US3739068A - Monetary decodifying device - Google Patents

Abstract

This decodifying device comprises a box-like structure comprising backing and front face parts having guide slots in which digit bearing strips are slidable for positioning toward code letters on a code word lying laterally adjacent to the digit slide strips with the spacings between the digits and the letters of the code word being the same and a window opening in which the final result translated from the letters to monetary value may be read. Holes are provided in the digit strips to which the pointed end of an implement is applied for moving the strips to locations corresponding to the letters of the code word. The code word may be supplied from a removable code strip extended into a slot from one end of the device, while in one form of the device only a single work hole is provided in the digit strip and in another form of the device there is provided a series of holes corresponding respectively to the 10 digits on the strip. With the implement the strip is brought to a stop at the end of the slot in the front face thereby minimizing the searching required as with the first form of the invention. An L-shaped code word card is provided to locate the code word both in a location for use with the digit strips in another location where the code word can be readily observed. A reset device is provided with the second form of the invention to bring all of the strips at an equal location preparatory to use of the device.

Description

United Mates Patent [191 Hail tins [111 dfiwfilid June 112, 119731 1 1 MONETARY DECODIFYING DEVICE [76] Inventor: Bruce 1F. ll-Iarltins, Vernon Road,

Fayette, Ala. 35555 [22] Filed: May 7, 1971 [21] Appl. No.: 141,277

Primary ExaminerRobert W. Michell Assistant Examiner-J. H. Wolff Attorneylolachel Saulsbury & Hough [57] ABSTRACT This decodifying device comprises a box-like structure comprising backing and front face parts having guide slots in which digit bearing strips are slidable for positioning toward code letters on a code word lying laterally adjacent to the digit slide strips with the spacings between the digits and the letters of the code word being the same and a window opening in which the final result translated from the letters to monetary value may be read. l-Ioles are provided in the digit strips to which the pointed end of an implement is applied for moving the strips to locations corresponding to the letters of the code word. The code word may be supplied from a removable code strip extended into a slot from one end of the device, while in one form of the device only a single work hole is provided in the digit strip and in another form of the device there is provided a series of holes corresponding respectively to the 10 digits on the strip. With the implement the strip is brought to a stop at the end of the slot in the front face thereby minimizing the searching required as with the first form of the invention. An L-shaped code word card is provided to locate the code word both in a location for use with the digit strips in another location where the code word can be readily observed. A reset device is provided with the second form of the invention to bring all of the strips at an equal location preparatory to use of the device.

5 Claims, 14 Drawing Figures MWMDJUN! 2 mm FIG INVENTOR.

BRUCE F. HARKINS ATTURNE mmwmmm aurasnoa SHEH M Q INVENTOR.

BRUCE F. HAR KINS ATTORNEYS m H W INVENTOR. BRUCE F. HARKINS F000 or OO OOO F 0o 00 oo 00 0W wowoo MENMWW m v OOOr M MONETARY DECODIFYING DEVICE This invention relates to a monetary decodifying device or codifier.

It is the object of the present invention to provide a device wherein value amounts are given with letters, can be readily translated into numbers or monetary value from a code word known only to persons directly involved in a transaction.

It is another object of the invention to provide a monetary decodifying device which can be operated in an easy manner, and in which the letter code word can be supplied from a word strip that can be inserted or removed from the device as desired.

It is still another object of the invention to provide a monetary decodifying device that can be operated with a pointed implement applied to the respective digit strips to adjust them readily and quickly against the letters of the code word and bring the exact digits into a window opening located at the ends of the digit strip slots.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a monetary decodifying device having adjustable digit strips with a reset member for locating the strips at their starting positions preparatory to the use of the de vice, wherein the strips will be adjusted in unison with one another and with one reset operation.

Other objects of the invention are to provide a monetary decodifying device, having the above objects in mind, which is of simple construction, inexpensive to manufacture, easy to operate, light in weight, adapted to be carried in a pocket, can be readily adapted for as sembly with operating members into a kit form, has a minimum number of parts, efficient and effective in use.

For a better understanding of the invention, reference may be had to the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a top perspective view of a monetarydecodifying device or codifier constructed according to the present invention in the form of a kit, including a space for containing several different code identifying strips and a pointed operating implement.

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of one of the code strips bearing a word having letters and digits from one to zero.

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of a decodifying device constructed according to another form of the invention and without the storage space for the code strips and implements.

FIG. 4 is a top plan view ofa sheet on which the digits obtained from the device can be set down for final determination by the user.

FIG. 5 is a side view of an implement showing pointed ends.

FIG. 6 is a plan and illustrative view of the codifying device shown in FIG. 3, in which the implement is shown being used to translate the letters to digits for reading in the final result opening.

