US3733464A

US3733464A - Business machine

Info

Publication number: US3733464A
Application number: US00050064A
Authority: US
Inventors: K Oldenburg
Original assignee: Litton Business Systems Inc
Current assignee: Western Atlas Inc
Priority date: 1970-06-26
Filing date: 1970-06-26
Publication date: 1973-05-15
Anticipated expiration: 1990-05-15

Abstract

A cash register is provided with a flexible plastic digit tape to interconnect the cash register display with the selected depressed digit keys. The plastic digit tapes are very flexible and lightweight, and are operated to transmit force under tension to avoid binding and frictional forces. The digit tape is deflected down at the rear of the register to save space. The accumulator is moved down to engage the tape and to the rear to transfer to the display. Both the accumulator and the display assemblies have interleaved indicator wheels having different indications, with the wheel spacing and movement being unitarily related to the keyboard spacing. Light duty components and simple controls, compatible with the low inertia of the digit tapes are used throughout the cash register.

Description

[451 May 15,1973

1541 BUSINESS MACHINE [75] Inventor: Kenneth F. Oldenburg, Arcadia,

Calif.

[73] Assignee: Litton Business Systems, Inc., New

York, NY.

22 Filed: June 26,1970

21 Appl.No.: 50,064

[52] U.S. Cl. ..235/23 RC, 235/60 R, 235/7 R [51] llnt. Cl. ..G07g 1/00 [58] Field of Search ..235/23 R, 23 RC, 235/60 R, 6, 7 R, 2, 58 R [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,016,187 1/1962 Schenk ..235/60 R 1,883,853 10/1932 Bergmann ..235/60 R 1,945,589 2/1934 Bilde et al. ..235/2 2,066,669 1/1937 Bilde et al. ..235/9 2,355,637 8/1944 Faigle ..235/60 R 3,313,480 4/1967 Golemon ..235/60 R 7/1967 Styner ..235/23 RC 9/1970 Anderson ..235/59 Primary ExaminerRichard B. Wilkinson Assistgry t Exqrqiner-Stanley A. Wal

I, Attorriey-Aladcj Roseand Altred liflevine [5 7] ABSTRACT A cash register is provided with a flexible plastic digit tape to interconnect the cash register display with the selected depressed digit keys. The plastic digit tapes are very flexible and lightweight, and are operated to transmit force under tension to avoid binding and frictional forces. The digit tape is deflected down at the rear of the register to save space. The accumulator is moved down to engage the tape and to the rear to transfer to the display. Both the accumulator and the display assemblies have interleaved indicator wheels having different indications, with the wheel spacing and movement being unitarily related to the keyboard spacing. Light duty components and simple controls, compatible with the low inertia of the digit tapes are used throughout the cash register.

21 Claims, 29 Drawing Figures PATENTE HAY 1 5191s SHEET 5 BF 7 Mam z ma 504 d u M mi E Z m f BUSINESS MACHINE FIELD OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to business machines, such as cash registers which utilize a keyboard, and which have an indicator to display digital information.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION, INCLUDING BRIEF COMPARISON WITH PRIOR ART Instead of the rigid racks which are in general use to control the display in accordance with keyboard selection, the present business machine employs flexible plastic tapes. In the illustrative business machine, i.e. the cash register, described herein, these flexible plastic tapes have a mass which is about 1/250 of the mass of the usual racks which are employed, thus permitting the use of less power and mechanisms which require much less power handling capability. The tapes are advantageously operated to transmit power under tension, thus avoiding binding and increased friction. In addition, the flexible tapes may be diverted at the end of their travel to permit direct coupling of the tapes to the indicator wheels rather than the usual complex gearing arrangements without extending the length of the cash register. The low power requirements of the machine provide advantages in the associated actuating equipment such as the keyboard and the timing and power arrangements. The digital indicating arrangements include coaxial interleaved indicator wheels which may be selectively read. This direct coupling has advantages in reducing machine tolerances as well as simplifying the structure.

In cash registers which are in general use today, most of the parts are made of metal, and the entire machines are built with high power requirements and heavy mechanical loading throughout. In accordance with the principles which are employed in accordance with the present invention, however, plastic parts are widely employed and their special properties of lightness and flexibility are utilized to greatly reduce the complexity and power requirements of cash registers.

In accordance with a particular feature of the invention, flexible lightweight perforated digit selection tapes are employed in place of the toothed metal racks to control the cash register indicator display resulting from keyboard entries.

Each digit selection tape and its associated movable structure is approximately 1/250 of the weight and inertia of the corresponding Structure found in commercially available cash registers. In addition, the flexible tapes are bent down at the rear of the machine so that the longitudinal displacement of the tapes may be equal to the key separation on the keyboard, and the surface movement of the indicator wheels corresponds to the tape movement and to the digit spacing on the keyboard. This equal increment configuration significantly reduces the required number of parts, and greatly simplifies the mechanics of the cash register, without the increase in size or depth of the cash register which would be required to accommodate the travel of 'rigid racks, in an equal increment" configuration.

Other features of the invention relating to the flexible tapes include: the key stops which are secured to the ends of the tapes and which utilize the resilience of the tape to provide spring action to by-pass the keys on the return cycle; the constraint of the tapes to provide channeled mechanical action without significant moving mass; and the transmission of power through the tapes under tension rather than under compression. In addition, the continuous engagement of the tapes with the indicator wheels is an important feature of the invention contributing to simplicity. The actuation of the accumulator on the forward stroke of the tapes, while in continuous engagement with the indicator wheels is another important related feature which avoids the necessity for a supplemental totalling cycle, such as that found in expired US. Pat. No. 2,066,669, granted Jan. 5, 1937, which shows continuously engaged racks and display indicators.

