Patent GB-871550-A (GB)
Title: Card processing apparatus
Inventor: ORNER ALLAN
IPC: G06K13/08
Filed: 1959-08-19
Abstract: 871,550. Feeding and delivering sheets. MAGNAVOX CO. Aug. 19, 1959. No. 28403/59. Class 100(1) In apparatus for feeding record cards sequentially past a sensing or recording station, the cards being transferred from a magazine to the feed means or delivered from the feeding means to the magazine, the magazine is detachably mounted on guides arranged at a card holding station adjacent the feeding means and can either be moved into co-operative relationship with, or away from, the feeding means. The invention is described as applied to statistical apparatus of the kind disclosed in Specification 871,548 wherein record cards are stacked on edge in a magazine 48 on a horizontal table, a similar magazine is arranged in opposed relationship on the table, and the feeding or transfer means is a rotary suction drum 10, Fig. 5, arranged in a circular recess in the table. The cards may be transferred from the magazine 48 to the suction drum which feeds them one by one past a transducer, and they are then transferred to the other magazine: or cards may be transferred to the drum from the second magazine, fed past a second transducer, and then stacked in the magazine 48. The suction drum 10 is of the kind which is rotated about a vertical axis by a motor driven belt, suction being established at peripheral slots 122, 124, Fig. 5, in communication with a hollow vertical shaft connected to - suction pump. The centre portion of the rim 120 of the drum is narrower than the record cards 60, and protrudes within the magazine 48 which is slotted at the sides and has top and bottom lips 57, 59 against which the stack of cards is pressed by a spring-urged follower plate. The magazine 48 at station 18 has two depending slides thereon engaging undercut guide grooves 44, 46 in the table support, and, on being slid towards the drum 10, rides over a spring catch 54 which then springs upwardly to hold the magazine in operative position. A rack 200 on the base of the magazine engages a pinion 202 on a shaft 208 which is connectable to a constantly-rotating reversible motor 204 through an electrically-actuated clutch 206. Several magazines are stored in a riling device 220 substantially as described in Specification 871,549 and can be moved up or down, or sidewise to bring a magazine opposite the station 18, whereupon a solenoid 222 urges the magazine on to the guide slots 44, 46 and so that the rack 200 engages the pinion 202. The magazine depresses the spring catch 54 which closes a switch to cause the clutch 206 to be engaged, and the magazine is driven forwardly by the motor 204 until the clutch circuit is broken by the catch 54 being released by the magazine. In this position, the magazine strikes a spring-urged arm 214 which reverses the position of a switch 212 to cause the motor 204 to drive the de-clutched motor 204 in the opposite direction. When the cards in the magazine have been removed or processed, a solenoid 210 is energised automatically to retract the catch 54, the clutch 206 is thus re-engaged, and the magazine is driven along the guide slots 44, 46 away from the drum 10 and into the filing device 220. On the removal of the magazine, a spring-urged arm 218 rises and, through a link, moves an arm 216 reverses the switch 212 to cause the motor 204 to rotate in the opposite direction.