Patent GB-331847-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in or relating to sorting machines for statistical cards or the like
Filed: 1929-04-05
Abstract: 331,847. Accounting & Tabulating Corporation of Great Britain, Ltd., and Brougham, L. E. April 5, 1929. Sorting cards.-When the mouth of a sorting box 5 is opened by the control of a card C, the mouth is retained open to receive that card and a predetermined number of cards immediately following it; e.g., a perforated wage card followed by a corresponding unperforated deduction card. The invention is described as applied to the sorting machine according to Specification 128,207. The number of sensing pins P equals the number of hole positions in a card column, these pins being on a carriage 1, 1a so as to coact with the desired column. When a pin P reads a hole its associated members 3, 4, B rock a bell-crank 20 to project a plunger into the rotary path of plates 21 pivoted at 22 on a plate T. There are six plates, 21 on each plate T, and a plate T for each box 5. If a plate 21 is tripped it moves outwards a member 23 hinged to it so that at the appropriate time a lateral roller 25 raises a bell-crank 17 rigid with the shaft 18 carrying the two fingers 6 which constitute the sorting flap of each box. Shortly afterwards a pin 27 on lever 17 meets a lug 26 on member 23 and resets the tripped plate 21. When, however, lever 17 is raised a latch L is rocked clockwise by a spring so that its hook L<1> maintains the mouth of the sorting box open. Subsequently a cam pin L3 trips the latch L and closes the box, this pin being adjustably carried on a timing shaft 35 which drives the card-feed rollers 15. The arrangement is such that between the raising of a pair of fingers 6 and the tripping of latch L by pin L<3> the card which operated the plate 21, together with its follower card pass into the box. Instead of latch L engaging lever 17 it may engage a lug on shaft 18. The ends of fingers 6 are cranked so that these fingers cannot fall below the horizontal. To enable more than one follower card to pass into the box the gearing for shaft 35 may be varied or the following means may be used. The latch L, Fig. 5, has pivoted to it a star L<6> with as many points as there are cards in a " group," in this case six; a " group " being a wage card plus its follower cards. A pin L<11> carried by shaft 35 moves the star one-sixth for each cardcycle so that after the wage card and its five followers have entered the box, a pin L<7> on the star will reach a fixed cam surface L<8> on a bracket L' and trip the latch L, closing the box. A spring L<5> holds the star in correct position for each partial rotation. In a modification the timing may be variable by tapping each point of the star to receive a threaded pin L<7>. To disable the latches L and use the machine as an ordinary sorter, pivoted to each latch is a rod L<12> having a pin L<13> riding normally in a slot L<14> of a distance piece L<15>. By withdrawing all the pins L<13> from slots L<14> and rotating the pieces L<15> the latches L are held away from the levers 17. When any sorting box is full the machine is stopped automatically. In each box a plate 7 supporting the cards moves downwards against a spring 8 until a lug 9 meets a lug 10 and rocks a shaft 11 having a lug 12 which opens the electric circuit of the machine at 13, 14. Specification 328,293 is referred to in the Provisional Specification.