Patent GB-407927-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in or relating to cash registers, accounting machines, and the like
Filed: 1932-06-24
Abstract: 407,927. Registering transactions. NATIONAL CASH REGISTER CO., Ltd., 225, Tottenham Court Road, London.-(National Cash Register Co. ; Dayton, Ohio, U.S.A.) June 24, 1932, No. 17855. [Class 106 (i).] A machine of the Shipley type is provided with means for reading perforations on a card and for introducing the amount (i.e. the old balance) represented by the perforations into an adding and subtracting or " balance " totalizer, an addition to or subtraction from the amount thus entered into the balance totalizer being made dependent upon the agree. ment of the keyboard setting of an account number with an account number perforated on the card. The machine is adapted for use in registering banking transactions, records of the transactions being printed on a record strip, Fig. 11, an inserted slip, Fig. 12, and the customer's pass-book, Fig. 10, and both printed and perforated on a record card, Fig. 5. In addition to performing the usual adding, subtracting and total-taking functions, the machine is adapted to perform " analyzing " and " balancing " operations. The analyzing operation includes verifying the account number perforated on the card with that set up on the keyboard, ascertaining that the correct line on the card has been selected and, if these conditions are fulfilled, entering into a balance totalizer the algebraic amount of the last balance perforated on the card, and printing this amount on the record strip and inserted slip. An analyzing operation necessitates a balancing operation which includes adding the algebraic amount of a deposit or withdrawal to the amount left standing on the balance totalizer and printing and perforating the new balance on the record material. Analyzing operation. The pass-book and record card are inserted in a carriage 1382, Fig. 1. The carriage is released for longitudinal movement by turning a knob 1846 and is manually adjusted to select the first blank line on the card, after which a key lever 1465 is depressed to release the carriage for in-and-out movement and the carriage pushed to its " in " position. The account number is set up on the amount keys 55, one of two analyzing keys 58, 59, Fig. 4, depressed, and an " analyzing lever " 1920 operated to couple the analyzing mechanism to the main shaft and otherwise condition the machine for operation. Upon depression of the motor release bar 65, the machine performs four cycles of operation. At the first cycle, the account number perforations 1815, Fig. 5, on the card arc read and the number compared with that set up on the amount differentials under the control of the depressed keys. At the end of the first cycle, line perforations 1812 in the card are sensed by feelers to ascertain whether the correct line has been selected. If the two account numbers agree and the carriage has been properly adjusted, the account number is printed at the beginning of the second cycle on the book, slip and record strip. Near the end of the second cycle, the amount keys are released and the balance totalizer is engaged with the actuators. At the beginning of the third cycle the balance totalizer is cleared as a precautionary measure, and later in the cycle has entered into it the amount of the old balance read from the card perforations. During the fourth cycle, the actuators are set under the control of the balance totalizer, and the amount of the old balance printed on the record strip. At the end of the operation, the old balance is reset on the balance totalizer and, if key 59 is depressed, added into an '' Old Balance " totalizer. If the card is rejected for the reason that either or both of the conditions mentioned above are not met, the operation proceeds as if the card had been accepted except in that the printing platens are disabled and the carriage is moved to its " out " position at the end of the operation. Means are provided to compel a second analyzing operation immediately following an operation involving a rejected card. Balancing operation. At the completion of an analyzing operation the amount of the deposit or withdrawal is set up on the amount keys and a selected transaction key is depressed. On depression of the balance bar 66 the balancing mechanism is coupled to the main drive shaft and the machine is freed for three cycles of operation or, if an overdraft occurs, for six cycles. The three cycles of a normal balancing operation correspond to a normal " add " operation followed by a total-taking operation. Supposing no overdraft occurs, the operation proceeds as follows. At the first cycle the amount of the deposit or withdrawal is added to or subtracted from the old balance left standing on the balance totalizer at the end of the analyzing operation and entered into the totalizer selected by the transaction key. Towards the end of the cycle the amount set up is printed in either the deposit or withdrawal columns on the