Patent GB-301803-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in or relating to statistical apparatus
Filed: 1928-12-03
Abstract: 301,803. Borel, C. Dec. 5, 1927, [Convention date]. Statistical apparatus.-A statistical machine for dealing with code cards or bands as described in Specification 282,664 is adapted to deal with a large number of denominations without proportionally increasing the electric circuits. As in the previous case positive item circuits are arranged to deal with negative items, subtraction being performed by addition of the complement. For this a special set of circuits s is provided which are switched in for subtraction automatically under the control of a special negative perforation on the cards. A second special set of circuits, which may be switched in at will are used as a repeater device to effect multiplication and division. The card-reading device may be of the kind described in Specification 268,850, [Class 31 (ii), Punching and perforating machines &c.]. Each denominational unit, lettered A, B, C, or D, Fig. 17, comprises four magnets a1 - - a4 (preceded by the letter A, B, C, or D), cam-contacts b1 - - b13, relay c and the card-reading and driving mechanism pertaining thereto. Cam contacts b1 - - b4 are used for zeroizing, contacts b5 - - b8 for transmission of positive amounts, and contacts b9 - - b12 for complementary working. A is the units denomination, B the tens, C the hundreds, and D is an auxiliary unit used to enter the items read as positive or negative items. The positive line of the current source is connected through the card perforations detected (Fig. 1 shows the code used), with the terminal A1 or B1 etc. and energizes the magnets a1 - - a4 according to the particular card holes which have been read. When a magnet a1 - - a4 is energized its armature 33 is attracted, Fig. 2, and raises a notched locking bar 29. The four bars 29 coact with upper and lower pins 27, 28 on eleven sliding bars 25 which are pressed to the left by springs 30. The arrangement of the notches in the bars 29 and of the pins is such that for any particular combination of bars raised (i.e. for any particular cardreading) only the complete set of pins 27, 28 on one particular slide 25 are allowed to move to the left, so that only that slide 25 is released corresponding to the card-reading. This movement to the left is not, however, completed until, immediately after the card-reading, a bar 34 is lowered (through arm 35, cross-bar 38, rod 39, lever 41, and cam 45) so as to unlock pins 26 on the bars 25, the pin 26 of the fully released slide 25 entering a gap of the rod 34. Later in the machine cycle the bevelled faces on rods 34 restore all released slides 25 to the right. The released slide 25, say number " 4," differentially arrests a tooth 24 on a bar 21 which is later raised by an arm 36 so that the rack on bar 21 communicates the amount of the item to the registering wheel 23. Later in the machine cycle a cam 44 lowers a rod 18 carrying a crossbar 20 common to all the slides 21, this bar 20 meeting projections 22 to restore the slides 21 to their lowermost positions. Cam 44 and rod 18 are duplicated at the other end of cross-bar 20. Rigid with each wheel 23 is an arm 60, Fig. 15, having a spring pawl 61 engaging a ratchet 62 rigid with the shaft B10 (or A10, C10) and with the numeral drum, Fig. 10; when the wheel 23 is rotated (say four steps) by the bar 21 its pawl 61 moves the numeral drum on four steps; in the return motion the pawl rides over the teeth. Transfer mechanism.-When a numeral drum passes from 9 to 0 a transfer lug 64, Fig. 16, rigid with shaft B10, rocks an arm 65 rigid with the shaft B11 of next higher denomination so that an arm 69, Fig. 9, also rigid with shaft B11 moves clockwise from the position shown in Fig. 9 to the position where the detent 72 is in the upper notch of arm 70, the latter being rigid with shaft of B11. During this movement of shaft B11 a pawl 68, Fig. 13, rigid with it moves back over another tooth of a ratchet 66 rigid with the numeral drum for this denomination. The arm 69 has thus been moved into the path of a lug g on a rod 55 so that when, at transfer, cam 47 raises the rods 55 for all denominations, each set arm 69 is rocked counterclockwise, Fig. 9, and the pawl 68, Fig. 13, moves the next higher numeral drum one step. To enable the correct successive transfers to occur, the lugs g are arranged each below the next from denomination to denomination, the lug for the units denomination being the highest. Zeroizing mechanism.-The axes A10, B10, &c. carry four zeroizing cam discs Ab (1 - - 4), Bb (1 - - 4), &c., Figs. 14 and 17, which have one or more cam points positioned in various ways and adapted to actuate arms Ad, Bd, &c. which raise plungers Ae, Be, &c. to close contacts Af, Bf, &c. The arrangement is such that when a numeral drum, and therefore the cams Ab or Bb &c. rigid therewith, are at any particular number (say 6) the cams Ab or Bb &c. hold at that moment such a combination of contacts Bf closed that on completion of the zeroizing circuit by closing the zeroizing key a combination of the four magnets Aa (1 - - 4), Ba (1 - - 4), &c. is energized such that the complement of the number already standing on the numeral drum is added, through the mechanism of Fig. 2 to bring the drums forward to zero. The complement is with respect to ten for the units denomination A and with respect to nine for the tens and hundreds B and C. Negative working. If a card bears the special perforation which denotes that the item (or items) is a negative one then the selection of this hole by the card-reading device brings a special set of circuits, shown in Fig. 18, into connection between the card-reading device and the circuits of Fig. 17 so that the four magnets a1 - - a4 of each denomination are not energized directly from the card-reading but through the circuits of Fig. 18 which include special magnets f1 - - f4; the arrangement is such that the magnets a1 - - a4 are energized to add complements with respect to nine (but with respect to ten for the units) of the item on the card. Means are also provided for transmitting the items, whether positive or negative, to appropriate receiving apparatus whenever desired. For positive or negative amounts, the positive pole of the source of current is connected by a relay under the control of the special perforation, to the terminal 315 or 316 respectively. Terminals A12, B12 are connected to the cardreading device, and A13, B13 are connected to A1, B1, Fig. 17. Repeater devices. If it be desired, for any purpose such as multiplication or division, automatically to repeat the items received, any desired number of times, the electrical connections of Fig. 19 are switched in instead of those of Fig. 17 for the magnets a1 - - a4. The slide 421 has reading apertures, Fig. 17, and is moved automatically under the control of armature 414 of magnet Dc according as positive or negative numerals are to be shown.