In addition to the flexible digit tapes, the present invention involves the other three principal components of the cash register which coact with the flexible digit tapes. These include the keyboard, the accumulator, and the indicator or display assembly. The accumulator and the display assemblies both utilize indicator wheels having outer surfaces which rotate a distance equal to the travel of the associated digit tapes. The accumulator assembly and the display assembly both include two sets of interleaved indicator wheels which are mounted on the same shaft and have two sets of digital information mounted on interleaved indicator wheels. In the case of the accumulator, the information is the item total (alternatively designated the subtotal throughout this specification) and the grand total, while in the case of the clerk and customer indicator or display wheels, one set of interleaved wheels carries the display for the sales clerk and the other for the customer. In both cases, arrangements are provided for spaced windows to selectively view either of the two sets of digital information while blocking the other set of information.

In connection with the keyboard assembly, the individual keys are of a lightweight plastic design matching the low inertia of the digit tapes and have an integral spring retaining clip built into their structure. The keyboard assembly includes only a single spring for biasing each of the keys in a key row to its normal position, and this same spring serves to bias the interlock slides to their proper positions. As in the case of the other major subcomponents of the cash register, the entire keyboard assembly is mounted on shafts, for simplicity in assembly to the side frame members of the cash register.

As noted above, simple spacing arrangements are characteristic of the machine, and this may also be observed in the identical spacing between adjacent key rows and adjacent display indications. The direct coupling and simple internal structure of the cash register produce and reinforce these simplifications, and the resulting economies.

The accumulator assembly moves down from its neutral position into engagement with the digit tapes and moves to the rear for transferring information to the indicator display. A particularly simple control system involving very few parts is employed for these mechanical operations. One interesting minor feature involves the single ADD or TOTAL control member which has a resilient output arm, permitting a design in which the end of the arm may be locked in place, and further actuation of the ADD or TOTAL control merely bends the resilient arm.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Other objects, features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from a consideration of the following detailed description and from the drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is an assembly view showing the complete cash register together with the cash drawer on which it stands;

FIG. 1A is a fragmentary top view showing the operator and customer viewing windows;

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the operating portions of the cash register of FIG. 1 without the cash drawer and with the cover removed;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the keyboard assemy;

FIG. 4 is a side view of a single key row; FIG. 5 is an end view of the key row shown in FIG.

FIG. 5A shows a single key of the keyboard;

FIG. 6 is a view of the two slides which prevent actuation of any other keys and provide other functions when one cash register key in a given key row is depressed;

FIG. 7 is a side view showing the mode of operation of the flexible digit tapes;

FIG. 8 shows the by-pass stops secured to the ends of each digit tape;

FIG. 9 is an isometric view of the digit tapes and their stops;

FIG. 10 shows the tape constraining frame or assembly cut away to show several of the tapes;

FIG. 11 shows the accumulator assembly and the engagement with the digit tapes;

FIG. 12 is a partial cross-sectional view of the display assembly;

FIG. 13 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the relationships of the principal components of the cash register;

FIG. 14 is a side view of the register which shows the accumulator movement control arrangements to advantage;

FIGS. 15, 16, 16A, and 16B are various views of the accumulator control timing gear and the associated accumulator camming control gears;

FIG. 17 shows the drive line including the gears which engage the perforations in the flexible digit tapes;

FIG. 18 shows a positively driven disc and drive gear pair, which are coupled together by a spring biased pawl;

FIG. 19 shows the drive sector gear and the driven gear at one end of the drive line;

FIG. 20 shows an accumulator gear together with the stop mechanism which come into play as information is being transferred from the accumulator to the dis- P y;

FIG. 21 shows the accumulator mask moving mechamsm;

FIG. 22 is a timing chart showing the timing of the operation of certain parts of the cash register during an operating cycle;

FIG; 23 is a side view of an alternative cash register construction; and

FIGS. 24 and 25 are side and front views of the details of the accumulator moving and control mechanisms.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Referring more particularly to the drawings, FIG. 1 shows the cash register assembly standing'on the cash drawer assembly 42. The viewing window 43 for the clerk and 45 for the customer are shown in FIG. 1A. As seen in both FIGS. 1 and 2, the cash register includes a keyboard assembly 100, a base and power unit 200, an indicator or display assembly 300 and an accumulator assembly 400. Also visible in FIG. 2 are the ADD or TOTAL control member 450 which determines the mode of operation of the accumulator 400, as implemented by the accumulator timing gear 460 and its associated mechanical mechanisms.

With reference to FIG. 3, the keyboard includes a plurality of key rows 101 through 106. The individual key row moldings are provided with recesses at opposite ends for ease in mounting the key rows side by side on the

shafts

112 and 114. As mentioned above, most of the major subcomponents of the present cash register are mounted on shafts for ready assembly with the side plates of the base unit 200.

As shown to better advantage in FIGS. 4, 5, 5A and 6, each key row 101 through 106 may be provided with a set of nine keys 121 through 129, with key 122 being depressed in the illustrative embodiment of FIG. 4. Each key row is also provided with two interlock slides 132 and 134, shown in FIG. 6. The key row assembly is provided with a single spiral biasing spring 136. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the biasing spring 136 extends through the interlock slides 132 and 134 to bias them to their normal positions. In addition, the biasing for each of the plastic keys 121 through 129 is provided by the same single spring 136. As shown in FIG. 4, for example, the spring 136 is extended at 138 to provide upward pressure on the key 122 through the integral recess molded into the rear of the key 122. FIG. 5A shows a key 122 separately, to indicate the structure of the integral key. The head of the key, the spring 141 which holds the keys in frame 101, the slide engaging stud 140, and the spring engaging recess 143 are all molded into the key as it is formed.

The lower end 142 of the key 122 protrudes below the key row assembly 101 and below the interlock slides 132 and 134 to block the movement of the stop which is securedonto one end of the flexible tapes in a manner to be discussed in greater detail below. The lightweight molded plastic keys 122 would normally not have sufficient strength to stop a heavy metal rack as employed in conventional cash registers. However, the flexible tapes which are used instead of racks in the present cash register have such a light weight and such low inertia that there is no problem with the end 142 of the lightweight plastic keys stopping the flexible plastic tapes.

