AN IMPROVED SYSTEM AND APPARATUS FOR ASCERTAINING AT A GLANCE ANY DESIRED RESULT IN THE MULTIPLICATION OF FIGURES
Year: 1874

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Alexander Browne at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his. Petition, on the 18th
August 1874. A communication from abroad by Joseph Louis.
Martiny, trading under the Name of Joseph Louis Martiny and
Company, of Paris, in the French Republic.
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I, ALEXANDER BROWNE, of the Firm of Browne and Company, Patent
Agents, of 5, Southampton Buildings, Holborn, in the County of Mid-
dlesex, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "AN
IMPROVED SYSTEM AND APPARATUS FOR ASCERTAINING AT A GLANCE ANY DESIRED
RESULT IN THE MULTIPLICATION OF FIGURES," a communication from abroad
by Joseph Louis Martiny, trading under the name of Joseph Louis
Martiny and Company, of Paris, in the French Republic, to be as
follows:
This Invention is designed to show at a glance any desired result of
the multiplication table separate from the rest of the figures marked,
and which is of great importance, numerous mistakes being made by

page_text: scholars when looking for a result on the multiplication table where
all the ciphers are exposed to view simultaneously.
By this present Invention the multiplication is not only rendered
easy to learn but also amusing for children, as it is not necessary for the
child to take the precaution of following carefully with the finger or
eyes the horizontal and vertical lines of the multiplication table as is
now the case, and by which mistakes are easily made. The above
inconvenience is entirely obviated by the present Invention, as the only
number seen (whatever it may be) is the right one.
In order to render the study more amusing for children the ciphers
may be of different colors.
We reserve to ourselves the right of increasing the number of multi-
plicator and multiplicand ciphers, and thereby rendering this apparatus
very useful for small tradesmen and those who do not know how to
multiply over nine ciphers,, at the same time being more agreeable to
them to have (for example) the result of 24 multiplied by 27, and so on;
which by this improved system and apparatus will be seen at a glance
for it will only be necessary to increase the dimensions of the table or
decrease, that of the ciphers.
By reference to the annexed Drawing this improved system and
apparatus will be better understood.
The Figure marked A represents the table or rather the top of the
box having in the centre nine openings, and to the left the numbers from
one to nine, and to the right from nine to one, which I will call the
indicating ciphers. At the bottom of the table two slots are out hori-
zontally, the object of which is to allow plates inside the aforesaid box
to slide therein by means of the hands fixed on the said plates.
The Figure marked B shows the left-hand plate on which are printed
the numbers in the order or contrarywise of the multiplication table,
and at the right-hand extremity of this plate is fixed a hand coming
through the horizontal slot of the table, so as to slide easily in the said
slot with the plate.
The Figure marked O represents the right-hand plate having nine
holes at an angle, and also a hand on the left-hand side sliding in a slot

page_text: to uncover successively the desired number by its combination with the
left plate. The Figure marked D shows the two plates ready to work and
also shows the inside of the box without the top or table. The left-
hand plate works along the right-hand slot from left to right, and the
right-hand plate works along the left-hand slot from right to left.