Patent GB-191113445-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in or relating to Computing Machines.
Inventor: FAIRWEATHER WALLACE CRANSTON
Filed: 1911-06-06
Granted: 1912-06-06
Abstract: 13,445. Fairweather, W. C., [Underwood Computing Machine Co.]. June 6. Adding and subtracting apparatus; attachments to typewriters.- Typewriters provided with motor - operated mechanism, controlled by the numeral-keys of the typewriter, are adapted to list amounts in various columns, for example, upon a page of a loose-leaf ledger, and to print one or more copies of the listed amounts. The machine, which is adapted to show, for example, the balances of customers' accounts, and the gross daily deposits and withdrawals, is provided with a series of computing - attachments or counters, which may be actuated simultaneously so as to add or subtract the same item, or one or more of the attachments may remain inactive. Keyboards; varying functions of machine; transfer mechanism.-The depression of one of the keys 2, Fig. 2, of the numeral-bank, in addition to forcing a type-bar 5, Fig. 30, against the platen by means of a lever 4 rocks a bellcrank 10, and, by means of links 11, levers 12, Fig. 4, and rods 15, thrusts one of the differential stops 17 upon a power - driven primary escapement-wheel 18, into the path of the teeth of a pinion 19. A constant torque is given to the wheel 18 by a continuously rotating motor 34, by means of a friction-clutch 35, 36 and gearing 37 ... 43, but the projected stop by engaging with the pinion 19 prevents the wheel 18 from turning. A secondary escapementwheel 21, on the same shaft 20 as the pinion 19, is also prevented from moving bv a notched disk 22 at right-angles to the wheel 21. The depression of a key, however, besides projecting a stop, by means of levers 12, universal disk 24, lever 26, and link 30, rocks a shaft 23 and allows a tooth of the wheel 21 to pass through the notch in the disk 22; as soon as the depressed key is released, a second notched disk 32 allows the wheels 21, 18 to turn until the escapement-wheel 18 is again arrested by means of the projected stop 17. The shaft 43 to which the wheel 18 is attached actuates a universal vertical driving-shaft 49 for the four computing- attachments shown in Fig. 1, through gearing 44 ... 48. Fig. 9 shows the uppermost computing-attachment, which resembles the others, and comprises a driving bevel-wheel 51 fixed to a square shaft 50 and gearing simultaneously with a pair of bevel-wheels which are loose on the universal shaft 49, the lower wheel 56 only being shown. A manually or automatically actuated double-clutch placed between each pair of wheels provides for either or neither to be driven by the shaft 49, and thus allows the numeral-wheels of any of the attachments to add, subtract, or remain inactive. Transfer is performed by means of special teeth 65, Fig. 9, on the wheels 62, which engage with one of five projections 66, Fig. 8, on the carrying- wheels 67, and thereby rotate them so that projections on a recessed disk 71, fixed between the projections 66 and the carrying-wheel, are engaged by a continuously rotating soft-rubber roll 72, which completes, through gearing, the transfer movement to the next higher wheel. A spring-controlled detent-arm 75 carrying a roller 77 determines the position of the carrying-wheel. The hubs of every third transfer, receiving, and numeral wheel are made longer so that the numeral-wheels are divided into sets of three. The continuously rotating transferactuating rollers 72 are driven from the motor 34 by means of gearing 89 ... 85, Fig. 1, and further gearing comprising pairs of bevel-wheels loosely mounted on a vertical shaft 84 and separated by clutches splined on the shaft, so that either wheel of the pair, or neither, can be engaged with the bevel-wheels actuating the rollers 72. Levers 93 ... 96, Fig. 1, which may be operated independently by hand, or automatically, control the clutches on the universal driving-shaft 49, and simultaneously actuate those on the shaft 84 of the transfer mechanism. Locking-mechanism for the computing-attachments comprises slidable locking- bars 105, attached to cross-rods 102, which engage in slots in the levers; the locking-bars are provided with teeth which are adapted to co-operate respectively with toothed wheels 108 or 109 fixed to the pairs of bevel-wheels on the shaft 49. When a bar 105 is in its middle position the corresponding pair of bevel-wheels, and hence the computing - attachment, is locked. Detents 104 lock the levers in any position. The levers 93 ... 96, Fig. 1, of a machine provided with four computing - attachments, or 93 ... 96<a>, Fig. 4<a>, of one with five, are operated automatically, during the normal actuation of the machine, by means of rotating cams 115 ... 118<a>, driven from the typewriter carriage, and spring-controlled contact levers or ' followers ' 121, pivoted to the controlling- levers 93 ... 