Patent GB-425838-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in or relating to record-card-controlled printing mechanism
IPC: G06K15/04
Filed: 1933-09-22
Abstract: 425,838. Typewriters &c. BRITISH TABULATING MACHINE CO., Ltd., Victoria House, Vernon Place, Southampton Row, London. Sept. 22, 1933, No. 26198. Convention date, Sept. 24, 1932. [Class 100 (iv)] Relay type-bar actions.-In record-card controlled printing-mechanism comprising means for adjusting a type-member in accordance with the position of a hole in one part of a column, and additional means for adjusting the type-member in accordance with the position of a hole in another part of the column, the additional means comprises a constant-stroke adjusting-member, and a co-operating intermediate member which transmits movement to the type-member and is variable in position under control of the holes in the record-card. The holes may be replaced by marks for controlling light-sensitive devices. In the mechanism shown in the Figure, each type-bar 48 is provided with a sliding type-head 29 having a finger 59 which rests on a slide 63 in the typebar. A spring 66 holds the slide in contact with a stop 67, and a spring 60 holds the finger in contact with the slide. The letter-types are arranged between the numeral-types, and the type-bar is provided with stops 51 which correspond in position to the numeral-types, and co-operate with a stop-pawl 52 controlled by a magnet 21. The type-bar is coupled by a link 49 to a spring-urged rocking arm 47 co-operating with a universal bail 45 which is connected to a rock-shaft 42. A latch 69 on the type-bar co-operates with steps 70 on the slide 63. The type-bar is associated with a vertically movable comb 71 having three stops 72 co-operating with a stop-pawl 73 which co-operates with a latch 76 controlled by the armature 74 of a magnet 16. The comb is urged upwardly by a spring 77 and engages a universal bail 78. An intermediate member or link 95, pivoted on the comb, co-operates with the slide 63 and is operated by an adjusting-member or universal bail 96 which is operated by means of a toggle 98 connected to a rock-shaft 105. The sets of magnets 16, 21 are connected to upper and lower brushes for reading the holes O, X, R, and all the holes respectively. The bail 78 permits the combs to rise in synchronism with the passage of the O, X, R holes over the upper brushes. Numerals are represented by one of holes 9 .. 0, and letters are represented by one of the holes 9 ..1 together with one of the holes O, X, R. When a numeral is printed, the type-bar is arrested by one of the stops 51. When a letter is printed, the type-head is raised one, two, or three steps relatively to the type-bar in the following manner. When the O, X, or R hole is read, upward movement of the comb 71 is arrested by one of the stops 72 and the link 95 is tilted into one of three positions. After return of the typebar to normal position, the bail 96 is operated, and the slide and type-head are raised one, two, or three steps by means of the link, and are retained by the latch 69. Thereafter, the typebar is raised, and is arrested by one of the stops 51 to select the required letter-type. The latch 69 is tripped by a universal bar 124 when the typebar is completing its return movement. The stop-pawl 73 is re-latched by a projection 93 on the comb. When the machine is used only for numeralprinting, the universal bail 96 is disabled to reduce the load on the machine. For this purpose, the toggle 98 is pivoted to a rocking arm 100 co-operating with an arm 112 on a shaft 113 provided with a spring-urged arm which is normally blocked by the armature of a magnet. When the machine is used for printing numerals and letters, the armature permits the arm 112 to abut on the arm 100, and the toggle is operative. When the machine is used for printing numerals only, a switch in the circuit of the magnet is opened, the arm 112 is thereby prevented from engaging the arm 100, and the toggle is disabled.