FIG. 7 is a similar top plan and illustrative view of the device shown in FIG. 3 with the implement being positioned to present the end of the implement having plural pins for engagement with several parallel slots to reset the device with the digit members set to their zero locations and preparatory to the next use of the device.

FIG. 8 is an enlarged transverse sectional view of the codifying device of FIG. 3 as viewed on line 8-8 of FIG. 6.

FIG. 9 is a perspective and exploded view of several parts of the device shown in FIG. 3 and with the letter and digit strips used therein, the code strip being removable and replaceable to adapt the device for use with a code strip bearing a different code word.

FIG. 10 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view of one comer of the device of FIG. 3 showing the working of the digit strip elements in their slots and the ref erence of these strip elements to the final result openmg.

FIG. 11 is a top plan view of a decodifying device constructed according to another form of the invention and having a built in resetting member and having an L-shaped code card insertable into the side of the device and wherein the effort of searching for the letters and the bringing of the digits to the final result opening is minimized.

FIG. 12 is a side elevational view of the device of FIG. 11 and looking into the code card slot.

FIG. 13 is a top plan view of the top slotted seat member of the device removed to expose the digit bearing slide strips, the view being taken on line l3l3 of FIG. 12.

FIG. 14 is a transverse sectional view of the device as viewed on line 14-l4 of FIG. 11.

Referring now to FIGS. 3 to 10, 20 represents generally the monetary decodifier constructed according to the second form of the invention and except for added storage compartments for the word code strips and the operating implement of FIG. l and thus the description of this second form of the invention will generally suffice for the description of the form of the invention shown in FIG. 1, the differences of FIG. 1 being more apparent as a more detailed description will be given after the description is made of this second form of the invention.

As can be best seen in FIGS. 9 and 10, the decodifier 20 has a flat back sheet 21 without any perforations and on top of which there is mounted a perforated guide sheet 22 to which the back sheet 30 is adhered in order to provide guide openings upon the back sheet 21, such as six parallel elongated guide openings 23, and in each of which is located a digit guide 24 bearing digits from one to zero, or l0. At perforation 26 at one end thereof into which is inserted a pointed end 27 of an implement 28 in the manner illustrated in FIG. 6, to locate the slide in a position to reveal the proper digit when aligned with any one of several letters 29 on a code strip 3! bearing the code word for the user of the device and according to the translation being decoded. To accommodate the code word strip 31, there is provided an open ended wider and elongated slot 32 parallel to the slots 23, and lying adjacent to the innermost one thereof from which the fractional part of a dollar or the cents will be displayed. The slot 32 is open at 33 through which opening a code strip 31 is inserted.

Over the intermediate guide slot sheet 22 there is disposed and adhered a front sheet 34 that has a plurality of six elongated slots 35 conforming respectively to the slots 23 of the intermediate sheet 22, but more narrow in width than the slots 23 in order to contain the digit strips 24 within the slots 23 and yet permit the various digits thereon to be observed through the slot 35 of the front sheet.

Overlying the slot 32 which extends substantially the full length of the sheet 22 is a code slot 36 through which the letters 29 of the code word on the strip 31 can be completely observed, yet this slot 36 is more narrow than the slot 32 of the intermediate sheet 22 in which the strip 31 is inserted through the opening 33 at one end of the device and closed on opposite sides by the respective back and front sheets 21 and 34.

Extending transversely across the front sheet 34 and aligned with the upper ends of the slots 35 is a final result slot 37 from which several digits of the decoded monetary value will appear in dollar and cents formation. The code letters will have then thereby been translated into digits for displaying the rendered amount.

In order that the cents readings can be taken more readily there is an area, indicated at 38, of color, such as red, blue or any other color contrasting with the remaining color on the front face 34 that overlie the remaining digits for the dollars." This color area 38 thus overlies the two innermost slots 35 adjacent to the code slot 36.

In use, the decodifier is operated with the implement 28 by inserting its pointed end 27 into the holes 26 of the respective digit strips or slides 31 and elevating these strips 31 within their respective guide slots 23 of the intermediate sheet 22 adjacent to the appropriate letter 29 on the code strip 31 that appears through the slot 36. An illustration as to how the implement 28 is used is seen in FIG. 6. The information is supplied to the user of the device from sheets or records, as best shown in FIG. 4 indicated generally at 39, in which the balance, deposits, total, etc., will be displayed in letters and besides which the corresponding digit or numeral amount determined from the device can be set down, as indicated at 41, this slip or card 39 bearing the code word 42. If, for example, a letter assembly IUADE is to be translated to digits, first slide adjacent to the code strip 31 will be moved by the implement 28 inserted in its opening 26 to a position laterally aligned from the last letter B of the letter assembly IUADE. The dollar readings will be taken from the opening 37 as the more outer slides are moved to the other letters of the key letter assembly and to the left of the colored area 38 as shown in FIG. 3. The reading in dollars and cents for the letter assembly IUADE with a code word a HUMDINGER will be a total of 631 dollars and 59 cents, as indicated at 41 on the reckoning sheet 39. The other letter assemblies down the colume from the first letter assembly, as shown in the reckoning sheet 39 of FIG. 4, can be determined from the code device 20 in the same manner and the readings taken from the slot 37 and applied to the amount colume thereof.

