Patent GB-693143-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in or relating to record card controlled bill printing device
Filed: 1951-04-06
Abstract: 693,143. Statistical apparatus. INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION. April 6, 1951 [April 7, 1950], No. 8025/51. Class 106 (i). A machine for printing bills under control of record cards comprises means for feeding and sensing cards, printing devices for recording on the bills under control of the cards, means for feeding the bills in succession, means for spacing the lines of printing on the bills, group control devices operated by the card sensing means when the group number changes and means for sensing the account number on the bills, and is characterized by the provision of a comparing means for comparing the account number of a bill with the account number of the cards under the control of both sensing means. The comparing means comprises a group of relays with denominational sets of four code storage relays representing 6, 3, 2 and 1, and called into operation in combination by the bill sensing means, labyrinth circuits set and held by contacts of the relays, and an impulse emitter for sending comparing test impulses through the circuits, and control means operated by the comparing means for permitting recording from a group of cards to a related bill when the account numbers are equal and for stopping the machine when the account numbers are not equal. Referring to Fig. 4 the first bill form 48 is advanced out of the bill hopper, the account number is sensed by brushes 282 and put in the pick-up side of the relay storage devices. Meanwhile the first card R is advanced just short of the upper brushes UB. On the second cycle, Fig. 5, the first card is read under the upper brushes UB and the reading is sent into the comparing device where it is compared with the reading of the first bill as taken from the secondary or bottom holding section of the relay storage unit. Meanwhile a reading of the second bill is being directed into the primary or pick-up side of the relay storage unit. The first bill by this time is advanced to a position just short of the platen 112. Assuming agreement and equality between the account numbers the third cycle, Fig. 6, commences with the first bill round the platen for printing. The second bill is in the intermediate position just short of the platen and its account number is being taken out of the secondary part of the storage unit and compared with the second record card being read from the upper brushes UB. The first card is passing under the lower brushes LB where control of the printer is exercised to print on the first bill at the platen. The third bill in the meantime is being sensed and the reading directed into the primary side of the relay storage unit. Figs. 4, 5, 6 assume that there is one card to each bill and the account numbers agree, if there is more than one card to a bill, the bill feed is suspended as long as the usual group control devices. of the tabulator detect no change of number. When a group control number change is detected, total taking and printing cycles are initiated in known manner and the bills then advance. If the account number is found not to agree as between a bill and a card, due to one or the other being missing or out of correct order, the machine is stopped and a warning light signal is illuminated. Then both the card and bill feed hoppers are emptied by one of the operating keys and printing is suppressed during the runout. The bill forms are in the shape of record cards and a portion of each is perforated with account number indicia in the usual Hollerith code, i.e. duo-decimal figures designated 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 0, 11, 12 starting from the bottom of the form. This is the same order as is used on the cards in the tabulator, except that in the tabulator the cards are fed with the bottom edge of the record as the leading edge so that they go through the machine in inverse order i.e. 9, 8, 7, &c. In the case of the bill feed the bill forms are advanced with the top edge leading so that the perforations are sensed in the order 12, 11, 0, 1, &c., and the difference is compensated by connecting the contacts of the bill sensing code relays to a common digit emitter so as to give an inverted reading. Co-operating with the bill sensing brushes 282, Fig. 13d, are a number of sets of account number code storage relays which are used to invert, store and compare the account number data appearing on the bill form with related account number perforations appearing in one or a group of related record cards. The parts of these storage relays are shown in Figs. 13d and 13e, the portion in the middle of Fig. 13d being the pick-up portion of the relay storage unit. The relays are arranged in five sets, there being four related relays such as CC1-CC4 for one denomination and there being five such denominational arrangements. The four relays CC1-CC4 are representative of the digits 1, 2, 3, 6, respectively, and are picked up in combinations by appropriately timed cam contacts. At the bottom of Fig. 13d is shown the holding coils for all the storage relays and this portion acts as a secondary storage unit for holding one bill reading before a second bill reading is sent into the pick-up coils. The third portion of the relay controls is shown in Fig. 13e where the contacts of the five sets of denominational storage relays are set up with labyrinth circuits to pick out one inverted impulse per column according to the bill perforations sensed and stored by the relays. A common emitter E is connected to all of the labyrinth circuits to send timed digital impulses into a comparing section of group control relays, and these impulses are selectively derived according to the code closure settings of the contacts. Impulses sent through the bill feed circuit breakers BF1, BF12 cause the bill to be read under brushes 282, Fig. 13d, and the reading to be set up in storage relays CC1- CC20. These storage relays are used to invert the account number reading and store it until the first card of a supposedly related control card group passes under the upper brushes UB in the tabulator. A labyrinth circuit, Fig. 13e, is set up by the contacts of the storage relays for each column of comparing data. Those labyrinth circuits are impulsed on each card feed cycle by a common emitter E driven by a tabulator CF shaft. Thus timed impulses corresponding to the bill account number are emitted from the storage exit plug sockets such as socket 338. The storage relay exit sockets are plugged to a comparing set of group control relays and the related upper bushes UB are plugged to an opposed and matching set of group control comparing relays. Although a non-equal impulse may be emitted during consideration of a group of cards while running through the card feed, the only non-equal impulse accepted is that occurring along with the indication of a group change. In other words, recording on a preceding bill is not interrupted due to a non-equal indication relating to a following bill, so that the machine stops only after finishing recording on the bill which has satisfied the comparing devices. High, low, passing control. In a modification included under this heading, the operation is similar to that described above, except that the operation is more automatic since when a mis-comparison is sensed either the bill feed or the card feed is maintained in operation to endeavour automatically to bring about an equal comparison without attention from the operator. Figs. 7, 8, 9 show the position during the first three cycles of operation for the high, low, passing control, which is similar to those already described with reference to Figs. 4, 5 and 6. At about 165 degrees in the cycle the card feed storage readings are tested against the bill feed storage readings and it is assumed that an equal test results. The second bill B passes through the feed rollers 88. 89 and is read by brushes 282 for a second or pick-up reading into the bill feed relay storage unit. At the same time, the second card B passes into the first tabulator feed rollers. In the third cycle, Fig. 9, bill A goes to the platen 112 and is printed, the second bill goes through feed rollers 106 and 107 to the buckling position. The third bill D, which is assumed to be out of order, passes through the feed rollers 88, 89. Meanwhile the first card A passes the lower brushes LB for printing control and the second card B is read at the upper brushes UB for the card feed storage operation. At the same time the third card C enters the first card feed rollers. A second test of the card feed storage is made against the bill feed storage reading and it is assumed results in an equal test. The third bill D is read into the pick-up side of the relay storage unit. Figs. 10, 11, 12 show the fourth fifth and sixth cycles of operation. In the fourth cycle the fourth bill E passes through the first bill feed rollers 88, 89 but remains short of being read by the brushes 282. The fourth card D enters the first card feed rollers. The account number of the bill D in the bill feed storage is read against the account number of the card C and the result is found to be a high test showing that the account number of the third bill D is higher than the account number of the third card C. The bill feed is now latched at 186 degrees and the fourth bill E is stopped short of brushes 282. In the fifth cycle the bill feed stands idle, the card D passes through the upper brushes and is read into the card feed storage unit while the fifth card F enters the feed rollers. At 165 degrees the comparing device again functions to test the readings of the fourth card D and the third bill D and is found to result in an equal test. The equal test is converted to a low test because this results in the machine running through a low-speed cycle when the bill feed can be clutched in at 186 degrees. On the sixth cycle the card feed does not operate and a comparing test is made at 165 degrees which results in an equal test. This is th