Patent GB-598524-A (GB)
Abstract: 598,524. Calculating - machines ; transfer mechanism ; zeroizing mechanism. ALLEN - WALES ADDING MACHINE CORPORATION. Feb. 27, 1946. No. 6134. Convention date, Oct. 28, 1941. [Class 106 (i)] A calculating - machine for performing addition and subtraction comprises a totalizer having a set of wheels and associated transfer mechanism, means for entering amounts additively into the totalizer, means for entering amounts subtractively by setting up additively the tens complement of the amount and means automatically operable on operation of a negative total - taking member when the total is negative to add the tens complement of one to the amount in the totalizer to change this amount from the tens complement to the nines complement of the negative total and then to clear the totalizer by complementary addition. The invention is applied to a machine of the Allen-Wales type which has columns of keys each provided with a zero stop normally to block the differential mechanism. Depressed keys are latched but are released by the depression of other keys in the respective columns or by the operation of a key release bail. Differential mechanism. During the forward movement of a cross-bar 55, Fig. 1, stop bars 66 move under the action of springs into abutment with the depressed key stems and so rotate diverging levers 51 and operate amount type bars 51a. For addition, rack levers 52 are coupled to the diverging levers 51 by means of pins 63 on arms 64 mounted on a shaft 20 and racks 67 on the rack levers 52 are engaged with totalizer pinions 68 during the return movement of the rack levers under the control of the cross-bar 55. Transfer mechanism. As a totalizer wheel passes from " 9 " to " 0 " a transfer cam 18a, Fig. 25, associated therewith rocks a transfer lever 74 and so removes an abutment 75 from a lug 71 on the rack 67 of the next higher denomination and allows the rack to move under the action of a spring by an amount corresponding to one unit until the lug 71 engages a second abutment 76 on the transfer lever. The transfer levers are latched in the moved position by sprung latches (not shown) which are tripped to release the transfer levers by arms 70 when these arms are rocked to disengage the totalizer wheels from the racks. Driving mechanism. The rocking of a trip lever 127, Figs. 2 and 4, about a stud 128 acts through links 142, 144 to permit rotation of a shaft 149 which results in the closing of a switch 2 which is in the circuit of an electric motor 1 together with a speed governor switch 3. An arm 151, Fig. 72, carried by the shaft 149 then releases a one-revolution clutch, a cam 163 on which co-operates with an arm 152 also carried by the shaft 149 to return the shaft 149 to its original position and so open the switch 2 after one revolution. The motor drives a rear shaft 9 through links and a yieldable drive comprising a lever 8, loose on the shaft 9, and a link 8a connected to the lever 8 by a spring 8c and carrying a roller 8b which engages a plate 9a rigidly secured on the shaft 9. A main shaft 17, Fig. 4, is driven by the rear shaft 9 through cranks and a link but may alternatively be provided with a handle for manual operation. The trip lever 127 is operated for addition by depression of .an addition touch bar (not shown) which acts on a stud 132 of a lever 130 pivoted to the trip lever 127 and operating it by means of a stud 137 which acts on a bell-crank lever 133 normally held rigid with the trip lever 127 by a spring. Subtraction. To subtract an amount from the totalizer the tens complement of the amount is added for which purpose each rack lever 52, Fig. 1, is disconnected from the associated diverging lever 51 by moving the shaft 20 longitudinally so that each pin 63 engages only the rack lever 52. This movement also brings arms 64a connected to arms 64 into the path of movement of studs (not shown) positioned on the stop bars 66, so that when the stop bars are released during a cycle of operation, the studs thereon rotate the arms 64a and therefore the rack levers 52 by an amount sufficient to enter the tens complement of the unit set on the keyboard and the nines complements of the amounts set on the other denominations. Since the diverging levers 51 are connected to the stop bars 66, they set the amount type bars 51a to print the subtrahend. The machine is conditioned for subtraction and set in operation by depressing a subtraction touch bar (not shown) which rocks a subtraction control lever 40, Figs. 1 and 4, carrying a stud 42 which then releases a lever 30 thereby coupling a belt crank lever 28 to the shaft 20. Rotation of a sector 16 on the main shaft 17 then rotates the lever 28 and so the shaft 20 by means of a lever 37 and, since the shaft 20 carries an arm 21, Figs. 2 and 34, having a roller 22 which engages a cam shot in a plate 24, the shaft 20 is also shifted longitudinally. The subtraction control lever 40 is held in its moved position by