Patent GB-373221-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in or relating to record-card-controlled statistical machines
Filed: 1931-02-20
Abstract: 373,221. statistical machines. BRITISH TABULATING MACHINE CO., Ltd., Victoria House, Vernon Place, Southampton Row, London.-(Assignees of Bryce, J. W. ; Bloomfield, New Jersey, and Daly, G. F.; Johnson City, New York, both in U.S.A.) Feb. 20, 1931, No. 5360. Convention date, Feb. 21, 1930. [Class 106 (i).] A record-card-controlled statistical machine, having mechanism for selecting which counters are to control the printing mechanism during a particular total-printing operation and which counters are to be reset thereafter, comprises adding units each with an electrical reading- out device, printing units each with an electromagnet, selecting relays each. with a coil adapted to close a related pair of contacts, means for connecting each pair of contacts between any selected reading-out device and any selected printing magnet, controlling circuits, each automatically closed when a particular kind of total related to it is to be printed, and means for selectively connecting any controlling circuit to any selecting relay coil. The various cross-connections are effected by sockets and plugging wires, and in any denomination the adding unit and the printing unit may be used together or independently. The card-feeding, printing, total-printing control, and counter reset control mechanisms are driven through individual clutches which are automatically selectively engaged according to the operation desired of the machine. The machine described is adapted for automatic group control on major, intermediate, and minor groups and for addition and subtraction. Pulley 42, Fig. 5, driven from the motor, drives shaft 52 and a shaft 50 carrying cams 51. Shaft 50 rotates at high speed so that cams 51 cause impulse contacts to make and break rapidly, dispensing with the usual star cams. Shaft 52 drives gears 53 and a main clutch shaft 54, Figs. 2 and 5 ; an electromagneticallycontrolled one-revolution clutch 56 on this shaft drives wheels 66, 67 and card feed shaft 55, the clutch being engaged when the magnet (431, Fig. 16) is energized. Shaft 55 drives the card feed rolls, the picker blade at the card supply magazine, a commutator 73, Fig. 16D, and cams for actuating card feed contacts (denoted by the letter F followed by a numeral). Key brushes, for example lower key brush LKB, Fig. 16A, are used in the present machine instead of card levers, these brushes coacting with an unperforated field of the cards. The counters are arranged in two horizontal rows and are driven from the clutch shaft 54, so that the counter-drive shaft is running as long as the machine motor rotates. The totalprinting control clutch 81, Fig. 2, drives a total commutator 90, Figs. 2 and 16D, and cams operating total cam contacts denoted by T and a number. The counter reset clutch 98 on shaft 54 drives two wheels 100, 101, the latter having teeth around only slightly over half its periphery, the remaining part carrying a locking plate 102, Fig. 10 ; wheel 100 actuates reset commutator 112, Figs. 2 and 16D, and reset cam contacts denoted by R followed by a numeral. Wheel 101 meshes with wheel 122 on reset shaft 105 so that during the first part of the reset operation 122 is driven and during the second part is held stationary by plates 102, 121. The printing shaft 130, driven from the main clutch shaft 54 by a one-revolution clutch 131, raises and lowers a cross-head supporting the denominational type bars which are arrested by pawls on the differential energization of printing magnets 233, Fig. 16D. Printing hammers are controlled by cams on the printing shaft. Paper feed. Ratchet 161 on the platen 160, Fig. 9, is actuated by pawl 162, lever 163, link 164, and a bell crank 165 adapted to be oscillated by a hooked member 166 driven from the printing shaft 130. With the listnon-list lever 170 in the non-list (or tabulating) position shown, hook 167 misses 165, but if lever 170 is drawn to the left, Fig. 9 (dotted or listing position) then hook 167 actuates bell crank 165. Hook 167 may also be moved to engage 165 by cam 175 on the cam feed shaft 55 so that actuation will occur with card feed if the printing shaft 130 is rotating even with lever 170 in the non-list position. Clutch interlocks. A bar 190 pivoted at 191, Fig. 2, is rockable at either end by the card feed clutch 56 or the reset clutch 98, when either is engaged, and prevents one clutch being engaged when the other is engaged. Similarlv a bar 192 interlocks total clutch 81 with reset clutch 98, and a bar 193 interlocks card feed clutch 56 and total clutch 81. Counters. Shaft 75 drives, through gears 200, Fig. 12, a counter clutch shaft 201, the clutches being thrown in, when card holes are read, by counter-magnets 206. The clutches drive counter wheels 204 and corresponding wheels 250 carrying brushes 251 coacting with fixed commutators 250, so that the position of each brush 251 corresponds to the amount on the related counter wheel. Specification 168,311, [Class 106 (i), Calculating &c.], is referred to. Transfer mechanism.