Improvements in Cash Registers and Indicators.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 3rd July, 1889-Accepted, 3rd Aug., 1889
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Cash Registers and Indicators.
I, HERBERT JOHN HADDAN, of the firm of Herbert & Co. Patent Agents of
18 Buckingham Street, Strand, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do
hereby declare the nature of my invention a communication to me from abroad by
The National Cash Register Company, of Dayton, in the State of Ohio, United
States of America, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
The invention relates to improvements in cash registers and indicators designed for
the use of store-keepers and others, and has for its object an improvement in that class
of machines. Its novelty will be herein set forth and specifically pointed out in the
claims.
In the accompanying drawings
Figure 1 is a side elevation of a portion of one form of machine embodying some of
the improvements, with the rear side of the case or cabinet cut away.
Figure 2 is a sectional side elevation of the same.
Figure 3 is a detail sectional view on line 3-3 of fig. 5 of a portion of a somewhat
different form of machine, embodying others of the improvements.
Figure 4 is a corresponding view showing one of the operating keys depressed.
Figure 5 is a bottom plan view of a portion of the machine shown in Figures 3
and 4.
The same letters of reference are used to indicate identical parts in all the figures.
The general construction of this class of machines is so well known that it is
sufficient to here say that A is the case; B, the frame work supporting the
mechanism within the case; C, the operating-keys pivoted upon the shaft D;
E, the vibrating frame, which is operated whenever any key is depressed; F, the tablet
rods carrying figured tablets at their upper ends; G, the tablet supporting wing,
and H the bell or gong.
I is the money drawer ortill located in the lower part of the case, and which when shut
is held locked by the bolt J, and when unlocked by the vibration of the bolt-lever K is
projected by the spring L.
In this class of machines the vibrating frame has heretofore been arranged under
keys in front of their pivotalsupport, which arrangement necessitated the employment
of weights or springs to reset it after each operation of a key. Also, being near the
slots in the front of the case through which the keys project, it could be reached and
held down by an instrument inserted through the key slots, and while in this position
the machine could be operated to expose the proper indicating tablet without sounding
the gong or moving the recording-paper, and thus if the same key were operated
successively its puncturing pin would continue to pass through the recording-paper in
exactly the same spot, and thus only one purchase would be recorded. To overcome
these objections, under our improved construction the vibrating frame E is arranged
to extend over the keys in rear of the shaft D, upon which it is hung by the connecting
arms M, constituting part of the vibrating frame.
N is the roll containing the paper 0, suitably and removably journaled in the
frame B, and from which the paper is drawn forward under the perforated bar P and
up around the rewinding-roll Q. That end of the roll Q which is on the side of the
machine where the gong is located is provided with a ratchet-wheel, S, with which a
dog, T, pivoted, as at a, to the subjacent arm M of the vibrating frame, engages.
Pivoted to the side of the frame, as seen at b, Figure 4, is a dog, U, which rides upon
and engages with the ratchet wheel S, and whose rear end rests upon an arm, c,
projecting from the gong-hammer lever V, which is pivoted to the side of the frame.
The lever V carries the gong-hammer W, and is held in constant normal position by a
CD013

page_text: .
spring e. It results from this construction that the spring e serves to hold the dog U
in constant engagement with the ratchet S, except when a key is depressed, whereupon
the turning of the roller Q through the medium of the dog T lifts the dog U by the
passage under it of one of the ratchet-teeth, and thereby depresses the gong-
hammer against the resistance of the spring e, until. the tooth of the ratchet having
passed under the dog U, the latter is released, and the springe, acting upon the lever V,
causes the hammer to strike the gong. As the lower end of the lever V engages with
the wing G, the vibration of the former pushes back the wing against the resistance of
the spring f, to permit the passage of the detent or shoulder g of the tablet-rod, so
that the operation of a key, each of which is provided with its puncturing pin
or point h, turns the roll Q one notch of its ratchet-wheel, punctures the paper,
sounds the gong, and exposes its tablet to view, thus indicating and recording the
value of the purchase made.
In addition to the puncturing pins h, the weighted rear ends of the dog T are
provided with an auxiliary puncturing-pin, mn, so that at every operation of the machine
a puncture is made in a space of the paper at one side, thus enabling the proprietor
the more readily to ascertain how often the machine has been operated in a given
period of time. Instead of attaching this puncturing pin m to the dog T, it may be
placed in any suitable position upon the vibrating frame E and the same result
accomplished. In either case the pin m is actuated by the vibrating frame.
It is evident that types or other devices might be substituted for the puncturing-pins
for accomplishing the same result without departing from the invention.
