US2675961A - Electric calculating system - Google Patents

Description

April 20, 1954 F. o. v. LARSEN ELECTRIC CALCULATING SYSTEM iled Aug. 4, 1947 2 Sheets- -Sheet l Original m 3 Z Z w Z 40 n 3 2 ll 0 b A A 7 M av Ww [3 IA] A I Pb. 7% M f 7 I 2 ll .0, s H 4 2 m 2 I n 5 1 5 (J IA! m J 5 W 6 7 2 4 3 ll J 7 I 0 a 4 m 5 8 0 mn F L| A, H H F 4 2 w w IN VENTOR ATTORNEY April 20, 1954 F. o. v. LARSEN 2,675,961

ELECTRIC CALCULATING SYSTEM Original Fileg Aug. 4, 1947 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR BYw zz M rldaizuw ATTORNEY Patented Apr. 20, 1954 ELECTRIC CALCULATING SYSTEM Fridthiof Oskar Valdemar Larsen, Gentofte, Denmark, assignor to Aktiebolaget Duba, Stockholm, Sweden Sweden,

a joint-stock company of Original application August 4, 1947, Serial No. 765,997. Divided and this application March 26, 1951, Serial No. 217,538

8 Claims. 1

The present invention relates to electrical Operating systems for registers, having a plurality of registering units arranged to be set individually about a common shaft to any desired one of a number of diiferent positions under the control of a timing device and multistage switching device for selecting the positions to which the difierent registering units are to be set.

It is known in the art to couple the registering units separately to a common driving shaft, by means of coupling devices such as gears or clutches which are operated separately each by means of an individual electromagnet, the energizing circuit of which is closed by the timing device at a moment of time during the operation of said timing device synchronously with the said driving shaft depending upon a prior setting of said multistage switching device. In a known system of this kind the multistage switching device is a key board comprising a special row of keys for each registering unit. A system of this known kind is not applicable in practice for remote control of the setting of the registering units and the large number of keys in the said multistage switching devices would readily cause mistakes in operating the keys.

One object of the present invention is to avoid this drawback in electrical operating systems for registers, e. g., in electrical calculating systems, to which end a single multistage switch is used for selecting the desired settings of all of the said registering units in combination with a second multistage switch for selecting the registering unit to be set. Both of said multistage switches, which may be of the electromagnetically operated rotary selector switch type which automatically returns tov its home positions when the setting magnet is de-energized, may be arranged for remote control.

Another object of the invention is to devise an electric operating system of the kind referred to in which a registering unit to be set is coupled to the driving shaft of the timing device at the starting moment of said device and automatically disengaged from said shaft in the moment of time after the start to which the registering unit has been set to the desired position, and in Which the operation of the timing device is automatically interrupted when the timing device has been rotated through an angle of 360.

A further object of the invention is to devise a simple construction of a rotary timing device for the common control of the setting of all of the registering units of a register.

A timing device in an electrical system according to the invention comprises a rotary operative member and a stationary contact, facing said operative member and extending substantially in the direction of the axis of rotation of said member and a plurality of mutually spaced movable contacts engaging said stationary contact and arranged to be disengaged singly and in turns from said stationary contact by means of the said operative member, which is arranged to be coupled to the driving shaft of a registering unit to be set so as to be rotated synchronously with a registering unit and is further arranged to cause said spaced movable contacts to be successively disengaged from said stationary contact, which spaced electric contacts are arranged to be selectively connected up in the operating circuit of the operating circuit of the unit to be set in series with the said stationary contact by means of the multistage switches referred to above and adapted to determine the position to which the unit is to be set.

A. still further object of the invention is a modification of an electrical operating system for registers in which a timing device of the kind referred to above is arranged to simultaneously control the setting of two or more registering units.

In a. preferred embodiment the rotatably mounted member of the timing device is a cylinder having a helical row of radial projecting cams on its cylindrical face and the said common counter contact is a stationary rod arranged parallel to the axes of said cylinder spaced from the said cams, whereby each of the mutually spaced contacts arranged to cooperate with said oblong counter contact is movable radially in relation to said counter contact and said cylinder by means of an actuating member engaging the cylindrical surface of said cylinder in the region of movement of one of the cams of the cylinder.

