Patent GB-190816800-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in or relating to Adding Machines.
Inventor: BOULT ALFRED JULIUS
Filed: 1908-08-10
Granted: 1909-08-10
Abstract: 16,800. Boult, A. J., [Burroughs Adding Machine Co.]. Aug. 10. Type-writers and like machines.-An adding- machine for cross-tabulating is provided with an automatically-reversible spring motor, by means of which a laterally movable paper-carriage is given a step-by-step motion so as to enable one amount to be printed in each of a number of vertical columns upon an horizontal line, and at the end of a line is automatically returned from left to right, the line-spacing or paper-feed mechanism being operated simultaneously. The improvements, which are described in connexion with a Burroughs adding - ma - chine, comprise (1) the spring motor, (2) means for keeping the spring motor properly tensioned, (3) the linespacing or paper-feed mechanism, (4) means for positioning the paper-carriage, (5) the step-by-step mechanism, (6) the carriagereturning mechanism, and (7) means for disconnecting the paper-feed mechanism when the paper-carriage is to be detached for any purpose. The shaft 100, Fig. 1, of a Burroughs machine is rocked at each operation and itself rocks a lever 10 through a slotted plate 121-and roller 10<a> attached to the forward end of the lever. The rear end is slotted to engage a pin 8<c> attached to the ear 8<d> of a suitably-guided plate 8 which is thus caused to reciprocate, vertically at each operation of the machine. The plate 8 is provided, with a rearwardly-projecting finger 8<b> underlying a rod 7 connected by a spring-controlled plate 6 to a rock-shaft 5. Fingers 9 similar to the finger 8<b> project from a guided plate 9<a> adjacent to the plate 8 and overlie the rod 7. A spring- controlled dog 15 pivoted to the lower off-set portion of the plate 8 is provided with a lip or flange 15<a> adapted to engage the shoulder 9<c> of a strip 9<b> secured to the plate 9<a>. When these two plates are connected together by the dog 15, the spring motor is automatically reversed, the papercarriage is returned from left to right to its starting position, and the line-spacing mechanism is operated but, when the connexion is broken, the plate 9<a> does not reciprocate with the plate 8 and line spacing does not take place, but instead the paper-carriage is moved at the end of each operation by the stepby-step mechanism through the space of one column. (1) The inner end of the spring 43, Fig. 6, is fastened to a sleeve 45 mounted upon a fixed shaft 50, and the outer end is in frictional engagement with the inner periphery of the drum 42, thus preventing over winding. The drum drives through its hub 41 a toothed sleeve 18<c> feathered to the hub and provided with a peripheral groove engaged by the forked end of the lever 30. The teeth 18<b> of the sleeve 18<c> are adapted in one position, Fig. 8, of the sleeve to engage a toothed wheel 18 which is always in engagement with an internally-toothed ring 70 on a drum 46 and with a loose toothed wheel 18<a> the plane of which is below that of the ring 70. In the other position to which the sleeve 18<c> can be moved by the spring-controlled lever 30, the teeth 18<b> are in engagement with the wheel 18<a>. The position of the sleeve 18<c> thus determines in which direction the spring motor shall drive the drum 46, which is also provided with a ring of external teeth 3<b> engaging with a horizontal rack 3<a>, and thus determines in which direction the paper-carriage shall be moved. (2) The movement of the lever 10 at each operation of the machine rocks a stub-shaft 62, Fig. 5, provided with an arm 64 carrying a spring-controlled pawl 27 engaging with a ratchet-wheel 26. The shaft 25 of the ratchet-wheel drives the shaft 21, Fig. 1, through bevel-gearing 24, 23 and then, through the toothed wheels 20, 19, rotates the sleeve 18<c>, to which the inner end of the spring 43 is attached, as already described. (3) When the two plates 8, 9<a> are connected together as described and reciprocated by the lever 10, the fingers 8<b>, 9 rock the shaft 5 through the rod 7 and plate 6. A stud 51, Fig. la, carried by an arm 49 fixed to the shaft 5 is thus moved within a slot 53, in a link 52 provided with a spring-controlled pawl 57 and engaged with an adjustable stud 54 which determines the angle through which the ratchet-wheel 56 secured to the platen 4 is turned. The link 52 is connected at its upper end to an arm 55 co-axial with the platen. The stud 51 in its downward movement engages with the lower end of the slot 53 and feeds forward the paper. (4) A rock-shaft 11, Figs. 1 and 3, mounted on the paper-carriage and controlled by a spring 48 and arm 47, Fig. 1<a>, carries, by means of set-screws 13 engaging a longitudinal groove in the shaft, a series of stop-fingers 12, the extreme right-hand one of which is shorter than the others. These stop-fingers are adapted during the movement of the paper-carriage by the spring motor to come into contact consecutively with a vertical shoulder of a stop-plate 14, Fig. 2, fastened to the back of the machine, thus correctly positioning the papercarriage with respect to the particular column in which the number is to be printed. (5) When the paper-carriage is being moved in the direction from right to left to a fresh column, one of the longer stop-fingers 12 normally comes into engagement with the shoulder of the stop-plate 14, but, as it projects in a forward direction beyond the stopplate as shown in Figs. 1 and 3, it first engages with the spring-controlled dog 15 and disconnects it from the shoulder 9<c> of the strip 9<b> ,secured to the plate 9<a>. On the movement of the plate 8 downwards unaccompanied by the plate 9<a>, the dog 15 snaps into position beneath the stop-finger 12 and during the-subsequent upward movement disengages it from the stop-plate 14. The papercarriage being now free to move is propelled in a direction from right to left by the spring- motor until the adjacent stop-finger 12 engages with the stopplate and stops the carriage, simultaneously disengaging the dog 15. (6) Upon the shorter stop-finger 12<a> at the extreme right of the rock-shaft 11 coming into engagement with the stop-plate 14, it does not project beyond it and consequently does not disengage the dog 15. The plates 8, 9<a> therefore reciprocate together, actuating the line-spacing mechanism as already described. On the return upward motion of the plate 9<a>, a gravity-controlled plate 39, Fig. 2, pivoted thereto, engages with a stud 36 and moves a slide-bar 35, Fig. 1, a cam-shaped projection upon which engages a roller upon the end of the spring motor control-lever 30 and reverses the motor drive. The paper-carriage is thus automatically returned from left to right, the stop fingers 12 in succession striking the inclined portion 14<a> of the stop-plate 14 and rocking the shaft 11. In the extreme right-hand position of the papercarriage, the spring-controlled pivoted stop-plate 41, Fig. 2, engages with a stud 37, which with the stud 36 is attached to the slide-bar 35, and guides the latter by means of slots 38 in the back-plate of the machine. (7) The lever 10 has an ear 61, Fig. 5, fixed to it and pivoted in the bifurcation of the stub-shaft 62. A spring 63 normally keeps the slot in the lever 10 in engagement with the pin 8<c>, but by pressing the rear end of the lever it can be readily disengaged therefrom, in order that the carriage may be removed.