US1290432A - Attachment for adding-machines. - Google Patents

Description

J. L. WALKER.

ATTACHMENT FOB ADDING MACHINES.

APPLlCATlON FILED AUG.2I. T916.

Patented Jan. 7,1919.

3 $HEETSSHEET1 J. L- WALKER.

ATTACHMENT FOR ADDING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED AUG-21,1915. 1,290,432. Patented Jan. 7, 1919.

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ATTACHMENT FOR ADDING MACHTNES.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.2I. 1916.

1,290,432. Patented Jan. 7,1919.

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8 vwemtoz vyz/fst UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE. A

JACK L. WALKER, OF DALLAS, TEXAS.

ATTACHMENT FOR ADDING-MA CHINES.

' Specification of Letters Patent.

Applicationfiled August 21, 1916. Serial No. 115,986..

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JACK L. WALKER, citizen of the United States, residing at Dallas, in the county of Dallas and State of Texas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Attachments for Adding-Machines, of which the following is a specification.

Adding machines are usually made in two types, those which add but do .not print or list the sums, and those which both add and list the sums.

My invention contemplates an attachment which may be connected with either type of machine and constructed to print or list the sums as they are listed or accumulated by the adding machine. Where the adding machine lists the sums the attachment will form a duplicate listing device so that sums which are added and listed by the machine, may at the same time be printed or listed on a separate sheet of paper or form fed to the attachment. If the adding machine does not listthe sums, the may be listed by the attachment.

11 carryingout the invention I propose to arrange a printing device constructed with adjustable printing units so that the units may be adjusted by connection with those elements of the adding machine which are adjusted to list or add the sums whereby the printing units will print the same amount as is added by the machine. I

Itis quite obvious that this invention may be reduced to practice'in various forms and the manner of operating it is likewise capable of considerable variation. I

As an illustration of the invention I have shown an attachment adapted to be arranged at the side of a listing adding machine and. having a plurality of number printing wheels. Means for adjusting the wheels so that they will print the same numbers as the adding machine, is connected to the typebar carriers of the adding machine. The attachment is pivoted and means is provided and operated by the machine for swinging the printing wheels downward so as to print the numbers at substantiallythe same time as they are printed by the machine. The attachment also includes various other elements which will be more specifically pointed out.

The invention will be more readily undering drawing in which an example of the in vention is shown, and wherein:

Figurel is a side elevation of an adding machine with an embodiment of my invention in position at the side thereof.

Fig. 2 is a plan View of the same,

Fig. 3 is a detail of the ribbon feed,

Fig. 4 isa longitudinal sectional view of the attachment,

Fig. 5 is a detail locking and tripping means, and Fig. 6 is a Cetail of the shaft rocking means.

In the drawings the numeral 1 designates a horizontal supporting frame mounted at one side on angular legs 2 and 3 respectively and overhanging a carrier 4. The legs are secured to the usual shelf 5 which is mounted at one side of the adding machine 6. From the outer side of the frame and opposite the leg 2, an arm 7 depends. The rear end of the carrier is pivoted to the leg 2 and the arm 7 as indicated at 8. The carrier is rectangular in plan and has near its forward end a transverse shaft 9 fixed against rotation. A plurality of disks or wheels 10 are loosely confined on this shaft and each carries at one side a small pinion 11, which acts to revolve the wheel to which it is attached. Each wheel has on its periphery numerical character 'ranging from zero to nine, but between the zero and the nine there is a gap such as is common in numbering machines.

The wheels are normally disposed with their gaps downward so that if the carrier was depressed, no character would be printed. Longitudinal rack bars 12 are arranged within the cari ier and have their forward ends engaging on the pinions 11. These bars are also supported intermediate their ends on pinions 13 mounted on a fixed transverse shaft 14. Each rack bar carries on its upper side and at its rear end a stepped stop lug which has steps or stops 16 on its face equal in number to number of characters on a wheel. A detent 17 is positioned in the path of each lug and according to its elevation limits the forward movement of the rack bar correlated therewith, the parts being so timed that the movement of the rack bar the distance of one step is sufficient to revolve the correlated wheel the peripheral distance from one character to the next character.