Further objects and advantages of a calculating system according to the invention will appear from the following description of calculating systems represented on the drawing, in which:

Fig, 1 is a diagrammatic view showing the ar-.

rangement of an electrical operating system for a number of registering units, arranged to be rotated about a separate common shaft other than the driving shaft of the timing device,

Fig. 2 is a similar view of a modified form of a system according to the invention in which the registering units are arranged to be rotated about the driving shaft of the system, and

Fig. 3 is a diagrammatical view of a modification of a system according to Fig. 1 in which the timing device is arranged to set a number of registering units simultaneously.

In Figs. 1 and 3 are a plurality of registering units rotatably mounted on a common shaft 2 and provided with numerals of other characters on their circumferential surfaces. The registering units 1 are individually adjustable to positions in which desired characters on their circumferential surfaces are visible in a display opening 3, Fig. 3, of a casing i surrounding the registerin units I and their operating mechanism. This casing is for the sake of clearness not shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

The registering units 1 are arranged side by side and shaped as drums, but if desired they may be given any other suitable shape, e. g. that of a disc or a sector.

In Fig. 1 the registering units i are rotatably mounted on a common shaft 2. For the sake of simplicity, only two registering units are represented in Fig. 1. Attached to each of the registering units is a gear wheel 5 meshing with a gear wheel 8 which in this embodiment is driven by a driving motor common to all registering units, which means all registering units l arranged to freely rotate about the shaft 2. Each registering unit may be coupled to the shaft 21 of the motor 25 by means of a coupling magnet l3 individual thereto. Each magnet l3 has an armature [2 which upon energization of the coupling magnet displaces the gear wheel 8 in its own plane in such a manner that, without being disengaged from the gear wheel 5, the gear wheel 8 is engaged with a gear wheel 28 on the driving shaft 21 which is common to all registering units l of a group. The shaft 21 is coupled to the motor 25 through a reversing gear 23 that may be reversed by means of a remote controlled magnet 29.

On the part 3% of the shaft 2'. lyin between the reversing gear 28 and the motor 25 there is mounted a cylinder or drum 31 having a number of radially projecting cams 32 arranged along a helical line. The purpose of these cams is, during rotation of the cylinder 3! successively and alternately to disengage a number of mutually insulated and spaced movable contacts l1 arranged in a row parallel to the shaft of the cylinder 3'! from a stationary oblong contact member l5 arranged along the cylinder 3| at some distance from its circumference and e. g. in a position parallel to the row of the contacts 17. Each of the contacts I? is by way of a conductor 24 connected to a bank contact l8 of a selector switch l8, l9 forming a multistage switch the wiper arm it of which is earthed through the energizing coil 40 of a relay more especially referred to below.

The contacts is and I! combine with the cylinder 3| to form a timing device determining the duration of the setting movement of a registering unit I the coupling magnet 13, Fig. 1, of which has been energized by being connected up in an operating circuit by mean of one of th contacts [6 in a manner described below.

Each of the contacts I! is provided with an insulating actuating piece 33 each of which engages the circumferential surface of the cylinder 3| in the zone of movement of an individual one of the cams 32. The contact bar [6 is by way of a conductor 45 connected to the wiper arm 34 of a multistage switch or selector switch 34, 35. Each of the stationary contacts 35 of this selector switch is connected to one end of the energizing coil of an individual one or" the coupling magnets 3. The other ends of the energizing coils of all of the coupling magnets 13 are connected to one terminal of a current source 22, the other terminal of which is earthed.

