IMPROVEMENTS IN CALCULATING MACHINES
Year: 1884

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
I MAX MAYER, of Munich in the Kingdom of Bavaria, Councillor do hereby
declare the nature of my Invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN CALCULATING MACHINES
and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement :—
The object of my invention is to construct an improved form of machine for
making calculations.
And in order that my said invention may be clearly understood, reference is
hereby made to the accompanying Drawings.
The apparatus is constructed entirely of wrought iron. Fig: 1 is a front view
in perspective of the apparatus, which consists of a small box A containing the
mechanism and finger board and the frame B. in which the box is made to slide up
and down-The length of the frame is about 22 inches when paper of ordinary size is
used, but when a larger size is required the frame may be from 24 to 28 inches long.
When the cross band is detached the box can be pulled from the rails outwards and
downwards to be taken asunder and cleaned-On the top the guiding rails are
closed.
The finger board has a rectangular recess of about an inch and a quarter in
width and two inches in length through which the operator can see down into the
space surrounded by the frame.
Around this space there are fixed the finger plates of the nine koys in the
manner indicated in Figures I and III
On the small plates the figures 1 to 9 are painted or enamelled in bold clear
figures the uneven numbers being colored red on a white ground and the even
numbers black on a light blue ground-The frame B is so placed on the paper that
the figure column to be added can be seen in the sector of the finger board
simultaneously therewith; it is sufliciently heavy to prevent its being displaced
from its position unless'it is intentionally moved.
Adding is always performed from above downwards-The box A is placed to
the upper margin of the frame B and by lowering the lever E. the apparatus is put
nt zero.-The addition of the units then begins, the box is gradually brought down
by one hand, by means of one of the buttons A (according as the left or right hand
is used to finger the keys) by bringing the figures to be added always into the
sector of the keyboard and by touching the keys with the other hand corresponding.
to the units placed under one another in the figuro column-But it is essential that
each key should be returned to its original position before touching a new one,
besides which the box must be brought down at least so far that the levers p² q³
extend under the bands p. g if even tho figures to be added must not reach down
En far

page_text: by its teeth to the toothed wheel sector R. This is connectel to the flange R¹ of
the strap U (Figs IV X. XI.) which is easily revolved round the axle X so that
the spring controls the movement of the cog wheel sector.
The device U (fig: IV) consists of the two metal plates U₁ U of sectorlike
form centred on the axlo X and two circular pillars U U³ connecting the same
together as shewn-On these pillars tho curved piece L is made to slide to and fro
The lattor during the operation of the apparatus comes by and beneath the
different toothed wheels according to the position of the adjacent piece M.
(Figs II IV and X) provided with a slit in which the rib L' attached to the
underside of the curved piece moves to and fro in a plane perpendicular to the axle,
when the keys are touched and by the pawl attached thereto transmits the
movement of the strap on the corresponding figure wheel, into the teeth of which.
the pawl gears. If the key 5 is touched the toothed wheel sector, the strap with
the curved piece and that toothed wheel, into which the anchor gears, are turned
five fortieths of the periphery, & it appears therefore in the reading hole.
belonging to the corresponding figure wheel, instead of the figure 1 the figure 6,
instead of the figure 3 the figure 8, instead of the figure 7 the ligure 2 (reckoning
one more on the following figure wheel).
When not in use the rib ¹ of the device U Fig: 4) reaches to the undermargin
of the cross division, so that the curved picco L can just glide under it, the pawl
is then in such a position that it does not gear into the teeth of the cogwheel, but
occupies a position about the middle of a tooth length so that it can easily be lifted
during the stops in the figure wheel (Fig II) is the spring by which the pawl is
pressed into the teeth of the toothed wheel-The shorter side of the pawl is
moveable round the point and projects somewhat beyond the curve. By a pressure
on this prominent part the pawl therefore can be shifted away from the periphery
of the figure wheel.