Each rack bar 12 has a depending arm 18 to which the rear end of a coiled spring 19 is attached, the forward ends of said springs being attached to a cross bar 20. These springs act to pull the bars 12 forward and revolve the pinions 11. The bars are held against forward movement by a yoke 21 having its cross bars 22 in the path of the arms 18 and the lower bars 22 acting to hold the arms. A pair of coiled springs 23 have their" forward ends attached to the inner sides of the carrier and their rear ends to the upper ends of the yoke 21 above the pivot point of the latter. The springs 23 are stronger than the springs 19 and overcome the latter so that the bars 12 are returned to their normal positions. A transverse stop rod 24 impinged by the arms 18 limits the rearward or return IDOWBH'IQDt of the rack bars 12. a

The detents 17 depend from the forward ends of bell-crank levers 25 pivoted on a cross shaft 26, the opposite leg of each lever being attached to one end of acoiled spring 27 which has its opposite end attached to a cross bar 28 secured in the carrier. These springs act to swing the levers so that detents are elevated and means hereinafter described is provided for controlling the swing of the levers and consequently the elevation of the detents. On the vertical portion of each lever 25 a forwardly projecting finger 29 is provided. A plurality of latches 30 are pivoted on a cross shaft 31 mounted in the carrier and each engages a finger 29 so as to be raised thereby when the lever is swung. Each latch is forced downward by a coiled spring 32 attached thereto and coiled-about the shaft 31 to which they are also secured, as shown in de tail in Fig. 5. i

Each latch depends normally into the path of a keeper 34 projecting up from the rear end of the correlated rack bar 12 and acts to prevent the forward movement of said rack bar when the yoke is swung, unless said latch is raised. I have shown five number wheels and vtheir component parts and the wheel nearest the adding machine would be termed the right hand wheel and the other wheels therefore would be spoken of as the wheels to the left. The gaps of the wheels being in printing position it is obvious that where a number otherthan zero is to be printed to the left of one or more wheels to the right thereof, said wheels to the right must be revolved so as to print zero unless individually adjusted to print a number. For instance if it is desired to print 400 it is merely necessary to bring the 4 on the third wheel to left into printing position if the wheels to the right are adjusted to each print zero. To carry out this feature each latch 30 has a laterally projecting finger 33, except the latch at the eX- treme. right. Each finger projects to the right and engages under the next adjacent latch to the right which it lifts when it is lifted by the latch to which it is attached. It will be seen that if the latch 30 to the extreme left was lifted all the latches to the right would be lifted. The detents 17 are spaced ahead of the lugs 15 sufiiciently to permit the bars 12 to move forward far enough'to revolve the wheels to print Zero when the latches are lifted.

It is obviousthat various devices for inking the wheels could be provided and I have shown as an illustration an inking ribbon 36 mounted on spools 37 and passing down each side of the carrier and under the same transversely of the number wheels. bars 38 extend longitudinally of the carrier on each side thereof and have their rear ends pivoted on ears 39 depending from the side of the carrier. These bars support the ribbon as shown and are supported by spring pressed uprights 41 surrounded by coiled springs 40 yieldably holding the bars as shown. IVhen the carrier is swungdown the bars yield upward. One of the uprights 40 is extended and attached to a yoke 42 loosely hinged on the shaft of one of the spools. A ratchet 43 is secured to the shaft of the spool and engaged by a spring pawl 44 mounted on the yoke as is shown in detail in Fig. 3. The ratchet is held against backward movement by a pawl 45. The operation of the yoke and pawl and ratchet is obvious.

- In the drawings I have shown a type of adding machine which has vertically movable type-bar carriers 50. These bars are displaced upwardly a sufficient distance to bring the proper type bar. or printing plunger into position to be operated to print the desired number. It is obvious that in all adding machines there are parts which are moved either to print certain numbers or to add the same by operating accumulating wheels. In operating my attachment it is only required that connection be had with some of these parts and it is not essential that the connection be made to the carrier 50.

In attaching to the style of adding machine shown I mount an arch member 51 over the type-bar carriers and pass wires 52 through the member. To each carrier a wire is secured. These wires pass through flexible tubes 53 which bear on the arch member and have their opposite ends bearing on a transverse supporting bar 54 mounted in the upper rear end of carrier 4. The tubes or sleeves cannot be displaced longitudinally and merely act as casings or housings for the wires. The opposite end of each wire is attached to the rear end of one of the levers 25, the springs 27 holding the wires taut. Proportionately as a carrier 50 is raised or elevated, the spring 27 of the correlated lever 25 swings the lever so that its detent 17 is elevated.

It will be seen that if a carrier is raised to the type bar for printing 9 into position, its correlated wire 52will be given sufficient slack to permit the spring 27 of the correlated lever 25 to swing said lever so that its detent 17 will be elevated as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 4:. With the detent in this position its lower end will be in the path of the highest step '16 which would permit the correlated rack bar 12 to move forward until said step engaged the detent.

For swinging the yoke 21 a wire 55 is attached to the one side of the yoke and passed through a bar 56 as shown in Fig. 4. The wire passes through a tube 57 which has its opposite end bearing against a housing 58 which I mount on the rear of the adding machine about the platen spacing arm 60. This wire is pulled so as to swing the upper end of the yoke 21 rearward and is moved in a direction opposite to that of the wires 52. It may be attached to any part of the adding machine having the necessary movement. As shown in Fig. 1 one end of the wire 55 passes through the housing and the plunger 59 which operates the platen arm 60. The end of the wire is headed and normally spaced from the part 59 to permit an initial movement of the latter without operating the wire. This is done to permit the carriers 50 to reach the limits of their movements before the yoke 21 is swung. By this arrangement the lever 25 may be adjusted and the latches lifted before the bars 12 are released.