M is the energizing coil of an electromagnet for stepping the wiper l9 over the contacts l8. The said energizing coil is connected up in a circuit including in series the current source 22, the said coil 4!, the conductor 42 and a key or an interrupter 42 which if desired may be lo. cated at a remote operating place and arranged to be operated manually to cause the said circult to be alternately closed and interrupted in order that current impulses are produced stepping the wiper 19 in direction of the arrow pin Fig. l by means of the magnet 4|. Wiper I9 is stepped against the action of a spiral spring lea, tending to move the wiper 19 in the opposite direction to set upon a separate contact i86-the home contact--from which the said stepwise motion of the wiper I9 is always started, and to which home contact the wiper is automatically retumed by means of said spring [9a, when the registration aimed at by the setting of the wiper :3 has been effected, as described below. A ratchet wheel Sc secured to the wiper 13 to be rotated together with it cooperates with a pawl i917 preventing the return motion, but not the said stepwise motion, of the wiper as long as a relay 40 more especially referred to below, is energized, then causing the pawl lBb to engage the ratchet wheel against the action of a spring lfid. The wiper 34 of the switch 34, 25, is adapted to be swept in a stepwise manner over the contacts 35 by means of an electromagnetic setting member, the energizing coil 43 of which is connected up in a circuit including the current source 22, the coil 43, a conductor :24 leading to a key or an interrupter I43 which may be located at a remote place from which the apparatus described is to be operated, and adapted to alternately close and interrupt the said circuit to cause current impulses to be created in same by the current source 22 for the purpose of setting the wiper 34.

The operation of the apparatus shown in Fig. l is as follows:

Suppose a registering unit I is to be set in a desired position, i. e. in such a manner that a desired numeral on the circumferential surface of the registering member, the numeral 5, is visible in the aperture 3, Fig. 3, then the wiper 34 of the switch 34, 35 is to be set on that one of the contacts 35 which is connected to the coupling magnet l3 of the registering unit in question through a conductor 23. This setting is effected by means of current pulses produced as described above in the circuit of the energizing coil 43 of the setting magnet, of the multistage switch 34, 35. The wiper i9 is set by means of impulses produced in the manner described above in the circuit of the coil 4| until the wiper I9 is moved to engage that one of the contacts l8 which represents the numeral 3. When this occurs the said contact i8 is connected to earth through the coil of a relay 40 and the wiper l9 and accordingly a circuit 'is' completed from earth via the source 22, the energizing coil of the coupling magnet I3 belonging to the registering unit I in question, the conductor 23, the appurtenant contact 35, the wiper 34, the conductor 45, the contact I6 of the timing device, the contact I! connected to the contact. 18 on which the wiper I9 was set, the contact arm IS, the energizing coil of the relay 4B and earth. The relay 49 attracts an armature A mounted on the pawl I91), causing the pawl to engage ratchet wheel ISc thus preventing return motion of wiper I9 to contact I80.