When it is desired to reset the device the implement 28, as shown in FIG. 5, is applied to the device as illustrated in FIG. 7, so that its several pointers or teeth 43 are respectively registered with the holes 26 of the several digit strips 24 adjustable through the respective openings 35 in the front sheet.

In FIG. 1 the operation of the device is the same, the only difference is in the construction to provide a kit assembly, which can be disposed in a pocket 44 a collection of code strips 31. This pocket 44 is provided at one side of the device. There is also provided adjacent to the pocket 44 a pocket 45 that can accommodate the implement 28. The device itself 20 is disposed also in a tray or frame indicated generally at 46 containing the pockets 44 and 45 and providing further for a pocket 47 for storing a pencil. This storage arrangement will keep the code strips 31 in shape. When the device 20 is to be used it will be removed from the tray 46 and used in the manner illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 7. Further in the use of the device is provided to aid in the alignment of the digit slides 24 with the respective letters 29 of the code word, there is provided parallel lines 48 with which the openings 26 of the slide are aligned by the implement point 27.

Referring now to the form of the invention shown in FIGS. 11 to 14, there is shown a decodifying device in which it is not necessary to search to work the slide to a corresponding letter on the code strip or from One simply inserts the pointed end of the implement into any one of 10 holes in the digit strips and pull the strip downwardly to a stop point at the lower ends of the slots. This form of the invention is indicated generally at 50 and is formed generally of a bottom tray part 51 having ten parallel guide slots 52 separated from one another by upwardly extending rib projections 53 in which can slide respectively digit slide strips 54. Each of these strips 54, as best viewed in FIG. 13 has a set of digits extending frm one to zero at their upper ends as indicated at 55 and at their lower ends there are provided a series of corresponding holes 56 that are transversely aligned respectively with letters 57 on an L- shaped code card 58 that has a depending leg that is inserted sideways into a slot 59 provided in a top part 61 that is assembled over the tray part 51, as best seen in FIG. 14 and secured to the same by any suitable means.

The L-shaped card 58 has a transversely extending leg 62 that extends transversely through the upper part 61 to provide a letter assembly 63 that can be viewed through an elongated transversely extending window opening 64 in the upper part 61. This letter assembly corresponds to the letters 57 of the depending leg of the code card so that the user of the device can readily read the. code letter assembly.

In the top part 61 is a transversely extending opening that extends across the upper ends of the slots or guideways 52 into which can be registered the digits corresponding to the letter readings upon the letter assemblies as found on a seat 39 of FIG. 4. To operate this device the pointed end 27 of the implement 28, or the end of a pencil or any stylus applied to the holes 56 adjacent the letter 57 and the slides 54 are drawn downwardly to the lower ends of vertically extending parallel slots 66 lying laterally spaced from one another and from a corresponding vertically extending slot 67 through which the letters 57 of the code letter assembly are viewed. If the stylus is placed in the blackened openings 68 for the letter assembly IAUDE and the digit slide strips 54 are brought downwardly so that the stylus is stopped at the ends of the slots as indicated at 69 the same amount of 631 dollars and 59 cents will appear in the window in the top part 61.

After the slides 54 have been worked and the amount determined an inverted U-shaped reset member 70 is lifted upwardly to reset the slides by forcing the engagement of the upper ends of the slides 54 against a transversely extending ledge 71. This reset member 70 has a long depending leg 72 and a short depending leg 73. The long depending leg 72 has a laterally extending arm 74 that will engage the lower ends of the digit strips as they have been drawn downwardly in the guide slots 52 to lift the digit strips against the transversely extending ledge 71. Thereafter the reset member 70 will be returned to its lowermost position as shown in the figures. With all of the digit strips being set to the zero positions, the device can again be worked in the same manner to obtain the next rendered amount.

It should now be apparent that there has been provided a decodifying device or codifier, in which various letters appearing in a code word can be translated into digits to make out a monetary value from the letters. It should also be apparent that various different codes can be used with the device by merely inserting different code strips or L-shaped code members into the device prior to the use of the same.

