Page:Patent for a Voting apparatus US1219053.pdf/4

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1219,053

In the accompanying drawings: switch,“Yea’’ and this causes the lamp under the Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view showing word or the indicator board to in the central station or clerk's desk, the indi dicate that the member has voted “Yea”. cator boards and four members' seats, these and at the same time the 'yea' signal lamp 5 parts, together with the electric conductors at the member's desk or seat will also be 70 being merely shown conventionally. lighted, calling his attention to the man Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic view of our ap ner in which he has voted. But at the same paratus showing the arrangement and loca time the vote is not recorded or counted, but tion of the apparatus at the clerk's desk or is merely indicated, as such recording or station and the complete voting ap counting is accomplished through the op 75 10 central paratus for one member, as well as the elec eration of certain mechanism by the clerk. tric connections therefor. Therefore, during a certain period, which Fig. 3 is a view in front elevation of a we have heretofore called the voting period, portion of the split commutator ring and and which may be, for instance, five min showing the segmental contact plates ar utes, the vote is simply indicated on the 30 ranged adjacent thereto, the commutator indicator board and at the member's desk arm being also illustrated. or seat through the agency of the signal Fig. 4 is a view in side elevation of the lamps or other visual indicators. When all commutator arm and its shaft as well as the the members have voted, or when the pe 20 electric connections therefor 35 Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic view showing riod of five minutes for voting has termi nated the clerk at his desk or at the cabi

the electric circuit of a modified form of net closes a switch, which is hereinafter

apparatus wherein a breaker relay and an error switch is employed, this modified form 25 being used where it is desired to prevent the member from voting-more than once on the same question. Before entering into a detailed descrip tion of our invention, we will briefly state 30 that in the practice of the same We place at each member's seat three switches which may be in the nature of locks, buttons or the like, and at each switch is arranged a small signaling lamp, or other visual indicator 35 adapted to be lighted when the Switch is operated by the member in the act of vot ing. The ornamental cover plate of the switch is marked “Yea”, “Nay’ and “Pres ent’, or otherwise marked as desired, indi 40 cating the three kinds of votes, one of these terms, of course, applying to each Switch. The lamp which is lighted corresponds to the switch operated. At the clerk's desk, or at any other suitable location in the hall or chamber, or elsewhere, is provided a cabi net which contains the vote recording de vice, in the present instance card punching machines and the counting devices, these latter of any suitable nature. We also 50 providebeing one or more indicating boards, each board having vertical columns sub-divided into spaces, each space being adapted to contain the name of the member of the vot ing body, and opposite each name We ar 55 range in a horizontal line three signal lamps, or other visual indicator, also indicated by the words “Yea” “Nay” and “Present”, these words corresponding to the designations re ferred to as placed at the member's seat, 60 desk or voting station. Now, when a vote is to be taken a member closes the switch at his voting station by depressing the button or turning the lock, depending on the char acter of the switch. For instance, if a mem 65 ber desires to vote “Yea', he closes the “yea’

called the totaling switch, and this will result in placing in operation mechanism hereinafter described which will cause the recording machine at the cabinet to record the vote of each member, and at the same time will operate totaling counters so that

the total number of votes taken will be shown.

After the recording and counting of the vote has been completed, the clerk may re store the individual voting units to their original positions, ready for the taking of the next vote, as hereinafter described, at the same time extinguishing the indicating lamps at the boards and signal lamps at the desks or seats of the members, by open ing for a moment the current supply switch. In the preferred form of apparatus, dur ing the voting period above referred to, should a member desire to change his vote, he may do so, as above mentioned, but in one modified form of the apparatus which is herein shown, when a member has once voted he cannot change such vote by ma nipulating his individual unit, but must first obtain permission of someone in author ity who will actuate certain mechanism to restore the individual voting unit of the member to its original position in order to enable such member to vote according to his desires. Referring now to the accompanying draw ings in detail, the letter C indicates conven tionally the clerk's desk or central station at which is located certain mechanism, such as the counting devices, the recording mech anism, and certain controlling apparatus, as will be hereinafter described in detail. The letter I designates an indicator board, which may be located in the assembly chamber at any suitable place, and is merely herein con ventionally illustrated, while the letter M designates a member's chair or seat. In

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