Model Relating to Powers Tabulating Equipment

James Powers's Model for an Improvement in Tabulating Machines

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James Powers's Model for an Improvement in Tabulating Machines

Object Details

date made: 1924

maker: James Powers

Description: The wooden base of this model holds a metal container with a paper punch card that fits in it. A metal piece swings from a crosspiece above the card. The base also holds supports for another metal crosspiece. Three metal pieces rotate with this crosspiece. The base also holds two larger, facing metal rectangles. One rectangle has a plastic piece screwed to the top.; A mark on the right side of the punch card reads: POWERS ACCOUNTING MACHINE COMPANY (/) ACCOUNTS PAYABLE. A mark on the left side of the punch card reads: P1384. The punched holes are round.; A piece of paper pasted to the top of the base reads: This model represents my new (/) invention of a tabulator in connec- (/) tion with perforated cards, elimina- (/) ting a pin box of 540 pins and sub- (/) stitution forty-five levers instead. (/) Also eliminating connection box, with (/) both of these improvements the speed (/) will be doubled and such machine will (/) be small in size, cheaper to build, (/) more flexible and easier to manipulate. (/) August 19, 1924 (/) James Powers. Also signing the document were Fred J. Dole, Charles E. Whiteman and Achilles Rovegno, all of whom had associations with Francis H. Richards of New York, Powers’s patent attorney.; No patent corresponding to this invention has been found.
Location: Currently not on view

place made: United States: New York, New York City

web subject: Mathematics

See more items in: Medicine and Science: Mathematics; Computers & Business Machines; Tabulating Equipment

Credit Line: Gift of Thor Dockweiler

Data Source: National Museum of American History

ID Number: 1991.0871.03
accession number: 1991.0871
catalog number: 1991.0871.03

Object Name: tabulating equipment model

Physical Description: paper (overall material); wood (overall material); metal (overall material)
Measurements: overall: 13 cm x 22.9 cm x 21.6 cm; 5 1/8 in x 9 1/32 in x 8 1/2 in

Metadata Usage: CC0

GUID: https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ng49ca746a7-6ec1-704b-e053-15f76fa0b4fa

Record ID: nmah_904251