Patent GB-190015709-A (GB)
Title: Adding and Recording Machine.
Inventor: DENNIS ADOLPHUS SYLVESTER
Filed: 1900-09-04
Granted: 1900-10-20
Abstract: 15,709. Dennis, A. S. Sept. 4. Tyve-writers and like machines.-Relates to apparatus for printing columns of figures, adding them, and printing their total. One bank of keys 3, Fig. 5, only is employed, the transverse feed of the carriage 5, when any key is struck and its amount registered and printed, providing for the different denominations, units, tens, hundreds, &c. When any key 3 is struck, it depresses the bar 18 of a frame rocking on the shaft 19 and the arm 20 thrusts the spring rod 21 to the left ; a head 22 on this rod, striking a projection 23 on a vertical spindle 16, rocks it and so operates a double pawl escapement. This escapement has two functions ; it allows the shaft 27 to turn under the action of a spring bolt 30 so as to throw the printing hammer 26, 25 forward to take an impression, and it then returns the hammer and allows the escapement wheel to turn one tooth. The carriage 5 runs on ball races 6, 6 and is fixed to an endless band 12 which passes round pulleys 10 ; one pulley is driven by a coiled spring, controlled by the escapement. Each key gives a movement, proportionate to the number marked upon it, to the shaft 56 by means of projecting arms 54 of different lengths acting on a plate 55, and thus through the section 86 actuates the adding and total printing-wheels 77, 78. The end of the shaft 56 is bevel-geared with a shaft 60 carrying a crank arm 61 which is linked to a type-plate sliding in the guides 53. In this way the type required is brought under the hammer 25 and the number struck on the paper strip 51<a> by means of a transfer strip 51 ; exactly to position the arm 61, each key presses down a spring rod 70 and, by means of a lever 68, throws up a spring stop rod 66 into the path of the arm. The sector 86 acts, through the sector 87, pawl 88, and ratchet-wheel 89, to drive the shaft 82 always in one direction. A sliding bracket 83, Fig. 11, secured to the endless carriage band,. moves a wheel 8 along the shaft 82, as the carriage is fed step-by-step, and engages it successively with the adding-wheels 77 of different denominations, and these wheels in turn set the total printing-wheels 78. A stop mechanism 160, 161 to prevent over-driving is actuated at each depression of a key by the projection 162. "Carrying" is effected by the action of cams 93 upon pawl arms 94, the pawls 95 of which engage ratchet-wheels 96 on the adding-wheels of next higher denomination. The adding-wheels, cams, and ratchets are formed as annular rings turning on ball bearings about the hubs 90. Initially the carriage 5 is set by hand in position to print the number of highest denomination, a series of pivoted spring-levers 72 adapted to engage " staggered" stops 75 being provided for the purpose. Whenever a lever 72 is operated to set the carriage, the movement actuates the feed mechanism of the rollers 47, 48 to space the lines of figures vertically. If the carriage be accidently set wrong, a key 4, which operates the spacing-mechanism but not the hammer 25, is used to bring it into the correct starting place. Locking-pawls 100 are provided for the adding-wheels, and are thrown successively out of action by a roller 101 as the bracket 83 brings the wheel 80 into gear with any adding-wheel. A cam shaft 104, turned by gear from an external handle, releases all the locking-pawls when the zeroizing pawls 121 are operated by the gear to bring the adding-wheels to zero. Means are provided, however actuated by an external push-piece, for throwing some of this gear out of action when it is desired to take a total without zeroizing. The total-printing hammer 123 is operated by a spring arm and a cam included in the gear just mentioned ; another cam, however, first allows the hammer to move transversely over all the total wheels from which a print is to be taken, but the hammer is stopped when it comes to the wheels showing zero so as to prevent the printing of meaningless ciphers. For this purpose the hammer is connected to a transversely moving rod 124 having a spline working in gaps at the zero point of the total-printing wheels 78. When the spline comes to a wheel which has moved from zero, it strikes the full part of the wheel and is arrested. The gear actuated from the external handle also includes means for feeding the paper a short distance down to take the imprint of the total and then throwing it up in sight of the operator.