Consequently, the coupling magnet I3 is energized and displaces the gear wheel 8 so asto intercouple the gear wheels 5 and 26 and at the. same time the relay 40 operates to lock'the wiper I9 .in the position to which it has been set and to close a contact 40a in the supply circuit of the motor 25, thus causing the motor to start and "rotate the. cylinder 3i and the gear wheels 28 so that themegistering unit I, the coupling magnet 63 of...which was energized is caused to move synchronouslywith the cylinder 3 I. During the rotation of the latter the cams 32 on the circumferential surface. of the cylinder will successively and alternately disengage the various contacts I 1 from the contact I6, and when the individual contact I? which is connected to a contact I8 on which the contact arm I9 was set as described above, inthis manner is. disengaged from the contact I6, the current passing the energizing coil of the relay 49 in series with the wipers I9 and 34 and .the energizing coil of the coupling magnet l3;in the circuit referred to is interrupted, whereby the spring biased armature I2 of the coupling magnet 13 is releasedto move the gear wheel 8 out of engagement with the gear wheel 26 and the pawl I 927, disengaged from the pawl wheel by the spring I9d when the coil 40 was deenergized, allows the spiral spring to return the wiper I9 to .setupon the first bank contact I80, which is not connected to any movable contact I! of the timing device. The rotation of the registering unit in question is consequently stopped, when this unit has been rotated through an angle corresponding to the angle through which the cylinder 3I was rotated in the movement; it has disengaged the contact I? in question from the contact bar I6. In this manner the registering unit is set to show the numeral in question in the aperture 3, see Fig. 3. After each setting operating the cylinder or drum 3| must be restored to a definite neutral position, or, in other words, the motor 25 must continue to rotate the cylinder 3! until the cylinder 3| has been rotated a full revolution and again occupies a certain initial position, which means a position allowing all of the contacts II except the first contact I I to simultaneously engage the contact bar It. 'As appears from the explanation set forth above the relay 40' is deenergizecl simultaneously with the coupling magnet I3 of the registering unit, being set, and the contact 40a of the said relay will simultaneously be-opened. In'order to avoid that this should cause an interruption of the supply circuit of the motor 25 the contact 40a is shunted with a current passage including twoco-operating contacts and 50, which are controlled by a-cam disc 41, which disc is mounted on the shaft 300 or 21 so as to be rotated synchronously with themotor 25 andthe cylinder 3 I. The circumference of the disc 41 is mainly circular and co-operated with the contact '49 to cause this contact to engage 6i K 40a by way of a contact 49a, which was closed by the wiper I 9 when 'said wiper was returned to the home contact I80. The short circuit is main tained until a recess 48 in the edge of the disc 41 is moved on to the contact 49. Then a projection 5| on thiscontact is received in the recess 48. The position of the disc 41 relatively to the shaft 21 is so adapted, that this occurs when the cylinder 3i is moved into its said initial position. Thus the disc 41 causes the contacts 49 and 50 to short-circuit the contact 400. immediately after the initial starting motion of the motor 25. Consequently .the de-energization of the relay winding 40 does not cause the rotation of the cylinder-BI. to stop, but when the cam disc 41 and thereby the cylinder 3| have been advanced to the initial position shown in Fig. 3, namely when the projection 5i drops into the notch 48 causing the contact 49 to disengage the contact 50, the current supply to the motor 25 is cut off, y t l '1 instead of the described arrangement in which the relay 40 controlsthe operation of themotor 25, an alternativearrangement may be used in whichthis motor is continuously rotating and the relay winding 49 controls a magnetic clutch between the cylinder 3! and the shaft 2.? described below with reference to Fig. 2.

By operating the reversing gear 28, e. g; by remote control of the control magnet 29 of this gear, the'direction of; rotation of the registering members may be reversed. This will e. g. be necessaryin calculatingregisters that are to be used for subtraction. If such functions are not required',.the reversing gear 28.may be dispensed With.

In the embodiment ofFig. 1 the cylinder 3! is arranged to be driven by the driving motor 25 of the registering units 1. This arrangement, however, is not compulsory, seeing that it might be preferred tomodify the arrangement in such a manner that the motor 25 only drives the cylinder 3I, while the reversing gear, and the registering members are drivenby a separate motor which then controlled in such a manner as to run synchronously with the motor 25. This is particularly advantageous in such cases where it is desired to arrange the cylinder 3I and the timing device'IB, II, 3I at a place remote from the registering members.

The selector switch 34, 35 may be dispensed with if the timing device is provided with a plurality of sets of contacts IT and appurtenant contact bars I 6, each set of contacts I6 and I! serving the purpose of controlling the setting of an individual registering member in a group. Fig. 3 shows an embodiment of this kind.

7 In Fig. 3, '3 I' is a cam cylinder of the same nature as the cam cylinder 3| in Fig. l and firmly coupled-to the motor 25 for adjusting the registering units I to desired position in the manner described'above. The said units I are arranged to be coupled to the shaft 2?, rotated by the motor 2 5, each by means of a gear 5, 8, 26 controlled in "the manner described above by an individual coupling magnet. Two such coupling magnets I3'and'I31 are'shown in Fig. 3. One end of the energizing coil of each coupling magnet i3, I31 is connected to one end of the same terminal of the current source 22, the other terminal of which is earthened. The other ends of thesai'd energizing coils'are by way of conductors 45, 452) connected each to a separate one of the contact'bar I6, I81), I60 all of which bars" are the. contact 50, thus-short circuitingfthe-contact 1 arranged to face the cylindrical surface 'of the cylinder 3| in positions parallel to the axes of the cylinder in different radial distances from the said surface. A row of individual movable mutually spaced contacts H are located along the contact bar so as to engage same in the manner described above in connection with Fig. 1. A similar row of contacts I11) and He are located along the contact bars I61) and H50 respectively. The rows of contacts l1, I11), I are so arranged relatively to one another that each contact in each of said rows has a radially disposed actuating member 33 which is common to one contact I1, I11), I10 in each of said rows and engages the cylindrical circumference of the cylinder 3! in the region of movement of one of the cams 32.

