Patent GB-419752-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in or relating to record controlled multiplying machines
IPC: G06F7/46
Filed: 1933-05-19
Abstract: 419,752. Statistical apparatus. BRITISH TABULATING MACHINE CO., Ltd., Victoria House, Vernon Place, Southampton Row, London. May 19, 1933, No. 14576. Convention date, May 21, 1932. [Class 106 (i).] In a record-controlled multiplying-machine utilizing perforated cards punched with the factors of a computation each of the multiplying circuits includes a pair of contact members which directly complete circuits in accordance with the digits of the multiplicand and serve to establish circuits through multi-contact relays in accordance with each digit of the multiplier in turn. The card remains stationary during the multiplication process which requires a fixed cycle. The units and tens of the partial products so formed are entered successively into a single accumulator by the aid of a column shift commutator and the card is subsequently fed to a punching machine of the successively acting type to be perforated in accordance with the result. The machine as shown in Fig. 1, and diagrammatically in Figs. 8, 8<a> comprises an accumulator RH and LH, a multiple relay section MPR, a column shift commutator CS, and a punching machine section PU. The machine is driven by a motor 50 through a one way clutch shaft 51 which in turn drives an A.C. and D.C. generator 52. The shaft 51 is coupled to a countershaft 56 which drives the accumulator in the customary manner. This drive shaft carries a pinion 57 driving a gear wheel 58 with pins co-operating with a Geneva wheel 60 connected by gearing and the usual electromagnetically controlled elements to the reset shaft 63. The shaft 56 drives in unison a shaft 56a connected to the card feed mechanism, the reading mechanism, and the column shift device. The card feed mechanism comprises pinions 70, 71, and a one revolution clutch mechanism 74 controlled on the energization of a magnet 75 to rotate a shaft 76 connected to the picker knives 78. By this means the card is fed to the reading position R. The drive for the reading mechanism comprises gearing 83, 84 with a 1 to 9 ratio, a one revolution clutch mechanism 87 controlled by a magnet 93, and a cam element 89 adapted to rock a shaft 92. This shaft is provided with arms 94 having depending links supporting a frame 96 slidable in posts 97, Fig. 6. The front and rear members of the frame 96 are bridged by brush assemblies 99, 100 displaceably mounted and each comprising two members 101, Fig. 6<a>, connected by bolts 102 extending through insulating sleeves 103 on which are mounted insulating spacers 104 and brush carriers 105. The carriers 105 are provided with individual digital brushes 106, 106<a> of such length as to span four card columns or otherwise depending on the capacity of the machine. Beneath the reading position are disposed a plurality of transverse contact strips 110 mounted in an insulating plate 111. The column shift drive comprises a gearing 115, 116 with a 1 to 8 ratio, a one revolution clutch mechanism 117, 119 controlled by a magnet 120 to rotate the column shift commutator 122 which is constituted by an insulating cylinder with conducting rings and segments co-operating with sets of brushes. The punching mechanism is generally similar to that described in Specification 362,529, [Group VIII], and is driven from the shaft 56 by gearing 125 and a shaft 126 cooperating with a one revolution clutch mechanism of known form for controlling the card feed through the punching machine. The multiple contact relay section MPR comprises a set of nine multiplying relays and control magnets X similar to those described in Specification 405,031 and two control relays CL, CR, Fig. 11<b>. Circuit arrangements. The various sections of the machine are connected by circuits shown diagrammatically in Figs. 11a, 11b and 11c. The circuits include an emitter 152 for emitting timed impulses, contacts CC1 to CC4 operated by cams shown in Fig. 8, contacts FC1 operated by a cam shown in Fig. 8a during the feed of the card, and contacts T1, T2, operated during the card reading operation. The punching section is also provided with contacts P1 to P5 controlled by the card feed racks and the card ejector mechanism. The motor 50 is started by closing a switch 410 and drives the D.C. and A.C. generator 52 to supply direct current to lines 411, 412, and alternating current to line 413. Depression of a start key 414, through relay coil C and card lever contacts 82 closed when the magazine is charged, energizes feed clutch magnet 75 and accumulator reset magnet 416. The card is fed to the reading position at which position the contacts FC1 close to establish a circuit through various contacts and the reading clutch magnet 93 to bring the reading mechanism into operation, one revolution of the shaft 88 corresponding to nine machine cycles. A relay D is energized by the closure of contacts T1 to energize column shift clutch magnet 120 so as to cause the commutator to make one revolution during eight revolutions of the drive shaft 56. The relay D also closes contacts D2 to establish a circuit through the AC line 413 to a line 417 with brushes 418, 419 co-operating with the commutator segments 420, 421. With the commutator 122 in starting position as shown in Fig. 11b, the brush 418 completes a circuit through conducting ring and segment to a line 424 to energize control relay CR. Another circuit is completed through the brush 419, line 426, plug connection 427, Fig. 11a, the units conducting bar 110u, a multiplier brush 106, a plug connection 428 to energize a magnet X. This closes the appropriate contacts of the multi contact relay and multiplication is effected by the timed impulses through the emitter 152 being transmitted by the lines 431RH to the lines 432, Fig. 11b, through the closed relay CR. These lines are connected to the bars 434 of the multiplicand reading device and the impulses are passed by the brushes 106a through the perforations in the multiplicand columns and plug connections 435 to brushes 436-439 of the commutator. Current impulses flow through the segment spots 440 to the proper denominational lines 442 which lead to the counter magnets 443 so as to enter the units value of the partial product into the accumulator On the following cycle, the relay CL is energized through the segment spot 444 and the relay CR is de-energized. The commutator also establishes the circuit through the line 426 again so as to enable the tens values of the partial product of the energized multi-relay X to be transmitted through the brushes 436-439 and segment spots 448 to the next higher denominational lines 442. As shown, the commutator has four groups of segments ; in group No. 1 the segments establish circuits to the units, tens &c. of the multiplier each for two cycles so as to obtain the partial product values ; the segments in group No. 2 direct the impulses to appropriate columns; in group No. 3 the segments energize the control relays CR, CL alternately to obtain the right and left hand values of the partial products. After the multiplication process has terminated and the opening of contacts T2 has de-energized relay D and opened contacts D2, a segment stop 451 in group No. 4 establishes a circuit through contacts P2, a brush 452, and line 456 to the punch clutch magnet 275 which operates the mechanism to feed the card to the punching station. By this movement the contacts P5 close to energize relay B and close contacts B2, whereupon the escapement mechanism of the punching machine traverses the card and a brush 314 on the carriage traverses a conductor 313 and contact studs 312 and supplies current through a plug board to the reading-out mechanism RO of the accumulator and thence to the punch selector magnets 459. After the punching operation the card is ejected and the picker clutch magnet 75 and reset magnet 416 are again energized. Specifications 275,251, [Class 106 (i)], and 358,105 also are referred to.