Calculating Machine patent by William S. Burroughs | Techday, August 21st
On this TECHDAY in history, on August 21st 1888, a patent was given to William S. Burroughs. It was for the earliest functional and practical “Calculating Machine”. Fifty machines were produced within a year and, although they were initially deemed difficult to use, he made some improvements on them, and went on to change the face of the still developing calculator industry.
The machine was similar in design to other mechanical calculators of the time, but it had several unique features that set it apart. One of these was the “floating decimal” feature, which allowed the user to set the decimal point in any position, making it easier to perform calculations with varying levels of precision. Additionally, the machine had a “subtraction” mechanism that was simpler and more efficient than those used in other calculators.
The patent for the Calculating Machine was a significant achievement for Burroughs, as it marked the beginning of a successful career in the field of office equipment. However, it was not the only achievement of Burroughs, he also filed several other patents related to office equipment, including an improved cash register, a key-driven adding machine, and a printing calculator.
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Author: PC-GR
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