Patent GB-650316-A (GB)
Abstract: 650,316. Ticket-issuing machine totalizators. TOTALISATORS, Ltd. (Automatic Totalisators, Ltd.). Oct. 16, 1947, No. 27717. [Classes 106 (i) and 106 (iii)] A race totalizator ticket-issuing machine comprises in combination an interlock lever able to assume either a locking or an unlocking position, loading devices which influence the interlock lever to assume and remain in its locking position, means operable on depression of a handpiece to allow the interlock lever to assume its locking position and thereby hold the handpiece depressed, a thrust rod movable towards the interlock lever, a movable packing member positionable in a working position between the thrust rod and the interlock lever, an interlock switch closed by the interlock lever in its locking position, and electrically operaable means which on closure of the interlock switch and contingently upon current flow therethrough, displace the packing member from its working position, revert the interlock lever to its unlocking position, and then revert the packing member to its working position. The depression of the rotatable handpiece lever 10, Fig. 4, of a ticket-issuing machine of the " Julius " type causes the lowering of a dropper 11, Figs. 1 and 4, and consequent clockwise movement of a bell-crank 12 one arm of which is connected to the dropper 11. The first arm 22 of a three-armed lever 20 fulcrummed on a pin 21 normally rests on the top 18 of the second arm 17 of the bell-crank 12, but upon the above movement of the bell-crank 12 it is pulled by a spring 32 on to the step 19 whereby the lever 20 and the handpiece 10 are locked. A pin 25 on the second arm 23 of the lever 20 thereupon effects closure of an interlock switch 29 in the integrator circuit which includes a pair of contacts 40, Figs. 2 and 4, normally held closed by a pin 42 on a trip lever 43 also fulcrummed on the pin 21 and normally resting against the face 50 of a spring-loaded armature 46 of a trip magnet 45. The " bet " is thereby registered in a grand total adding unit and in the corresponding competitor adding unit. The trip magnet 45 is in the integrating circuit and is therefore energized to attract the lever 46 whereupon the trip lever 43 is rocked by a spring 49 so that its foot engages the step 48 of the armature 46 and the pin 42 allows the contacts 40 to open and effects closure of the contacts 52 to cause energization of a magnetic clutch through which the main drive camshaft 27 then rotates. Cams on the shaft 27 effect feeding, printing and cutting of the ticket strip. The above movement of the trip lever 43 is imparted to a pivoted double-armed lever 57 so that a packing 38 carried thereby is moved away from the space between the foot of a manually-depressible lever 31 and the third arm 30 of the lever 22. During the rotation of the shaft 27 a cam 26 carried thereby engages a block 24 on the lever 20 and effects release of the lever 20 from the bell-crank 12. The lever 20 reassumes its initial position in which the interlock switch 29 is open and the handpiece 10 is freed. Near the end of a complete rotation of the shaft 27 a second cam 53 carried thereby engages a block 54 on the trip lever 43 which is thereupon rocked to its initial position to effect opening of the switch 52 to de-energize the magnetic clutch and so stop the shaft 27 and to reclose the switch 40. The doublearmed lever 57 is moved by the trip lever 43 back to its initial position. A cam 72 on the shaft 27 in co-operation with a follower lever 73, Fig. 2, effects operation of a transaction counter. Each competitor adding unit circuit includes a normally closed control switch which is opened when it is desired that no ticket be issued for the corresponding competitor, say upon " scratching " of that competitor. If the control switch of a competitor is open and an operator of a machine effects handpiece operation in respect of that competitor the trip magnet 45 will not be energized so that the trip lever 43 and the lever 57 will not be moved from their initial positions. The operator can then, by depressing the lever 31, rock the lever 20 through the packing 38 to free the handpiece lever for a further operation. If the system includes ticket-issuing machines for issuing high value tickets their integrating circuits must be closed a plurality of times for a single closure of the magnetic clutch circuit. This is accomplished by having the trip magnet 45 operate a spring-loaded lever 76, Fig. 5, which co-operates with an escape wheel 79 normally urged clockwise. A cam 83 is mounted coaxial with the escape wheel 79 and has as many projections 83, Fig. 5, as the wheel 79 has teeth. Upon closure of the integrator circuit as described above the magnet 45 is energized repeatedly by the repeated opening and closing of a switch 74 by the cam 83 until the number of impulses sent along the integrating circuit makes up the value of the ticket at which time the escapement wheel has completed a revolution, whereupon a cam 86 carried thereby trips a lever 87, Fig. 7, to allow rocking movement of the trip lever 43 and the operation continues as above. To ensure that only one ticket-issuing machine of a system is alive at any one instant each machine is connected to a contact of a distributer switch which is connected to the grand total adding unit and the competitor adding units.