Patent GB-1187364-A (GB)
Title: Device for Controlling the Printing of the Decimal Point in a Calculating Machine
Inventor: BOVIO MICHELE
IPC: G06C19/02
Filed: 1968-04-05
Abstract: 1,187,364. Controlling printing in calculating machines. ING. C. OLIVETTI & C. S.p.A. 5 April, 1968 [6 April, 1967], No. 16612/68. Heading G4B. A calculating machine including an arrangement controlling the printing of a decimal point comprises type carrying digit printing elements having normally inoperative decimal point printing elements interspersed with at least some of them, a member which may be set to select a decimal point and another member to discard predetermined digits of the totalizer in the printing of the total, these members being set simultaneously by a common manually operated device. The digit printing elements 6 are rotatably mounted on sliders 7 between the lower six of which are sliders 44 carrying the decimal point printers. A pinion 32 attached to the usual setting carriage, not shown, moves a slider 28 step by step, as described in Specification 1,065,019. Means for controlling actuation of the element 6 is as described in Specification 1,064,940. The decimal point selecting member consists of a bale 49 normally checking advance of the sliders 44 by engaging projections 54 on the latter but having a notch 56 which is aligned with the projection of the selecting decimal point by a lever 87. The lever 87 is operated by a rod 81 having a rack engaged by a pinion 78 on the manual setting of 74. The pinion also engages a rack of a rod 79 which controls movement of the totalizer not shown to discard digits as described in Specification 1,139,928. A manually operated stop lever 94 permits the lever 87 and hence the bale 49 to be locked. The bale has a step 57 which engages a slider 59 having a flange 62 engaged, when in its extreme right position Fig. 3, by projections 63 on all but the lowest slider 7. Carried by and movable relative to slider 59 is another slider 66 which is engaged by the slider 7. A lug 71 on the slider 66 is engaged by a pin 73 on the slider 28. The latter, during setting first moves the slider 66 to release the lowest slider 7 for movement towards the printing platen 9 as slider 66 engages pins 68, moves also the slider 59 to release other sliders corresponding to this setting. If factors having two decimal digits are to be set into the machine, the knob 74 is turned clockwise for two steps moving rack 81 allowing lever 87 to turn and shift bale 49 to the left (Fig. 3) by two steps. This brings the notch 56 into correspondence with the projection 54 of the second decimal point slider 44 from the right (Fig. 3) freeing it to print. Bale 49 also carries with the sliders 59, 66, slider 59 being located with edge 62 immediately to the left (Fig. 3) of the projections 63 of the third slider 7. If more than three digits are set, on the setting of the third digit, the pin 73, attached to slider 28 engages the lug 71 shifting slider 66 by one step without affecting the slider 59. On the setting of the following digits the slider 59 is carried along freeing successive sliders 7. The knob 74 also causes the shifting of the rod 80 to shift the totalizer by an equal number of steps to the right thus discarding in the product a number of places equal to the decimal digits of each factor. The lever 94 has two positions, the one of which prevents the rotation of lever 87 allowing the removal of digits from the answer separately from the setting of the decimal point.