96<a>. These cams can be variously shaped so as to allow one computing-attachment to add, subtract, &c. while another subtracts &c. or is disabled, and so on, and generally comprise three cam-surfaces of different depths, Fig. 24, adapted to throw the followers and hence the levers 93 ... 96<a> into their three positions, respectively. In the case of a machine having five computing-attachments A ... E, Fig. 4<a>, upon the insertion of the loose leaf 148, Fig. 31, showing the account of a particular customer, the date is written in the first column, the customer's balance is printed in the second column, and, by means of the cams, is antomatically added upon the computing-attachment D, and subtracted from A, which, at the commencement of the day, shows the bank's total balance at the end of the preceding day's business. The remaining computing-attachments B, C, E remain inactive. The customer's deposits during the day are written in the third column and added to the attachments B, D, while A, C, E are inactive. Cheques passed through the bank are printed in columns 4 to 8 and automatically added to C and E, and subtracted from D, while, in the ninth column, the total of the cheques appearing upon the attachment E is written and subtracted therefrom, thus leaving E at zero. In the tenth column, the amount appearing upon the attachment D is written, and automatically subtracted therefrom (leaving it at zero), and simultaneously added to A. The net balance at the end of the customer's daily transactions is thus added to the attachment A, the total upon which had been previously reduced by the customer's balance at the beginning of the day, and so on for each customer. At the end of the day, therefore, the attachment A exhibits the bank's net balance in hand, while B shows the total deposits during the day, C the total cheques passed through the bank, and D and E stand at zero. The various accounts may be duplicated by using carbon sheets, or a record showing the entire day's transactions may be made upon a record strip in the form of a roll. By means of a handle 150, the shaft 119 carrying the cams may be lowered, thus disengaging the followers 121, and the levers 93 ... 96<a> thereupon manually operated as desired. Simultaneously a locking-bar, provided with slots for the engagement of catches upon the levers, is moved laterally so that the levers can engage therewith and be held in position. Selecting denomination.-A master-wheel 59, Fig. 9, is adapted to slide along the square shaft 50 and engage, by means of a pair of pins 60, with the internal teeth 61, Fig. 8, of receiving-wheels 62, in turn, from that of the highest denomination to that of the lowest. The receiving wheels gear with teeth 63 on the numeral-wheels 64. The hub of each masterwheel is grooved to receive a pin 167 projecting internally from a hollow mandrel 168, a series of which, corresponding in number to the computing-attachments, is mounted in a carriage 155, Fig. 2. This carriage is moved from left to right as the typewriter carriage 7 moves from right to left, while printing takes place in each column, but when the printing in any column is completed, the carriage 155 is returned by a constantly - rotating motor - driven screw 192 aided by a coiled spring 202. Thus, while the items are being printed in any column, all the master-wheels engage in turn, and in the same order as that in which the separate numerals are printed, with their corresponding receiving- wheels. The master-wheel carriage 155 is driven from the typewriter carriage 7 by means of adjustable collars 177, which engage in turn with a notch in a spring-controlled pivoted hook 175, lever 171, and a projecting arm 170 of the carriage 155. While printing is taking place in any column the pivoted hook 175 is attached to the typewriter carriage and moves to the left until a stop 187 fixed to the framework depresses the hook, thereby disengaging the carriage 155 from the carriage 7 and engaging a tooth 190, connected to the hook, with the returning-screw 192. The hook is further depressed and locked in its depressed position by a catch 193. The master-wheel carriage is thus returned to the left, the slide 173 moving to the right, until a cam 195 upon the next collar 177 to the right trips the latch and engages with the notch in the hook 175. When printing in the last column has been completed, the hook, as before, is latched in its depressed position until, on the typewriter-carriage being moved to the right to commence a new line, a special cam on the first collar 177 trips the latch 193. The hook 175 is prevented from rising too far by a pin-and-slot connexion, but should it engage during the return movement of the carriage 7 with any of the collars 177, the slide 173 is moved to the right therewith until the hook is again tripped by a pin 204<a> engaging with a cam 204<b>, whereupon a spring 204<c>, which has been compressed against a projection 204<d>, returns the slide 173 to the left. The carriage 155 may, however, bo operated by a spring.