Historical Document · 1868
US Patent 75,322: Improvement in Adding-Machines (C. H. Webb)
Webb's adder of 10 March 1868: two concentric stylus wheels, 00 to 99 and hundreds. The first dial adder to sell in quantity in America.
Historical Document · 1868
Webb's adder of 10 March 1868: two concentric stylus wheels, 00 to 99 and hundreds. The first dial adder to sell in quantity in America.
UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE. C. H. WEBB, OF NEW YORK, N. Y. MPROVEMENT IN ADDING-MACHINES. Specification forning part of Letters Patent No. 5,322, dated March 10, 1868. To all chon it may concern: with the addition of the prefix of a cipher to Be it known that I, C. H. WEBB, of the and from the zero-point to the nuineral 9, so city, county, and State of New York, have in that they would read on the disk thus:00, vented certain laew and useful Improvements 02, 03,04,05,06, 07, 08, 09. The object in Adding Maclinery or Apparatus; and I 01, of this of the numerals on the do hereby declare that the following is a full face of arrangement the disk in duplicate, and also adding description of the same. the cipher prefix to the numerals from zero The nature of my invention consists, first, to 9, inclusive, is, first, to make each in arranging duplicate series of nulnerals on point rotation of the disk add up any sum less opposite margins of a disk, or thin plate of half than 99, before the pin or stud F, in the face metal or other suitable material, in combina of disk, comes in contact with the lever G, tion with a dial-plate, having a registering to the forward the small wheel E one degree hole in it, and a curved slot corresponding or carry number, to make the sum add up 100, or with the curved outline of the disk, and num any other addition, according to the relative bered on its edges with a series of bumerals positions of the figures on the two wheels; of a like character to the series of numbers and, second, for the purpose of enabling the on the margin of the disk-wheel; second, in single notions of two wheels to indicate the the method of arranging the nulnerals on the additions of 100, 101, &c., to 109, which it rotating disk, from 0 to 9, inclusive, by pre would not be practicable to do if the num fixing a 0 before each numeral, so that the bers on the disk ran from 0 to 99, inclusive, multiplying-wheel will count or add up the and the lumbers on the small wheel from 1 suins-total after the numerals 99, as 100, 101, to 49, (or any other number,) inclusive. This 102, 103, 104,105, 106, 107, 108, 109, without will be obvious, because a single 0 following the interposition of any modification of the on the large disk, would only read 10, simple rotation of the disk or multiplying 99, when opposite 1 on the small wheel. There wheel; third, in the combination of two or fore, without the prefix of the cipher to the nu more studs or pills in the face of the dislic nerals 0, or zero-point, up to 9, the apparatus wheel, with a lever-and-pawl notion, and mul would not be capable of adding up all sums tiplying-wheel, for the purpose of operating correctly. For the purpose of controlling the the multiplying-wheel so as to add up sums notion of the two wheels-that is, to keep whose totals exceed hundreds and thousands. them steadily at point desired-detent But to describe my invention more particu pins or springs El any H are secured to the case, larly I will refer to the accompanying draw and arranged so as to engage in the wheels ings, forming a part of this specification, the to detain them. Covering the surface of the same letters of reference, wherever they oc numerator-wheel or disks is a dial-plate, J, cur, referring to like parts. having an opening, K, in it just over the mar Figure 1 is a plan view of the apparatus. ginal figures of the nulnerator-wheels, so as to Fig. 2 is a plan view of the rotating numbered exhibit the sum-total of the figures added up. disk and multiplying-wheel, as arranged un Also, curved slots L and M, corresponding derneath the dial-plate. Fig. 3 is a cut section with the curvature of the numerator-wheels, of the apparatus through line acac, Fig. 1. and extending half-way of the circumference Letter A is the case or frame of the appara thereof. The object of these slots is to ad tus, haviuga disk or circular plate of metal, B, mit of pointers N and P (inserted in indica arranged on a center-pin, c, in the middle of the to's Q ald R, attached to the center-pins C case, and also on another center-pin, ID, se and D of the numerator-wheels) engaging into cured in the