Improved Balloting and Ticket Stamping or Punching and Issuing Mechanism, applicable more especially to Voting Apparatus.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 29th Nov., 1895
Complete Specification Left, 18th Aug., 1896-Accepted, 21st Nov., 1895
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improved Balloting and Ticket Stamping or Punching and Issuing
Mechanism, applicable more especially to Voting Apparatus.
EDWARD WILD Gentleman Christ Church Road Norwich ARTHUR ELLISTON
COLLINS Civil Engineer 6 Town Close Road Norwich do hereby declare the
nature of this invention to be as follows:-
Mechanism added to a stamping press to pass cards or tickets stored in a suitable
receptacle from such receptacle to between printing embossing, or preferably
perforating dies as hereafter described and stamping or perforating such cards or
tickets with a design or date for use as balloting cards or railway, theatre or other
tickets. Such mechanism may be so arranged as to prevent the operator from
taking a card or ticket from it until after it has been stamped or perforated. Also
perforating dies for use with the above described mechanism so arranged as to
admit of alteration of a series of moveable perforating punches in such dies so as to
vary the design or date punched by such dies and, when desired, fitted with further
independent dies fitted to the principal dies for punching special devices required
which devices may be too small or otherwise inconvenient for punching with the
main part of variable dies. Ballot card or other ticket receiving and printing
apparatus so arranged when desired for balloting purposes that the official in charge
cannot see for whom the voter is voting but can observe whether the voter has used
a proper card or ticket duly stamped or punched. This part of the apparatus
consists generally of a receiver into which the voter puts a printed, stamped or
punched balloting card preferably delivered by the apparatus previously described;
from the receiver the card passes between two rollers, one of which is a pressure
roller the other roller is provided with a device or type inked by a third roller kept
in contact with the face of the type but not permitted to touch the remainder of
the type roller surface. The pressure roller is so adjusted that whilst able to press
a card against the type roller, it cannot touch the type roller itself. One receiver
& set of rollers is required for each candidate. The sets of rollers, receivers &
containing boxes are so constructed that the whole of the rollers are operated
simultaneously by the turning of a crank handle by the official in charge or by other
suitable means automatic or otherwise as may be desired. When a card has been
deposited in the receiver the rotation of the rollers causes it to be printed with any
desired device (the name of the candidate for whom the vote is cast in case of
balloting) on the side farthest from the official in charge; with the continued
revolution of the rollers the card drops into suitable tubes or channels through
which it passes to a tube one or both sides of which are formed with glass; at this
point is a detent, which holds the card for observation only of the side not printed
by the roller device above described, after observation the official in charge
releases the detent and the card drops into a suitable box. The cards for use with
this apparatus are preferably round, but may be of any other convenient shape &
may be provided with parts to be removed for use as counterfoils or otherwise as
may be desired.
We claim the following advantages by our invention when applied for balloting
purposes.

page_text: Improved Balloting and Ticket Stamping or Punching and Issuing
Mechanism, applicable more especially to Voting Apparatus.
EDWARD WILD, Gentleman, Christ Church Road, Norwich, ARTHUR
ELLISTON COLLINS, Civil Engineer, 6 Town Close Road, Norwich do hereby
declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement: —
Drawings Nos. 1, 2, 3 & 4 illustrate the construction of the balloting mechanism
which consists of the printing apparatus shewn in drawings Nos. 1 & 2 Figs. 1 to 6,
the ticket stamping and issuing mechanism shown in drawings No. 2 & 3 Figs. 7
to 10 and the variable dies shown in drawing No. 4 Figs. 11 to 20 of which three
parts either can be used without the remainder.
In the printing apparatus which is enclosed in the box A the central roller C of
the three rollers C. D. E is provided with type F or a pattern to print or emboss
a name or any desired device on cards passed between it and the pressure roller D.
The roller E is a type-inking roller which may be inked by a further roller G
working in a reservoir of ink H as shown, or in any other well-known and suitable
manner. When an indented or embossed design is required, an inking roller may
be dispensed with.
The pivots of both the rollers D & E work in blocks J fitted in slides in the
side frames K; these blocks are provided with adjustable screws L fitted with
springs and adjusting nuts so arranged as to prevent the rollers from coming too
closely together, whilst at the same time, the rollers D & E are pressed towards
roller C. The roller C is provided with milling M around its periphery as shown,
to ensure the proper travel downwards of cards placed between it and D, when the
roller C is revolved by means of the handle N.
The spindle of the roller C is prolonged at each end so as to receive the
handle N or other suitable device to cause revolution, or to couple up two or more
sets of apparatus. The apparatus would usually be made in sets of three, with
provision for the addition of extra machines as required by the number of
candidates at any particular election. One machine is required for each candidate.
The type, or pattern F, would print the name, number, or the like, of a
candidate to whom the particular machine applied.
In a case where two candidates can be jointly voted for, an additional machine
would be provided for the use of such voters as desired to cast a vote for one
candidate only. This machine need not be fitted for printing, and the disused card
would in such case, after being passed through it, remain in the same state as when
received by the voter and placed in the machine.
Above and in front of the roller C is a slot P into which a voting card is placed
by a voter; the slot is of such size that one card only can be fed to the printing
roller at a time.

