Patent GB-831744-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in or relating to apparatus for collecting cards
Inventor: HILLEN HUBERT JOHN
IPC: G06K13/14
Filed: 1957-07-24
Abstract: 831,744. Sheet-delivery apparatus. INTERNATIONAL COMPUTERS & TABULATORS Ltd. June 10, 1958 [July 24, 1937], No. 23168/57. Class 100(1) In apparatus for collecting cards delivered in succession against a stop and one upon another on a card support 2 which is resiliently urged towards the position of card delivery and recedes from that position under the weight of cards' deposited thereon, the stop is formed by a side of a card-receiving tray 10 latchable in a fixed position relative to the card support, the tray having wings 12 towards which the card support is movable while cards are being deposited thereon. Latch-locking means controllable by the card support is provided to prevent delatching of the tray until the card support has been removed from within the tray to an inactive position thereof thereby to ensure that cards stacked on the card support are transferred to the wings 12 before removal of the tray from the latched position thereof. Cards issuing from a machine are delivered in the direction of the arrow A (Fig. 2) and deflected towards the support 2, urged upwardly by a spring 3, and shown in Fig. 2 in its low position. The support is located, during delivery, in the tray 10 (Fig. 9) the sides 4, 5 of which have slots 6 which engage tray locating studs 7 (Fig. 1) extending from a fixed frame 8. To position the tray 10 it is slid along guides 9 until the slots 6 engage the studs 7 and thus pivoted to upright position and latched in that position by a latch 17 (Figs. 1, 5 and 8). The support 2 is provided with rollers 13 which run on guide members 14 carried by the frame 8. The support has a transverse web 15 movable lengthwise of a slot 16 formed between the guides 14. The latches 17 are pivoted to arms 18 fast on a spindle 19 rockable by handle 22. Springs 20 urge the latches into latching position from which they may be raised by anti-clockwise movement of the handle 22 as seen in Fig. 1. An arm 25 also fast on spindle 19 has a pin 24 which co-operates with a slot 27 in a vertical control link 26. During delivery the pin 24 is located at the bottom of the slot 27, as seen in Fig. 5, and a projection 29 of the link 26 is located over a stud 28 thus preventing downward movement of the link 26 and consequently any anti-clockwise delatching movement of the handle 22. When the tray is full of cards the support 2 is manually pulled to its lowermost position by a handle 39 so that a tooth 34 on the support engages a latch 31 which in turn acts on a pin 35 to rock the link 26 to an extent that projection 29 is free of stud 28. Also a projection 37 on the support 2 engages an abutment 38 on the link 36 and pulls it downwardly. The handle 22 may then be operated to delatch tray 10. The handle 39 is secured to a plate 41 having guide pieces for movement lengthwise in a slot 40 in the frame 8. The plate 41 carries a rod 43 which extends through the slot 40 and cooperates with a J-shaped bracket 44 carried by the web 15. When a new tray is positioned and latched the support 2 is raised by handle 39. Initial movement of handle 39 causes rod 43 to engage a release arm 45 which acts on latch 31 and frees it from the tooth 34. Pivoting of arm 45 is restricted by a stop 48 and rod 43 becomes wedged between bracket 44 and arm 45 and upward movement of the support 2 commences. The link 26 is restored to its former position by a spring 30. To prevent the support being raised before a tray 2 is in position a latch 49 fast on a spindle 50 is nrovided which engages a pin 52 on the link 26. Tripping fingers 53 engageable by the tray 10 are also fixed to spindle 50 and. when engaged by the tray 10, rock the latch 49 away from the pin 52.