case just outside of the circum holes Saud T, in the face of the numerator. ference of the disk B, a second wheel, E, so wheels, to rotate them, and also to linuit the arranged as to be on the saline plane with the rotation of the numerator-wheels to just half disk B, and having their edges rotate in cou their circumference, or to the adding-up point tact with each other. On the margin of the at 0, or the bottom of the slot. To facilitate disk B are two equal subdivisions of dupli the operation up the figures, nu; cate figures from 0 (or zero) to 99, inclusive, merals from 0 toof99adding are cut on the margin of 2 75,322. at the aperture, and by adding 72 to he slot L, and by means of the correspond appear this sum-total 150 the addition of 222 will ing holes, S, in the numerator-wheel B, the appear at theofaperture. It will; therefore, indicator is readily adjusted to any figure de be readily perceived that the machine is ca sired. pable of adding up sums of any amount, ac It is evident that the arrangement of the cording to the multiple of numbers on the louble series of numerals upon the numera small numerator-wheel. tor-wheel B, the prefix of a cipher to the digi Having now described my invention, I will tal numbers from zero (0) to nine, (9,) inclu proceed set forth what I claim and desire sive, upon said numerator-wheel, together to secureto by Letters Patent of the United with the employment of the simall multiply States: ing-wheel E, arranged tangentially to the nu 1. I claim the duplicate series of - numbers, incrator-wheel securesadding-machine, the constructionand of arranged upon the margin of the numerator an exceedinglyB,compact wheel B, substantially as and for the purpose one having a more extended field of useful specified. ness than is common to such devices. In combination with the above, I claim. To operate the machine, it is first necessary the2.semicircular L, in the dial-plate J, that the numerator-wheels are blanked, or set corresponding in slot extent with one of the du at the zero-point, so that at the aperture K plicate series of numbers, for the purpose sub three 0's will only appear. This is accom. as described. plished by means of the pointers N and P en stantially 3. I claim arranging, on the dial-plate J, a gaging in the holes S and T, in the face of series of numbers corresponding. in extent the numerator-wheels, and rotating them till with one of the series of numbers upon the the zero-points come opposite: each other. numerator-wheel B, substantially as described, When the numerator-wheels are thus adjusted and for the purposes specified. the pointer N is supposed to be at the zero 4. I claim the prefix upon the point of the slot L. Now, to filrd the sum numerator-wheel B, to ofthea cipher, digital numbers total of the figures 9, 16, 26, 43, you move the from zero (0) to nine, (9,) inclusive, for the indicator upward to figure 9, when you in purpose specified. sert the pointer into the hole in the face of 5. In combination with the numerator-wheelr the numerator-wheel opposite or correspond I claim the revolving multiplying-wheel E, ing with the figure 9 on the dial-plate. Tile B, when arranged in apposition to the numera indicator is the carried forward to the Zeru and having its edge in contact, or point or end of the slot II, carrying with it tor-wheel, nearly in contact, the numerator-wheel, when 9, with the prefix 6. In combinationtherewith. with the elements of the of two 0's will appear at the aperture K. The above, I claim the slot K in the dial-plate J, indicator is now carried back again to num for the purpose specified. ber 16 on the dial-plate, and brought down to 7. I claim the arrangement of the numera the end of the slot as before, when the sum B, lever G, and multiplying-wheel of 25, with the prefix of one 0, will appear. tor-wheel E, all constructed substantially as described, The same operation with each of the other and for the purposes figures is gone through, giving the sums of 8. In combinationspecified. with the arrangement 51 and 94 as the sun-total of the four sums. above specified, I claim the slotted dial-plate To carry the sum-total beyond the hundred J, when constructed substantially as and for point brings into action the small numerator the purposes specified. or multiplying-wheel, in consequence of the C. H. WEBB, stud or pin F operating the lever G, to move Witnesses: or rotate it forward one degree. Therefore, C.ARTHUR ToTTEN, if the sum 56 be added to the sum-total of 94, C. L. BARRITT. previously obtained, the sum-total of 150 will