Patent GB-328319-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in or relating to accounting and tabulating machines
Filed: 1929-01-21
Abstract: 328,319. Accounting & Tabulating Corporation of Great Britain, Ltd., and Thomas, A. Jan. 21, 1929. Statistical apparatus.-A statistical machine has settable means which control it for a predetermined number of machine cycles; these means include a spring-controlled nut which is initially adjusted a predetermined amount along a threaded shaft from the position which it reaches at the end of its travel, at which final position it initiates totalling, stopping, or both, the stressed spring subsequently automatically returning the nut to its initial position. The means may also be used to stop the machine after a given number of totalling operations. Also, the machine may stop automatically at the end of a run of cards when a special card-reading pin senses the absence of cards. The invention is set out as applied to a recordcard -controlled machine having the total-taking attachment described in Specification 271,935. This attachment is operated by an eccentric E, Fig. 6<a>, which also drives various parts of the present device. Stopping at the end of a card run. A sensing pin on the attachment is directly connected to plunger a, Fig. 2, which is normally held up by the pin resting on a card. When there is no card in the attachment (i.e. at the end of a run) plunger a drops and rocks a lever b to remove its hook c from a lug d on a plate e pivoted at f to another plate g carried on an horizontal arm h recprocated from the eccentric E. Plate e has a claw j which, when the plate is released by hook c, hooks on to a lug l of plunger P. Normally as arm h reciprocates plate e is caught and rocked by hook c, but when the no-card pin has lifted hook c, hook j takes over lug l so that on the next movement to the right of arm h plunger P is moved to stop the machine. Totaltaking also occurs at each group-change of the cards as in Specification 271,935. Stopping after a predetermined number of machine cycles. A nut member 1, Figs. 2, 4, and 6a engages a screw-thread 6a on a fixed shaft 6 and has a cut-out cam 2 and total cam 30. This nut 1 lies between laterally extending shoulders 4 on a ratchet wheel 3 carried on a sleeve 5 free on shaft 6 for rotation but not lateral movement. A spring 7 surrounding the sleeve 5 is anchored at one end to the sleeve and at the other end 8 to a fixed frame plate 9. As the ratchet 3 is driven by a pawl 10 (11 is a detent preventing retrograde movement) the spring 7 is stressed and nut 1, being carried round by shoulders 4, moves from left to right, Fig. 4. When the nut 1 reaches its limiting position to the right its cut-out cam 2 operates a lever 27 to stop the machine. The travel of the nut, and hence the number of cycles the machine runs, is determined by the initial position to the left. For this the nut is moved back by spring 7 (pawls 10 and 11 being released) until it abuts a stop 14 on a drum 12 which is adjustable on the screw-thread 6<a>. This drum has numerals 13 which show. through a window in slide 75, the setting of the device. Pawl 10 is mounted on a lever 15, preferably concentric with ratchet 3, this lever being rocked from cam 17 through telescopic rod 16 so that ratchet 3 is driven one tooth for each machine cycle. Detent 11 is pivoted on the frame plate 9 and pawl 10 has an extension 10<a> which, when the pawl is rocked away from the ratchet, engages and removes detent 11. A handle 10<b> on pawl 10 permits release by hand. When the cut-out cam 2 operates the pawl 10 is removed by an obstruction arm 18 meeting the part 10<a>. Arm 18 is pivoted at 25 to a lever 19 which is hinged on a pin 20 on plate 9 and rocked by arm h. The plate g on arm h carries the pivot-pin 22 of a U-shaped member 23 having a claw 24 for engaging a lug l' on plunger P. Part 23 is also pivoted at 25 to lever 19. Hence arm h rocks lever 19 and reciprocates part 23 and obstructor 18. Normally the latter reciprocates without effect, but at the end of the predetermined number of cycles cam 2 lowers arms 18 into the path of part 10<a>. Lever 19 is slotted at 19b and is connected by a spring 26 to an arm 27 held up by a spring 27<a> and bearing against a pin 19<a> on lever 19. When the nut 1 reaches the end of its travel its cam 2 depresses arm 27 about its pivot 28 so that spring 26 pulls down lever 19, which