Patent GB-428794-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in or relating to record-card-controlled multiplying machines
IPC: G06F7/46
Filed: 1933-11-20
Abstract: 428,794. Statistical apparatus. BRITISH TABULATING MACHINE CO., Ltd., Victoria House, Vernon Place, Southampton Row, London. Nov. 20, 1933, No. 32337. Convention date, March 25. Addition to 429,417. [A Specification was laid open to inspection under Sect. 91 of the Acts, May 22, 1934.] [Class 106 (i)] A record-card controlled multiplying-machine as described in the parent Specification and in which a selecting means operable under the control of a code or other designation indication on the card selects, from a plurality of available factors, one of such factors in accordance with the designation, and calculating-mechanism operable to perform a multiplication with the selected factor and another factor is modified to provide a wider selection of factors by the provision of manual set-up devices for entering additional multipliers the selection of the multiplier from the card or from the set-up devices being effected by comparing the designation number read from the card with control numbers set up on other manually set registers. Cards in which the designation does not agree with any of the set up control numbers are passed through the machine without any computation being effected. General features. The units of the machine are shown diagrammatically in Figs. 1, and 1a, they embody a card feed, a card - punching section, registers MP, MC for receiving the multiplier and multiplicand factors, accumulators RH, LH for receiving the right hand and left hand components of the partial products, a multi-contact multiplying relay unit MPR, a column shift and other relay units CS, and CR, hand set up registers, MP1, MP2, for multipliers, hand set up registers C1-C4 for the designation control numbers, and a number of impulse emitters 124 ... 128, and 129, and the usual sets of cam operated contacts. The machine is driven by a motor M driving an A.C. and D.C. generator 52 and operating upper and lower drive shafts 56, 56b connected by Geneva mechanism to the usual reset shaft 63, 63b. Card feed, reading, and punching section. The energization of a feed clutch magnet 85 connects the drive shaft 56 by means of a one revolution clutch to a shaft 70 operatively geared to drive card feed rollers 75, 75a, and 75b, Fig. 2. These rollers cooperate with rollers 78, 78a and 78b that are positively driven except the roller 78a which has a friction drive and a higher peripheral speed to ensure a card being advanced fully to abut a stop in the punching die. Two sets of reading brushes 83, 84 are provided as well as card lever contact 89, 90, and 91. The punching-mechanism is of the gang punch type comprising a number of rows of punches 94 in a frame 95, each row being associated with a selector bar 96 adapted to be impositively driven by a pawl 111 on a cross member 109 carried on an arm 108b of a rock-shaft 108a operatively connected to a shaft 100. The energization of a punch clutch magnet 86 connects the shaft 100 to the drive shaft 56 through a one revolution clutch. The bars s 9 are selectively arrested by means of pawls 112 adapted to be tripped on the energization of corresponding electro-magnets 113. After the bars have been set a shaft 114 operatively connected to the shaft 100 is rocked, and through a linkage, operates a toggle 116 to lower the frame 95 and cause the interposers 97 on the selector bars 96 to depress the punches. Registers and reading-out devices. The multiplier, multiplicand, and the product registers are of the conventional Hollerith type with commutator reading out devices of known kind. The hand set up registers are substantially the same as the reading out devices for the other registers. The control number register is shown in section in Fig. 6 ; each denomination has a knurled wheel 160 carrying a set of brushes adapted to co - operate with ten conducting spots 162 and a conducting segment 163. In the multiplier hand set up only nine conducting spots are provided the other parts are identical. Multi-contact relays. The multiplying relay section, the column shift relay section and the control section are similar to those described in Specification 405,031. The operating mechanism for the relays is shown in Fig. 3, a bail 167 rocked by a cam follower 66 co-operates with loosely mounted U-shaped members 169. Each member 169 engages a latch 171 pivoted on the armature 172 of a magnet X, CS, or CR. When a magnet is