The correct placing of the adjoining piece M and therefore also of the curved
piece and pawl beneath the corresponding figure wheel, is effected by a special
imechanis:n placed on the bottom of the apparatus (Fig: III.) The piece M is
fastened on the metal plate M which is moved in the guiding rails M³ M³ (fig: II.)
The plate M' is driven by the pressure of the worm spring Al' to the right side
and has a row of ratchet teeth, the tops of which incline to the right side and the
size of which correspond exactly to the distance of two figure wheels; into these
tecth the pawl N₁ catchies and prevents the return of the plate to the right side,
when one tooth after the other is pressed from the right to the left by the driver_N
-The driver itself is put into motion by a lover appliance, when the box is brought
back, to the upper margin of the frame B.
The rotating lever P fitted on the outside of the box A is pushed out of its
position by a band soldered on the guiding rails of the frame-The upper part of
the lever P moves therefore in the opposite direction and communicates its movement.
to a lever system P¹ P²-This lever system consists of two horizontal lever arms
an upper one P¹ figs VII X, which passes through the outer sides of the box and,
projects a corresponding piece, and of a lower one P2 perpendicular to the upper.
one-Both levers are securely fastened to each other by an axle with a bearing
placed between and attached to the side.-If now the arm P¹ is pressed sideways
by the lever p, this movement is communicated to the lower one which then shifts
the driver N by means of its adjoining piece n¹ to the left side-This driver n
returns to its former position through the action of the spring P. As soon as the
lever P slides down from the adjoining piece, in which operation its top avoids the
teeth of the plate M' by its oscillation an eventual springing out of the driver of
the teeth of the plate is obviated by a piece of tin plate N soldered on the driver.
itself.
That the anchor between the cogwheels may not impede the movement of the
curved piece L from beneath one figure wheel to the other this must be lifted above
the margin of the figure wheels for the time in which the plate M¹ and the curved

page_text: This is done in the following manner :-Shortly before the lever P touches the
adjoining band picce P the lever Qlikewise fitted to the outside of the box
touches the second band q fastened on the rail (figs I and VII) and slides thereon
in shifting back the box, as long as the right placing of the guiding point piece M
and the curved piece has been moved. As soon as this is the case the lever Q will
have arrived at the end of the band, and slide down therefrom and return to its
former position of rest. By the lever q being lifted by the band and sliding thereon
a roller shaped as shewn in Fig. II and also shown in Fig XI fastened to the
axle of the lever Q and passing beneath all tho figuro wheels the position of the
axle being seen in fig: V, is pressed against the projecting part of the curved
piece L of the pawl so that the latter is lifted out of the figure wheel. The
pawl glides now as long as the plate M & the curved piece L are in motion down
to the roller Q until the right position of the arc L, beneath the new figure wheel
has been effected. A moment later the lever Q falls down from the band q and
returns into its original position together with the roller Q' by means of the
spring q¹ (fig. VII) and therefore also the pawl L'. This catches into the teeth of
that figure wheel under which it is placed. The touching of the keys operates the
new figure wheel, while the former remains immoveable. In pulling down the
box, both levers P and Q with the oscillating piece 2' avoid the bands-p-and-g
without any influence on the other mechanism.
The transferring from one figure wheel to the other is effected by a mechanism
which is borne by the metal plate T (fig IX,) fitted directly under the cover of
the box, and in the guiding bands of the cross sides F. G. On the axle t³ are
small rotating wheels provided-with-3-correspondingly formed teeth and separated
by-partitions from each other (figs II XII) (transferring wheels) which are so
engaged by the levers R¹ fixed beneath them with spring-R; that they in the state
of repose-enter-the-gap between the two corresponding figure wheels with one of
its 3 teeth without impeding the movement of those wheels. As-soon-as-the-tooth
projecting between the wheels is seized by the steel band t of the one figure wheel,
and put into motion, it catches by means of its corresponding size into the teeth of
the other figure wheel, and advances this rather more than the fortieth part of the
periphery, before the transferring wheel T, by its rotation escapes from the effect of
the steel band t.
