Patent GB-827296-A (GB)
Title: Record card machine
IPC: H01H31/12
Filed: 1956-05-15
Abstract: 827,296. Statistical apparatus. INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION. May 15, 1956 [May 19, 1955], No. 15062/56. Class 106 (1). [Also in Group VIII] A record card machine comprises a sensing station and a punching station provided respectively with a line of sensing pins and a line of punches, feed wheels at each station being operable in unison to feed record cards alternatively in either of two opposite directions past the sensing and punching stations and means for actuating the sensing or punching devices to sense or punch indicia in a card during the feeding process. Card feeding.-Cards to be processed in the machine are fed one by one from a hopper 10 through the intermediate position H to position A which is called the punch pre-registration position. From this position the card is moved through another intermediate position K to position B in which column O of the card registers with the punch line CC. From position B the card is moved on past the punch line to position G, the reading station, and past the reading line E-E to position F. From position F the card may be moved sideways to stacker 14 or it may continue in the same line of movement to position 12. The cards follow one another in the usual way so that when one card is passing under read line E-E the following card is passing under punch line C-C. The card may follow another path through the machine, this being used when the card is to be punched in a reverse direction, i.e. moving from left to right. In this path the card moves from the position A to a position BB in which column 2 of the card is coincident with punch line C-C. The cards at stations G and BB are then advanced together from right to left past the read and punch lines for a certain distance. The direction of feed is then reversed, and the cards are accordingly fed backwards in a left-to-right direction step by step past the read and punch lines so as to read and punch the cards in reverse direction. It is also possible to insert a card manually at position G in advance of a card at the punch station. These cards are moved together past punch and read lines respectively. Card feed mechanism.-The card feed mechanism is driven by a shaft 30, Fig. 6, rotated once in each card feed cycle by a one-revolution clutch controlled by a solenoid. During a card feed cycle a card is fed from the hopper 10 and moved to the pre-registration station A. The cards are separated from the stack in the hopper by a knife 74 on a plate 72 reciprocated in guides by connection with a cam driven from shaft 30. Operation of the card picker knife can be suspended by energization of an electromagnet. The picker knife passes the topmost card between pairs of rollers 86, 88 which forward it to a position where its trailing edge can be engaged by a pusher 93. The pusher is mounted on an arm oscillated by cam 98. Counterclockwise movement of the pusher moves the card to position H (Fig. 2), in which the trailing edge is under a bar 100 and the card is held in place by the upward pressure of spring-loaded buttons 102, Fig. 7A. In the H position the forward end of the card is held down by a spring-loaded lever 104 so as to bear on a button 107 which actuates card lever contacts in switch 107a. At the end of the first card cycle another pusher 106, Fig. 9, engages the end of the card and moves it endwise to the A position. The second feed cycle moves the card from position A to position B or position BB in two stages. First the pusher 93 is given a small counter clockwise movement to move the card to the K position in which the buttons 102 can rise to lift the right edge of the card upwardly to engage the guide bars 100, 108 as shown in Fig. 7a. The other edge is then forced against a guide bar 110 mounted on a resilient strip 112 which serves to apply pressure to the card and hold it in engagement with the bar 100. The card is then moved from this K position to either the B and BB position by movement of the pusher 106. The pusher is driven from a shaft 114, a cam 118 on which operates two levers 122, 124 connected together and pivoted at 128. Studs 132, 134 on these levers bear on spring-loaded arms 136, 138 both pivoted at 140. The arm 136 is adapted to move the card to the B position and the arm 138 to the BB position. The pusher 106 is mounted on rollers for reciprocatory movement in horizontal guides. The arm 136 is connected through a projection with stud 132 on levers 122, 124 and the driving end then bears on the rear rollers 146 of the pusher 106. The lever 138 has a projection bearing similarly on stud 134 and the upper end engages a roller similar to roller 146 on the far side of the pusher. Both arms 136, 138 have auxiliary levers 136b, 138b (not shown) connected thereto for co-operation with the armatures of electromagnets adapted to disable one of the arms so that the card is fed to position B or position BB as desired. The arm 136 has a cam surface 164 formed thereon adapted, through lever 168 to actuate a presser arm 172 which engages and exerts a slight drag on the card so as to hold it against the pusher 106. Feed roller.