US1926881A - Accounting machine - Google Patents

Description

Sept 12, 1933. PElRcE 1,926,881

ACCOUNTING MACHINE Original Filed Oct. 18, 1927 5 Sheets-Sheet l Elvwmtoz Q: M W

Sept. 12, 1933. J. R. PEIRCE ACCOUNTING MACHINE Original Filed Oct. 18, 1927 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Sept. 12, 1933. J. R. PEIRCE 1,926,881

ACCOUNTING MACHINE Original Filed Oct. 18, 1927 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 V W 408 I Sept. 12, 1933. J. R. P EIRCE ACCOUNTING MACHINE Original Filed 001;. 18, 1927 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 FIG.7.-

380 ass J. R. PEIRCE ACCOUNTING MACHINE Sept. 12, 1933.

Original Filed Oct. 18, 1927 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Patented Sept. 12, 1933 UNITED STAT-ES PATENT OFFICE ACCOUNTING MACHINE Original application October 18, 1927, Serial No.

Divided and this application October 16, 1928. Serial No. 312,791

Claims.

The present invention relates to transfer mechanism for accumulators and has for its principal object to provide an improved transfer mechanism of electrical type. 1

The present case is a division of my copending case, Serial No. 226,845, filed October 18, 1927.

An object of the invention is to provide an electric transfer mechanism consisting of a commutator and brush device for initiating electric impulses for entering the transferred units when necessary. Another object of the invention is to provide an improved commutator mechanism for controlling circuits over which the transferring impulses may be conducted.

The preferred form of the invention as at pres ent conceived consists of a commutator with two coacting brushes normally held out of cooperation therewith. Through suitable mechanism one of the brushes is moved into cooperation with the commutator when an associated accumulator wheel passes through zero. The other brush is shifted into cooperation with the commutator when the accumulator wheel stands in the 9 position. As the commutator rotates, at a given time segments thereon encounter the brushes and an entering impulse is initiated to effect the necessary transfer. This transferring operation occurs during each accumulating cycle after the entry of the accumulative data is complete.

Further and other objects and advantages will be hereinafterv set forth in the accompanying specification and claims and shown in the drawings which illustrate by way of example what is now believed to be the preferred form of the invention.

' Fig. l is a front view of the machine shown in the parent application above referred to, illustrating the printing mechanism, numerical and alphabetical translators and accumulators.

Fig. 2 is a front view of an accumulator to which the improved transfer mechanism has been applied.

Fig. 3 is a cross section on line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a view on line 4-4 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a detail of the transfer mechanism at 9 position.

Fig. 6 is a detail of the transfer mechanism at 0 position.

Fig. 7 is a view on line 77 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 8 is a perspective diagrammatic view of the gear mechanism of the accumulator.

Fig. 9 is a wiring diagram of the electrical circuits of the machine.

The machine is explained in detail in the parent application above referred to and in the present case will be described only to the extent necessary to enable a clear understanding of the transfer mechanism.

Referring to Figs 9 the machine is provided with analyzing brushes 710 and 712 beneath which the tabulating cards 708, which are assumed to bear perforations of the true combinational or Peirce type, are fed. When a brush encounters a perforation in the card an electric circuit is established giving rise to an electrical impulse through which the meaning of the perforation may be registered through suitable mechanism. The brushes 710 and 712" are connected through wires 720.110 sockets on a plug board 722 from which they may be plugged to numerical translator Ina-" ta 142 or alphabetical translator magnets 162. The magnets 142 effect set ups of brushes 116 and 118 which cooperate with commutators 102 to initiate a single impulse for each combination analyzed by the.brushes 710 or 712. This single impulse is so timed in the machine cycle as to represent in value the numerical meaning of the combination which has been sensed by the analyzing brushes in accordance with the Hollerith system of record controlled machine operation. The accumulator magnets of the machine are indicated at 314, three of these magnets being identified as U, T and H, respectively. The magnet marked U operates the unit accumulator element; the magnet marked T operates the tens accumulator element; and the magnet marked H operates the hundreds accumulator element.

Each impulse initiated by the translator commutators 102 effects energizat'ron of the magnets 31% in the usual manner to enter the corresponding number on the accumulators. This operation generally is well understood and fully described in the parent application to which reference should be had for a complete explanation. The construction of the accumulator is somewhat important as .an aid to understanding the transfer mechanism and the accumulators will be described in detail.

