Patent GB-574786-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in or relating to record sheet feeding devices for statistical printingmachines
Filed: 1944-02-18
Abstract: 574,786. Typewriters &c. BRITISH TABULATING MACHINE CO., Ltd. Feb. 18. 1944, No. 3096. Convention date, Feb. 19, 1943. [Class 100 (iv)] [Also in Group XXIV] Mechanism for feeding the bill forms through the printing apparatus of a perforated-cardcontrolled tabulating machine, e.g. a Hollerith machine, comprises a clutch controlling the feed, a line-selecting commutator with brushes 163, 164, Figs. 5, 12, driven synchronously with the feed rollers, contacts 0-24 successively engaged by the brushes, and stop and release magnets for rendering the clutch inoperative and operative respectively, according to the predetermined feed. required determined by the engagement of the brushes with selected contacts. By the arrangement described, each bill form 11, Fig. 9, is firstly line spaced during the printing of the name and address, secondly given a double spacing before the various items are printed in line-spaced relationships, thirdly, fed forward an amount depending on the number of items before a total is printed, and finally, is given a blanking feed to the name position of the next form. A condensed record is made on a register sheet 10, Fig. 8, the name, address, items and total being printed in linespaced relationship, but each such set of impressions being double spaced from the next set. The register sheet is subdivided into sections and a blanking feed is imparted at the end of each section, the bill form feed being rendered inoperative during such feed of the sheet 10. The sheets 11 pass around the platen 16, Fig. 8, over guides 21, 22, 23 the latter co-operating with guides 30, 38 fixed to tubes 31, 32 slidable for adjustment purposes on rods 33, 34 which engage slots in brackets so as to be easily removable when it is desired to thread the sheets through the machine. Slitters 97 may sever the perforated margins. The sheets 10 pass over guides 14, 15, 43, an additional guide 17 carried by a spring-pressed lever co-operating with the guide 43. Pin wheels 80, 81 feed the sheets 11, 10 respectively. The pin wheels 80 are driven from a motor 115, Fig. 5, through a clutch constructed as follows : two identical discs 132, 133 are mounted alongside one another, the disc 132 being geared directly to the pin wheels. A pivot 143 on the disc 132 extends through a slot 144 in the disc 133 and carries an arm 142 engaging a recess in a disc 141 fixed to the disc 133 and also a ratchet arm 145 adapted to engage a clutch member 125 driven continuously from the motor 115. A spring 140 extends between pins on the discs 132, 133, tending to hold the two discs with the teeth 134 of the disc 133 slightly behind those of the disc 132 in which position the ratchet arm engages the member 125 and the pin wheels are driven. Normally, however, a detent arm 128 is caused by a stop electromagnet 127 to engage and bring the teeth 134 into alignment and thus release the drive. A spring-pressed detent 136 released when an electromagnet 129 is energized, holds the discs in their inoperative position. Energization of a start magnet 126, however, moves the detent 128 away from the teeth 134 (the magnet 129 being energized at the same time to withdraw the detent 136) and allows the clutch to operate and drive the pin wheels. The required spacing is imparted through electric circuits, Fig. 12, including contacts A, B made and broken at the required times by a rotating disc 185 driven by motor 115, and a commutator comprising brushes 163, 164 geared to the pin wheels 80 and passing over respectively a common contact 166 and one of a series of contacts 165 equal in number to the total number of line spacings corresponding to the length of one bill form. Contacts PM, CB, CF controlled by cams driven from the tabulating machine synchronise the feeding operations with the printing operations. Initially, the bill form has to be registered in correct position by a pointer 101, Fig. 8, and the commutator set with the brushes engaging zero contact 165, Fig. 12. The latter setting is obtained automatically by depressing a key 181, thus completing a circuit from line 182 to line 183 through pick-up coil R5(P) of electromagnet R5 via normally-closed contacts R3-2, thus closing contacts R5-2 of the holding coil R5(H). Contacts R5-1 and R5-3 are also closed and contacts R5-4 changed over. The firstmentioned contacts complete the circuit of electromagnet R6 (through contacts A) and close contacts R6-1 completing a holding circuit, and contacts R6-2 completing the circuit of pick-up coil R4(P) through contact B. Contacts R4-1 now complete a holding circuit and contacts R4-2 the circuits of the start magnet 126 and detent magnet 129, Fig. 5. The clutch can now operate to drive the commutator brushes and this