Patent GB-702511-A (GB)
Title: Waybill sorting machines
IPC: B07C3/00
Filed: 1952-03-28
Abstract: 702,511. Sorting waybills; conveyers. NATIONAL CASH REGISTER CO. March 28, 1952 [April 6, 1951], No. 7964/52. Class 78 (1) A machine adapted to sort insertable record slips into selected ones of a plurality of receptacles arranged at different levels includes mechanism for feeding the slips to selectively adjustable guides adapted to convey each slip to a predetermined sorting level, mechanism for feeding the slips along the levels, manual selectively operable mechanism for arresting the slips at predetermined positions on the levels, and ejection mechanism located at each of said positions and selectively controllable to eject the slips transversely to the feed in either direction into receptacles located at each side of each position. Waybills deposited on the shelf 65, Fig. 1, are inserted one at a time through an aperture 66 on to feed rollers 68 which convey them to a belt 79. These rollers are driven in the same direction through a gear train by the pulley 80 around which passes the belt 79. This belt passes over a table 81 and below a plate 82, the former of which is pressed against the belt by springs 84. The belt delivers the bill either into the gap between pivoted shoots 97, 99 or into one of these shoots if one of them has been displaced from the position shown in Fig. 1 to close the gap. In the former case the bill passes on to the middle table 63 and in the other cases either to the upper or lower of these tables. A number of rollers 69 are mounted on a shaft 70 carried by a pair of levers 71 which are pivoted at 72. Springs 72 normally maintain the rollers 69 out of engagement with the roller 68, but since the upper end of each lever is attached to the core 73 of a solenoid 74, when the solenoids are energized, the spring resistance is overcome and the rollers are depressed on to the bill. A spring 75 mounted on each core compensates for variations in the thickness of the bills. A pair of levers 76 also is pivoted at 72 and carries a roller 7 which is maintained in contact with the other roller 68 by a spring 78. The shoots 97, 99 are pivoted to the framework at 98, 100, Fig. 4, and each is connected to one arm of a bell-crank lever 101, the other arm of which is connected to the core 102 of a solenoid 103. When the appropriate solenoid is energized by the depression of a key by the sorter and a switch is actuated to energize either of the solenoids 109, 119, Fig. 1, one of the shoots will be rocked and one of the guides 114, 124 moved to direct the bill either to the upper or lower table 63. Belts 79, 85 convey the bills from the shoots to the guides and belts 125, 126 transfer them over the guides 135. The lower runs of the belts are pressed against the tables 63 at each station by rollers 137, Fig. 2, which bear on the lower surface of the upper run of the belts and are mounted in arms 138 pivoted at 140 to the framework. An arm 142 connected to'the arms 138 extends beneath an arm 144 on a shaft 145 which is coupled to the core of a rotary solenoid 148. The energization of this solenoid is caused by the operator depressing the key appropriate to a particular bill and raises the roller out of contact with the belt. The edges of the bills are prevented from curling by a pair of wires 149 disposed slightly above the tables and a further pair of wires (not shown) arranged on either side of the belts raises the bills from the tables and prevents them from becoming electrified by friction. A pair of yokes 154 fixed to the shaft 145 have downwardly projecting flanges 155 and ejection feelers 156. When the solenoid 148 is energized, the flanges will move down to retain the bills and each feeler 156 will contact the table. When a bill comes to rest under one or both of the feelers the control grid of a thyratron tube (not shown) is made positive, and the tube conducts and pulls in a relay which causes either the right hand or left hand-solenoid 170 to be energized to eject the bill either to the right or left as determined by the sorter. Shafts 157, 158, Fig. 5, arranged parallel to the belts are each provided with a pair of feed rollers 163 which co-operate with a pair of ejection rollers 167. Each roller 167 is mounted in a forked arm 168 secured to a core 169 of a solenoid 170. When the solenoid is energized, the roller 167, Fig. 6, will move into the position shown in broken lines to contact the bill and the roller 163. Since this latter roller is driven, the roller 167 will be rotated and the bill delivered through a shoot 172 into a receptacle 173. A freely rotable disc 175 is mounted in the table below the roller 167 to reduce friction. In a modification (not shown) the presence of a bill at any station interrupts the light beam of a photo-electric control to effect sufficient variation of the potential of the control grid of the thyratron tube to enable it to conduct.