An Improved Date Indicator and Calculator.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 17th Jan., 1894-Accepted, 10th Mar., 1894
An Improved Date Indicator and Calculator.
I, CHARLES LESLIE TRAVIS, of No. 404 Century Building, Minneapolis,
Hennepin County, State of Minnesota, United States of America, Manufacturer,
do hereby declare the nature of my invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
My invention relates to means for ascertaining the due-dates of notes, drafts,
mortgages, bills, statements, invoices and all other commercial paper upon which
payment is deferred for various periods of time originally stipulated; and further,
to means for readily determining the number of days intervening between the
first date or other given day, and any given day before or after the date of
maturity.
The object of my invention is to provide semi-automatic means for determining
the answers to such or similar problems.
To this end my invention consists in general in the combination of relatively
movable and correspondingly spaced surfaces or devices, the spaces of one being
numbered consecutively and the spaces of the other surface or device being divided
into groups, the spaces of each group being consecutively numbered, whereby by
the manipulation of the surfaces or devices the answers to various problems may be
quickly and without mental calculation determined; and my invention further
consists in various constructions and combinations all as hereinafter described and
particularly pointed out in the claims.
The invention will be more readily understood by reference to the accompanying
drawings, forming part of this Specification, and in which
Fig. 1 is a view of one face of a due-date automatal embodying my invention.
Fig. 2 is a side view of the machine or device.
Fig. 3 is a sectional view on the line - of Fig. 1.
Fig. 4 is a sectional view on the line y-y of Fig. 2.
Figs. 5 and 6 are detail sectional views showing the means for maintaining the
desired tension upon the moving rolls, or pulleys of the two tapes or belts.
Fig. 7 shows the adjusting key.
As shown in the drawings, the frame of the device is made up of the four
similarly shaped side-plates 2, 3, 4 and 5 which are secured to and meet at the
middle of the light block 6, preferably hollowed out in the middle to decrease its
weight. The plates 3 and 5 like the other plates are secured to the block by
screws 7, but have the slots 8 which, upon loosening the screws, permit longitudinal
adjustment on the block. For adjusting the sides evenly together I provide a
key 9, shown in Fig. 7, having the shank of even thickness and width throughout.
The key is inserted through the slots 10 between the ends of the four plates and
by turning the key the two movable plates may be adjusted to equal distances. In
the ends of opposite plates are the holes or bearings Il for the two short shafts 12
and 13. The ends of the two shafts extend from opposite sides of the device and
are provided with the thumb wheels 14-15 respectively. Upon the shaft 12 and
between the ends of the side plates are two rollers or pulleys, one pulley 16 being
fastened upon the shaft and near the thumb wheel. The other pulley 17 is loose
upon the shaft and the two pulleys are preferably separated by a washer 18, of
somewhat larger dimensions. The hub of the pulley 16 engages the inside of the
plate 5, and between the outside of said plate and the hub 19 of the thumb wheel 1
provide an elliptic spring washer 20. The thumb wheel being pressed down and
Painel

page_text: fastened over this spring, the tension thereof will draw the pulley tightly against
the side plate and thus render the shaft and pulley somewhat difficult to turn,
enough so to prevent their being moved except by intention. Obviously the
tension does not effect the pulley 17. Upon the shaft 13 are the fixed and loose
pulleys 22 and 23 separated by the washer 24. The thumb wheel is secured upon
the shaft and an elliptic spring washer 25 arranged between the same and the set
screw. The tension of this spring however, is preferably light as compared with
the other. Two short endless tapes or belts 26 and 27 extend longitudinally about
the block and over the rollers or pulleys at the ends thereof and the tape 26 is
carried over the pulley's 16 and 23, while the other tape 27 is held upon the loose
pulley 12 and the fixed pulley or roller 22. The belts or tapes are tightened upon
the pulleys or wheels by moving out the side plates 3 and 5. Both faces of the
block or frame pieces are preferably bulged out at the middle so that the sides of
the tapes will lie snugly thereon. The edges of the side plates project beyond the
block somewhat and with the washers 18 and 24 serve as guides for the tapes and
at the same time protect them. The outer surface of each tape or belt is divided
into three hundred and sixty-five spaces to receive three hundred and sixty-five
figures or numbers. The leap-year tapes are provided with three hundred and
sixty-six equally spaced numbers, owing to the extra day of February. Upon the
tape or belt 27 the figures run from 1 to 365, consecutively, each gure having
opposite it a short index line 28. The space of the figure 365 is occupied by the
arrow 29 bearing the number 365 and serving to make the same prominent.
Opposite the small figures 30, 60 and 90 larger figures 30, 60 and 90 are preferably
placed, these being most used in commercial transactions. The tape 26 is divided
into groups of months, which are indicated by the abbreviations or signs. Between
the last figure of each month and the first of the next a row of dots or other marks
iudicate the division between the months. Upon opposite sides of each of the
figures are small index lines 30-31. A pointer 32 is provided upon the side
plate 4, preferably near the top, and projects over the month tape, as shown.
With the device in hand, suppose it is desired to determine the due-date of a
70-day note, signed on the "21st of November." The tape 26 will be moved so as
to bring the figure 21 of the November group before the pointer 32. The tape 27
will then be moved to carry the arrow "365" directly opposite " November 21."
Then upon glancing down the column of figures on the tape 27 and across from the
figure "70"thereon, "January 30" will be found opposite, thus determining the
date of the expiration of the seventy days. If the term of the note, bill or invoice
was sixty days from the "21st of November" the figure "20" in the January group
opposite "60" on the tape 27 would indicate the date of maturity; or if ninety
days the figure "19" of February would be noted. Again, suppose that upon the
21st day of November a note was received, which note bore date of October 15th,
and was for ninety days. The tape 26 being undisturbed, the "arrow
on the
tape 27 would be moved opposite the figure "15" in the October group, when,
glancing opposite the figure "90" on the tape 27 the date of maturity would be
found to be January 13. Again, suppose that this same note was to bear interest
from November 21st. To determine the interest due, it is necessary to determine
the number of days remaining before maturity. For this purpose the arrow would
be returned to its position opposite November 21 and "53" would be found
opposite "January 13," indicating the number of interest days. In the case of a
warrant made payable March 20th, the holder would wish to know how many days
intervene between the day of its receipt by him and its maturity. Suppose the
date of receipt to be November 21, the arrow being moved opposite "21" of the
" November group would show "119" opposite "March 20," the same being
the number of days before payment on the warrant would become due. Again, an
over-due mortgage, due October 23 is paid "November 21." Additional interest
would be computed for "29" days, as shown opposite "November 21" after the
arrow 365 was moved opposite to "October 23." If the period exceed the number
of days visible upon one face of the machine the same is simply turned over,
"