The mechanism for locking the drawer and releasing it whenever any key is operated
is illustrated in Figure 2, where the bolt-lever K, pivoted at r, has its forward end
weighted and is connected to the vibrating frame by a link, Z, which passes up between
two of the keys and is secured to the bar E by a screw or other fastening, s.
The
operation of any key in lifting the bar F raises the lever K and lifts the bolt J out of
engagement with the catch of the drawer, which, thus released, is projected from
the case by the spring L. Upon the bottom of the drawer and projecting from its
rear end is a spring-stop i with its rear end bent down to form a hook or detent j
which engages against a shoulder k, in the bottom of the case to prevent the drawer
being accidentally propelled entirely out of the case by the throw of the spring L,
but which, should it be desired to remove the drawer from the case for any purpose,
can be pressed up by hand to disengage the hook j from the shoulder k, as will be
readily understood.
To prevent the keys from being successively operated without first locking the
drawer after each operation of a key, a gravitating latch X, Figure 1, is provided,
which, pivoted to the side of the case, at 7, extends downward along the outer side of
the drawer and upward alongside one of the arms M of the vibrating frame, where a
notch, n, is formed in the latch, which, when the drawer is opened or partially opened,
swings by the gravity of the latch over a projecting pin upon the arm M, and thus
holds the keys locked from operation. A shoulder or projection p, is secured upon the
side of the drawer in such position that when the latter is pushed in and locked the
latch X is tilted to the position shown in Figure 1, and out of engagement with
the vibrating frame. Should the proprietor, however, desire to throw this latch out of
working position for a time, as during an unusual rush of business, a lever X' is pro-
vided, which, pivoted, as at q, to the side of the frame, has its lower end so extended
that when pushed back to the position shown by the dotted lines in Figure 1, it
engages with and holds the latch X out of engagement.
To enable the paper to be readily severed when it is desired to remove the paper
from the rewinding-roll, a flat cutter blade Y', whose top edge is serrated, is hinged
at s to the bar Y of the case, at its front. This blade, when desired for use, can be
swung to a vertical position and the paper severed by pressing it upon its upper
serrated edge, and when in use can be swung down, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, to
shield and hide the mechanism beneath.
The invention is not limited to the particular form of latch illustrated and described
for locking the machine from operation while the drawer is open, as any other

page_text: suitable form of lock may be used and be arranged to engage and lock any operative
part of the machine when the latter is opened; and to be automatically released
when the drawer is closed.
In Figures 3, 4 and 5, is shown so much of a cash register as is necessary to
illustrate a novel device, here termed a key-coupler, for coupling together all the
keys that are displaced from normal position and causing all of them to descend
and operate together.
As shown in the drawings, a¹ a¹ represent portions of the frame of a cash register,
to which are pivoted, upon the rod b', the keys c¹ c¹. Each of the keys c¹ is provided
with projections d' d', which engage with the bars and upon the key-coupler /',
which is made up of said bars and j and the arms or levers h¹ h¹. The key-
coupler is pivoted upon the arms el el, which are in turn pivoted upon the rod b¹ or
other suitable pivot upon the frame of the machine. The arms el el are shown as
connected by the stop-bar k', thus making the key-coupler support?' sufficiently rigid.
The arms ee are shown as held by springs flf against the stops g' g¹ upon the
frame, although a suitably-arranged weight may be arranged to take the place of said
springs when it is desirable to do so.
In Figure 3 the keys and key-coupler are shown in their normal position, ready
for a registration to be made. When the operator displaces one or more of the
keys, c, as shown in Figure 4 the projection d' upon said displaced keys will come in
contact with the bar and partially rotate the key-coupler upon the pivots n¹.
When this rotation takes place, the bar j¹ is carried over the catches m upon the
projections upon those keys el that have been displaced, thereby locking all the
depressed keys together and foreing all of said keys to complete their forward motion
whenever any one of said keys is completely depressed, the arms el el yielding to
allow said complete depression to take place. When said keys have completed their
forward motion, as above described, and the downward pressure upon said keys is
removed, or the pressure of the projections upon the bar is released, the
weight of the bar j' will cause said bar to fall away from the catches m' m' against
the bar, thus uncoupling all keys. If for any reason the weight of the bar j¹ does
not act as above described immediately after registration, said keys would remain
coupled together by their bar j¹ until the lever el had returned to its normal position,
after which the keys would continue their backward motion and force the bar j off of
the catches m m¹ by means of the inclined bearing-surfaces of said catches m³ m¹, as
seen in Figure 3. It will thus be seen that the keys will be uncoupled after registra-
tion and before said keys have returned to their normal. positions. The bar jis so
adjusted with respect to the projections d' d' that it will, when in use, swing under
any of the catches m m upon said projections d' d¹, when said projections are in
their normal positions; but above the catches m' m² are projections d' d', which are
on the keys that are slightly displaced from their normal position, as shown in
Figure 4.