energized its latch is swung to a position opposite the end of the arm 170 of the U- shaped member 169, the bail is raised on the continued movement of the cam 65 and the spring 178 causes the contacts to close. If a magnet is not energized the latch is not tripped and the contacts remain open. Circuit arrangements. The circuit diagram is shown in Figs. 15a, 15b, 15c, 15d and 15e; it includes (1) the customary form of cycle controller and column skip, Fig. 15b, with relay coils Yu, Yt, &c. holding contacts Yul, Ytl, &c., column transfer contacts Yu2, Yt2, &c. and column shift relays CSu, CSt, &c. ; (2) the usual type of multiplier relay unit as shown in Fig. 15c and multiplication circuits leading to the accumulator magnets 217RH, 217LH, Fig. 15d. Depression of the start key closes contacts 194, Fig. 15e, to energize relay A, the contacts A2 of which close to energize card feed clutch magnet 85. The card is drawn from the supply magazine to a position where it is about to enter the brushes 83. Late in this cycle the lever contacts 89 close to energize relay 13 so as to maintain relay A energized. During the second cycle the closure of contacts B1, B2 of relay B will ensure the reading of the control number from the card. Concurrently, impulses are emitted through the emitter 124, Fig. 15a, and the reading out mechanisms CR01 ... CR04 of the set up control registers. These mechanisms have sockets 196, 198, 200, 202, plug connected to sockets 197, 199, 201, 203 in circuit with relay coils 207 and sockets 204 connected to selected sockets 205 corresponding to the card control field. If the control number set up agrees with that on the card each of the coils 207 in the corresponding group will be energized to close the related contacts 208 and energize holding relays 209. The energized coils 207 also close contacts 211 arranged in series in each group so that when closed a current supply to a line 214 is effective to energize the corresponding one of a set of relays IE, 2E, 3E, or 4E, a holding circuit being established through the contacts 1E1 &c. Late in this second cycle the card lever contacts 90 close to energize relay C to maintain relay A energized. The energization of one of the relays 1E, 2E, &c. also closes contacts 1E2, 2E2, &c. so as to energize one or other of the comparing relays 1CR, 2CR, &c. A third card cycle now ensues during which time the multiplicand is read from the card and entered in the register MC through the sockets 216MC and magnets 217MC. If it is assumed that the multiplier is derived from the set up register MP1 the energization of the comparing relay 1CR, by the agreement of the designation and control number for that particular multiplier, closes the related contacts 1CR1-8, Fig. 15b, and a contact 1CR9, Fig. 15e, to energize a relay F which closes contacts F1, F2 to close the circuit to the distributer 129, the contact roller 77 and the emitter 125. This emitter sends impulses throug the lines 220 to the magnets 217MP of the multiple register MP. The comparing relay 2CR is related to the multiplier set up in the register MP2 while the others 3CR, 4CR are related to columns of the cards in which multipliers are punched, these multipliers being read by corresponding brushes connected to sockets 218MP, 219MP respectively. Late in the third cycle cam contacts close to supply current to the reset magnet 221LH of the accumulator LH. This resetting operation closes contacts 120LH to establish a set up circuit for the cycle controller through a relay coil N. Partial products are entered in the respective accumulators and the registers MP, MC are reset by energizing the reset magnets 221MP, 221MC. At the same time energization of relay 5CR closes contacts 5CR1-16, 5CR17 and 5CR19, and opens contacts 5CR 18. This effects the transfer of amounts from the right hand section RH to the left hand section LH by timed impulses through emitter 127. Contacts 5CR19 close the circuit to reset magnet 221RH of the right-hand section, contacts 5CR18 break down the set up in the cycle controller and contacts 5CRZ17 close the circuit to the punch clutch magnet 86. In the following cycle impulses are emitted through emitter 128 and read out section LHRO to the punch selector magnets 113. Resumption of the card feed follows the punching operation. If there is failure to agree the card designation with any of the set up numbers no comparing relay CR will be energized and the relay F will be ineffective and the card feed will be continued without interruption. Specification 358,105 also is referred to.