Carroll Adding Machine
date: label: date made
content: 1876
name: label: patentee
content: Carroll, David
label: maker
content: Carroll, David
notes: label: Description
content: This is the U.S. Patent Office model for a nine-key non-printing adding machine. The small machine has a wooden case with nine metal keys with wooden key covers, arranged in two rows. There are three wooden numeral wheels visible through a window at the back top. The machine apparently is designed to add single digits up to 999. No numbers are visible on the key tops. The keys in each row presently appear to operate [no effect] 4 6 8 (/) [no effect] 2 3 5 7. The patent drawing indicates that the keys are arranged 2 4 6 8 (/) 4 5 5 7 9. The effect of the keys is determined by adjusting screws on the underside of the machine. The four registering wheels to the left have on their left side a ring of ten equidistant pins that are used in carrying. There is a lever at the top of the machine that can be adjusted to release the number wheels so that they can be turned back to zero using a button on the left. The device was patented by David Carroll of Spring Creek, Pennsylvania. Carroll took out other U.S. patents for ship’s logs (197995, granted in 1877; also 303115, granted in 1884), and a stump extractor (64628, granted in 1867, reissued in 1879).
label: Description
content: References:
label: Description
content: David Carroll, “Improvement in Adding Machines,” U.S. Patent #176,833, May 2, 1876.
label: Description
content: E. Martin, <I>The Calculating Machines (Die Rechenmaschinen)</I>, trans. P. A. Kidwell and M. R. Williams, Cambridge: MIT Press, 1992, p. 75.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
place: label: place made
content: United States: Pennsylvania, Spring Creek
label: place patented
content: United States: Pennsylvania, Spring Creek
topic: label: Subject
content: Mathematics
setName: label: See more items in
content: Medicine and Science: Mathematics
label: See more items in
content: Adding Machines
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content: Science & Mathematics
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: MA.308949
label: accession number
content: 89797
label: catalog number
content: 308949
objectType: label: Object Name
content: adding machine
label: Object Type
content: Patent Model
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: wood (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: metal (overall material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 10.8 cm x 12 cm x 18 cm; 4 1/4 in x 4 23/32 in x 7 3/32 in