US2514174A - Totalizator kegistes - Google Patents

Description

July 4, 1950 c. w. ADSHEAD TOTALIZATORREGISTER Filed Mardh 1, 1948 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 July 4, 1950 c. w. ADSHEAD 2,514,174

TOTALIZATOR REGISTER I Filed March 1, 194a 4 Sheets-Sheet s f/WEVWA CHMMS WWO July 950 v c. w. ADSHEAD 2,514,174

TOTALIZATOR REGISTER Filed March 1, 1948 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 JJM'JJJZ "nl' @I 4 luv ug Patented July 4, 1950 UNITED z di i ll i STATES PATENT OFFICE TGTALIZATOR REGISTEE Application March 1, 1948, Serial No. 12,221 In Great Britain March 7, 194.7

Claims.

invention relates to counting or summing units of the type used at present in totalisators, and comprising for each denomination of the total, a rotatable toothed escapement wheel constantl urged for rotation, a pallet lever movable in response to increments in the denomination and arranged to control such rotation of the escapement wheel to permit rotation thereof by one tooth for each increment in the denomination and an indicating drum bearing numbers or other equivalent indicia (e. g. letters) rotatable under the control of the escapement wheel to show, at a viewing position, the number or the equivalent corresponding to the total of the denomination counted or summed.

Counting or summing units of the above type as previously constructed form parts of large totalisators and the indicating drums which are of substantial dimensions and carry figures of large size are rotated under the mechanical or electrical control of the escapement wheel but are not driven thereby. The present invention consists in an improved and simplified unit of the above type suitable for use in smaller instal lations in which the figures or the equivalent must be readily visible at a distance of a few yards but do not need to be of the considerable size required for large totalisators.

The invention provides in the preferred form, a counting or summing unit of the type described in which the indicating drum is directly driven from the escapement wheel aforesaid through. gearing. The movements of the drum have, in practice, to be executed rapidly and it is found that even with a lightly constructed drum there is considerable shock load on the gearing and escapement wheel when the drum is stopped after each movement. With the object of reducing this inertia load the gear drive preferably in eludes a shock absorbing device. The shock absorbing device may comprise a resiliently mounted intermediate gear in the drive, which intermediate gear may be mounted on a spring controlled arm for rotation about the centre of rotation of one or other of the gears with which it meshes the extent of rotation of the arm being so limited that the intermediate gear remains in mesh with the two gears.

The escapement wheel may be urged for rotation from a constantly rotating driving shaft or other member through a slipping friction clutch, there being one such clutch for each denomination. When the unit is to be used for counting or summing events (e. g. the sale of totalisator tickets) which may on occasion recur 2 in rapid succession, it is preferred to include in at least the drive from the slipping clutch to the escapement wheel of lowest denomination a spring loaded lost motion driving connection so constructed that on release of the escapement wheel by the pallet lever the spring urges the escapement wheel to rotate ahead of the driven clutch member to the limit permitted by the pallet lever and the clutch member is then driven through the clutch and lost motion connection to catch up with the escapement wheel.

The driving member of each friction clutch may carry numbers of other indicia corresponding to those on the drum to constitute an operators check.

One specific embodiment of a counting or summing unit according to the invention will now be described by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a rear elevation of the unit with the back plate removed;

Figure 2 is a sectional view on the line 2-?. in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a side view of the unit;

Figure 4 is a view showing the back plate;

Figure 5 shows a detail of construction;

Figure 6 shows a further detail of construction;

Figure 7 shows a still further detail of construction, and

Figure 8 is a part View in the direction of the arrow 8 in Figure 2.

