Patent GB-918135-A (GB)
Title: A new or improved letter sorting machine
Inventor: OSBORN HOWARD
IPC: B07C3/06
Filed: 1959-08-04
Abstract: 918,135. Letter sorting machines. THRISSELL ENGINEERING CO. Ltd. Aug. 4, 1960 [Aug. 4, 1959], No. 26568/59. Class 78 (1). Letters are carried by a succession of endless belt conveyers, the last two, 112, 113, of which are shown in Fig. 15 and all of which lie parallel with, and behind, the rows of boxes shown in Fig. 1, and are then transferred by a series of conveyers (later to be described) to viewing windows 13, 18, to enable an operator to initiate a code on a keyboard 9 (Figs. 1 and 6a) in respect of each letter. The letters then pass via a roller conveyer 21 to one of a series of rows 126 according to the operation of a row diverter dependent on the code punched. A roller conveyer in the row selected transports the letter until a box diverter deflects the letter into a box selected by the code punched. The keyboard 9 is divided into two groups of twelve keys A to M. One group is connected to a series of horizontal conductors A to M and the other group is connected to a series of vertical conductors A to M (Fig. 6a), the two groups of conductors being connected to relays AA, AB, AC &c. (Fig. 7). The switches 54 and 55 in Fig. 7 denote the keys of the two respective groups on the keyboard 9. The arrangement is such that when the operator presses a combination of two keys on the two respective keyboard groups, a single one of the 144 relays AA, AB, AC ... is activated. Each of these relays corresponds to a respective box of the rows 1 to 6 in Fig. 1. A connection from each relay is taken to 144 contacts on a section 40 of a terminal board 41 (only one such connection is shown at 32 in Fig. 6a for clearness). The 144 terminals 40 are connected by leads such as 194 to a series of terminals arranged at 42 on the board 41 in a series of six rows of twentyfour terminals each. Lines 33 are taken from each of the terminals 42 to a series of solenoids (Fig. 6b). The latter are associated with a memory drum 53 controlling circuits which operate the row and box diverter switches. The drum 53 has six sections 1-6 which control the row diverters, and twelve sections A to F and a to f, which control the box diverters. Only twelve drum sections are needed in respect of all the boxes shown in Fig. 1. This is because of the following two reasons: (a) The diverters of boxes lyign on a respective dot-dash line in Fig. 1 are coupled so that they all divert together. There are thirty-four such sets of coupled box diverters as indicated by the dotdash lines running diagonally in Fig. 1. (b) For each of these thirty-four coupled sets of box diverters, a combination of two of the selector drums A to S and a to s is employed. 144 connections 33 lead from the panel 42 (only twelve are shown in Fig. 6a for clearness) to a unit 34 (Fig. 6b). 18 connections 39 lead from the unit 34 to respective solenoids 45 associated with the 18 selector drums. On pressing a key on each of the key groups A, M, on the operator's keyboard 9, respective switches 211, 212 are closed (Fig. 6b) to permit current to pass to a one revolution clutch 28 (depicted in more detail in Fig. 8a, not shown) and this causes rotation of 18 feed discs 52 respective to each of the drum selectors 53. The same pressing of the keys on the keyboard 9 results in operation of three of the solenoids 45 as above described and these operate (as shown in respect of a single solenoid 45 in Fig. 6b) to permit the feed of a signalling roller 50 into a recess in each respective feed disc 52. The roller 50 is carried round and fed into the selector drum and rotates with the latter so as to engage at a predetermined position, a lever which is coupled to a microswitch. There is one lever in respect of each selector drum section and in the range of selector drum sections 126 (Fig. 9) each lever 85a is associated with a respective microswitch 190. In the range of sections A to f the signal roller operated lever of a given drum section is connected by a rod 104 to the corresponding lever of another section. A single pair of such coupled levers is shown in Fig. 9 with all the other similar coupled sets omitted for clearness. The lever 105a acts through the rod 104 to control a microswitch 187a and the lever 85a in respect of the drum section c is coupled to a microswitch 87a. The two switches 87a and 187a are connected in series to the corresponding coupled set of box diverters respective to the combination of signal rollers used in the drum sections A and c. Since the discs 52 are rotated intermittently and the drum sections 53 are rotating continuously, a photo-electric cell 93 is activated cyclically by a light 83 interrupted by a rotating member 82 geared to the drum sections 53 to control, by a switch 213 in the circuit to the clutch 28, the precise moment of starting of the latter. The line 35 connected to the one revolution clutch 28 is also connected to a similar clutch 36 which sets in motion a suction head 124 (Fig. 15). The latter is adapted to transfer a letter from the conveyer 113. The letter is delivered by the head 124 to a belt conveyer 139 and then successively to belt conveyer 130, roller conveyer 152, chain conveyer 178 disposed at right angles to the line of action of the previously mentioned conveyers and operating a pusher 141, and belt conveyer 172. The latter is formed of several belts and in the spaces between these move a series of blades 205 carried by each of the radial arms of a rotating paddle-like wheel 12 (Fig. 13). The letter is thus picked up from the conveyer 172 and transferred by the wheel 12 to the window 18. If the letters build up to above a predetermined height on the conveyer belt 113, the drive of the belts is interrupted by a photo-electric arrangement (Fig. 12, not shown). In operation, when the two keys on the keyboard 9 are pressed in respect of a letter at the window 18, the feeder discs 52 receive their signal rollers corresponding to the letter in question and turn through 60 degrees to the point at which the rollers are to enter the selector drum sections. As the result of the same key pressing operation, the one-way clutch 36 operates to lift another letter from the pile on the conveyer belts 113 (Fig. 15) to the conveyers which lead eventually to the window 18. On the next key pressing in respect of the letter next to be delivered to the window 18, the signal rollers corresponding to the previous letter are inserted into the respective selector drum sections and this letter is released by the gate 20 to the roller conveyer 21. The signal rollers operate the appropriate row and box diverters to transfer the letter to its appropriate box. Specifications 849,421, 876,739, 909,472 and 911,385 are referred to.