Energization of magnet 314 attracts armature 316, moving it to the right (Fig. 2) thereby unlatching arm 318 of assembly 320, shown in full lines in Fig. 8. This assembly is mounted for oscillation on stud 322 and is normally urged anti-clockwise about pivot 322 by spring 324, therefore when armature 316 releases arm 318, assembly 320 is rotated slightly antirclockwise. Assembly 320 includes a pair of parallel upward- 1y extending arms 326 and 328, in the upper ends of which is fixed a horizontal rod 330. On rod 330 is mounted for rotation a sleeve 332 on which are fast the pinions 334 and 336.

Pinion 336 is constantly in mesh withgear' 338 on a sleeve 340 on stud 342 (Figs. 3, 4 and 7). Pinion 336 and gear 338 are provided with extra long teeth to permit oscillation of assembly 320 without disengaging the teeth of pinion 336'and gear 338. Pinion 334 is aligned to mesh with gear 344 whenever assembly 320 is oscillated to the left (Fig. 8) and as pinion334 and gear 344 have teeth. of ordinary length they become disengaged when the assembly is in normal position, latched by armature 316.

Gear344 is fast on sleeve 346 on stud 342. Alongside of gear 344 and rotating with it is gear 348 in mesh with gear 350 which is in constant rotation, therefore gear 344 (as well as ear 348) is also in constant rotation. Pinions 334, 336 and gears 338 and 344 are provided with zero-angle teeth to prevent any tendency to disengage against the pressure of spring 324.

The teeth of pinion 334 and gear 344 are shaped more or less in the form of ratchet teeth, as indicated in Fig. 4,'whereby the moving teeth of gear 344 are enabled to readily engage the proper teeth of pinion 334.

Sleeve 340 carries a gear 338 and notched disk 380, the function of which will be explained later, and forms a unitary structure freely rotatable on stud 342. Sleeve 346 which carries gears 344 and 348 and also a disk 356 and conducting member 420 forms another unitary structure free on stud 342 and which will rotate independently of the structure including sleeve 340.

With the above construction in mind the differential action of the accumulator may be understood. When magnet 314 is energized, armature 316 releases arm 318 and permits assembly 320 to swing to the left until arm 326 rests against stop 352 (Fig. 4)." This movement engages pinion 334 with gear 344 and causes pinion 334 to rotate in synchronism with gear 344, thereby causing pinion 336 and gear 338 to also rotate in synchronism therewith. This rotation continues until a hump 355 on cam 356 passes under finger 358 projecting from the upper end of arm 326, thereby rotating assembly 320 clockwise, disengaging pinion 334 from gear 344 and permitting armature 316 to again latch arm 318. At the same time the free end of detent 360, projecting from the lower portion of assembly 320 enters between teeth of gear 338 and retains that gear'against inadvertent movement from the position to which it 355 on cam 356 engaging finger 358 it is given a v slight excessmovement to provide clearance to permit armature 316 to readily engage arm 318. Thisexcess movement it utilized to positively re:-

' store armature 316, which although normally drawn'to home position by spring 370 may never- It will be understood that the numerical translator through the above mechanism imparts exactly the same differential action to the accumulator as is imparted by the perforations in the well known Hollerith type of record card. That is, the accumulator begins to rotate at different times in the cycle depending upon when the impulse is received from the translator, and the rotationof the accumulator is stopped at a fixed point in the cycle by cam 356, thereby rotating the accumulator an amount proportional to the value of the digit representedby the numerical translator.

In the operating cycle of the machine, after rotation of the accumulator has been stopped by cam 356, an opportunity is provided for transfer operations to take place if any are required. The transfer operations are effected electrically in much the same manner as in Patent No. 1,372,965 issued March 29, 1921, to C. D. Lake for Electric transfer device. Although the principle of the present transfer device is the same as in the Lake machine, the contact mechanism has been greatly modified and simplified.

After the adding portion of the machine cycle has been completed and cam 356 has functioned to stop rotation of the accumulator wheels, there still remains the transfer, or carry, operation to be performed. That is to say, if any accumulator wheel has been turned to (or through) zero during the adding portion of the cycle, it is necessary to advance one or more adjoining wheels to the left one step in order to show the correct result. If the next adjoining wheel shows a digit less than 9 it is suiiicient to advance only that wheel. But if the next adjoining wheel or wheels show 9 it is necessary to advance all the 9 wheels one step, as well as advancing the first wheel to the left of the 9 wheels.

This operation is performed by the devices shown in detail in Figs. 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7. Fast to each gear 338 is a disc 380. The gear and disc are so driven as to make only one quarter revolution for each ten units entered into the accumulator. In other words, if the accumulator were to be arranged for visual reading, the digits might be placed on the rim of disc 380, but instead of having only the customary single set of digits on the disc, the set of digits would be repeated four times.

