Patent GB-190304543-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in Cash Registers
Inventor: HALLWOOD HENRY SPENCER
Filed: 1903-02-26
Granted: 1903-08-20
Abstract: 4543. Hallwood, H. S. Feb. 26. Receipts, checking and recording calculating - apparatus. -A cash register in which the registering - mechanism is operated by a handlever, and is independent of the cash drawer, is shown in front elevation in Fig. 1. The keyboard comprises six columns of keys, of which the numeral keys 13 are for units and tens of cents and dollars, the keys 14 bear the initials of the various clerks or salesmen, and the " department" keys 15 bear words such as "cash," "paid out," "no sale." When a sale is made, the operator depresses, in succession, the value keys corresponding to the amount of the sale, an initial key, and the " cash " department key. The key stems bear projecting pins 16, Figs. 3 and 6, adapted to pass beneath the hooked fingers 27 of a locking- plate 23, which prevents a depressed key from rising. With each locking-plate is associated a latch plate 35, which is pushed rearwards by the pin 16 and carries with it the arm 76<b> pivoted on the shaft 75. Each arm 76<b> is in rigid connection with a hooked arm, which normally engages with a pin on the lower end of a stepped segment 55, Fig. 3. The stepped segments 55 are pivoted eccentrically on the shaft 26, and are formed integrally with nesting yokes 54, Fig. 6. When the department key is depressed, its latch plate releases a catch which allows the outermost or gravity yoke 59 to fall, the handle 64, Fig. 1, being carried backwards as it descends. In descending, the yoke 59 strikes the lever 261, which depresses the catch 257 and allows the spring 256 to force out the cash drawer 256<a>. The yoke 59 is provided with a finger which underlies the yokes 54. When the yoke 59 falls, the yokes 54 are no longer directly supported, and such of the yokes as are connected with stepped segments 55 which have been released by the movements of the arms 76<b> consequently drop, the stepped segments rising until stopped by engagement with the inner ends of the depressed key stems. The stepped segments 55 and yokes 54 thus move through distances depending upon the particular key depressed. The yokes 54 pull down the links 155 and rock the toothed segments 152, thus turning the indicator discs 140 to show the value, initial, &c. through a window in the front of the register case. Other indicator discs 142, with reversed figures and letters, are connected with the discs 140 by means of toothed sectors 150 and yokes 149, and serve to show the value &c. through a window at the back of the case. Rotatably mounted on the shaft 26 to the right-hand side of the keyboard are the registering or adding wheels 163, of which there is one for each column of value keys, and an extra one to record hundreds of dollars. With each registering-wheel is associated an arm 172, Fig. 3, in which slides a bolt or pawl 177 which is normally in engagement with the teeth of the registering-wheel. Each arm 172 has a downwardly-curved finger 176, which rests on the corresponding yoke 54. The depression of a department key actuates mechanism which withdraws all the pawls 177 from the registering-wheels, and when one or more of the yokes 54 descend, the arms 172 descend with them. The operating- lever 64 is now pulled forward, thus lifting the yoke 59, which carries upward with it those yokes 54 which have been released as described above. During the first portion of the upward movement of the yoke 59, a cam-frame 13 effects the locking of the indicator discs by means of pawls 147, and also secures the re-engagement of the pawls 177 with the registering-wheels. In consequence of this re-engagement, the arms 172 rotate the registering-wheels as they rise to the normal position, the rotation being proportional to the drop of the arms, and depending on the key depressed. The latch and locking plates are released during the upward movement of the yoke 59, and the depressed keys resume the normal position. The cash drawer is positively drawn back during the same movement, but the mechanism which effects its withdrawal may be thrown out of action, if required, the drawer being then left permanently open. When the ' paid out' or ' charge' department key is depressed, the amount is not required to be indicated on the registering- wheels. To prevent such indication, a curved bar 200 is provided, which is forced rearwards by the pins 16 of the said department keys, thus actuating the link 198 and yoke 192 and engaging a catch plate with the hooks 175 of the arms 172 and preventing any of them from falling. Mechanism is provided for interlocking the keys in such a manner that an initial key can only be depressed after a value key has been depressed, and the department keys are locked until an initial