Patent GB-483234-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in or relating to calculating machines
Filed: 1936-10-10
Abstract: 483,234. Calculating-machines. THOMAS, A. Oct. 10, 1936, No. 27574. [Class 106 (i)] A calculating-machine has two counters, each with its set of denominational actuators, the actuators of one counter setting printing mechanism and being set directly from settable stops projected into their path, means including yielding connections which tend to engage the two counters with their actuators simultaneously and interlocking mechanism which normally locks one counter and which, between two total-taking operations is transferred to lock the other counter. The invention is applied to a grouped-card controlled statistical machine having a designation-reading pin box 6, Fig. 3, as described in Specification 271,935, [Class 106 (i)], for controlling the total-taking mechanism. In order that the designation pin box 6 may remain at rest whilst the holes of one card are compared with the reading set up from the first card of a group, a mutilated gear drive is provided between the main shaft 1 and the eccentric which reciprocates the designation pin box 6. The item-reading pin box (not shown) is as described in Specincation 401,012, and is driven by mutilated gears in order to permit rapid reading which is communicated to the usual stops 26 in the stop basket, Fig. 6. These stops differentially control the sectors 27 which position type carriers 27a and, through links 28, sectors 29. The front sectors 27 coact with the wheels 41 of the sub-group accumulator (accumulator left at zero after totaltaking) and the rear sectors 29 cooperate with grand-total accumulator wheels 42. The totals off both counters 41 and 42 are printed by the type carriers 27a. A bar 30 driven from the sector shaft 35 restores the sectors 27 and 29 to normal. The engagement and disengagement of wheels 41 with sectors 27 is controlled by a plate 43, pivoted at 44 to the frame and at 77 to an arm 76. This arm has a pin 79 moving in the slot 80 of a fixed plate 81 and has a pin-and-slot connection 75 with an arm 74 on a crank-shaft 73 which is connected by a crank-pin and linkage, Fig. 7 (not shown), to a shaft carrying the wheels 41. If plate 43 rocks clockwise, the action of pin 79. and slot 80 is such as to disengage wheels 41 front the sectors 27 and vice versa. Two pins 45, 46 on the plate 43 coact with notches 49, 50, Fig. 4, in a sub.group total link 47 operated by a link 51 and cam 53 on the main shaft 1. The position of a side total link 127 through which the link 47 passes, decides whether link 47 shall engage pin 45 or pin 46 as it reciprocates vertically. Specification 483,235 is referred to. To engage and disengage the grand total counter wheels 42 with the sectors 29, a grand total link 55, also passing through the side total link 127, coacts with pins 56, 57 on a disc 58 secured to shaft 59. A. pin 428, on an arm 427 loose on shaft 59, is pulled by spring 430 against a plate 429 fixed to shaft 59. A second pin 426 on arm 427 engages in a slot 425 in an extension 424 of one of a pair of plates 422. This pair of plates is pivoted at 423 and has slot 421 which receive the shaft 420 carrying the grand total wheels 42. If shaft 59 is rocked clockwise, Fig. 6, the extension 424 and plates 422 are rocked counterclockwise so that shaft 420 moves down the slot 421 to disengage wheels 42 from the sectors 29. The link 55 is actuated by bell-crank 63 and track 66 in the cam 53 on the main shaft 1. With the machine at rest and set for adding the counter wheels 41 and 42 are in mesh with their sectors 27 and 29 and links 47 and 55 are in their lowest positions with notches 49 and 61 engaging the pins 49 and 56 respectively. Thus when the links 47 and 55 move upwards, plate 43 and disc 58 are rocked clockwise and the counter wheels 41 and 42 are brought out of mesh with their sectors. This is effected before the sectors move from zero. After setting and before the sectors commence to return, cam 53 lowers the links and the wheels 41 and 42 are engaged to receive the new item read off the card. At total-taking, the front total shaft 86, Fig. 4, is rocked and pulls the side total link 127 so that links 47 and 55 tend to swing to the right and engage their notches 50, 62 with the right-hand pins 46, 57 respectively of plate 43 and disc 58 ; the wheels 41, 42 being in mesh with the sectors 27 and 29. Since; however, both counters 41 and 42 print their totals off the common type carriers 27a, an interlocking lever 138, Figs. 4 and 12, is provided to permit only one link 47 or 55 to act at a time. The link 55 is thus retained to the left so that its notch 61 engages pin 56. Fig. 12 shows this position, the interlocking lever 138 being on a fixed pivot 139 and having an extension 140 coacting with a belt-crank 141, 142. The spring 146 pulling lever 138 counterclockwise is stronger than the spring 145 which lifts arm 143. A special connection wire 144 is adapted to be lifted