Patent GB-391486-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in or relating to record-card-controlled statistical machines
Filed: 1931-10-29
Abstract: 391,486. Statistical machines. BRITISH TABULATING MACHINE CO., Ltd., Victoria House, Vernon Place, Southampton Row, London.-(Assignees of Bryce, J. W. ; 160, Willard Avenue, Bloomfield, New Jersey, U.S.A.) Oct. 29, 1931, No. 29998. Convention date, Oct. 30, 1930. [Class 106 (i).] A record-card-controlled statistical machine is arranged to count (or record) on a single counter (or recording mechanism) statistical data from different fields on two kinds of cards in a mixed batch, and comprises a "designation " reading device (upper brushes 13) which selectively controls the connections between the single counter and the various sections of a statistics reading device (lower brushes 14) which sections read the said different fields of the cards. The upper brush 13 is in circuit with a cam contact 33 which is only closed whilst the brush 13 is reading the " 11 " (or " X ") hole position on the card in column 16 used for the " designation " control. Fig. 1 shows one kind of card having this " 11 " hole and with fields N and B containing " Cost Price " and " Cash Price " data respectively. Fig. 2 shows the second kind of card in the mixed batch, there being no " 11 " hole in column 16 and fields A and M contain " Cash Price " and " Credit Price data. The data of fields A and B are to go on to a common counter (C, Fig. 3). Additionally, the data of all four fields may go individually on to separate counters. The machine is controlled by motors TM and RM and circuits 10, 11 as in Specification 216,142, [Class 106 (i), Calculating &c.] ; there are group indicating contacts G1 and group control contacts GC between the upper and lower brushes 13, 14 as in Specification 190,144, [Class 106 (i), Calculating &c.]. The upper brush 13 used, controls a relay 25 which actuates contacts 26 .. 31 which connect the lower brushes 14 to counter banks C, A<1>, N<1>, B<1>, M<1>. With relay 25 de-energized as shown (card as in Fig. 2) the brushes 14 reading the A (or N) field are connected to banks A<1> and C and the brushes 14 for the M (or B) field are connected to bank M<1>. With relay 25 energized (card as in Fig. 1) the armatures are raised to reverse the contacts 26 .. 31, so that brushes 14 for field N (or A) are connected to bank N<1> and brushes 14 for field B (or M) are connected to banks B<1> and C. In each bank, 20 are the counter magnets and 21 the printing magnets. The relay 25 is energized, when brush 13 reads an " 11 " hole in card column 16, as in Fig. 1, over circuit 37, 33, 13, 34, 32, 25, 35. A parallel circuit through magnet 36 closes contacts 36a so that contacts 39 hold the circuit from lines 38 and 37 after contacts 33 open. Counter bank C will thus show the total of all the cash values from fields A and B of the two kinds of cards-also the data in fields A<1> N, B, M will be separately accumulated in banks A<1>, N<1>, B<1>, M<1> respectively. The invention may also be used for dealing with a mixed batch of four (instead of two) kinds of cards. For these, the designation holes will occur in one, or neither, or both of the " 11 " and " 12 " hole positions in a particular column, a second multi-contact relay (similar to 25 .. 31) having its contacts in series with the contacts 26 .. 31 and its coil connected for energization by a " 12 " hole.