Patent GB-495040-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in or relating to statistical machines
Filed: 1937-05-05
Abstract: 495,040. Record card - controlled statistical machines. BRITISH TABULATING MACHINE CO., Ltd. May 5, 1937, Nos. 12859 and 12860. Convention dates, May 6, 1936 and May 16, 1936. Addition to 422,143. [Class 106 (i)] In the parent Specification two numbers are set up in two registers (from the cards) and then represented as two measurable quantities (two intervals of time or two resistances) and comparing mechanism decides and indicates which is the greater of the two quantities. In the present invention, one or each of the above registers is replaced by a card-reading device which reads and represents the number read from the controlling card as a measurable quantity (interval of time). Preferably one of the above registers (56<1>) is manually settable. The usual counters Nos. 3, 4, 5 geared to commutators 56 are controlled by magnets 53, Figs. 1b and 2, in the known way. Figs. 1a ... 3 show the invention applied to a tabulator and Figs. 5, 7, 8 show it applied to a card sorting machine. Tabulator. The machine has upper and lower brushes UB, LB, and group control means GC in the known manner, so that when a card is read at the lower brushes, holes in the appropriate columns cause magnets 53 to actuate the corresponding counter wheels 57 and indicating wheels 59. For the comparison of the two numbers, one number is set up manually in register 56<1> and the other is read direct off the card by the upper brushes (circuit 146, 145, 77, 81). For this purpose the register 56<1> is settable manually by its indicating wheels 60<1> and the brushes 63<1> rest on the appropriate numbered segments 64<1> in the various denominations and connect them to the common segments 65<1>, Figs. 3 and 1c. (1) To compare, say, a number thus set up on the manual register with a number read directly off the card by the upper brushes, sockets 75<1>, Fig. 1c, are connected to sockets 76 and sockets 77 are connected to sockets 145, Fig. 1b, which are connected by wires in cable 146 to the brush blocks 147. (2) To compare two numbers in two separate fields of a card the sockets 76 and 77 would be connected to the respective sockets 145 corresponding to the upper brushes reading those two card fields. The four sockets 76 and four sockets 77 provide for four denominations and the circuits from the manual register or the card will be completed through these sockets at differential times according to the value of the related digits. The units, tens &c. pairs of sockets 76 and 77 are connected to devices W-u, W-t, W-h, and W-th respectively. These devices are identical. The units device W-u consists of relay coils 80u, 81u and rectifiers 82, 83 in parallel as shown with equal resistances rand r<1>. The rectifiers permit current to flow only one way through either coil 80u or 81u. For a comparison as set out at (1) above, as the card passes the upper brushes and when the hole in the units column is read, a circuit is formed from left-hand line, Fig. 1a, to T-S, 150, UB, 147, 146, 145, Fig. 1b, 145, units socket 77, Fig. 1c, r<1> and right-hand line : and when brush 71 of emitter E touches the segment 70 corresponding to the units digit set up in the manual register 56<1> a circuit is formed from left line, Fig. 1c, to UCL, C8, 142, 88, 90, 71, 70, units segments 64<1>, 65<1>, units sockets 75<1> and 76 and resistance r. If the two units digits are equal, the above circuits are made simultaneously and, as both sides of each coil 80u, 81u are at the same potential, no current can flow through either coil. If the card-reading circuit is made at a different time to the " manual " circuit, when the circuit through 77 (units) and r<1> is formed, a parallel circuit 83, 81u, r is formed. The coil 81u closes contacts 81-91a-u to energize its holding coil 91u, closing contacts 91b-u and opening contacts 91c-u. When the " manual " circuit is made, parallel circuits 76 (units), rand 76, 82, 80u, r<1> are formed. The holding coil 94u of coil 80u is then energized (over contacts 80-94a-u) to close contacts 94b-u and open contacts 94 c-u. The above contacts controlled by the coils 91u and 94u and similar contacts controlled by the holding coils 91t, 94t &c., for the other three denominations are interlinked with one another so that if the number A read off the card is greater than the number B set up in the manual register 56<1> then a coil 100 is energized ; whilst if the number B is the greater, a coil 110 is energized. If the amounts are equal, neither coil 100 or 110 is energized. Coils 100 and 110, with their holding coils 100<1> and 110<1>, control the entering circuits between the lower brushes and the counters Nos. 3, 4, 5 and decide how the amount read off the card may be entered into these counters. Relays 100 and 110 form part of a comparison selecting device CS, Fig. 1b; coil 100<1> opens contacts 100<1>a and 1001b and closes contacts 100<1>c and 100<1>d. Coil 110<1> opens contacts 110<1>a and 110<1>b and closes contacts 110<1>c and 110<1>d. These contacts may be connected to sockets 115 ... 