Patent GB-396805-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in or relating to machines for sorting statistical cards
Filed: 1932-02-12
Abstract: 396,805. Statistical machines. THOMAS, A., 11, Sandy Lane South, Wallington, Surrey. Feb. 12, 1932, No. 4267. [Class 106 (i).] Sorting cards.-In a statistical card-sorting machine, the shutter or like of a sorting-box is operated by a shutter-actuator 11 carried on a rotatable disc 1, a setting member 15 is disposed coaxially with the disc's axis 3 and is moved in the direction of this axis 3 to set the actuator 11, and an intermediate member 20 transmits movement from the setting member 15 to the shutter-actuator 11. The shutter 7 of each sorting-box is rigid with arm 9 pivoted at 8 and is actuated by pins 11 on a pair of discs 1, 1a secured to a sleeve 2 which rotates on a fixed shaft 3. Rigid with sleeve 2 is a gear 5 driven from the main shaft 6 of the machine. Six pins 11 (sleeve 2 rotating once in six card cycles) are mounted to slide laterally in discs 1, 1a as shown in Fig. 5, each pin having a double cone aligning member 13 which engages groove 11b, 11c to hold the pin 11 in operative or in inoperative position respectively ; all the members 13 of one pair of discs 1, 1a are pulled inwards radially by a bracelet spring 14. A setting member (plunger) 15 slides in a tube 16 on a bracket 17 secured to a boss 18 which is rigid with the fixed spindle 3. The path of plunger 15 is coaxial with the axis of discs 1, 1a. Each plunger 15 is actuated from a particular sensing pin in the pin box by any suitable means ; e.g. a Bowden cable 19 which is actuated from the sensing pin as described in Specifications 328,293, [Class 106 (i), Calculating &c.], and 396,804. Pivoted on a lug 21 of boss 18 is a bell crank 20, the vertical arm of which passes through the path of movement of plunger 15. The other end of bell crank 20 is normally kept out of the path of pins 11 by a spring 22, but when a card hole is sensed, the plunger 15 rotates crank 20 clockwise and the latter engages the cam face 11a of the next pin 11 to project this pin to the left, Figs. 3 and 5, into operative position. The boss 18 is angularly spaced so that whilst the card is passing from the sensing station to the appropriate sorting box, the set pin 11 is travelling towards the arm 9 and meets this arm to raise the shutter 7 at the moment the card reaches the box. A cam 23 subsequently restores the set pin 11 to the right. Any convenient number of pins 11 may be mounted on the discs 1, 1a, the speed of the latter being arranged so that one pin 11 passes the arm 9 for each card cycle. Paired cards. To allow one (or more) unperforated follower card to follow its perforated key card into the sorting box, the arms 9 of Figs. 3 and 4 is modified as shown at 9a in Fig. 6, so that a set pin 11 maintains the arms rocked and the shutter 7 raised during two card cycles. To deal with more than one follower card, the part 9a would be correspondingly extended. Disabling any sorting box. Each box may be put out of action independently of the others, by raising its cut-out bar 24. As the bar is raised its cam part 30, coacting with the guide slot in frame 28, moves its lower forked end 25 to the right. This fork engages between two collars 26 on the nipple 19a of the cable 19, the nipple sliding in boss 16 ; so that as bar 24 is raised the cable is removed from operative connection with plunger 15. A spring 31 returns the bar 24 downwards when it is not locked up by a notch in its edge engaging the edge of the guide slot in frame 27.