Patent GB-374511-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in or relating to machines for verifying perforated records
IPC: G06K5/00
Filed: 1931-03-12
Abstract: 374,511. Statistical apparatus. BRITISH TABULATING MACHINE CO., Ltd., Victoria House, Vernon Place, Southampton Row, London.-(Assignees of Bryce, J. W.; 160, Willard Avenue, Bloomfield, New Jersey, U.S.A.) March 12, 1931, No. 7662. Convention date, March 13, 1930. Addition to 369,635. [Class 106 (i).] Verifying perforated records.-The parent case is for verifying apparatus of the step-bystep type having warning means to indicate errors and includes a controlling magnet 44 for controlling the warning, record-controlled contacts 13 for energizing (or de-energizing) the magnet 44 and manual contacts 35 for cancelling the effect of the contacts 13. For a wrong card the warning consists in the card carriage failing to escape. According to the present invention, in each associated pair of sets of contacts (one set record-controlled and one set manually controlled), either set of contacts cancels the effect of the other set on the circuits of the machine. The record card 10 is placed between pusher 11 and a guide 12 so that the first column is at the column of reading balls 13 which coact with a roller 14. Parts 11 and 12 are attached to a rack 15 which is moved one step to the left, Fig. 1, (to the right, Fig. 2) by a spring barrel 18 when a magnet 30 is energized. Normally the rack is held by pawl 19 having a hole engaged by a pin 23 on one arm of a double-armed lever, the other arm of which has a pin 24 engaging a slot in the back-stop pawl 20. The double-armed lever is centrally pivoted on a shaft 21 which is rocked by linkage 27, 28 each time magnet 30 is energized so that the pawls allow the rack to escape a tooth at a time. Release key. When only the first few columns of the card are punched or to release an incorrect card, a release key is depressed. This actuates a cam slide to raise a member 36, Fig. 2, which in turn raises the pawl 19 and permits the card carriage to escape to its end position. Keyboard. Each verifying key 37, when depressed, rocks a bell crank 38, Fig. 1, which moves its slide 39 to the left to depress a member 41 so that contacts 42 open and 43 close, Figs. 1 and 4. When any slide 39 is thus moved it rocks a common bail 44 about pivot 45, raising a hook 46 to close contacts 49. A member 50 on the linkage 28 subsequently restores hook 46 to open these contacts. A skip key to cause a step-by-step advance across unpunched columns is also provided identical with keys 37 except that it has no associated contacts 42, 43. Circuit diagram. For each card reading ball contact 13 in the column there is a relay 54 which when energized shifts its armature 54a from contact 54c to contact 54b. When a card hole is read the corresponding contacts 54a, 54b are closed and if the corresponding key 37 is depressed the corresponding contacts 43 are closed to preserve the series circuit through contacts series 54a, 54b, 54c, 42, 43; this energizes magnet 30, through line 59 and contact 49 (closed when any key 37 is depressed), to allow the carriage to escape one column. For any number of holes in the column if the contacts 43 are closed by keys 37 exactly corresponding to the contacts 54a, 54b closed by contacts 13, then the series circuit is preserved. For a punched field not requiring verification, switch 52 is opened and the skip key used. In a modification, Fig. 5, the magnets 54 open contacts 54a, 54c, and the keys 37 close contacts 43. Each magnet 54 is shunted by a resistance R the mid-point of which is connected by line 84 to common line 56. When a hole is read a circuit is established 53, 52, 13a, 14, a ball 13 reading the hole, lefthalf of R (also in parallel through 54 and righthalf of R), 84, 56. This opens the corresponding contacts 54a, 54c so that magnet 30 has its circuit broken. If the corresponding key 37 is depressed, contacts 49 are closed and contacts 43 are closed. Both ends of magnet 54 are thus connected to line 53, so that it is deenergized and the spaced contacts 54a, 54c are reclosed, thus energizing magnet 30. Code cards. When a Peirce card contains both numbers and letters of the alphabet a key is provided for each character and the appropriate verifying keys are selected automatically. A character key 63, when depressed, Fig. 7, rotates a bell crank 65 to close contacts 71 and then contacts 70. These contacts, Fig. 8, are joined in each instance to a pair of bars 72, 72a which are connected by screws 74 to crossbars 73 according to the code used. The cross-bars 73 are connected to magnets 62, each of which actuates a verifying key so that according to the character key depressed the appropriate verifying keys are selected and operated automatically.