Concerning the operation of the metal slides 132 and 134, the spring 136 extends through slot 139 in slide 132 at the left-hand end of slide 132 where there is no interference with slide 134. Similarly, the other end of spring 136 extends through slot 147 in slide 134 at its right-hand end to avoid interference with slide 132 in the biasing or positioning function.

The sole function of slide 134 is to control the accumulator zero stop 143. When none of the nine keys 121 through 129 of a key row is depressed, the accumulator zero stop 143 is in one position; however, when any key, such as key 122, is depressed, the slide 134 is shifted to the left and accumulator zero stop 143 is rotated to permit operation of the associated accumulator register.

The slide 132 provides interlocking functions. It is normally biased so that the angle surfaces 144 underlie the key studs 140. When a key is depressed, the stud 140 initially moves the locking slide 132 to the right and then enters the recess 146 which is below the slanted surface 144.

Once the ADD or TOTAL key 450 is hit, the keyboard control shaft 150 is actuated to the left to engage the arm 152 which depends from the slide 132. This moves the slide 132 to the left so that the flat surfaces 154 on slide 132 underlie the studs 140 of the keys, and thus effectively lock them out and prevent further action of the keyboard. Toward the end of each cycle, the shaft 150 is moved to the right to release all of the keys.

It is again noted that the entire key row assembly only includes fourteen elements and particularly that only two slides are employed. This is in sharp contrast with 53 parts included in the key row assembly of at least one widely used commercial cash register. Further, the single spiral spring 136 not only provides the biasing for all of the keys of each key row but also biases the two

slides

132 and 134 to their proper positions.

FIG. 7 shows schematically the mode of operation of the plastic tapes 60 which form a key component in the present invention. In the course of the cycle of operation of the present cash register, the digit tapes are always coupled to the display wheels of the indicator assembly 300. When cash register operation is initiated by pressing the ADD control, the digit tapes are restored to their zero state in which the tapes are shifted to the front, or the left of the machine as shown in FIG. 7. The flexible tapes are then driven forward by the drive line gears 202 until the stop 62 which is secured to the end of the tape 60 engages the lower end of a depressed key 126, as shown in FIG. 7. As the flexible digit tape moves forward, the gears of the accumulator 400 are rotated, with the gears of the item total accumulator engaging one of the sets of perforations 64, while the gear teeth on the grand total accumulator engage the other set of perforations 66 in the flexible plastic tape 60. When the stop 62 engages the lower end of the key 126, the drive line 202 releases the force applied to the tape 60, as discussed in greater detail below, the indicator 300 displays the digit corresponding the depressed key 126, and the accumulator 400 adds the digit in both the item total and the grand total registers.

As the flexible tape is driven past the gears of the drive line 202, it is deflected downwardly by the tape constraining enclosure 204 and also engages the rear casing 206 of the cash register. By this technique, the use of additional rearwardly extending space for the cash register to accommodate the tapes is avoided, and the complexity of the step-up and step-down gearing, which is required in present cash registers, is also eliminated. The dual goals of compactness and simplicity are thus achieved primarily by the use of very flexible tapes which are bent around within the small confines of the present compact cash register.

The movable tape is provided with a plastic retaining element 68 for the stop 62. The retainer 68 extends through an opening in the tape 60 and serves as a carrier for the stop 62. When the tapes are driven to the zero position so that the stop 62 moves to its extreme left or front position, the stop 62 must pass under a depressed key such as key 126 in FIG. 7. Under these conditions, it pivots downwardly, as indicated at 70 in FIG. 8. Under these conditions, the tongue 72 of the tape 60 resiliently flexes down also, as indicated in FIG. 8.

In FIG. 9, the thickness of the tape is exaggerated to some extent. The tapes are actually about 0.020 inch thick. The tapes are 13 V2 inches long and five-eighths inch wide.

FIG. 10 shows the frame 204 which constrains the tapes 60 to follow a rectilinear path in the regions where the stops 62 underlie the keyboard 100. As shown in FIG. 10, the frame 204 is provided with slots 206 through which the stops 62 extend to engage the lower ends of depressed keys. In addition, the drive gears engage the tapes through the long slots 208 which are aligned with one of the sets of perforations in each tape 60. The slots 210 accommodate accumulator transfer bails, which come into play when transfers are made from one register to the next higher order. The accumulator register gears engage the tapes 60 through the slots 214, with the item total gears engaging the right-hand row perforations, and the grand total gears, the left. The gears for driving the set of indicator wheels which are read by the clerk or the operator of the cash register extend through the front of slots 208. The slots 212 accommodate an accumulator detent. The shorter set of slots 216 which are interleaved with the slots 208 are located between adjacent tapes and accommodate the gears which drive the customer indicator wheels as described below.

In general, the frame 204 provides the support and channeling necessary to constrain the plastic tapes 60 to the paths required for their proper operation. With the indicated physical configuration, the tapes 60 have operated several million times without physical signs of wear and without tape failure.

The accumulator assembly 400 is shown in FIG. 11. The grand total register includes the

indicator wheels

401, 403, 405, etc., while the subtotal is displayed on the

indicator wheels

402, 404, 406, etc. The gears secured to the

indicator wheels

401, 403, 405, etc., associated with the grand total engage the right-hand set of perforations on the digit tapes 60 as shown in FIG. 11, while the gears associated with the

subtotal wheels

402, 404, 406 engage the left-hand set of perforations of the tapes 60.

The view of FIG. 11 is taken from the rear of the machine looking down at the tapes 60 between the accumulator and the indicator wheels. Above the accumulator indicator wheels is a mask 412 containing a series of windows 414. The mask 414 is normally positioned so that the operator of the cash register may view the subtotal registered on a particular customers sale through the windows 414. When the key locking the cash register is employed, however, the mask 412 is shifted laterally to permit the viewing of the grand total register wheels through windows 414 to the exclusion of the subtotal.

