US1693753A - Computing machine - Google Patents

Description

Dec. 4, 1928.

F. A. HART COMPUTING MACHINE Fil d Jan, 6, 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet lllllllllllllllll ATTORNEY De."4,"192& 1393.753

F. A. HART couruwma MACHINE Filed Jan. 1926 2 Sheets-She 2 6a 65 I. I

WITNESSES INVENTOR. 9 dW #LM. 0.

" BY M T M441.

ATTORNEY Patented Dec. 4, 1928.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FREDERICK A. HART, OF NEW BRITAIN,

CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR ,TO REMINGTON ACCOUNTING MACHINE CORPORATION, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

Application filed January My invention relates to computing ma chines and especially to combined typewriting and computing machines. I

My invention has for its principal ()l)](.0.t to provide means whereby subtraction or the writing and substracting out of totals can be done more rapidly and with shorter movements of the hands and with less distraction of the operators attention from her work than has been possible with most of the machines of this character heretofore.

My invention is shown applied to a Remr ington accounting machine, designed for adding upa column of figures on a b1ll and for writing the total at the foot of the column. I provide a subtract key in the typewriter keyboard where it may be operated as rapidly as one of the letter keys, and this key is preferably connected with the ink ribbon mechanism of the typewriter so as to write subtracted numbers in red. Means are also provided whereby when this key is struck with the finger the computing and bi-color mech-' anisms are retained in subtract and red positions until the number has been subtracted and whereby they are automatically restored to normal by the movement of the carriage.

One instance of my invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, all of which are fragmentary in character, showing only so much of a Remington accounting machine as is necessary to an understanding of the application of my invention thereto.

Fig. 1 is a plan View.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a portion of my mechanism.

Fig. 3 is a left-hand side elevation with parts in section on the line 3 of Fig. 1, and showing the mechanism in normal position.

Fig. 4 is a similar View, showing portions of the mechanism but with said mechanism in substract position.

The Remington accounting machine in its ordinary features is fully shown and described in the patent to lVahl No. 1,270,471, dated June 25, 1918, which patent, however, shows a cross footing mechanism which is not included in the present machine.

Of the typewriting machine, the drawings show the top plate having standards 11, supporting stationary rails 12 on which by roller bearings 13 the carriage l l'travels right and left. This carriage supports a platen 15 COMPUTING MACHINE.

6, 1926. Serial No. 79,613,

' black stripe 18 and a lower red stripe 20.

The types 16 are operated by printing keys 21, inc uding'humeral keys. The color of the printing is controlled by mechanism well known in the art and which includes among other things a rock shaft 22 which at its forward end is journaled in a plate 23. 24, Fig. 1, represents the shape and position of a frame post of the typewriter, to which the plate 23 is secured.

The specific machine partially illustrated in the drawing bears in some respect a general resemblance'tethat described in the patent to Barney for typewriting machine, No. 1,473,920, November 13, 1923; that is to say, the machine is especially constructed for writing the toll bills of a telephone company, these being rather narrow bills, on which are written data including a column of figures, which column in the present instance is nearer to theright-hand side of the bill than is shown in the Barney patent. The right and left-hand travel of the carriage is limited by means including two stops 25 and 26, these being secured to a bar 27 which is fastened on top of the front rail of the carriage 14, and which has secured to it av sheet metal plate 28 and a rather wide cover plate 30. This particular machine is also equipped with an electric carriage. leturn of the sort described in my application, Sr. 7213, filed Feb. 6. 1925. now Patent No. 1.567.590, dated Dec. 29, 1925. The carriage return mecha' nism includes an electric motor conventionally represented at 29 in Fig. 1. A stationary bracket 31 is secured to the rail 12 and has passing through it two rods 32-and 33, each capable of sliding right and left. The rod carries an arm 34, adapted to be struck by the margin stop 26 at the end of the leftward travel of the carriage, and thereby moved slightly leftward until it and thecarriage are arrested by the bracket 31. The leftward motion of the rod 32 brought about in this Way, brings into action the electric motor 29 which returns the carriage to the right and line spaces the paper. The rightward motion of the carriage is arrested by the stop 25 striking an arm 35 rigid on the slide rod 33, and forcing said (ill arm and rod rightward until they and the carriage are arrested by the bracket 31. The rightward motion of the rod 33 checks the travel of the carriage and disables the motor.

My invention is very useful in the particular telephone toll machine described but it is of course not limited in its application thereto.

The typewriting mechanism also includes a carriage release key 36.

The computing mechanism comprises a main frame piece or casting 37 which is secured by two brackets 38 to the top plate 10 of the typewriter frame. In the present in stance these brackets are shown cast integrally with said frame. Various frame plates are secured to said casting and project forwardly therefrom, of which two, 40 and 41 appear in the drawing, the latter being the extreme left-hand one. The actuator also has various cover plates, of which two, 42 and 43 appear in the drawing. The actuating mechanism is operated by the numeral printing keys 21 which through a reversible change gear mechanism operate amaster wheel 44, which in turn operates the wheels of a vertical totalizer 45. Said totalizer is mounted on a truck 46, which by means of brackets 47 and screws 48 isconnected to travel right and left with the typewriter carriage.

The machine is normally set for addition and it can be-set for subtraction by moving rightward a rod 50 slidably mounted in the frame plates 40 and 41. Said rod has a stud 51 projecting into a cam slot 52 in a cylindrical flange 53 of a lever 54, which lever may be called a reversing device for the computer. It is pivoted at 55 to the frame plate 41 and is guided and its rocking motion is limited by a fixed stud 56, passing through a slot 57 in it. This lever 54 is held in its normal or add position by means of a spring 58 and it can be rocked to a subtract position by means of a link 60, pivoted at its upper end to an arm of the lever 54, and at its lower end to an arm 61 of a bail 62, which bail is secured to the rock shaft 22 which controls the color of the printing. In the present instance said bail is fastened by means of a screw 63 to a hub 64 which is secured on the shaft 22 by means of a set screw 65.

