Sept. 30, 1958 A. A. BERLINSKY ET AL 2,854,117
AUTOMATIC STENCIL CUTTER
Filed May 17, 1955 11 Sheets-Sheet 1

INVENTORS
Anthony A. Berlinsky
Lester F Wilkinson
Robert Kee

Leroy T Wood

BY .
Cnthen Vimezied grrorne
Lemnaad K bteee AGENT


United States Patent Office

2,854,117
Patented Sept. 30, 1958

i

2,854,417
AUTOMATIC STENCIL CUTTER

Anthony A. Berlinsky, Washington, D. C., and Lester
F. Wilkinson, Churchton, and Robert Kee, Forest
Heights, Md., and Leroy T. Wood, Washington, D. C.,
assignors te the United States of America as represented
by the Secretary of Commerce

Application May 17, 1955, Serial No. 509,124
21 Claims. (Cl. 197—20)

‘This invention relates to an automatic stencil cutter
for inscribing intelligence in response to sensed coded ii
formation. The invention particularly relates to the in-
scribing of intelligence such as the particular identity of
a subject on a perforated card such as is commonly
employed in a data processing machine.

‘The use of perforated cards on which information data

is stored by means of Hollerith coded perforations is
well known. The information generally stored on such
cards includes, in addition to specific technical data of
any variety, coded perforations which identify the subject
of the card, as, for example, a person or company, to-
gether with the address and serial numbers which give
a ready indication of information which further identifies
the perscn or company as to address, age, type of
business etc. However, in order to discern such informa-
tion, the perforated cards must be run through a data
processing machine which sorts the cards according to
predetermined desired subject categories and then reads
and decodes the perforations and prints out the desired
information in an automatic typewriter.
, for example, the name and address of the card’s
subject is desired, such invoived procedure must be per
formed for each card and the resulting information there-
by made available must then be transferred to.an envelope
either by actuating an automatic typewriter or cutting
stencils for subsequent transfer to an envelope.

To obviate the necessity for such involved procedure,
the present invention provides a rapid and economical
way of providing on cach perforated card, in addition to

tegral stencil which directly indicates desired information
such as the name and address of the particular subject
corresponding to a card. Thus there is readily available
on the card, without subsequent processing, a stencil for
directly addressing communications to the subject.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide an
automatic stencil cutter which is singularly adapted to
punch out on a conventional perforated card or other
record medium the name and address and other identify-
ing information concerning a subject.

it is a further object of this invention to provide an
automatic stencil catter which is automatically operated
in accordance with coded information provided by a‘pro-
gramming device.

itis a still further object of this invention to provide
an automatic stencil cutter which automatically handles
stacked groups of cards in sequence and accurately posi-
tions and ‘records desired information on a predetermined
area of the card.

Siill another object of this invention is to provide a
sequence conirolled stencil cutter which automatically
responds i coded instructions provided in the form of
programmed information which will perform the opera-
tions of (1) selecting a card from a stack, (2) positioning
said card in operative position in the stencil cutter, (3)
punching out groups of intelligence with automatic spac-

20

3
8

3

5

3

&

60

0

2

ing between words, (4) automatically line-spacing the
perforated information, and (5) ejecting the completed
card into a collection hopper.

Other uses and advantages of the invention will be-
come apparent upon reference to the specification and
drawings.

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the automatic stencil
cutter as seen from the front;

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of a portion of the machine
shown in Fig. 1

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the portion of the machine
shown in Fig. 2, certain parts being omitted;

Fig. 4 is a top view of the machine shown partly in
section and with certain parts omitted for purposes of
clarity;

Fig. 5 is a rear view of the machine;

Fig. 6 is an isometric view showing the card carriage
together with some of the pertinent control mechanism;

Fig. 7 is a vertical section taken on line 7—7 of Fig. 2
showing the card perforating mechanism;

Fig. 8 is an isometric view which details the card feed
mechanism;

Fig. 9 is a mechanical schematic diagram showing:the
operative relationship among the machine components;

Figs. 10A-10B which form a single diagram with Fig.
10B arranged on top of Fig. 10A is a schematic wiring
diagram illustrating the electrical circuitry;

Fig. 11 is a diagrammatic illustration showing the ar-
rangement of the character-punch selecting solenoids em-
ployed in the machine;

Fig. 12 details a portion of a preferred type of pro-
gramming tape employed and further illustrates typical
coded instructions and their meaning;

Fig. 13 is a timing diagram showing the operative
periods of respective control elements employed;

Fig. 14 shows the type of stencil cutting produced in a
typical perforated card, and

Fig. 15 is an isometric view of a special electromagnet
construction employed to actuate various mechanisms of
the invention.

The overall assembly of the automatic stencil cutter
is shown in Fig. 1. The machine includes a cabinet en-
closure 100 which houses a main machine frame 101
portions of which are contained within the cabinet in
Fig. 1, The frame includes a machine base plate 102
which serves as the support for the card handling mech-
anism. Mounted on such base plate is the card feed
control mechanism generally designated as 103, the tape
reader and card feed drive motor 104, the card feed
hopper 105, and the tape reading mechanism 106. A
relay type information translator 107 is shown occupy-
ing a portion of the interior of the cabinet 100. Fig,
1 further shows the card storage hopper 108, the card
ejecting roller assembly 109, and the card perforating
punch mechanism 110. There is also shown in Fig. 1
the shiftable card carriage 111 which is slidably mounted
on a guide and is indexed by means of a carriage word
spacing mechanism co-operably related with a carriage
return solenoid R-24, The punch-cards C when in oper-
ative position are supported on a platen 114 which extends
up to the storage hopper 108,

In order to orient the various mechanisms involved in
the overall functioning of the machine, the general ar-
rangement and operation of the machine will first be de-
scribed with particular reference to the mechanical sche-
matic diagram shown in Fig. 9.

‘The machine is automatically sequence-controlled by a
perforated programming tape T bearing distinct rows of
coded information patterns each containing a particular
machine control instruction as shown in Fig. 12.

‘The programming tape T may be-of the type prepared