Patent GB-715797-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in or relating to a record card punching and sorting machine
IPC: B07C3/04
Filed: 1952-11-06
Abstract: 715,797. Statistical apparatus. INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION. Nov. 6, 1952 [Nov.,15, 1951], No. 27965/52. Class 106 (1) A record punching and sorting machine is characterized in that there is provided a keyboard for entering amounts, a plurality of sorting compartments, and means for selecting compartments, means for automatically feeding the record cards from a stack, means for stopping the records at a viewing station for entry of the exhibited amounts by an operator at the keyboard, and punching mechanism under control of the keyboard for punching the records prior to their disposition in the selected compartments. The apparatus is designed to deal with postal money orders of the kind shown in Fig. 20a. A single column is allocated to represent by its punching one of twelve districts and the sorting compartments are selected in accordance with the district number punched. At the viewing station the operator reads the amount written in and depresses corresponding keys to effect a subsequent punching of the amount, at the same time the district number is sensed and stored in a storing means for later use in selecting the corresponding compartment of the sorter. Cards are passed through the apparatus in succession so that when the second card is at the viewing station the first card is being. punched under control of the keyboard. The compartments are arranged radially in the form of a drum as shown in Fig. 21. The drum is rotated under control of the district number during the time that the keyboard is being operated in respect of the data on the card, there being two cycles which alternate, namely a card punching cycle and a card feeding or sorting cycle, the latter cycle following automatically on the first when card detecting means senses the presence of a card in the punching mechanism. The invention relates to improvements. in a known form of cheque sorting and accounting machine. The postal money order as shown in Fig. 20a is punched in columns 2-9 inclusive with a serial number which controls printing means to list the serial numbers of the cashed orders and to facilitate forgery detection by the use of collating machines to determine duplicate serial numbers. The amount of the order is written by a clerk and is subsequently punched by the operator prior to sorting the cards. A group of cashed orders is placed in the magazine and when the card is at the viewing station the amount written in is set up by means of the keyboard. When the card is moved in the next cycle to the punching, station this amount is punched into' the card, and at the same time printing means is energized to. print the amount on a main control tape and also on to a .compartment tape. Columns 10-14 inclusive are used for recording the amount on the card, and at the same time there is a mechanical connection between the printing and punching mechanism so as to ensure that the amount printed on the control and compartment tapes agrees with that punched in the card. The district number is sensed by a card brush 507, Fig. 25b, as the card is being fed to the viewing station. Relays R21 to R27 inclusive are employed to store the district number sensed, via an emitter brush 513 rotating synchronism with the sensing of the card holes in the order 910 X R. Selenium rectifiers 593 are also included in the circuit to pass current to supplementary storage relays without unwanted back circuits in the case of combinations of more than one relay being energized. The relays are energized according to the table below :-  Construction of sorter.-Referring to Fig. 1 the drum 10 is mounted on a shaft 11 and driven, by a continuously running motor through a clutch and sprocket gear 12. The clutch and associated gears are of the type. which will rotate the drum in either direction according to the position of the clutch plate 25. The selective movement of the clutch plate is controlled by the position at which, the drum stands and the particular district number stored up. Fixed, to the framework of the machine and surrounding the drum shaft 11 is a ring 41, Fig. 25c, of insulating material upon which is mounted a series of brushes 42, one for each sorting compartment. A commutator 45, 46, 47 and collector ring 48, are mounted in a disc 49 of insulating material fixed to the drum shaft 11 adjacent the ring 41. The brushes 42 are carried by the ring 41 and contact segments 45, 46 and 47. When the drum is at rest the segment 45 is in contact with the brush 42 associated with the last compartment selected. The segment 46 is electrically connected to the collector ring 48 by a radial strap of conducting material. Assuming that the sorting drum is now standing at the last selected No. 1 compartment position with the " 1 " brush 42 in contact with segment 45, and a different compartment is selected, R1 relay and magnet 144 