Patent GB-373147-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in or relating to machines for sorting statistical record cards
Filed: 1931-02-16
Abstract: 373,147. Statistical machines. BRITISH TABULATING MACHINE CO., Ltd., Victoria House, Vernon Place, Southampton Row, London.-(Assignees of Tabulating Machine Co. ; 270, Broadway, New York, U.S.A.) Feb. 16, 1931, No. 4864. Convention date, Feb. 17, 1930. [Class 106 (i).] Sorting cards.-A machine for sorting perforated statistical cards, including a cardreading device, card boxes and mechanism for sorting the cards to the boxes, has controlling mechanism operable by a special hole in one card to cause a succession of cards to pass to a single box. The invention is illustrated as applied to the sorting machine described in Specification 242,654, [Class 106 (i), Calculating &c.], a card 7 being sorted into its correct channel between deflectors 6 when brush 3 reads a hole to energize magnet 1 and lower the deflector support 5, lowering all deflectors ahead of the card. For this (the normal) sorting, switch 21 is closed and switches 21<1>, 36, 37, 38 are open. For operation according to the present invention, switch 21 is open and the other switches closed to bring a commutator 24 into circuit. This commutator makes one revolution per card cycle and has slip rings 25, 26, 27 and segments 28 .. 32. The different parts of these rings and segments reach the brushes shown on the left at the times 9. 8, .. 0, 11, 12 in the card cycle as indicated by the transverse lines marked 9 .. 12. Contact time X corresponds to the time between successive cards. In an example, grouped cards are sorted. Each group consists of a single debit card, or a debit card with ordinary credit cards, or a debit card with ordinary credit cards and a balancing credit card. The last kind of group represents a complete transaction and is to be removed from the batch. A balance credit card has a special " 12 " hole in a particular card column and a debit card has an " 11 " hole in the same card column. In running through the machine the balance credit card (if any) leads each group and the debit card is last in the group. Switch 21 is open, as above stated. Assuming the first group is complete, brush 3 reads the special " 12 " hole in the balance credit card and establishes a circuit 39, 17, 20, 40, 3, 41, 27<1>, 27, 42, 32, brush 32<1> (now on the " 12 " point of 32), 43, 2, 1, 44. Magnet 1 therefore sorts this card into the " 12 " box and a holding circuit through contacts 22 is established. From brush 31<1> a circuit also extends to 53, 33, 36, 44. Coil 33 closes its contacts 33<1> to energize coils 34, 34a through normally closed contacts 35a<1>, 49, 38, 44. Coil 34 closes its contacts 341 to establish a holding circuit for itself-39, 341, 34, 34a, 35a<1> (normally closed), 49, 38, 44. Contacts 34<1> and 34a<1> thus remain closed during succeeding card cycles. If the next card is an ordinary credit card, without the special holes, no circuit is made through brush 3. A circuit is closed at the " 12 " time, however, through 39, 50, 17, 19, 23, 51, 37, 261, 26, 52, 30, 301 (now at the " 12 " point of segment 30), 34a<1> (closed by coil 34a), 43, 2, 1, 44, to sort this card into the " 12 " box. This continues with succeeding cards until a debit card has its special " 11 " hole read by brush 3, establishing a circuit 39, 17, 18, 20, 40, 3, 41, 27<1>, 27, 54, 31, 31<1>, 21<1>, 55, 35, 35a, 56, 29<1>, 29, 48, 25, 25<1>, 49, 38, 44. Coil 35 closes contacts 35<1> to make a holding circuit from 39, 351, 35, 35a, to 29. This circuit opens when brush 29<1> leaves segment 29. Coil 35a opens contacts 35a<1> to break the holding circuits for 34, 34a. As brush 28<1> is now contacting with 28, however, a circuit is formed 341, 34, 34a, 47, 281, 28, 25. Contacts 34a<1> are therefore closed and a sorting circuit is set up when brush 30<1> meets 30 at the " 12 " time, to sort this debit card into the 12 " box. When 28<1> leaves 28, then 34 and 34a are de-energized and 34<1> finally open. 34a' opens simultaneously and shortly afterwards 29<1> leaves segment 29 ; coils 35 and 35a are de-energized and contacts 35a<1> again close. All complete groups thus go into the " 12 " box. If the next group is incomplete, there is no balance credit card, the " 12 " set up is not effected and the first card of this group passes under all deflectors 6 to the reject box; Coils 34 and 34a remain unenergized and 34a<1> are open when the second card reaches brush 3, so that this card also goes to the reject box. This continues until the debit card is reached, when the special " 11 " hole establishes a circuit at the " 11 " time through 3, 31, 35, 35a. 35a<1> (at open) but without effect, since 34 and 34a are unenergized. No circuit can be closed through segment 32 since the latter does not meet brush 32<1> at the " 11 " time ; nor at the " 12 " time since there is no " 12 " hole in the card. The debit card, therefore, also passes to the reject box. All incomplete groups thus pass to the reject box. Specification 287,144 [Class 106 (i), Calculating &c.], also is referred to.