Patent GB-672294-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in or relating to mechanism for sensing statistical record cards
Inventor: JONES CHARLES THOMAS ARTHUR
IPC: H04M9/10
Filed: 1949-11-08
Abstract: 672,294. Statistical apparatus. POWERSSAMAS ACCOUNTING MACHINES, Ltd. Oct. 27, 1950 [Nov. 8, 1949], No. 28670/49. Class 106 (i). A record card controlled statistical machine comprises in combination a record card sensing means, card engaging elements to locate a record card relative to the sensing means in position for normal or interstage reading during different sensing cycles, and settable means operable under control from the sensing means to determine the sensing cycles during which a card engaging element is rendered effective to locate a card in sensing position. It has previously been proposed in Specification 473,757 to provide means for sensing two fields of a record card consecutively and in Specification 518,752 it has been proposed to sense cards punched in two fields in both normal and interstage positions by means of two card stops operated alternately so that each card is retained first in normal sensing position for two successive sensing cycles and then in interstage sensing position for two successive cycles. The present invention provides a machine which will sense mixed cards, some of which require sensing only in normal fields, while others may require sensing also in interstage fields. The machine according to the invention is conditioned automatically to determine the number of sensing cycles during which each card is located in a position for sensing. In the example shown, the invention is described as applied to a tabulating machine. Cards are fed from a magazine 10 by a card picker in known manner, Fig. 1A, and into a pre-sensing station be tween plates 27, 28, where the card is arrested by a card stop 18. The card is then fed by feedrollers 17 to the second sensing chamber between plates 32 and 33, where it is sensed by means of a reciprocating pin-box of the type described in Specification 401,012. In the second sensing chamber the card is arrested by card stops 34, 35, Fig. 2, which provide for locating the cards in normal and interstage position respectively, stop 34 being lowered to make stop 35 effective. Both stops are actuated by a cam 69 on shaft 44 co-operating with a roller 70 which is mounted flexibly so that normally the stops will be raised by its action but if either stop is latched down in ineffective position the roller will follow the cam but will be ineffective to move the card stop. Card stop 18 is similarly actuated by a cam 19 on shaft 2 and roller 22. Beneath card stops 34, 35, are levers 106, 111, which are normally clear of the lower ends of the card stops 64, 65. Movement inwards to prevent either of the card stops from being lowered is controlled by a cam 109 (see also Fig. 4). A similar lever 181 mounted on shaft 175 is provided beneath the lower end 20 of card stop 18. Operation.-When a card is given a first normal sensing between plates 32, 33, the presence of a control on the card in the first normal field determines whether any further sensing cycles shall take place. If the hole is present, the appropriate pin 37 passes through and actuates through intermediate members a bell-crank 98 and Bowden wire 102 which actuates a lever 103 which in turn operates a clutch to couple shaft 76 to the main driving- shaft so that it rotates at half speed, i.e. it completes one rotation in two machine cycles. Rotation of the shaft 76 operates by means of cams carried thereby the levers 106, 111, and 181 preventing the lowering of card stops 34, 35, and 18, and also prevents the card picker from operating to feed another card from the magazine, thus retaining the card in the sensing position for a further cycle. During the first cycle, all the data on a card in normal positions may be sensed or normal data sensing may be in two successive cycles, one field at a time, with the shaft 76 in motion as described above. In the case of two fields sensed in successive cycles, shutters 54 similar to those described in Specification 401,012 are operated to render a part of the pin box ineffective, control of the shutters being effected by twin cams 180 degrees out-ofphase with one another mounted on the shaft 76 at 114, Fig. 1B, which by means of levers 120, 117, 121, raise and lower alternately the members 58, 59, which locate the individual column shutters in pin-effective or pin-ineffective position according to whether the members 58, 59 are raised or lowered. Thus with the shaft 76 completing a revolution in two machine cycles two fields are sensed in two consecutive cycles, the area of each field being pre-determined by the width of each of the members 58, 59. If during the first normal sensing a second control hole is sensed indicating that interstage data is present, a second Bowden cable 129 is actuated by the appropriate pin 37 resulting in movement of a lever 131 which operates a clutch driving-shaft 77 at half speed in similar manner to shaft 76. Cams 182, 183 mounted on the shaft 77 are rotated and displace levers 184, 197, these in turn operate slides which latch card stop 34 down in ineffective position so that card stop 35 behind it becomes effective and the card advances to the interstage position. This sequence may take place immediately after the first normal sensing cycle or it may be delayed by a delay mechanism until after a second normal cycle has taken place according to whether a first control hole was sensed or not. If the interstage data is in two fields corresponding to the normal data fields then a third control hole will be sensed in the third cycle, i.e. the first interstage sensing cycle. The presence of this control hole operates in similar manner to the normal data control, and the Bowden cable 102 is operated again to move lever 103 and by means of the associated clutch mechanism to set in motion shaft 76 for a second time. If, however all fields are being sensed simultaneously for both normal and interstage punching, then a single normal cycle with card stop 34 effective is followed by a single cycle of interstage sensing with card stop 35 effective, the card stop 18 being retained in effective position and the card picker from the magazine being rendered ineffective throughout in each case. In addition to the setting of the sequence of operations by the presence of the various control holes on a card, the machine incorporates pre-set controls which in effect cut out operation of the automatic setting and enable a run of cards to be sensed in one or more cycles, normal or interstage sensing, or both, without regard of the mixed nature of the cards. The clutch mechanism on gear 81, mounted free on shaft 76, Fig. 5, and driven from the main shaft 1 by gears 78, 79, 80, comprises two pawls 82, 83 which are tripped out of engagement every revolution by the tooth 94 on lever 92 engaging the tail of each pawl. When the Bowden wire 102 is operated, for a second sensing cycle of a card, the lever 92 is rocked to remove the tooth 94 from the path of the pawls and the head 89 of the next pawl to pass the tooth 94 without contact therewith, engages with the snail-shaped cam 90 fixed to the shaft 76 and causes it to rotate with the gear 81. The clutch on gear 80 mounted on shaft 77 operates in similar manner by the movement of lever 131 and lever 96, with the exception that lever 127 carries a tooth 128 which normally engages the tails of the pawls to keep them out of engagement with the snail-shaped cam 91. This additional feature provides the delay referred to above when both normal and interstage cycles are combined with repeated cycles for two field sensing in each case. Thus, on detection of interstage sensing being required by the presence of the second control hole at the first normal stage sensing (1st field) cycle the lever 96 is moved out of the path of the pawls, but shaft 77 is not required to rotate to bring the interstage card stop 35 into play until after a further (second) cycle of normal sensing, hence the tooth 128 maintains the pawls out of contact with the cam 91 and delays operation of shaft 77 until the lever 127 is operated also. Operation of the lever 127 depends on movement of shaft 127 on which it is mounted, and which in turn is operated by a lever 123, Fig. 2, which is operated at the close of a cycle of normal sensing, i.e. towards the completion of a turn of shaft 76, by a cam 122 mounted thereon, see also Fig. 4. Both shafts 76 and 77 are provided with wheels 212, 213, carrying locating pins 214, 215, co-operating with spring-loaded detent members 218, 219, Fig. 7, to ensure that they come to rest in correct timed relationship with the rest of the apparatus for a correctly timed start on again being actuated by their associated Bowden cables. Specification 454,857, [Group XVI], also is referred to.