Patent GB-857437-A (GB)
Abstract: 857,437. Calculating-apparatus. OLIVETTI & CIE S.p.A., Ing. C. April 13, 1959 [April 24, 1958], No. 12431/59. Class 106 (1) In an accounting machine having a travelling paper carriage provided with a set of column stops, a columnar position is automatically selected when the carriage is located on the preceding columnar position. The invention is applied to the machine described in Specification 773,004. As described, column stops 4 mounting on a conventional travelling paper carriage comprise first and second shiftable portions 41, 4<SP>11</SP>, Figs. 1 and 2. A wedge-shaped member 6 is adapted to shift the portion 4<SP>1</SP> forwards (rightwards in Fig. 1) by engaging its projection 8 during the travel of the carriage. A pivoted lever 11 mounted on a stationary shaft 12 is adapted to arrest the travel of the carriage. A projection 9 on the column stop portion 4<SP>1</SP> is adapted to condition the lever 11, the projection 9 of the various stops being located in one of four possible positions A, B, C, D. The end 10 of the lever 11 may be moved to selected ones of four vertical locations, corresponding to the positions A, B, C, D by moving the lever 11 under the control. of slides 15, 16 which are positioned by a rocking member 23. The rocking member 23 has a pair of pins 25, 26 adapted to co-operate with shoulders 27, 28 or with stepped edges 29, 30 of an operating member comprising a plate 31 vertically slidable on two pins 32 of a slide 33 which is horizontally slidable and is controlled by a cam 36 on the main shaft 37 of the machine. The plate 31 has a horizontal slot 38 engaged by a pin on a pivoted lever 40 having an upper bent lug 48 engageable by a projection 49 on the second stop portion 4<SP>11</SP>. The projections 49 on the various stops may be of different lengths. A pin 43 on the lever 40 is normally locked by an abutment 44 on a lever 45. Before the beginning of a machine cycle, the lever 45 is rotated clockwise by power means (not shown), thereby setting the projections 49 in operative positions, and starting the machine cycle. If the projection 49 is of normal length, then on shifting forward it contacts the lug 48 without rotating the lever 40 clockwise so that during the machine cycle, when the cam 36 causes the plate 31 to move rearwardly, the recesses 50, 51 of the plate 31 are in front of the pins 25, 26, and consequently the rocking member 23 is not shifted. The next following tabulating stroke of the carriage will thus be arrested by a column stop 4 having a projection 9 at the same level as the lever 11. If the projection is one of four possible long projections A-D, it will, on being shifted forward, rock the lever 40 to depress the plate 31 which is set in a position corresponding to the length of the projection 49, the corresponding step of the two stepped edges 29, 30 being located in front of the pins 25, 26. During the subsequent machine cycle, the lever 11 is set at the corresponding level A-D, the next stop having a projection at the selected level being effective to arrest the carriage. According to a further feature, the locations A-D are divided into two groups A and B, C and D, the end 10 of the lever 11 being first shifted to select one of the groups, the final location being selected by shifting the lever 11 according to the character of the amount stored in the machine register. The rocking member 23 is provided with a pair of bent lugs 52, 53 engageable by two bent lugs 54, 55 on an auxiliary forked lever 56 connected to a slide 57 controlled by a cam 61 on the main shaft 37 which is adapted to shift the slide 57 forwards after the slide 33 has been shifted rearwards. An arm 70 of the lever 56 co-operates with a pin on the sign indicating bail 72 of the machine register. Assuming that the projection 49 is one of two possible short projections, when the stop portion 4<SP>11</SP> is rocked by the lever 45, the lever 40 can rock counterclockwise under the action of a spring 42 to raise the plate 31 to one of two set positions, the auxiliary member 56 selecting the final location of the lever 11 in accordance with the position of the bail 72. Means whereby an operator may alter the normal programme are provided. For this purpose, a slide 76 is controlled by a programme altering key of the keyboard (not shown). The slide 76 controls a vertical slide 79 having an upper bent lug adapted to co-operate with a projection 89 of a lever 90, Figs. 1 and 2. Each stop portion 4<SP>11</SP> may have a projection 93 adapted to co-operate with an end of the lever 90. Assuming that the rocking member 23 is in the position D, and that the normal accounting programme is to be altered, the programme altering key is depressed to move the slide 76 forwards, thereby allowing a lever 82 to rotate counterclockwise. When the stop portion 411 is moved forwards, the projection 93 moves the lever 90 clockwise (Fig. 2) to release the slide 79 which is lowered. A pin 81 on the lever 82 is now effective to rock the lever 40 clockwise to lower the plate 31, thereby setting a lug 95 thereon in co-operative relationship with the tooth D of an arm 94 on the member 23. Thus, when the plate 31 is moved rearwards by the cam 36 during the machine cycle, the lug 95 will rock the member 23 from the position D to the position C. At the end of the machine cycle, a cam 87 restores the lever 82 and slide 79.