Patent GB-655348-A (GB)
Title: Record card punching machines
IPC: G06K21/02
Filed: 1947-09-08
Abstract: 655,348. Statistical apparatus. BRITISH TABULATING MACHINE CO., Ltd. Sept. 8, 1947, No. 24662. Convention date, Sept. 6, 1946. [Class 106 (i)] [Also in Group VIII] A record card punching machine comprises a plurality of electrically-controlled card punches, a plurality of data storage cards each bearing conductive lines to represent value data, and means for automatically selecting a card and connecting a conducting line thereof in circuit with electrical control means to effect operation of the punch corresponding to the value data on the selected card. The operation of a punching machine is described in which several files of data storage cards are provided, each file being in a separate drawer so that a selection can be made of the file, the card in the file and even the field in the card. File cards.-Fig. 10 shows the face and Fig. 11 the back of one file card 40 of insulating material, which is provided with forty stripes 41 of conducting deposit, such as conductive ink, on one face, and at one end with twelve stripes 42 of varying length. On the back of the card are twelve transverse stripes 43 of conductive ink each connected through the card with one of the twelve stripes 42 by means of holes 44 coated inside with conductive ink. Each line 41 has six holes 45 passing therethrough, each hole being coated with conductive ink, and to set up a selected value on the card a short conductive line 46 (Fig. 11), is manually marked between the line 43 related to the selected value and the adjacent hole in that column. In this manner each line 41 may be electrically connected to any one of the twelve stripes 42. Each card 40 has a pair of ears 55, which are inserted in slots in bars 54 which are pivoted by means of links 53 (Fig. 1) at the front and rear of a drawer comprising channelled sides 50, end bars 51 and a bottom plate 52. Each card 40 has an accompanying blank insulating card 56 of the same outline seated in the same slot of bar 54. After insertion of the cards 40, 56, the bar 54 is rocked to the position of Figure 6 so that the cards lie in the drawer at an angle with a small section at the top of each card 40 exposed. The example described has 250 file cards in each of four drawers which are inserted into the machine by sliding the channeled sides 50 along vertically-spaced rails 57 (Figs. 1 and 6). An insulating plate 61 is fixed above each file drawer and carries a number of spaced wires 62 each in line with a column of the file cards. Feelers (Fig. 6).-In the space between the cards 40 and wires 62 are mounted horizontallymovable sets of feeler blades 63 which are individually insulated on a rod 64 and normally occupy a horizontal position as seen in Fig. 1. Five rods 64 and sets of feelers are provided for each file drawer and these are pivotally supported in a pair of connected side frames 66 provided with rollers 67 riding on bars 59, so as to be reciprocable in unison across the edges of the cards with each feeler rod traversing a distance of fifty cards. Through mechanism described later the frames 66 are advanced from left to right in Fig. 1 and interrupted to stop with the left-hand ends of th feelers above the edge of any one of the fifty related cards. One of the rods 64 is then rocked counterclockwise to the position shown in Fig. 6, so that the feeler blades 63 establish electrical connections between the wires 62 and lines 42, 41 of any selected file card. Locating feelers above selected card (Fig. 1).- A double gear selector 69 having teeth 70, 72 meshing with upper and lower racks 71, 73 respectively, is pivoted to the side frame 66 at 68. The racks 71, 73 are slidable in guides 74, 75 respectively, and have teeth 76, 77 engageable with pawls 78, 79. Springs 82, 83 bias the frame 66 and rack 73 towards the right, and in the home or restored position (Fig. 1) an arm 84 on a shaft 85 engages rollers 86, 87 on the racks 71, 73 to hold them to the left, and through sector 69 hold the frame 66 also to the left. Shaft 85 carries follower arms 88 cooperating with complementary cams 89 connected with a half-revolution clutch 91 on a shaft 90 driven from a motor 93. Upon energization of a magnet 97 a dog 94 is released and shaft 90 is given a half-revolution, thereby rocking shaft 85 and arm 84 clockwise. Rollers 86, 87 follow under the tension of springs 82, 83 so that frame 66 moves likewise. At a selected time during the movement of rack 71 to the right, a magnet 102 is energized to release pawl 78 into engagement with a selected tooth 76 and stop the rack 71. Similarly, when a magnet is energized, pawl 79 is released to engage a selected tooth 77 and stop rack 73. The differential action of the racks, through gear sector 69, thus positions frame 66 and the feeler rods 64 in a selected one of fifty possible positions during the clockwise rocking of arm 84. Each of the twenty sets of feelers 63 is now located over the same relatively located card in each set of fifty, but one set only is rocked into engagement with the adjacent card in the following manner. Rocking feelers into engagement with card.