FIG. 12 is a front view of the indicator or display assembly 300. The indicator assembly includes two sets of interleaved indicator wheels, the first'set 308 being visible from the front of the machine by the operator, while the second set 310 is observable by the customer from the rear of the machine. In addition, of course, the position of the wheels having more or less significant numbers must be reversed, with the least significant digit appearing to the right in the set of the wheels 308 observed by the clerk while the least significant digit observed by the customer must be on the left-hand indicator wheel 310, as seen in FIG. 12.

As described below in connection with FIG. 13, the gears 306 in the foreground are directly coupled to one of the two rows of perforations in the tape 60. Gears 306 engage gears 312 associated with the clerk indicator wheels 308. The drive for the customer indicator wheels 310 is somewhat more complex as it involves the gears 304 (to the rear in FIG. 12) which mesh with the gear teeth 314 associated with the customer indicator wheels 310. The shaft 316 upon which the

indicator wheels

308 and 310 are mounted is supported in the keyhole slot 318 as shown, for example, in FIGS. 2 and 14.

FIG. 13 is a schematic cross sectional view showing the relative positions of most of the main rotatable components or assemblies. Following the application of power to the cash register when the ADD or TOTAL control is pressed, the motor 222 is coupled through a rubber belt 224 to the power speed reducer assembly 226. An auxiliary hand-crank drive coupling is also connected to the power speed reducer 226 through gear 228. The cam line 230 is driven from gear 232 on the speed reducer assembly 226 through gear 236 on the cam line. The clutch gear 236 is mounted on the cam line assembly 230. The metal drive sector gear 238 is pivoted at 240 and is bent into a U-shaped form with a cam pin 242 securely fastened to the inner leg 244 of the drive sector gear assembly. The pin 242 rides in a groove in a cam in the cam line assembly 230. The power for the drive gears 246 is provided through the teeth 248 of the metal drive sector gear 238. These teeth 248 mesh with the gear 250 which is fixed or pinned to the drive line shaft 252.

As in the case of a number of the assemblies of the present machine, the drive line shaft 252 is cut away in two areas from end to end. The gear 250 is provided with matching protrusions at its center. Accordingly, it is rigidly secured against rotational movement relative to the shaft 252, and is pinned to this shaft. Where it is desired to mount other freely rotatable gears or other mechanisms on the same shaft, they may be formed with a circular opening in the center. Without the keying structure to lock or pin them to the drive shaft 252, they are free to rotate. Accordingly, a single shaft with longitudinal slots may serve a dual purpose, acting both as a drive shaft and also as an axle for free rotation of other coaxially mounted elements.

From the drive gears 246, power is transmitted directly to the perforated tapes 60. As the sector gear follows the programmed camming motion of the cam line assembly 230, the tapes 60 are initially restored to their zero" position and are then driven forward by the drive gears 246 until they engage stops such as the lower end of depressed key 126 (See FIG. 7). A clutching mechanism, to be described in greater detail below, then releases the drive to the individual tapes and permits the tape to remain in its position corresponding to the depressed digit key.

The accumulator assembly 400 has its principal axis located at point 425. As indicated by the arrows, the accumulator may be moved down and up for engagement or disengagement, respectively, with the tapes 60, or may be moved to the rear toward the indicator assembly 300 to transfer totals stored in the accumulator to the indicator assembly. The

circles

422, 424 and 426 in FIG. 13 represent the mechanisms involving gears,

camming surfaces and a Geneva-type movement which control the movement of the accumulator registers. These mechanisms will be described in greater detail below.

Included in the indicator assembly 300 are one set of indicator wheels which are visible by the customer and another set of indicator wheels which may be viewed by the clerk. The customer indicator wheels are driven by the transfer gears 302 through a set of gears which are mounted for free rotation on the drive shaft 252 and which mesh with the customer indicator drive gears 304. The clerk indicator display wheels, however, are

driven by the gears 306 directly from the tapes 60.

When information is being transferred from the accumulator registers to the indicator assembly, the shaft 425 moves to the right and the indicator assembly is energized through the gears 308. Although the gears 306 are close to gears 308, there is clearance and no direct interaction between

gears

306 and 308.

Many of the critical details of the structure shown schematically in FIG. 13 will be discussed in greater detail below in connection with other FIGURES in the drawing.

FIGS. 14 through 16 are particularly useful in describing the mode of operation of the accumulator 400. The accumulator can move either perpendicular to the keyboard or parallel to it. As indicated by the arrows and legends on the face of the accumulator side frame member 470 in FIG. 14, the accumulator assembly moves up and down for engagement and disengagement with the digit tapes on ADD cycles and moves to the rear and forward in the course of TOTAL cycles in transferring the contents of its subtotal register to the display unit 300. An ADD or a TOTAL cycle is initiated by pressing the key 450 in the forward or the rear direction, respectively. The key 450 is pivoted at point 452 and has a flexible arm 454 which is pivotally connected to the control linkage 456 at point 458.

The central shaft 462, to which the timer gear 460 is secured, is fixed in position. When the ADD or TOTAL control lever 450 is pressed, the linkage 456, which includes the frame 464 enclosing the timer gear 460, is moved to the front or the rear as indicated by the arrows adjacent the numeral 464 in FIG. 14. On ADD cycles the frame 464 moves to the rear and on TOTAL cycles the frame 464 moves toward the front of the machine. Between cycles the frame 464 is maintained in a position such that the shaft 462 is centrally located with respect to the slot 466. In the arrangement shown in FIG. 14, the relationship of the parts indicates that an ADD cycle is underway.

The movement of the accumulator is controlled by three

eccentrics

472, 473 and 474'. In FIG. 14, the

numerals

473 and 474 are directed to gears which conceal the

eccentrics

473 and 474, which are located directly behind them. As shown in FIGS. 24 and 25, the eccentrics are mounted to rotate in

slots

476, 477 and 478. Three eccentrics (including 474", FIG. 25) mounted on corresponding shafts are located at the other side of the register. The

eccentrics

472 and 474, which rotate in

slots

476 and 478, control the vertical movement of the accumulator on ADD cycles, while the eccentric 473 in slot 477 controls the horizontal movement of the accumulator on TOTAL cycles. During ADD cycles eccentric 473' is held against rotation while the gear 474 and coupled eccentrics 474' and 472 are rotated to raise and lower the accumulator.