The adjustment of the wheels whereby numbers printed or listed by the adding machine, are duplicated and would be printed when the carrier 4 was swung downward or depressed, but no means for deprcssing the carrier has been described. It is pointed out that the means for depressing the carrier would naturally depend upon the manner of operation of the adding machine. If the machine '21s manually operated. the attachment could be likewise operated or if the machine was electrically operated, the attachment could be electrically operated. I have not illustrated the former. but have shown the latter as an example.

()n the frame 1 and near its forward end I mount an arched frame ()1 on which a solenoid (32 is secured. The solenoid is provided with a depending armature 63 which is expelled when the solenoid is energized. The armature has its lower end attached to a cross bar (34 mounted on the carrier 4. \Vhen the solenoid is energized it will swing the carrier downward with a sharp movement whereby the characters on the wheels 10 will print through the ribbon 36 on whatever medium is placed on the shelf 5 there under. As a cushion a strike strip 35 is in laid on the shelf. For returning the carrier 1 provide an arm (56 extending from the rear end thereof and attached to the upper end of a coiled spring 67 which has its lower end secured to a. bracket 68 secured to and projecting from the rear edge of the shelf. This spring is under tension- For limiting the upward swing of the carrier 4 a stop screw 69 is mounted in the frame 1 in the path of the carrier.

Circuit wires A and B lead from the switch of the adding machine (not shown). The wire A. is connected with the solenoid 62 and the wire B leads to a binding post 70 of a spring contact 72 which lies over the latch 30 at the extreme right of the attachment, while a wire C leads from a post 71 on said latch. By this arrangement the circuit cannot be closed until'said latch is elevated so that one or more keys of the adding machine must be depressed before the attachment can be operated. Thus idle operations of the machine for spacing and other purposes will have no effect on the attachment.

The wire C leads to a contact 7 3 mounted on an angular support 7-t depending from the bracket 68. A spring held rock shaft 75 is mounted in the bracket and has a contact arm 76 fastened thereon and normally held away from the contact 73. \Vhen the shaft is rocked it is placed under the tension of its spring which returns it to normal po-- sition when the shaft is released. A stop arm 77 is fixed on end of the shaft and engages a stop screw 78. A wire I) leads from the arm 76 to the solenoid. The shaft 75 is rocked to bring the arm-7t) into engagement with the contact 73 by means of a dog 79 which engages in the notch of a disk 80 fixed on the shaft. This dog is pivoted on a lever 81 loosely mounted on the shaft. At the dog end of the lever a coiled spring 2 is attached thereto and has its opposite end secured to the support 74:; while to the opposite end of the lerer a wire 8% is sc-. cured which passes through the/part Tl. A flexible tube leads from the support and houses the wire. 'I he tube terminates at the part 58 but the wire passes through the same and is attached to the part 59. \Vhcn the part 59 moves inward it pulls the wire 84 which swings the lever 81 which through its dog 79 rotates the disk, wherebv the disk rocks the shaft 75 and closes the circuit. When the carrier 4 is depressed a chain 83 depending from the arm (3(3 pull-s the dog from the notch of the disk and per nuts the spring actuated shaft 43 to return i to normal and to swing the arm To from the 76 may be varied and the operation (011- trolled.

It will be readily comprehended that various well known mechanical devices could be substituted for the solenoid and switch and the manner of depressing the carrier 4 varied according to the conditions and desires of the manufacturer.

As an illustration of the operation of the attachment we will suppose that the operator has inserted a sheet of paper under the carrier 4 and has depressed the keys of the adding machine to add 20960. \Vhen the switch (not shown) of the adding machine is closed to set the parts of the latter in operation the carriers 50 will be elevated. The extreme left-hand carrier 50 will be elevated to bring the numeral 2 into printing position whereby the wire 52 attached to the extreme left-hand lever 25 will be moved sufficiently to allow the spring 27 to pull the lever downward so that the detent 17 at its opposite end will be elevated. The lower end of said detent will be positioned in the path of the third step 16 of its correlated lug 15. I

When the lever 25 is swung its finger 29 will lift the correlated latch 30 whereby the circuit will be closed through the contact 72 and at the same time all the other latches to the right will be lifted through the agency of the fingers 33. The rack bars 12 however will not be released as the yoke 21 is still in engagement with the arms 18. The second carrier 50 to the right and the extreme right-hand carrier 50 will not be elevated as Zero is the character to be printed, but the correlated rack bars 12, as before explained may move far enough to bring the zeros of their wheels 10 into printing position. The thirdcarrier 50 to the right will be elevated to its limit to bring the 9 into printing position; while the correlated lever 25 through its wire 52 will be swung to bring its detent 17 into the path of the tenth step of the lug 15. associated therewith. The fourth carrier to the right will be adjusted to bring the 6 into printing position and the correlated lever 25 will be ad justed in harmony therewith.

