Patent GB-780869-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in or relating to record card controlled printing mechanisms
Inventor: ASH DENIS JOHN
Filed: 1955-01-12
Abstract: 780,869. Record card controlled printing machines. BRITISH TABULATING MACHINE CO., Ltd. Jan. 12, 1955, No. 963/55. Class 100(4) Selection mechanism for setting a type wheel to character position under control of a timed digit and/or tone impulse produced by sensing a record card as in Specification 704,764, has a gear 3, Figs. 1, 2, operatively connected to the typewheel, not shown, through a train which includes gear 70, Fig. 1, to set it to any one of a number of character positions by one device driven in one direction for the period of duration of a digit impulse, and by a separate device, in the opposite direction for the period of a tone impulse. A common control latch member 30 when operated by a digit and/or tone impulse decouples the gear 3 and the typewheel from its driving means, by releasing pawls 24, 45 at the appropriate times, the rotation produced' while it is so coupled being such as to set the type-wheel, to a character corresponding to the digit and/or tone impulse which causes operation of the control member. The cards have punchings in digit positions "9" to "1" and in zone positions "O", "X", and "Y", and, by coding of punched holes, numerals 0-11 and letters A-Z may be represented. The shaft 71, Fig. 3, is driven by a motor to make one revolution for each cycle of the printing mechanism and drives feeding mechanism for the cards under control of which data is to be printed. An interrupted gear 51, driven clockwise on shaft 71, meshes with gear 50 of same number of teeth to drive it through half revolutions with periods of rest between. A gear 49 integral with gear 50 drives gear 48 on shaft 1 having half number of teeth of gear 49 so that shaft 1, Figs. 1, 3 makes one revolution between 0-145 degrees and a second revolution between 205 degrees and 360 degrees of the cycle The gear 3 is secured to a bushing 2 free on shaft 1 and carrying cam plate 4 with ten high points on its periphery, and a latch plate 5 is free on bushing 2 between plate 4 and gear 3, plate 5 has ten notches 29 in its periphery. Pawl 24, which may decouple gear 3 from shaft 1, is mounted on a zoning sector 19 and may be operated by the latch 30 which is carried on a pin 31. The latch 30 mav be moved anti-clockwise when armature 72 of an electro-magnet 73 is energized to move a pull rod 54 to release pawl 24. The pawl 24 is moved clockwise by a spring 26 to cause nose 28 of pawl to engage one of ten notches 29 in latch plate 5. The magnet 73 is energized by timed impulses resulting from sensing of a record card so that the gear 30 is driven for a number of degrees dependent on the digit punching sensed. A number of such character selecting mechanisms may be mounted on shaft 1 to form a multi-column printing mechanism, each character driving a separate type wheel. Means effected under control of contacts 60, Fig. 1, for suppressing the printing of zones to the left of the 1st significant digit may thus be provided. Hammer lock controls similar to those described in Specification 704.764 may be fitted to each type wheel. Specification 704,764 is referred to.