Similarly, on TOTAL cycles the gear 473 and eccentric 473' are rotated while the gear 474 and eccentrics 474' and 472 are held against rotation to provide guided horizontal movement.

Eccentrics

474 and 472 are geared to rotate together by gear 422 formed as part of a single molding with eccentric 474" (see FIG. 25) and gears 424 and 426 (see FIG. 13).

Gears

422 and 426 are pinned to their shafts, but idler gear 424 is free to rotate on the shaft to which

eccentrics

473 and 473" are secured.

The implementation of the described motion of the gears 474 may be better understood by reference to FIGS. 16, 16A and 168. In FIG. 16A, the timer gear 460 is shown in solid lines in the ADD position. Under these circumstances the gear 473 has two flat portions on its hub 480 which engage the periphery of the ridge 482 on the timer gear to preclude rotation of the shaft 481 and its associated eccentric. Gear 474, however, which controls the movement of an associated eccentric on shaft 484, and the mechanically coupled eccentric 472, are intermittently rotated. FIG. 16B shows the arrangements for selectively and intermittently locking and rotating the

gears

473 or 474. In FIG. 163, the gear 474 is shown with the flat portion 486 of its hub 488 engaging a flat portion of the ridge 482. As the timer gear is rotated, the gear teeth 474 engage the teeth 490 on the timer gear. The ridge 482 is cut away as indicated by the dashed lines 492 to permit rotation of the shaft 484 under the control of the meshing gears 474 and 490. This arrangement is shown as viewed from above in FIG. 16A.

As shown in FIG. 16, the timer gear 460 has two sets of

gear teeth

490 and 494 which engage the gear teeth 474 to first rotate the accumulator down for engagement with the tapes and subsequently shift the accumulator' up to the disengaged rest position which it maintains between cycles. During this complete ADD cycle, the central shaft 481, and the eccentric which is associated with it and with gear 473 is held against rotation by the flat portion on hub 480 being in continuous engagement with the periphery of ridge 482.

On TOTAL cycles, however, the function of

gears

473 and 474 are interchanged. This is accomplished by shifting the timing gear wheel 460 to the position, as shown in dashed lines, in FIG. l6A. The flat portions on the hub 488 of gear 474 are continuously in engagement with the periphery of ridge 482 when the timer gear is in this shifted position. However, the gear teeth 473 are now aligned with teeth 496 of timer wheel 460 and gear 473 is permitted to rotate as a result of the displacement and the presence of the recess 498 in the ridge 482 adjacent the gear teeth 496.

The timer gear 460 is keyed to the shaft 462 but is permitted to slide back and forth as indicated by the solid and the dashed line showings of FIG. 16A. In the neutral position, between cycles, the

pins

502 and 504 are located in contact with inclined faces on the timer gear wheel surfaces shown at 506 in FIG. 16 of the drawings. When the ADD or TOTAL control 450 is pressed, the slide 464 moves from its neutral position so that one of the pins such as 504 which is visible in FIG. 14 is permitted to ride in a track such as track 506 as shown in FIG. 16. The other pin will then be located close to the hub of the timer gear 460 and will rotate on a raised surface in this location and will maintain pressure on the timer gear wheel 460 forcing it in the desired in or out position for TOTAL or ADD cycle operations, respectively.

Incidentally, for completeness, it should be noted that the showing of FIG. 15 is from above with the timer gear in the in position for a TOTAL cycle. This is in contrast to the showing of FIG. 16A in which the solid line position is the ADD position.

FIG. 17 is a rear view of the drive line including the various gears which are mounted on the central shaft 252 of the drive line assembly. As may be seen from FIG. 13, the drive shaft is located below the tapes so that the drive gears 246 may readily engage the tape toward the rear of the cash register as its path is deflected downward. As discussed above in connection with FIG. 13, it is only alternate gear assemblies 246 which have inner hubs which are pinned to the shaft 252 and which rotate with it. The alternate gears 247 are mounted on the same shaft as the drive gear assemblies 246 but are not pinned to it, so are free to rotate about shaft 252. i

As mentioned above, the customer indicator display wheels must be rotated in synchronism with the clerk indicator display wheels, but the digits are reversed in their position. To accommodate this purpose, transfer gears 302 are provided. Three transfer gears 302 are shown mounted on and pinned to shaft 303. The gear 302 is rotated with the drive gear 246 and constrains the two

other gears

302 and 302'. to rotate in synchronism with it. This causes the right-hand customer indicator drive gear 247 to rotate in step with the left-hand drive gear 246 as shown in FIG. 17. Similarly, the printer gear wheel 602 is driven by transfer gear 302" to establish proper information relating to the least significant digit of the information registered by the lefthand drive gear 246.

As shown in FIG. 18, the drive gears 246 are driven from the drive shaft 252 through a drive hub 262 which is provided with a disc portion 264 and a central cylindrical portion 266 which is keyed to the drive shaft 252. The cylindrical central hub 268 of the drive gear assembly 246 rotates on the cylinder 266. The pawl 270 is pivoted at 272 and is biased to the indicated position by spring 274. This normally holds the bearing member 276 of the pawl assembly 270 in the pocket 278 of the drive gear assembly.

Under normal conditions as an ADD cycle ofthe cash register is initiated, the drive shaft 252 drives the drive hub262 in the direction indicated by the arrow 280, in restoring the tapes to the 0 position. During this operation, of course, the teeth of drive gears 246 are in engagement with'one of the sets of perforations in the digit tape 60. The direction is reversed as the tapes move toward engagement with depressed keys. When the stop on the tape 60 engages a depressed key, the tape immediately stops. This stops the drive gear 246 and the bias of spring 274 is overcome, permitting the pawl 270 to come out of the pocket 278 and freely rotate in the recess 282 of the drive gear assembly 246. In this way, each drive gear 246 stops at an angular position determined by the depressed keys on the keyboard.

