Patent GB-595939-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in or relating to statistical card punching machines
Filed: 1945-07-10
Abstract: 595,939. Selective punching-machines. CONTROL INSTRUMENT CO., Inc. July 10, 1945, No. 17574. Convention date, Dec. 20, 1944. [Class 31 (ii)] A statistical card punching-machine in which the cards are punched column by column under the control of keys 63, the cards are supported by a carriage 16, Fig. 5, guided by rollers 23, 25 engaging upper and lower sides of a rail 17 and fitted with a rack 20 which is engaged by a gear-wheel operated by a spring motor 33 under control of an escapement device comprising a ratchet 40 and co-operating pawls 49, 52 which act to allow a stepby-step movement of the carriage at each actuation of a number key or a spacing key. Other keys for releasing the carriage to return to starting position or to skip to a definite position are provided. The construction is such that after one key has effected a punching operation no other key can effect operation until the return stroke of the operative key is completed. At the beginning of operations, the carriage 16 is moved to the right by hand, thus winding the motor 33 and a card is registered against a stop 30, Fig. 4. The punches 57 are normally raised by springs 58 and on operation of a " number " punch a plunger 81 is depressed and operates the selected punch, or if two perforations are required in one column, two keys are operated simultaneously to cause depression of two punches and depression of two plungers 81. Each plunger actuates a bail 51 which actuates a pivoted plate 42 and causes engagement of a pawl 49 with the ratchet 40 and release of the pawl 52. After the operation of a punch 57 its return releases the bail and the carriage advances a step as the pawl 52 engages a different tooth when the pawl 49 is moved out of engagement. The plungers 81 are operated from the keys by means of spring-controlled actuator bars 68 operated from the keys by levers 65, and as the actuator 68 moves to the right in Fig. 2, a cam surface 78 thereon raises a trip member 76 which operates a rocker arm 79 associated with the plunger 81. The sliding movement of the actuators 68 is tranverse to that of the card carriage. All the actuators 68 are supported at their extremities upon a spring-controlled pivoted support 71, Fig. 2, and their ends are formed with sloping cam surfaces 86. When a key is fully depressed, the sloping surface 86 acts upon the support 71 and moves it counterclockwise, causing depression of the ends of all the other actuators 68 which are moved to a position which prevents them from operating a punch if a key is depressed., and the support 71 is returned to the normal position shown in Fig. 2 only when the operating-key has caused complete rearward movement of its actuator. To release the carriage 16 for return to normal position, a key 63, Fig. 8, is depressed and by means of a lever 65, link 91 and arm 92 operates a bail 89 which is fitted with a cam 97 adapted to act upon a pin 98 on pawl 52 and thus free the carriage from the action of the escapement mechanism. The cam 97 is held in operative position by catches 99, 100 which are released by a contact of an interposer stop 104 with an abutment 103 on a skip bar 21 arranged between the front plate 19 of the carriage and the rack plate 20, Fig. 5. In a similar mechanism for controlling the skipping of a number of punch actuations, the carriage is released from its escapement mechanism by actuation of a skip key which also causes the cam 97 to release the escapement, and the carriage is finally moved to a position controlled by a skip stop which is inserted in the required hole 21 in the skip bar 22, Fig. 9 (not shown). The carriage 16 is fitted with a finger-piece 120 for moving it to punching position, and a card rack is provided near the keyboard 59.