page_text: In a hole of one of the side pieces of slot P, is placed the push-piece E³ of an
ordinary electric bell which is pressed by a card in its passage, causing bell to
ring, and thus calling the attention of the proper official that a voter is recording
his vote. The push-pieces in all the connected printing machines actuate one and
the same bell.
After the revolution of the roller C has printed a card, the card passes on down
one of the channels Q provided for it, past the detent R (unless a voter attempts
to deposit two cards in favour of one candidate), to the detent at S, where the
card is stopped at the inspection place T between two plates of glass U, to enable
the voter to satisfy himself that his card has been printed with the name, number,
or the like, of the candidate for whom he wished to vote, and the authorised officer
to see the official stamping or perforation of the card.
After the inspection, the detent S is withdrawn by the official and the card
passes into the balloting box B.
A screen is provided between the voter's and the official's sides of the apparatus
to prevent the official seeing for whom a vote is cast, or the person who is voting:
at the inspection place T, the official can see only the back of a card, and not the
side showing the name of the candidate.
In other than single member constituencies, the detent R is provided. This is
so arranged that a single card in its passage down Q, will move R so that R ceases
to obstruct the path of card: if a second card be placed in the slot before the first
bas passed R, the beginning of the movement of R acts, through the lever V and
connections W to push the plunger X towards the card-slot P, where the movement
is stopped by the presence of the second card, and as a consequence, the first card
is detained.
The detent R and lever V are fastened to a spindle Y, which is continued'
through all the connected machines. At the end of the connected machines at
which is the handle N a lever Z is fixed on spindle, which by the partial revolution
of that shaft, operates through the bell-crank lever A.' to withdraw the bolt B' aud
enable handle N to revolve, when only one card has been placed in the machine,
but which remains in a position blocking the revolution of the handle N when the
detent R is stopped in its movement by the improper placing of a second card in
the card slot P.
The object of bolt B' is to prevent the application of force to the handle N from
damaging the apparatus. When the detent R has been moved by the proper
passage of a card, its movement is increased by the operation of suitably formed
cams C & D attached to the roller spindle O and the detent spindle Y. These
cams are so shaped as to prevent the force of the spring E' (which returns detent R
to its normal position) from pressing detent R against a card in its passage down
the channel Q. At the proper point in the revolution of the cam C¹, the cam D' is
released, and the spring E¹ returns detent and its connections to their normal
positions which are as shown in Fig. 1. The application of a spring or other
suitably formed catch F¹, Fig. 5 made in any usual and well-known manner, causes
the operating handle N to start from, and stop at the same point in each
revolution.
The card or ticket-stamping, or issuing mechanism which is intended to be used
in connection with the balloting apparatus is shown in Sheets 2 & 3, Figs. 7, 8,
9, 10.
It consists of additions to an ordinary stamping press which feeds cards or
tickets placed in a vessel G¹ (which should be of the same shape as the cards or
tickets), between the dies of the press.
The depression of the handle R' and the tooth at H¹, depresses lever J', when
through the spindle K', lever L', connecting rod M', and bell crank N', the
movement is conveyed to the carriage O¹ which is fitted with a pusher piece P¹,
which is pressed upwards by a spring Q'; when the handle R' is in its normal
position, the carriage 01 and pusher piece P¹ are at the back of card or
ticket vessel G¹; when the handle R₁ is depressed, the carriage moves in a slot
across the bottom of ticket vessel with the pusher piece P¹ pushing the bottom card

page_text: between the dies St. On the return of the handle to its normal position, the
carriage moves back to its original position, the pusher piece trailing below the
card which has become the bottom card.
The proportions of the combination are so arranged as to push the card between
the dies before the dies come together. To prevent the lever J' and the mechanism
attached thereto, from moving when tooth H¹ has in its movement passed out
of gear with the end of lever J', cams T' & U¹ are provided as shown in Sheet 3,
Fig. 8.
A slide may be provided which is not shown in the drawings operated by
suitable connections to the main lever or handle and arranged to cover the place
from which a card can be withdrawn until the top die is sufficiently depressed to
stamp the card. The cards may be so made that a portion of each can be removed
by the official who stamps and issues the cards, such removed pieces become
counterfoils for the purpose of a scrutiny or the like.
The top part, Figures 11, 13, 15, 17, consists of a die block V, the internally
screwed collar W', the die plate X', and a number of punches Y¹ constructed as
shown.
All or any of the punches may be fixed in the die at one time. Should it be
desired that the punches Z', fitted with heads recessed into die block, shall not
operate, each is replaced with an identical piece except that the punch part below
die plate X', is omitted. The recessed heads are introduced to prevent relative
circular motion between V₁ & X. The bottom part or bolster A² consists of a
die provided with a hole opposite each punch of top part, and proper channels B²
through which the punchings pass away. Figures 15, 16, 17, 18, & 20 show dies
constructed as above described, but with provision made for the addition of a
specially designed removable perforating, embossing, or printing die C³, and the
necessary bolster D².
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what we
claim is :-
1. The application of printing, stamping, or embossing rollers to the purposes of
voting by ballot substantially as shown and described.
2. The application of mechanism to the stamping or embossing and delivery of
balloting or other cards to ensure such stamping or embossing before they are
issued to a voter or other person.
3. The construction of balloting dies in such a manner as to admit of their being
easily altered so as to vary the design or marked, stamped, printed, or punched
by them.
Dated this 10th day of August 1896.
ED. WILD.
ARTHUR E. COLLINS.