With reference to FIG. 19, the metal drive sector gear 238 is shown pivotally mounted about the shaft 240 for movement under the control of the cam 292 having a cam slot 294 with which the pin 242 coacts. The plastic main drive gear 250 is mounted on the drive shaft 252 for rotation in accordance with the movement of the drive sector gear 238, causing, for example, initial restoration of the tapes to the zero position and subsequent rearward movement of the tapes on the power portion of the cycle.

FIG. 20 shows one of the accumulator gears 402 associated with the accumulator indicator wheel as described above in connection with FIG. 11. Within the indicator and gear wheel assembly 402 is a central hub 422 pinned to the central accumulator shaft 424. On normal ADD cycles, the gear 402 rotates in the counterclockwise direction as indicated by arrow 426. With this direction of rotation, the pawl 428 is pivoted against the pressure of spring 430 when it is engaged by the accumulator zero stop 432. The pawl 428 then swings away from its restrained stop 434 toward the center hub 422 of the assembly, permitting continued rotation of the accumulator wheel assembly 402.

On TOTAL cycles, however, when the contents of the accumulator register are being transferred to the display or indicator assembly 300, the accumulator gear assembly 402 rotates in the clockwise direction as indicated by arrow 436. The pawl 428 is mounted on pivot point 438 which is fixed to the stationary center assembly mounted on and pinned to shaft 424. This is in contrast to the gear and indicator assemblies 402 which are mounted for free rotation on the same shaft 424. Accordingly, when the accumulator register is shifted to the rear and driven through gear 308 from power supplied through the indicator assembly gearing, the gears 402 rotate in the clockwise direction until the zero stop 432 engages the pawl 428. When this occurs, the release of the drive gears from the drive line, as discussed in detail above in connection with FIG. 18, occurs. Accordingly, the indicator wheels will stop in a position corresponding to that which has been registered in the accumulator TOTAL registers. I

FIG. 21 shows the mechanism for shifting the mask 412 as shown in FIG. 11. In FIG. 21, the lock 522 controls the movement of the mask 412. The block 524 is fixed in position as'is the support 526 for the spring 528. Incidentally, the spring 528 is secured in an open ing 530 in the mask 412 to bias the mask to its position in which the subtotal rather than the grand total is revealed. When a key is inserted'into the key slot 532, the

cylindrical member 522 together with the cam 534 and the fork member 536 secured to the mask 412 may be moved to the right rear as shown in FIG. 21. This shifting of the mask 412 serves to reveal the grandttotal set of indicator wheels instead of the subtotal, as described in some detail in connection with FIG. IL'When pressure is released from the key, the slide is returned to the front left position as shown in FIG. 21 by the force of the leaf spring 528. Removal of the key locks the mask in place.

FIG. 22 is a timing diagram showing the relative time of operation of the accumulator movement, the timer gear shifting, and the drive rack motion. In reviewing the cycle from 0 to the 360 termination of the cycle, with the degrees referring to the angular orientation of the timer gear 460 and the cam 292 of FIG. 19, it may be noted that the drive racks are initially restored, are held in the 0 position from about 100 to about 140, and digit selection takes place from about 140 to 280. The cam slot 294 (See FIG. 19) of course follows the displacements indicated in the Drive Tape plot of FIG. 22.

When it occurs, the timer gear shifting takes place at an early point in the cycle. However, the timer gear does not shift on successive ADD cycles, for example. When an ADD cycle is followed by a TOTAL cycle, or vice-versa, the timer gear is shifted from one position to the other as indicated by the solid line or the dash line plots.

The accumulator movement occurs between 110 and 140. This is the time when the accumulator is either moved down into engagement with the racks (now in their 0 position) or to the rear into driving engagement with the display assembly. Following completion of the drive rack selection (which occurs at about 280) the accumulator is restored to its regular position. This occurs from about 310 to 340.

An alternate embodiment of the invention is disclosed in FIG. 23. The cash register as shown in FIG. 23 is generally patterned after the cash register described hereinabove, but has two of the main assemblies shifted in a manner which provides certain economies in parts.

Referring to FIG. 23 in greater detail, it shows the main frame structure 702 of the cash register, the keyboard 704, the accumulator register 706, the drive assembly 708 and the indicator assembly 710. As in the case of the cash register described in connection with FIGS. 1 through 22 of the drawings, the present cash register includes a series of flexible digit tapes 712. By shifting the drive line 708 from a position below the digit tapes 712 to a position above the digit tapes, the indicator assembly 710 is raised for better visibility, and certain transfer gearing is eliminated. The transfer gears 714 serve the same functions as described above in connection with the transfer gears 302, but some of the gear assemblies such as

gears

304, 306 and 308 may be eliminated. As in the case of the other embodiment of the case register, the accumulator 706 is shifted both up and down for ADD cycles and to the rear and forward for TOTAL cycles. Apart from the shifting of the position of the drive line and the concomitant changes in structure such as those mentioned above, the embodiment of FIG. 23 operates in substantially'the same manner as that of the other embodiment of the invention. r

Concerning the materials which may be employed in the implementation of the illustrated cash register,

wide use is made of plastics. One of the preferred plascoefficient of friction, good flexibility and high strength. DELRIN is described, for example, in the March, l970,-issue of Materials Engineering. The digit tapes may be made of DELRIN of a thickness of about 0.020 inch as noted above. CELCON is a copolymer of formaldehyde and could also be used for many other parts of the cash register. Fiberglass-filled nylon is also employed for various parts, for example, for the drive hubs. It is, of course, undesirable to have two parts of the same material having surfaces which slide on one another, as this tends toward increased friction and possible binding. Another material which may be used in the cash register, for example in the key row, is NO- RYL, which is a fiberglass-filled polyphenol oxide. Of course, a number of parts of the register are made of steel, where high strength is required. These principally include the frame of the machine, the shafts, and certain key high-strength parts such as the drive sector gear.