card, book and record strip, and on the inserted slip. At the second cycle preparation is made to clear the balance totalizer and a balance tester functions to determine whether an overdraft has occurred. During the third cycle, the new balance is cleared from the balance totalizer, perforated on the card and printed on all the record materials. In an operation in which an overdraft occurs, the three additional cycles are necessary to eliminate the " fugitive one." The operation proceeds as before, the positive wheels of the balance totalizer being engaged during the second cycle to enable the complement of the overdraft balance to be picked up by the actuators during the third cycle and perforated on the card, printing however is deferred. The balance totalizer, cleared at third cycle, has its negative wheels engaged with the actuators during the fourth cycle, the actuators at this time still being set in accordance with the complement of the overdraft owing to the disabling of the main " add " shaft. The actuators are restored, setting up the correct amount of the overdraft on the positive wheels of the totalizer. The fifth and sixth cycles correspond to an ordinary total-taking operation, the new balance being printed on the record material with a symbol 2740, Figs. 5 and 10, to indicate that it represents an overdraft. Keyboard. In addition to the usual amount keys 55, Figs. 1 and 4, the machine is provided with a bank of control keys 56-60, a bank of deposit keys 61, 62, a bank of withdrawal keys 63, and the usual total-taking control lever 64 and motor release bar 65. The control keys control the column-selecting movements of the book and card carriage and the record-strip frame, and select the platens to be operated at each cycle. The deposit and withdrawal keys control the selection of corresponding totalizers in known manner and determine whether the add or subtract wheels of the totalizer shall be engaged during the first cycle of a balancing operation. An " Old Balance " key 62 in the deposits bank controls the totalizer into which the old balances are entered automatically during analyzing operations. Depression of this key also serves to stop the differential for the control bank in position to select the " Old Balance " column on the record strip. In analyzing operations, one or other of two control keys 58, 59 is depressed. If the " Duplicate Old Balance " key 58 is depressed, the old balance picked up from the card is not added into the " Old Balance " totalizer, but if the '' Automatic Pick Up " key 59 is depressed, the old balance is added into the " Old Balance " totalizer. Amount differentials. These are of known type and operate in the usual manner. However, a balancing operation involving an overdraft requires the amount differentials to hold the overdrawn balance from the middle of the third until the middle of the fourth cycle. To enable this to be done, the drive shaft for the differentials is uncoupled during this period. The drive shaft 205, Fig. 183, is connected to its driving gear 204 by a pawl 206 that is crippled when its tail 2731 contacts with a stud 2730 on a lever 2729 rocked by a shaft 2587 under the control of the overdraft testing device. While the pawl is disabled the gear is locked by an aligner arm 2732 entering a recess 2734. Control differentials. These are of the known type shown in Fig. 15 and serve to control the printing platens, the blur shields, the feed mechanism for the record strip and inserted slip, and the column spacing movements of the card and book carriage. In the first cycle of an analyzing operation, the differential is stopped in the " 1 " position and in the second and third cycles in the zero position by a notched lever 2362 co-operating with a pin 2365. At the fourth cycle, the differential is stopped in the " 1 " position by the same means if the card is rejected, but if the card is accepted, it is stopped by the depressed key 58 or 59. In the first cycle of a normal balancing operation, the differential is stopped in the " 9 " position by a rod 290, and in the second and third cycles in the zero and " 2 " positions, respectively, by a shouldered stop lever 2570. In a balancing operation in which an overdraft occurs, the differential is stopped by the same means at the " 9 " position in the first cycle, at the zero position in the second, third, fourth and fifth cycles and in the " 2 '' position at the sixth cycle. Depression of the " Old Balance " key in the deposits bank controls an arm 366 to stop the differential in the " 3 " position. Transaction differentials. These differentials are of the same type as the control differentials and are normally stopped by zero stop pawls. In a balancing operation, the differential of the bank containing the depressed key is stopped by the key stem at the first cycle and in the zero position by a special stop arm during the remainder of the operation. Machine release. Interlocks are provided to prevent the release of the machine until the card and book carriage has been mov