In 1888, about two months prior to the issue of the Burroughs recording
machine patent just referred to, a patent was issued to A. C. Ludlum
for an adding and writing-machine. (See illustration on opposite page.)
[Sidenote: _Adding mechanism attached to typewriter_]
It will be noted by reference to the drawings that the scheme is that
of a typewriter with an adding mechanism attached.
The details of the typewriter may be omitted, as most of us are
familiar with typewriters. A feature that differed from the regular
typewriter, however, was that the machine printed figures only and the
carriage operated in the opposite direction, thus printing from right
to left instead of left to right.
[Sidenote: _Description of Ludlum machine_]
A series of numeral wheels and their devices for the transfer of the
tens, designed to register the totals, are shown mounted in a shiftable
frame connected with the bar marked F, with the typewriter carriage,
and is claimed to move therewith.
Each numeral wheel is provided with a gear marked G, which, as the
carriage moves after writing or printing each figure of the item, is
supposed to slide into mesh one at a time with an adding gear marked
H, the engagement taking place from right to left. Or beginning with
the right or units numeral wheel a higher order numeral wheel gear is
supposed to shift through movement of the carriage into engagement with
the adding gear H, each time a key is depressed.
The adding gear H, is supposed to receive varying degrees of rotation
from the keys according to their numerical marking and to rotate the
numeral wheel with which it happens to be engaged, a corresponding
number of its ten marked points of registration.
Between the adding gear H, and the keys which act to drive it, is a
ratchet and gear device consisting of the ratchet pawl pivoted to the
adding gear H, the ratchet I⁶, and its pinion gear, the segment gear
I² fast to the rock shaft I, the nine arms I¹ fast to the rock shaft
and the pins I², which are arranged in the key levers to contact with
and depress the arms I¹ of the rock shaft varying distances, according
to the value of the key depressed. That is, supposing that the full
throw of the key-lever was required to actuate the rock shaft with
its gear and ratchet connection to give nine-tenths of a revolution
to the numeral wheel in adding the digit nine, the pin I² in the (9)
key-lever would in that case be in contact with its arm I¹, of the
rock shaft, but the pins I², of each of the other key levers would be
arranged to allow lost motion before the pin should engage its arm I¹
of the rock shaft, in accordance with the difference of their adding
value.
According to the specification, Ludlum evidently had the idea that he
could stop the adding gear H, while under the high rate of speed it
would receive from a quick depression of a key, by jabbing the detent
J between the fine spacing of the gear teeth shown in his drawing.
But to those familiar with the possibility of such stop devices, its
inoperativeness will be obvious; not that the principle properly
applied would not work, for its application by Felt prior to that of
Ludlum proved the possibilities of this method of gauging additive
actuation.
The detent lever J, as shown in the drawings, is operated by the hinged
plate D, through action of the key levers, as any one of them are
depressed.
Under depression of a key, the hinged plate D, being carried down with
it, engages the arm J³ of the detent and throws the tooth at its upper
end into the teeth of the gear H.
The timing of the entry of the tooth of the detent is supposed to be
gauged to enter the right tooth, but as the action of these parts is
fast, slow or medium at the will of the operator, considerable time
must be allowed for variation in the entry of the detent tooth, which
requires space, as certain parts will fly ahead under the sudden impact
they may receive from a quick stroke, where they would not under a slow
stroke, but no allowance was provided for such contingency.
The means provided for the carry of the tens consist of the gears G⁹,
meshing with the numeral wheel gears and the single gear tooth g⁹,
attached to it, which, at each revolution of the lower wheel, as it
passes from 9 to 0, engages the gear of the numeral wheel of higher
denomination and was supposed to turn the higher gear one-tenth of a
revolution, thus registering one greater.
On account of the Gears G⁹, of one order and the gear tooth g⁹, of
another order operating on the same numeral wheel gear, the transfer
gears are arranged alternately on separate shafts, one at the side and
one below the numeral wheels.
[Sidenote: _Ludlum machine inoperative_]
The mechanical scheme disclosed in the Ludlum patent, to the
unsophisticated may seem to be operative. But to those familiar with
the Art of key-driven adding mechanism it will at once be obvious that
even if the typewriter feature was constructed properly the possibility
of correctly adding the items as they were printed was absolutely
impossible.
Laying aside several other features of inoperativeness, obvious to
those who know such mechanism, the reader, although not versed in the
Art of key-driven adding mechanism, will observe from the preceding
chapter, that the means provided for transferring the tens without
any control for the numeral wheels against over-rotation, would make
correct addition impossible.
The drawings and specification of the Ludlum patent disclose a mere
dream and show that they were not copied from the make-up of an
operative machine.
It was a daring scheme and one that none but a dreamer would undertake
to construct in the method shown. There have in later years been some
successful ten-key recording machines made and sold, but they were of a
very different design and principle.
There have also been several adding attachments made and sold that
could be adjusted to a regular commercial typewriter that are claimed
to be dependable, but none of these machines were early enough to be
claimed as the first operative recording-adding machine, or the first
adding machine in which the principle used for the legible recording of
the numerical items used in the machines of today may be found.
[Illustration]