Counter
AssigneeWestern Pacific Industries Inc.
InventorsAchim J. Rudolph, Arnold C. Johnson, Paul L. Kennedy
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A counter employs a barrel for rotatably mounting high order counter wheels and a shaft integrally extending from the barrel for mounting the lowest order counter wheel. The barrel forms a groove in which the transfer pinion assembly is located. The walls of the groove are engageable by the pinion assembly to limit skewing of the pinion assembly components. The transfer pinions are configured to prevent axial jamming displacement against the counter wheels. The lowest order wheel is snapped onto the shaft and secured in position by means of a semi-flexible mounting hub and cooperative shaft detents. The counter forms an efficient internal light path for illumination of the counter.
Claims15
A counter comprising:
- a lowest order counter wheel adapted to be rotatably driven;
- a plurality of high order counter wheels;
- barrel means comprising an axially extending barrel for receiving said wheels to form a bank of coaxial rotatable counter wheels of increasing order, said barrel defining an axially extending groove;
- and
- transfer means comprising a plurality of transfer pinions mounted in said groove for rotatably advancing a higher order wheel in response to a pre-established angular rotation of a lower order wheel, said transfer pinions each comprising a hub sleeve and a plurality of radially projecting teeth having peripheral portions which are engageable against groove defining portions of said barrel to maintain said transfer means in proper operative position, at least one of said transfer pinions having a chamfer-like contoured surface defined at a high order end of said pinion and substantially extending from the sleeve to define a high order end portion of a plurality of said teeth.
A counter comprising:
- a lowest order counter wheel adapted to be rotatably driven;
- a plurality of high order counter wheels, said counter wheels being affixed with indicia and being formed of a material which permits the passage of light therethrough so as to highlight said indicia;
- barrel means comprising an axially extending barrel for receiving said wheels to form a bank of coaxial rotatable counter wheels of increasing order, said barrel defining an axially extending groove and being formed from a material which permits passage of light;
- and
- transfer means comprising a plurality of transfer pinions mounted in said groove for rotatably advancing a higher order wheel in response to a pre-established angular rotation of a lower order wheel, said transfer pinions each comprising a plurality of teeth having peripheral portions which are engageable against groove defining portions of said barrel to maintain said transfer means in proper operative position,
- said counter wheels and said barrel means defining a light path so that a light source applied at one axial end of the barrel means causes light to traverse generally axially through the barrel and generally outwardly through the counter wheels to illuminate the counter.
A counter comprising:
- a lowest order counter wheel adapted to be rotatably driven;
- a plurality of high order counter wheels, said counter wheels being affixed with indicia and being formed of a material which permits passage of light therethrough so as to highlight said indicia;
- barrel means comprising an axially extending barrel for receiving said wheels to form a bank of coaxial rotatable counter wheels of increasing order, said barrel defining an axially extending groove and being formed from a material which permits passage of light;
- and
- transfer means comprising a plurality of transfer pinions mounted in said groove for rotatably advancing a higher order wheel in response to a pre-established angular rotation of a lower order wheel, said transfer pinions each comprising a plurality of teeth having peripheral portions which are engageable against groove defining portions of said barrel to maintain said transfer means in proper operative position,
- said counter wheels and said barrel means defining a light path so that a light source applied to the barrel means causes light to traverse generally throughout the barrel and generally outwardly through the counter wheels to illuminate the counter.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.