will be energized when cam contacts C1 close at about 350 degrees completing a circuit from line 591 through wires 593, 594, R5c contacts R33a relay contact now closed, contacts 118, 298, C1 cam contact and R1B relay contacts magnet 115 to line 590. The drum is normally located accurately in position by a pair of stop arms which are first withdrawn from engagement with the drum by the solenoid 115. If, for example, the "13" " compartment is selected wire 43/ 1a  extends the circuit to No. 13 brush 42 to complete a circuit through segment 46, ring 48, brush 55 R2b interlock contacts to line 590. R2 relay transfers its contacts R2a completing a circuit when contacts 76 are closed from line 590, wire 598, clutch control magnet 75, R2a relay contacts, contacts 76, 77, R33a and R5c wires 594, 593 to line 591. This energizes clutch control magnet 75, to bring the clutch plate 25 into contact with the driving member, thus rotating the drum counter-clockwise until the segment 45 contacts No. 13, brush 42. If No. 12 compartment is selected with the drum standing in No. 1 position the drum will rotate in clockwise direction until the " 12 " compartment is in line with the card-feeding aperture. As soon as segment 45 contacts the brush 42 corresponding to the compartment selected a circuit is established by the effective wire 43, the brush 42, segment 45, ring 120, brush 121, wire 122, magnet 144, relay R1 to line 590. Energization of magnet 144 attracts its armature to release the drive to the drum and the locking arms which then operate to locate the drum in its new position. The keyboard, which is of known type, is operated during the period of movement of the drum. The keyboard controls a setting mechanism for the punch, and a selected totalizer for setting up the different printing mechanisms are also of known form. Card feed.-The card feeding mechanism of the machine is well known, the punched cards are ejected from the punch and are directed by guide plates of a shoot 605, Fig. 21; into a shoot 604 of the basic machine to the bite of a plurality of pairs of large feed rollers 612 which then receive the cards when rotated to pairs of smaller rollers 613. Feed rollers 612 and 613 normally occupy the position with relation to the shoot 604 and sorting drum in which they appear in the Fig. 21. In general the rollers 612 and 613 are carried by frame-plates 619 of a pivoted frame which is rocked clockwise during the rotation of these card feeding rollers to feed a punched card into a selected compartment to the position shown in Fig. 22, the pairs of rollers 612, which are in frictional contact, are secured to the respective guide shafts 607, 608, the shafts 607 and 608 being carried by the spaced frame-plates 619 which are secured to the rock shaft 620. To rock shaft 620 there is secured a cam follower arm 622 carrying rollers corporating with a pair of complementary cams 623 secured to the main drive shaft 300, receive two complete counter-clockwise rotations at each operation of the machine, after a run in operation. At. the proper time in the cycle the cam 623 rocks the shaft 620 and the frame plate 619 clockwise to bring the rollers 612 and 613 into close relationship with regard to the selected compartment. At the same time a gear 625 fast on the shaft 300 rotates the roller 612 and 613 to feed the card into the compartment As the punched cards are fed into the compartment by rollers 613 they are held between a check retainer plate 642 and a series of fingers 643 which are secured to a rod 644 carried by a pair of arms 645. The arms 645 are secured to a rock shaft 646 pivotally supported on brackets 647 secured to a sub-base. Springs are provided to normally urge the arm 645 clockwise pressing rollers 649 carried by the arms 645 against cam 650 fast on the shaft 300. The fingers 643 are normally in the Fig. 21 position and when the shaft 300 and consequently the cam 650 are rotated counter-clockwise a contour of the arm 650 permits the springs to rock the arm 645 quickly clockwise from Fig. 21 position to the position in which they appear in Fig. 22 to position the finger 643 into the compartment. Arms 654 are secured to the shaft 644 and are urged by spring attached to the extension of finger 643 to cause the arm 654 to be urged against a guide rod 655 so that as the fingers 643 are moved into the compartment, they are guided by the arm 654 co-operating with groove in the guide rod 655. After the punched card inserted in the compartment between the fingers 643 and the retainer plate 642, the cams 650 restore the arms 645 to their original position withdrawing the finger 643 from the compartment, the cam 623 then rocks the side frame 619 counter-clockwise, carrying the feed rollers 612 and 613 outwardly in their normal position, and this allows the spring 664 to carry the retainer plate 642 against the stack of cards to firmly hold the card fed into the compartment, against the card already in the compartment, if any are present. Means are provided to detect when any of the card