-Cam 180, Fig. 9, on shaft 114 is connected to cause lifting of a spring-loaded pressure roller 192 from the card feed wheel 194. The feed wheels are controlled by escapement mechanisms and may rotate in either direction. The roller 192 is lifted during movement of the card to the registration position B or BB and is then lowered to grip the card against the wheel 194. The pusher 106 then returns to the retracted position. The escapement mechanism is driven by a differential gearing through a friction clutch, the direction of rotation of the output gear of the differential being controlled by a solenoid. Escapement wheels are provided having ratchet teeth engaged by solenoidcontrolled pawls normally preventing rotation in either direction. Momentary energization of either solenoid allows the feed wheel to step the card in either direction under the friction drive. The solenoid is de-energized so that the pawl re-engages the ratchet wheel in the next tooth. This represents a card movement of one column position. The feed wheel has peripheral serrations to grip the card and the card is urged into constant engagement with the guide rails 100 by the skewing of the pressure roller 92. The stepping movement may be discontinued by energizing a solenoid, the card then being forwarded continuously for the desired distance. This is used when the card is to be punched in reverse movement the card being forwarded from the BB position to the first punching position and then stepped back towards the position BB during punching. A fixed relationship is maintained between wheels 194, 194a, Fig. 2, so that columns of cards at the read and punch lines will be correctly registered in the forward and reverse directions. In the third feed cycle the card in the punch station is fed to position G and the card in position H is fed to position B or BB. The rollers 192a are lifted in synchronism with rollers 192 so that a card at the read station can be ejected and one just punched can be advanced to the read station G. Constantly rotating forwarding rollers are provided on each side of feed wheels 194a with coacting pressure rollers which are mounted on arms so that they can be moved into and out of engagement with the forwarding rollers to move the card into and out of the read position. When the rollers 192a are lifted the pressure rollers associated with the forwarding rollers are lowered to grip the card which is accordingly fed rapidly towards the left (as in Fig. 2) until its leading edge engages a stop lowered into the path of the card, the forwarding rollers then slipping. This stop registers the card with the first column in alignment with the read line E-E, that is in position G. After stepping past the read line which is effected in conjunction with the movement of the following card past the punch line, the fourth card cycle moves the first card to the stacking mechanism. The card is first moved from the read position to position F and is then displaced at right angles to the former direction of movement by a reciprocating pusher. The broad edge of the card is taken by a gripper on a rotating stacking drum which carries the card through 90 degrees and releases it in a vertical position in a stack. If it is desired to advance the card to the other stacking position 12 the normally operative card-diverting mechanism is disabled and the card continues in the same line, being forwarded by constantly rotating rollers 380 to position 12. The card is removed from position 12 by hand, card lever contacts being provided to prevent further operation of the machine while a card remains in this position. Punching mechanism.-At punch line C-C (Fig. 2) there is a row of twelve punches 390, Fig. 20, mounted for vertical reciprocation in a die and stripper assembly 392. Each punch is actuable by a lever 394 pivoted on shaft 396 and carrying at the other end an interposer 398 normally spring-urged in a clockwise direction but prevented from such rotation by engagement with armature 402 of magnet 404. When this magnet is energized the interposer is released and turns into engagement with operating bail 406. The bail is freely mounted on the shaft 396 and is oscillated by cams on shaft 409. Contacts 414 are closed by a pivoted bail 412 actuated by the rocking of an interposer 398. These contacts cause the escapement operation to advance by one column the card present at the punch station, and also initiates a revolution of shaft 409 which actuates bail 406 and operates the punch associated with interposer engaged. The shaft 409 makes a single revolution but the next revolution is initiated by release of the interposer for the following cycle so that punching proceeds without loss of time. Card reading mechanism.-As each card column is punched the next higher column of th