127 according to the desired operation. For example, a card has three fields A, B, and C. Amounts A and B are to be compared as above set out, and if A is greater than B, A is to be added into counter No. 3; if B is the greater, B is to be added into counter No. 4: and if A and B are equal, then C is to be added into counter No. 5. The necessary plug connections from sockets 51 to sockets 52, Fig. 1b, are made for the three card fields in conjunction with cable 50 leading to the lower brushes and plug connections 55 are removed. Sockets 160 and 161 of counter No. 3 are connected respectively to sockets 126 and 116 of device CS ; sockets 160 and 161 of counter No. 4 are connected to sockets 125 and 118; and sockets 160 and 161 of counter No. 5 are connected to sockets 123 and 124. Sockets 145 for the A and B fields are connected to sockets 76 and 77. The relative value of the amounts compared with them decide whether relay 100 or 110 (or neither) is energized and these in turn will actuate their contacts 100<1>a, &c., to determine how the amounts A, B, C are entered into the counters Nos. 3, 4, and 5. Sorting machine, Figs. 5, 7, 8. Normally, the machine sorts the cards into different boxes according to the position of the hole (" 0 " to " 9 ") in one selected card column. With the comparison means of the present invention the normal sorting may be modified in various ways. For example, (1) when an amount A in one field of a card is compared with the amount B in another field of the same card (or B may be set up on the manual register), the card goes to one of three boxes only, according as A is greater or less than, or equal to, B ; (2) if A is greater, normal sorting takes place, if B is greater, the card goes to a special pocket. The cards also have " 11 " and " 12 " positions to the columns; and the machine has twelve boxes corresponding to the twelve hole positions in each column and a thirteenth, reject, box. The brush SB for the desired column is connected by a plug 196, Fig. 8, to a socket 197. The sorting blades 173, when allowed to fall by levers 171, are dropped by snail cams 170 in succession from above to below the line of travel of the cards T, and sorting is effected by holding up one or more blades. Each card passes from magazine 160 to the row of brushes SB and when the connected brush reads the card hole, sorting magnet 175 is energized, lowering its armature 176 and allowing spring 178 to rock the latch 177 counterclockwise so that its upper end 177<1> moves to the left to lock over all lugs 179 on levers 171 which have been allowed to fall by their cams 170 and locking under the lugs of all levers 171 which are still held up by their cams. Levers 171 are moved down by springs 172 and on them rest the sorting blades 173 so that according to the moment of energization of the magnet 175 some blades are locked down and the remainder locked up, the card passing between the two sets to the correct sorting box. The leading edge of a card does not reach the blades 173, however, until after the " 12 " time in the cycle so that after a card hole has caused the magnet 175 to act, the setting may be erased by energizing a magnet 232 (controlled in certain circumstances by the coils 100 and 110) which rocks the latch 177 clockwise again to release the levers 171. Normally, at the end of the cycle a cam 182 rocks an arm 183 to return the latch 177 clockwise. The comparison mechanism is the same as that described with respect to Figs. la ... 3, including the two control relays 100 and 110. For normal, or ordinary, sorting the socket 145 for the brush SB of the column on which sorting is to be effected, is plugged by line 196 to socket 197, switch 198 is opened, switch 199 is moved to terminal 199a, and switch 225 to terminal 226. When a card hole is read a circuit 199a, 199, 175, 225, 226, 200, 197, 196, 145, SB and commutator 201 energizes the magnet 175 at a differential time to sort the card to the correct box. Commutator 201 is adjustable to permit sorting only for certain desired hole positions in the column. If it is desired, say, to sort a card into the " 11 " box if amount A is greater than amount B, into the " 12." box if B is greater than A, and into the reject box if A equals B, then sockets 76 and 77 of the comparing mechanism are connected to the sockets 145 of the brushes reading the A and B fields if A and B are both punched in the card. If one amount is on the card and the other is set up in the manual register then one set of sockets 76 or 77 is connected to sockets 145 and the other set to sockets 75<1>. Switch 198 is closed, switch 225 set on terminal 226 and switch 199 set on terminal 199b. The coil 110 is energized if A is greater than B, and coil 100 if B is the greater. Assuming A is the greater, then at the " 11 " time in the cycle a circuit is made from left supply line to ring 211 of commutator 205, the