Page:Patent for Votometer US830879.pdf/4
UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE. (; EORGE E. CAMPBELL, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA. votoMETER.
Specification of Letters Patent.
No. 830,879.
Patented Sept. 11, 1906.
Application filed July 19, 1905, Serial No. 270,414,
To ?ta, whon, it no?tly concern:
Beit known that I, GEORGE E. CAMPBELL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Pittsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented new and useful Innprovements in Votometers, of which the following is a specification. The invention relates to an indicator-vo tometer designed for use to indicate the indi .C. vidual vote of the members of a legislative or other body. . The main object of the present, unvention is to provide electrical means whereby the votometer may be suitably and aecurately from the desk of the individual. 15 actuated Another object of the invention is to pro vide the structure with distinguishing char acteristics whereby the voter may be informed by inspection as to the character of his vote, whereby to guard against inaccuracies possi bly incident to a shunting or diverting of the energizing-current. The invention in its preferred details of Structure will first be described in the follow 25 ing specification, reference being had partic ularly to the accompanying drawings, where Figure l is a plan illustrating the relative situation of the individual desks and the vo tometer. Fig. 2 is an enlarged plan of the push-button holder. Fig. 8 is an enlarged front elevation of the votometer proper. Fig. 4 is a broken transverse section of the same. Fig. 5 is a detail perspective illustrating the 35 arrangement of the drop-shutters and the means for mechanically restoring them to normal or inoperative position. Fig. 6 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the preferred form of electric circuit for operating the vo 40 tometer. Fig. 7 is a similar view showing a modified form of circuit. Referring to the drawings, and particularly Figs. 3, 4, and 5, the votometer proper of my invention comprises a casing 1 of suitable 45 size and E. rectangular in section. The face 2 of the casing, which may be of any material desired, is provided with a plurality of rectangularly-arranged openings 3. The face-plate is divided into vertical colurnns 4, So each column including two vertical columns of openings, and by preference these columns 55
are suitably identified, as A, B, and C in the instance shown, it being understood that as many columns as may be desired are contem plated. The face-plate is also divided into
transverse horizontal divisions 5, preferably numbered in consecutive Order and including but a single transverse row of openings 3. The individuals for whose use the votometer is designed are each assigned in regular order, the openings 3.included within one vertical column—that is, each member has two hori Zontally-alined openings, one of which is de yoted to displaying an affirmative vote and the other to displaying a negative vote. Resetting-shafts 6 are mounted for pivotal movement in the side walls of the casing 1, extending transversely of the casing and slightly in rear of the openings3therein, being equal in number to the number of horizonti divisions of the face-plate and supported in a plane slightly above the RE edge of the re SR openings with which the particular shaft coöperates. Shutters 7 are loosely mounted on the respective rods 6, each of said 75 shutters preferably including a metallic plate suitably inscribed to indicate a vote. A shutter is provided for each of the openings 3 and are arranged in pairs, one indicating an affirmative vote and the other a negative vote. Each member of the voting-body will thereby control a pair of shutters arranged on one of the shafts 6 and so positioned that when lowered to operative position the face of said shutter . be exposed through the 85 particular opening 3 of that set of openings provided for the particular member. By preference one of the shutters, or both, as may be desired, are distinctively colored, so that a voter may know fron the inspection 9o of the votometer which vote has been regis tered by observing the color of the shutter without necessity of approaching sufficiently close to the casing to read the inscription on the shutter. 95 The shafts 6 are provided with resetting levers 8, which depend from said shaft inter mediate each respective pair of shutters, and is provided at its lower or free end with a . transverse bar 9, designed to project beyond Ioo the contiguous edges of and bear against the
faces of the neighboring shutters, as clearly indicated in Fig. 5. The affirmative and negative shutters of
the particular member are controlled through I o5 push-buttons 10 and 11, respectively suit ably mounted in a holder 12, seated in the desk 13 of the particular member. Inter mediate the push-buttons 10 and 11 is ar ranged a lamp or other visual signal i4, de-IIo