Patent GB-1020351-A (GB)
IPC: G06F7/02
Abstract: 1,020,351. Statistical apparatus. EASTMAN KODAK CO. Aug. 16, 1962 [Aug. 17, 1961], No. 31398/62. Heading G4M. General.-The apparatus is similar in construction to that disclosed in Specification 912,224, cards bearing photographically recorded documents and binary coded information being extracted from or inserted into magazines by reciprocating plungers. The operation of the plungers is timed in relation to the card transport by core shift registers as in the above Specification. The apparatus is arranged to operate in several different modes detailed below, sorting or selecting operations being performed in accordance with information read from a punched tape and subsequently stored for comparison with information read from the cards. Cards are normally extracted from a feed hopper, deposited on an apertured belt which is driven step-by-step, and after sensing, the cards are inserted into one or more selected hoppers of a group situated on the other side of the sensing station, depending on the mode of operation. The belt may be driven in the reverse direction so that cards which have been sorted into the group of hoppers may be returned in sequence to the feed hopper in preparation for another pass. The sensing station comprises a column of 43 photo-cells (one for the timing marks) over which an image of the card is swept column by column by an oscillating mirror. Cards.-The cards are similar to those described in Specification 946,941 and have a fixed sort field of 20 columns each comprising seven six-bit characters, one of which is a tag or recognition character, and a timing mark being associated with each column. There may be more than one card for each document, the cards in such multiple groups each bearing the same coded document number (S tag) and each bearing a multiplicity word (Z tag) in which the six remaining characters indicate (a) whether the card is a single card, the first, the last or an intermediate card in a multiple group, (b) the number of cards in a group and (c) the number of the card in the group. Mode selection.-This is by switches on the control console, these switches enabling appropriate sections of the control circuitry to be utilized in a selected mode. Special plug-boards and tapes are also used for some of the modes. Selection mode.-A tape punched with up to twenty words on which selection is to be based is loaded in the apparatus and is read, the information being stored in a cross-bar switch store. A plug board is wired so as to establish the type of comparisons to be effected between stored words and words on the cards, i.e. equality or inequality, and also to logically associate selected words into phrases. All card groups in which at least one of the cards satisfies one or more of the selection criteria are inserted in a selected hopper while the remaining groups are rejected. Each card word is simultaneously applied on complementary leads to all the preset switches in the cross-bar store to effect comparisons. The first four stored words are compared for equality or inequality in four circuits as shown in Fig. 57. En1 detects equality with a predetermined tag (bits 1-6) and enables the comparison circuits for the next character (bits 7-12). If each of the remaining characters is identical with the corresponding stored character, outputs are obtained at En2 to En7, each comparison circuit being enabled by the equality output En of the preceding circuit. If any character of the card word is of larger magnitude than the corresponding stored character a corresponding output In is produced. If the first character to differ from the corresponding stored character is less than the stored character, no external output In2 to In7 or En7 is produced. If it does not matter what value a particular character takes, a space is entered in the corresponding position of the store and the corresponding lead Sn is activated to enable the following comparison circuit. The plug board activates one or more of the inputs marked >, =, <, in blocks WnS, WnR. If the desired type of comparison is satisfied for any of these four words the corresponding word flip-flops WFn are set, if not WFn are reset. The remaining sixteen words in storage are compared for equality only, by circuits as shown in Fig. 58 to set or reset corresponding word flip-flops WFn. The outputs of the word flip-flops are connected in desired combinations to word gates WG and word buffers WB, Fig. 59, by the plug board to form phrases. Words on a card are also grouped in phrases, the last word in a phrase being denoted by a special tag. Detection of an end of phrase tag enables the WG and WB so that corresponding phrase flip-flops PF are set to denote any phrases found which satisfy the selection criteria, and subsequently resets all the WF. Until such time as the final card of a group has been sensed, all cards of a group are inserted in the reject hopper and any PF's set remain set. When the leading card of a group is being scanned, its multiplicty word is picked out by recognition of the associated Z tag. The characters of this word which denote the number of cards in the group are entered in an A-register which is subsequently counted down by one for each successive card scan. A B-register is preset to one when the leading card of a group is being scanned, and this register is subsequently counted up by one for each successive card scan. The (a) section of the multiplicity word of the leading card is used to determine if the leading card is the first or last in the group (cards may be fed in ascending or descending sequence). For a descending sequence the contents of the A- register are compared with the successive card numbers (section (c) of the multiplicity word) and for an ascending sequence the contents of the B-register are compared with the successive card numbers. When the A-register has been counted down to two, i.e. the final card of a group has been deposited on the belt from the feed hopper, card feed is interrupted although the belt transport continues. When the final card has been sensed, the phrase flip-flops PF are sensed in the desired combinations by enabling phrase gates PG and phrase buffers PB to generate a select or reject signal depending on whether any of the selection criteria have been satisfied by one or more cards in the group. If a select signal is produced, the final card is fed from the sensing station and is inserted in the select hopper. At the same time the preceding cards in the group are extracted one by one from the reject hopper and follow the final card into the select hopper. The B-register is counted down as cards are removed from the reject hopper until it again reaches one whereupon extraction of cards from the reject hopper ceases and new card feed resumes. The counter at the sensing station which detects empty spaces on the belt is disabled during extraction of cards from the reject hopper. Sorting mode.-Sorting is performed on a selected character of a selected column of the fixed field. Nine special tapes are used for sorting on either columns 1 and 2 or on any of columns 3-10. For columns 3-10, the tape used has fourteen words each of which includes the tag appropriate to the column of the card on which sorting is to take place. The six remaining characters in each word are the same, the character making up any word being different from the character making up any other word. The characters for the first four words are made up as follows: the two most significant or zone bits comprise the respective combinations 00, 01, 10, 11, the remaining four bits being blank and therefore capable of successful comparison with either 0 or 1. The characters for the ten remaining words are made up as follows: the two zone bits are blank and the remaining four bits comprise respective ones of the ten permissible combinations. The tape for columns 1 and 2 is the same except that the tag characters are blanks since column selection is performed by a switch and a counter in the control circuits. Selection of a particular character position in the selected column is performed by a switch which produces simulated equal comparisons for all character positions except the desired one and the tag character. A numerical sort may be performed in a single pass but an alphabetic sort requires two passes, one on the zone bits and the other on the remaining four bits. Each card can only satisfy one of the fourteen word comparisons and the corresponding word flip-flop WF, Fig. 59, is set. In this operation the plug board connects the word flip-flops WF to the phrase gates PG, these gates being enabled at the end of each card scan to provide select signals for the various sorting hoppers, these being differentially time delayed by the core shift registers as mentioned above. In running the belt in the reverse direction to return the cards to the feed hopper, the sorting hoppers are emptied in turn in ascending or descending sequence and a check is made that the cards have been correctly sorted as in Specification 912,224. If a particular sorting hopper has been emptied by the operator during a sorting operation, a switch is closed to indicate the fact, and when, in returning the cards to the feed hopper, this particular hopper has been emptied, the machine is stopped until the cards removed during the sorting operation have been replaced. Duplicate card rejection mode.-Duplicate groups of cards are separated out. The twenty word flip-flops and sixteen phrase flip-flops of Fig. 59 are combined to form a 36-stage register. No tape or plug board is used. The cards are previously sorted so that card groups (comprising documents) having the same document number are adjacent. In scanning each card, the S tag associated with the document number produces signals DA to gate the document number into register WF, PF. Assuming that the leading card of a group has a di