Patent GB-426057-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in or relating to machines for sorting statistical record cards
Filed: 1933-09-27
Abstract: 426,057. Statistical machines. BRITISH TABULATING MACHINE CO., Ltd., Victoria House, Vernon Place, Southampton Row, London. Sept. 27, 1933, No. 26620. Convention date, Sept. 28, 1932. [Class 106 (i)] Sorting cards.-In a machine for sorting cards on several fields simultaneously, the reading from each card field is compared separately with the set-up on the corresponding section of a selector (17) ; if all the comparisons disagree the card goes into one box, (the reject box), but if one or more of the comparisons agree the card is sorted into a second box. The invention is shown as applied to the sorting machine described in Specificaton 242,654, [Class 106 (i)], wherein a card 4 is sorted into its correct channel between deflectors 3 when brush 7 reads a hole to energize magnet 1 and lower the deflector-supporting armature 2, lowering all deflectors ahead of the card. In the present construction ten brushes 7, Fig. 2, are used, each connectible by a switch 15 to the brush 16 of the corresponding section of the commutator 17, which is driven one revolution per machine cycle. In each section, the segments 19, which pass the brush 16 synchronously with the card-reading, may be individually connected by a switch 22 to a ring 20. The circuits of Fig. 2 are for sorting into one box (reject box) all cards which have a three-figure number in any one of three card fields and for sorting into another box all cards not having this number in any of the three fields. The three card columns of each field are connected in parallel by lines 30 and a single connection 24 to the relay 23 used for that field. The switches 27 are closed which correspond to these relays and are connected thereto by lines 29. If the sorting number is, say, " 376 " then in each field of three connected commutator sections the switches 22 corresponding to 3, 7, and 6 are opened. The sorting magnet 1 is normally short-circuited by ten contacts 25, but if any relay 23 is energized it opens its related contact 25 and closes its related contact 26 to short-circuit the card reading brushes 7 and the sections of commutator 17 corresponding to the relay 27 energized. If the number " 376 " appears in any one or more of the three fields on a card the brushes 7 read these holes at the same moments that brushes 16 read the disconnected corresponding segments 19 and no circuit is formed. At least one relay 23, therefore, remains de-energized and its related contact 25 remains closed to shunt the magnet 1 so that the card passes under all deflectors 3 to the reject box. If, however, none of the three card fields contains the number " 376," then brushes 7 in each field will complete a circuit through one or more segments 19 which are connected to ring 20 to energize relay 23. All three relays 23 are thus energized and all shunts 25 (with closed switches 27) are removed so that magnet 1 becomes energized. Owing, however, to brushes 32 and conductor ring 31 which has a gap 34, a second shunt 33 around magnet 1 is only removed when gap 34 is at brushes 32, i.e. when the leading edge of the card has just reached the last card channel 3 on the left of Fig. 1. Thus cards without the holes " 376 " in any of the three fields are sorted into this box and the remaining cards, which have the number " 376 " in at least one field, go into the reject box. The number represented in the three fields need not be the same. For normal sorting operations switches 48, 50, 51 are opened and switches 49 are moved to their dotted line positions.