The unit forming the subject of this example is intended for use in a totalisator for counting tickets issued from between siX and twelve issuing machines, the total showing three denominations (i. e. units, tens and hundreds). The unit comprises a frame l consisting of two side plates held in spaced relationship by three bolts 3 serving as distance pieces. The rear of the frame is provided with a vertical plate 4 (later referred to as the back plate) extending between the side plates. Two shafts 5 and 6 also extend between the side plates. The shaft 5 is fixed, is positioned slightly to the front of the centres of the side plates and carries three drums l for rotation on the shaft. The other shaft, s, is rotatably mounted in bearings 8 positioned between the back plate and the drum shaft. This rotatable shaft is the driving shaft and is constantly rotated (e. g. by an electric motor) at uniform speed during the whole of the period that the unit is in operation. Spaced along the driving shaft there are three slipping friction clutches appropriated to the three denominations respectively and arranged to tend to transmit the rotary movement of the shaft to three driving gear wheels 9 mounted for rotation on the shaft. Each of these gear-Wheels is in driving engagement with a gear I!) attached to one of the three drums 1 respectively through an intermediate gear I l of substantial diameter. Secured to one side face of each gear 9 is a plate l2 forming the driven member of the associated friction clutch and also having a peripheral flange l3 which bears numbers corresponding to the'numbers on the corresponding drum to .provide. an operators check of the numbers shown to theppubl-icson the drum. The driving member of each clutch consists of a friction plate M which is pressed axially of the shaft into engagementwiththe driven plate l2 within the flangebyahelical spring surrounding the shaft and abutting against a ring l6 adjustably screw on to a shoulder I i fixed on the shaft. .A looking ring I 8 also screwed -to the shoulder serves to retain the abutment ringin its position ofadjustment. The driving clutch plate has driving pins l9 fitting into holes in the adjacentend .face of the aforesaid shoulder.

In the case of the hundreds denomination there is an escapement wheel which is directly attached to the. associated driving gear 9 for positive rotation'therewith.

The units andtens denomination driving gears are each positively connected, as shown in detail in Figure 5, by a sleeve 2! on the shaft to a disc 22 spaced from the gear. In the space between the gear and the disc is an escapement wheel 23 rotatably mounted .on the sleeveand urged to rotate ahead of the discand gear (in the direction of rotation of the driving. shaft as shown by the arrow in Figure 2) by a" spiral springZG. 'One end of the spring is attached to the disc'ZZ by a pin 25- and the other.end to the escapement by a pin 26. The escapement wheel carries a further pin 25a which abuts against the pin 'ZS-and the arrangement is such that the abutting pins serve to transmit thendrive from .the friction clutch and gear-to the escapement wheel while permitting the escapement wheel to over-run the drive, to a limited extent,.under the action of the spiral spring 24.

One of the aforesaid distance pieces 3 is positioned below thedriving shaft 5 (as .shownland serves as a fulcrum for three pallet levers 3U appropriated to the three escapementwheels. Each pallet leverhasthree radial armsapproximately .120" apart. Two of the arms carry thev pallets 3 l, 32 for .co-operation with the escapement wheel and the thirdarm 33, which is directed downwardly, servesas an attachment for a tension return spring for the lever. In the case of the units lever this third-arm also carries an armature 34 for co-operation withan lelectromagnet 35 secured to the cross-bar laterdescribed. Each leveris attached to .one end ofone of three sleeves 36 rotatable onthe distance piece, and atithe other end of each of the sleevesassociated with the tens and hundreds levers there is an upwardly eX- tending arm 31 which co-operates with two sector-shaped pins :38 spaced 180 apart onthe side face of the'aforesaiddisc 22 appropriated to the tachedto'thetens pallet lever is rocked by one of one of the pins tooperate Ithe escapement one tooth and similarlyat each half-revolution of the tens disc the hundred pallet lever is rockedto op- '10 The numbers are approximately 2" high. The

gear ratio is 2:1 (i. e. the drums rotate twice for each revolution of the driving gears) and in order that thenumbers on the driven members 13 of thefriction clutches may correspond with those on the drums the former are repeated around the clutch members. The intermediate gears H are .carriedon arms 41 rotatably supported on the drum shaft 5 and urged downwardly by springs 42 extending from pins 43 on the arms to pins on uprights 44 from a cross-bar 45 which extends between the side plates and is secured thereto. The uprights-44 have notches 46 which loosely embrace the arms 4! carrying the gears to limit the freedom of rotation of the arms.

The operation of the device is as follows: The

issue of a ticket at any one of the issuing machines causes an electrical impulse to be transmitted through appropriate separating and accumulating devices to the electromagnet to cause it to attract the armature and to rock the units pallet lever. This permits the spiral spring to -drive the units escapement wheel one tooth. This movement of the escapement wheel carries the wheel ahead of the friction clutch drive. On completion of the movement the clutch drive continues to rotate thedriving gear and through the gear train to rotate the units drum until the movement is stopped by the clutch member catching up with. the escapement wheel, the movement of the drum being suificient to change .the numbers visible to the public through a viewing aperture by one unit. The drums are, as already mentioned, of light construction but the in- -ertia load on stopping the drum is substantial. This loadmay causebouncing at the escapement unless it is reduced and it is for this purpose that the intermediate gear-is resiliently mounted on the rotatable arm. When the driving gear is stopped by the escapement wheel the inertia load of the drums is absorbed, wholly or to an appreciable extent, by the spring controlling the arm which allows the intermediate gear to rise until stopped by the engagement of the arm with the top of the notch in the upright. The degree of movement permitted to the-intermediate gear is not sufiicient to allow the gear to come out of mesh with the driving gear.