At the moment when this influence ceases, the tooth of the transferring wheel
exposed to the pressure of the lever V has already passed the contact point, and the
latter therefore by the lever V, is brought back into the position which it had, before
it was touched by the steel band; but now another tooth projects into the gap of
the figure wheels. The 4 steel bands are so fastened to the figure wheel that one of
them, when the figure 9 is visible in the opening, stands directly before the tooth
of the transferring wheel projecting between the figure wheels, and therefore at the
next operation sets the transferring wheel into motion in the next movement.
If the addition of the units is required to begin again and the new sum to be
added to the sum already obtained it is necessary that the arc piece L and the
pawl should be brought again beneath the figure wheel of the units, while all
the figure wheels of the units remain stationary in the position obtained by the
preceding addition. This is effected by a pressure on the bell crank D, while the
apparatus is at the upper margin of the frame B. This bell crank moves round
the axle of the partition d and has an adjoining piece with oblique face (figs II
and IX). At its lower left hand end the lever is bevelled and catches into the
conical adjoining piece &, which is fastened on the short arm of the angular
plate D' capable of revolving round the point d³ and attached to the bottom of the
box. In moving down the lever, a roller Q is turned by the angle of the nose d¹
by which the pawl is lifted out of the ratchet and remains in this position, until
the lever again moves upwards. Simultaneously the back chamfered part thereof
pushes the coned piece & out of its position by which the angular plate D' is
rotated and by means of its pivots d' and d lifts the driver N and catch N' out of
the teeth of the plate M, so that the latter, yielding to the pressure of its spiral
-

page_text: spring, darts to the right side, and brings the are piece under the whool of the
units. As soon as this is effected the boll crank D is allowed to return into its
state of repose; the roller likewiso falls into its position of rest and the pawl l
catches into the tooth of the figure wheel of the units, so that the addition can
begin anew.
If the addition of one column is finished, and the apparatus is to be put on zero,
the bell crank E is pressed down. The same lies behind the lever D, separated
only by the partition d is chamfered in a similar way to the latter and rotates
round the axle e (fig. IX). It possesses a small nose piece e¹ outside the box, so
that by its motion downwards the bell crank D follows, by which the placing of
the arc piece under the figure wheel of the units as aforesaid is effected. The back
end of the lever while moving upwards drives the plate c* indented on the one half
and tapered on the other half, which moves upwards in two guiding rails ³
(fig. IX). The teeth catch into the tooth sector w fitted to the back end of the
axlo W (figa II and XII) and simultaneously bring down the prongs w¹ w³
fastened thereto which correspond with the teeth bands, and which have such
distance from the figure wheels in its position of rest that the latter can rotate
freely. They therefore, sooner or later, meet the opposing steel bands t and push
them down until zero appears in the reading opening. As soon as this is done, the
downward motion of the prongs ceases, as the rack cannot be lifted higher. When
one or the other figure wheel is already placed at zero it does not suffer any change
by the prongs moving down, the other figure wheels change in the indicated, manner
in the approaching hole, all simultaneously, fig. 9 with 0. But as by this the
transposing wheels v would be put into action and thus act on those figure wheels
which were already placed on 0, the figure 1 would appear, it is necessary to lift
away entirely from the periphery the system of the transposing wheels for the
moment during which the transmission of the figure wheels of 9 to 0 is effected.
This is done by the before mentioned chamfered part of the plate e³ which slides,
wedgelike, between the back part of the box and the adjoining piece to of the
angular plate T, bearing the mechanism of the transposing wheels, and thereby
displaces the latter (plate) a short distance, so that the transposing wheels stand at
some distance from the periphery of the figure wheels.
If all figure wheels are placed on 0, the lever E is allowed to return to its
position of rest; the plate T with the transposing wheels is then brought back
to the back part of the box by means of the springs t t (fig. XII) so that the
transposing wheels project into the gaps between the figure wheels. The are
piece L with the pawl is again under the figure wheel of the units, and the
addition can begin again to be made.
