Patent GB-792109-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in record card sorting machines
IPC: G06F7/06
Filed: 1956-12-28
Abstract: 792,109. Statistical apparatus. INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION. Dec. 28, 1956 [Dec. 30, 1955], No. 39534/56. Class 106 (1). Sorting into sequence.- A record card sorting machine for sorting cards into sequence comprises a first and second group of card pockets and means to feed a card out of any pocket of either one group into any pocket of the other group past a sensing station located between the groups, each card being directed to a receiving pocket according to the data sensed. As shown in Fig. 1, there are right and left groups of thirteen pockets, one pocket for each index position of the usual card and a reject pocket. Feed rollers 22, 23 move the cards from one group to the other, the rollers being reversible to feed the cards from the second to the first group to make a second sorting. The sensing station 10 consists of two rows 18, 20 of photocells for sensing during a right to left sorting operation and a left to right sorting operation respectively. Cards to be sorted are placed at random in the right-hand card pockets 14. The lowest order column in the field on which sorting is to be made is selected by means of a manually settable switch and the number of columns in the field is set on another switch. When card feeding is started the cards in the pocket nearest the sensing station are fed out one by one and sensed by the row of photo-cells 18. According to the value punched in the selected lowest order column the card is directed by blades to one of the left-hand pockets 12, the process being repeated with respect to each right-hand pocket 14 in turn until all are empty, the cards then being arranged in the left-hand pockets according to the value in their lowest order columns. The card feed drive is then reversed to feed the cards back from left to right, the cards being sensed by the photo-cells 20 and re-deposited in the right-hand pockets according to the value in their next highest columns. This process is repeated on successively higher order columns until sortings have been made on all columns of the desired field, the cards then being removed from the final pockets in the desired sequence. Card feed.-The feed rollers are in three groups:-those 22, 23, shown in Figs. 1 and 2A, which are arranged to feed the cards backwards and forwards between the groups of pockets 12, 14; those 92, 94, 95 associated with individual pockets for feeding cards into and out of them and those 172, 174 directly associated with the sensing means. All these rollers are driven by a motor through a reversible drive mechanism which includes a pair of one-revolution clutches and two differential gears controlled by two magnets, one of which is energized according to the desired direction of movement of the cards. Card pockets.-The card pockets 12, Fig. 2A, comprise end guide members 118 and side plates 120, 122. One of the guide members is hinged to give access to the contents of the pocket and the side plate 122 is vertically slidable. The platform 126 is carried on a vertical tube slidable in the floor 136, and a spring inside the tube urges the platform upwardly, the upward travel being limited by an idler roll 132 mounted on arms 134 above each pocket. One arm 134 of each roll 132 is connected to a solenoid, the purpose of which is to control feeding into and out of the pockets. The cards enter and leave the pocket through a slot at the upper end of plate 122, a throat assembly consisting of a knife extension 142 and an adjustable guide 140 being mounted on each plate to allow only one card at a time to pass. Initially the cards placed in the pocket are held out of contact with the feed roller 92 by the idler roll 132 but on .energization of the solenoid the idler roll is raised so that the top card engages the roller 92 and card feed commences. A contact assembly on each pocket comprises normally open contacts 146a, 146b and normally closed contacts 146c and 146d which are operable by a lever 148 spring-biased to the inoperative position shown. When there are no cards in the pocket the lever enters a slot in the platform and moves to the inoperative position but when cards are present the lever is displaced to cause the contacts to transfer. These contacts control the card feed solenoid mentioned above and the machine design is such that feeding takes place from the innermost pocket first. The top card is fed in turn through guides 156 to feed rollers 94, 95 which pass it to the horizontal feed line of rollers 22, 23 which forward it to the sensing station. When the pocket is emptied the lever 148 allows the contacts 146 to return to normal position which terminates feeding from this pocket and energizes the feed solenoid of the next pocket. After passing through the sensing station the cards are directed by shoot blades 24 to the appropriate pocket, the stacking process being the reverse of the feeding process, the solenoid being energized to bring the card into the proper stacking position. During right to left feed the cards move through the sensing station with the " 9 " edge leading and during left to right feed they move with the 12 edge leading. Cards being fed past the sensing stations 18, 20 are properly registered by a pair of gates 166, 168 which are operated during right to left and left to right feeding respectively, the card feed being so timed that a card reaches the register gate just before the beginning of a card cycle. The gates are displaced vertically to close the card feed path by energization of a solenoid. The cards are fed through the sensing station by feed rollers 172, 174, the latter being mounted on a structure which includes links 190 and cross-bars 192 to which is connected the armature of a solenoid 196. A spring 197 normally biases each roller 174 into engagement with the corresponding roller 172. Energization of the solenoid 196 releases the contact pressure between the rollers so that a card that has been fed by them into abutment with the registering gate will not be damaged. When the gate 166 or 168 is opened by the de-energization of the controlling solenoid, solenoid 196 is also de-energized to allow normal feeding. Sensing.-For each row of photo-cells 18, 20 there is a tubular lamp 160 and a transverse row of 80 light conductive rods 162 co-operating with the photo-cells 164 arranged in three rows. The photo-cells detect holes in corresponding columns, the time in the card cycle of the detection indicating the index point position of the hole. Unnecessary operation of the photo-cells is eliminated by contacts 206 associated with a card lever 200 so that the initiation of a sensing operation depends upon the presence of a card in the sensing station. Pocket selecting magnets 224 are energized under the control of the photo-cells to cause the card to pass between shoot blades 24 which direct it to the proper pockets in the usual way. Before the sorting operation commences the column selector and the field control switches are manually set. These are 80-position selector switches having solenoid-controlled stepping means operative after each sorting operation is completed to step on the column selector switch to the next column of the sorting field and to step on the field switch to reduce the number of columns in the field by one. At the end of a right to left sorting operation a circuit responsive to the emptying of all the pockets on the right side (and consequent transfer of contacts 146a- 146d) de-energizes the forward drive control magnets and energizes the reverse drive magnet so that the cards begin to be fed from the left side. After the last sorting operation as determined by the field control switch, the machine is stopped and the cards may then be taken out of the right- or left-hand pockets (according to whether the sorting field consisted of an even or odd number of columns), and put together to form a stack in the desired sequence. Alphabetic sorting.-Since alphabetic characters are represented by two holes in each column it is necessary to make two sorting passes for each column. In the first pass, right to left, the cards are arranged in the 1 to 9 order in pockets 12 and in the second sort (left to right) they are arranged in the 12, 11, and 0 pockets 14 on the right-hand side where they will, of course, be in the proper sequence. The process is repeated as before but with two passes for each column of the sorting field. Specification 242,654, [Class 106 (i)], is referred to.