The carriers 50 having been elevated and the lovers 25 positioned the adding machine is ready to print. When the carriers 50 began their upward movement the part 59 of the adding machine started its inward movement whereby the wire 84 was pulled through the housing 58 and tube 85 and began swinging the contact arm 76 through the agency of the lever 81, dog '79, disk 80, and shaft 75. During the operation to the point described there has been no movement of the wire 55, but after the levers 25 are positioned the part 59 ei'igages the headed end of the wire and pulls the same, whereby the yoke 21 is swung and the springs 19 pern'iitted to draw the rack bars 12 forward until the various steps 16 of the lugs 15 impinge the detents 17. It is obvious that the wheels 10 will be revolved to bring the desired numerals and characters into printing position.

Just prior to the printing operation of the adding machine the contact arm 76 engages the contact 73 and closes the circuit through the solenoid 62, whereby the carrier -l is swung downward and 20960 printed on the sheet thereunder. As the carrier reaches the limit of its downward swing the chain 83 pulls the dog 79 from the notch of the disk and permits the spring actuated shaft 75 to swing the arm 76 back and break the contact so that the spring 67 may return the carrier upward until it strikes the stop 69. As soon as the printing operation of the adding machine is complete the carriers 50 are lowered and the part 59 withdrawn. The wires .32 will pull the levers 25 up to their normal positions and at the same time the wire 55 having been liberated, the springs 23 will return the yoke 21 whereby the rack bars will be returned and the wheels reversed to their normal posit-ion. /Vhen the levers 25 are restored the springs 32 swing the latches down into the path of the keepers 34 and the circuit will be broken at the contact 72.

\Vhat I claim, is:

1. In an exterior printing attachment for addin machines the combination with movable elements of an adding machine which are operated to perform additions, of a movable support, a plurality of adjustable printing units mounted on the support, means for adjusting the units to printing positions having provision for operative connection with said movable elements of the adding machine, and means for bodily moving the support to perform the printing operation.

In an auxiliary printing attachment for adding machines, the combination with movable elements of an adding machine which are operated to perform additions, of a plurality of printing elements, means for setting said elements to print numerals duplicating the additions accumulated in the adding machine, means operated by elements of the adding machine for limiting the operation of the setting means. means operated by the elements of the adding machine for releasing the setting means and acting to return the same to their normal position after they have performed their functions. and means operated through the agency of the adding machine whereby the printing elements print the sum added by the adding machine.

3. In an auxiliary printing attachment for addin machines, the combination with mow able e ements of an adding machine which are operated to perform additions and initing the setting means having positive connection with the carriers of the printing plungers, whereby the printing elements are v adjusted in harmony with the said carriers, means operated by the elements of the adding machine for releasing the setting means and acting to return thesame to their normal position after they have performed their functions, and means operated through the agency of the adding machine whereby the printing elements print the sum added by the adding machine.

4. In an auxiliary printing attachment for adding machines, the combination with the printing plunger carriers and other elements of an adding machine which are operated to perform additions, of a plurality of printing wheels each having a gap and normally in printing position, means for individually revolving the wheels to bring nu merals on their peripheries into printing position, said revolving means being under tension, stops for limitin the movement of the revolving means and avlng operative connection with the carriers of the adding machine, a release device operated by the adding machine to move out of the path of the re-.

volving means, and means for returnin the releasing means to restore the revo ving means to normal position.

5. In an auxiliary printing attachment for adding machines, the combination with movable elements of an adding machine which are operated to perform additions, of a plurality of printing wheels, means for revolving the Wheels to bring the proper numerals into printing position, displaceable members operated by the elements of the adding machine/for limiting the operation of the wheel revolving means, a swinging member normally holding the Wheel revolving means in restraint and operated by the elements of the adding machine and also acting to return the. wheel revolving means to its normal position after it has performed its function, and means operated through the agency of the adding machine whereby the printing wheels print the sum added by the adding machine.

6. In an auxiliary printing attachment for adding machines, the combination with the" movable elements of an adding machine which are operated to perform additions, of a plurality of printing wheels, means operated by the elements of adding machine for setting the wheels to printing positions, a support carrying the wheels and mounted to be displaced whereby the printing wheels erform their function, and mechanism for displacing the support including an electroma et, a switch for closing the circuit through the'magnet, means operated by the elements of the addlng machine" for closing the switch, means operated by the support for. releasing the switch to break the circuit, and means for returning the support to its normal position.

In testimony whereof I afiix my slgnature.

JACK L. WALKER.

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