When the tenthticketiis issued one of the pins on the side face of the unitsdisc comes into contact with the arm associated with the tens pallet lever and rocks that lever to cause rotation ofthe tens drum one'unit in manner similar to that in which the unit drum is'rotated. -The hundreds drum is operated from the tens unit in the same way except that as there is no spiral spring in the hundreds driving connection the escapement wheel is rotated directly'from the friction clutch.

In order to facilitate the operation of the device each pallet lever. has a'resetting lever 551.comsisting of a rod attached to the lever near the fulcrum and .extendingrearwardly through the back plate. When it isdesired to reset any drum to zero this rod is depressed by hand the appropriate number of timesup'to nine to operate the pallet lever to passthe required number of escapement teeth.

Each of the return springs 34 for the pallet levers is attached to a tensioning adjustment screw 5| provided with a knurled adjusting nut 52 on the outside of the back plate. An adjustable stop screw 55 carried by the back plate is provided for each of the pallet levers to limit the return movements of the levers by the springs 34.

It is to be understood that the invention is not restricted to the application of the unit or the constructional details given in the above example. For instance the unit may be applied to the counting of a crowd passing one at a time through a number of different turnstiles or to the summing of the totals counted on other counting units. Further the unit may be used as an indicator (e. g. of a number required) rather than as a counter, if desired. Again the unit may be arranged to sum or count more than three denominations, there being a correspondingly increased number of drums and associated parts.

I claim:

1. A counting unit of the type used in totalisators and comprising for at least one denomination of the total; a driving member arranged for continuous rotation; a driven member; a frictional clutch driving connection between the two members capable of slip; an escapement mechanism to control rotation of the driven member and comprising a rotatable toothed escapement wheel, rotatable about a common axis with the driving and driven members and the clutch connection, and a pallet lever movable in response to increments in the denomination and arranged to permit rotation of the escapement wheel by one tooth for each increment in the denomination; an indicating drum bearing indicia and rotatable about a second axis parallel to the first mentioned axis; a gear drive from the driven member to the drum; a shock absorbing device in the gear drive; and a spring-loaded lost-motion connection between the driven member and the escapement wheel comprising two abutments on the member and wheel respectively arranged to abut to limit relative movement between the member and wheel and a spring connecting the member and wheel, rotatable therewith, and urging the wheel to rotate ahead of the driven member, the arrangement being such that the friction drive tends to maintain the abutments in abutting relation so that the escapement wheel prevents rotation of the driven member and that on release of the escapement wheel by the pallet lever the spring urges the escapement wheel to rotate ahead of driven member to the limit permitted by the pallet lever and the driven member is then driven through the clutch connection to catch up with the escapement wheel until the abutments re-engage and at the same time to rotate the drum.

2. A counting unit as claimed in claim 1 in which the shock-absorbing device comprises a resiliently mounted intermediate gear in the drive.

3. A counting unit as claimed in claim 2 in which the intermediate gear is mounted on a spring-controlled arm for rotation about the center of rotation of one of the two gears with which it meshes.

4. A counting unit as claimed in claim 3 and including means for so limiting the extent of rotation of the arm that the intermediate gear remains in mesh with the two gears.

5. A counting unit as claimed in claim 1 in which there is more than one denomination and in which each denomination has parts rotatable about parallel axes as defined in claim 1 and in which the axes are common to the several denominations.

CHARLES WILLIAM ADSHEAD.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 48,927 Giroud July 25, 1865 284,755 Pidgin et a1 Sept. 11, 1883 302,953 Smith Aug. 5, 1884 1,280,754 Julius Oct. 8, 1918 1,293,392 Fassa Feb. 4, 1919 1,403,182 Maturin Jan. 10, 1922 1,544,860 Reisbach Jul '7, 1925 1,744,259 Carlson Jan. 21, 1930 1,864,348 Given June 21, 1932 1,947,543 Kellogg Feb. 20, 1934 2,824,778 Julius et al July 20, 1943 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 307,413 Great Britain Apr. 4, 1929

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