Thus the different contact devices l6, l1 and Nib, 11) and I60, I10 respectively form in combination a substitution for the multistage switch 34, 35 in Fig. l, and the timing device shown in Fig. 3 is thus to be considered to constitute a combination of a timing device of the kind described above in connection with Fig. l and the multistage switch 34, 35 shown in Fig. 1.

In Fig. 3 the contacts I1 are connected each to an individual bank contact if; in a selector switch [8, IS, the wiper l9 of which is controlled exactly in the same manner as the wiper H! in Fig. 1 by means of the driving magnet 4|. The contacts I12) and H0 are connected each to one of the contacts I82) and |8c respectively of other selector switches |8b, |9b and I80, I90 respectively, the wipers of which are in the same manner as the wiper IS in Fig. 2, namely by means of setting magnets M12 and M0 respectively, arranged to be operated by current impulse in the same manner as described above in connection with the driving magnet 4| in Fig. 1. Each of the wipers l9, H11) and |9c is connected to earth through the winding of the relays 40, 49b and 400 respectively. Each of these relays controls a contact 40a, 40a respectively, in the circuit of the motor 25 in the manner and for the purpose described above in connection with the relay 40 in Fig. 1.

The operation of the embodiment shown in Fig. 3 is exactly the same as that shown in Fig. 1, are only with the difference that the registering units are set individually or two or more at a time, according as to whether earth potential is applied to one of the contacts l6, |6b, IE0 or to two or more of these contacts simultaneously by way of the selector switches |8, l9, and I81), I92) belonging thereto by setting wipers of these switches on the contact l8, l8?) corresponding to a desired setting of the registering member belonging thereto. During rotation of the cylinder 3|, the setting of the registering units will then take place exactly in the same manner as described with reference to Fig. 1. In this manner, a plurality of the registering units may be set simultaneously.

If it is desired to set the registering units of two or more groups of such units by way of the timing device 31,32, I5, I51) l1, |1b described above and shown in Fig. 3, each of the contact bars it, i611 and 15s are to be selectively connected to one end of the energizing coils of the coupling magnets i3 of all of the registering units in one and the same group by way of a selector switch similarly to the arrangement illustrated in Fig. 1 comprising the selector switch 34, 35, the conductors 23 and the conductor 45 and the operating magnet |2, |3.

As mentioned, instead of stopping the motor 25 when the cam cylinder 3| has performed a full revolution, the motor 25 may be arranged to run continuously, the cylinder 3| being then disengaged from the shaft 21. An example of an embodiment of this character is shown in Fig. 2. The operation of the cam cylinder 3| to control the registering members is exactly the same as mentioned above in connection with the embodiment according to Fig. 1. In Fig. 2 the registering units are mounted to rotate about the part 300 of the driving shaft 21 instead of about a separate shaft 2, as in Figs. 1 and 3 and are each provided with a brake not shown of any suitable kind adapted to prevent the units from rotating about the shaft 309 when such rotation is not intended to. The registering units may be individually coupled to the said shaft 21 by means of magnetically controlled clutches 54. Each clutch 54 is controlled by a coupling magnet 55 having an armature 56 which, when attracted, engages the clutch and, when released, permits the clutch to be disengaged under the influence of a spring 51. The cam cylinder 3| is coupled to the shaft 21 by means of a magnetically controlled clutch 58 adapted to be engaged by means of a coupling magnet 59 and to be disengaged by means of a spring 50.