To fix immoveable the transposing nechanism during the touching of the keys,
the crooked lever to catches into a groove of the plate T with its upper arm at the
back of the box. If now the bell crank E. is pressed downwards, its adjoining
picco e lifts the upper arm out of the groove, after which e begins to act as
aforesaid ceases the pressing down on the bell crank, and e, and therefore T
and return to their position of rest by the effect of the springs e and c².
The exact engagement of the figuro wheels is effected by a catch Z which is
pressed by the spring Z' into the teeth of the figure wheel. To avoid the effect
of rapid shocks to which the figure wheels are exposed by the vis inertice, more
teeth than correspond to the key slido under the catch Z, the latter is furnished at
its lower end with a pawl Z, which catches into the teeth of the figure wheel at
the moment in which the catch itself is lifted above the top of the figure wheel.
The length of the way with which the device U, and the arch piece L on
touching the single keys has to do, is decided by a special mechanism in the
following manner. Through the solid metal partition Y, which is screwed on to
the bottom and side of the box, in equal height above the bottom and at equal
distances are bored nine circular or square holes y' in which as many circular or
square pistons or plugs of cast steel are exactly ground (fig. II, VIII and IX).
'
The pivots are kept back in the position of rest by a spring 3 placed in tho

page_text: .
metal side y' on the side of the lover K, so that they do not stand out from tho
metal partition above the lever K, and therefore do not impede the latter when
moving down.
The picco y has a portion cut away obliquely, as shewn in Fig. II, into which
the chamfered end of the cast steel pivot is fitted movable upwards and is pressed
on the key arm by the spring y³.
Each key forms a double armed lever at one end of which the plate for the
finger is fastened while the other end projects until under the lever K into the
box. The fulcra of the touch levers of 1. 2. 8 and 9 lie in y', of 3 and 7 in y³, and
of 4, 5, 6 in y. The levers themselves are so turned that they pass easily across
the corresponding slits in Y.
If now a key is touched the back lever arm first lifts the pieco y', by which the
corresponding cast steel pivot is pushed before the partition Y Then the key end
pushes the lover K upwards until it strikes against the displaced pivot again
(figs II and VIII). T'ho lever K is provided at the top with 9 semicircular
grooves which do not lio in a straight line, but by careful grinding are made to
fit exactly the corresponding pivots, so that in touching a certain key the arc
-piece L travels in that direction securely, which is necessary for the rotation of the
-figure-wheel round the required number of units (key 5, 7, 8, 9 etc.). As soon-as-
the pressure on the key censes, the pivot y re-entors the metal partition-by-means:
of the springy and the lever K as well as the picco y get into their former
position.
The cast steel pivot for the key.9 may be left out when the driver itself at the
height at which-it-can-be-placed-in-touching this key, is kept back by a projection
on the partition of the box.
To avoid the consequences of the wearing of the apparatus, as the smallest
chango in form of the cast steel pivots disturbs the forward and receding motion
of the same, these are, as far as they must project out of the metal-piece-to-be
ground on their small periphery about an eighth of an inch and then made to fit
the sectors of the lever. The driver S can be removed for the diminution of the
friction, when the lever K is allowed to act directly on the strap. For this purpose
the latter would have to bo provided with an additional picco K1 (fig. V) or the
teeth of the driver S alone may be omitted and this is to be placed in connection
with the adjoining piece K' of the lever K.
The arc L may be closed on the anchor side by a corresponding metal plate by
which the pawl is better and more securely guided.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
Invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is
1. The before described calculating machine, consisting of the frame B and the
box A which bears the key board and the meclianism capable of being moved to
and fro in the guiding rails of the frame.
2. The frame with a recess for the reading of the figure column, and with the
band piece p and q, by which, in moving back the box, the notion of the lever
systems P and Q at the outside is effected (figs. I and VII).
3. The combination and arrangement of the several and respective parts, together
forming my improvements in calculating machines, herein before described and
shewn on the drawings.