Patent GB-376302-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in or relating to perforated-record-card controlled printing mechanism
Filed: 1931-04-08
Abstract: 376,302. Statistical-machines. BRITISH TABULATING MACHINE CO., Ltd., Victoria House, Vernon Place, Southampton Row, London. -(Assignees of Peirce, J. R. ; 33, Riverside Drive, New York, U.S.A.) April 8, 1931, No. 10315. Convention date, April 9, 1930. [Class 100 (iv).] Record-controlled driving-mechanism ; typebar machines.-In record-card controlled printing-mechanism for statistical and like machines of the kind wherein a type-member has the types arranged in groups, and type-selection is effected under the control of character-denoting and group-denoting holes, the type-member is moved cyclically to bring the types successively and group-by-group into a selecting position, and the character-denoting holes adjust a storage device performing one cycle during the passage of a group of types through the selecting position, a group-selecting device adjusted by the group-denoting holes determining during which cycle of the storage device an impulse shall be transmitted to select the type corresponding to the character-denoting holes. In the apparatus shown in Figs. 5 and 17, there are provided for each card-column two pins 90x, 90y, and four pins 90 for sensing the groupdenoting and character-denoting holes respectively. The pins 90 are associated with a storage device constituted by the translating mechanism described in Specification 365,169, [Group XIX], and comprising levers 106a .. 106d which are held in displaced position by latching-members 112, and carry brushes 109a .. 109d co-operating with commutators 110, 111. The brushes 109a, 109b are interconnected, and the brushes 109c are connected to magnets 32 controlling stop-pawls for type-bars having the types arranged in four groups. During ascent of the type-bars, the commutators make two revolutions and four translating-cycles are performed thereby, each of these cycles coinciding with the passage of one group of types past the printing line. The group-selecting device comprises a set of spring-urged members 141 which co-operate with latches 140 and are released and restored by means of a reciprocating bar 148, each pair 90x, 90y of pins having blocks 137, 139 for operating one of the latches. Each member 141 has a contact-arm 142 co-operating with contact-bars 143 .. 147, the bar 147 being connected to the brushes 109d, and the bars 143 . . 146 being connected to brushes 143a . . 146a co-operating with a commutator 156 which makes one revolution per card-cycle. During the first . . fourth translating-cycles, the brushes 143a . . 146a respectively are connected by the commutator 156 to the line 160 in circuit with the magnets 32. When there are no group-denoting holes in a card column, neither of the associated pins 90x, 90y advances, and the arm 142 remains in contact with the bar 143. If there is one groupdenoting hole, one of the pins advances and the associated member 141 rises and moves the arm 141 into engagement with the bar 144 or 145, whilst if there are two group-denoting holes, the member rises and moves the arm into engagement with the bar 146. When a card 50 is read, the group-denoting holes cause the group-selecting device to determine for each type-bar the translating-cycle during which the translating-mechanism is effective, and the' translating-mechanism selects from each type-bar the type corresponding to the character-denoting holes. The mechanism described in the above-mentioned Specification may be employed for feeding the cards, latch connections being provided for preventing operation of the pins, or operation of the latching-members 112 if the mechanism fails to operate. When a card is present in the reading position, the card-contacts 161, Fig. 3a, are held in abnormal position by means of a latch which is released at the beginning of each cycle. Preferably the lower contact abuts on an arm 164 having lugs 164b, 164a for engaging a latch 175 and an interponent 170 which is connected to a rocking arm 166 engaging a pin 165 arranged to feel an imperforate part of the card. The latch is in the path of a bellcrank 173 which carries the interponent and has lost-motion connected to the pin-restoring shaft. When the bell-crank rises, the latch is moved into released position and, according as to whether a card is or is not present, the interponent is moved into or out of register with the lug 164a and the contacts are or are not closed. The latch returns when the bellcrank descends, and if the contacts have been closed they are held by the latch.