-Each counter wheel 204 has fixed to it a commutator with a single segment which bridges brushes 220 when the wheel stands at " 9." Wheel 204, Fig. 12, also has a cam which rocks lever 221, when the wheel passes through zero, to close a knife switch 222 in series with the counter-magnet 206 of the next higher denomination. Shortly after the adding part of the card cycle a commutator 225 on the shaft 75 bridges brushes 226, 227 to provide the transfer impulse. After one has been added to counters receiving transfer, the clutches are kicked out by bar 218. The transfer circuits are described below. Controlling printing of zeros.-Zero-printing to the left of the highest significant figure is suppressed by the use of type bars with a blank space between the " 1 " and the " 0 " type, as described in Specification 373,231. Total-printing.-The brushes 251, Fig. 12, geared to the counter wheels, will be positioned according to the amounts on the wheels. The segments of the fixed commutator 252 are wired to the segments of a fixed commutator 253. A brush 254 is normally stationary on the zero segment of 253 and is only rotated at zeroizing. At total printing each counter-magnet is energized at such a time as to add ten to the counter wheel, i.e. rotate the latter a complete revolution and bring it back to its original position. As brush 251 passes its zero segment a circuit is made through 253, 254 to energize the printing magnet to arrest the corresponding type bar in position for printing the digit on the counter. Subsequently to total-printing the counter is reset by mechanism of the kind described in Specification 289,068, [Class 106 (i), Calculating &c.]. The brushes 254 are rotated and when each one encounters the segment on 253, Fig. 12, corresponding to the segment on which the related brush 251 stands, the counter magnet 206 is energized to clutch the counterwheel to shaft 201 and return it to zero. Adding and subtracting.-Subtraction is effected in the manner described in Specification 297,800, [Class 106 (i), Calculating &c.], using two counters for positive and negative amounts. The balance is normally printed from the positive counter, but if a " 9 " is detected in the highest denomination of this counter, denoting a complement, the other counter is selected for printing. The translator mechanism for receiving each amount at the upper brushes and emitting it as a complementary amount one cycle later as the lower brushes are reading the same card, is as described in the said prior Specification. A card bearing a negative amount is denoted by a special hole in the " X " hole-position of a selected column. The automatic group control mechanism is of the known kind in which a magnet is plugged in series with the upper and lower brushes of each card column used for group designation purposes. These magnets close contacts in series at each card-reading so that if a magnet fails to energize, its pair of open contacts breaks the control circuit to initiate totaltaking &c. Circuits. Figs. 16, 16A, 16B, 16c, 16D, placed one below the other in the order named, form a circuit diagram for the machine. The motor M, with two speeds for tabulating and printing, is controlled by a resistance 402 and list-non-list switch 403 which is closed by the list-non-list lever 170, Fig. 9, for listing. Contacts 404 are closed by a cam on the printing crosshead shaft. For printing the group designation number off the first card only of each group, contacts R6 at resetting energize magnets 424, 407, Fig. 16A; magnet 425 closes contacts 426 for a holding circuit for the magnet 424. The latter closes its contacts GI-1, Fig. 16, to energize the printing- clutch magnet 434. The card feed clutch magnet 431 may be energized by closing key ST, it then closing contacts 436 for holding circuits through LKB1 and card feed contacts F1. Card feed thus continues as long as cards pass the lower brushes or as long as a coil 456, Fig. 16B, controlling contacts 435, Fig. 16, remains de-energized. S is a stop-key, contacts T25 open the circuit during total-printing cycles and contacts R25 open the circuit during reset cycles. If switch 437 be closed, then contacts R1 close towards the end of a reset operation to restart the card feed on a new group. Total clutch magnet 432 may be. energized by depressing key V1, or energized automatically at a card group change if switch 443 has been closed. Contacts R3 and F3 prevent total-taking during resetting or card feeding cycles. Contacts 442 are under the control of the automatic group change mechanism. The reset clutch magnet 433 may be energized manually by button R, or automatically (switch 445 being closed) by total contact T3 and contact 446 which are controlled by the automatic group change mechanism so as to be open during total cycles but closed towards the end of the last total - printing cycle. The printing clutch magne