- One of twenty magnets 105 carried by frame 66 is then energized to rock a finger 106 pivoted on rod 64 (Fig. 6) towards a link 107 from which project headed pins 108, one for each rod and finger. There are four parallel links 107 secured together by a plate 109 and horizontally slidably carried on frame 66 with springs 110 normally holding them to the left as in Fig. 1. The fingers 106 normally lie out of the path of movement of pins 108, but where a magnet 105 is energized, its finger is drawn into the path of the related pin 108 and engaged thereby to rock rod 64 and feelers 63. One of the links 107 carries a notched plate 112 which is engaged and shifted to the right by a pawl 113 pivoted to an arm 114 when a latch 116 releases the arm 114 and allows a spring 117 to pivot it with the pawl about a fixed stud 115. Latch 116 is itself rocked when a link 120 is drawn down by an arm 119 secured to shaft 85, near the end of the clockwise movement of arm 84. When link 120 is drawn down, a notched part is engaged by a latch 122 on an arm 123 pivoted at 124, so that as arm 84 returns, link 120 is drawn upwardly by a spring 127 and rocks latch 122 and arm 123, thereby releasing a lever 125 to be rocked by a spring 126. A pin at the lower end of lever 125 strikes against the side of arm 114 to force this arm and its pawl 113 back to their initial position in which the pawl engages a fixed pin to swing it away from the teeth in plate 112. The links 107 can then return to the left to free the fingers 106 and let the feelers 63 return to non- contacting positions. An extension of latch 122 will strike a stop 122a to rock the latch out of engagement with link 120 after lever 125 is released. As arm 84 continues its return stroke it picks up rollers 86, 87 to return racks 71, 73 and frame 66 to the left. Near the end of this return stroke of arm 84, a pin 130 therein draws on a link 131 to rock lever 125 counter-clockwise into latching engagement with arm 123, so that at the end of the stroke both levers 125 and 114 are again latched. Operation.-The selection of a particular file card is effected by means of four keys, the first of which selects one of four sections A, B, C, D on the card by energizing one of four relay magnets 145 (Fig. 12b) to close related contacts 145a. A second key is operated to close contacts to select one of the twenty groups of fifty cards by energizing one of the twenty magnets 105 (Fig. 1). A third key closes contacts to energize magnet 102 to release pawl 78, thereby selecting a group of five cards from which one card is chosen by means of a fourth key which closes contacts to energize a magnet to release pawl 79. The actual sequence is as follows: a switch is closed to start the motor 93; the four keys described above are depressed; start contacts are manually closed to energize clutch magnet 97 and couple motor 93 to shaft 90. This shaft carries three contact-operating cams and two rotating wipers which traverse stationary contact segments, and makes a halfrevolution during which the desired card is located, and the feelers rocked to contact the lines 41, 42 on that card (Fig. 12b). Fig. 9 (not shown), illustrates a known form of card punching mechanism wherein a record card in which data is to be punched is placed on a table for movement step-by-step past punches operated by magnets 21 (Fig. 12b). A wiper 37 is secured to the card moving mechanism and successively contacts conducting segments 38 to connect each in turn with a common conductor 39, there being one segment for each card column. If a switch 148 is closed and assuming the D magnet 145 is closed, a circuit is traceable from line 140 through wiper 37, lowermost contact 145a, wire 62, feeler 63, the first strip 41, marked line 46, 8 line 43, 8 line 4, feeler 63, wire 62, 8 punch selecting magnet 21 to line 141. Energization of 8 magnet 21 causes punching of an 8 hole in the record card which is then stepped with wiper 37 to the next column for punching the appropriate hole and so on for each column of field D. The same data may be punched in further record cards by opening switch 148, inserting a new card in the punch in proper columnar alignment either manually or automatically and reclosing switch 148 to repeat the sequence of operations. When punching is completed the start contacts are again closed to effect a second half-revolution of shaft 90 during which the apparatus is restored to its original condition. Fingers 150 on racks 71, 73 engage and rock pawls 78, 79 out of engagement with the racks in readiness for a new card-selecting operation. Electronic pick-up and amplifying relays (not shown) are interposed between the cards and the magnets 21, since the deposits on the cards carry a small current only. Modification.-In a modification (Fig. 14), the conductive deposit-carrying file ca