Patent GB-684273-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in record card punching machines
IPC: G06K13/02
Filed: 1950-07-04
Abstract: 684,273. Selective punching-machines. BRITISH TABULATING MACHINE CO., Ltd. July 4, 1950. [July 6, 1949] No. 16643/50. Class 31 (ii). [Also in Group XVI] A machine for punching record cards comprises a supply hopper 10, Fig. 17, from which cards are fed singly to a position A, each card then being fed at right angles to pass a row of punches arranged along a punching line 11, the movement of the card past the punching line being controlled to occur in a column-by-column manner to advance the card towards a row of sensing or reading elements arranged along a reading line 12 after which the card is advanced to a position C from where it is shifted at right angles to mechanism which delivers it to a discharge hopper 13. Card feeding and stacking mechanism. A shaft 21, Fig. 11, is driven from a motor 14 through a one-revolution clutch mechanism and drives a shaft 33 through gears 32, 34 arranged in a 1 to 2 relationship so that two revolutions of shaft 21 and one revolution of shaft 33 constitute a feed cycle. During the first card feed cycle, the card is advanced from hopper 10 to position D, in which its right-hand edge lies beneath a bar 58, by means of picker knives 44, Fig. 5, operated from a cam 37 on shaft 33, feed rollers 50, 51 driven from the shaft 21, and a cam-operated pusher 55. The picker knives are associated with a magnet and electric contacts. Near the end of the cycle, another pusher 74, Fig. 13, engages the right-hand end of the card and pushes it to the H position. A second card feed cycle is now initiated and in this cycle, pusher 55 moves the card from its H to its A position and spring-pressed buttons 59 bearing against the underside of the card snap the right-hand end of the card slightly upward so that it lies against the lower edge of a guide bar 63 and against the vertical edge of the bar 58 against which it is urged by means of a spring-influenced guide bar 64. Pusher 55 returns to its dotted line position, Fig. 5, while the second card advances from the hopper 10 to its D position. The right-hand end of the first card in its A position is slightly elevated so that the second card advanced by the rollers 50, 51 slides under the first card. During the second card feed cycle, the first card is advanced from its H to its E position by means of the pusher 74, operated by a cam 68 on a shaft 66 driven from the shaft 33, in moving from its full-line position, Fig. 13, to its left-hand dotted position while the next card is advancing from the hopper to its D position after which the pusher 74 engages the right-hand end of this following card and shifts it laterally to position H. A pressure roller 85 operated from a cam 79 on the shaft 66 co-operates with a serrated feed wheel 86 which serves as the sole advancing means to step the card from its E position across the punching line under the control of escapement mechanism. A frictional drive from a constantly running gear 91, Fig. 11, driven from the shaft 21, through friction rings tends to drive a gear 94 which is normally held against such rotation by the escapement mechanism to which it is geared. The gear 94 drives through gearing an escapement wheel 102 provided with ratchet teeth that engage with the armature of a magnet 104 to restrain the movement of the ratchet by the gear 91. The magnet is energised and de-energised alternately to provide a single tooth advance of the wheel 102 and a single column advance of the record card past the line of the punches, this being effected by means of the wheel 86, mounted on a shaft 101, and the resilient guide 64 urging the card against the fixed guide rail 58. As the card moves towards the reading line, a further resilient guide 64a, Fig. 1, urges it against a fixed guide rail 58a. A shaft 92, Fig. 11, driven from the shaft 101. carries a feed wheel 86a to engage the card at the reading position F with cooperating pressure roller 85a. A key 111 is depressed when it is desired to back space the cards at the punching and reading stations. After all the columns of a card have passed the punching position, the card will have its leading edge about a rotating feed roller 118, Fig. 1. The advance of the card from this position to the F position of Fig. 17 to bring the first column of the first card to the reading line is effected during the card feed cycle of operation and is concurrent with the advance of the next following card from the H to the E position and also with the advance of the third card from the hopper 6 to the H position. The pressure roller 85a is operatively connected to the pressure roller 85. When the pressure roller 85a is raised slightly from contact with the card, a roller 138, Fig. 15, is brought into engagement with the card to press it against the roller 118. This will cause the card to be advanced rapidly towards the left until it is interrupted by a stop 139 which is lowered into the