Plus & Sumlock Mechanical Calculators
The
Bell Punch Analyser
Grateful thanks to Bosj Boschma for kindly supplying the series of photographs of the decimal version of the Bell Punch Analyser shown on this page.
The Bell Punch Analyser
The Analyser is a strange machine comprising a limited capacity adder, either Sterling currency or decimal, and five separate counters.
This is a very specialised machine and appears to be rather rare.
The machine illustrated above is the decimal version, showing:
- On the right the abbreviated (keys up to 5) decimal keyboard of the adder. Below are the six windows of the 'Total' register.
- The lever on the right clears the adder.
- On the left are the five counters, each advanced by a single button and each displaying the individual count of presses.
- The crank on the left side zeroes the counters and also the adder.
- A sheet metal guide on the rear for holding and advancing a strip of tickets, invoices, or similar.
A sales brochure (from about 1948) says of the Sterling currency (£sd) version of this machine (see illustration below):
THE ANALYSER
This unique machine embodies two distinct functions within the same small case.
It provides for :-
(a) A Rapid Adding Machine which will deal with items up to 9s 11¾.; and will provide a total of such items up to £99 19 11¾d.
(b) Analysis Counters capable of dealing with a five-way dissection of Unit quantities, length, etc. etc. Each of the five Counters will provide a total up to 999.
A FEW OF ITS MANY USES
PETROL SALES: With simultaneous analysis of five or less Pumps.
VAN SALES: Cash takings, with analysis of quantities to five or less Merchandise Groups.
COUPONS: Cash sales , with analysis of coupon denominations.
PHYSICAL STOCK CHECK: of Mixed Bin contents; to give bulk values, with analysis of up to five lengths, varieties of or any other required dissection.
SALES ANALYSIS: Retail Store Cash Control with Item or Transaction analysis per Department or Sales Assistant.
Price £31 10 0. Rental Terms: Five years only, 15/- per month.
Illustration from a sales brochure of a Bell Punch Analyser with a Sterling currency adder keyboard on the right.
The machine displays the maximum total of which it is capable: £99 19 11¾d.
The Analyser appears to have been sold as a sub-part of the Automaticket ticket issuing system that was called Automacheckit, as shown below.
The photograph here shows a Bell Punch Analyser fixed to a counter on a Bell Punch Automaticket display at an exhibition in 1952[1].
The sign says:
SNACK BARS, CAFES & RESTAURANTS
See the Automacheckit machines for Cash and Food Control.
There appears to be a strip of tickets going through the machines on the counter, including the guide at the rear of the Analyser, which can be seen in the photograph from the brochure, at the top of this page.
Bosj Boschma has kindly supplied the photograph at the top of the page and the following photographs showing the different aspects of the Bell Punch Analyser, which are very useful since this machine is so different to other Bell Punch machines.
The left side of the Analyser giving a clearer view of the zeroing crank and the sheet metal guide for holding and advancing a strip of tickets, invoices, or similar. At the middle of the lower edge of the guide is a little lever, which advances the ticket strip one place when any of the counter buttons is pressed.
A close up of the zeroing crank with the label "ROTATE HANDLE TWICE TO ZEROISE NUMERATOR".
The right side of the Analyser showing the adder clearing lever.
Looking down from the rear of the Analyser. The ticket strip advancing lever can be seen in the middle of the picture poking out of the slot in the sheet metal guide. This lever presumably engages with holes in strips of tickets.
Depressing any of the counter buttons causes the ticket strip advancing lever to move across the slot, to the left of this picture, apparently advancing the strip of tickets to present the next one in front of the operator.
Here the rear cover of the Analyser has been removed to reveal the lever mechanism to advance the strip of tickets.
Jaap Scherphuis has produced a Youtube video explaining the use of this machine at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=caHu1yKb18Y&feature=emb_logo
Reference:
Plus & Sumlock Mechanical Calculators
Text & photographs copyright © 2002 - 2023 Nigel Tout, except where noted otherwise.