Patent GB-721773-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in quantity recording apparatus
IPC: G06C27/00
Filed: 1952-04-09
Abstract: 721,773. Recording-apparatus. EATON, P. April 7, 1953 [April 9, 1952], No. 9012/52. Class 106 (4). Quantity recording-apparatus comprises a carriage to receive a card on which the relative sales, stock and commitments position is to be shown, a straight edge carried by a table and extending over the carriage, a cursor slidably mounted on the straight edge and mechanism for traversing the carriage relatively to the straight edge by a predetermined amount for each sale or disposal operation and means for marking the card after each sale or disposal operation. The apparatus shown may be used to record the stock and sale of articles in dozens and comprises a carriage A mounted on runners engaging guides b on a table B with stops A<2> to restrict its movement in each direction. A band b<5> is attached at one end to the carriage A and at its other end to a spring-driven drum B<1> which is wound up when the carriage A is moved to the right in Fig. 1 and which drives the carriage A to the left under control of escapement means shown as pawl and ratchet mechanism with a pinion rotating with the ratchet wheel and engaging a rack formed on the carriage A. The pawl may be actuated by a Bowden wire through a pedal, B<2>, another pedal providing for quick release. A cursor slides on a straight edge C mounted on the table B and is located by spring-pressed balls d<8> engaging serrations c<2> equispaced with units marked along an edge d<2 >set back from the edge of a flange d<1> by a distance equal to that moved by the carriage A at each release of the control pawl and representing a dozen. In operation a card C<1> is located on the carriage A by pins c, a line is inscribed to the right of a zero indication to represent by its distance therefrom the number of dozens of articles in stock ; when a sale is made the number on the scale in the recess d<2> of the cursor D corresponding to the units in the sale is brought to register with the lowermost point of the last indication, the carriage is advanced to the left a distance corresponding to the dozens in the sale and a line is inscribed against the edge of the recess d2 down to its lower end unless this lower end is below the lowermost point of a line representing a complete dozen, in which case a line is inscribed against the forward edge of the flange d<1> down to a pivoted finger d<3> which is limited in downward movement by a stop d<4>. Thus the distance of the last line inscribed from any preceding line represents sales during those periods and its distance from the line representing stock indicates the balance in hand. A counter E may be driven from a rack on the carriage A, it may be put out of action by a Bowden wire connection E<1> and may be zeroized by a Bowden wire connection E2. In a modification the carriage may be fixed to the table B and the straight edge C driven over the rack A1 under pawl and ratchet control. In other embodiments, not shown, the stock withdrawn may be shown on the card or sheet by a single indication suitably positioned as by punching, stock and commitments being similarly marked at the appropriate position relative to a datum line so that the distances between the marks give therequiredinformation.