Patent GB-473757-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in or relating to record card controlled tabulating machines
Filed: 1936-03-17
Abstract: 473,757. Statistical machines. HOLDEN, N. G. March 17, 1936, No. 8046. [Class 106 (i)] A record - card - controlled statistical machine comprises the combination with a reciprocating pin bo x for sensing the cards and with means for holding a card stationary in the pin box for two consecutive reciprocations of the pin box, of controls which render one section of the pin box operative during the first of said two reciprocations and another section operative during the second reciprocation or vice versa and an accumulator associated with transmission means from each said section so that items can be sensed in each of several sections of the record and added. The invention is described as applied to a tabulator as described in Specifications 271,935, [Class 106 (i)], and 371,849 in which total - printing occurs at a card group change. In order to retain each card in the item sensing pin box 4 for two cycles and to effect two sensing operations on each card, an auxiliary half-speed shaft 1 is provided. The card stop 2 is carried on a post 5 and guided by blocks 3 and 6. A bracket 9 rigid with post 5 has pivoted to it a plate 10 carrying rollers 11 and 12 coacting with cams 7 and 8 on shaft 1. According to the position of plate 10, only one roller coacts with its cam. The plate is adjustable by a handle 13 and if cam 8 is operative the card stop 2 is lifted twice for each revolution of shaft 1 ; if cam 7 is operative the stop 2 is only lifted once for each rotation of shaft 1. The item sensing pin box 4 is of the kind described in Specification 401,012 in which the intermediate elements 19 pass through, and are rocked by, a reciprocating shutter 20 which restores the elements to normal once each machine cycle. In the present instance there are pairs of upper and lower bell-cranks 23, 24 mounted on spindles 25 and 26. Each pair coacts with a separate shutter 27, one for each card column, which lies on the common shutter 20 and has teeth engaging each intermediate pin 19 of the column. Slides 27 are provided for the last thirty card columns. The end of each slide coacts with tails 28, 29 of its pair of bell-cranks 23, 24. The latter are rocked, through their ends 23a, 24a by fingers 37, 38 which are manually slidable by the operator. A frame 30 carrying these fingers is reciprocated vertically by a cam 31 on the half-speed shaft 1. With pin box 4 in its top position, frame 30 is at mid-position. These are the positions shown on the drawings. A card enters the pin box and whilst the latter moves down and up (first card-sensing) frame 30 descends from its mid-position to its lowest position and up to mid-position again. This is half a revolution of shaft 1. With the same card still in the pin box, held there by the card stop 2, the pin box again descends and ascends (second card-sensing) and the frame 30 rises from mid-position to its top position and down again to mid-position. The elements 19 are controlled during the first and second sensings by fingers 37, 38 respectively. If any fingers 37 are adjusted downwardly, by handles 48, their heads 42 will rock the corresponding slides 27 to the left during the first card-sensing cycle and render the corresponding columns of elements 19 inoperative to transmit the reading to rods 18 and the accumulator. Similarly, any fingers 38 adjusted upwardly will prevent the corresponding columns of elements 19 from being effective during the second card-sensing cycle. The connection box wires from the two fields of columns used for the two items pass up to the same stops in the stop basket so that a single accumulator in the adding head of the tabulator receives items from both fields of the card. To hold the card in the designation pin box during two cycles, the quadrant 53 (the same as quadrant 58 of Specification 371,849) has a specially long pin 54 and when this quadrant has moved fully forward (after a card has been fed) the latch 55 holds the pin 55. This latch is pivoted at 56 and is operated by link 58 ; the latter has an open-slotted end to guide it on shaft 1 and has a roller 59 operated by a cam on shaft 1 so that latch 55 is only moved left to release the pin 54 and quadrant 53 every other cycle of the machine. To operate the machine normally a finger 62 on control shaft 16a is rocked to hold latch 55 permanently away from pin 54, by moving handle 13 to its upper position. Total and subtotal taking is effected as in Specification 371,849, modifications being made to allow for a card remaining two cycles in the pin box. In order to print the two items from one card, the two sets of connection wires from the two fields may pass up to two separate sets of printing sectors. Both sets of wires have branches leading to the stops for the sectors for a single accumulator from which the sum of the two items is to be printed, and the printing mechanism of this accumulator is set to operate only during total-taking cycles. Subtraction. One item may be subtracted from the other and the difference printed. The accumulator is constructed as described in Specification 405,666 so that it can handle both +ve and - ve items and in the field containing the negative quantity, a hole is punched which causes rocking of the cradle carrying the pairs of accumulator wheels as described in the prior Specification.