In this construction, the motor 25 is arranged to continuously rotate the shaft 21, 300 of the registering units The procedure of setting a registering unit on a desired figure in an embodiment according to Fig. 2 is as follows:

Under the influence of one or more current pulses through the conductor 42 from the place from which the calculating apparatus is operated, the arm I9 is set by means of the coupling magnet 4| on the contact |8 representing the desired figure whereby, similarly as in the construction shown in Fig. l, a circuit is completed from earth via the relay winding 49, the wiper arm |9, the contact IE on which the latter is set, the appurtenant conductor 24, the contact |1 connected to the latter, the contact IS, the conductor 45, the wiper arm 34 of the switch 34, 35, the contact 35 on which this switch is set, the conductor 23 extending from the latter to the coupling magnet 55 of the registering units to be set, and from this coupling magnet via the source 22 to earth. The relay closes a contact 40a, causing an energizing coil 59 of a magnetically controlled clutch 58 to couple the cylinder 3| to the shaft 21, and at the same time the coil of the magnet 55 causes the clutch 54 to couple the registering unit to the part 350 of the shaft 21. The registering unit is then set in the manner described, and the setting movement of the registering unit is stopped when the cam cylinder disengages the contact l1 in question from the contact l6 because then the circuit through the coil 55 is interrupted at said contact l1. The cylinder 3| continues to rotate, because the coil 59 remains energized in the circuit including in series the current source 22, the contact 4911 and the energizing coil 59, and the contact 49, arranged to be engaged by a disc 41 arranged to rotate together with the cylinder 3|. The disc 41 and the contacts 49, 5O serve a similar purpose of the corresponding parts in Fig. 1, namely, to stop the rotation of the cylinder 3| when returned to its home position, since then the disc 41 allows the projection on the contact member 49 to be received in a circumferential notch 5| on the disc 41, whereby the contact member 49 disengages the contact 50, as described above, thus causing the circuit through the coil 59 to be interrupted, whereby the clutch 58 is 9 disengaged by the spring 60. For the sake of simplicity the details l9a, [9b, I90 and l9d shown in Fig. 1 are not shown in Fig. 2.

In the embodiment shown in Figures 1 and 3, the cylinder 3| and the registering units l are driven at a predetermined angular velocity relatively to one another, so that corresponding to a certain angleof rotation of the cylinder there will be a certain angle of rotation of the registering unit controlled by the cylinder in each particular instance. In a calculating system in which multiplications or divisions are to be performed, it may, be desirable, e. g. in the case of multiplication, to drive the cylinder 3|, Figure 1, at different angular velocities relatively to the angular velocity at which the registering units areset in the case of addition or subtracting operations or, vice versa, to be able to drivethe registering units at different angular velocities relatively to the angular velocity at which the cam cylinder is rotated, instead of the procedureadopted in previously knowncalculating apparatus, via, to register one of the two factors in one and the same register anumber of times corresponding to the value of the figures of the other factor.

The same result may be obtained more conveniently and rapidly according to the invention by arranging'for the registering units, at the registration of each individual figure of one factor, to performa rotary motion as many times as great as the motion they would normally have to perform in order to register the figures in question, as the figure of the second factor with which the first-named figure is to be multiplied, is greater'than unity. This may be obtained by coupling the cam cylinder 3| to the'shaft 21 by means of a variable speed gearing 6, Figure 2, the ratio of which is automatically controlled in dependence on the value of the figures of the last-named factor so that the rotary motion of the cam cylinder 3| will be the slower, the higher the said value. With the arrangement described, during the time" it takes the cam cylinder 3l to turn through a so great angle that some specified contact llto which earth potential has been applied via the setting member l8, I9 is disengaged from the contact member IS, the registering unit will have time to move'through a correspondingly greater angle before the cam cylinder interrupts the connection between the contact I! in question and the contact I6. Consequently, figures corresponding to the contact I 1 in question are represented in the registeras multiplied by a factor equal to the proportion of the normal speed of rotation of the cam cylinder to the said reduced speed at which-it was driven during multiplication.

