Patent GB-288516-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in or relating to record-card-controlled statistical machines
Filed: 1926-12-31
Abstract: 288,516. Campbell, C., and British Tabulating Machine Co., Ltd. Dec. 31, 1926. Divided on 288,360. Statistical apparatus. - A statistical machine for Hollerith-type cards wherein the hole-posttions are read successively in sequence, has an intermediate impulse-changing device which receives an impulse from each card when the latter is read and emits an operating impulse, one card cycle later, during another sequence in which the impulses are reversed for the purpose of giving complements. A second impulsechanging device, similar to the above but used in the direct order, may be combined with the above so that direct numbers and complements are registered concurrently, The cards pass the brushes in the order 9, 8 - - 1, 0. A magnet 10, Fig. 1, in the reading brush circuit., when operated by a hole in the card, attracts its armature 14, releasing a trip-lever 16 which opens normally closed contacts 24 in the brush circuit, whereby the magnet is only energized momentarily. An insulating disc 26, rotating once in two card-cycles, carries two plates 28, each of which carries ten spring-closed switches 30; each switch, Fig. 2, is held open normally by a plunger 32 having a groove 34 engaged by one end of a trip pawl 36, the other ends of these trip pawls passing the end of the trip lever 16 in synchronism with the passage of the card hole positions past the reading brush so that when a hole energizes magnet 10 the lever 16 rises and trips the appropriate pawl 36 out of its groove 34, closing the correct contacts 30. Almost immediately the trip pawl wipes past the end of the lever 16, depressing the latter into its latched position. After nearly two card cycles the pawl is relatched in the groove 34 by a fixed cam 52 engaging the plunger 32. For the switches 30 the blades are all connected electrically to the plate 28 but the insulated fixed contacts 33 are connected, singly but in reversed order 0 - - 9 to ten segments 40, on the same side of the disc 26. These segments are read a card cycle later by a brush 44 connected to an ordinary Hollerith counter. Thus, if a switch 30 is closed by a " 7 " hole in the card, since " 7 " switch is connected to the " 2 " segment 40, two will be added subsequently to the counter. If it is desired to accumulate direct numbers and complements at the same time each set of switches 30 is electrically connected also to a second set of segments 40 but in the direct order, a second brush 44 reading this second set of segments. If there are two distinct sets of card-reading brushes, as in Fig. 6, one above the other and one card cycle apart, only a single reversely wired set of ten segments is used in each set. In this case the card is read twice, the reading from the upper brushes being given out as a complement one cycle later, and the reading of the lower brushes being made effective directly, synchronously with the delayed first reading. For duodecimal amounts two sets of twelve segments, as in Specification 288,360, must be used. Fig. 4 illustrates diagrammatically a machine for accumulating, on the decimal system, direct and complementary amounts. D, C. DB, & CB are debit, credit, debit balance, and credit balance counters respectively. Column 20 of the card, Fig. 3 is used to signify whether the data of columns 21-25 are positive (" 9 " - " 5 " positions) or negative (" 4 " - " 0 " positions in column 20). Columns 21-25 are read by five brushes 12 and column 20 by a brush 15 which is connected through a hand-switch 54 with a line 56 (credit) or 87 (debit) co-acting with a brush 58 or 89. Brush 58 contacts with a segment 62 only -while the "9" - "5" positions of column 20 are being read and the brush 89 contacts with a segment 91 only while the "4" - "0" positions are being read. Hence if switch 54 is set to credit and there is a credit hole in column 20 a circuit is closed through 58, 62, slip ring 66 and brush 64 to energize a magnet 68. The latter releases a trip lever 72, similar to 16 of Fig. 1, which engages one of five trip pawls and disc 74, as in Fig. 1, so that a cycle later a magnet 86 is energized. This rocks linkage 88, 92, 94 to the dotted line position, connecting switch arms 96, 98, 100 to coact with counters DB, CB, and C. At the same time the brushes 12 have energized the magnets 10 so that the devices 40, 41 have been set for direct and complementary numbers respectively. Hence the direct credit numbers are entered on counters C and CB and the complements thereof on counter DB. If there are no credit holes in the card, the magnet 68 is not energized, switch arms 96, 89, 100 stay in the full line positions and the numbers are entered as direct numbers on counters D and DB and as complements on counter CB. At the end of each cycle contacts 106 close to energize a magnet 102 which returns the switch arms 96 &c., if they have been moved.. to their full line positions. Successive card-reading. Fig. 6 shows a modification where the magnet 86 and switch arms 96, 98, 100 are actuated as in Fig. 4 but the numbers are entered into the counters directly by the use of a second set of brushes 17 spaced one card cycle apart from brushes 12