How William Burroughs Invented the First Practical Adding Machine
An 1888 patent for a mechanical calculating machine that used a system of levers and gears to perform accurate arithmetic operations.
Original patent title: “burrouahs”
An 1888 patent for a mechanical calculating machine that used a system of levers and gears to perform accurate arithmetic operations. Granted to William S. Burroughs in 1888 with 2 forward citations.
Coverage
What does this patent actually cover?
This patent describes a mechanical device designed to perform mathematical calculations through a system of interconnected keys, levers, and rotating gear wheels. When a user presses a key, it moves a specific lever that rotates a gear by a set amount corresponding to the number pressed. The machine uses a carry mechanism to transfer values from one decimal column to the next, ensuring that addition is performed correctly across multiple digits.
The gap
What does this patent NOT cover?
- Does not cover electronic or digital computation methods.
- Does not cover software-based calculators or algorithms.
- Does not cover devices that rely on electricity or batteries for power.
- Does not cover non-mechanical input methods like touchscreens or voice.
These exclusions are unique to PatentBrief — derived from the actual claim language, not patent-office boilerplate.
Key facts
What made this novel
The invention introduced a reliable carry mechanism that allowed the machine to handle complex multi-digit addition without the user needing to manually track overflows between columns.
The Patent Drawing
Schematic visualization of the patent's claim structure. Hand-drawn diagrams in progress for each landmark patent.
Where you've seen this
Real-world examples
Burroughs adding machines used in early 20th-century banks
Mechanical accounting registers
Early office bookkeeping hardware
Why it matters
The bigger picture
This invention was a cornerstone of the modern office. It transformed how businesses handled accounting by replacing error-prone manual ledger work with a reliable, repeatable mechanical process.
Granted
August 21, 1888
Market context
Who's building on this
Companies in this space
The Burroughs Adding Machine Company, later known as Unisys, built a massive enterprise on this foundation. While the mechanical era has passed, the logic of sequential calculation remains the basis for modern financial software.
Market impact
This patent enabled the creation of the first commercially successful adding machine industry. It allowed companies to scale their accounting operations, fundamentally changing the speed and accuracy of global commerce in the late 1800s.
Claim 1 — Plain English
What this patent covers
This patent describes a mechanical device designed to perform mathematical calculations through a system of interconnected keys, levers, and rotating gear wheels. When a user presses a key, it moves a specific lever that rotates a gear by a set amount corresponding to the number pressed. The machine uses a carry mechanism to transfer values from one decimal column to the next, ensuring that addition is performed correctly across multiple digits.
The clever bit
The invention introduced a reliable carry mechanism that allowed the machine to handle complex multi-digit addition without the user needing to manually track overflows between columns.
What it does not cover
- Does not cover electronic or digital computation methods.
- Does not cover software-based calculators or algorithms.
- Does not cover devices that rely on electricity or batteries for power.
- Does not cover non-mechanical input methods like touchscreens or voice.
Patent timeline
Application published, typically 18 months after filing
Patent officially issued
PatentBrief Score
Impact Score
Limited data
Citation count
10/40
Early citations
Claim breadth
0/20
Narrow claimsclaimsThe numbered statements at the end of a patent that legally define what the inventor owns.Read more →
Recency
0/20
Older than 20 years
Assignee scale
0/20
Independent or smaller assigneeassigneeThe entity that owns the patent — usually the inventor's employer or a company.Read more →
PatentBrief Impact Score — based on citation count, claim breadth, recency, and assignee scale. Not a legal assessment.
Heuristic Value Estimate
What this patent might be worth
$5K – $15K
Midpoint $10K · expired or expiring · industry ×1.6
Heuristic only — blends forward/backward citation counts, claim scope, time remaining, litigation history, and CPC-derived industry baseline. Real valuations need a professional appraisal.
Claim text not yet imported for this patent
Concepts involved
Citations
Patent lineage
Cite this patent
(1888). How William Burroughs Invented the First Practical Adding Machine (U.S. Patent No. 388,116). U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/388116/adding-machine-burroughs
Auto-generated from the patent record. Double-check author order and the issue date against the official USPTO document before submitting.
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Common Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
What does How William Burroughs Invented the First Practical Adding Machine cover?
An 1888 patent for a mechanical calculating machine that used a system of levers and gears to perform accurate arithmetic operations.
Who owns patent US 388116?
William S. Burroughs owns this patent, granted in 1888.
When does this patent expire?
This patent has expired and is now in the public domain — anyone can use the invention freely.
What is patent US 388116 cited by?
This patent has been cited by 2 later patents that build on its ideas.
What problem does this patent solve?
This invention was a cornerstone of the modern office. It transformed how businesses handled accounting by replacing error-prone manual ledger work with a reliable, repeatable mechanical process.
What does this patent NOT cover?
Does not cover electronic or digital computation methods.
Patent monitoring