by the reading of a special hole in a grand total card to rock the lever 138 clockwise. In its normal position, the end 138a of lever 138 obstructs a lug 147 on the grand total link 155 and a lug 138b is clear of a lug 148 on sub-group total link 47. The lugs 147 and 148 are connected by pins and slots 147a, 147b, 148a, 148b to the links 55 and 47 and are held in their lowermost positions by springs. Sub-group total. When a sub-group total is to be taken the total shaft 96 makes one revolution through the latches 101, Fig. 3, described below, and rocks the front total shaft 86, Fig. 4, counterclockwise, pulling link 127 to the right. The links 47 and 55 are in their lowest positions and lever 138, Fig. 12, is positioned, as shown, to obstruct the link 55. Thus the face 48a on the head of link 47 rests against pin 46 of the plate 43. The links 47, 55 are then raised. The sub-group total link 47 rises idly and does not rock the plate 43 so that the sub-group counter wheels 41 remain in mesh with the sectors 27 whilst the latter are released by bar 30. These sectors thus move out from zero and rotate wheels 41 backwards until they reach zero. The carriers 27a, are thus positioned to print the total. At the top of the stroke of link 47, its slot 50 engages the pin 46. On the downward movement link 47 rocks plate 43 clockwise and disengages wheels 41 from sectors 27, thus leaving the wheels 41 at zero. Sectors 27 are then restored to normal by bar 30. Shaft 86 is then rocked to normal and link 127 moves to the left. Surface 48d of link 47 meets pin 45. During the next cycle, link 47 rises idly until, at the top of its stroke, slot 49 engages the pin 45. Then when link 47 moves down, it rocks plate 43 counterclockwise to re-engage wheels 41 with sectors 27 so that a further series of adding operations may take place. Grand total. During the cycle of the main shaft 1 in which the last card of an old group is added, the grand total link 55 remains to the left with slot 61 engaging pin 56 on disc 58. Hence, in rising, the link 55 rocks the shaft 59 clockwise and disengages wheels 42 from their sectors 29 before the latter leave zero position and then rocks shaft 59 back so that wheels 42 re-engage sectors 29 after the latter have been set. The latter in returning to zero then add the last card item into wheels 42. During the sub-group total-taking which next follows as above-described, the link 55 operates to disengage wheels 42 before sectors 29 start from normal during one cycle and only acts to re-engage wheels 42 during the next cycle after the sectors 29 have returned to normal so that the wheels 41 are now cleared and wheels 42 still hold their total. When it is desired to print this grand total, the interlocking lever 138 is displaced from the position of Fig. 12 either by a special grand total card lifting the connection wire 144 or by means of group control mechanism as in Specification 371,849. If this special card is inserted at the end of the last sub-group, the change of designation detected between the last card of the subgroup and the special grand total card initiates the above-described sub-group total-taking. The card feed is then resumed, the special card is read and wire 144 rocks bell-crank 143, 141 and lever 138 at a moment when link 47 is raised. End 138a is now removed from the path of lug 147 on link 55 and the other end of lever 138 with its recess 138c is moved into the path of lug 148 on link 47. The link 47 descends through the recess 138c which prevents the link from moving to the right when the side total link 127 moves to the right. The lever 138 is latched in this position by a latch 165, Fig. 4, passing behind the arm 141 when bellcrank 141, 143 is rocked counterclockwise by wire 144. A designation change is detected between the special grand total card in the item pin box and the first card of the next group in the designation pin box. Total shaft 96 therefore makes a revolution during which the main shaft 1 rotates three times. Shaft 96 rocks the shaft 86 so that link 127 is pulled to the right and since only link 55, and not 47, is free to follow it, surface 60c meets pin 57. During the next cycle, link 55 rises idly and disc 58 remains stationary. At the top, notch 62 engages pin 57 and as link 55 moves down the shaft 59, Figs. 4 and 6, is rocked clockwise to disengage wheels 42 from their sectors 29. While the link 55 was rising, however, bar 30 released sectors 27 so that sectors 27 and 27a were set, through links 28 and sectors 29, to the amount of the grand total as the wheels 42 were rotated to zero. Thus, after link 55 has returned downwards the wheels 42 are at zero and disengaged. The side total link 127 then moves to the left and surface 60b of link 55 meets pin 56. Link 55 rises idly and at the top the notch 61 engages pin 56. Link 55 on next descending rocks the shaft 59 counterclockwise so that grand total wheels 42 are engaged with their sectors 29 ready for new adding operations. When the link 127 was moved to th