Improved System of Displaying Numerical Quantities for Stock- keeping Purposes and the like.
Year: 1898

page_text: Improved System of Displaying Numerical Quantities for Stock-
keeping Purposes and the like.
MORTON BLENCOWE COTTERELL, of Victoria Works, Aston, in the County of
Warwick, Electrical Engineer, and PERCY GARNISS EBBUTT, of Victoria Works,
Aston, in the County of Warwick, Electrical Engineer, do hereby declare the nature
of this invention to be as follows:-
A sheet of paper or a piece of other suitable material is divided into spaces, each
of which contains a prearranged series of numerical digits. By means of pins,
pegs, or other suitable method or contrivance, inserted into, or other wise attached
to the paper or other material, upon or adjacent to certain digits, any numerical
quantity may be graphically displayed. Instead of the pins or pegs, the paper
or other material can be pricked, indented, or otherwise marked to express the same
result. An alternative method may be used by subdividing each space into smaller
spaces, for the purpose of expressing quantities. For stockkeeping or stock taking
purposes, each division on the paper or other material is devoted to a given article.
The pins, pegs, or other contrivances are moved in position in accordance with
the fluctuation of the article to which any given division is devoted. By using
pins, pegs, or other contrivances differing in shape, colour, or description, further
purposes are accomplished. For instance two varieties of pins, pegs, or other
contrivances used in the same division may serve to express two conditions, states,
or varieties of the article to which the division refers. In addition to its use. às
above described for indicating current quantities of any article, the system may..
be also applied to the indication of current states or conditions of articles: for
instance, current prices, charges, rates, etc.
"
Dated this Tlfth d... of March 1900
M. BLENCOWE COTTERELL,
PERCY G. EBBUTT.
1
Improved System of Displaying Numerical Quantities for Stock-
keeping Purposes and the like.
We, MORTON BLENCOWE COTTERELL, of Victoria Works, Aston, in the County of
Warwick, Electrical Engineer, and PERCY GARNISS EBBUTT, of Victoria Works,
D
017

page_text: Aston, in the County of Warwick, Electrical Engineer, do hereby declare the nature
of this invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be par-
ticularly, described and ascertained in and by the following statement:--
This invention relates to business, stock keeping generally, and consists in an
improved means whereby the amount of goods or articles in stock, and on order
for stock, can at any particular time be indicated in a simple manner, and so that
a principal or any other person (as well as the stock keeper) can at a glance see
exactly the number of the particular articles or goods in stock or on order for
stock, and the ability for coping with any particular sale order as it is received.
Such a means is particularly of advantage to manufacturing firms who deal in
large quantities of small articles which have a ready sale such, for example, as
various hardware goods, electrical appliances or parts thereof, and bicycle acces-
sories, the said means being such that it can be placed in any position either inside
the stock room or in the general office of the firm.
The indicating means according to this invention is a pegging board of any
suitable size and shane upon which certain data is printed setting forth the
contents of the particular bin or receptacle in which the goods or articles are stored,
and the amount of articles or goods which the particular bin or receptacle is
adapted to at any time contain; pins, pegs, or other devices which are stuck
into the said board opposite the data referred to constituting the means for defining
the existing condition of the articles in the bins or receptacles..
"
The invention will be best understood by reference- to the accompanying sheet
of drawings upon which reference letters are used to indicate the various parts
of the indicating means. In the said sheet Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a pegging
board illustrating one form of the invention; Fig. 2 a section of a part of Fig. 1,
and Fig. 3a modification of the sheet containing the printed data as set forth in
Fig. 1, whilst Figs. 4, 5, 6, and 7 show various forms of pegs to be used in con-
junction with the said board:
Referring to Figs: 1 and 2 a is a rectangular casing or box of wood or any other
suitable material of a size suitable to the particular requirements of the indicating
means, and a² is a glass door, which is provided with a suitable lock and hinged
at to the front of the said casing or box so as to form a closure to its open side;
the said lock preventing the said door being open by unauthorized persons. The
bottom of the casing or, box a is provided with a layer c of felt or other suitable
material to form a cushion wherein the pegs or pins are stuck and retained when in
their indicating positions, and also to form a yielding base to a sheet of paper or card c²
which is placed upon it, and which fits within the casing or box a and constitutes
the actual board containing the data referring to the stock keeping. The felt
layer c is of a size to fit the casing or box a and is secured therein in a suitable
manner, and the sheet ² containing the indicating data is of an equal size and is
simply laid upon it, and held firmly in position upon the cushion by a removable
frame which is temporarily secured to the casing or box a..
:
...7
..
The sheet is divided up into a number of squares or spaces e, and each square
or space, is set off to-represent a particular bin or receptacle containing the articles
or materials about which a record is to be kept; the said division or space bearing
the same number as the said bin or receptacle, or the same number as a particularly
defined article in a catalogue. The squares or spaces e are set up with columns
of figures representing "dozen" and "single" and also the amount of stock it is
desired to keep of the said articles. For example, in Fig. 1 the bin or recep
tacle 101 has five dozen set off as being its quantity, bin 102 four dozen, and
bin 103 six dozen, and it is the duty of the stock keeper to attend to the keeping
up of such quantities. The amount of the stock desired may run into grosses, in
which event the sheet would have its spaces or squares e set out in the manner
illustrated in Fig. 3.
*
:
Pins or pegs are adapted to be stuck through the sheet c³ and into the cushion c

