Patent GB-435139-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in or relating to combined adding and sorting machines
IPC: B07C3/04
Filed: 1934-03-24
Abstract: 435,139. Sorting or filing papers. STEVENS, A. H., 5, Quality Court, Chancery Lane, London.-(International Business Machines Corporation; 270, Broadway, New York, U.S.A.) March 24, 1934, No. 9336. [Class 146 (i)] [See also Groups XVI and XIX] A statistical machine comprises a plurality of record-sorting compartments, a printing- mechanism for printing the items in classified groups, a plurality of totalizers, manually controlled means for selecting a sorting-compartment and related totalizer, and for determining in which group the item shall be printed, item-entry controlling means, and a mechanism for causing the item corresponding to a record deposited in the selected sorting- compartment to be entered in the related totalizer and printed in the related group. Specification 435,156 is referred to. Sorting-mechanism. The sorting-drum comprises two annular members 30, Fig. 5, preferably of aluminium, bolted together and rotating on ball bearings on a shaft 27. The sorting-compartments are formed by plates 39 secured to the rim of the members 30 and bent over at the top 40, Fig. 4, nearly to close the compartments. One end of the compartment is closed by a flange 35 on one of the members 30, and at the other end an arcuate rail is arranged so as to prevent cheques from falling out of the lower compartments. The plates 39 are recessed to facilitate withdrawal of the cheques. The drum is rotated by a belt 53 driven by a pulley loosely mounted on a shaft 13. An electric motor 10 continuously drives the shaft 13 when a switch 82, Fig. 14, is closed and the pulley is clutched to the shaft 13 to rotate the drum by a clutch device operated by magnet 92. The rotation of the drum is controlled to select a compartment by a bank of keys 60, Fig. 10, each adapted to close two sets of contacts 79, 80. Contacts 79 complete a circuit through relays to magnet 92, and thus set the drum in rotation. Mounted on the frame of the machine is a commutator comprising an insulating disc 98, Fig. 5, on which are mounted conducting studs 96 corresponding to the sorting-compartments, and a ring 107 over which moves an arm 104 coupled to the drum and carrying contacts 105, 106. One side of each contact 80 is connected to the corresponding stud 96, and from the ring 107 the circuit is continued through a relay magnet 103 and a second magnet 109. When the arm 104 reaches the stud corresponding to the depressed key a circuit is completed and relay 103 is energized, thus disconnecting magnet 92 and stopping the drive, and magnet 109 is energized to attract its core 119, Fig. 4. A pin 120 on the core 119 passes through an inclined slot in a stop arm 113, which is pivoted to a spring-loaded arm 112, and which carries a fixed stop piece 122 and a pivoted stop piece 123. When the core 119 and arm 113 are raised the stop piece 122 engages one of a series of studs 42 on the drum, and the drum after travelling under its own momentum. is drawn back by the spring 116, and comes to rest in correct positioning with the stud 42 between the stop pieces 122, 123. Feed mechanism for cheques. Mounted between the wall 35 and a ring 45, Fig. 5, on the drum are spindles 42, 44 carrying rubber and brass rollers 48, 47 and driven by gears 50, 50<a>, Fig. 7. The gear 50 is driven periodically by a gear 51 mounted on a frame 148 pivoted about an axle 136. The axle 136 is driven continuously from an axle 132, which is driven by pulley and band from the axle 13. A spring-loaded friction drive is interposed between the axle 136 and a feed roller 130, which drives positively a second feed roller 131. The roller 130 is normally restrained by an arm 140 engaging a notch in a disc fast to the roller 130, but at the beginning of the feed movement the arm is carried outwards by a cam 145 on a shaft 146, and simultaneously the frame 148 is rocked about the axle 136 by a cam and arm 153, 151, so that the rollers 130, 131 commence to rotate and the gear 51 (which is driven continuously from the axle 136) meshes with the gear 50 and drives the rollers 47, 48. An electrotype endorsing-stamp and various adjustable numbering - wheels are mounted in the roller 131 to print on the cheque, and are inked by rollers 164, 165. A guide shoot 168 for the cheques is provided. Compartment-selecting keyboard mechanism. The keys 60, Fig. 10, are spring-mounted in fixed plates 66, 67 and a sliding plate 72, which is braced by a spring 73 and co-operates in the usual way with cam lugs 74 on the keys, to lock a depressed key in position, and to release one key when another is depressed. Furthermore, at the end of the cycle of operations, the depressed key is released by a lever 171 engaging a slot in the plate 72 and cammed to the right by a pin 172 on a disc 173 mounted on the cam shaft 146 engaging an arm 174a of the lever. The circuit through contacts 80 is thus broken and the drum released. The