Similarly, the cam cylinder 3| may be rotated at higher speed in the case of division, so that the turning movement of the registering units becomes a multiplum of the movement that would be necessary in the case of subtraction to introduce a figure corresponding to the divisor in the numbers to be divided by each other, via, a multi plum equal to thequotient of divisor and dividend. Themanner in which this division is performed does not as such form part of the present invention,,but ,it-is just to bementioned thatthe cal.- culation apparatus in consideration may be adapted for performing these calculating operations. The only distinguishing feature of the invention ,ofthis connection is that the cam cylinder may be coupled vto the shaft 21 through a variable-speed gearing.

I claim:

1. An electrical operating system for registers having a driving motor, a driving shaft coupled to said motor, a number of registering units freely rotatable about said driving shaft, a number of coupling devices for coupling said units individually to said driving shaft, electromagnets for operating said coupling devices, a current source for energizing said electromagnets, a timing device for controlling the setting of any one of said registering units coupled to said driving shaft and comprising an operative member rotatably mounted on said driving shaft, a clutch for coupling said operative member to the driving shaft, an electromagnet for operating said clutch, a stationary contact facing the said operative member at spaced interval from same and extending substantially in the direction of the axis of rotation of said member, a number of movably spaced contacts arranged to engage said stationary con tact and mm singly and in turn temporarily disconnected from same during the rotation of said operative member, a control switch for automatically disengaging the clutch of said operative member after said member has operated all of said spaced contacts, an electromagnetic-ally controlled multistage switch for connecting up anyone of said movably spaced contacts of the timing device in the operating circuit of any one of the coupling members of said registering units, and a second electromagnetically controlled multistage switch for connecting up in the said operating circuit the energizing coil of the electromagnets for operating the coupling of a registering unit to be set. i

2. An electric operating system for registers having a plurality of registering units repeatedly rotatable about a common axis through positions corresponding to digital values zero to nine, a current source, an electric motor arranged to be fed from said current source, a driving shaft to be rotated by said motor, clutches for selectively coupling said units to said driving shaft, electromagnetic clutch control members for engaging and disengaging said clutches, a first selector switch for connecting any of said clutch control members separately in an operating circuit, to energize said clutch control member, a timing device having a rotatable cylindrical operative member, electromagnetically controlled means for starting a rotation of said operative member synchronously with the rotation of the said driving shaft and simultaneously with the energization of the said clutch control member connected in said operating circuit by said. first selector switch, means on said operative member for interrupting said operating circuit at apredetermined interval of time after the start of the rotary movement of said operative member, a control member for interrupting the rotation of the said operative member upon having rotated through a full cycle, the said, timing device comprising a stationary contact spaced from said operating member and extending substantially parallel to the axis of said operative member, a number of mutually spaced movable contacts engaging saidst'ationary contact and arranged to be operated by said operative member when rotated so as to be alternatively and temporarily disengaged from said stationary contact during a full revolution of said operative member-,and a second selector switch arranged to selectively connect any of said movable contacts in the said operating circuit, said operating circuit including in series a current source, the clutch control member connected by said first selector switch, the stationary contact of said timing device, the movable contact of the timing device connected by said second selector switch and the said means for starting rotation of said operative member.

3. An electric operating system for registers having a plurality of registering units repeatedly rotatable about a common axis through positions corresponding to digital values zero to nine, a current source, an electric motor, a starting switch for connecting said motor to a supply circuit including said current source, means for operating said switch electromagnetically, a driving shaft to be rotated by said motor, clutches for selectively coupling said units to said driving shaft, electromagnetic clutch control members for engaging and disengaging said clutches, a first selector switch for connecting any of said clutch control members separately to an operat ing circuit to energize said clutch control means, a timing device having a. cylindrical operative member coupled to said driving shaft, means on said operative member for interrupting said operating circuit at a predetermined interval of time after the start of said motor, a control member for disconnecting said motor from said driving shaft when said operative member has been rotated through a full cycle, the said timing device comprising a stationary contact spaced from said operative member and extending substantially parallel to the axis of said operative member, a number of mutually spaced movable contacts engaging said stationary contact and arranged to be operated by said operative member when rotated so as to be alternatively and temporarily disengaged from said stationary contact during a full revolution of said operative member, and a second selector switch arranged to selectively connect said movable contacts in the said operating circuit, said operating circuit including in series a current source, the clutch control member connected by said first selector switch, the stationary contact of said timing device, the movable contact of the timing device connected by J said second selector switch and the said means for operating the starting switch of the said motor to start the rotation of said operative member.