On said hub 64 there is an arm 66 which is connected by a vertical link 67 with a subtract ke lever 68 carrying on its forward end a su tract key 70 which is located-in the keyboard of the typewriter adjacent one end of the row of numeral keys so that it can be struck by the finger of the operator the same as one of the printing keys. The construction is such that if this key 70 be depressed the shaft 22 will be rocked to set the ribbon mechanism to print in red, and the lever 54 will be rocked to set the computing mechanism for subtraction. The Remington machine is equipped with an index or pointer 71 which moves over a plate 69 secured to the front post 24 to indicate the setting of the color mechanism and the add and subtract mechamsm.

In order to retain the subtract key temporarily in its depressed position a latch lever 72 is provided, said lever being pivoted at 73 to the frame plate 41 and acted on by a spring I 74. This lever 72 has in it a notch forming an abrupt shoulder 7 5, and the lever 54 has an car 76 bent off therefrom so that when the subtract key 70 is struck the latch lever 72 is snapped up, the shoulder engaging the lug 7 6 and retaining the lever position as shown in'Fig. 4. T he lever 72 is prolonged toward the front of the machine and provided with a button struck by the operators finger to release the latch if desired.

In the ordinary operation of the machine, however, this latch is released automatically without any thought or attention on the part of the operator. To this end the latch lever 72 is made in bell crank form with an arm 78 which extends upward in front of the top plate 10 and has at its upper end a rearward extension 80 which as shown in the present instance is guided in a slot 7 9, Fig. 1, cut for the purpose in the bracket 38.

A releasing lever 81 lies against the under su face of the front stationary carriage rail 12, to which its right-hand end is pivoted at 82. This lever is guided and partially supported and its rocking motion is limited by a stud 83 secured to the rail 12 and projecting through a slot 84 in the lever, this stud having a head which holds the free end of the lever against dropping downward. A spring 85 secured at one end to a prolongation of the fixed stud 83 and at the other end to astud 86 projecting downward from the lever 81, tends to restore the lever to its rear position when it has been deflected forward. The left-hand or free end of this lever lies behind the rear end of the projection 80 of the latch lever 72. The lever 81 is of sheet metal, its outline as viewed from above displaying a 'sort of hump or rearward projection 87 of a general inverted V-shape and having inclined sides adapted to be acted on cam fashion by a wiper consisting of a stud 88, projecting downward from the front rail of the carriage 14. The construction is such that whenever in its travel in either direction said carriage passes a certain "point, the stud 88 acting on the hump 87 will deflect the lever 81 toward the front of the machine, and said lever acting on the projection 80 of the latch lever 72 will momentarily actuate said latch lever to release the lever 54 and allow the latter to be restored by its spring 58 to its normal or add position. The restoration of the lever 54 will result in rocking the shaft 22 to position to write in black, and will result also in the subtract key 70 returning to 54 in subtract 77 which can be ion normal position. In the present instance the wiper 88 is so positioned as to trip the latch 72 when the carriage passes a point between the beginning of a line and the beginning of the adding column.

The mode of operation of this machine as a whole is such, as to lend itself to turning out bills with great ease and dispatch. When a bill is inserted in the machine, the operator writes one line after another on it with practically nothing to do but to operate the keys. When the carriage reaches the end of its travel it automatically goes back to begin a new line, and at the same time the line space mechanism is operated. In the course of writing the bill the amounts of charges are automatically added in the totalizer 45, and when all of said amounts have been entered the carriage immediately goes back to normal position and line spaces the paper. The operator then sets the carriage to the computing column and with hardly a pause merely taps the subtract key 70 with her finger which sets the machine for subtract and to print in red. She then copies the total from the totalizer 45, which restores said totalizer to zero. The carriage then automatically moves back to its right-hand position and in doing so the stud 88 striking the lever 81 unlatehes the subtract mechanism and restores it and the color mechanism to normal, thus putting the machine in condition to start the next bill without any thought or attention on the part of the operator.

Various changes may be made in the details and arrangements without departing from my invention. I

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. In a combined typewriting and computing machine having printing instrumentali-' ties including keysand types for printing numerals, a carriage, and computing mechanism reversible for subtraction, the combination of a depressible subtract key in the typewriter keyboard, a computerreversing device operated by said key, means for retaining said reversing device in subtract position, and means whereby the return of the carriage releases said reversing device.

2. In a typewriting mechanism including a carriage and computing mechanism having an actuator provided with a reversing device for setting the said actuator for subtraction, the combination of a subtract key, said key connected to operate said reversing device, a latch lever for said reversing device swinging in a vertical plane, a second lever swinging in-a horizontal plane, and a wiper on the typewriter carriage for deflecting said second lever, said second lever-acting when so deflected to release said latch and to allow the mechanism to be restored to condition for addition.

3. In a typewriting mechanism including a carriage and computing mechanism having a reversing device settable to cause the computing mechanism to add and to subtract, the combination of a latch for said reversing device, said latch having the form of a twoarmed lever, one arm of said lever projecting forward where it can be released by hand, and the other arm of said lever projecting upward, and a releasing device operated by the typewritercarriage and acting on said upwardl projecting arm.

Signe at the borough of Manhattan, city of New York, in the county ofNew York and State of New-York, this 30th day of December, A. D. 1925.

FREDERICK A. HART?

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