Patent GB-431934-A (GB)
Title: Process and means of sorting punched cards mechanically and electrically
Filed: 1933-12-11
Abstract: 431,934. Apparatus for sorting perforated statistical cards. JACOB, M., 37, Boulevard Garibaldi, Paris. Dec. 11, 1933, No. 34833. Convention date, Dec. 10, 1932. [Class 106 (i)] A perforated-card-controlled sorting-machine in which blades 65 ... 68 leading directly to separate boxes I, II, ... XVI lie across the path of the cards and are separated by lifting to admit each card to the correct channel, is characterized by a vertically movable blade lifting member 59 which is differentially positioned by each cardreading into one of a number of positions along a horizontal line so that in each such position the member 59 coacts with a particular sorting blade, and when the member 59 is subsequently moved vertically it lifts that particular blade and all blades lying above it so as to form the sorting channel. Each code card leaving the magazine 1 is read by four pins 3 .... 6 co-acting with four bars 7 .... 10 resting upon four spring-pressed rods 11 ... 14 which in turn rest upon four fingers 20 .... 23 pivoted at 41 ... 44, Fig. 4, to slides 24 ... 27. The pins 3 ... 6 are adjustable to read that column upon which it is desired to effect sorting, and when one or more pins read a card hole, the corresponding fingers 20 ... 23 are lowered to release the slides 24 ... 27. Slide 28 is fixed and slides 24 ... 27, above it may slide to the left, under the action of springs 29 ... 32, until a lug 37 ... 40 on a slide meets a shoulder 49 ... 52 on the next slide below it. The distance of the gap from each lug to its coacting shoulder is half the distance of the next gap above it, so that by releasing different combinations of slides 24 ... 27, the top slide 24 can move any number of sixteen steps, for sorting cards into sixteen boxes. Each finger 20 ... 23 has an integral catch 33 ... 36 which holds the slide 24 ... 27 until the fingers are depressed. The top slide 24 carries a guide 53 in which a forked member 55, 59 is adapted to slide vertically. Fork 59 coacts with the shoulders 68<1> of blades 67 which form channels leading to the various sorting boxes. The two shoulders of each blade project forward beyond the shoulders of the next blade below it. When a card is read, slide 24 carries fork 59 to the left, Figs. 1 and 4, until it is situated under the correct pair of shoulders 681. Thereafter, a cam 63 on the main shaft actuates linkage 62, 61, to raise a plate 60 which in turn raises fork 59 to open the correct card channel, Fig. 8. A cam 89 and linkage 90 ... 93 subsequently rock a lever 94 to return the fork 59 and slide 24 to the right. The slides 25 ... 27 have shoulders 251 ... 271 so that this resetting of slide 24 also carries the other slides to the right. In a modification of the above decoding arrangement the slides 24 ... 27 are divided into two horizontally-moving pairs, one pair moving at right angles to the other, and instead of pairs of shoulders, the sorting blades have holes in them which overlap one another along one or more of four parallel lines ; the fork 59 is replaced by a rod-lifting member moving in one horizontal direction and four coacting rods which are moved horizontally and at right angles to the above direction. One rod is then selectively raised by the rod-lifting member to coact through the overlapping holes with the correct sorting blade. The above mechanisms may be adapted for Hollerith type cards instead of code cards. Card-feeding mechanism.-A reciprocating carriage 73, Fig. 16, has a springy feeding member 76 which carries the bottom card to the left with the carriage. The latter has bars spaced two card columns apart. Similarly spaced fixed bars 86 are intermediate of the bars of the carriage when the latter is to the left, so that each card hole columns has allotted to it a slot to allow reading by the pins 3 ... 6 of Fig. 1. A lever 77 pivoted at 85 to the carriage 73 is controlled by a spring 83 and a trip 78 pivoted at 81 to the carriage. The lower end 79 of this trip coacts with a fixed bar 80, Fig. 17 ; as the carriage moves to the right, the end 79 meets the end of bar 80 to rock the trip 78 clockwise, Fig. 16, so that end 82 of lever 77 is depressed and passes below the card which is left on the bars 86. As the carriage returns to the left with a fresh card, the end 79 meets the other end of bar 80 and is rocked counterclockwise ; spring 83 then lifts the end 82 so that the latter engages the back edge of the previous card and feeds it off the bars 86. Electric card-reading.-As the card is fed forward from magazine 1 by rollers 96, Fig. 21, a reading brush 97 is fed forward also so that the relative speed of brush and card is slow enough to ensure energization of the relays 109 ... 112, Fig. 22. Brush 97 is carried on a frame 98 which is slid on guides by lever 101 and cam 100 on the main shaft. Synchronously with the reading of the four card hole positions in a column by brush 97 a brush 103 wipes over contacts 104 ... 107 so that the magnets 109 ... 112 are selectively energized. Any energized magnet 109 ... 112 closes contacts 115 (or 116 ... 118) and 123 (or 124 ... 126) to energize a second holding winding and a magnet 119 (or 120 ... 122). The magnets 119 ... 122 are operatively connected to the levers 20 ... 23 of Fig. 1 so as to actuate the latter and selectively set the fork 59. Specification 296,351 is referred to. Counting number of cards.-Associated with each sorting box is a counter actuated by a rod or wire 136 and bell-crank 135, Fig. 6. When the fork 59 is positioned to lift a particular sorting blade, a finger 134 on the fork is positioned under the bell-crank 135 of the corresponding counter : so that when the fork is lifted to sort a card, the corresponding counter is actuated. Sorting cards on several columns.-The movement of the slides 24 ... 27 to the left, Figs. 1 and 4, to set the fork 59 differentially may be blocked by preventing the rod 90, Figs. 1 and 24, from returning to the right ; or the rod 62 may be blocked so that plate 60 cannot rise to lift the fork 59. Only if a card has the desired holes in all of the two or more columns used for sorting, is a magnet 138 energized to lower the armature catch 139 and release the rod 90. The pins 3 ... 6, Fig. 1, which read each column are constructed as shown in Fig. 25, a central conducting part 141 and insulating parts 142, 143 co-acting with electric contacts 114 ... 146. These contacts are associated with settable hand switches in the circuit of the magnet 138, so that the latter is only energized if the card holes read in the several columns agree with the presetting of the hand switches. Specification 262,794, [Class 106 (i)], is referred to. A modification of this, which enables sorting to be effected according to holes occupying several columns is based upon the number-comparing circuit arrangement shown in Figs. 7 and 8 of Specification 296,351, [Class 106 (i)]. When all cards with a particular combination of holes are sorted into one box and all other cards are passed into the " reject " box XVI an arrangement is provided whereby, when a desired card is sorted out of the run from magazine 1, Fig. 28, a "separation" card is sorted from a " separation " card magazine 150 into the box XVI in that card's place. This arrangement may also be used to sort out the " separation " cards from the main stack and replace the previously sorted cards into their original positions. These " separation " cards may be of different colour, thickness, or size from the normal statistical cards.