus, taken on the line C D of Fig. 3, and looking in the direction of the arrows or from the back of the machine; Fig. G is a plan section of a portion of the apparatus, taken on the line E F of Fig. 4; Fig. T is a detail sectional view, taken on the line G Il ot' Fig. 5; Fig. S is a detail perspective view of a portion of the mechanism viewed from the rear of the machine; Fig. 9 is a rear elevation of a part ot' the lower portion of the apparatus; Fig. 10 is an enlarged vertical section ot the lower portion of the apparatus; Fig. Il is a plan view of a portion of the same; Fig. l2 is a detail sectional view, taken on the line I J of Fig. ll; Fig'. 13 is a detail perspective view ot' one of the bell mechanisms; Fig. let is a detail sectional view of portions of the registering devices and their cooperating parts; Fig. l5 is a plan view, the casing being in section, of one end of the upper part of the apparatus; Fig. 1G is a detail sectional view, taken on the line K L of Fig. l0; Fig. 17 is a detail view of a part ot' the apparatus, viewed from the rear and illustrating the relative arrangementoif the locking rods ot one group of candidates; Fig. 1S is a perspective view of one' of the registers; Fig. 19 is a similar view with portions of the mechanisms removed; Fig. 20 is a detail view, partly in section, of one of the register wheels; Figs. 2l and 22 are, respectively, an end view and a rear elevation of the locking devices whereby the mechanisms for recordino` the independentvotes are secured in position in the machine; Fig. 23 is a detail plan view ol a portion of the mechanism by which the main operating lever is connected with the mechanism ot' the inachine; Fig. 24 is a perspective view, illustrating the connections of the limited suffrage lever with the mechanism operated thereby, and Fig. 25 is a vertical sectional view of one of the casings.

Referring first to the general arrangement of the machine, it will be observed that it comprises a suitable inclosing` casing 1, to be hereinafter more particularly described, the face or front of said cas` ing being provided with push buttons arranged in both horizontal and vertical rows. Any desired number of these buttons may be employed, according to the number of otlices to be filled and the number of candidates for each ol'lice. Each vertical row of push buttons is assigned to the several candidates for one given oliice, each candidate having a separate push button, while each horizontal row is assigned to the several candidates for the different otlices of the saine party. Each push button is provided with a separate coperating register, and each vertical steerage of push buttons is so combined and arranged that, when any one of the buttons of the vertical row has been operated, it becomes impossible to operate any other one in that vertical row until the machine has been re-set. Thus, under normal conditions, it is impossible for the voter to vote for more than one candidate for any given otlice.

l will first describe so much of the ma chine as relates to the operation of voting for a duly nominated candidate for a given o'tlice. The push button, which is indicated at 2, is provided with a shank or stein 3, which slides in a bearing l in the frame or casing of the machine, and is preferably provided at its inner end with a button or enlargement y o indicates a normally stationary shaft, extending the length of the machine, and serving to support the various registers which cooperate with the corresponding horizontal line of push buttons, or, in other words, the registers for the several candidates of any one party. These registers may be of any suitable construction, but l prefer the particular form shown, and which is illustrated in detail in Figs. 13 to 2O of the drawings. ln this construction the shaft G is shown provided with a series of indicator wheels 7, each wheel being provided with a toothed actuating wheel 3 rotating in unison with it. tiounted to rotate on the shaft 6 is a sleeve 7, provided with an arin 31, which projects into the path of the inner end of the stein of the push button 2, so that, when this latter is pushed inward, the sleeve 7d will be rotated or rocked on the shaft (3. 'EC his sleeve is provided with an arm 9, which carries the actuating pawls for the indicator wheels. To this end it is provided with a pivot pin 10, on which is mounted a plate 11, having a spring 12, which forces the pawl fingers 13 toward the toothed actuating wheels S. lt will be observed that the pawls 13 are set at different angles, as indicated in Fig. 7, and it will also be observed that each actuating wheel S is provided with a notch or recess 1l. The arrangement is such that the pawl of the units wheel, when in contact with the periphery of said wheel, will hold the other pawls out of contact with their actuating wheels. But when the pawl of the units wheel enters the notch 1li, it moves toward the shaft G to an extent sufficient to permit the pawl of the next or tens wheel to engage with its actuating wheel, and, similarly, when these two pawls both enter the notches of their actuating wheels, then the pawl of the hundreds wheel engages. The wheels are prevented from rotating backward by means of dogs 15, carried by arms 1G, attached to stationary sleeves 17, said sleeves being` held Istationary by means of an arm 13, which extends upward from one of the sleeves 1T and is notched or recessed at its upper end, as shown at 19, to embrace a shaft 20, to be hereinafter referred to, and which extends the length of the machine above and parallel with the shaft G. The shaft G is provided with a shoulder Q1, and each of the indicator wheels is provided with. a pin 22, which is forced toward the shaft G by means of a spring Q3, so that, while the indicator wheels are free to turn on the shaft .in the direction in which they are intended to nieve, they can all be quickly and readily set back to Zero by turning the shaft 6 in the saine direction.

The sleeve 7 is provided with an arm 2l, and this arm is pivotally connected at 25 to a clip 2G, secured to a rod 2T. rlhese rods, which are clearly shown in Fig. S of the drawings, are of inverted U-shape in form, extending upward to the top of the machine, where they pass through a suitable guide support. rllhis shape of the rods enables ine to give to both arms thereof such a length below their guide support as to provide sufticient flexibility of their lower ends to permit of the connections and movements hereinafter referred to. ln the present instance l have shown this guide support as consisting of a tubular rod or bar 23, extending the length of the machine near the top 'thereof and apertured for the passage of the two members of each rod. 'l he rods cooperating with the vertical series of push buttons forni a group, and the construction is such that, when one rod of a group is depressed, none of the other rods can be depressed, so that, when one push button of any vertical series has been operated, no other push button of that series can be operated until the machine is re-set. rlhe rods of each group are arranged side by side, as shown in Fig. 3, and in Fig. 17 l have illustrated the manner in which the *arious arms Q4; may be modified with relation to the sleeve 7, so as to permit

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