Patent GB-352950-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in or relating to machines for punching statistical record cards
Filed: 1930-04-14
Abstract: 352,950. Punching statistical recordcards. BRITISH TABULATING MACHINE CO., Ltd., Victoria House, Vernon Place, Southampton Row, London.- (Assignees of Bryce, J. W.; Bloomfield, New Jersey, U.S.A.) April 14, 1930, No. 11779. Convention date, April 15, 1929. [Class 31 (ii).] Selective punching-machines.-A machine for punching statistical cards from a keyboard has a means for duplicating cards, in which a master card is read at different points simultaneously and a blank card is punched at different points simultaneously by mechanisms controlled by the separate reading mechanisms. Card feed. The cards are fed by a picker 55 from a magazine 57 to rollers 58, which take the cards to a carriage comprising reciprocated bails 59, 60. The card is punched from the keys 95 and is then fed by rollers 70 to a second carriage with bails 150, 151 whilst the first carriage is restored. The carriage 150, 151 feeds the card step by step under punches 135, 136, 137 controlled by electromagnets 141, 142, 143 and the common data on the card is punched under control of feeling brushes which explore the card simultaneously at different points. The card is then fed by rollers 160 to a third carriage 155, 156, moving with the carriage 150, 151, which feeds the card past three rows of feeling brushes 138, 139, 140 connected to the electromagnets 141, 142, 143. The card is then ejected by rollers. A shaft, driven from an electromotor, rotates the rollers 58, 70, 160. The picker 55 is mounted on a plate 54 on a rod 52 slidable in a tube 50 and driven by a rack 53 from a gear 34. The gear 34 drives a rack 36 controlled by an escapement 90, operated from the keys, and carries a plate 65, on which is the tube 50. The bails 59, 60 are pivoted on this plate. The gear 34 is turned by a spring and the card is stepped under the punches from the position shown in Fig. 2 as the rack 36 moves. At the end of the punching operation by the keys 95, a pin engages a dog with a detent wheel 33, Fig. 4 (not shown), the carriage is restored, and the picker feeds in a new card by Geneva stop mechanism, operated by the main shaft. The card clips are arranged as in Fig. 2. They are urged by springs 76 to the releasing position but are locked in holding position by a lever 72. At the beginning of the intermittent card-feed the clips are raised by cams 80, 82. The feed rollers then slip. At the end of the feed a cam 71 releases the clips. The second and third card carriages comprise bails 150, 151, 155, 156. Each carriage is similar to the first, except that bails 151, 155 are spring mounted. The carriages are mounted on a plate 157. The bails are opened and closed in a similar manner to the bails of the first carriage. The carriages are intermittently fed by a shaped worm 179 engaging a pivoted rack 178 attached to the plate 157. When a card is presented to the gang punching section a lever 181 is raised to move a ever 184 to close contacts 186 and to free a lever 190 to engage the rack 178 with the worm, Fig. 7. A worm 193 drives a mutiliated gear 194 engaging a mutilated gear 195 on a lever 197 carrying pins 199. At the end of a feed movement the arm 197 is turned and the pin 199 disengages the rack 178 and a pin engages an edge 200 to reverse the carriage. A card lever 205 closes contacts 206. In Fig 10. (not shown), a space key 125 operates a lever 126 engaging a lever 127 on shaft 128 carrying a lever 129 engaging pawls 90. Depression of the key 125 frees the rack 92 and the carriage jumps under control of the spring until a stud 133 on the carriage engages locking stops 130, 131, 132. Manual punching mechanism for variable data. This mechanism is similar to that shown in Specification 254,721, [Class 31 (ii), Punching and perforating machines &c.], in which keys 95 engage a hook 101 with a fluted bar 102 which operates a punch 105 through a lever 104 and a pin 109 raises a hook for causing the positive restoring of the punch. Each lever 104 actuates feed dogs 91. The circuits are as shown in Fig. 11. If columns 1, 16, 31 on two successive cards are under the punches and the brushes respectively, the circuits are completed through wire 208, switches 206, 186, brushes 203, 221, contacts 218, 216, brush 138 to the selected solenoid 141. Simultaneously circuits through brushes 139, 140 are completed to energize solenoids 142, 143. To prevent selection in columns previously punched from the keyboard hand set cut-outs 219 are arranged between the contacts 218, 216. If the variable punching comprises more columns than the invariable data, the space key 125, Fig. 10 (not shown), is operated to cause the first card carriage to skip the columns to be automatically punched. When the manual punching is small in amount the first carriage releases the card before the second carriage is ready for it. To prevent this, a cam disc 225 on the shaft 23 engages a pin 226 on the carriage 65. A notch 228 is arranged so that the pin enters it only when the teeth of the gear 194 are restoring the carriages 150, 151, 155, 156. When this occurs the carriages 59, 60 moves to allow the cam 70 to release the card previously manually punched. The concentric part of the cam 225 contracts with the pin 226 to prevent release of the card until carriages 150, 151, 155, 156 are restored. To allow of cards being fed in succession, to punch a series of card similarly, a lever is used to lock the dogs 91 in inoperative position. The pin does not engage the slot of the Geneva stop mechanism until pin 226 enters the recess 228 and the first carriage is not restored until the card is released. Punching serial numbers.-A counter, Fig. 16, with a deep notch transfer is actuated by a solenoid 246 each time the automatic punching circuit is energized. The counter drives gears 258 carrying indicators 260 and brushes 261, 262 coacting with contacts 264, 263 respectively. The contacts are plugged to the solenoids and a commutator 271 by flexible wires and the circuits are completed to punch serial numbers by the brushes 261 selecting the solenoid 141 and the commutator selecting the column.