Patent GB-687141-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in or relating to record card controlled statistical apparatus
IPC: G06K13/07
Filed: 1949-08-22
Abstract: 687,141. Statistical apparatus. BRITISH TABULATING MACHINE CO., Ltd., and KEEN, H. H. Aug. 22, 1950 [Aug. 22, 1949], No. 21725/49. Class 106 (i.) In order to sense a card 1 more than once by the brushes 84 of a sensing station, the card may be diverted from its normal vertical course downwards in Fig. 3 and taken round the roller 80 in the direction of the arrow and past the sensing brushes 84 twice or more times, before being released to continue in its vertical downward travel to the card stack. The device is primarially intended for cards of the type shown in Fig. 10 in which the data is recorded in fields, marked section 1-4, representing a four-line address, which are required to be printed in four lines during four machine cycles. The machine may have an upper sensing station for control purposes, and the lower sensing station shown in Fig. 3 may retain the card for repeated sensing the required number of times, determined by a control hole in the first column, shown in Fig. 10, as four cycles corresponding to the number of sections of the card. If the card is to be retained, spring-loaded gripping members 87 pivoted at 38 (Figs. 4 and 5) are closed. These are shown in raised position in Fig. 5 (left-hand side) at the moment the leading edge of the card is first past the brush 84, Fig. 3. The remaining members 87b are closed on the card as they come round to the position of 87a in Fig. 3, thus drawing the card close to the periphery of the roller 80 at either end. A guide member 93 assists in retaining the middle portions of the card close to the periphery of the roller. Opening and closing of the gripper members 91 is controlled by the cam surfaces 92, Fig. 5, cooperating with the portions 95, 96 of levers 76, 77, Fig. 2. Levers 76, 77 are spring-urged in anticlockwise direction to the position shown in dotted outline. They are both held against the springs 79 by the armature 94 of the gripper magnet GM. When the levers are in full line position their cam surfaces 95, 96 are at a radius at which they engage the cam surfaces 92 of the grippers to open them. When the magnet GM is energized to enable the levers to take up their dotted line position the surfaces 95, 96, are clear of the cam surfaces of the grippers and these therefore remain in normal closed position. A pin 97 on the edge of the gripper roll engages as the roll turns two lugs 98, 99, on the levers to restore them to full line position. If the magnet GM remains energized, till the pin 97 is free of the lug 99 the lever 77 will allow the succeeding gripper to close. In a modification, Fig. 11 shows a portion of a card of known type in which two independent data are recorded in each column of the section marked C. Sections A and B are explanatory and show the two data separately. Between the two sensings necessary to read both data from the card, the card 5 shifted relatively to the cycle of the machine, so that on the first sensing the brushes sense the lower set of index positions at the correct times in the cycle, while the brush circuit is broken by the circuit breakers when the brushes pass over the other set. On the second sensing the brushes sense the upper set at the correct time. The necessary phase shift is effected by differential gearing shown on the left in Figs. 7 and 8. An arbor 105 is fixed to shaft 175 and carries a short shaft 106. On the upper end of this is fixed a gear-wheel 107 (Fig. 7) engaging a gear 108 fixed to gear 74. On the lower end of shaft 106 is fixed a gear 109 engaging a gear 110 loose on the shaft 75. If the wheel 110 is held stationary, the rotation of arm 105 causing wheel 109 to roll round wheel 110 will rotate wheels 108 and 74 and turn the gripper roll 80. The wheel 110 is normally held stationary by an arm 111 fixed to its hub, and the arm is held stationary by the armature 112 pivoted at 114 of a magnet 113. If the magnet 113 is energized the arm 111 moves into the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 6, thus turning the wheel 110 counterclockwise, and altering the phase of the drive to wheel 74 so that the card presents the upper set of index positions to the sensing brushes at the correct times in the cycle. For resetting the differential gear a gear 115 is fixed to the shaft 75 and energizes a gear-wheel 116 on a shaft 117 turning in a bush 118 fixed to the plate 119 supporting the magnet 113 and armature 112. The shaft 117 carries an arm 120 (Fig. 8) which, as it turns counterclockwise, engages the projection 121 on the arm 111 and restores it to the position in which it is latched by the armature 112. Specification 483,665 is referred to.