Patent GB-896653-A (GB)
Title: System for sorting documents in response to indicia appearing thereon
IPC: G06F7/06
Filed: 1960-08-25
Abstract: 896,653. Sorting cheques. GENERAL ELECTRIC CO. Aug. 25, 1960 [Sept. 3, 1959; Sept. 14, 1959], No. 29400/60. Class 106 (1) In a sorter for cheques having a series of characters printed thereon sensing means scan the characters in turn and recognition means give outputs on corresponding leads these character signals being applied to a selector which selects the character in a predetermined position and to a circuit which controls sorting in accordance with the selected character. The cheque, Fig. 2, has the series of characters printed in magnetic ink along the bottom edge and separated into groups by symbols 62, 63, 64 and 65. The groups refer to the amount, the type of transaction, the drawer's account number and the routing of the cheque. Sorting machine.-The cheques are fed through the machine on a series of closed belts 1, 2, 3-12, Fig. 1, between which are deflectors 61, 62 . . .71 which can be raised by solenoids 41, 42-51 to deflect the cheque into appropriate pockets. Each pocket consists of a sloping table and a sliding member 26 which is spring- loaded to keep the cheques stacked against the downwardly moving lay of the associated belt. A roller 55 keeps the cheques in contact with the first belt 1 and belts 50 press them into contact with belts 2- 11. Cheques reaching the last belt 12 are passed by deflector 72 into a reject pocket. Symbols and characters on the cheque are magnetized at M and sensed by head 54. The induced waveforms are analysed in the reader 22 and outputs are produced on lines 0-9 for a numeral and on one of the four leads CUE for the group symbols 62-65. The control circuit 21 has output leads 0-9 connected to solenoids 69 associated with ten discs 2<SP>1</SP> -11<SP>1</SP> rotating with the card feed. The discs store the character signal and actuate the deflector at the proper time, there being in each a series of twelve slidably mounted pins 75. One of the pins is projected by the solenoid 69 when this is energized by the character signal. As the discs rotate, the projected pin closes contacts 110 to energize the associated solenoid, e.g. 51 and actuate the corresponding deflector 71 so that the cheque passes to the nines pocket. The setting pulses for application to solenoids 69 are accurately timed with respect to the card position by a rotating disc 27 which has magnets round its periphery which induce synchronizing pulses in coil 87. These pulses occur as the cheque reaches a predetermined position along the feed path and are used to read out the character signal from the control circuit 21. Circuit.-The character reader, which may be of the kind described in Specification 796,579, applies a signal to one of the character leads 0-9, Fig. 3, and the encoder 100 converts this signal to a 5, 4, 2, 1 code on four leads for application via gates 101, 102, 103 and 104 to the four flip-flops of a store IR. At the proper times the contents of the store are transmitted by further gates to a command store CR. Synchronizing pulses from coil 87 read out the stored data via a decoder 170 to produce a signal on one of leads 0-9 which passes to one of the magnets 76 (Fig. 1), of the mechanical timer. The remaining lead SS passes directly to the magnet 41 of deflector 61 for the " special sort " pocket, no delay timing being necessary for this deflector. The And gates 101-104 which pass the data into store IR are opened by counters CC, which counts the group symbols 62-65, Fig. 2, and DC which counts the digits on the check. The symbol pulses pass on leads 242, 243, 244 and 245 from the decoder 100 to the counter CC. All the numeral pulses on leads 0-9 are combined in Or gate 304 and pass to digit counter DC. This counter is reset by a symbol pulse on any of leads 242-245 passing through Or gate 171. A switch in field selector FS determines the count at which counter CC will provide an output to And gate 174. A similar switch in the digit selector DS determines the count at which the field counter provides an output to gate 174. At the selected digit in the selected group the gate 174 opens to set flip-flop 175 and enable gates 101-104 to allow the character represented at that instant by signals on the output leads of the decoder 100 to enter the store IR. The cheque is detected as it enters the apparatus by a photo-electric cell 57, the signal causing a control circuit 147 to send a pulse to store IR and transfer the data to store CR when a signal from unit 180 enables gates 155-158. If the sorter is working in co-operation with other equipment the numeral sensed may be gated out to it by gates 182-185 under the control of unit 180 and the number entered in the store CR is put in through gates 176-179. Error circuit.-All symbol and digit signals are received by Or gate 321 and applied to a single-shot multivibrator 322 the output of which opens a gate 324 if other conditions are satisfied represented by the other inputs to gate 324. Should a digit be missing or be badly printed the character reader will produce no output, thereby operating alarm flip-flop 325 if the sorting digit has not yet been reached and if the space is not before a hyphen. This sets the flip-flop 175 to prevent data entering the store IR so that none of the deflectors 61-71 is operated and the cheque passes to the reject pocket. However, if a space is followed by a group symbol it passes a signal via Or gate 257 to set flip-flops 105-108 of store IR so that lead SS of decoder 170 is energized to send the cheque to the " special sort " pocket. If the character reader gives recognition outputs on more than one lead, an error circuit as in Specification 796,579 is used to send the cheque to the reject pocket.