Patent GB-745812-A (GB)
Abstract: 745,812. Totalizators; electronic counting-apparatus. STANDARD TELEPHONES & CABLES, Ltd. May 16, 1952 [May 17, 1951], No. 11546/51. Class 106 (1). A totalizator comprises a central source of electric pulses, a distributer operated from the pulse source and adapted to control the order in which ticket-issuing machines pass bets to aggregating equipment, and selecting means for passing selected numbers of pulses to selected aggregators under control of the ticket-issuing machines and the pulse source. The totalizator described includes a source (not shown) which generates regular positive and negative pulses Pa at a frequency of 5 kc/s., a distributer, Fig. 2, selecting means, Fig. 3, an aggregator or counter, Fig. 4, for each runner (similar to that described in Specification 692,436), a grand total counter (not shown), control circuits, Fig. 1, and the ticket-issuing machines (only one shown). Multi-cathode gas-filled discharge tubes as described in Specification 692,415 are employed (see Figs. 2-4), stepping pulses being applied to the Transfer electrodes through gate tubes such as GD, Fig. 2, having control potentials applied to their trigger electrodes. These multi-cathode tubes could be replaced by counting chains. Use is also made of coincidence gate circuits employing metal rectifiers. Ticket-issuing machines and associated control circuits.-Each machine includes key-operated stake contacts 51, 52, 54, Fig. 1, representing 1, 2 and 4 betting units respectively, keyoperated runner contacts R1 to RN, one for each runner, and control contacts A, Z. After a runner and a stake key have been operated, contacts A are opened and Z are closed, automatically or manually. Contacts A supply positive potential to the trigger electrode of the normally discharging tube EC of a trigger pair EC-JC (called " flip-flop "). After a bet has been registered as described above, the selecting means applies a positive potential from PC9, Fig. 3, to the tube JC of the operative machine through a rectifier coincidence gate W33-W35 controlled by the distributer tube D, Fig. 2. Trigger EC-JC then operates, and energized relay CB closes contacts cb1 to operate relay SCC which causes printing and issuing of a ticket after which contacts A are reclosed and EC-JC reset. The contacts Z of all the machines are connected through leads and a cathode follower ZF to the normally non- discharging tube R of a central trigger pair R-S which controls gate tubes GD, GPC, Figs. 2 and 3, from cathode leads Sc, Rc respectively. Distributer.-When tube S, Fig. 1, is discharging, there is a positive potential on lead Sc, and negative pulses Pa supplied to the cathode of tube GD, Fig. 2, cause the discharge in multi-cathode discharge tube D to step so as to mark successively the ten cathode leads leading to the ticket-issuing machines T.I.M.1- T.I.M.10. Fig. 1 shows T.I.M.1 which is supplied, over lead 3, from cathode D1. Each such lead supplies a positive potential to contacts S, R and Z and, if a machine is waiting to send a bet, the potential applied through Z will operate R-S, thus closing gate GD and stopping further stepping in the tube D until the bet has been registered and the ticket issued in the manner described below. An enlarged distributer also is described (Fig. 8, not shown) comprising two cross-connected multi-cathode tubes, each controlling nine ticket-issuing machines. Selecting means.-When trigger R-S has been operated, so that R is discharging, tube GPC, Fig. 3, instead of GD, Fig. 2, will operate so that pulses Pa will cause stepping of the discharge in tube PC from its initial position " 1 " to produce positive potentials successively at cathodes 2-8. These potentials are used, in combination with potentials applied from lead 3, Fig. 1, of a waiting ticket-issuing machine through closed contacts S1, S2 and S4 and cathode followers SV1, SV2 and SV4, in rectifier coincidence gates, Fig. 3, to allow one or more (up to 7) positive pulses Pa to pass to the grid of a pentode VT to produce a number of negative output pulses Pb corresponding to the stake. The cathode PC5 is associated with the output SV1, PC3 and PC7 are both associated with the output of SV2, and the cathodes 2, 4, 6, 8 are connected to a common point PC IV through which four successive positive potentials are applied to a cathode follower CF4 whose output is associated with that of SV4. When the discharge in PC is stepped to cathode 9, a positive potential is applied to the trigger electrode of tube S to reset R-S, Fig. 1, and restart stepping in the distributer tube D, Fig. 2, and is also applied to tube JC to effect ticket-issuing as described above. Counters.-Each runner counter, Fig. 4, comprises multi-cathode discharge tubes RU, RD, &c. to which pulses Pb from the selecting means are applied through gate tubes GRU, GRD, &c. controlled by the potentials on one of the leads L1-LN connected to contacts R1- RN, Fig. 1. The counter corresponding to runner " 1 " is shown in Fig. 4. Each gate tube, other than that for the units discharge tube RU, is controlled also by the potential on the tenth cathode of the or all preceding tubes RU &c., through rectifier gates, such as W20, W21, to ensure correct transfer operations. The grand total counter is similar to the runner counters except that the control from lead, such as L1, is omitted. Neon tubes may be used to indicate the numbers registered on the counters including one bank for each runner counter or a single bank which may be selectively connected to the runner counter corresponding to the runner. Public indicators also may be provided if desired. The grand and winner totals may be transmitted to the odds computation equipment described in Specification 745,817. Non-runner operation.-Keys (not shown) are provided for connecting leads L1-LN, Fig. 1, corresponding to non-runners to a trigger pair, similar to those shown, which controls gate GPC, Fig. 3, in such a manner that tube PC cannot operate in response to the closure of a contact R1-RN for a non-runner. Win and place betting.-To allow betting in two pools, i.e. win and place betting, a changeover win-place contact is placed in series with Z, Fig. 1, to select one of two cathode followers which supply cathode control potential to separate rectifier gating networks like that of Fig. 3, which are connected to separate win and place counters. In the Provisional Specification, doubles betting and the subject-matter of Specification 745,817 is described.