Patent GB-612141-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in or relating to accounting and similar machines
IPC: G06C27/00
Filed: 1946-05-09
Abstract: 612,141. Accounting machines. NATIONAL CASH REGISTER CO. May 9, 1946, No. 14084. Convention date, Nov. 3, 1943. [Class 106 (i)] An accounting machine includes means controlled by certain settable amount differential mechanisms, to select during one cycle at least one of a plurality of selectively operable devices, each representative of a plurality of predetermined data, and means controlled by a selected device automatically to cause setting of related amount differential mechanisms during a subsequent cycle of machine operation, to record the predetermined data represented by each of such selected devices. The invention is applied to a machine for printing bills for gas used, the general operation being shown schematically in Figs. 1A, 1B to consist of entering present and previous meter readings in a first cycle, the pre-calculated consumption and the class of use in a second cycle, after which, if the amount used falls within a predetermined range, an automatic cycle follows to print the therms consumed and to print and enter the gross and net amounts, these being computed by an electric circuit of relays and contacts, which serves to arrest the associated differential mechanisms automatically for the necessary printing and entry into totalizers. Keyboard. The keyboard is divided into two 5-bank groups of amount keys, each having three banks 80 controlling conventional differential mechanism and two banks 81 controlling combinational differential mechanism. Consumption classification keys 82 control automatic amount-entering operations when the consumption relates to the classification and is within the range for which preset amount relays are provided. Corresponding keys 83 in the same bank are used when the consumption is outside the range of the preset amount relays, such operations being non- automatic. Gross-net keys 84, 85 corresponding to keys 82, 83 are used with total control keys to print totals of gross and net amounts in known manner, from the totalizers associated with the keys 82, 83. Automatic differential mechanism. Associated with known differential mechanism in each of the amount banks and in the grossnet bank is an auxiliary control member such as 172, Fig. 6A, having five projections 191, which can be selectively engaged by one or other pawl 192, 193 slightly spaced apart, whereby the member 172 and therefore the associated differential mechanism can be arrested in any one of ten positions according to the time at which the pawl 192 or 193 is actuated by its control magnet 200 or 198, respectively. In an automatic cycle movement of the differential mechanism from home position moves the usual aligner segment 177 and a pair of wiper contact arms 201 co-operating with odd and even contacts 202 and common contacts 203, 204, so that when a live contact 202 is encountered, circuit is made to the magnet 198 or 200 to actuate the corresponding pawl to arrest the differential mechanism automatically. Combinational differential mechanism. The combinational differential mechanism controlled by the keys 81 is operable in total-taking operations to withdraw amounts and to set the type wheels, and in amount entering operations to set the type wheels without actuating any totalizer. In the automatic cycle it is controlled automatically to print the therms consumed, which, however, are not entered into a totalizer. The actuator 295, Fig. 9, is coupled to the differentially settable arm 277 only if a pawl 296 is rocked to engage a stud 297 under the control of uncoupling arms 302 normally positioned so that, in amount-entering operations, a cam surface 303 on each arm 302 lies in the path of a stud 304 on the pawl 296 to rock the pawl counterclockwise in the early part of a differential movement to uncouple the actuator, whereby the related totalizer wheels are not actuated. In taking a total from these wheels, which receive overflow from the wheels associated with the banks 80, a zero stop-pawl throwout shaft 305 is rocked clockwise to move the zero stop-pawls and the arms 302 to ineffective position, whereby the pawls 296 couple the actuators 295 to the differential mechanism. A sleeve 317, Fig. 11, is yieldingly connected to the shaft 305 and can be operated by an arm 323 when the shaft 305 is rocked clockwise, but can be operated independently of the shaft 305 to move the zero stop-pawls to allow positioning of the differential mechanism under control of the preset amount relays in the automatic operation. Printing mechanism. Printing occurs selectively in various columns of an indented statement 50 and on an audit strip 51, under the control of notched discs in known manner. Automatic operation control means. Followng entry of present and previous meter readings in the first cycle, entry of a pre-calculated consumption amount within the range of the pre-set amount relays causes the machine to perform another cycle automatically to enter the corresponding gross and net amounts and the therms corresponding to the consumption. A control shaft 327, Fig. 13, is rotated at half the speed of the main shaft when a clutch 332 is engaged. Normally, at the beginning of a cycle, the high point of a cam 370 releases a spring-pressed lever 358 which releases a bellcrank 360 and a shaft 355 so that a link 372 rocks a yoke 374 to depress a link 376 and a member 347 which is thereupon moved by a camslot 348 to engage the tail 341 of a pawl 333 to disengage the clutch. At the end of a cycle, the cam 370 restores parts to normal position. A latch 380 is normally held out of the path of the bell-crank 360 by a blocking lever 386, but depression of any of the keys 82, to initiate the second cycle, through its pin 392, rocks a plate 390 to withdraw the blocking lever 386, whereupon the latch 380 blocks the bell-crank 360 against movement and the member 347 remains to the right to permit engagement of the clutch and rotation of the control shaft 327. In total-taking operations, the drive to the shaft 327 is disabled even though one of the keys 82 might have been depressed, by the zero stop-pawl throwout shaft 305 rocking in known manner to cause a member 395 to block movement of the latch 380. The drive to the shaft 327 is therefore operative only in the entry of consumption amounts under the control of keys 82 and the following automatic cycle, when the drive is maintained despite the release of the keys 82, by a cam 405 which raises the link 347 at the end of the consumption-entering cycle and maintains it until the shaft has completed its rotation. At the beginning of the automatic cycle, cams 435, 436, Fig. 11, on the control shaft cause shifting of a link 426 to the right to cam an arm 318 and the sleeve 317 clockwise to withdraw the zero stop-pawls of the amount banks. The zero stop-pawl of the gross-net control bank is withdrawn at the same time (Fig. 7, not shown) by another cam on the shaft 327. Withdrawal of the zero stop-pawls permits actuation of the related differential mechanism until stopped by the magnetically-operated pawls 192, 193, Fig. 6A. Cams 443, 444, 445, Fig. 18C, on the control shaft open and close switches 452, 455, 456 at appropriate times in the automatic cycle. Circuits. There are four groups of relays for the four kinds of service, residential, commercial, industrial and heating, each group including two group-selector relays 479, 480 and, in the embodiment described, ten pre-set amount relays and counter units. Differential positioning of the wiper contact arms 142 in setting up the consumption in the second cycle under the control of keys 82, through the selected contact 467 energizes the appropriate group-selector relays 479, 480 when the camcontrolled switch 455 closes, while the units and tens consumption banks position wipers 270, 271 so that when the switch 452 closes circuit is established through the contacts selected by these wipers and the corresponding contacts controlled by the relays 479, 480 to the pre-set amount relays 481, the units wiper 270 energizing the left hand windings of all corresponding preset-amount relays and the tens wiper 271 energizing its corresponding right-hand windings. Only that pre-set amount relay having both windings energized can operate its contacts and holds up after the switch 455 opens to release the group selector relays. The selected pre-set amount relay closes contacts connected through bundled cables 525, 526, 527 with selected contacts 202 in the gross, net and therms banks, the differential mechanisms of which are freed together with the differential mechanism of the gross-net control bank to move until arrested at the energization of the appropriate magnet 198 or 200 in each bank when the wiper, such as 201, completes circuit. Counters. Each time a pre-set amount relay energizes, it energizes a related magnet to operate a counter 478.