Patent GB-847371-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in or relating to statistical apparatus
Inventor: RIDER ALFRED ROGER
Filed: 1956-06-25
Abstract: 847,371. Statistical apparatus. INTERNATIONAL COMPUTERS & TABULATORS Ltd., April 12, 1957 [June 25, 1956], No. 19584/56. Class 106 (1). A statistical machine has means for sensing groups of data items successively, each group consisting of at least one item of a first kind (e.g. a master card) and one or more items of a second kind (detail cards), the second items being data for processing, the result of such processing being recorded on an independent cyclically operable recording means (e.g. a punch) at the same time as the first item of the succeeding group is sensed. The invention is described with reference to a tabulator of known kind adapted to prepare invoices from groups of cards, each group containing one or more master cards, bearing a customer's name and address, followed by item cards showing details of transactions by the customer named. The master cards are sensed and the signals are transmitted to a recording device such as a printer which prints the name and address at the head of an invoice. Data sensed from the item cards is passed to an accumulator for addition or subtraction to work out the new balance. At the end of the group, a group control device stops the feed of cards and the tabulator performs such further calculating cycles as are required to complete the balancing operation and the result obtained is passed both to the printer for printing on the invoice and to a punching machine which makes a new master card showing the amount of the customer's balance. While the punching is in progress the master cards of the next group are sensed and the heading printed on the next invoice. The feed of cards is controlled by coil CFC, Fig. 1, cards being fed when the coil is energized. Initially the coil is energized by start key S making a connection from line 1, one of two interlock circuits (comprising contacts 68c or contacts PL2d and PL1c), master control contacts MCc, key S, coil CFC and relay 2 to line 9. Coil CFC closes contacts CFCa and CFCb to provide a holding circuit through cam contacts L2. There are two sensing stations of which the first detects control or designation data and the second senses data to be entered into the accumulator or to be printed, the tabulator being controlled to perform one cycle of operation during the passage of a card through the sensing station. There are card lever contacts at each sensing station the contacts of which are indicated at UCLRa and LCLRb. The cam contacts L2 open near the end of a card cycle and remake before the beginning of the next and are arranged to open the hold circuit if no card is present in the first sensing station so that coil CFC is de-energized. When a card is present contacts UCLRa are closed and piovide an alternative holding circuit for coil CFC and cam contacts can only de-energize coil CFC if the contacts MCc are open. If both card lever contacts UCLRa and LCLRb are closed reenergization of the card feed coil CFC when contacts MCc close is controlled by cam contacts CR8 which close towards the end of a card cycle. Contacts MCc open when a group change is detected and stay open for a predetermined number of cycles to allow the machine to complete the totalling operation and print out the results. In normal operation the totalling cycles would be followed by a cycle in which the accumulators are reset before contacts MCc are closed to resume the card feed. But where it is necessary to punch the results out on to a summary card, the accumulators must not be reset until a later cycle. Card feed is to be resumed at the end of this cycle so that the accumulators must be reset before they are needed for the next set of cards. This is achieved as follows. Cycle relay contacts CRa close when the normal reset cycle of the machine is reached to cause the energization of self-holding relay 68 through contacts 2a, cam contacts CR21, contacts CRa, group contiol relay contacts GCRa (closed because of group change), cam contacts CR46 and contacts 70a. Contacts 68b cause energization of relays 69 and 70 which are then held through contacts 70b. Contacts 69a in closing energize self-holding relay R10. Contacts R10d of this relay energize punch clutch magnets PCM through cam contacts P1. This allows the punch to make one cycle and the cam contacts P1 then open to de-energize magnet PCM. Relay 68 when energized opens the contacts 68c in one of the alternative circuits for the card feed clutch coil CFC. After the normal reset cycle the master control relay is re-energized by the operation of the machine so that card feeding is resumed when cam contacts CR8 make. At this instant the feeding of a new group of cards is about to commence, starting with the master card or cards, and a punch cycle, to record the results of the totalling of data sensed from the previous group, is also about to commence. Under certain circumstances it would be possible for the sensing of all the master cards to have been completed before the punch cycle and the resulting cycle have been completed. Accordingly to ensure that the last master card is sensed during the resetting cycle, arrangements are provided for detecting when the last master card is reached and for stopping the card feed at this point if the punch cycle has not been completed. For this purpose the last master card has a special hole which is sensed when the card is at the first sensing station energize a relay (PL1, Fig. 2, not shown) to open contacts PL1c. If the punch cycle is completed before relay PL1 is operated the relay 68 is de-energized and contacts 68c reclose so that the coil CFC has a supply circuit. But if the punch cycle is not completed, the contacts 68c are open when contacts PL1c open and card feeding stops. The last master card is therefore arrested before it reaches the second sensing station and remains so until relay 68 is de-energized at the end of the punch cycle. Contacts PL2d are operated by a relay (PL2, Fig. 2, not shown) which is energized in place of relay PL1 after the card cycle in which the last master card was sensed and which remains energized until card feed is resumed on deenergization of relay 68. Relay RSR resets the accumulators in the next following card cycle so that they are prepared for the sensing of the first item cards of the new group. Provision is also made to allow repeated sensing of the master card at the second station, the detection of the last master card then, of course, taking place at the first sensing station several cycles before the last address field on the card is sensed at the second station. Operation of the relay PL1 previously referred to is delayed for a predetermined number of sensing cycles after the last master card is sensed. Instead of being controlled by record cards the machine may be controlled by data arranged on a tape in a similar grouping. Specifications 422,135, 422,179, 442,534 and 687,141 are referred to.