The foregoing description has been focused primarily on the structural features and interrelationships which are different from those found in conventional cash registers. Details of well-known structures and relationships, and arrangements known to those skilled in the art have been eliminated for purposes of brevity and clarity.

As mentioned at several points above, the yieldable plastic tapes which provide keyboard-to-accumulator and keyboard-to-display coupling, but which may be deflected to save space, are an important part of the invention. Instead of flexible plastic tapes, however, other yieldable force transmitting members could be used to provide those dual functions. Thus, toothed racks made in sections, but spring biased to full extension, could be used in place of the plastic tapes. Hinged rack sections or a toothed rubber belt could also be used in place of the disclosed digit tapes. These would provide many of the advantages of the perforated plastic tapes, although some minor disadvantages and complexities of structure would be introduced. As employed in the present specifications and claims the term yieldable refers only to intentionally bendable or collapsible members which are actually yieldable in operation, and not to rigid metal racks or the like which might give or flex to some very slight degree in operation but where no significant yielding or bending occurs.

With regard to various features of the present invention, it is appropriate to note certain United States and foreign patents which bear certain relationships with the invented features. Concerning the perforated plastic racks which are operated under tension, U.S. Pat. No. 2,355,637 of R. Faigle granted Aug. 15, 1944; U.S. Pat. No. 1,883,853, granted Oct. 18, 1932 to J. Bergmann; and British Pat. No. 280,135 to Rudolf Martin, accepted Nov. 10, 1927, are of particular interest in showing racks which are flexible. However, these prior patents apparently fail to appreciate the desirability of making the racks as lightweight as possible and also the importance of operating flexible components under tension rather than under compression. Thus, instead of using perforations the three patents show apparatus which use raised gear teeth on their flexible racks. The racks in these three prior patents are pushed instead of being pulled and they must necessarily be stiffer and heavier and have much greater friction than the tension-operated perforated plastic tapes of the present invention. Further, these references do not appear to contemplate the possibility of promptly deflecting the yieldable tape or rack member at the rear of the machine to reduce the depth of the cash register.

Other references which are of interest concerning other features of the invention include G.D. Cushman et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,40l,878 granted Sept. 17, 1968, and OM. Philipp, U.S. Pat. No. 2,701,100 granted Feb. 1, 1955. While the Cushman patent is of passing interest in showing the coil spring which biases a number of key-type members, in the present cash register, a single spring is employed not only to bias all of the keys of a key row, but is also used to bias the slides which interact with the keys. Concerning U.S. Pat. No. 2,701,100 this reference discloses interspersed totalizers, but this is the only feature which appears to be related to any aspect of the present cash register.

In the course of the present description of the invention, the compactness of the cash register has been mentioned at several points. As a matter of completeness, it may be noted that the overall dimensions of the base or cash drawer upon which the rest of the cash register sits, are approximately 15 l inches wide, by 17 inches deep, by 4 inches high. The cash register apparatus excluding the cash drawer assembly is approximately 14 inches wide, by 16 inches deep, by l 1 inches high.

In closing, it is noted that other known arrangements may be substituted for specific components disclosed in the present description, just as yieldable or hinged racks could be used instead of the digit tapes, as noted above. Other constructional variations could include using the flexible digit tapes of the present invention with other types of business machines, such as ten-key calculating machines, instead of the full keyboard cash register discussed above. The stops of the flexible digit tapes would then engage the stops provided by the pin box forming part of the keyboard assembly of the tenkey calculator.

What is claimed is:

1. A business machine comprising:

a keyboard;

a display for indicating digits entered on the keyboard; means including a flexible tape for transferring digit information from said keyboard to said display;

power application means including gears meshing with said flexible tape for moving said tapes to transfer information from said keyboard to said display; and

means for bending said flexible tapes immediately behind said gears to avoid extension of said cash register to the rear significantly beyond said gears.

2. A business machine comprising:

a keyboard having a plurality of key rows each including a plurality of digit keys;

a display for indicating numbers entered on the keyboard;

means including individual perforated flexible members associated respectively with said key rows for transferring digit information from said keyboard to said display; and

power application means including gear teeth meshing with perforations in said flexible members for operating said members under tension.

3. A business machine as defined in claim 2 wherein the base of said machine includes two side plates for supporting major subcomponents of said machine, wherein a frame of sheet material extending between said plates is provided to constrain and guide said flexible members, and wherein said frame is provided with slots to accommodate stops secured to said flexible members and extending through said frame to engage selected depressed digit keys.

4. A business machine comprising:

a keyboard;

a display for indicating digit information entered on the keyboard; yieldable mechanical means for transferring digit information from said keyboard to said display; and

power application means for operating said yieldable means under tension on the power stroke when transferring digit information from said keyboard to said display.

5. A business machine as defined in claim 4 wherein said yieldable means includes at least one flexible plastic tape.

6. A business machine as defined in claim 5 wherein said keyboard includes a plurality of plastic key row assemblies overlying a plurality of corresponding plastic digit tapes, and means including unitary molded plastic keys are provided to selectively block the forward movement of one of said plastic tapes in the position defined by the lower end of the depressed key.

7. A business machine as defined in claim 5 wherein said flexible plastic tape has two sets of longitudinal perforations, and wherein at least one indicator assembly is provided having two sets of interleaved indicator wheels, each provided with corresponding sets of associated gears, and wherein one set of said gears engages one of said sets of perforations on said tapes and wherein the other set of gears engages the other set of perforations on said tapes.

8. A business machine as defined in claim 7 wherein means are provided for exposing one set of said indicator wheels to the exclusion of the other and for exposing the other set of said indicator wheels to the exclusion of the first.