page_text: and without moving the tapes, the figures followed and found on the other side
or face.
It is obvious that the number of figures upon the tapes need not be complete, as
some may be omitted without materially affecting their usefulness; and it is further
obvious that only one of the tapes need be made movable and it is owing to the fact
that the tape 26 is so seldom moved that the heavier tension is provided upon the
shaft 12 and fixed pulley 16 thereof, as before explained. As it is far more
convenient to move the tape 26 forward each day so as to present the number
representing the present day beneath the pointer, I preferably make both tapes
movable. It is further obvious that my invention may be carried out by other
means and for other purposes. In place of the tapes I may employ sliding rules or
simple discs bearing the rows of figures upon their peripheries or sides. Such
embodiments are, however, larger and less convenient to use and I therefore
prefer the construction shown and described, though not limiting the invention
thereto.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:
1. The combination, in a machine of the class described, of the two relatively
movable surfaces, each consecutively numbered and equally spaced, substantially as
and for the purpose specified.
2. The combination, of the relatively movable and correspondingly spaced
surfaces, the spaces of one surface being numbered consecutively, and an equal
number of spaces of the other surface being divided into groups with the spaces of
each group consecutively numbered, substantially as described and for the purpose
specified.
3. The combination, of the relatively movable correspondingly spaced surfaces,
the spaces of one surface being numbered, and the spaces of the other surface being
divided into groups, and the spaces of each group numbered, substantially as and
for the purpose specified.
4. The combination, in a device of the class described, of the two surfaces, one
movable with respect to the other, and both correspondingly spaced, the spaces of
one surface being numbered throughout, and the spaces of the other surface being
divided into groups indicated as of consecutive months, and the spaces of each
group being numbered to correspond with the days of their respective months,
substantially as described.
5. The combination, in a device of the class described, of the two surfaces, one
movable with respect to the other, and both correspondingly spaced, the spaces of
one surface being numbered, and the spaces of the other surface being divided into
groups, and the spaces of each group being numbered to correspond with the days
in the respective months represented thereby, and means for moving one or both of
said surfaces, substantially as described.
6. The combination, with a suitable frame, of the endless tapes or belts arranged
thereon in proximity to one another, said tapes having an equal number of
corresponding spaces, the spaces of one tape being numbered, and the spaces of the
other tape being numbered in groups, and one of said tapes being movable, substan-
tially as described.
7. The combination, in a due-date automatal, of two devices, one movable with
respect to the other, and one bearing a series of numbers from 1 to 365 or 366, and
the other device bearing as many figures arranged in groups each representing
days of distinct and consecutive months, substantially as and for the purpose
specified.
8. The combination, of two devices, one rotatable with respect to the other, one
of said devices bearing a series of consecutive figures indicating the days of the
year and the other device bearing an equal number of figures divided into groups
running from 1 to the number of days in the several months, said groups being

page_text: identified as of certain months and arranged in consecutive order as to months,.
substantially as described and for the purpose specified.
9. The combination, with a suitable frame, of the endless tapes or belts, of equal
lengths and arranged upon said frame, means for moving one of said belts, one of
the same being provided with numbers from 1 to 365 or 366, the other provided
with groups of numbers from 1 to the number of days in the month represented
thereby, and the numbers of the two tapes being spaced correspondingly thereon,
substantially as described and for the purpose specified.
10. The combination, with the elongated frame, of the pulleys in the ends thereof,
the endless tapes or belts extending over said frame and over opposite pulleys
thereon, means for rotating said pulleys and belts, a pointer upon said frame, one of
said tapes bearing consecutive numbers equal to the number of days in the year,
and the other tape bearing an equal number of figures correspondingly spaced in
groups representing the number of days in the several months and indicated as of
such, substantially as and for the purpose specified.
Dated this 22nd day of December 1893.
CHARLES LESLIE TRAVIS.
Cruikshank & Fairweather,
62, St. Vincent Street, Glasgow, Agents
CHARLES LESLIE TRAVIS.
Cruikshank & Fairweather,
62, St. Vincent Street, Glasgow, Agents