Patent GB-841455-A (GB)
Title: Automatic card index system
IPC: G06K21/04
Filed: 1958-08-22
Abstract: 841,455. Book-keeping systems using record cards. STANDARD TELEPHONES & CABLES Ltd. Aug. 22, 1958 [Aug. 23, 1957], No. 27052/58. Addition to 812,093. Class 106 (1). The automatic book-keeping system described and claimed in the parent Specification, in which record cards can be selected from a card index automatically fed through sensing and recording stations and returned to the index, is modified by the provision of means for sensing and recording on the cards in an order different from the order in which they are selected. For this purpose the cards in the index 1, Fig. 1, are divided into groups in boxes 2 and a magnetic sensing and a recording unit 39, 40, is provided for each two or three groups, which senses card data, passes it to the arithmetic unit 7 and records the new balance before the card passes on for further processing. In addition to boxes 2 there are card index boxes 37, e.g. for customer cards, and 38, e.g. for detailed account cards. These have their own sensing and recording units 41, 42. In Fig. 1, data channels are shown in solid lines, control channels in dash lines and cards are transferred along conveyer belts 3. New data, e.g. relating to separate transactions, is entered either by keyboard 69 or a punched tape sensing device 70 and after being stored in register 49 is distributed by a distributer 50. The new data includes a card number which passes to the card index to select a card or cards, amount data which passes to the arithmetic unit and control data which passes to the programming unit 51 to determine the operation of the apparatus. The distributer 50 may comprise a counter which counts the individual words of the new data and enables in turn a number of gates connected to the several units. For example, the first word should be a programme number which is gated to unit 51, the second should be a card number which is passed to the card index 1 and subsequent words representing transaction data pass to unit 7. After processing the new data and the old data sensed from the cards the arithmetic unit produces an output which is passed via distributer 43 to the appropriate recording devices 39-42 to enter the data on the cards. The newly-recorded data is checked by being sensed while the card is in the same position, the data being compared in comparator 63 with the output from the arithmetic unit. If an error is found the data from the arithmetic unit is re-recorded and a further check is made This is repeated, for example, three times and then a warning is given or the card is rejected if an error is still present. The cards then pass in any sequence to a reading device 44 which senses the new record and passes the information to a card-printing unit 45, a list printing unit 46 and a tape punch 47, the data to be printed or punched being selected by distributer 48 controlled by the programme device 51. The distributer has a plug-board for making connections to the units as desired. Data entered from keyboard 69 or tape senser 70 is also registered in a store 67 and, if due to some error or an absent record card it cannot be transmitted to the unit 7 it is punched in a tape in recording unit 68 so as to be available for processing later or for checking operations. Cards may be selected under the control of other cards, for example a customer card may be selected and the address sensed may be printed on an account form while the card remains in the sensing unit 41. The item cards concerned in the transaction are selected in turn from the index. In another embodiment the transaction data, entered, for example, by keyboard, is stored in a number of stores, the number of the card when it arrives at the sensing station being compared with the numbers recorded in the stores and where there is agreement the stored data and the card data are passed to an arithmetic unit for calculation of a new balance.