Patent GB-1345886-A (GB)
Title: Business machines
IPC: G06C7/00
Filed: 1971-06-22
Abstract: 1345886 Business machines, e.g. cash registers LITTON INDUSTRIES Inc 22 June 1971 [26 June 1970 (2) 14 Sept 1970 14 Dec 1970] 29292/71 Headings G4T and G4B In a business machine, e.g. a cash register, elements for transferring data from the keyboard to display units are in the form of elongate flexible tapes formed with equally spaced perforations along their lengths, each element being longitudinally movable and the perforations engaging at least one gear of the machine linked to an associated display unit. Keyboard.-A full keyboard includes, for each order, nine keys 121-129, Fig. 4, a slide 132, a slide 134 and a single spring 136, which biases all the keys and both the slides to their normal positions. Each key stem carries a stud 140, which engages in a recess 146 of slide 132 when the corresponding key is depressed. Stud 140 also engages in a slot 137 of slide 134 to move the latter to the left and withdraw a stop 143 from engagement with accumulator wheel 402. If no key of a particular order row is depressed, stop 143 prevents subsequent rotation of wheel 402 and a "zero" is recorded in that order. When an ADD cycle of the machine is initiated by a key 450, Fig. 14, a bar 150 moves to the left to shift slides 132, so that horizontal edges 154 block further key depressions. Toward the end of the ADD cycle, bar 150 shifts slides 132 to the right to release all keys. Initiation of a TOTAL cycle shifts bar 150 and thus slides 132 to the right to block depression of all keys with edges 154. Transmission elements in the form of flexible, perforated, plastics tapes 60, Fig. 7 (see also Fig. 11), are during the first part of a cycle driven to the left into the "zero" position and then driven to the right until a pivoted stop 62 abuts a depressed key stem. The tape drive is from gears 246, each of which is driven via an oscillating toothed sector, Fig. 19 (not shown), shaft 252 and a pawl, Fig. 18 (not shown), the pawl automatically disengaging from gear 246 when stop 62 abuts a key stem. Indicator 300 comprises two sets of interleaved wheels 308, 310, Fig. 12, the two sets being numbered so as to be readable, one from one side and the other from the opposite side of the machine. The differential movement of tapes 60 is transferred to the set of wheels 308 via gears 306, which engage the perforations in the tapes and gears 312, associated with wheels 308. The positions of the denominations of a number entered into wheels 308 must be reversed before entry into wheels 310 to be readable from the opposite side of the machine. For this purpose, gears 302, Fig. 17, are rotated by corresponding tape drive gears 246, and via shafts 303 and gears 302<SP>1</SP>, impart rotations to gears 247 which coact with gears 304, Figs. 7 and 12, which in turn rotate wheels 310 through associated gears 314. Accumulator 400, Fig. 11, comprises two sets of interleaved numbered wheels 401, 403, 405 ... and 402, 404, 406 ... for registering grand- and sub-totals respectively. A plate 412 normally prevents viewing of the grand total wheels but is shifted upon operation of the machine lock (not shown) to permit viewing. During the second part of each ADD cycle, the accumulator is lowered to bring pinions 813, 812, associated respectively with the two sets of wheels, into engagement with the rows of transmission element perforations 64, 66 respectively. During a TOTAL cycle, the accumulator is shifted to the right (as viewed in Fig. 7) to transfer the amount registered in the sub-total wheels to both sets of indicator wheels; the tape drive gears 246, Fig. 7, drive the indicator gears, which in turn drive the accumulator pinions through gears 309 during this operation; a mechanism, Fig. 20 (not shown), stops each accumulator sub-total wheel in its "zero" position and this in turn disengages the tape drive gears 246 as described in the paragraph above headed "transmission elements". The accumulator shifting mechanism, Fig. 14, includes a box-like frame 464, between opposite walls of which a timer gear 460 is located. Frame 464 is shifted upon operation of ADD/TOTAL key 450 and carries on its opposite walls pins 504 and 502 (not shown), which interact with axially-acting cam slots (506-514, Fig. 16, not shown), to axially shift the timer gear 460. Subsequent rotation of the timer gear then either rotates eccentric 472 and another eccentric (not shown) associated with gear 474 to vertically position the accumulator frame 470 for ADD operation, rotation of a gear 473 being prevented by a flat associated with the gear 473 co-operating with a raised portion of the timer gear, or rotates gear 473 and an associated eccentric (not shown) to horizontally position the accumulator frame for TOTAL operation, rotation of the first two eccentrics being blocked at this time. The axially-acting cam slots of the timer gear act on the pins carried by the frame 464 to automatically return the latter to its neutral position at the end of an ADD or TOTAL cycle. Accumulator carry mechanism, Fig. 26. Each accumulator wheel has a low cam portion 822 and a high cam portion 824. When the units order wheel moves from "9" to "0", cam 824 rocks a bail 802, which is then held (with its hook 808 in the path of pins 810<SP>1</SP> of the tens order wheel) by a latch 828. On returning the accumulator to its neutral position, the hook 808 effects a carry into the tens order. If the tens order had been in the "9" position when the units order moved from "9" to "0", then bail 802<SP>1</SP> would have been rocked by the low cam 822 of the tens order wheel, and a wedge 832 when moved towards the bails would, instead of passing over arms 835 and 837 of bails 802, 802<SP>1</SP> respectively, have pushed between these arms to rock bail 802<SP>1</SP> further until it was held by latch 8281. On returning the accumulator to its neutral position, a carry into the tens order and into the hundreds order would have been effected. Printing receipts and a record of machine operation, Fig. 34.-Receipt tape 934 from a roll 932 and inked ribbon 968 from an inking cylinder 966 are fed between a date printer 936 and associated hammer 938 and between receipt amount printing wheels 970 and associated hammer 940, the receipt being delivered at 18. The printing wheels 970 are set by gears 30211 (rotated with gears 302 discussed in the above paragraph headed "indicator"), gears 1096 and 1098. For each printing operation, the ribbon 968 is withdrawn from cylinder 966 by a pulley 978 moving from the solid to broken line positions, the latter being determined by a stop 1006. Simultaneously, a pulley 996 moves from the solid to broken line positions, and the force exerted by a cable 990 upon the shaft of cylinder 966, tending to return the ribbon into the cylinder, is thus reduced. Pulley 996 continues moving after the stopping of pulley 978 so that the ribbon 968 is slack when the printing hammers operate. -The recording tape 950 is withdrawn from the lower half of box 946, is printed with the receipt amount at 974, 958 and then returned to the upper half of the box. Mechanism, Fig. 35 (not shown) is provided to allow the feed of a greater length of receipt tape during a TOTAL operation than the length fed during the printing of a single item.