Patent GB-674321-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in or relating to selectively controlled recording apparatus
Filed: 1949-02-05
Abstract: 674,321. Typewriters &c. BRITISH TABULATING MACHINE CO., Ltd. Feb. 5, 1949 [Feb. 6, 1948], No. 3241/49. Class 100 (iv). [Also in Groups VIII, XIX and XXIV] In a record-card-controlled recording apparatus, the cards are fed and sensed one character designation at a time, and selected portions of the sensed data are translated and printed on separate copy sheets, by the selective actuation of character printing members of first and second printing means, in accordance with a predetermined program for each sheet, the operations being controlled by program sequencing means including an endless tape having two sets of program designations thereon. The apparatus described is for use in a warehouse and is controlled by perforated record cards representing a customer and the items he has ordered, and by a perforated program tape, to print an invoice and a " picker tag " which is used for withdrawing the items from stock, and to punch on a record tape information used to keep an inventory of the stock in the warehouse (see Groups VIII and XIX). The program tape and inserted record cards control operations of the apparatus through electrical circuits consisting primarily of relays, clutch-operating electromagnets, and cam-operated contacts. General arrangement. As shown in Fig. 1, the apparatus comprises a card and program tape reading unit 100, a typewriter 300 for printing the invoice 11, Fig. 57, a second typewriter 2300 for printing the picker tag 14, Fig. 58, and a tape punch 500 normally controlled through the keyboard of the typewriter 300. The typewriter keyboards 301, 2301 can be operated automatically by translators such as 400, Fig. 24, electrically connected to the reading unit. The typewriter 300 includes an auxiliary keyboard 302 which is used for entering numerical data in an electrical relay store to be subsequently read out and printed under control of the program tape. The perforated cards, including a master or heading card such as MC-1, Fig. 52, relating to the customer, and detail or price cards such as DC-1, Fig. 54, one for each item ordered, are manually entered into a slot 104 of the reading unit and are read successively column by column. When a card has been read it is ejected through a slot 105 either automatically or upon manual depression of a key EJK on the auxiliary keyboard. The number of detail cards ejected is counted so as to prevent the capacity of the invoice 11 from being exceeded. Inserted record cards. The record cards, Figs. 52 and 54, are perforated according to the code illustrated in Fig. 51, and their columns are divided into a number of fields whose purpose is stated along the bottom of the cards. The cards are inserted in the reading unit with the lefthand edge leading. Perforations in index positions 11, 12 which normally effect skipping of certain columns of the card, and a carriage return of the typewriter(s) in operation at the time the perforation is read respectively, are used for other purposes. For example a perforation in position 11 or 12 of column 1 identifies a detail card (see Fig. 54). Program tape. This comprises a continuous loop having 140 transverse " columns," Figs. 59a, aa and b, each divided into two parts of six perforation positions for use with a master and detail card respectively. There is also a central row of feed holes 16. The columns are perforated according to a combination code to energize corresponding control relays through an electrical network described below, these relays being indicated in Figs. 59a, aa, and b. Reading unit. The reading unit 100, Fig. 1, comprises a card reading and feeding portion having a hinged cover 103 including the card insertion and ejection slots 104, 105 respectively, and further reading and feeding means for the program tape 15, Fig. 2. A main shaft DS, carrying cams, described below, for operating contacts CR 1-8, is driven from a continuously operating motor 106. The cards are normally fed column by column, and sensed while stationary by twelve fingers such as CRF 4, Fig. 13, by mechanism which is coupled to the shaft DS by a card feed clutch CFC, Figs. 17 and 18, controlled by a magnet CFM. A card is ejected and the next card fed into sensing position by engaging a clutch EJC, Fig. 6, controlled by a magnet EJM. The tape feeding mechanism is coupled to the shaft DS by a clutch TFC, Fig. 16, controlled by a magnet TFM. The card and tape may also be fed at a fast rate, to skip some of the card columns, by engaging a clutch SKC, Fig. 17, controlled by a magnet SKM. The operations effected by the engagement of clutches EJC, CFC, TFC and SKC are described below in that order. Insertion and ejection of record cards. The cards are inserted alternately via the slot 104 into one of two passages 133a and b, Fig. 13, according to the position of a movable partition 138. Each card is inserted