Associated with each disc 380 is a rock lever 382, pivoted on a stud 384, and biased by spring 386 so that finger 388 tends to bear constantly on the rim of disc 380. While disc 380 is indicating the digits 1 to 8 inclusive, finger 388 rests on a concentric portion of the rim, and when the disc indicates 9 the finger drops into a notch 390. as shown in Fig. 5. When disc 380 turns still further to indicate 10" or 0 a point 392 forces lever 382 to the position shown in Fig. 6, in which position itis held by latch 394 engaging catch plate'396 on lever 382. Latch 394 is pivoted at 398 and is drawn towards latching position by spring 400 (Fig. 4).

Mounted on an insulating block 402 at the a contact plate 422, the lower end of which is are shaped as shown in Fig. 4 to insure good electric contact with ring 420. Plate 422 is insulated from the machine by block 424, and is connected to the machine circuit by wire 426.

Projecting from the rim of ring 420 are four equally spaced contact humps. The two dia= metrically opposed humps 428 at one side oi the groove in ring 420" are arranged to contact with brush 412, while the two humps 430 on the other side of the grove in ring 420 are located to contact with brush 406.

Each plate 422 is electrically connected by its wire 426 to the counter magnet 314 and to the 9 brush 412 of the next higher order of digits.

In the circuit diagram (Fig. 9) three accumu lator units are indicated, the upper being units and designated .U, the middle one being tens and designated TT, while the lower one representing hundreds is marked H.

For convenience of explanation it will be assumed that during the adding portion of the cycle advance both the H and T elements one step in.

order to show the proper result. This is done as follows. After cam hump 355 has restored the counter actuating devices as above described, the continued operation of the machine rotates commutator 432 until block 434 completes contact between brushes 436 and 438 (Figs. 1 and 9). At this time also due to the timing of the drive mechanism the projections on ring 420 are in juxtaposition with brushes 406 and 412 and assuming that brush 406 has been set for transfer an impulse is transmitted from the right side of line through wire 440, contact 442, wire 444, brush 438, block 434, brush 436, wire 446, wire 408, brush 406, ring 420, plate'422, wire 426, counter magnet 314, of the tens counter T to left. side of line thereby advancing counter element T, as is necessary. But it is also necessary to advance element H. Therefore current is sent to its counter magnet through wire 416, 9 brush 412, (see Fig. 5), ring 420, plate 422, wire 426, and through H counter magnet to left side of line, thus advancing element H". Transfer restoring cam 448 on disc 356 is so located as to act on finger 358 to permit the counter elements T and H to advance only one step, as is required to show the proper result. At the same time, transfer trip cam 450 contacts with finger 452 to release latch 394 from plate 396, thereby permitting lever 382 to return to normal position. The transfer operation is then complete and the accumulator is ready to begin another adding cycle.

Inasmuch as element H indicates a digit between 1 and 8 inclusive, its finger 388 is on the concentric portion of disc sec and neither of its brushes406 or 412 will make contact during the transfer portion of the cycle and no impulse will be transmitted through that element to ele-: ments of higher order.

I claim:

1. transfer mechanism for an accounting machine comprising in combination, a plurality of index elements, a commutator associated with each of said elements, a brush associated with each. of said commutators and normally free of engagement therewith, and means for mov ing said brush radially with respect to said commutator to establish electric contact between said commutator and brush in order to effect a transfer operation.

2. transfer mechanism for an accounting machine comprising in combination, a plurality of index elements, a commutator associated with each of said elements, a pair of brushes associated with each of said commutators and means operable by the machine for establishing electric contact between said commutator and one of said brushes when the associated index element passes through zero and for establishing electric contact between the commutator and the other of said brushes when nine is indicated by said element.

3. The invention set forth in claim 2 in which said means for establishing contact comprises a device for moving said brushes into or out of contact with said commutator.

4. A transfer mechanism for an accounting machine comprising in combination, a plurality of index elements, a movable conducting element associated with each of said index elements, a pair of cooperating contact members associated with each of said conducting elements and means operable by the index elements for positioning one of said contact members in the path of said conducting element when {the index) element reaches zero and for positioning the other contact member in the path of said conducting element when the index element indicates nine.

5. A transfer mechanism for an accounting machine, comprising in combination, a plurality of index elements, a movable conducting element associated with each of said index elements, a pair of cooperating contact members associated with each of said conducting elements and means operable by the index elements for normally holding both of said contact members out of the path of said conducting element and for moving one of them into the path thereof when the index element reaches zero and the other of them into the path of the conducting element when the index element registers nine.

JOHN ROYDEN PEIRCE.

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