4. An electric operating system for registers having a plurality of registering units repeatedly rotatable about a common axis through positions corresponding to digital values zero to nine, a current source, an electric motor, an electromagnetically controlled starting switch for said motor,

a driving shaft to be rotated by said motor, a

first series of clutches for selectively coupling said units to said driving shaft, electromagnetic clutch control members for engaging and disengaging said first clutches, a first selector switch for connecting any of said clutch control members separately in an operating circuit to energize said clutch control member, a timing device having a rotatable cylindrical operative member, a second elcctromagnetically controlled clutch for coupling said operative member to said rotating driving shaft simultaneously with the energization of a first clutch control member, means on said operative member for interrupting said operating circult at a predetermined interval of time after the moment of intercoupling of said operative member and said driving shaft, a control member for disengaging said operative member from said driving shaft when the operative member has been rotated through a full cycle, the said timing device comprising a stationary contact spaced from said operating member and extending substantially parallel to the axis of said operative member, a number of mutually spaced movable timing device, the movable contact of said timing device connected by said second selector switch and the electromagnetic operating member of the said second clutch for coupling the rotatable operative member of the timing device to the driving shaft.

5. An electrical operating system for registers having a number of registering units arranged to be rotated about a common axis, an electric motor, a driving shaft coupled to said motor, a number of coupling devices arranged each to couple an individual one of said registering units separately to said driving shaft, electromagnets for operating said coupling devices, a current source for energizing said electromagnets, a timing device comprising a rotatably mounted cylindrical operative member arranged to be rotated about its axis by said shaft simultaneously and synchronously with a registering unit coupled to said shaft, a number of spaced contacts arranged to be operated by said timing device, a first electromagnetically controlled multistage switch for connection to any one of said timing device contacts, a second electromagnetically controlled multistage switch for connecting the energizing coil of any one of said electromagnets in an operating circuit, said operating circuit including in series the energizing coil of said electromagnets, said first multistage switch, a contact of said timing device, the said second multistage switch and said current source, said timing device comprising a stationary contact spaced from said cylindrical operating member and extending substantially parallel to the axis of rotation of said member, and a number of spaced contacts movably arranged to engage said stationary contact and to be singly and in turn temporarily disconnected from said stationary contact during the rotation of said operative member, and a control member for automatically stopping the rotation of said operative member when said member has been rotated through an angle of 360.

6. An electric operating system according to claim 2, in which the rotatably mounted cylindrica-l operative member of the timing device has a helical row of radially projecting cams on its cylindrical surface, and in which said movable spaced contacts of the timing device are arranged to engage said stationary contact and to be operated each by one of said cams to be singly and in turn temporarily disconnected from said stationary contact during the rotation of said cylindrical member.

7. An electric operating system according to claim 2 in which the timing device is provided with a plurality of stationary spaced contacts spaced at varying distances from the operative member of said device and extending substantially parallel to the direction of the axis of rotation of same, and in which a separate set of spaced movable contacts are arranged along each separate one of said stationary contacts, said stationary contacts being connected each to one end of an individual one of the energizing coils of the electromagnets for operating the coupling devices of a separate registering unit, and the contacts of each set of spaced movable contacts being connected to a bank contact in a separate multistage switch for connecting up any desired one of the movable contacts of the set in question in the circuit of the energizing coil one end of which is connected to the appurtenant stationary contact.

8. An electrical operating system for registers according to claim 2 characterized by a gear having a variable ratio of exchange and arranged to couple the rotatable member of the timing device to the driving shaft of said register.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,302,616 Williams May 6, 191 1, 82, 4 Bryce Oct. 18, 1932 2,236,794 Furber Apr. 1, 1941 2,416,369 Avery Feb. 2 1947

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