Patent GB-906214-A (GB)
Title: A tabulator having a print mechanism for recording values of a variable
Inventor: SMITH KENNETH LESLIE
IPC: G06F3/09
Filed: 1960-12-22
Abstract: 906,214. Recording-apparatus. I.B.M. WORLD TRADE LABORATORIES (GREAT BRITAIN) Ltd. Dec. 22, 1960, No. 44021/60. Class 106 (4). Recording-apparatus has mechanism for printing on a record sheet the value of an input variable received in digital form and for printing a symbol representing the source of the variable at a position on the sheet determined by the value of the variable, including switches SW1 to 4, Fig. 2, for applying the digital value to type solenoids 51 to 60 and to a store M1, M2 which is later scanned to control the printing of a symbol in appropriate position. As shown the apparatus has eight channels one for each of eight sources and in each channel there are four ten-position switches SW1 to 4 registering four digits of the value of a variable. The printing-mechanism is a typewriter with solenoid-operated keys for the digits 0 to 9, the decimal point, carriage return, tabulation, space bar and eight symbols. The carriage carries a wiper for bridging a common contact with 164 commutator contacts in succession. With the carriage at the right-hand end and a start switch closed a pulse passes over commutator contact 1 line L1 to solenoid 50 which operates the space bar. In position two a pulse passes over contact 2 and switch SW1 to solenoid 53 which prints the tens digit " 2." In position three the units digit " 0 " registered on switch SW2 is printed. In position four a pulse passes over contact 4 and line L2 to solenoid 22 which prints the decimal point. In positions five to seven the two digits registered on switches SW3, SW4 are printed, followed by a space. This sequence is repeated for the other seven channels. The pulses passing through the switches SW1, SW2 of each channel are routed through two magnetic core matrices M1, M2 each with eight rows, one for each channel and ten columns, one for each digit 0 to 9. There is a core at each intersection which changes its state only when a pulse appears simultaneously on its row and column. The pulse over commutator contact 2 appeared on the row of the tens matrix M1 corresponding to channel 1 and on the column for digit two and the pulse over contact three appeared on the row of the units matrix M2 for channel 1 and on the column for digit nought. Thus, when the value in channel 1 was printed its first two significant figures were stored and the same thing happens in each channel until commutator contact 63 is reached. Over the remaining contacts 00, 01 ... 100, Fig. 3, the matrices M1, M2 are scanned electronically in ascending order. The matrix M1 is interrogated by half current pulses applied to serial pairs of conductors 100-109 connected to commutator contacts 00, 10, 20 and the resetting of an activated core produces an output pulse on one of the row conductors 111 to 118. The matrix M2 is interrogated by half current pulses applied to row conductors R9 to R16 and column conductors C0 to C9 connected to commutator contacts 01 to 09, in parallel with 11 to 19, 21 to 29 and so on, coincident application re-setting a core and producing an output pulse on one of the rows R1 to R8 to cause energization of a solenoid 61 to 68 to print a symbol representative of the source from which the scanned value has been derived. When a pulse is applied to a column conductor 100-109 of M1 such as 101 which does not contain an activated core signifying a stored value the tabulate key solenoid 49 is energized causing the carriage to move over ten spaces without scanning the matrix M2. If two identical values occur, only one symbol is printed. A bias circuit 77 inhibits printing of the second symbol and prevents any solenoids being energized by random pulses occurring during carriage return. The carriage is returned, after reaching the last contact 100, by energization of solenoid 21. A set of switches SW1 to SW4 without matrices M1, M2 registers the time and provides for the printing thereof at the beginning of each line. A relay inhibits printing for any channel until the value of the associated variable has been registered on its switches SW1 to SW4.