Patent GB-206235-A (GB)
Abstract: 206,235. Haddan, A. J. H., (National Cash Register Co.). Aug. 1, 1922. Cash registers with item-printing mechanism.-In a machine for registering items upon totalizers according to districts or states from which the orders emanate and for taking totals from the district totalizers or a grand totalizer, the items of an order are printed upon a record strip and an inserted sheet and the total of the order mav then be printed upon both of these and also upon a second record strip. The inserted sheet and the first record strip are fed by linespacing mechanism which, however, actuates the second strip only when a total is printed. The inserted sheet is automatically ejected when the total has been printed upon it. The invention is described as embodied in a machine provided with the keyboard, differential and totalizer-selecting and total-taking mechanisms described in Specifications 8119/15, 100,568, 100,569, 100,570, 191,346, 191,350, and 191,351. Keyboard-arrangement. In addition to the amount banks there are banks of district keys, a release bank such as that described in Specification 206,460, and a total-taking lever adjustable to positions corresponding with the district groupings, and the kind of total desired. The release bank contains four keys as follows. Key " X " is depressed to release the machine for operation when a district total is required, for registering and printing single items and for taking a total of an itemized or detailed order. Key " M " is used when registering the separate items of such an order. Key " S " is depressed to release the machine for taking a district total and key " * " for taking a grand total. Record-arrangements. Impressions from duplicate type carried by wheels 320 are made upon an upper strip 380 and a lower strip 405 (both of which pass to the exterior of the casing and may be torn off) and also upon an order sheet inserted by hand upon a table 410. The line-spacing mechanism for feeding the upper strip consists of a ratchet drive operated by a pitman 394 reciprocated by a grooved cam on the main printing shaft 300. The lower strip 405 passes between a feed roll 411 and a pressure roll 412 and beneath a serrated tearing-off plate 413. The roll 411 may be rotated manually to expose a length of strip but normally is driven by line-spacing mechanism controlled from the keyboard, so that when an itemized order is being recorded in the machine (key " M " depressed) this feed mechanism is disabled and is operative again only when a total is to be printed. For this purpose the roll 411 is geared with a flanged gear wheel 426 driven by a friction pawl oscillated by a pitman 432 reciprocated by a grooved cam fixed on a shaft 433 adapted to be driven from shaft 300 through geneva mechanism actuated by pins on a disc slidable on but rotatable with the shaft 300. The release keybank controls differentially the rotary setting of a cam plate 450, Fig. 8, and when the " M " key has been depressed the plate occupies a position with its notch 481 co-operating with a pin 451 on a lever 452. Pivoted to the other end of this lever is a link 454 bifurcated to embrace a pin 456 on an arm 457 fixed to a shaft 458. A rocking arm 471 pivoted at 472 is hook-shaped at 470 to engage a pin 469 on link 454 and is rocked first clockwise and then back again by cams on shaft 300. With cam 450 set as above described, the shaft 458 is not moved, or if left by the previous operation of the machine in a displaced position, is restored to the normal position shown. In this condition, the slidable disc on shaft 300 is ineffective as its driving pins do not extend into the plane of the geneva wheel and consequently the record-strip is not fed while the separate items are being recorded elsewhere in the machine. When, by depression of one of the other release keys, however, the cam 450 presents a raised portion to pin 451, the link 454 is turned counterclockwise about the pin 456 so that in the subsequent return movement of the arm 471 the pin 469 is cammed downwardly to rock the link clockwise about the pivot 453. The pin 456 is thus shifted and the shaft 458 rocked clockwise. A spiral cam on this shaft engaging a stationary roller produces an endwise displacement of the shaft and this movement is transmitted to the slidable disc above-mentioned so as to render it effective to drive the geneva wheel and therefore also the feed-mechanism of the strip. The upper and lower impression mechanisms are substantially the same as those described in Specification 193,898. Inserted sheet, feeding and ejecting. The sheet seen in Fig. 15 is placed upon the table 410 beneath the type-wheels and is automatically fed for line-spacing after each item impression as follows. Fast on shaft 483, Fig. 4, is an arm 485 supporting a knurled roller 487, co-operating with a stationary knurled roller 496. The roller 487 is driven by ratchet mechanism operated from the shaft 300 by a grooved cam and pitman 491. The feed rollers 487, 496 are narrow and out of alignment with the lower record-strip feed rollers so as to prevent interference with the strip. In order to raise the roller 487 to grip and feed the sheet, a spring-controlled bell-crank 500, Fig. 4, fixed on shaft 483 carries a pin 501 co-operating with the notched edge of a sector plate 502 fast on shaft 503 and adapted to be differentially set by gear connection with the differential rack appertaining to the bank of release keys. When the " M " key has been depressed, the plate is set with the notch 507 adjacent the pin 501 so that the bell-crank 500 under the action of its spring raises the roller 487 into effective position. When any other release key has been operated, the roller is maintained by the plate in its lower position and its feeding motion conveyed by the pitman 491 is without effect on the sheet. The means for ejecting the sheet after the total has been printed upon it comprises a pair of knurled rollers 509, 510, the lower of which is mounted on a shaft 517 driven through spiral and spur gearing from a geneva wheel adapted to be rotated by a pin on a disc shifted axially with the slidable disc on shaft 300, as mentioned above. When a release key other than the " M " key is depressed, that is whenever a total-taking is to occur, these discs are slid so that the geneva wheel is driven and consequently the ejecting roller 510 is rotated. In order that this rotation shall be effective, the normally raised roller 509 must first be lowered, and this is secured by connecting the shaft 495 supporting the roller with the pitman 432 for feeding the lower record-strip so that when this strip is fed, that is, in all total-printing operations, the sheet is gripped by the descent of roller 509 and is ejected.