It will thus be seen that when the improvement is applied to a keyed cash-register
it is necessary that all the keys which are displaced from their original position must
move together in their forward or registering motion, even if the finger of the
operator should slip from any of said keys.
The invention is not limited to any particular form and arrangement of the key-
coupler for this may be largely varied by mechanics skilled in the art in applying the
invention to different styles of machines.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is
1. In a cash register and indicator having a money drawer or till, a lock which
holds the machine from operation while the money drawer is open and is automatically
released when the drawer is closed.
2. In a cash register and indicator having a money drawer or till, the combination
with the operating keys and a bar extending across and moved by the operation of

page_text: any one of said keys, of a pivoted latch which engages said bar when the drawer is
opened and is disengaged therefrom when the drawer is closed, substantially as
and for the purpose described.
3. In a cash register and indicator having a money drawer or till, the combination,
with the operating keys and a bar extending across and moved by the operation of
any one of said keys, of a latch which engages said bar when the drawer is opened
and is disengaged therefrom when the drawer is closed, and means for holding said
latch constantly out of engagement with said bar when desired, substantially as and
for the purpose described.
4. In a cash register and indicator, the combination, with the operating keys, of a
key coupler which couples the displaced keys together during their registering
motion.
5. In a cash register and indicator, the combination, with the operating keys, of a
key-coupler which couples the displaced keys together during their registering motion
and uncouples them after the registration has been completed.
6. In a cash register and indicator, the combination, with a series of operating keys
and registering and indicating mechanisms actuated thereby, of a spring-pressed
money drawer, a lock for said drawer actuated by a bar which extends across the
series of keys and is moved by the operation of any one of them, whereby upon
operating any one of said keys the money drawer is released and partially propelled
from the case.
7. In a cash register and indicator, the combination, with a series of keys provided
with puncturing pins, of a bar extending across said keys and moved by the operation
of any one of them, and an auxiliary puncturing pin actuated by said bar to puncture
the recording paper whenever any key is operated.
8. In a cash register and indicator, the combination, with a series of keys pivoted
at the front of the machine, a series of tablet-rods and indicating tablets operated
by said keys, and recording mechanism for recording the values of the keys operated,
of a vibrating. frame extending transversely across the tops of said keys in rear of
their pivotal support, and gong and drawer-locking mechanisms actuated by said bar.
9. In a cash indicator and recorder, the combination of a series of keys of fixed.
values, a series of tablet-rods and indicating-tablets operated by said keys, a support-
ing wing for holding said tablets exposed to view, a gong and gong-hammer, a supply
and a rewinding roll for carrying the recording-paper, a vibrating frame actuated by
the operation of any one of said keys, connecting mechanism between said vibrating
frame and rewinding-roll, and connecting mechanism between said rewinding-roll and
said gong-hammer and supporting wing, whereby the operation of the rewinding-roll
through the medium of the vibrating frame causes the hammer to strike the gong and
the wing to be thrown back to permit the passage of a tablet-rod whenever any key
is operated, substantially as described.
.
10. The combination, with the supply and rewinding-rolls, the latter provided with
wheel S, of the vibrating frame E, the keys operating to vibrate it, and the dog T,
pivoted upon said frame, engaging the ratchet S and provided with the puncturing-
pin m, arranged to operate on the paper passing between the rollers, substantially as
described.
11. The combination and arrangement with the operating-keys, of the drawer I,
provided with the shoulder p, the pivoted latch X, having the notch n, and the
vibrating frame E, provided with the pin o, substantially as and for the purpose
described.
12. The combination and arrangement, with the operating-keys, of the drawer I,
provided with the shoulder p, the pivoted latch X, having the notch, n, and the
vibrating frame E, provided with the pin o, substantially as and for the purpose
described.
13. In a cash register and indicator, the combination, with the series of operating
keys, the spring-pressed money drawer I and its lock which is released whenever any
key is operated, of the stop i and shoulder k which prevent the drawer being
propelled entirely from the case,

page_text: 14. In a cash register and indicator having a series of operating keys and
indicating tablets actuated thereby, the combination, with the supply and rewinding-
rolls carrying the recording paper, of a serrated cutter bar extending transversely
across the machine to sever the end of the paper drawn across it.
Dated this 2nd day of July 1889
HERBERT & Co.,
18, Buckingham Street, Strand, London, W.C., Agents to Applicant.