IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINES FOR COUNTING, REGISTERING, AND NUMBERING
Year: 1881

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by George Heaton at the Office of the
Commissioners of Patents on the 20th January 1881.
GEORGE HEATON, of Handsworth, in the County of Stafford, Manufacturer.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINES FOR COUNTING, REGISTERING, AND NUMBERING.”
My Invention consists in constructing and combining the parts of the said
machines in the following manner :-
I employ a series of circular discs equal in number to the "places" of figures
which the machine is intended to count and register, that is, one disc for the units,
another for the tens, another for the hundreds, and so on. Each of these discs
carries on its edge or periphery the series of numerals 1 to 9, both inclusive, each
series being preceded by the cypher symbol 0. Each disc has a single notch in its
edge between the cypher and the numeral 1.
These discs are placed upon and turn freely on a common axis. To the bush of
each numeral disc is fixed a parallel disc, the periphery of which is cut into a series
of ten teeth, the extreme diameter of these, the teeth discs being somewhat less
than the extreme diameter of the numeral discs. A series of arms or levers is
mounted and works loosely on the common axis, the levers, excepting the first and
last, being situated respectively between the numeral disc of one compound disc
and the toothed disc of the next compound disc.
Each of these levers carries a pawl, the acting end of the pawls being situated
respectively over the numeral disc of one compound disc and the toothed disc of
the next compound disc.
The said pawls bear only on the numeral disc, excepting at the times, that is,
once at each rotation, when the notch in the numeral disc comes under the pawl.
The said pawl then falling into the said notch descends so far as to engage with
one of the teeth of the next toothed disc, and on the advance of the pawl the
toothed disc is pushed forward one tooth. On the backward motion of the pawl it
rises out of the notch in the numeral disc, and cannot again descend until the said
disc has performed another rotation, that is, until it has counted ten by ten motions
of the lever carrying the pawl. Thus each numeral disc must rotate once, that is,
must count or indicate ten through the numerals on its periphery before the next
numeral disc can advance one tooth and numeral, and similarly the last named
Duin 931

page_text: numeral disc must perform a complete rotation or count through the ten numerals
before the next disc can be moved one tooth and numeral, and so on through the
whole series of discs.
The whole of the parts described, excepting the levers, are enclosed in a
cylindrical or other case, the said case having a row of holes or openings, through
each of which one numeral of the disc under it can be seen. In working the
machine all the levers are simultaneously raised and lowered, and the number of
times the levers are raised is indicated at the openings described. In order to
simplify the working all the levers may be connected together at their outer ends,
or they may be connected to a common handle or connecting rod.
When my Invention is used for numbering papers and like purposes it is
combined with the appliances used for taking impressions from the numerals of like
machines.