path of the card concurrently with the elevation of the pressure roller 85a. By tilting a cover plate 147 about its pivot, the stop 139 is raised and the rollers 118, 138 advance the card uninterruptedly past the reading station for conveyance to the discharge hopper. The first card.is now advanced column by column past the reading line 12 as the second card concurrently passes the punching line. Thereafter, a fourth feed cycle is initiated to cause the first card to be advanced to the stacking mechanism. When a lever 135 driven from a constantly rotating gear 89, forming part of the escapement mechanism, is rocked by a roller 155, Fig. 15, is lowered against the card to press it against a constantly rotating roller 151 and the card is rapidly advanced towards the left against a stop 156, Fig. 1, to the position C, Fig. 17. When it is desired to offset the card it is advanced to position G and this is effected by lowering the stop 156 to allow the card to advance under the action of the rollers 151, 155 to a fixed stop 157. After the roller 155 has been raised from the surface of the card, the latter is shifted towards the right, Fig. 7, by means of pusher fingers 173 operated by a cam 166 on a shaft 167 driven from the shaft 21. Secured on the shaft 167 is a stacker drum which carries spring- pressed clips 177 pivoted at 178. As the clips move in a clockwise direction, the cam surface 179 thereon strikes a fixed pin 180 which causes the clips to open so that the leading edge of the card enters therebetween after which the clips ride from the pin 180 and close on the edge of the card to swing it through a right angle into the stacker 13 where the card will be stripped from the clips. Punching mechanism. The punches 182, Fig. 8, are each slotted to receive the end of a pivoted lever 183 the other end of which has pivoted thereto a bell-crank latch 185 which normally engages an armature 187 of magnet 188 and has a hooked end 190 which, when the magnet 188 is energized, swings beneath a bail 191. At the same time, a bail 192 rocks about its pivot to close electrical contacts and bring about revolution of a shaft 196 which carries cam mechanism for oscillating the bail 191 so that the latter engages the ends 190 of selected latches and therethrough rock the associated lever or levers 183 counterclockwise to elevate related punches through the record card. The shaft 196 is rotated from a motor-driven shaft 16, Fig. 11, by means of a one-revolution clutch. The magnets 188 may be selectively energized under control of a keyboard, Fig. 40 (not shown), under control of perforations in a card passing the reading station, or under control of a card wrapped round a duplicating drum 230a. Card-reading mechanism. This comprises a row of twelve double pins 212, Fig. 8, each passing through a guide opening 213 in a bail 214 secured to shaft 215. The lower ends of each pair of pins have shouldered offsets extending in opposite directions and carrying insulating buttons 216 that rest upon spring contact blades 217 which separately bias the pins upwardly. In the normal position of the parts, the bail 214 bears against the shouldered portions to hold the pins in their lowered position against the upward urge of spring 217. When a card column is to be sensed, the bail 214 is rocked counterclockwise by means of a link 218 co-operating with a cam 220 on the shaft 196. Located approximately centrally of the sensing line is a pivoted spring-biased lever 226 above which the cord passes and in doing so engages and rocks it in a counterclockwise direction where its depending arm is swung clear of the edge of the bail 214. When no card is in sensing position, this lever occupies the position shown where its depending arm lies above the right hand edge of the bail and prevents the pins from rising when there is no card at the sensing station. The pins 212 and punches 182 are operated concurrently from the shaft 196. With a column of one card at the punching line, the next higher column of the preceding card is at the reading line so that while the first column is being punched the second column is being sensed and through circuit connections to magnets 188 a new punch selector setting is made while the punching is in progress. Accordingly, upon completion of a revolution of shaft 196 a second revolution may ensue without interruption. Programme drum. Shaft 98 has removably mounted thereon a programme drum 230, Fig. 11, around which a programme card, Fig. 49 (not shown), is wrapped and held in place. Extending across the top of the drum is a row of twelve pivotally-mounted spring-biased star wheel sensing devices 245, Fig. 1, which drop into perforations in the programme card so as to close contacts which complete circuits for controlling spacing, skipping and other functional operations. Duplicating drum. This drum 230a, Fig. 11, rotates in unison with the programme drum and traverses a set of sensing devices, similar to the devices 245, which are responsive to perforations in the duplicatin