Patent GB-912224-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in or relating to sorting devices
Filed: 1959-03-17
Abstract: 912,224. Sorting record cards. EASTMAN KODAK CO. March 17, 1959 [March 18, 1958], No. 9117/59. Class 106 (1). A record sorting machine comprises a first group of record magazines arranged in a row, a second group of magazines similarly arranged in a row aligned with the first, the magazines all being adapted to have records inserted into or withdrawn from their open lower ends, scanning means arranged between the two groups, record transport means for carrying records from any magazine of one group past the sensing means to any magazine of the other group, transfer means at each magazine and means for selectively operating individual transfer means for withdrawing records from a selected magazine in one group, depositing them on the transport means, and at the proper time operating the appropriate transfer means to insert it in the associated magazine of the other group. Records.-The records are cards 25, Fig. 3, having an area 27 for coded data and area 26 for other information, e.g. pictures. The data is arranged in rows and columns of black and translucent areas on film and each column is indicated by a mark 29. Each character uses six binary bits and there are six or seven characters in each column. The character adjacent the marks 29 may be a tag designating the column. This is termed character " 0 " and the other characters are numbered successively 1-6. Record feed.-The records are transported by an apertured belt 50, Fig. 4, passing over a drive pulley 35 and an idler pulley 68. The pulley 35 is driven in steps by a Geneva gear 34, Fig. 5, on drive shaft 33. Each aperture 66 in the belt has edge guides adapted to retain the record as it passes under a series of magazines 13, 14, 15, 17, 18 and 19, Fig. 4A. At each step of the belt one of the apertures is aligned with each of the magazines so that records can be inserted or withdrawn from any of them and another record is aligned with the sensing station 16. The magazines are all mounted on a plate 72 that can be raised by handle 73 to expose the belt and the records carried on it. Records are retained in a magazine by inturned lips 74, Fig. 14, at the bottom and held down by a weight 75 bearing on the top of the stack when a magazine is full the weight rises to a position where a tab 76 sticks out at the top and interrupts a beam of light shining across all the magazines to indicate that a magazine is full. Records are inserted or removed from the magazines by means of a plunger which has a head engaging the records, suction being applied if the record is to be withdrawn. The records are withdrawn from the magazines in turn, there being means to pass automatically to the next magazine when the supply of records ceases. For this purpose the number of empty positions on the band are counted and means are provided responsive to the predetermined count. When the last record of the last magazine has been taken the machine automatically reverses to feed the records back on a second sort. Sensing station.-A record in the sensing station 16 is aligned with an aperture 80 in plate 81, Fig. 8. A lamp 83, mirror 84 and a lens system 85 in housing 79 shine light down through the record area 27. A fixed mirror 86 beneath the record reflects the code area image via an oscillating mirror 87 another fixed mirror 88 and a lens 112 to a photo-cell array 89. The mirror 87 is rotated through gearing from the driving shaft so as to sweep the image of the code area column by column over a row of photo-cells at 89. These can be adjusted in position to match the projected image and a stabilizing circuit is provided for their supply voltage. An eccentric on shaft 51, Fig. 5, which is driven from shaft 33 is connected to arm 55 to rock a shaft 56. A number of arms are carried by this shaft. At the sensing station an arm 123 has a cam end 133 adapted to raise and lower a lever 125 carrying a hold down frame. At each magazine position an arm 122, Fig. 14, is connected to a plunger assembly. For all magazines except the reject pockets 13 and 19 the aim 122 is connected to raise and lower the associated plunger 148 by energization of a solenoid 152. For magazines 13 and 19 there is a permanent connection. The plunger has a head 147 covered with soft rubber which is raised while the record feeding band is stationary either to press a record in that position past the lips 74 into the magazine or when suction is applied to the head to pull the lowermost record out of the magazine past the lips 74 and deposit it in the band 50. The suction is applied from bore 167 via a port in the plunger so that, as the plunger is lowered, it automatically cuts off. A lesser vacuum is applied over the head through port 156 and ducts 153, 159 to keep the record in position on the band 50.  Timing pulses.-Driving shaft 59 is connected by bevel gears 45, 46, 47, Fig. 6, to shaft 51 at right angles to shaft 33. Gears 46, 47 rotate in opposite directions and one or the other is connected by an automatic clutch to the shaft 59 in such a way that shaft 59 always rotates in the same direction irrespective of the direction of rotation of shaft 33. This shaft 59, Fig. 16, is used to derive timing pulses, a disc 176 having a notch 177 being fastened on the shaft. Lamps are positioned on one side of the disc and photo-transistors 180a, 180b and 180c are provided on the other. Timing pulses are induced in the photo-transistors. The last photo-transistor 180c is adjustably mounted. A number of cams are also mounted on this shaft for the control of cam contacts. Magazines.-Blocks of magazines 17, 18, Fig. 4A, each comprise fifty magazines arranged in a 5 x 10 array, the rows of ten being parallel with the belt on which the records are moving. There are therefore one hundred magazines in ten rows of ten. Indexing mechanism is provided for moving the whole assembly to bring the required row into registration with the belt 50. The magazines 14 could also be replaced by a block of a hundred magazines in the same way. Circuits.-Each column of the data field 27 of the record when projected on the photo-cells 89 produces 42 bits and a signal from a timing mark 29. The bit signals are amplified at 255, Fig. 21, and the timing mark signal is applied to a synchronization circuit 257. The bit signals pass to character selector relays 275 and checking relays 276 to connect the appropriate amplifier units 255 to the sort and check channels 281, 282. The units 275 and 276 each consist of seven relays and associated contacts, the relays being energized one at a time during a pass of the records so that the appropriate six bits of the 42 are passed to the units 281, 282. In each of these circuits the six bits are applied to flip-flops, the " 1 " and " 0 " outputs of which are connected through cathode followers to diode networks which converts four of the input bits into a signal on one of sixteen lines and the other two into a " zone " output on one of four lines. Each column mark 29 produces an output from the crcuit 257 which are counted in a binary scale counter 354 having units and tens decades, with four flip-flops in each. The output of each decade is recoded to get a signal on one of ten digit leads. The column selection is made on a plug board 21. One of the characters in the selected column is selected by relays also controlled by the plugboard. This character is entered into a store 472 which delays the operation of the respective plunger until the record is in the proper position. The store 472 consists of a bank of shift registers, one for each digit, the sorting signal being shifted along by the timing pulses in step with the movement of the records. The shift registers comprise magnetic core stages. The same store is used for movement of the records in either direction, with a small modification of operation. Relays determine whether plungers associated with the line of magazines 14 or with the block of magazines 17, 18 shall be operated. The output of the shift registers fires a thyratron 479, one for each plunger solenoid 62. The thyratrons are connected to counter circuits 480 so that the number of records in each magazine can be counted. The machine is controlled by making connections on plug board 21. In a " block " sort the records are fed from the supply magazine 15 and move towards the left for distribution into intermediate magazines 14. Records are then fed back towards the right from each of these magazines in turn. The block of magazines 17, 18 may move at each change of feed magazine to enter the records from each into a selected different row of magazines. As each record is withdrawn from a magazine the character that was used to sort the record into the magazine is entered from the record into the check channel and a check made that the character is correct for the magazine. The check channel therefore takes the character from the record which the sort channel took on the previous pass of the records. The check channel can be put out of action by the plug-board connections but if in operation it serves to gate the sort digit to the store 472. If the check is incorrect the sort digit is not passed and the record goes to the reject magazine. For alphabetic sorts two passes are necessary for each character, the first for the field and the second for the zone. The circuits are described in detail and examples of operation of the machine are given with the corresponding plugboard connections.