Patent GB-484150-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in or relating to multiplying machines
IPC: G06F7/46
Filed: 1936-10-27
Abstract: 484,150. Calculating-machines. BOREL, C. Oct. 27, 1936, No. 29193. Convention date, Oct. 28, 1935. [Class 106 (i)] A ml¨tiplying-machine comprises multiplicand and multiplier registers, a plurality of multiplying devices each automatically furnishing the product of the multiplicand and a predetermined fixed multiplier, the number of fixed multipliers being less than nine, selecting means controlled by the multiplier register for automatically selecting for each denomination of the multiplier that or those fixed multipliers which must come into operation, and controlling means for transmitting in a predetermined sequence to the appropriate denomination of a totalizer the selected partial products. The partial products may be all positive, or some may be positive and some negative according to the fixed multipliers used. The problem chosen for illustration is 3215 x 805. Entering the multiplicand 3215. The multiplicand register A comprises series of relays Aa (units), Ab (tens), Ac (hundreds), and Ad (thousands), each series comprising four relays, for example, 1Aa, 2Aa, 4Aa, 8Aa representing values 1, 2, 4, 8 respectively, which, energized singly or in combination may register any digit 1 ... 9, zero being registered when all four relays are de-energized. The multiplicand is entered by transmitting electric currents from a keyboard or from a perforated record card or ribbon, over terminals aAd, aAc, aAb, aAa and bundles of wires bAd, bAc ... to the registers, the relays 1Ad, 2Ad being energized in the thousands denomination, and 2Ac, 1Ab, 1Aa, 4Aa in the other denominations. Entering the multiplier 805. The multiplier register B is similar to the multiplicand register and the multiplier is entered therein similarly by electric currents over terminals aBc, aBb, aBa, the relays energized being 8Bc in the hundreds element Bc, and 1Ba, 4Ba in the units element Ba. Fixed multiplier partial products. The fixed multipliers used are 1, 2, 5, 10, so that any digit 1 ... 9 may be represented by the sum or difference of two only of these fixed multipliers. Contacts of the relays of the multiplicand register A are therefore so arranged and interconnected as shown at E, that when +ve is connected to terminal aK wires in the bundles of wires 1H, comprising bundles 1Ha, 1Hb, 1Hc, &c. for units, tens &c., are energized over contacts 1E corresponding to 3215 x 1. Wires in the bundles 2H comprising bundles 2Ha (units), 2Hb (tens), 2Hc &c. are energized according to the multiplicand x 2, i.e. 3215 x 2 = 6430 over contacts 2E, and over contacts 5E wires in the bundles 5H are energized according to 3215 x 5 = 16075. Further bundles of wires 10H connected to the bundles 1H serve for the fixed multiplier 10. These electric circuits representing the predetermined fixed multiplications lead to a device F comprising relays 1Fa, 2Fa, 5Fa, 10Fa, which transmits the selected partial products over bundles of wires Fca (units), Fcb (tens) ... Fcg (millions) to corresponding series of terminals gCa (units), gCb (tens) ... gCg of a totalizing device C for example, as described in Specification 301,803, [Class 106 (i)], for summing the partial products. Selecting the partial products. The partial products are transmitted to the totalizing device C successively, one during each cycle of a constantly driven cam-shaft (not shown), the cycle of which is divided into, for example, 48 parts, and the cams on which connect +ve or -ve potential to contacts aK, aM, aN, aP, aQ, aS, aU, aV, aW for the portions of the cycle shown at these terminals. The multiplicand and multiplier are entered during the portion (0-4) of the first cycle, and during the portions (2-4) of the first cycle only circuit is made over contact aM, the closed contacts 2 of the operated relays in the multiplier register elements Ba, Bc, wires bMa, bMc to relays aGa (units), aGc (hundreds) which are energized and locked over their contacts 1. Over contacts 2 of these relays or any other operated relay in the device G +ve is extended from terminal aT over wire dT to lock the energized relays in the multiplicand and multiplier registers A, B, until the multiplication is completed. The contacts of the relays of the elements Ba, Bb, Bc, shown at D1, D2, D3, are so interconnected as to split up the multiplying digit registered in the corresponding element of the multiplier register into the appropriate fixed multipliers. Thus as 8 is registered in the hundreds element Bc relay 8Bc is energized. The fixed multipliers required in this case are - 2 and +10 and two cycles are necessary to transmit the fixed partial products corresponding thereto to the totalizer C. In the units element Ba 5 is registered and as a fixed multiplier 5 is provided the partial product corresponding thereto is transmitted in the cycle immediately following, there being no registration in the element Bb. Corresponding to the denominations Ba, Bb, Bc are relays bGa, bGb, bGc and cGa, cGb, cGc ; the relays bGa, bGb, bGc come into operation only when two fixed multiplications are necessary for the corresponding denomination and the relays cGa, cGb, cGc come into operation only when the partial products corresponding to their denomination of the multiplier is being transmitted. Thus in the first cycle as relay 8Bc is energized, relays bGc and cGc are energized for a certain period and the + ve on contact aN is extended over wire 2Nc2 to energize relay 2Fa in the device F. Thus the fixed partial product 3215 x 2 represented by the energized wires 2H is connected over contacts 2Fa1 ... 2Fa5 to bundles of wires Fb1 ... Fb5 and during the energization of relay cGc these wires are connected at contacts cGc8 ... cGc12 to terminals gGc, gCd ... thereby multiplying by 100, the partial product fed to the totalizer C being therefore 3215 x 2 x 100 = 643,000. At the same time the +ve connected to terminal aP is extended over wire bPc, and contact 10 of relay bGc to terminal gCs of the totalizer C whereby the above partial product is added by the totalizer C as a negative value. In the next cycle the +ve over terminal aN and wire 1Nc10 energises relay 10Fa whereupon the bundle of wires 10H connected to 1H are connected by contacts 10Fal ... 10Fa4 to the bundles of wires Fb2 ... Fb5 to multiply by ten and as relay cGc is again operated, contacts cGc9 ... cGc12 are closed and connect wires Fb2 ... Fb5 to terminals gCd ... gCg to multiply by 100, the partial product added by the totalizer C being +3215 x 10 100=3,215,000. As there is no registration in the tens denomination Bb of the multiplier and relay aGb is therefore not energized, in the next cycle the multiplication by 5 registered in the units element Ba is effected, only one cycle being necessary in this case as only one fixed multiplier 5 is involved. The relay cGa will be energized and the + ve over contact aN will be extended over wires bNa, 1Na5 and contacts 5 of cGa to energize relay 5Fa whereupon the fixed partial product 3215 x 5 = 16075, represented by the energized wires of the bundles of wires 5H, is connected at contacts 5Fa1 ... 5Fa5 to bundles of wires Fb1 ... Fb5 and over contacts cGa8 ... cGa12 to terminals gCa ... gCe whereupon the partial product 3215 x 5 x 1 = + 16075, is added by the totalizer C. The locking circuits over wire dT are broken as the last operated relay in the device G is de-energized. The multiplicand and multiplier registers then revert to normal ready for further multiplication. Speci.- fication 268,850, [Class 31 (ii)], also is referred to. The Specification as open to inspection under Sect. 91 states that the devices A, E could, alternatively, be mechanical devices and the parts E, D, G, F could be operated otherwise than electrically, for example, mechanically or pneumatically. This subject-matter does not appear in the Specification as accepted.