continues until zero contact 165, Fig. 12, is engaged, whereupon the coil R3 is energized, and a holding circuit through R4-3 completed. Contacts. R3-2 are now open and thus break the holding circuits for R4, R5, R6 and the clutch is rendered inoperative. At the same time the circuit of the stop magnet 127 is energized. De-energization of the coil R5 opens the circuit of the coil R3 and the circuits are restored to their original condition. Operation of the machine commences when the control cards are fed and through a cardlever close contacts LCL12. In operation, after a total is printed on one sheet, the succeeding sheet is fed forward to line 10, Fig. 9, in position to receive the imprint of the name of the next group. At this point brush 163 engages contact 10 of the commutator which is connected to contacts R5-4. A circuit is thus completed through coil R3 which as before described causes de-energization of magnets 126, 129 and the declutching of the drive. After the printing of the name, contacts PM2A operated in synchronism therewith close and cause energization of coil R6 and reconnection of the drive as set out above. The sheet is line spaced and the drive again stopped as before when contact 11 is engaged. After printing corresponding to the first address card, the contacts PM3A again close and a further spacing to line 12 ensues where the second address printing takes place, contacts 11, 12 being connected as shown. As contact 13 is isolated, further closing of contacts PM2A causes a double spacing of the sheet before item-printing commences. To control the double feed, the following circuit arrangement is employed. As the address cards pass the sensing brushes UB, LB, coils R9(P) and R10(P) are energized, closing contacts R10-2 and opening contacts R9-2 so that no circuit is completed. When the first item card, however, arrives at brushes UB, coil R9(P) is not energized and contacts R9-2 remain closed. Coil R7(P) is therefore energized, closing contacts R7-2 in a holding circuit, and also changing over contacts R7-1 plugged to contact 14. Thus when the brush 163 reaches contact 14, the circuit of coil R3 is completed and the feed ceases. Successive item-cards in conjunction with contacts PM2A cause line spacing of the sheet during the printing of the items. Subsequently the sheet is spaced to line 24 for receiving the total imprint. When the name card of a new group arrives at brushes UB, an arrangement somewhat similar to coils R9(P), R10(P) causes a coil R11 to be energized thus closing contacts R11-1 to complete the circuit of a coil R8(P). Contacts R8-2 then complete a holding circuit, and contacts R8-3 are changed over to connect by a lead 194 with contact 24 so that the feed continues until line 24 is reached. Subsequent to the total printing, contacts PM2A close and through contacts R8-1 now closed initiate a further feeding operation which continues until brush 163 reaches contact 10, and line 10 of the next sheet is in position to receive the name imprint of the next group. The pin wheel 81 for feeding the register sheet 10 is normally line-spaced by an adjustable ratchet mechanism of ordinary construction operated by a linkage 50-58, Fig. 11. A pin 63 on a lever 61 rocked by a constantly-rotating cam 60 engages the vertical arm of an L-shaped slot 64 in a link 65 connected to the arm 58 to operate the feed. The link 65 is normally held raised in an inoperative position by a latch 67 which is released by an electromagnet LSM when cam contacts PM3, Fig. 12 are closed. The cam 60 rocks a second lever 70 which raises the link 65 into engagement with the latch 67 after each operation. A double spacing is imparted after each total printing operation by a linkage 1711, 1751 which closes contacts 1761 and imparts a second impulse to the magnet the cam 60 having a double rise to operate the feed a second time. A blanking feed is imparted by the closure of contacts 173, Fig. 12, controlled by a cam 174, thus energizing an electromagnet R2(P) when contacts R8-5 and R11-2 are closed, which is not the case if items or a total are still being printed. The magnitude of the blanking feed thus depends on the number of items. Magnet R2(P) causes contacts R2-1 and R2-2 of holding circuits to be closed, and also closes contacts R2-3. The latter operate through cam-operated contacts CB3A, CB4A to impart a double impulse to magnet LSM for each cycle of operation of the tabulating machine. Contacts R2-4 in the circuit controlling the energization of the card feed clutch magnets are opened by R2(H) so as to stop the feed of the controlling cards and therefore of the bill forms during the blanking feed of the sheet 10. As shown, the bill forms are smaller in size than the condensed record sheets 10, but sheets 10 of the same size as the sheets 11 can be fed by disconnecting the drive of the pin wheel 81 and gearing it directly to the pin wheel 80.