Patent GB-725565-A (GB)
Title: Record-controlled statistical apparatus, particularly for use in telephone message accounting
IPC: H04M15/38
Filed: 1953-01-28
Abstract: 725,565. Statistical apparatus. WESTERN ELECTRIC CO., Inc. Jan. 28, 1953 [Jan. 29, 1952], No. 2424/53. Class 106 (1). A record-controlled statistical apparatus comprises means for transferring successive entries on a tape or like continuous, medium to cards or like separate record supports so that each card, contains the data of only one record entry or of a comparatively small number of entries, comprises means for successively sensing the record entries on the continuous recording, medium, register means responsive to the operation of the sensing means for storing successive record entries and means responsive to the register means for producing separate card records of the successive entries, the register means being associated with. translating means provided, with relays adapted to alter or add to the information contained in certain, preselected items of the record entries so that the card records. which are produced from the recored entries contain such alterations or additional data. The apparatus described comprises, an elaborate electrical circuit (only a part of which, is shown) consisting of relays, and switches for transferring the data from punched holes read in the tape to a punching machine of known type for punching holes in separate cards. The punched holes, in the tape represent data relating to calls passing through an automatic telephone exchange. The tapes are produced by assembling data from random entries in the exchange into data relating to connections in the manner known as " Automatic message accounting ". The assembly of the data is carried out by one or more " tape to tape " machines in which the various factors relating to a specific connection are assembled so that the data punched on. the tape with which the invention is concerned represent the data for each connection, such as, the number of the calling line, the number of the called line, the time when the conversation begins and the time when it ends together with certain other data, all punched in the tape in for example numerical sequence of the calling, line numbers. This data hitherto transferred to yet another punched tape for eventual assembly into complete telephone accounts for each subscriber, is according to the apparatus comprising the invention transferred on to separate punched cards with modifications or additions so that telephone subscriber accounts may be compiled in the usual manner by which periodical customer statements are produced by punched card accounting machinery. A portion of the punched tape bearing telephone connection information is shown in Fig. 100 punched in horizontal zones of six columns. The tape is passed to a reader comprising sensing brushes one for each column, connected to co-operating digit reading relays A-F, Fig. 97A. Two groups of storage registers, the Odd Storage unit comprising registers 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, and the Even Storage unit comprising registers 0, 2, 4, 6, 8, are connected to the reader via connecting units as shown. The output from the Even and Odd Storage units is conveyed via translators to a gang punch of known type, under the control of the Emitter which forms part of the gang punch. If a charge for a transaction is recorded on the tape in terms of arbitary units, the translators are designed to turn the charge units into an equivalent monetary charge, to compute tax payable if appropriate, and to punch the monetary charge, the tax payable, and the total of the two, on to the card as individual items, and as a total. The apparatus computes the charge in the translator having due regard for the area or zone where the connection was completed. Various protective circuits are included in the usual way for stopping the punch if it runs out of blank cards or if certain manual switches are disturbed, and certain checking circuits are included with means for indicating by the absence (or presence) of a perforation in certain index locations that the card punching cycle has been successfully concluded, that is, whether each row of the card has been selectively operated upon by the magnets of the gang punch in response to the registers or the translators. The translators co-operate with the registers to change or expand the data or produce new data and then, with those registers extended directly to the punch, selectively operate the punch magnets under control of the emitter, to produce a card containing perforations which correspond to the unchanged data, the changed data, and to the additional data. Each storage unit has five registers as shown in Fig. 98 to accommodate a normal entry of five lines. An " over capacity " entry comprising six lines is accommodated by filling the five registers of the storage register in use and the last storage register of the free storage unit. Thus when the Odd storage unit is used to store the first five lines of an over capacity entry storage register 8 of the Even storage unit is employed to store the sixth line of entry. Similarly, storage register 9 of the Odd storage unit is used to store the sixth line in the case of the even storage unit is in use. This arrangement avoids any delay in storing the first five lines of the proceeding entry, since the storage registers accept the lines of an entry in ascending numerical order. By the time the last line of the succeeding entry are to be stored the storage unit and the last storage register of the unoccupied unit will have been discharged permitting the storage of the last line of the succeeding entry. Fig. 98 shows the arrangement employed when each storage register, Odd and Even, are filled alternately. Fig. 99 shows the arrangement adopted when an alternative arrangement of the apparatus is adopted to produce " Ten Summary Cards " for " two line " entries on a summary tape, each entry consisting of a first line designating a source of transaction, i.e. subscribers telephone number, and the second line, the summary of charges accumulated against the source over a predetermined billing period, i.e. the number of " message units " chargeable against that subscriber. These telephone numbers are arranged in numerically ascending sequence on the tape each followed by its charge summary, and the apparatus is set up to produce one " Ten Summary Card " for ten successive telephone numbers on the tape. The five separate storage registers of the Odd and Even storage units are used as the registers of one unitary storage unit in which the ten successive summaries are stored. As indicated in Fig. 100, each line of an entry on the tape consists of six, base-ten digits A to F recorded across the tape, each digit with the exception of the first, or " A " digit, is recorded by two perforations in five perforating positions allocated to each digit, according to the well known " two-out-of-five " code given in the table below. The " A " digit has four digital values 0, 1, 2 and 3. These are three types of entries for which tapes are prepared. There are fiveline message entries illustrated by the entry captioned " one toll message entry " in Fig. 100. Six-line " over capacity entries shown in Fig. 102, and two-line individual summaries illustrated in Fig. 108. The apparatus is adapted to deal with four different kinds of tapes three are known as computer tapes and are identical individually as toll tapes as shown in Fig. 100, message unit detail tapes and observing tapes as shown in Figure 103, and the fourth type of tape is known as a detail tape. The composition and significance of the different digits in the different lines of the entries are shown in Fig. 104. The machine may also process a summary tape shown in Fig. 108. Each entry on a summary tape consists of two lines, in the first of which is recorded a calling line number, and in the second the summary of message unit charges accumulated against the line as shown in Fig. 103. The general form of card produced for all entries except the Individual Summary and Tens Summary is shown in Fig. 105 which has noted thereon the significance of the different columns and the types of entries for which the columns are used. The card illustrated in Fig. 105 consists of 80 columns with 12 hole positions in each column for a total of 960 hole positions. A character, base-ten digit, or letter, may be recorded in each column, the hole positions being -numbered from top to bottom of the column as follows: 12, 11, 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9. Letters of the alphabet are represented by punching two of the hole positions in a column in known manner according to the following code : Fig. 106 illustrates an Individual Summary Card and its columnar assignment Fig. 107 illustrates a Ten Summary Card and its columnar assignment. Specification 725,566 is referred to.