Patent GB-758567-A (GB)
Title: Alphabetic interpreter
IPC: B41L45/00
Filed: 1954-05-14
Abstract: 758,567. Record-card controlled printing mechanism. INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION. May 14, 1954 [May 19, 1953], No. 14170/54. Class 100 (4). A machine in which character representations on record cards are analysed and the corresponding character printed back on the cards, the cards having columns of index positions each including zone and digit index positions, comprises means for successively feeding a series of records, means for successively reading the index points in each passing record, a type carrier 192, an element 165 to position the carrier, means to move the element, means 173 positionable in response to the sensing of a zone index, means 167 to intercept the element, means under control of the reading means for operating the intercepting means in response to an impulse obtained by the reading means sensing the space between successive records, means for moving the intercepting means against the positionable means to complete the positioning of the type carrier, and means co-operating with the carrier to cause printing on the record which has been read. Card feed.-The lowermost card is removed from magazine 107 by a knife 89 which is reciprocated by means of a cam 90 acting through 91, 92, 94, 96, 101, bell-crank 102, and pusher 104, arm 92 being latched by latch 88 of magnet 106 and freed for movement only when the magnet is energized. The card is then advanced by feed rollers 108, 109, 111, 112, 113, 114, the upper rollers 113, 114 being mounted on pivoted arms 116, 119 and pressed by springs 117, 120. A timing shutter 124 is swung into and out of the path of the card by a cam 121. Perforations on the card are read by brushes RB together with contact roller 129, and two cycles later by checking brushes CB together with plate 130. Card levers 131, 132 are pivoted by a passing card to close corresponding card lever contacts. Cam 122 acts through 87, 86, 86a, 119a to raise upper roller 114 to prevent feed of the card at the printing station, shutter 133 which stops the card at the printing station so as to present any one of the twenty-five lines of the card for printing, is pivoted to movable racks 135 which are positioned by means of a pinion 140 which is rotated by hand knob 139 and engages teeth on the racks. After each printing operation shutter 133 is raised from the path of the card by energization of solenoid 141. The cards are removed to the stacker by rollers 143, 144. Print selector mechanism.-Arm 163 follows cam-rocked arm 160 and moves rack 165, which is free to reciprocate, until the rack is intercepted by slide 167. Rack 165 is positioned to one of forty-seven positions, and through 189, 191 rotates type-wheel 192 to the corresponding position. The card code includes numeric and code perforations. The numeric positions are represented by teeth 165b (1-9) on slide 165, and zone positions by steps R, X, O N (i.e. normal) on slide 167. Numbers are represented by a numeric perforation, letters by a zone and a numeric perforation, three special characters by a zone perforation only, and eight special characters are set up by using teeth 8-3, 8-1. Each sensing of a perforation energizes a print magnet 168 (one of which is provided for each order) which moves a reciprocable link 169 to pivot a trigger 171 so that a flange 171a is moved out of the path of projection 167a on slide 167. Sensing of a code perforation results in the positioning of zone arm 173. Thus, if an " X " perforation is sensed trigger 171 is moved and frees latch 178 so that when zone arm 173 moves, following movement of the cam-actuated bail 175, the latch 178 engages in the corresponding notch, i.e. the second or " X " notch, in the zone arm, and the upper end of the latter is positioned under the corresponding, " X " step of slide 167. Release of slide 167 during the reading of the zone perforation is prevented by cam 250. Cam 271 has three fingers 272 for restoring trigger 271, so that a single magnet 168 and trigger 171 may be used to set up numeric, alphabetic, and special characters. Sensing of a numeric perforation, e.g. " 4," causes slide 167 to engage the corresponding, " 4 " tooth on rack 165 to intercept the rack, trigger 171 being moved and the unimpeded slide 167 spring actuated. A second zone impulse is not effected at this time since those zone arms which have not received a zone impulse have moved to the neutral position, allowing a clearance between latch 178 and trigger 171. Sensing of an " 8 " perforation following the sensing of a zone and " 3 " or " 4 " perforation, i.e. in the case of the special characters, results in the movement of trigger 171 which moves a latch 185 so as to free pawl 187, whereupon tooth 187a engages the left-most tooth on rack 165 if a ''4 " was previously sensed, or the next tooth if a " 3 " had been sensed, the notch 165a permitting such engagement in these teeth only. Camrocked bail 181 then carries rack 165 to the left, Fig. 1b, until the corresponding tooth 8-3, or 8-4 drops over slide 167. Bail 188 is then moved to the right by cam 257 (not shown) and bail 181 restores, and slide 167 moves with bail 188 until the corresponding zone step, " X " is engaged by arm 173. Typewheel 192 is then set. When the only perforation is a zone perforation slide 167 is freed by a hot zero impulse to magnet 168, one cycle point after the " 9 " impulse, for movement to engage tooth " O " on rack 165. When there is no zone perforation arm 173 is positioned opposite step " N " on slide 167. Type-wheel 192 is aligned by bail 195 which is moved into contact therewith under control of cam 123. Print bail operation.-Platen 200 with print pad 210 is supported on toggles 201, 202 which are straightened by a spring 207 to carry out a printing action and then returned under control of cam 268. Arms 209, 211 act as guides, and cushion 212a limits the movement of the links. Ink ribbon 270 is fed by the usual mechanism. Guide 146 prevents the card from engaging the vertical wall of pad 210, and the card is supported by plate 150. Checking mechanism.-For (a) digit, (b) zone, and (c) special character checking, contacts 223, 230 are closed at the same time as brushes CB read the corresponding perforations, as follows: (a) pawl 215 moving upwardly with arm 160 encounters projection 163a on arm 163 and moves arm 217 clockwise, and the latter moves arm 219 to close contacts 223, (a) pawl 225 pivoted on bail 175 rides on arm 219, and when arm 173 moves counterclockwise the pawl is engaged by projection 173a and pressed downwardly to close contacts 223, (a) projection 185a on the displaced latch 185 engages a raised portion 226a to move arm 226 to close contacts 230. Zero suppression.-A pivoted lever 232 in each order is frictionally held in numeric (central, Fig. 1b), alphabetic (left-hand), or split (right-hand) position, and lugs 236 thereon position a pivoted lever 237. A lug 237a on each lever 237 is positioned in the path of a projection 235a on the spring-pressed latch 235 in the adjacent column to the right when the lever corresponding to the lug is in the numeric position. To suppress zeros to the left of a highest significant figure, the levers 232 to the left of that figure column are moved to the split positions, moving the corresponding levers 237 downwardly out of the path of projection 235a. Just prior to the hot zero time projections 235b drop off the high part of cam 268 to permit those latches 235 which are free to move clockwise so that their upper ends fall over projections 167b to prevent operation of slides 167 in columns punched with an " O " perforation (if the slide has previously moved to engage rack 165 as the result of a digit impulse latch 235 abuts projection 167b), but latches 235 in all orders to the right of the significant figure are prevented by levers 237 from moving to lock slides 167, therefore zeros to the right of the figure are printed. If lever 232 is in the alphabetic position leg 232a is positioned above projection 235b, and prevents movement of latch 235 under control of cam 268, therefore zeros are suppressed in operations in alphabetic fields. The coding arrangement, the timing of the various operations and electrical contacts, and the electrical circuit are all described and illustrated. In the event of faulty operation the circuit through the checking brushes CB is not completed at the checking times, and this is indicated to the operator by a signal light, and the machine stops. The machine is reset after an error by depressing a reset key.