APPARATUS FOR RECORDING VOTES
Year: 1882

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Lazenby at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 2nd September 1882.
JOHN LAZENBY of Darnall in the County of York
APPARATUS FOR RECORDING VOTES"
"IMPROVEMENTS IN
This Invention relates to improvements in apparatus for recording votes, the
object being to perform the operation in a more rapid and efficient manner than has
hitherto been done, and so that the result may be read off at once and with
certainty, instead of having to wait the tedious process of counting up, with the
liability of mistakes.
I accomplish this object in the following manner, I construct a lock up box,
having two or more projecting knobs or their equivalents corresponding with the
number of candidates whose names may be placed on labels fixed close to the
knobs In describing an apparatus to register the votes for two candidates, there
would be two outside knobs and in the interior of the box a framework having
two compartments in each of which is a ratchet index wheel provided with a
given number of teeth, (such as ten, or one hundred,) each wheel is supported on a
short axle.
A pawl or catch prevents the ratchet wheel from turning in the contrary direction
to that intended. One side of the boss or hub of ratchet wheel is lengthened so
as to form a small roller, to which is attached one end of a figured tape which after
passing over a second roller placed in such a position that the figures marked upon
the tape can be easily read, is wound upon a bobbin or reel-The outside knobs
are connected inside the box to levers having the wheel shaft for a fulcrum and the
opposite ends provided with catches for the purpose of rotating the ratchet index.
wheels, and winding up the tape.
These levers are connected at the opposite ends to the knobs by means of a cord
or chain passing under one or more pulleys, so that when one lever is pressed down

page_text: and caught by the retaining catch the cord or chain is tightened, so as to prevent
the other lever being pressed down, and vice versa.
The tapes being wound upon the bobbins till the cypher printed thereon is at the
starting point as well as the No. 1 tooth of the index ratchet wheel (which for
example has one hundred teeth,) the lid is then locked and the apparatus is ready
for use
The action of a "Vote register" for two candidates is as follows, A Voter enters
and presses down the knob opposite the name of the candidate he desires to vote
for, this action moves the index wheel in that compartment forward one tooth, and
winds up a corresponding proportion of the tape between the cypher and the
figure 1. The continued repetition of this action brings the index wheel round till
the first tooth is again at the top, as well as the figure 1 on the tape, each figure
on the tape indicating hundreds and the numbered teeth of the index wheel
showing the intermediate numbers, thus if the figure on the tape is 5, and the top
tooth of the wheel is 80, the number of votes recorded is 580.
To prevent any tampering with the machine by the voters, I arrange the
mechanism so that when either knob is pressed down, a retaining catch secures it
in that position, as well as the knob that has not been pressed down-so that the
catch must be withdrawn by the attendant official before the next vote can be
recorded, this is effected by means of a rod passing through the side of the box and
which is under the control of the official who may be in the adjoining room, and
who by pulling the rod withdraws the retaining catch, and the knobs by the action
of a spring resume their first position
One releasing lever may be connected to à number of "Vote registers."

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said John Lazenby in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 1st March
1883.
JOHN LAZENBY of Darnall, in the County of York,
APPARATUS FOR RECORDING VOTES."
"IMPROVEMENTS IN
My Invention relates to improvements in apparatus for recording votes, the
object being to perform the operation in a more rapid and correct manner than has
hitherto been done, and so that the result may be read off at once, without having
to wait till the usual tedious process of counting the votes is completed, with the
liability to mistakes.
To accomplish these objects I carry out my invention as follows; I construct a
lockup box to contain the mechanism, with two or more knobs or handles, connected
with the mechanism, projecting on the outside, in such a position as to be readily
seen and operated by the voter; the candidates name, or distinctive mark being
placed upon, or near to, the handle of the mechanism, intended to record the votes
given to hin; and in order that the description of my invention may be clearly
understood, I will refer to the annexed sheet of drawings, premising that the same
letters of reference indicate the same parts in all the figures.
Fig 1. is a sectional elevation of an apparatus for recording the votes for two
candidates Fig. 2. is a cross section of same. Fig 3, is a half sectional plan of
same.
In a recorder for two candidates (for example) there would be two projecting
knobs A which I have shown as projecting from the top of the lock up box, and
intended to be pressed down by the hand of the voter.
The interior of the box may be divided into two compartments, and in each
compartment, I fix a frame, Q. An index or ratchet wheel B provided with a given
number of teeth is supported by a short axle C, on which it revolves, and one side
of the boss E, of the wheel B, is lengthened so as to form a roller F upon which
the figured tape G, (rolled upon the reel I,) is wound off after first passing over the
second roller H, which is so placed as to bring the tape G into a position, in which
the figures marked thereon can be easily read.
The outside knob A, is connected inside the box to a lever K having by
preference its bearing or fulcrum on the shaft or axle C, and on the side opposite to
that connected to the knob, is a catch or pawl D, engaging with the teeth of the
index or ratchet wheel, so that when the knob is depressed, the end of the lever
with the catch is raised, and the index or ratchet wheel is rotated to a certain
extent, a fixed spring catch, or its equivalent, prevents the index wheel revolving in
a contrary direction.
To prevent both handles being operated at the same time, or more than one vote
being recorded by the same voter; the levers K are connected at the opposite ends
to the knobs or handles, by a cord M (or chain, or an equivalent device) passing
under one or more pulleys N, so that when one of the knobs is pressed down, and
caught by the retaining catch and bar O, the cord M or its equivalent is drawn
tight, and thus prevents any movement of the second lever and its actuating knob.
A similar locking movement takes place, whichever knob is depressed.
The retaining bar O is pressed and held into the notch in the vertical bar
attached to the knob A. by means of suitable springs till released by being drawn
back by the ring P which is intended to be operated by an attendant or official,
when the knob at once resumes its normal position, ready for the next voter. The
tape G is marked with figures, from the figure 1 upwards. I prefer that the index

page_text: wheel shall have a given number of teeth, say one hundred (for example) and that
when one revolution of the wheel is completed, by one hundred depressions of the
knob A, the tape will be wound off the reel I, and the figure 1 will appear at the
reading point, when the second revolution of the wheel is made, the figure 2 will
be seen on the tape at the reading point, and so on; each tooth of the index wheel
being numbered, it follows that if the figure 2 on the tape, has passed the reading
point, and the tooth numbered 50 is by the pointer the number of votes recorded
is 250. If preferred the index wheel may have only ten teeth, in which case the
number 5 on the tape would represent 50 votes, and so on.
A number of recording boxes or apparatus may be placed side by side, when so
required and the releasing movement may be accomplished by one attendant.
Having now described and fully ascertained the nature of my invention, and
the manner in which it may be carried into practice, I wish to observe in conclusion
that what I consider to be novel and original, and therefore claim as the invention
secured to me by the hereinbefore in part recited Letters Patent, is-
The method of, and Apparatus for recording Votes, such apparatus consisting
principally of an outer lockup case, with outside knobs or handles to be actuated
by the voter, and giving motion inside the case to an index wheel, and figured
tape, by which the number of votes recorded may be read off instantly;
substantially as described and illustrated, or any mere variation or modification
thereof.
In Witness whereof, I the said John Lazenby have hereunto set my hand
and seal this 28th day of February in the year of our Lord, One thousand
eight hundred and eighty three.