page_text: opposite the columns of "dozen" and "single" figures to indicate the condition
of that particular stock, and these pins or pegs are so formed as to be easily
recognised as to which of them indicate the amount of goods in stock and the
amount of goods on order for stock. For example, referring to Fig. 1 in bin or
receptacle 101 the straight pins or pegs 9 show that there are three dozen and
five articles, whilst the bent pins g2 show that there are one dozen and seven-on
order for stock, which will make up the regulation stock of the particular bin. In
Figs, 4, 5, 6, and 7; various forms of such pins or pegs are shown, parts i being
attached for the purpose of showing on the one pin the amount of articles on order
for stock. As the stock diminishes and again increases so the pins are accordingly
moved, and so a constant indication of the current stock is the result.
A useful system of using the invention is as follows:-The stock keeper receives
an order for every article he gives out from a bin or receptacle, and these are placed
on a credit file: similarly he receives an order for all articles or goods that come
in, and these are placed upon his debit file. At the end of a day, or other suit-
able time, he enters the rise and fall of the stock upon the pegging board by
moving the pins or pegs 9, 92, so as to correspond with the quantity of stock
remaining and on order at that time; the positions of the pins or pegs indicating
clearly how many of any particular article are on hand and how many are on
order for stock.
In this manner a ready means is provided for ascertaining at all times the
amount of stock of any article, and in most businesses this is of particular im-
portance as it is impossible to form under ordinary conditions any accurate idea
of the amount of the stock except immediately after stock-taking.
The columns of figures on the indicating sheet may be arranged to indicate
any desired numbers, and may be set out on a decimal system.
As in many businesses it is necessary that the amount of stock-articles, or goods
should fluctuate to meet emergencies, the numerical digit expressing the amount
of the said regulation stock is preferably an attached plate, or a loose piece con-
nected in some way to the indicating sheet.
The indicating pins or pegs may be of any suitable form and, if desired, of
different colours, so that the one for indicating the amount of stock shall be easily
recognised from the one indicating the amount of articles on order for stock.
Having now particularly described, and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is:-
First, A pegging board for stock keeping purposes, characterized by a board
or sheet divided into squares or spaces which are set up with data setting forth
prearranged information, and pins or pegs which are adapted to be stuck into
the said board or sheet to indicate certain matter from the said data, for the pur-
pose substantially as described and-set forth.
Second. A pegging board for stock keeping purposes, characterised by a board
or sheet divided up into squares or spaces which are set up with data setting forth
prearranged information, and two or more sets of distinctive pins or pegs which
are adapted to be stuck in the said board or sheet opposite the data so as to indicate
certain matter from it, for the purpose substantially as set forth.
Third. A pegging board for stock keeping purposes having in its combination
a casing or box provided with a lock-up cover, a cushion attached to the bottom
of the said box, an indicating sheet or card mounted upon said cushion and which
bears data, and means for indicating on said sheet or card from the data the
amount of stock, substantially as described and set forth.
Fourth. A pegging board for stock keeping purposes having in its combination
a casing or box a provided with a lock-up cover a², a cushion c attached to the
bottom of said box, an indicating sheet or card ² mounted upon the said cushion
and which bears data, a frame № for holding said sheet or card in position upon

page_text: said cushion, and pins or pegs which are adapted to be stuck through the said card
or sheet and cushion, and which may be of any number and either alike or dis-
tinctive in respect of each other, substantially as described and set forth.
Dated this 13th day of December 1898
W. P. THOMPSON & Co.
11, Burlington Chambers, New Street, Birmingham,
Also of Liverpool, London and Manchester,
Patent Avents for the Applicant.