Patent GB-614270-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in sensing mechanism for a totalizer in computing and recording machines
Filed: 1946-07-08
Abstract: 614,270. Calculating-machines. REMING- TON RAND, Inc. July 8, 1946, No. 20352. Convention date, Aug. 30, 1944. [Class 106 (i)] In a computing and recording machine having a travelling totalizer and feelers which contact the totalizer wheels or associated parts of successive orders for printing a total electrically or for other purposes, each totalizer wheel is associated with a disc and the feelers are disposed normally out of contact with the disc to be sensed and are projected into contact with the periphery thereof when the totalizer wheel is moved into its sensing position. The invention is described with reference to total-taking in a Remington book-keeping machine and is stated to be an improvement of the type of sensing mechanism shown in Specification 559,880. For each order of the totalizer 20 there is a disc 24 connected to a pinion 25, this pinion and a dial wheel 21 being operated via a pinion 22 by a carrier wheel, the carrier wheels being operated sequentially by the master wheel of a known actuator mechanism as the totalizer is moved step by step. The discs are made of insulating material, but each has a conducting plate 26 fastened on one side so as to contact a shaft 27 which supports the discs and the opposite ends of each plate are bent over at 28 and 29 to form contact elements. A sensing head, fixed in position on the frame has a series of movable feelers 45 which can be projected towards the discs 24 against the action of springs 48 by spring-like reeds 43. The reeds are fastened at one end and each one has an armature connected to its middle, the armatures being simultaneously attracted by an electromagnet which has an arcuate pole-piece disposed adjacent the armatures. This action is arranged to occur after the carriage has moved to place an order in position for printing and the corresponding value is about to be printed. Prior to this the feelers are out of contact with the disc, thus avoiding wear. When the feelers contact the disc the value is printed in the following manner : The disc moves through 36 degrees for each unit, and the metal contact 28 is contacted by the first feeler in zero position (as shown in Fig. 1), by the third feeler for 1, the fifth for 2, the seventh for 3 and the ninth for 4, while the remaining feelers in every case merely contact the insu-. lated part of the disc. Each feeler is connected via a tens complement relay and a nines complement relay (as in Specification 559,880) to its corresponding printing magnet and then to a source of power, the plate being earthed via the frame to complete the circuit. For numbers above 4 the contact 28 will not be opposite a feeler, but the contact 29 will then be in position to be contacted by two adjacent feelers, the first and second feelers for 5, the third and fourth for 6 and so on. The second, fourth, sixth &c. feelers are each connected with a shift relay, which operates to connect the zero feeler to the printing magnet for 5, the 1 feeler to the 6-printing magnet &c., i.e. each of the feelers which operate the printing magnets 0-4 now operates to print its number plus five. The electrical circuit to the printing magnets contains a pair of safety contacts which are normally open and are closed by a relay which is itself only energized when an order wheel is in position to be sensed. These safety contacts are adjusted so as not to close until after the shift relay has closed, when a number above 4 is to be printed, thus avoiding misprinting. In a modification (Fig. 8, not shown), only six feelers are used, four of those connected to the shift relay (2nd, 4th, 6th and 8th) being removed. The disc contact 29 is equal in size to contact 28, and five other contacts are provided in between them, one 18 degrees from 29, another 18 degrees from 28 and the remaining three at 36 degree intervals, one or other of these five thus contacting the feeler connected to the shift-relay when a number 5-9 is being sensed. In a second modification (Figs. 12, 13, not shown), the ten feelers are used, but the shift relay and safety contacts are omitted. The contacts 28 and 29 are of equal size and are spaced 198 degrees apart, the feelers being connected directly, via the nines and tens complement relays to their respective printing magnets, i.e. the first, third &c. feelers to 0-4 and the second, fourth &c. feelers to 5-9.