Patent GB-893246-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in or relating to apparatus for use in recording information
Filed: 1958-12-23
Abstract: 893,246. Punching apparatus. KIMBALL CO., A. Dec. 23, 1958 [Dec. 30, 1957], No. 41494/58. Class 31 (2). [Also in Group XIX] Apparatus for use in recording information comprises a hand-held sensing device (Figs. 2 and 6) suitable for use in sensing information punched into a record tag attached to goods without necessitating the removal of the tag from the goods, and a recording assembly remote from the device for recording the sensed information on a further record. The invention is described as applied to a tag having 29 columns of 5 index positions (for a two-out-of-five code) grouped in two sets of 12 columns and a third set of 5 columns, and the sensed information is punched in a tape by a punch assembly connected by a cable with the sensing device. The sensing pins 50, Fig. 6, of the sensing device are arranged in three groups 85, 87, 89, corresponding to the three sets of columns on the tag, in a frame 62 which is movable downwardly inside a casing 20 against the action of springs 116 by squeezing a handle 112, Fig. 2, in relation to the hand grip 24 of the casing ; the pins are thus brought into sensing relation with a tag resting on a tray 26 which can be swung horizontally about a pivot 32 between outer loading and inner sensing positions. The handle 112 is carried by a shaft 106 mounted in the casing 20 and provided with arms 104 having slotted engagement with transverse pins 100 on the frame 62 ; a pin 126 on the handle prevents operative movement of the handle unless the tray is correctly positioned for sensing. The three groups of pins 50 slide at their upper ends through holes in blocks 54, 55, 56, Fig. 6, fixed in the frame and at their lower ends through holes provided respectively in a plate 66 fixed in the casing 20, a plate 68 fixed to the frame 62, and the base-plate 22 of the casing ; enlargements 64 prevent the pins from passing right through the plates 66, 68. The upper end of each pin has an insulating head 80 bearing against the lower spring contact 82 of a normally-open switch 51 having a co-operating upper contact 84 ; the lower contacts 82 of each row are joined to form a comb and the combs of each group (85, 87, 89) are gripped in insulating relation, together with the corresponding individual contacts 84, between separators 90 fixed in the frame 62. With the two-out-of-five code employed, downward movement of the frame results, in the case of each row of pins, in three pins being stopped by imperforated portions of the tag and the closure of the corresponding contacts 82, 84. All the spring contacts 82 are connected to a common source of voltage and each upper contact 84 is connected to an individual element of the control circuit (Figs. 12 and 13) described below. Operation of this circuit is initiated when the frame 62 is moved downwardly by the engagement of contacts provided on the frame and casing. A tag may then be punched with an appropriate hole to indicate that it has been sensed by any one of four punches 160, Fig. 3, which are mounted in the plates 66, 68 and can be selected by a slidable gag bar 150. The sensed information is punched into a tape by a set of electromagnetic punches (five for the coded information and one for punching feed holes) constructed and operating as described in Specification 674,321 ; a constantly-driven motor acts through a one-revolution clutch to drive a cam-shaft operating the punch-actuating levers but only those which have been chosen by levers actuated by selected punch magnets are effective to punch the tape. The control circuit comprises for each of the groups 85, 87, 89, as shown in Fig. 12, a stepping switch having six insulated banks S1, S2, S4, S7, SK, SC each consisting of 52 contacts engaged in turn by an individual stepping arm. Each of the banks S1 . . . SK is associated with a corresponding group C1 . . . CK of capacitors and with one of the five rows 51a . . . 51e of sensing contacts ; each of the first 29 contacts in each switch bank is individually connected to a capacitor in the corresponding group, as is each of the 29 sensing contacts in the corresponding row. The stepping arms of the banks S1 . . . SK are individually connected to the control grids of five thyratrons T1 . . . TK, the plates of which are individually connected to corresponding relays R1 . . . R5. At the start of an operation, the operator squeezes the handles 24, 112 together so that the pins 50 detect the holes in a tag and the three in each column not encountering holes in the tag close their sensing contacts 51. Relays then operate to set up a power supply in the control circuit including the contacts 51 whereby for each column of contacts a capacitor in each of three of the groups C1 . . . CK is charged and so a complete record of the sensed information is stored. A lamp 253, Fig. 12, then lights up to show that the tag has been sensed and an electromagnet SM, Fig. 13, is energized to cock the stepping arms of the switch. Upon release of the handles 24, 112, the de-energization of the electromagnet results in the stepping arms moving to the first contact position in all the banks and the circuit is set so as to cause discharge of whichever of the capacitors corresponding to the first column of sensing contacts are charged and the consequent firing of the relevant thyratrons and energization of the relevant relays R1 . . . R5. These relays select one of a number of circuits in a decoding unit 258, Fig. 13, which in turn controls an encoding unit 273 selecting the punch magnets to be effective on the tape. At the same time, the punch clutch is operated to start the punch cam-shaft on its one-revolution cycle during which the selected punches perforate the tape and cam switches PC1, PC2 then act to deenergize the punch and punch clutch magnets, break the circuit of the relays R1 . . . R5 (so extinguishing the thyratrons), and intermittently energize the magnet SM whereby all the switch arms move to the next contacts. The cycle then continues as before for each column until the stepping arms are on the 30th contacts of the switch banks and all the sensed information has therefore been transferred to the tape. The control circuit includes a plugboard 250, Fig. 13, which has positions PB1 . . . PB29 respectively connected with the first 29 contacts of the switch bank SC and each normally connected by a jumper wire with a position PB30 of the plugboard for the purpose during each cycle of supplying the necessary voltage for energizing the relays in the decoding unit 258. Skipping of any column can be effected by connecting the jumper wire from the corresponding position (say PB21 for the 21st column) to a plugboard outlet PB31 whereby the decoder is not energized and no recording occurs for that column, although the cycle continues to proceed normally for succeeding columns. The stepping arms are automatically stepped over their contacts from the 30th to 45th contacts by reason of the fact that these contacts of the switch bank SC are arranged to control the switch magnet SM. At the 45th, 46th, 47th contacts, provision is made for recording in the tape under the control of a keyboard (Fig. 14, not shown) having ten columns of three keys each. For this purpose, these contacts of the switch bank SC are connected to the plugboard portions PB45, PB46 and PB47 which are in turn connected into the control circuit through jumper wires leading to the plugboard outlet PB40, and the keys in the three columns are appropriately connected to the 45th, 46th and 47th contacts of the switch banks S1 . . . SK. After the operator has selected a key in each column and closed a keyboard switch 320, Fig. 13, the apparatus automatically operates through three cycles in which punches corresponding to the selected keys in the three columns are effective. The stepping arms then step forward to the 48th and 49th positions, this latter position together with the 50th and 51st positions being reserved for a fixed entry data punching (e.g. carriage return, line feed and figures shift) by appropriate connections into the control circuit from the corresponding contacts of the switch bank SC through the plugboard. If, during the reproduction of the data stored in the capacitors, less than, or more than, three of the relays R1 . . . R5 are actuated, no circuit is completed through the decoder 258 to operate the punch unit and the apparatus stops with the lamp 253 extinguished. The operator by moving error switches E1 . . . E4 to their second positions then causes the switch magnet SM to be alternately energized and de-energized so that the remaining positions are stepped until the 48th position is reached, when the tape is automatically punched with an error designation.