What is claimed is:

l. A monetary decodifying device comprising a backing member; slot means on the backing member providing a plurality of about parallel guide slots and an open-ended code-word slot about parallel and adjacent to said guide slots; digit strips bearing a plurality of digits, each digit strip respectively adapted to be selectively adjustable in one of said guide slots, one strip per slot; a replaceable code-word strip adapted to be insertable into said parallel code-word slot, said code-word strip bearing substantially a series of code letters aligned along the length of the code-word strip, said series corresponding in number to the number of the digits provided upon each of the digit strip respectively; a front member overlying and in juxtaposition with the backing member; in the front member, a digit-reading window positioned for reading the monetary value from said digits on the respective digit strips manipulated in accordance with a code word made up from said series of letters, said window extending transversely across said digit strips so that one digit from each of said digit strips can be selectively viewed through the transverse slot for effecting said reading of the monetary value; a code-word-reading window elongated and in registry with the code-word slot such that said series of letters can be seen through said codeword-reading window; and a plurality of guide-slot windows elongated and in registry with said parallel guide slots, such that for each digit strip said plurality of digits may be viewed and the digit strip manipulated in its respective guide slot by manipulation through its respective guide-slot window; whereby differing monetary value amounts represented by a code-word letter is translatable into numerical money value by sliding the code-word strip into the open-ended slot, and thereafter slidably manipulating each of the plurality digit strip consecutively each to correspond in lateral position to a respective code-word letter.

2. A monetary decodifying device, as defined in claim 1 and each of said digit strips having a set ofdigits from one to zero and in one end of the strip a hole for receiving a pointed end of an implement serving to effeet the sliding adjustment of the digit strip.

3. A monetary decodifying device, as defined in claim 2 and said front face member being shaded over an area including the first two slots laterally adjacent from the code word slot indicative of cents values, and said shading extending about the cents locations of the final result window opening.

4. A monetary decodifying device as defined in claim 1 and said digit strips having digits from one to zero and a set of 10 holes therein and said digits and said holes being respectively spaced from one another to the same distances that the letters of the code word are spaced from one another, and said slots in the front face member terminating along a common transverse line and the pointed end of an implement being adapted when inserted in one of the holes to bring the strip to the proper location of one of the digits into the final result location.

5. A monetary decodifying device as defined in claim 4 and said code word strip being L-shaped and having one leg bearing the code word adapted to be located in the code word opening and a transversely extending leg bearing the code word, said front face structure having a window opening through which the code word on transversely extending leg may be observed.

Claims (5)

1. A monetary decodifying device comprising a backing member; slot means on the backing member providing a plurality of about parallel guide slots and an open-ended code-word slot about parallel and adjacent to said guide slots; digit strips bearing a plurality of digits, each digit strip respectively adapted to be selectively adjustable in one of said guide slots, one strip per slot; a replaceable code-word strip adapted to be insertable into said parallel code-word slot, said code-word strip bearing substantially a series of code letters aligned along the length of the code-word strip, said series corresponding in number to the number of the digits provided upon each of the digit strip respectively; a front member overlying and in juxtaposition with the backing member; in the front member, a digit-reading window positioned for reading the monetary value from said digits on the respective digit strips manipulated in accordance with a code word made up from said series of letters, said window extending transversely across said digit strips so that one digit from each of said digit strips can be selectively viewed through the transverse slot for effecting said reading of the monetary value; a code-word-reading window elongated and in registry with the code-word slot such that said series of letters can be seen through said code-word-reading window; and a plurality of guideslot windows elongated and in registry with said parallel guide slots, such that for each digit strip said plurality of digits may be viewed and the digit strip manipulated in its respective guide slot by manipulation through its respective guide-slot window; whereby differing monetary value amounts represented by a code-word letter is translatable into numerical money value by sliding the code-word strip into the open-ended slot, and thereafter slidably manipulating each of the plurality digit strip consecutively each to correspond in lateral position to a respective code-word letter.

2. A monetary decodifying device, as defined in claim 1 and each of said digit strips having a set of digits from one to zero and in one end of the strip a hole for receiving a pointed end of an implement serving to effect the sliding adjustment of the digit strip.

3. A monetary decodifying device, as defined in claim 2 and said front face member being shaded over an area including the first two slots laterally adjacent from the code word slot indicative of cents values, and said shading extending about the cents locations of the final result window opening.

4. A monetary decodifying device as defined in claim 1 and said digit strips having digits from one to zero and a set of 10 holes therein and said digits and said holes being respectively spaced from one another to the same distances that the letters of the code word are spaced from one another, and said slots in the front face member terminating along a common transverse line and the pointed end of an implement being adapted when inserted in one of the holes to bring the strip to the proper location of one of the digits into the final result location.

5. A monetary decodifying device as defined in claim 4 and said code word strip being L-shaped and having one leg bearing the code word adapted to be located in the code word opening and a transversely extending leg bearing the code word, said front face structure having a window opening through which the code word on transversely extending leg may be observed.

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