in turn pulls down part 23 and arm 18 so that arm 18 removes pawls 10 and 11 and hook 24 operates plunger P to stop the machine. To allow the various parts, including nut 1, time to return to their initial positions a delay action device is provided for the return of the arm 27 upwards. Totalling after a predetermined number of machine cycles. An arm q contralling totalling rocks in the passage of each card through the total-taking attachment and communicates its movement to a U.shaped lever 31, Figs. 2 and 6<a>, pivoted at 32, and to an arm 33 (on pin 28) through links 35, 36 pivoted together at 37, Fig. 9. When these links are in alignment movement of arm q rocks lever 33. This is the arrangement for totalling. At each movement of arm q the lever 33 rocks a bell crank 41 about its pivot 42 by engaging pin 43, but when the nut 1 reaches the end of its travel its total cam 30 obstructs pin 43, thus preventing movement of arm q. This latter thereupon initiates totalling as in Specification 271,935. The relative angular displacement of cams 2 and 30 ensures that totalling is completed before the machine is stopped. Stopping without totalling. For this the above totalling mechanism may be disabled by breaking the alignment of links 35, 36. This is effected by link 40 and manual lever 38, Fig. 9. Totalling without stopping. For this the member 23 with claw 24 is disabled as follows : the obstructor 18 is slotted at 18<a> for its connection with lever 19 and is riveted at 47 to a link 45 having a pin 45a bearing on arm 27. A spring 46 extends from arm 27 to link 45. The lever 19 is locked up by a lever 48 in the path of pin 49 on the lever, the lever 48 having a pin and slot connection 50, 48<a> with a manual lever 51 pivoted on frame plate 9. Fig. 2 shows lever 19 locked up, so that when the cut-out cam 2 depresses the lever 27 the obstructor arm 18 is pulled down bodily to release the pawls 10 and 11 but the member 23 is unaffected; the total cam 30 initiating totalling. Stopping after a predetermined number of totalling operations. For this the ratchet 3 is moved one tooth for each totalling. The feed pawl 10 is operated from eccentric 17 through a telescopic rod 16, Fig. 10, consisting of two relatively slidable parts guided on one another by pivot 28, a pin 16b and slots 16a. When the rod 16 is contracted notches in the two parts are in alignment and are occupied by a pin 53 on a latch 54 pivoted at 55 to one part of the rod 16. A spring 56 extends from 55 to the other part of rod 16. Under normal circumstances the pin 53 remains in the notches and the pawl 10 feeds the ratchet 3 one tooth each machine cycle. For stopping after a certain number of totals the following device is used : the latch 54 is connected by a spring 57 to a bell crank 58 which is rocked about its hinge 59 on plate 9 by a strap 60 driven from eccentric E, one each machine cycle, this strap having a hook 61 taking over a pin 62 on bell crank 58. Normally the hook 61 does not engage pin 62 since the lever 60 is held raised by an abutment 64 on a lever 65 operated by a hand lever 66. In the present instance. however, for stopping after a definite number of totallings hook 61 rocks bell-crank 58 every cycle from eccentric E so that spring 57 raises pin 53 and rod 16 merely expands and contracts without driving pawl 10. At totalling, eccentric E stops so that pin 53 remains in its slots and pawl 10 drives ratchet 3 one tooth. In this way the cut-out cam 2 will be operated only after the correct number of total operations. Setting drum construction. The hub of drum 12 has a wheel 68 engaged by a broad pinion 70 on the setting spindle 71. Normally a spring on this spindle, Fig. 4, causes the pinion 70 to be locked bv a fixed tooth 74. To set the drum, knob 73 is pressed in until pinion 70 is free from tooth 74, but it still engages pinion 68 to set the drum. The reading window in the slide 75 may have a lens and the shutter itself is slid on guides 76 of a fixed plate 9a through the agency of a U-shaped member 77 bearing against the lower, outer periphery of the drum 12. By these means the window is automatically positioned over the correct row of numerals 13. The present invention may be applied to control a paper-feed gripper device of the kind described in Specification 328,413, [Class 100 (iv), Typewriters &c.]. Specification 306,156, [Class 100 (iv), Typewriters &c.] also is referred to.