a latch 167, Fig. 4, and a tail of the latch engages the bell-crank 133 on the trip lever 127 so as to render the driving mechanism operative. The latch 167 is rocked towards the end of the cycle, so as to release the subtraction control lever 40, by a latch 173 having a pawl 182 by which it is rocked when the pawl is engaged by a stud 180 on the sector 16. Non-add mechanism. Operation of a non- add lever 108, Fig. 46, acts in a known manner to disengage the totalizer wheels during the complete cycle of operation and is latched by the tail of the latch 173 which engages beneath plates which are rocked by a link 111 lifted by the lever 108. The latching movement of the latch 173 depresses the bell-crank 133, Fig. 4, and therefore rotates the trip lever 127 to render the driving mechanism operable. Positive total- and sub-total-taking. A lever 99, Fig. 1, is moved in one direction or the other according to whether a total or sub-total is required and is connected through links to the key release bail 301a so as to remove the zero stops of the stop bars 66 which, when released by the cross-bar 55, will drive the totalizer wheels, which are engaged with the racklevers 52 during their forward movement, until the transfer cams 18a abut lugs on the transfer levers. For sub-total-taking, the totalizer wheels are engaged with their racks during the return movement also so that the amount is re-entered into the totalizer. As the machine is conditioned for addition, the diverging levers 51 are coupled to the rack levers 52 and the amount type bars 51a are operated according to the total. Operation of the lever 99 also rocks plates which are latched by the latch 173 and the latter in moving, actuates the bell-crank 133, Fig. 4, and trip lever 127 to render the driving mechanism operative. Negative total- and sub-total-taking. Depression of a negative total key 237, Fig. 1, rocks a negative total-taking control lever 230 which actuates, and is latched by, the subtraction control lever 40 and also moves a blocking member 255 to limit the movement of the units denomination rack lever 52 so as to enter nine in the units denomination well as in the other denominations, and thus to subtract one from the amount in the totalizer, when the rack levers are released for a cycle of operation. The drive mechanism is operated for this first machine cycle by the rocking of the subtractioncontrol lever 40 as for subtraction and is continued for a second cycle by maintaining the bell-crank 133, Fig. 4, depressed by means of a link pivoted to a plate which is clutched, on operation of the negative total-taking control lever 230, to a pair of plates rocked by rotation of the shaft 20 whenever the machine operates under subtraction conditions. The plate which operates to maintain the drive also acts through a link to rock the key release bail during the second cycle and, through a further link, to allow rotation of a bail shaft 195, Figs. 1 and 13, carrying a bail rod 197 which then allows rotation of a series of stop pieces 190 on the main shaft 17 under the influence of sensing fingers 184, the positions of which are determined by cams 183 on the totalizer wheels. A step on each stop piece 190 will then position the corresponding diverging lever 51, when the latter is released during the second cycle, by engaging an abutment 200 thereon, so as to set the amount type bars to print the nines complement of the nines complement stored in the totalizer, that is, the true negative total. As the machine is conditioned for addition during the second cycle, the rack levers 52 are coupled to their associated diverging levers 51 and, by engaging the totalizer wheels with the racks during the return movement of the latter, the nines complement may be added to the nines complement in the totalizer to turn each wheel to nine. The addition of one at the end of the cycle thus returns all of the totalizer wheels to zero and is made by rocking a transfer lever 72, Fig. 1, provided to actuate the rack of the units denomination. The transfer lever 72 is rocked by a link 333 connected to a trigger mechanism which is tensioned by rocking a lever 306 by the engagement of a byepass pawl 328 carried by the lever 306 with the bail rod 197 during its forward movement at the end of the second cycle. A lever 310, latched by an arm 309 during the tensioning of the trigger mechanism, is then rocked by a cam 58 on the rear shaft 9 so as to release the trigger mechanism and operate the transfer lever 72 through the link 333. To take a negative sub-total, means are provided to operate the non-add link 111 during the second cycle to prevent the addition into the totalizer of the nines complement. Depression of a negative sub-total-taking key 238 operates the negative total-taking control lever 230 and also a negative sub-total-taking control lever 231 which allows a second plate to be clutched to the previously mentioned pair of plates which are rocked by rotation of t