relay contacts 91a, 111, Fig. 14, prevent sparking at contacts 80. Each key lever is provided with a pin 177 engaging a cam slot 176 in one of a number of associated slides 175. Pivoted to the slides are levers 178 operating ratchet wheels 180 by means of pawls 179. When any one key has been depressed a certain number of times, and therefore its compartment is full, its associated wheel 180 cams back, by means of a pin 182, an indicating lever 184 and a bail 186, thus operating a bail 189 to engage notches in slides 175, and locking all the keys against depression or release. The lever 184 indicates which compartment is full and the cheques may be removed. By depressing alternately a release key 195 and the correct key 60 the wheel 180 may be rotated past the cam portion of the lever 184 and restored to normal working. At the end of a period of work all the wheels 180 may be restored to zero position by a manually rotatable spindle 181 adapted to pick up pawls 198 on the wheels. Item-wheel setting-up mechanism. Mounted on the keyboard 206, Figs. 20 and 21, are ten keys 205 each pivoted to a bell-crank lever 208, the other arm 209 of which carries carrier a stop projection 210. Stop fingers 204, adapted to co-operate with the projections 210, are mounted in spiral arrangement on an axle 200, and also a finger 212 adapted to co-operate with a detent arm 213 which is rocked by a bail 214 lying beneath the levers 208. Mounted on each arm 209 is a spring-pressed bell-crank lever with a cam arm 220 and a latch arm 216 adapted to engage a bar 217. When a key 205 is depressed against the action of a spring, it releases the finger 212 through the bail 214 and places one projection 210 in position to engage the corresponding finger 204 and latches it in that position. Pivoted pendants 205a prevent the depression of more than one key 205 at once. As the shaft 200 revolves, the arm 220 is first cammed back by the finger 204, releasing the latch 216, but, before the bellcrank lever 208 is restored, the finger 204 engages the projection 210. Shaft 200 is driven from shaft 132 through gears 230, 229, friction gear on the shaft 223, and gears 222, 221, Fig. 23, so that rotation of the shaft 200 and gear 222 can be arrested by engagement of a finger 204 with the associated lever 208. The gear 222 is adapted to mesh in turn with a series of item-indicating wheels 235, Figs. 21 and 23, which are slidably mounted on a shaft 234 and adapted to be moved along it by a carriage 233 engaging a spiral groove in a shaft 232. The shaft 232 is rotated, a step at a time, by gear wheels 237, 238a, Fig. 23, a double gear segment 239, and a segment 240 with a spring-loaded lever arm 242 carrying a roller engaging a cam 266a. Also meshing with the segment 239 is a gear 244, loose on the shaft 200 and carrying an escapement wheel 245, Fig. 24. An escapement arm 246 co-operating with the wheel 245 is rocked by an arm 250 operated by a rod 249a overlying the latches 216. The lifting of a latch 216 therefore rocks the escapement for one step of rotation of the shaft 232, shifting the first item wheel out of engagement with the wheel 222. Subsequently, the shaft 200 is released from the projection 210 and rotated round to normal position and an arm 254, Fig. 24, strikes a pin 254a on the escapement and permits a second step of rotation to bring the first item wheel into engagement with the first adding-rack 255, Fig. 21, and the second item wheel into engagement with the master wheel 222. When the amount of a cheque has been set up, a number of item wheels corresponding to the digits in the cheque will have been adjusted and then shifted to engage with a corresponding number of racks 255, and the amount can be read through a lens. In the position of rest the wheels 235 are locked by a fixed bar 304 and in the active position by a bar 305, carried by an arm 306 controlled by a cam. When the amount has been set up a motor bar 267, Fig. 20, is depressed, thus feeding the cheque into the selected compartment, and setting other mechanisms in motion through the instrumentality of the cam shaft 146. Pivoted to the shank of the motor bar is a pawl 277 engaging a bell-crank lever 279 joined by a link 280 to a frame 281, Figs. 20 and 21. A gear 282 on the constantly driven shaft 132 meshes with gears 283, 284 carried by the frame 281 and thereby drives the cam-shaft gear 285 when the frame 281 is rocked by depression of the motor bar. The frame is latched in the rocked position for one revolution of gear 285, by a spring-urged latch arm 287 engaging behind a projection 289 on the frame and a cam 296 rotatable with the gear 285 engaging an arm 292 on the frame. At the end of one revolution a pin 290 on the gear releases the latch arm 287 and the cam 296 restores the arm 292. As the pawl 277 has been rocked by a pin 291a to be below the lever 270, a second revolution cannot be obtained except by first releasing the bar 267. A pawl 301 on a bell-crank 300 is constantly reciprocated by a finger 302 on the shaft 132, so