Patent GB-750266-A (GB)
Title: Tape actuated counter
IPC: G01N30/60
Filed: 1954-01-27
Abstract: 750,266. Statistical apparatus. INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION. Jan. 27, 1954 [Jan. 30, 1953], No. 2553/54. Class 106 (1). An accumulating unit comprises a toothed counting-wheel adapted to be advanced to any one of a plurality of positions representing different amounts, a tape having a series of openings therein, means for engaging the tape with the wheel so that one of the openings is in mesh with one tooth of the wheel, and means for displacing the tape longitudinally various amounts as required by the value to be entered into the wheel. Referring to Fig. 1 a twentytoothed wheel 10 is secured to a shaft 11 supported in a plate 12 of insulating material. The twenty teeth divide the wheel into angular increments of 18 degrees each. The 0 and 180 degrees points represent zero with each succeeding 18 degree increment in a clockwise direction as viewed in Fig. 1 having ascending decimal significance. For advancing the counting wheel a thin metal tape 13 is provided having nine openings 14 shaped to mesh with the wheel teeth. The rear end of the tape 14 is secured to a spring-loaded sector 16 so as to urge the tape to the left. The slide 17 is mounted for vertical reciprocating movement relative to the counting-wheel 10 by a slot 19 near the lower end with a stationary pin 21. For reciprocating the slide 17 there is provided a cam 22 secured to a shaft 23 continuously rotated counter-clockwise in Fig. 1. Co-operating with the cam 23 is a follower 25 engaging a pin 26 at the top of the slide 17 which is spring- biased downwardly as viewed in Fig. 1. At the beginning of each counter cycle the slide is positioned in its upward position, thereafter it is moved successively from this position to its lower position, to the mid position, to the lower position and finally back to the upper position. When the slide is in mid position, the tape 13 is above the plane of the counting-wheel 10 with the leading opening 14 in the tape above the uppermost tooth of the wheel. As the slide 17 moves to its lower position a detent 29 is disengaged to allow the counting wheel to rotate and the tape meshes with the wheel. The tape 13 is thereafter shifted to the right, a number of units equivalent to the decimal value of the member to be entered into the counter. As the tape shifts succeeding counter-clockwise teeth of the wheel rotate so as to enter the desired decimal value into the counter wheel as represented by the number of teeth displaced, after which the slide 17 returns to its mid position and the tape is disengaged from the wheel. Later in the cycle the tape is re-engaged with the wheel to add one if a decimal carry takes place, the slide then returns again to the mid position and the tape is restored to its left-hand position in preparation for the next counter cycle. An electrical indication of the position of the counter wheel for output purposes is obtained by means of a wiper arm 31 which is secured to the shaft 11 and bears against the plate 12, making contact with the common conductive insert 32 and with one of the 10 conductive inserts 34 representing the decimal values, so that when the wheel 10 is advanced one position by the tape, the wiper arm 31 is also advanced one numeric position. Secured to the shaft 11 at its forward end is a 10's carry cam 35 and a spring-biased cam follower 36 secured to a shaft 38. Also secured to the shaft 38 near its rear end is a bifurcated wiper 41 which normally has one fork engaging a contact insert 43 and the other clear of the insert 44. When the wheel is advanced from 9 to 0 position the shaft 11 is rocked clockwise so that the wiper connects contacts 43 and 44 to send a carry pulse to the next higher order in order that a single unit may be added into the next higher order. At the rear end of shaft 11 is a second wiper 49 which bears against the rearward surface of the plate 12. This wiper is so arranged that when the wiper 31 is engaging a " 9 " contact the wiper 49 connects contacts 50, 51, to form an extended carry circuit so that when a carry pulse is received to advance the wiper 31 from 9 to 0 the wiper 49 will send a pulse forward to the next higher order. After the last numeric index point (1) of the record is sensed by the brushes 57, Fig. 6, the correct interposer or combination of interposers as determined by the record perforations are latched in their shifted positions and the associated " T "-shaped levers 95 are hooked over the add bail 98.