9. A business machine as defined in claim 8 wherein said exposing means includes a movable mask.

10. A cash register as defined in claim 8 wherein said exposing means is the outer case of the cash register having a first set of windows aligned with one of said sets of indicator wheels and a second set of windows aligned with the other set of indicator wheels.

11. A business machine as defined in claim 4 wherein said business machine is provided with a rear plate immediately behind the power application means, and wherein said mechanical means yields to conform to the limited space between said power application means and said rear plate.

12. A business machine as defined in claim 11 wherein each of said key row assemblies includes a locking slide to prevent operation of an additional key following the operation of one of the keys in each key row, and wherein means consisting of a single helical spring is also provided for each key row to bias each of the keys in a key row to the raised position and to bias said locking slide to its normal position.

13. A business machine as defined in claim 4 wherein said display includes indicator wheels and associated gears, and wherein a plurality of perforated plastic tapes are provided, with said gears engaging the perforations in said tapes.

14. A business machine as defined in claim 4 wherein an accumulator is provided, and wherein means are also provided for selectively moving the accumulator either down into engagement with said yieldable mechanical means on an ADD" cycle, or to the rear for transferring information stored in said accumulator to said display on a TOTAL" cycle.

15. A business. machine as defined in claim 14 wherein a single ADD or TOTAL control member is provided with a resilient arm in mechanical coupling relationship with said accumulator rnoving means to select ADD or TOTAL cycles of operation, and wherein means are provided to fix the position of the end of said resilient linkage following initiation of a cycle, whereby the resiliency of said arm prevents damage to the machine when the ADD or TOTAL control member is actuated while a cycle is underway.

16. A business machine as defined in claim 4 wherein said yieldable mechanical means includes a plurality of flexible plastic digit tapes, said power application means includes individual gears in engagement with respectively different tapes, and also includes means for selectively releasing power applied to each of said gears when the associated digit tape is stopped under the control of said keyboard.

17. A business machine as defined in claim 4 wherein said keyboard includes a plurality of key rows having a first predetermined spacing and a plurality of keys having a second predetermined spacing, and wherein said display includes a plurality of number wheels spaced apart by a distance equal to said first predetermined spacing, and having numbers on said wheel spaced substantially in accordance with said second predetermined spacing.

18. A business machine as defined in claim 4, comprising:

means including keys of said keyboard for selectively stopping said mechanical means at stop positions corresponding to positions zero through nine for each digit to be presented;

means for restoring said mechanical means to the zero position at the beginning of each cycle of operation of said business machine;

an accumulator; and

means for actuating said accumulator by said mechanical means during the last portion of the cycle during said power stroke.

19. A business machine comprising:

a digit keyboard including a plurality of rows of digit keys for respectively different numerical orders;

a plurality of perforated flexible plastic digit selection tapes, one tape being associated with each row of digit keys;

means including a key stop on each tape for engaging a corresponding actuated digit key; and

means for constraining the tapes to engage gears with the gears passing through the perforations in the tapes.

20. A business machine as defined in claim 19 wherein resilient means including a portion of said flexible tape is provided to resiliently bias said stops to the key engaging position for movement of said tapes in one direction but to permit bypassing of said keys for movement of said tapes in the opposite direction.

21. A business machine as defined in claim 19 wherein means are provided at the rear of the machine for directing the digit selection tapes away from their path from the keyboard to the gears by an angle of about or more to reduce the front-to-rear dimensions of the business machine.

Claims

1. A business machine comprising: a keyboard; a display for indicating digits entered on the keyboard; means including a flexible tape for transferring digit information from said keyboard to said display; power application means including gears meshing with said flexible tape for moving said tapes to transfer information from said keyboard to said display; and means for bending said flexible tapes immediately behind said gears to avoid extension of said cash register to the rear significantly beyond said gEars.

2. A business machine comprising: a keyboard having a plurality of key rows each including a plurality of digit keys; a display for indicating numbers entered on the keyboard; means including individual perforated flexible members associated respectively with said key rows for transferring digit information from said keyboard to said display; and power application means including gear teeth meshing with perforations in said flexible members for operating said members under tension.

4. A business machine comprising: a keyboard; a display for indicating digit information entered on the keyboard; yieldable mechanical means for transferring digit information from said keyboard to said display; and power application means for operating said yieldable means under tension on the power stroke when transferring digit information from said keyboard to said display.

14. A business machine as defined in claim 4 wherein an accumulator is provided, and wherein means are also provided for selectively movIng the accumulator either down into engagement with said yieldable mechanical means on an ''''ADD'''' cycle, or to the rear for transferring information stored in said accumulator to said display on a ''''TOTAL'''' cycle.

15. A business machine as defined in claim 14 wherein a single ADD or TOTAL control member is provided with a resilient arm in mechanical coupling relationship with said accumulator moving means to select ADD or TOTAL cycles of operation, and wherein means are provided to fix the position of the end of said resilient linkage following initiation of a cycle, whereby the resiliency of said arm prevents damage to the machine when the ADD or TOTAL control member is actuated while a cycle is underway.

18. A business machine as defined in claim 4, comprising: means including keys of said keyboard for selectively stopping said mechanical means at stop positions corresponding to positions ''''zero'''' through ''''nine'''' for each digit to be presented; means for restoring said mechanical means to the ''''zero'''' position at the beginning of each cycle of operation of said business machine; an accumulator; and means for actuating said accumulator by said mechanical means during the last portion of the cycle during said power stroke.

19. A business machine comprising: a digit keyboard including a plurality of rows of digit keys for respectively different numerical orders; a plurality of perforated flexible plastic digit selection tapes, one tape being associated with each row of digit keys; means including a key stop on each tape for engaging a corresponding actuated digit key; and means for constraining the tapes to engage gears with the gears passing through the perforations in the tapes.

21. A business machine as defined in claim 19 wherein means are provided at the rear of the machine for directing the digit selection tapes away from their path from the keyboard to the gears by an angle of about 90* or more to reduce the front-to-rear dimensions of the business machine.