Patent GB-437202-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in or relating to printing calculating machines for use with punched cards
Filed: 1934-04-23
Abstract: 437,202. Statistical machines. SOC. INDUSTRIELLE D'INSTRUMENTS DE PRECISION, 75, Rue de la Voie Verte, Paris.-(Assignees of Jacob, M. ; 37, Boulevard Garibaldi, Paris) April 23, 1934, No. 12227. Convention date, April 21, 1933. [Class 106 (i)] A machine controlled by perforated code cards includes electrical holereading members 59a ... 59d for each denomination, which are in parallel with one another and each in series with a resistance 61a ... 61d, a relay 64 actuated by the combined parallel currents through the reading members, means (distributer 66c) for giving an auxiliary current through the relay (winding 65) which progressively varies according to the possible values of the digit and which opposes the combined parallel currents, and totalizer mechanism (Fig. 1) which is actuated synchronously with the variation of the auxiliary current and is controlled (disengaged from its drive) according to when the auxiliary current's opposition reverses the relay 64. The cards are held stationary whilst they are being read. The resistances 61a ... 61d are of various values and are connected to four equal windings 63a ... 63d (which in practice are combined into a single winding) of relay 64, so that the currents through the four parallel circuits from the reading pins 59a ... 59d are i, 2i, 4i, Si for the four-point code. According to the digit read, therefore, the total current through the relay 64 may be from i to 15i. Relay 64 closes its armature contacts 68 (84, 86 being connected) to energize the totalizer electromagnet 17, Figs. 3 and 1, which enmeshes wheels 5 and 2. Synchronously with this action, the arm 67c of distributer 66c rotates over resistances r1 ... r14 so as to send successive auxiliary currents of 2i, 3i .... 16i to winding 65. When this auxiliary current is sufficient to neutralize the effect of the combined currents in windings 63a ... 63d, the relay 64 is reversed and electromagnet 17 is de-energized so that wheels 5 and 2 are demeshed at a differential time which leaves the correct number added to the numeral drum 1. The four windings 63a ... 63d may be combined into a single winding, the resistances r1 ... r14 being altered accordingly. A six-point code may be used to allow for alphabet and other printing, the fifth and sixth holes being read by pins 57 and 58, Fig. 3. Adding mechanism. Pinion 3, Fig. 1, on main shaft 4 continuously drives a wheel 5 mounted on an arm 6 rotatably supported on shaft 4. Spring 7 normally holds the wheel 5 away from the wheel 2 attached to the numeral drum 1. A bell-crank 23 reciprocated by cam 19c on a second main shaft 20 has a finger 25 pivoted to it at 26 which is normally deflected by a cam 31 on the armature lever 15 of electromagnet 17. At the commencement of the card-reading cycle a cam arm 9 rotates lever 15 clockwise about its pivot 14 and if holes are read, the energized magnet 17 holds its armature up so that finger 25 now moves unobstructed to the right and engages the forked end 30 of arm 6 and moves wheel 5 into mesh with wheel 2. Latch 32 is locked behind the lowered end 33 of lever 15 until, at a differential time as described above, the magnet 17 is de-energized ; whereupon the end 33 unlatches the member 32 and spring 7 removes wheel 5 from wheel 2. 341 is a justifying pawl for wheel 2. Printing mechanism.-Type-bar 35, Fig. 2, for each denomination carries type as shown in Fig. 8 and has pivoted to it at 38 a lever 37, 47. End 47 is held as shown by a second lever 40, 42 pivoted at 41 to the bar. A rack 45 of fifteen teeth is reciprocated by a lever 45<1>, cam-actuated from the main shaft, synchronously with the action of distributer 71c, Fig. 3. In the same way as the card-reading by comb 56 and the action of relay 64 and distributer 66c energizes and deenergizes the counting magnet 17, above described, so at the commencement of the printing cycle the four windings 70 of printing relay 69 close the armature contacts 73 to energize the printing magnet 44, Figs. 3 and 2, and distributer arm 74c wipes over resistances r<1>1 ... r<1>14 and sends successive currents of 14i, 13i, 12i ... i, o, to energize the neutralizing winding 72 ; the magnet 44 is thus de-energized at a differential time according to the digit read by comb 56. Whilst the magnet 44 remains energized its armature lever 43 (previously lowered mechanically by parts 53, 54, 115c, 20) holds the levers 40, 47 as shown in Fig. 2. At the differential de-energization, lever 43 rocks lever 40, 42 counterclockwise so that the released end 47 engages the upwardly moving rack 45 and is carried up with the latter during the remainder of its travel so as to position the appropriate type opposite hammers, compressing its spring 50, and the hammer 49. A cam 48 retracts this releases it suddenly. A pin 51 placed in hole 501 after the hammer has been retracted to the right, prevents printing. Subtracting. Fugitive one means. Printing distinguishing marks. This is effected by adding the complements, the negative amount being denoted by a hole in a special column. Switch 84 is connected to point 87, Fig. 3 instead of to point 86 so that the neutralizing currents to de-energize counter magnet 17 come from distributer 71c, which sends currents decreasing in value, through relay 69 instead of from distributer 66c, which gives currents through relay 64 increasing in value as the arms 74c and 67c respectively swing round the contacts rl &c. and r<1>1 &c. Distributer 71c is however adjusted so that the armature 15 is mechanically applied to counter magnet 17 at the moment when the distributer 71c sends a current of value 9i. To account for the " fugitive one " the electric transfer circuit of the units denomination is permanently closed so that unity is added at each subtraction. The movement of switch 84 and the closing of the units carry circuit may be effected from the special subtraction hole. Where mixed positive and negative amounts are dealt with, if the amounts are reversely added in two different columns, i.e. double recording, the two sets of transfer circuits may be tested to ascertain which corresponds to the true total. The type-bar on the extreme left has a minus sign in space 14, Fig. 8 and this sign is printed if the true total is negative. Specifications 296,351 and 308,768, [both in Class 106 (i)], are referred to.