until it engages and rocks a stop 151a or b fixed to a shaft 153 or 155. The shafts 153, 155 carry latch fingers 167, 168, Fig. 6, and when a stop is in cardintercepting position the corresponding finger holds open a pair of spring contacts HC which are thus closed upon insertion of a card to rock the stop. The fingers 167, 168 have pin-and-slot lost motion connections with operating bell-crank 169 and arm 170 freely pivoted on shafts 153, 155 respectively and connected by a link 171. When the first card is inserted to close contacts HC or when a relay R15 is energized under control of the program tape or the key EJK, Fig. 1, to close contacts R15D, Fig. 62, a relay R16 will be energized and will close contacts R16C, Fig. 62e, to energize the eject clutch magnet EJM, which will then attract its armature 208, Fig. 6, to allow a pawl 205 to be spring-urged into engagement with a ratchet 202 continuously driven through gearing from the main shaft DS. The pawl is pivoted to a clutch disc fixed to gear wheels 222, 220. The gear 222 rotates, through the gearing shown in Fig. 6, shafts 228 and 231 carrying card eject rolls 127, 128, Fig. 13, and the shaft 228 is connected by a pulley-and-belt drive 234, Fig. 17, to a shaft 236, Fig. 6, geared to a shaft 239. These latter shafts carry card feed rolls 125, 126, Fig. 13, which alternately co-act with an idler roll 149 carried by the partition 138. The gear 220, Fig. 6, meshes with a gear 221 on a shaft 129 'carrying four cams EC 1-4 which are thus given a revolution for each rotation of the clutch disc. The cam EC1, Fig. 15, rocks a follower arm 244 fixed to a shaft 247 carrying at its ends similar levers 248, 249, Figs. 6 and 17. One end of each lever engages a roller on a lever 253 pivoted on a stud 254, and the other end engages a stud on a lever 262 or 263 pivoted on a stud 264. The levers 253 carry the ends of a shaft 255 carrying idler rolls 146, Fig. 13, which co-act with the eject rolls 127, and the levers 262, 263 carry a shaft 265 carrying normal card feed rolls 131, so that the cam EC1 moves the rolls 146 toward rolls 127 and separates the.rolls 131 from co-acting rolls 130. The lever 262 has an extension carrying a stud 185, Fig. 6, which as the lever rotates anticlockwise re-opens the contacts HC. The lever 263 has an extension 276; Fig. 4, connected to a bell-crank 278 having a wedge-shaped flange which co-acts with a slot 282 in a spring-urged arm 283 to permit a card-aligning member 286 to engage one lateral edge of the inserted card in either passage 133a or b. The cam EC2, Fig. 6, rocks a lever 291 pivoted at 292 and connected by a link 294 to the bell-crank 169 which is connected by a link 295 to an arm 297 having an adjustable resilient connection with an arm 140 fixed to the pivoted shaft 139 on which is mounted the partition 138, Fig. 13. Thus during one eject cycle, or ¢ revolution of the shaft 129, the cam EC2 rocks the bell-crank 169 clockwise and the shaft 139 anti-clockwise from the position shown, so that the re-opened contacts HC are latched by the finger 168 and the stop 151b is in intercepting position, while the partition 138 allows the next inserted card to enter the passage 133b. During the next eject cycle the reverse movements occur. Movement of the partition causes the roll 149 to engage one of the driven rolls 125, 126 to feed on the inserted card until its leading edge engages a stop 187 when column 1 will be in the reading position. The cam EC3, Fig. 13, prevents extensive movement of a roller 711 carried by a bail 714 fixed to a shaft 190, thus preventing a cardreading movement of fingers CRF, whose upper ends engage slots in the bail, during an eject cycle. The cam EC4, Fig. 2, rocks the stop 187, Fig. 13, pivoted on the shaft 190, into cardintercepting position and moves idler rolls 146 towards the driven eject rolls 128. The cam EC1 also effects operation of card-detecting spring blade contacts 760, Fig. 15. During each eject cycle, a pin 245 on the cam rocks a follower 240, link 769 and arm 765 to cause a stud 764 to close the contacts. The arm 765 is latched in its new position by the flanged end of a spring-urged arm 776 engaging a step 778. If no new card is fed between rolls 130, 131, Fig. 13, the arm 244 will return to the position shown in Fig. 15 and a stud 786 will rock a lever 783 spring-connected to the arm 776 so that the arm 765 is released. Separation of the rolls 130, 131 by a card, however, will prevent a full return movement of the arm 244 so that the contacts 760 will then remain closed, thus energizing relays R59, R60, Fig. 62L. The shaft 129 also carries cams, described below, for operating contacts ECB1 and 2, Figs. 2 and 62c. Contact-operating cams. Electric contacts CR, ECB and CB are operated by cams respectively on the main shaft DS, Fig. 12, the eject shaft 129, and a shaft 1007 driven by the program tape feeding mechanism. The contacts CR and ECB and associated cams are all of similar form. As shown, the spring contacts ECB2 are operated