key is depressed, except the no sale' key, which can be operated alone. The no sale' key is locked if a value key is depressed, and conversely. If an error is made in depressing a value key, the key can be released by depressing. or partly depressing another in the same column, but the value keys are all locked when an initial key is depressed. When an initial or department key is depressed, all the other keys of the same column are locked. Counting-apparatus 72 of known form records the number of operations of each of the department keys and of the lever 64. The transfer mechanism for 'carrying' the tens from one registering-wheel to the next is shown in Fig. 17, which is a view taken from the rear of the registering-wheels. The cents wheel is designated 158, and the dimes wheel 159, the others (nearer the observer) not being shown. As the record of the wheel 158 passes from 9 to 0, an additional ten cents having being comp'eted, one of the plates or lugs 164 passes beneath the lower end of the arm 216, thus depressing the pin 215 and raising the hook bar 212 out of engagement with the pawl 208. The lower tooth or arm 209 of the pawl drops into engagement with the teeth of the dimes wheel 159. On the next downward movement of the yoke 59, an arm moving with it actuates triggers on four rockshafts 201 in succession, so as to rock the four frames 204<b> and pawls 209 and move through one step all those registering-wheels to which tens are to be carried. A rocking frame 226<b> restores the pawls 208 to the elevated position. The 'carrying' necessitated by one transaction is not completed until the next transaction takes place, but, in order that the registering-wheels shall always read correctly when inspected, the lock of the door through which access to them is obtained is controlled by a bolt connected with the no sale' key. The door cannot be opened unless the no sale' key is depressed, and this depression effects the necessary movement of the yoke 59 to cause the carrying of the tens for the last transaction. A counter on the lock records the number of times the door is opened. Devices are provided for resetting the registering-wheels to zero, and also for ensuring the complete stroke of the yoke 59 both downwards and upwards. In addition to recording on the registering-wheels the total of the receipts, the machine is adapted to print and cut off a check recording each transaction, and also to print a record of all the transactions on a tape. The printing of the values, initials, and of the abbreviations CSH, &c. corresponding with the department keys, is performed by type-bearing segments 451, Fig. 42, pivoted on a shaft 450. These segments are in duplicate, one set serving to print on the check and another on the tape. Nesting yokes connect the corresponding segments of the two sets, and the segments of the set nearer the registering-apparatus are connected to the yokes 54. The segments are thus controlled from the keyboard in the same manner as the indicating and registering apparatus. Fig. 42 shows the check-printing apparatus. The piper strip passing from the roll 430 is fed between a platen roll 297 and a printing-roll 278 inked by the roll 295. The paper is thus printed with such words as amount pur- 'chased,' 'please pay cashier.' The back of the strip receives an advertisement impression from the printing-roll 286, and the paper then passes beneath the consecutive numbering and dating wheels 307, which are forced downwards against the platen bar 344 to make the impression. The final impression is taken from the segments 451, the aligned type being first inked by the pad 351, which then moves aside to the position shown in Fig. 42 to enable the platen to be lifted by the cam 380 to make the impression. The knife-blade 348 co-acts with the end of the paper guide 342 to cut off the check. The record tape is printed by similar mechanism, and is coiled up on a drum which receives step-by-step movement through a friction coupling of brake-shoe type. Slack is thus taken up uniformly, the effect of the graduallyincreasing diameter of the drum being eliminated by the friction drive. Either the check or the tape printing mechanism can be thrown out of operation. The dating and consecutive numbering- devices are shown in Figs. 53 and 54. The dating type-wheels are adjusted by the finger wheels 316, 319, 322, and the numbering-wheels 307 are actuated by the swinging of the frame 299 to and from the inking-roller 328, Fig. 42. In this movement, the arm 304 strikes the projection 325, and the pawl 306 moves the unit ratchet-wheel 308 a distance of one tooth. The 'carrying' of the tens is effected by the provision in each wheel of a deep tooth 310 at the numeral 9. As each pawl 306 drops into a deep tooth, it engages the adjacent pawl with the next ratchet-wheel, and adds a unit to its record.