Patent GB-938184-A (GB)
Title: Electrical data-receiving and data-recording installation
IPC: G06C11/08
Filed: 1960-09-09
Abstract: 938,184. Checking receipts. CITY COUNCIL OF DURBAN. Sept. 9, 1960 [Sept. 17, 1959], No. 31072/60. Class 106 (1). A number of manually-settable data-receiving machines, such as receipting machines, are associated with a smaller number of datarecording machines, such as punches, all of the machines being so connected electrically that when a datareceiving machine is operated, an available one of the date-recording machines is also operated to record, in a manner not described, the data set-up in the receiving machine. As shown diagrammatically in Fig. 1, twenty-five receipting machines IXXV are respectively connected to corresponding contacts in each of three finder switches 122, 124 and 126. Each of the latter is associated with a control circuit, e.g. 140, by which any of the receipting machines may be connected, by means of switching relays, e.g. 100 to an associated punch, e.g. 108. When a cashier receives money in settlement of an account, he sets up the amount on the keyboard of his receipting machine and then initiates a cycle of operation in which, in a manner not described, the account is receipted. During the operation, a relay RMS, Fig. 2 (not shown), is energized and holds. When any one of the relays RMS operates, a common relay is energized to close contacts 156, Fig. 4, in the drive circuit of each of the finder switches, the circuit of one such switch, which has several wipers 152a- 152d, being shown and including the drive solenoid 162. Contacts D are closed whenever the associated punch is operable. The contact banks 154a associated with the wipers 152a correspond with the switches 122, 124 and 126 of Fig. 1, and are connected over contacts of the receipting machine relays RMS and resistors 158 to a source of potential. The finder switches advance step-by-step until the wiper 152a of one of them engages a contact marked by the operated relay RMS. A relay FK is then operated over a winding 150 and so, due to the resistor 158, removes the mark from the corresponding contacts of the other finder switches. If two or more finder switches reach the marked contacts simultaneously, the windings 150 are in parallel and the resistor 158 so limits the current flow that the relays FK will not operate. On operation of a relay FK, its contacts FK 1, 2, 3 open the associated drive circuit and complete a holding circuit through a second winding 148 and a relay OP, which by its contacts OP 1, 2 completes a circuit over the wiper 152d to a set of relays, e.g. 1AA-1AF, corresponding with the calling receipting machine and arranged to cause the data to be transferred from it to the punch associated with that finder switch. One of these relays 1AE completes a circuit for a relay arranged to initiate operation of the punch and while the punch is operating, a relay PH is energized. The contacts PH1, 2 of this relay close a holding circuit for the relays 1AA-1AF and the contacts PH 5, 6 de-energize the relays FK and OP. As the contacts FK 1, 2 reengage, the drive circuit for the finder switch is re-energized and so that switch can start hunting for the next marked contact before the operation of the punch is completed. A further relay operated under the control of the punch causes the advance of a stepping switch counter, Fig. 8 (not shown), corresponding with the receipting machine and selected under the control of the relay 1 AF. Further circuits, Figs. 9 and 10 (not shown), controlled by the relays RMS and a relay energized over contacts of the relays 1 &c. prevent further operation of a receipting machine until punching of the data entered into it has been completed and energize a lamp at the same time. Some or all of the receipting machines may have a switch by which they may be given priority by the finder switches, e.g. when a cashier wishes to list and receipt a series of accounts for one customer. The switch causes operation of switches 163 in the finder switch circuits so that searching is performed by the wipers 152b instead of 152a. At the same time contacts AL 21, 22 apply the marking potential corresponding to that machine to the banks 154b. Thus the finder switches will search only for marks with such priority.