Patent GB-684047-A (GB)
Title: Counter mechanism
IPC: G06M1/36
Filed: 1950-06-12
Abstract: 684,047. Zeroizing-mechanism. VEEDERROOT, Inc. June 12, 1950 [June 22, 1949], No. 14639/50. Class 106 (i). A counter mechanism comprises a shaft mounted for axial movement into and out of non-resetting and resetting positions, a numeral wheel mounted on said shaft for rotation relative thereto during a counting operation, a driven gear mounted on said shaft in side by side relation to said wheel and having on its face opposed to said wheel a complete annular band of fine serrations of generally V-shaped crosssection, a pawl pivotally mounted on said wheel for swinging movement in a radial plane thereof and having on its free end teeth complementary to and adapted to intermesh with said serrations to provide a clutch coupling through which the numeral wheel can be driven by the gear, and means on said shaft for disengaging said pawl from said gear when said shaft is moved into its resetting position. The device comprises two pairs of counters, one for cost C and C<SP>1</SP> and one for quantity Q and Q<SP>1</SP>, one of each pair being supported on the shafts 10 and 11, Fig. 2, and adjacent ones of each pair being readable through corresponding windows 12, 13, Fig. 1 (not shown), at the front and rear of the coverplate. The quantity counters Q and Q<SP>1</SP> are driven through a gear train from a bevel gear 14, Fig. 2. The cost counters C and C<SP>1</SP> are driven from a bevel gear 16 which is driven at a speed in proportion to that of the bevel 14. Each cost counter C and C<SP>1</SP> comprises three indicator wheels 25, 26, 27 and each quantity counter Q and Q<SP>1</SP> comprises three indicator wheels 35, 36, 37. Each indicator wheel is associated with a driving gear 38. The bevel 16 drives a bevel 40 on a shaft 22 carrying gears 41, 42. The gear 41 meshes with the gear 38 of the wheel 25 of the counter C. The gear 42 drives a gear 43 which is loose on a shaft 21 and which drives the gear 38 of the wheel 25 of the counter C<SP>1</SP>. The bevel 14 drives a bevel gear 45 which is loose on the shaft 21 and which carries a gear 46 which drives the gear 38 of the wheel 35 of the counter Q<SP>1</SP>. The gear 38 of the wheel 35 of the counter Q is driven from the gear 46 through the gears 47, 48. All the wheels 25, 26, 27 and 35, 36, 37 are identical and each comprises, Figs. 6, 7 and 8, a disc 50 having a rim 51 on which the numerals are marked. The disc 50 is secured to a hub 52 which accommodates the shaft 11 (shaft 10 in the case of counters C and Q). The hub 52 has radial webs 53, Fig. 8, one of which is slotted to contain the pivot 69 of a pawl 55 which is urged clockwise, Fig. 7, by a spring 77 so that its teeth 70, Fig. 9, may engage the annular ring of teeth 71 on the associated gear 38 and thereby drivingly connect the gear 38 and disc 60, which connection is operative when the counter is being operated. The transfer mechanism is of the Geneva type and comprises a two-toothed gear 65, Fig. 10, a locking disc 66 and a pinion 67 mounted on a rod 68. During operation of the counter a lobe 74, Figs. 6, 7, of the pawl 55 rides in an annular groove 75 of the shaft 11. Resetting. When the shaft 11 is pulled outwardly to the right (to the position shown in Fig. 7), the lobe 74 of each pawl 55 of the wheels on the shaft is cammed out of the groove 75 and the pawl teeth 70 are disengaged from the teeth 71. The lobe 74 of each pawl is then pressed against the surface of a longitudinal slot 76 of the shaft 11 by springs 77 and 80. The spring 80 also presses a pad 83 against a friction disc 79 held against the disc 66 by a member 81 and keyed to the shaft 11. Rotation of the shaft 11 as described later is, therefore, transmitted to the associated discs 50, each of which are stopped in their zero positions by the engagement of a projection 165, Fig. 10, of a spring-pressed plate 60 with a slot 64 in the associated disc 66. The apparatus also includes a quantity totalizer 92 and a cost totalizer 93, Fig. 3 (not shown), each being of the non-reset type. A central shaft 18, Fig. 2, may be manually rotated to impart through gearing 85, 86, 87 the resetting rotation to the shafts 10 and 11 and is prevented from backward rotation by a pawl-and-ratchet mechanism. The rotation of the shaft 18 is transmitted to the gear 85 through a clutch comprising a plate 192, Fig. 13, fixed to the shaft 18 and having two conical recesses 193 adapted to be engaged, under the pressure of a spring 195, by two projections 194 of the gear 85. If an accidental or deliberate sudden movement is given to the shaft 18, the lugs 194 leave the recesses 193 and no movement is imparted to the shafts 10 and 11 relative to their counterwheels. The gear 86, Figs. 2 and 13, is fixed to the shaft 21 which also carries a gear 98 which drives a gear 99 loose on the shaft 18. The gearing is such that for two revolutions of the shaft 18 the reset shafts 10, 11 are rotated approximately " 1 <SP>1</SP>/ 3  " revolutions and the gear 99 exactly one revolution. Control of shafts 10 and 11. A bar 19, Figs. 2 and 4, bifurcated at its ends to embrace the shafts 10 and 11 has at its centre a pair of cam followers 102 which engage opposite sides of a cam 104 fixed to the gear 99. The cam 104 is so shaped that when the shaft 18 is rotated the bar 19 is moved to the right, Fig. 2, to effect the resetting axial movement of the shafts 10 and 11. Near the end of the revolution of the cam 104 the bar 119 and the shafts 10 and 11 are returned to their initial positions. The cam 104 is arrested after one revolution by the engagement of a spring-pressed pivoted pawl 111 with a shoulder 112, Fig. 11, of a disc 110 integral with the cam 104. The pawl 111 is pivoted to a stud 114 and has a slight vertical movement thereon. A lever 118 also pivoted on the stud 114 is spring-urged against a snail cam 119 integral with the disc 110. Operation. The counter is used for example in association with dispensing apparatus. A pivoted main control lever 125, Figs. 11 and 13, connected to a pump is moved from the full line position to the dotted line position shown in Fig. 13, to move a lever 132 away from the foot 117 of the pawl 111 which is thus moved from the shoulder 112 of the disc 110 so freeing the shaft 8 for manual rotation to effect counter re-setting as described above. During this resetting a lever 130, which is connected to a switch, not shown, which controls the motor of the pump, is held by a lever 136 in its switchopen full line position shown in Fig. 13. During rotation of the disc 110, the lever 118 is rocked anticlockwise and a detent 140 pivoted to said lever is raised so that a tooth 142 thereon moves above a shoulder 141 of the lever 130. At the same time the detent 140 moves the lever 136 from locking engagement with the lever 130. When at the end of resetting the lever 118 moves clockwise to bottom of the cam 119, the detent 140 is lowered and its tooth 142 engages the shoulder 141 to move the lever 130 clockwise to its dotted position, Fig. 13, to close the motor switch. The counters are then operated as described above. At the end of the dispensing when the lever 125 is moved back to its full-line position and its lateral extension 146 resets the lever 130 to its initial position and a cam slot 148 in the lever 125 resets the lever 136 into locking engagement with the lever 130. Specification 425,473 is referred to.