Patent GB-644311-A (GB)
Title: Apparatus for coding articles
IPC: B07C3/00
Filed: 1947-01-14
Abstract: 644,311. Sorting letters. CENTRE D'ETUDES M.B.A. (MECANIQUE, BALISTIQUE, ARMAMENT). Jan. 14, 1947, Nos. 1191 and 1192. Convention dates, Jan. 16, 1946, and Aug. 13, 1946. [Class 78 (i)] [Also in Groups XVIII and XXXVII] Coding apparatus for letters comprises a movable selecting member which is controlled by the operator for co-operating with any selected one of a plurality of contact members or keys to close each of two parallel electric circuits each adapted to operate coding elements, one of these closed circuits including one operating member of a group of operating members, each of which controls a corresponding coding element and which is selected by the co-operation of a particular contact member or key with the movable selecting member, and the other of these closed circuits including at least one other operating member of at least one other group of operating members controlling other corresponding coding elements, said other operating member also being selected by the co-operation of the same contact member or key with the said movable selecting member. Fig. 1.-Letters advance along conveyer 3, and are observed through transparent screen 4 by the operator who presses contact-maker 8 into the contact socket which corresponds to the address, and which causes the letter to be coded or to be placed in a coded carriage so that when the letter is dropped into a shoot (not shown) it is delivered to the correct destination box. Fig. 3.-Contact maker or selecting member 8 pivots in part 26 which is secured to the end of a flexible metal strip 9 which uncoils from reel 28. The latter is carried by rotatable arm 29 which rotates in the insulating plates 7 and 31, the electrical circuit being led from cell 36 through universal contact 34 to tip 23. The latter is pressed into sockets in plate 7 to make contact between the " split " keys 20-21. Attached to arm 29 is insulated arm 32 which carries two contacts 39, 40 which are connected together by 32a and make contact with segmental strips 37, 38 fixed on plate 31. Fig. 4.-The circuit includes the segmental strips 37 and 38; arm 32 joining the strips; metal strip 9; keys 20-21, each key 20-21 arranged to correspond with and being electrically wired individually to corresponding electromagnets of sets A, B, C, D and A<1>, B<1>, C<1>, D<1> which work the routeing members; teiltale lamps 12 and 13; contacts 62 and 62<1> operated by sets B and B<1> and cell 36. Strip 38 controls A and A<1>; strip 37 controls B, B<1>; and keys 20-21 control C, C<1>, D, D<1>; so that a single position of the contact-maker 8 makes the three appropriate contacts which correspond to a four-figure number, that indicated in black being N-4-10-10. Thus 800 combinations are possible, each combination of electromagnets controlling a separate routeing member and two " combinators " 41 and 411 may be used to increase the number of combinations. Fig. 7.-The combinators 41, 41<1> (i.e. sets ABCD of electromagnets) may be normally 'locked and only allowed to operate when foot pedal 14 is pressed to cause bars 50, 50<1> to rotate to press rods 51, 51<1> to permit the controllers to operate. Thus the coding is not effected till the foot pedal is depressed so that an error made with contact maker 72 can be corrected, i.e. by non-use of the foot pedal. Figs. 8, 9.-In place of contact maker 8 there may be a contact maker 72 which depresses a bell 67 in the keyboard 52 and causes insulating rod 63 to be lowered till contacts 64, 65 thereon make touch with pairs of conducting springs 68, 69. Each such key is indicated by a window 55<1> formed on glass rod 55 which is housed in reflector 57, light being introduced from the end of the rod, the separate rods being linked together and operated by a handle 74 of operating rack 73 so that the placenames can be changed all together. Each glass rod is divided to form three sets of place-names. Specifications 657,043, 657,044 and 657,055 are referred to.