Patent GB-516641-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in or relating to record-card controlled printing machines
IPC: G06K21/02
Filed: 1938-07-02
Abstract: 516,641. Statistical apparatus. BRITISH TABULATING MACHINE CO.; Ltd. July 2, 1938, No. 19663. Convention date, July 3, 1937. [Class 106 (i)]  Record-card-controlled printing mechanism is. combined with means UB, 125, Fig. 4, for reading a designation (e.g. group number) from a card before that card controls the printing mechanism, a hopper for ledger cards 160, Fig. 3, which have designations mechanically represented on them, and mechanism operated from the above reading means to select from the hopper a ledger card according to the designation on the record card. A printing tabulator of the "Hollerith" " kind is electrically connected to a card filing and segregating device as set out in Specification 362,447, the keys 153 of the latter being actuated by magnets 130 selectively energised through relays 127 from the card reading brushes UB. The tabulator is controlled by grouped cards and the ledger card selecting mechanism is actuated at group change from the first card only of a group. The group control mechanism maintains a coil 38 energized whilst cards of the same group are at the upper and lower brushes. At a group change, coil 38 is de-energized to interrupt card feeding and its contacts 38g close to energize a relay 135 the contacts 135a of which then complete the circuits of magnets 130. For the present purpose the auto-reset and auto-restart switches of the .tabulator are open and manual switches replace them. To deal with a three-figure group control number, three sets of ten relays 127 are connected through emitters EM and plug connections 125 to the upper brushes UB reading the group number columns on the cards. Each brush 165 rotates over its ten contact spots in synchromism with the reading of the hole positions in the card so that in each denomination one relay (127) is energized and closes contacts 127b in series with a magnet 130 and contacts 127a to hold itself energized until cam contacts L34 open near the end of the machine cycle. At a group change the circuits of the three selected magnets 130 are completed by contacts 135a. The ledger cards have each a magnetic piece 161 and tabs 159 which are cut away as in the prior case to represent the characteristic designation (number 289 in Fig. 3) so that when the selector bars 150, e.g., for number 289 are raised by the selected magnets 130 rocking the levers 155 about pivots 156, only the ledger card with tabs representing 289 cut away is able to move to the right by the magnet 163 which is energized, Fig. 4, by the relay 135 closing its contacts 135c. The selected ledger card is then removed by the  operator and placed in the tabulator to receive the details from the cards of the new group. The tabulator reset key is then closed manually, the counter is reset, the total of the old group is printed on the previous ledger card, contacts  P12 open to de-energize the magnet 163 and contacts P13 close to energize a magnet 171. The latter rotates its armature 172 (not shown) which is secured to shaft 173 and thus causes the bail 174 to restore the previously selected bars 150.